1946 was a pivotal time in US history. World War II had just ended the year previous, catapulting us into the Atomic Age. Millions of troops had returned home from war, putting the economy into high gear and kicking off the Baby Boom. The United Nations held their first meeting, and scientists discovered that radio communication would be possible between Earth and the moon, the beginning of the Space Age.

Not only was it a transitional time for the nation, but also for jazz music. The big band styles popularized by the likes of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman were gradually falling out of fashion with jazz musicians, listeners, and critics alike. Jazz was morphing into something more modern, more esoteric. It was becoming less dancer’s music and more musician’s music. Though in its infancy, bebop would forever change how the world listened to jazz. With complex modal melodies and blistering tempos, bebop was the jazz of the artist, the bohemian, the beatnik. The late 1940s saw jazz beginning to move underground, still retaining a rabid niche following, but slowly taking a back seat to Rhythm & Blues and Rock ‘n’ Roll as America’s popular music. Poised in the middle of it all was Duke Ellington, always at least ten years ahead of the curve and looming like the great Colossus with his feet bridging the divide of both worlds.

The tracks in this compilation offer a compelling snapshot, not only into the mind of a great composer, but also into the state of jazz in the mid-1940’s. Recorded in five sessions over three months in New York City, these fifteen tracks run the gamut stylistically, ranging from standard style ballads (“It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream”) to raucous jam sessions (“Trumpet No End”), sweet and colorful modern rhapsodies (“Flippant Flurry”) to experimental sketches (“Overture to a Jam Session”) tragically truncated by the time limits of the 78rpm single format. Punctuating the brilliant arranging and skillful musicianship are the robust vocal stylings of Ray Nance, Al Hibbler, and Kay Davis.

This collection really shows the diversity of what Duke was capable of as a pioneering force in jazz. Always the student, he continued composing and innovating his entire life, an admirable feat achieved by few. For that and many other reasons, Duke was and is one of the greats.

Tracks in this compilation are presented in order chronologically by matrix number, as they were recorded. Curiously, “Happy Go Lucky Local, Part II” was recorded before Part I of the same piece, with “Trumpet No End” being recorded in between. Great care has been taken to reduce noise without compromising audio quality, but background noise persists in many cases due to the age of the records.

I hope you enjoy this unique look into one of America’s greatest composers.

-Lon Eldridge

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Recording Session Notes

Musicraft, New York City

October 23, 1946:

Shelton Hemphill, Francis Williams, Taft Jordan (trumpet); Ray Nance (trumpet, violin); Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor sax); Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges (alto sax); Al Sears (tenor sax); Harry Carney (baritone sax); Duke Ellington (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Sonny Greer (drums)

5765 - Diminuendo in Blue
5766 - Magenta Haze

November 25, 1946:

Harold Baker, Cat Anderson, Francis Williams, Taft Jordan (trumpet); Ray Nance (trumpet, violin); Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor sax); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto sax); Johnny Hodges (alto sax); Al Sears (tenor sax); Harry Carney (baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet); Duke Ellington (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Sonny Greer (drums)

5813 - Sultry Sunset
5814 - Happy Go Lucky Local, Part II
5815 - Trumpet No End (Blue Skies)
5816 - Happy Go Lucky Local, Part I
5817 - Beautiful Indians (Hiawatha) Part I
5818 - Flippant Flurry

December 5, 1946:

Harold Baker, Cat Anderson, Francis Williams, Taft Jordan (trumpet); Ray Nance (trumpet, violin); Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor sax); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto sax); Johnny Hodges (alto sax); Al Sears (tenor sax); Harry Carney (baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet); Duke Ellington (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Sonny Greer (drums); Kay Davis (vocals)

5823 - Golden Feather
5824 - Beautiful Indians (Minnehaha) Part II

December 11, 1946:

Harold Baker, Cat Anderson, Francis Williams, Taft Jordan (trumpet); Ray Nance (trumpet, violin, vocals); Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor sax); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto sax); Johnny Hodges (alto sax); Al Sears (tenor sax); Harry Carney (baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet); Duke Ellington (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Sonny Greer (drums); Al Hibbler (vocals)

5841 - Tulip or Turnip
5842 - It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream

December 18, 1946:

Harold Baker, Cat Anderson, Francis Williams, Taft Jordan (trumpet); Ray Nance (trumpet, violin); Claude Jones, Lawrence Brown, Wilbur De Paris (trombone); Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet, tenor sax); Russell Procope (clarinet, alto sax); Johnny Hodges (alto sax); Al Sears (tenor sax); Harry Carney (baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet); Duke Ellington (piano); Fred Guy (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Sonny Greer (drums)

5845 - Overture to a Jam Session, Part 1
5846 - Overture to a Jam Session, Part 2
5847 - Jam-a-ditty