''Togo Brava Suite'' is an album by the American pianist, composer, and bandleader

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

. It was recorded in England and released by

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

in 1971.A Duke Ellington Panorama
accessed May 7, 2010 The album won a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance by a Big Band in 1972.Grammy Awards Database
/ref> The album was later reissued on CD by Blue Note in 1994, and studio recordings of the complete "Togo Brava Suite" were released in 2001 by Storyville.

Reception

The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

stated: "By the time of these concerts from England, the Duke Ellington Orchestra had suffered quite a few losses of veteran personnel... However, the band was still a major force, and this set has plenty of highpoints".Yanow, S. AllMusic Reviewaccessed May 7, 2010

Track listing

All compositions by Duke Ellington except where noted. # " C Jam Blues" (

Barney Bigard Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone. Biography Bigard was born in New Orleans to Creoles of color, Cr ...

, Duke Ellington) – 4:42 # "Toga Brava Suite: Soul Soothing Beach/Naturellement" – 11:56 # "Right on Togo" – 4:58 # "Happy Reunion" – 4:41 # "Addi" – 4:04 # "Lotus Blossom" (

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the ...

) – 2:30 # " Cotton Tail" – 4:18 # "Checkered Hat" (Judy Spencer, Norris Turney) – 4:37 # "La Plus Belle Africaine" – 8:39 # " In a Mellow Tone" (Ellington, Milt Gabler) – 4:02 # " I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (Ellington,

Paul Francis Webster Paul Francis Webster (December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song, and was nominated sixteen times for the award. Life and career Webster was born in New York City, United S ...

) – 5:29 # "Melancholia" – 3:41 # "Soul Flute" – 3:19 * Recorded at the Birmingham Theatre in Birmingham, England on October 24, 1971 except for tracks 1 & 7 which were recorded at Colston Hall in Bristol, England on October 22, 1971.

Personnel

– piano * Johnny Coles, Mercer Ellington, Money Johnson,

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

– trumpet * Malcolm Taylor, Booty Wood – trombone * Chuck Connors – bass trombone * Jimmy Hamilton, Harold Ashby – tenor saxophone, clarinet * Norris Turney – alto saxophone * Harold Minerve, Russell Procope – alto saxophone, clarinet * Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone *

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments, but primarily used the baritone saxophon ...

– baritone saxophone * Wild Bill Davis – organ * Joe Benjamin – double bass * Rufus "Speedy" Jones – drums

References

{{Duke Ellington 1971 live albums United Artists Records live albums Duke Ellington live albums Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album