''The Blanton–Webster Band'' is a compilation album that combines the master takes of all the recordings by

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 ...

's Orchestra during the years of 1940 to 1942, involving

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), keyboard bass (synth bass) or a low br ...

Jimmy Blanton James Blanton (October 5, 1918 – July 30, 1942) was an American jazz double bassist. Blanton is credited with being the originator of more complex pizzicato and arco bass solos in a jazz context than previous bassists. Nicknamed "Jimmie," Blant ...

and

tenor saxophonist The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

. The recordings were originally made for

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

during what many critics regard as the Ellington orchestra's golden period. The three CDs contain many numbers which were to become classics, and the arrangements (by Ellington and

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 ...

) were frequently inventive and innovative. It was voted number 283 in the third edition of

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British music writer. He founded and was the editor-in-chief of ''The Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. Along with the ten-volume encyclopedia, Larkin also wrote the book ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'', and edited th ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by the ...

'' (2000). The collection does not include alternate takes or the duets Ellington performed with

, available elsewhere. With 66 tracks, the selection includes many of Ellington's hits and classic songs. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' praises the collection as "a masterwork of composition and leadership" and "a series of individual triumphs from the greatest team of jazz players...ever assembled".

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 ...

describes it as "essential for all jazz collections". Bassist Blanton was only with the Ellington orchestra for two years, retiring in 1941 due to tuberculosis, and dying the following year at the age of 23. Despite this compilation's title, Blanton does not appear on the final 17 tracks of the collection, having been replaced on bass by Alvin "Junior" Raglin. This reissue first surfaced as a four-LP set in 1986. The collection was re-organized, rereleased, and remastered with additional tracks in 2003 as '' Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band''.

Track list

Unless otherwise noted, all tracks by

Disc one

#"You, You Darlin'" (M.K. Jerome, Jack Scholl) – 3:19 #"Jack the Bear" – 3:15 #"Ko Ko" – 2:39 #"Morning Glory" (Ellington,

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...

) – 3:15 #"So Far, So Good" (

Jack Lawrence Jack Lawrence may refer to: * Jack Lawrence (songwriter) (1912–2009), American songwriter * Jack Lawrence (artist) (born 1975), British comic book artist and animator * Jack Lawrence (bluegrass) (born 1953), American bluegrass guitarist * Jack Law ...

Jimmy Mundy James Mundy (June 28, 1907 – April 24, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Earl Hines. Mundy died of cancer in New York City at the age of 7 ...

, E.G. White) – 2:50 #"Conga Brava" (Ellington,

Juan Tizol Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's big band, and for writing the jazz standards " Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdido". ...

) – 2:54 #" Concerto for Cootie" – 3:19 #"Me and You" – 2:54 #"

Cotton Tail "Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording (4 May 1940) is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally a ...

" – 3:08 #" Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)" (Ellington, Bob Russell) – 3:15 #"Dusk" – 3:19 #"Bojangles" – 2:50 #"A Portrait of Bert Williams" – 3:09 #"Blue Goose" – 3:21 #"Harlem Air Shaft" – 2:57 #"At a Dixie Roadside Diner" – ( Joe Burke,

Edgar Leslie Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter. Biography Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a ...

) – 2:45 #"

All Too Soon "All Too Soon" is a 1940 song composed by Duke Ellington with lyrics written by Carl Sigman. It is recorded in the key of C major. It was subsequently recorded by several contemporary and modern artists. Notable recordings *Duke Ellington **recor ...

" (Ellington,

Carl Sigman Carl Sigman (September 24, 1909 – September 26, 2000) was an American songwriter. Early life Born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York, to a Jewish-American family, Sigman graduated from law school and passed his bar exams to practice ...

) – 3:28 #"Rumpus in Richmond" – 2:46 #"My Greatest Mistake" (

Jack Fulton John Collins Fulton (June 13, 1903 – November 13, 1993) was an American composer, trombonist, and vocalist. At the age of 17, he started playing the trombone for small-town dances. He sang with the Mason-Dixon Orchestra. He also played the tro ...

), Jack O'Brien) – 3:27 #"Sepia Panorama" – 3:20 #"There Shall Be No Night" (

Gladys Shelley Gladys Shelley (née Shaskan, December 15, 1911 – December 9, 2003) was an American lyricist and composer, who was responsible for over 300 songs. Early life Gladys Shaskan was born in Lawrence, New York, to George Fried and Fannie Shaskan. S ...

Abner Silver Abner Silberman (28 December 1899 in New York City, New York, United States – 24 November 1966) as pen name Abner Silver, was an American songwriter who worked primarily during the Tin Pan Alley era of the craft. Career Usually composing the ...

) – 3:05 #"

In a Mellow Tone "In a Mellow Tone", also known as "In a Mellotone", is a 1939 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Milt Gabler. The song was based on the 1917 standard " Rose Room" by Art Hickman and Harry Williams, which Ellington hi ...

" (Ellington,

Milt Gabler Milton Gabler (May 20, 1911 – July 20, 2001) was an American record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th century. These included being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sel ...

) – 3:19

Disc two

#"Five O'Clock Whistle" (Kim Gannon, Gene Irwin,

Josef Myrow Josef Myrow (February 18, 1910 – December 24, 1987 in Los Angeles, California) was a Russian-born composer, known for his work in film scores in the 1940s and 1950s. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1947 for the song "You Do" from ...

) – 3:18 #"Warm Valley" – 3:20 #"The Flaming Sword" – 3:06 #"Across the Track Blues" – 2:58 #"Chloe" (

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

Neil Moret Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. As a surname ...

) – 3:24 #"I Never Felt This Way Before" (

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that immigrated to the United States from Sw ...

, Ellington) – 3:23 #"The Sidewalks of New York" ( James W. Blake, Charles B. Lawlor) – 3:14 #"

Flamingo Flamingos or flamingoes () are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes. There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbe ...

" (Edmund Anderson, Ted Grouya) – 3:22 #"The Girl in My Dreams Tries to Look Like You" – 3:19 #"

Take the "A" Train "Take the 'A' Train" is a jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn that was the signature tune of the Duke Ellington orchestra. In 1976, the 1941 recording by Duke Ellington on Victor Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. History The u ...

" (

) – 2:54 #"Jumpin' Punkins" – 3:33 #"John Hardy's Wife" – 3:28 #"Blue Serge" – 3:20 #"After All" (Strayhorn) – 3:19 #"Bakiff" (Tizol) – 3:23 #"Are You Sticking?" – 3:02 #"

Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin' "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'" is a 1941 song written by Billy Strayhorn and Lee Gaines. Notable recordings * Johnny Dankworth - ''The Best of Johnny Dankworth'' (2008) *June Christy - '' Recalls Those Kenton Days'' (1959), ''The Best Of The Cap ...

" (Ellington, Gaines, Strayhorn) – 3:33 #"The Giddybug Gallop" – 3:29 #"Chocolate Shake" (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 ...

) – 2:50 #"

I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" is a pop and jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1941. It was introduced in the musical revue ''Jump for Joy'' by Ivie Anderson, who also provided the vo ...

" (Ellington, Webster) – 3:17 #"Clementine" (Strayhorn) – 2:53 #"Brown-Skin Gal (In the Calico Gown)" (Ellington, Webster) – 3:06

Disc three

#"Jump for Joy" (Ellington, Sid Kuller, Webster) – 2:50 #"Moon Over Cuba" (Ellington, Tizol) – 3:09 #"Five O'Clock Drag" – 2:49 #"

Rocks in My Bed "Rocks in My Bed" is a 1941 song written by Duke Ellington. Harvey G. Cohen in his 2010 book ''Duke Ellington's America'' writes that "Rocks in My Bed" "presents a more honest and adult impression of sexual loneliness than most Swing Era lyrics". T ...

" – 3:06 #"

Bli Blip Bli Blip is a song composed by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Sid Kuller. "Bli Blip" was featured in Ellington's 1941 musical revue '' Jump for Joy''. It was performed by Marie Bryant and Paul White in a 1942 soundie featuring Ellington and his ...

" (Ellington, Kuller) – 3:03 #"

Chelsea Bridge Chelsea Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames in west London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank, and split between the City of Westminster, the London Borough of Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kensin ...

" (Strayhorn) – 2:52 #"Rain Check" (Strayhorn) – 2:28 #"What Good Would It Do?" (

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band to great commercial success from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947, but ...

, Buddy Pepper) – 2:44 #"I Don't Know What Kind of Blues I Got" – 3:13 #" Perdido" (

Ervin Drake Ervin Drake (born Ervin Maurice Druckman; April 3, 1919 – January 15, 2015) was an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as " I Believe" and " It Was a Very Good Year". He wrote in a variety of styles and his ...

, H.J. Lengsfelder, Tizol) – 3:08 #"

C Jam Blues "C Jam Blues" is a jazz standard composed in 1942 by Duke Ellington. One of his most famous pieces, it has been performed by countless other musicians, such as Dave Grusin, Django Reinhardt, Oscar Peterson, and Charles Mingus. Background As th ...

" (

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 ...

, Ellington) – 2:37 #"Moon Mist" – 2:58 #"What Am I Here For?" (Ellington,

Frankie Laine Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performa ...

) – 3:28 #"I Don't Mind" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 2:49 #"Someone" – 3:09 #"My Little Brown Book" (Strayhorn) – 3:13 #"Main Stem" – 2:47 #"Johnny Come Lately" (Strayhorn) – 2:39 #"Hayfoot, Strawfoot" (Drake, Lengsfelder, Paul McGrane) – 2:30 #"

Sentimental Lady "Sentimental Lady" is a song written by Bob Welch. It was originally recorded for Fleetwood Mac's 1972 album '' Bare Trees'', but was re-recorded by Welch on his debut solo album, ''French Kiss'', in 1977. It is a romantic song, originally wr ...

" – 2:58 #"A Slip of the Lip (Can Sink a Ship)" (Ellington, Henderson) – 2:54 #"Sherman Shuffle" – 2:38

Personnel

Performance

—

arrangements In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing Composition (music), composition. Differences from the original composition may include Harmony (music), reharmonization, Musical phrasing, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or M ...

, conductor,

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

(alternating with) *

— arrangements, piano *

Ivie Anderson Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (July 10, 1905 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade. Personal life Ivie Anderson was born July 10, 1905, in Gilroy, Ca ...

— vocals *

Herb Jeffries Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American actor of film and television and popular music and jazz singer-songwriter, known for his baritone voice. He starred in several low-budget "ra ...

— vocals ;reed section *

—

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

Johnny Hodges Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on sop ...

— alto sax,

soprano sax The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly smaller ...

, clarinet *

— tenor saxophone *

Otto Hardwick Otto James "Toby" Hardwicke (May 31, 1904 – August 5, 1970) was an American saxophone player associated with Duke Ellington. Biography Hardwick began on string bass at the age of 14, then moved to C melody saxophone and finally settled on ...

—

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

*Chauncey Haughton — clarinet, tenor sax *

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 The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

, clarinet, alto saxophone ;brass section *

—

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

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 *

Ray Nance Ray Willis Nance (December 10, 1913 – January 28, 1976) was an American jazz trumpeter, violinist and singer. He is best remembered for his long association with Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Early years Nance was born in Chicago on D ...

— trumpet,

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

vocals Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define sing ...

Wallace Jones Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones (July 14, 1926 – July 27, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians. Biography Jones was born ...

— trumpet *

—

valve trombone The valve trombone is a brass instrument in the trombone family that has a set of valves to vary the pitch instead of (or in addition to) a slide. Although it has been built in sizes from alto to contrabass, it is the tenor valve trombone pitched ...

* Joe Nanton —

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

* Lawrence Brown — trombone ;rhythm section *

Fred Guy Frederick L. Guy (May 23, 1897 – December 22, 1971) was an American jazz banjo player and guitarist. Born in Burkeville, Virginia, Guy was raised in New York City. He played guitar and banjo with Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra. In the early 192 ...

—

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

—

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

* Alvin "Junior" Raglin — bass *

Sonny Greer William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington. Early life and career Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. There has been long-sta ...

—

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

Production

* Bob Porter – reissue producer *Ed Begley – remastering *Steve Backer – executive producer *Mary Tucker – liner notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanton-Webster Band, The 1986 compilation albums Big band compilation albums Bluebird Records compilation albums Duke Ellington albums RCA Records compilation albums