Song of the Week by Freddie Dickinson
by Carl Nelson
This week we feature Freddie Dickinson from Seattle, WA. He comes highly recommended by last week’s Song of the Week DJ Mike Faltesek and his song choice is solid proof of his excellence.
Duke Ellington Men Small Groups
Song: Jazz a la Carte
Album: Dukes’s Men: Small Groups Vol. 1
Artist: Duke Ellington
BARNEY BIGARD AND HIS JAZZOPATORS: Rex Stewart (cor), Juan Tizol (vtb), Barney Bigard (cl), Harry Carney (bari), Duke Ellington (p), Fred Guy (g), Billy Taylor (b), Sonny Greer (d).
NYC, April 29, 1937 (2:15pm start)
Ellington’s small group sessions are widely known as killer recordings of Duke with his various side men. Of course one should own all of these recordings, but Jazz a la Carte is certainly one to cherry pick out of the bunch.
I love these 1930’s small group recordings because they take simple song formats of traditional jazz standards and add just enough personality and subtlety to make them seem like a higher evolution of swingin’ “trad jazz”. This song has a 12 bar chorus that get’s played through twice at the beginning and twice at the end, with solos in the middle. This makes for a very basic arrangement on paper, but the musicians take you on a journey that’ll make you anything but blue.
Rex Stewart opens with an intro and then launches into the main theme of the song. The melody is more of a rhythmic chant and not so much a sing-song kind of melody, which appeals to my dancing ears. Each of the three solos that make up the creamy center of this recording has a different sound and feel to it. The background riffs played by the other guys in the band lend a unique attitude to each section. Barney Bigard’s solo (cl.) has a meandering curiosity to it, with the backup riff popping in every 8 beats (lindy hop serendipity). Harry Carney’s baritone sax solo has an arguing tone to it, and the background riff adds to that feeling by adding dynamic waves to sustained 8 beat chordal tones. Duke’s solo conjures up the famous image of him with a black top hat, upright and cocked to the side. The song ends with the full group playing the main theme in harmony, first reserved, then with full flying colors.
I love these recordings a lot, but I’ve yet to hear a contemporary band play many of these arrangements, Jazz a la Carte included. Until that happens, you can pick up your own copy of Ellington’s small group sessions from various compilations.
You can find it on Amazon as Duke’s Men: The Small Groups Vol. 1 but the gold standard for these recordings can be purchased here Mosaic Records: Duke Ellington: 1936-40 Small Group Sessions.
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