Duke Ellington

Two complete Treasury show transcriptions and a portion of a third, all recorded by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra a few weeks after the end of World War II, make up this two-CD compilation. Recorded to help the government sell war bonds to finance the tremendous expense of carrying out a two-front war, while they are referred to as Victory Bonds in peacetime, to help pay for the medical care and rehabilitation of wounded veterans (among other things), these transcriptions have been beautifully restored with good balance and minimal surface noise by Jerry Valburn. While many of the pieces will be familiar to casual jazz fans, the frequency of the program (Ellington appeared almost every week between early April and the end of November 1945) gave the bandleader the opportunity to try out new compositions, revive earlier works, and include a few pop songs of the day. As a result, obscurities by Ellington like "Fickle Fling," "Someone" (a piece also recorded as "Blue Alone" and "The Sky Fell Down"), "Way Low" (listed as "Lament in a Minor Mood"), "Teardrops in the Rain," "Fancy Dan" (which was premiered on this very broadcast), and "Three Cent Stomp," almost of which were performed no more than a couple of dozen times and most of which were gone from the band book before the decade was over, will be of great interest to serious fans. Of course, star soloists fare well, particularly Johnny Hodges, Tricky Sam Nanton, Harry Carney, Rex Stewart, and Ray Nance. The vocal numbers are equally enjoyable, particularly those featuring Kay Davis' rich sound. Ellington is still uncomfortable reading the heavy-handed bond promotion scripts throughout each show, but no one can question his patriotism or musicianship in these historic broadcasts. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide