Side by side

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Side by side
Studio album by Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges

Publication
(s)

1959

Label (s) Verve Records

Format (s)

CD, LP

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

9

running time

45:45

occupation

production

Norman Granz

Studio (s)

Nola Studios, New York City and Columbia Studios, New York City

chronology
Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues
1959 		Side by side Anatomy of a Murder (Soundtrack)
1959
Johnny Hodges with Al Sears (in the background) in the New York jazz club Aquarium, around November 1946.
Photograph by William P. Gottlieb .

Side by Side is a jazz album that was recorded in New York City on August 14, 1958 and February 20, 1959 under the nominal direction of Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges, respectively , and published in 1959 by Verve .

The album

Although Side by Side by Norman Granz was brought out as a Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges album, most of the pieces were created in August 1958 under the direction of Hodges with Ben Webster , Roy Eldridge and Lawrence Brown ; the pianist for this session was Billy Strayhorn . The album is complemented by three pieces under the direction of Duke Ellington (whose alto saxophonist Hodges was for a long time), u. a. with his compositions Going Up (with Les Spann as flutist) and Stompy Jones . In addition to Hodges, Harry Sweets Edison , Al Hall and Jo Jones were involved in a slightly different cast . These pieces were created during the recording session in February 1959 when the Verve album Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues was created. Side by Side contained a few jazz standards such as Harold Arlen's Let's Fall in Love and Fats Waller's Just Squeeze Me, as well as three compositions by Johnny Hodges.

reception

Richard Cook and Brian Morton gave the album - like the previous album Back to Back - the highest rating. In the opinion of the authors, the two recording sessions in a smaller formation had a distinct jam session character. Hodges dominates them, but gives his teammates enough space for appropriate solo development.

Stephen Cook rated the album in Allmusic with four stars and emphasized that Side by Side followed Ellington's tradition of presenting his various stars in different combos under their names in addition to recordings with the large orchestra , as was the case in the late 1930s ( The Duke's Men ) the band material was recorded in ensembles under the nominal direction of Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams and Rex Stewart and were among the greatest examples of early small-group swing . These later attempts of 1958/59 feature mostly Johnny Hodges; he is in top form, Edison and Webster also offer great performances. The highlights are the smooth, swinging Going Up and Hodges' bluesy final track You Need to Rock . The album is a "must" for fans of vintage combo swing .

Pieces of the album

  • Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges: Side by Side (Verve Records MGVS 6109)
  1. Stompy Jones ( Duke Ellington ) - 6:38
  2. Just Squeeze Me ( Fats Waller , Clarence Williams ) - 4:36
  3. Big Shoe ( Jimmy Hamilton ) - 5:37
  4. Going Up (D. Ellington) - 4:51
  5. Just a Memory ( Lew Brown , Buddy DeSylva , Ray Henderson ) - 5:53
  6. Let's Fall in Love ( Harold Arlen , Ted Koehler ) - 6:47
  7. Ruint ( Mercer Ellington , Johnny Hodges) - 2:32
  8. Bend One (Hodges) - 2:59
  9. You Need to Rock (Hodges) - 5:52

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Richard Cook, Brian Morton: The Penguin Guide of Jazz on CD. 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002.
  2. ↑ Review of Stephen Cook's album Side by Side on Allmusic . Retrieved February 2, 2011.