Duke Ellington "Rockin' in Rhythm" vol. 3 (1929-1931)

After Herbie Hancock's Treasure Chest is Duke Ellington, "Rockin' in Rhythm" vol. 3 (1929-1931). I don't have the other volumes; I've never thought to look for them but now that I think about it I am wanting them. This is the last in the series, according to the liner notes. Anyway early Duke Ellington is the best, I think. But he was always great. He did so much and he was always well dressed. This adds to my theory that people have devolved over the course of the twentieth century. People in general used to be more courageous, more interesting, and better dressed. When I look at pictures of my grandparents in Chicago in the middle of winter amid heaps of snow and dressed to the nines I think this.

Wall Street Wail, the second song on side one has some fantastic solos. This album is one of those jazz aficionado productions with everything well documented and one of the things they list is the order of the solos on each song. The order on Wall Street Wail is [Barney] Bigard, [Cootie] Williams, Bigard, [Joe "Tricky Sam"] Nanton, [Wellman] Braud, [Johnny] Hodges, Braud, Hodges, Bigard. In the liner notes Stanley Dance also gives the other names Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, also called The Jungle Band here, recorded under for other labels: The Ten Blackberries, The Harlem Hot Chocolates, The Harlem Footwarmers, The Harlem Music Masters, The Philadelphia Melodians, The Memphis Hot Shots, The Whoopee Makers.

Side two starts with a weepy Mood Indigo. This is definitely the saddest song on the album; side one is all pretty upbeat. The third song, Wang Wang Blues has got a lot of wah-wah personality and makes me think of my friends Dreamland Faces. Rockin' in Rhythm the song enchants and hypnotizes, and the frenetic Twelfth Street Rag right after it features piano duets with Benny Payne and Duke Ellington.