Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges – Side By Side (SACD hibrid)

In 1951, saxophonist Johnny Hodges signed a contract with Norman Granz and left the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He led his own small band and continued this work when he returned to Ellington four years later. Side by Side’ from 1959 is similar in structure to the sessions Ellington recorded with Hodges and other members of the orchestra in the 1930s.

The main differences, however, are the absence of Ellington in some sections, where he left the piano to Billy Strayhorn, and the presence of some musicians who were not part of his circle, such as drummer Jo Jones and trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison. The ‘Side by Side’ ensemble is completed by Lawrence Brown (trombone), Al Hall (bass), Wendell Marshall (bass), Les Spann (flute/guitar) and Ben Webster (tenor saxophone). As on the Back to Back album, the jamming is relaxed and the soloists are given plenty of room to shine. Excellent, satisfied musicians and a strong, yet relaxed beat make this album an absolute pleasure to listen to.

This recording is part of a series of 25 Verve reissues on Analogue Productions. The original Analogue tapes are re-mastered by senior mastering engineer George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York. Many of the tapes have been sent to other labels as copies for decades, but Sterling Sound works so closely with Universal Music, the owners of the Verve label, that they occasionally make an exception. The hybrid SACDs sound excellent and clearly outshine earlier digitisations.

We recommend the use of „L’Art du Son” CD/DVD conditioner for even more sonic improvement.

Lista pieselor

1. Stompy Jones

2. Squeeze Me

3. Big Shoe

4. Going Up

5. Just a Memory

6. Let’s Fall in Love

7. Ruint

8. Bend One

9. You Need to Rock