Happy-Go-Lucky Local

Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, trumpet, violin); Al Hibbler, Kay Davis (vocals); Russell Procope (alto saxophone, clarinet); Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Jimmy Hamilton (tenor saxophone, clarinet); Al Sears (tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (baritone saxophone, clarinet); Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Taft Jordan, Harold Baker, Shelton Hemphill (trumpet); Lawrence, Claude Jones, Wilbur DeParis (trombone); Freddie Guy (guitar); Oscar Pettiford (bass); Sonny Greer (drums)..
Recorded at WOR Studio No. 3 and WOR Longacre Theatre, New York, New York in
October to December, 1946. Includes liner notes by Jerry Valburn.
Digtally remastered by Bill Giolando (CMS Digital).
Personnel: Duke Ellington (piano); Ray Nance (vocals, violin, trumpet); Kay Davis, Al Hibbler (vocals); Fred Guy (guitar); Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope (clarinet, saxophone); Johnny Hodges, Al Sears (saxophone); Cootie Williams, Harold Baker, Taft Jordan, William Cat Anderson, Shelton Hemphill (trumpet); Lawrence Brown , Wilbur De Paris, Claude Jones (trombone); Sonny Greer (drums).
Recording information: 11/25/1946-12/18/1946.
Following his triumphant first Carnegie Hall concert in 1943, Duke Ellington became as respected as a composer of jazz-based concertos and tone poems as he was beloved for his pop standards. These 1946 sessions recorded for the Musicraft label focus on Ellington's "serious" yet graceful and light-hearted works, with two pop tunes, the comic "Tulip Or Turnip" and "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream" (a showcase for underrated vocalist Al Hibbler) added for good measure.
In the '40s, Ellington focused primarily on thematically-related suites such as "The Beautiful Indians," which provides the collection's two highest points: showcases for the talents of Al Sears and Kay Davis. While Sears never received the acclaim of fellow longtime Ellington tenor Paul Gonsalves, his beautifully restrained yet complex solo on "Hiawatha" shows similar mastery. Kay Davis' lovely wordless vocal on "Minnehaha" sounds like it may have influenced Jeanne Lee's '50s and '60s work. The rest of HAPPY-GO-LUCKY LOCAL is nearly as impressive and forward-looking.