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Article: Duke, Django, and Throttlebottom. (Duke Ellington, Django Reinhardt, Chet Baker)
- Article from:
- National Review
- Article date:
- May 27, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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DUKE, DJANGO, AND THROTTLEBOTTOM
EDWARD KENNEDY ELLINGTON, otherwise known as the Duke, occupied a very special place in jazz. Almost everything he put his hand to--studio recordings, concerts, etc.--has been immortalized. And most of it almost certainly deserved preservation. The distinctive Ellington beat, his orchestral palette, and the voices of the musicians he recruited for his successive bands are part of the legacy of jazz--and those of us who were there are taken back to the excitement of the Thirties and Forties.
There are those who argue that the Ellington sidemen--clarinet Barney Bigard, alto-saxophone Johnny Hodges, trumpets Cootie Williams ...