Duke Ellington - Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions [2006] (7 x CDs)

JAZZ SUNDAY

DUKE ELLINGTON

Duke Ellington - Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions [2006] (7 x CDs)

The shape of The Complete 1936–1940 Variety Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions become clearer not at the beginning, but somewhere a few discs in, when the names start to blur into a shared sound. Issued in 2006 by Mosaic Records as a seven-CD set, it gathers the small group recordings made under Duke Ellington and his sidemen between 1936 and 1940 for labels like Variety, Vocalion, and Okeh.

Instead of presenting Ellington as a bandleader in the usual sense, the set shifts attention to the musicians around him. Sessions are led under different names, Johnny Hodges, Rex Stewart, Cootie Williams, Barney Bigard, yet the underlying identity remains consistent. The same players move between roles, supporting, leading, and reshaping the music from one session to the next.

The listening experience builds through repetition rather than contrast. Short takes, often around two to three minutes, appear in clusters, sometimes followed by alternate versions of the same performance. Rather than interrupting the flow, these alternates open the music slightly, showing how small changes in phrasing or timing can shift the character of a piece.

What gradually settles in is the scale of these recordings. Without the full orchestra, the arrangements feel lighter, more flexible. A piece like “Jeep’s Blues” or “Echoes of Harlem” arrives with space around it, the interplay between instruments becoming easier to follow, each line moving with its own logic while still fitting into the whole.

Across the full set, there is no clear divide between leader and sideman, composition and improvisation. The same voices return in different settings, creating continuity without relying on sequence alone.

Heard in long stretches, the box becomes less about individual sessions and more about a working group of musicians exploring the same language from multiple angles, one short performance at a time. (B)

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Track lists

CD1

01 Duke Ellington - Tough Truckin' 3:05

02 Duke Ellington - Tough Truckin' (alt tk) 2:46

03 Duke Ellington - Indigo Echoes 2:49

04 Duke Ellington - Indigo Echoes (alt tk) 2:46

05 Duke Ellington - Relaxatious (alt tk) 2:45

06 Duke Ellington - Relaxatious 2:46

07 Duke Ellington - Lazy Man's Shuffle 2:58

08 Duke Ellington - Lazy Man's Shuffle (alt tk) 2:50

09 Duke Ellington - Clouds in My Heart (alt tk) 2:58

10 Duke Ellington - Clouds in My Heart 2:59

11 Duke Ellington - Frolic Sam (alt tk) 3:01

12 Duke Ellington - Frolic Sam 3:01

13 Duke Ellington - Caravan 3:07

14 Duke Ellington - Caravan 3:08

15 Duke Ellington - Stompy Jones 2:45

16 Duke Ellington - Stompy Jones 2:41

17 Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo/Solitude 3:06

18 Duke Ellington - Sophisticated Lady/In a Sentimental Mood 3:04

19 Duke Ellington - I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me (alt tk) 2:54

20 Duke Ellington - I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me 2:54

21 Duke Ellington - Downtown Uproar (alt tk) 2:46

22 Duke Ellington - Downtown Uproar 2:43

23 Duke Ellington - Digga Digga Do (alt tk) 2:53

24 Duke Ellington - Digga Digga Do 2:52

CD2

01 Duke Ellington - Blue Reverie 2:57

02 Duke Ellington - Blue Reverie (alt tk) 2:56

03 Duke Ellington - Tiger Rag 2:45

04 Duke Ellington - Tiger Rag 2:40

05 Duke Ellington - My Honey's Lovin' Arms 2:46

06 Duke Ellington - Did Anyone Ever Tell You? (alt tk) 3:01

07 Duke Ellington - Did Anyone Ever Tell You? 2:57

08 Duke Ellington - Alabamy Home 3:00

09 Duke Ellington - Where Are You? 2:52

10 Duke Ellington - Lament for a Lost Love [originally released as 'Solace'] 2:44

11 Duke Ellington - Lament for a Lost Love [originally titled 'Solace'] (alt tk) 2:44

12 Duke Ellington - Four and One-Half Street (alt tk) 2:43

13 Duke Ellington - Four and One-Half Street 2:36

14 Duke Ellington - Demi-tasse (alt tk) 2:39

15 Duke Ellington - Demi-tasse 2:37

16 Duke Ellington - Jazz a La Carte 2:33

17 Duke Ellington - Jazz a La Carte (alt tk) 2:40

18 Duke Ellington - Foolin' Myself (alt tk) 2:58

19 Duke Ellington - Foolin' Myself 3:00

20 Duke Ellington - A Sailboat in The Moonlight (alt tk) 2:58

21 Duke Ellington - A Sailboat in The Moonlight 3:05

22 Duke Ellington - You'll Never Go to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) 2:29

23 Duke Ellington - You'll Never Go to Heaven (If You Break My Heart) (alt tk) 2:24

24 Duke Ellington - Peckin' 3:14

25 Duke Ellington - Peckin' 3:12

26 Duke Ellington - Peckin' 3:07

CD3

01 Duke Ellington - Get it Southern Style (alt tk) 2:42

02 Duke Ellington - Get it Southern Style 2:43

03 Duke Ellington - Moonlight Fiesta 2:48

04 Duke Ellington - Moonlight Fiesta (alt tk) 2:51

05 Duke Ellington - Sponge Cake and Spinach (alt tk) 2:36

06 Duke Ellington - Sponge Cake and Spinach 2:35

07 Duke Ellington - If You're Ever in My Arms Again (alt tk) 2:55

08 Duke Ellington - If You're Ever in My Arms Again 2:54

09 Duke Ellington - The Back Room Romp (A Contrapuntal Stomp) (alt tk) 2:49

10 Duke Ellington - The Back Room Romp (A Contrapuntal Stomp) 2:50

11 Duke Ellington - Love in My Heart [originally titled 'Swing Baby Swing'] (alt tk) 2:36

12 Duke Ellington - Love in My Heart [originally released as 'Swing Baby Swing'] 2:35

13 Duke Ellington - Sugar Hill Shim Sham (alt tk) 2:22

14 Duke Ellington - Sugar Hill Shim Sham 2:38

15 Duke Ellington - Tea and Trumpets (LP tk) 2:34

16 Duke Ellington - Tea and Trumpets (CD tk) 2:33

17 Duke Ellington - Tea and Trumpets (78 tk) 2:33

18 Duke Ellington - Jubilesta 2:49

19 Duke Ellington - Watchin' 2:56

20 Duke Ellington - Pigeons and Peppers 2:54

21 Duke Ellington - I Can't Give You Anything But Love 2:37

22 Duke Ellington - Drummer's Delight 2:27

23 Duke Ellington - If I Thought You Cared (alt tk) 3:02

24 Duke Ellington - If I Thought You Cared 3:00

25 Duke Ellington - Lost in Meditation  [originally released as 'Have a Heart'] 2:48

26 Duke Ellington - Lost in Meditation [originally titled 'Have a Heart'] (alt tk) 2:43

CD4

01 Duke Ellington - My Day 3:04

02 Duke Ellington - Silvery Moon and Golden Sands 3:15

03 Duke Ellington - Echoes of Harlem (rehearsal take) 5:13

04 Duke Ellington - Echoes of Harlem 3:15

05 Duke Ellington - Echoes of Harlem (alt tk) 3:13

06 Duke Ellington - Jeep's Blues 2:55

07 Duke Ellington - If You Were in My Place (What Would You Do?) 2:58

08 Duke Ellington - I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart 3:03

09 Duke Ellington - Rendezvous With Rhythm 3:01

10 Duke Ellington - A Lesson in C 2:34

11 Duke Ellington - Swingtime in Honolulu 2:45

12 Duke Ellington - Carnival in Caroline 2:24

13 Duke Ellington - Ol' Man River 2:50

14 Duke Ellington - You Walked Out of The Picture 2:50

15 Duke Ellington - You Walked Out of The Picture (alt tk) 2:50

16 Duke Ellington - Pyramid 2:53

17 Duke Ellington - Empty Ballroom Blues 2:29

18 Duke Ellington - Lost in Meditation 2:43

19 Duke Ellington - Lost in Meditation (alt tk) 2:46

20 Duke Ellington - A Blues Serenade 2:41

21 Duke Ellington - Love in Swingtime 2:48

22 Duke Ellington - Swingin' in The Dell 2:34

23 Duke Ellington - Jitterbug's Lullaby 2:57

CD5

01 Duke Ellington - Chasin' Chippies 2:57

02 Duke Ellington - Blue is The Evening 3:09

03 Duke Ellington - Sharpy 2:43

04 Duke Ellington - Swing Pan Alley 2:35

05 Duke Ellington - Prelude to a Kiss 2:43

06 Duke Ellington - There's Something About an Old Love 2:43

07 Duke Ellington - The Jeep is Jumpin' 2:29

08 Duke Ellington - Krum Elbow Blues 2:37

09 Duke Ellington - I'm in Another World 3:02

10 Duke Ellington - Hodge Podge 2:35

11 Duke Ellington - Dancing on The Stairs 2:55

12 Duke Ellington - Wanderlust 2:59

13 Duke Ellington - Delta Mood 2:46

14 Duke Ellington - [The] Boys From Harlem 2:19

15 Duke Ellington - Mobile Blues 2:32

16 Duke Ellington - Mobile Blues (alt tk) 2:26

17 Duke Ellington - Gal-Avantin' 2:22

18 Duke Ellington - Blue Light 2:43

19 Duke Ellington - Blue Light 2:41

20 Duke Ellington - Like a Ship in The Night 2:38

21 Duke Ellington - Mississippi Dreamboat 2:37

22 Duke Ellington - Swingin' on The Campus 2:40

23 Duke Ellington - Dooji Wooji 2:54

CD6

01 Duke Ellington - Beautiful Romance 2:42

02 Duke Ellington - Boudoir Benny 2:49

03 Duke Ellington - Ain't The Gravy Good? (alt tk) 3:13

04 Duke Ellington - Ain't The Gravy Good? 3:06

05 Duke Ellington - She's Gone 3:01

06 Duke Ellington - Just Good Fun 2:42

07 Duke Ellington - Informal Blues 2:56

08 Duke Ellington - San Juan Hill 2:41

09 Duke Ellington - I'll Come Back for More 2:54

10 Duke Ellington - 'Fat Stuff' Serenade 2:41

11 Duke Ellington - Savoy Strut (alt tk) 2:33

12 Duke Ellington - Savoy Strut 2:33

13 Duke Ellington - Rent Party Blues 2:41

14 Duke Ellington - Dance of The Goons 2:41

15 Duke Ellington - Good Gal Blues 3:01

16 Duke Ellington - Finesse 2:46

17 Duke Ellington - Kitchen Mechanic's Day 2:31

18 Duke Ellington - My Heart Jumped Over The Moon 2:37

19 Duke Ellington - You Can Count on Me 3:16

20 Duke Ellington - Home Town Blues 2:40

21 Duke Ellington - Utt-Da-Zay (The Tailor Song) 2:47

22 Duke Ellington - Chew-Chew-Chew (Chew Your Bubble Gum) 2:42

23 Duke Ellington - Barney Goin' Easy 2:59

24 Duke Ellington - Just Another Dream 2:44

25 Duke Ellington - Night Song 2:44

CD7

01 Duke Ellington - Blues a Poppin' 2:52

02 Duke Ellington - Top and Bottom 2:57

03 Duke Ellington - Black Beauty 2:47

04 Duke Ellington - The Rabbit's Jump 2:41

05 Duke Ellington - Moon Romance 2:48

06 Duke Ellington - Truly Wonderful 2:23

07 Duke Ellington - Dream Blues 3:02

08 Duke Ellington - Skunk Hollow Blues 2:40

09 Duke Ellington - I Know What You Do 2:42

10 Duke Ellington - Your Love Has Faded 2:50

11 Duke Ellington - Tired Socks 2:52

12 Duke Ellington - Blues 2:45

13 Duke Ellington - Early Mornin' 2:31

14 Duke Ellington - Minuet in Blues 2:50

15 Duke Ellington - Lost in Two Flats 2:33

16 Duke Ellington - Honey Hush 2:51

17 Duke Ellington - Blues 2:54

18 Duke Ellington - Plucked Again 3:01

19 Duke Ellington - Pelican Drag 3:01

20 Duke Ellington - Tapioca 2:32

21 Duke Ellington - Mardi Gras Madness 2:33

22 Duke Ellington - Watch The Birdie 2:42

23 Duke Ellington - Black Butterfly 2:42

24 Duke Ellington - Dry Long So 2:51

25 Duke Ellington - Toasted Pickle 2:37

26 Duke Ellington - Give it Up 2:55

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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