Ellingtonia: The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen (Studies in Jazz) [Paperback]

W. E. Timner (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810860287 | ISBN-13: 978-0810860285 | Publication Date: November 29, 2007 | Edition: Fifth Edition

Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington (1899-1974) is recognized as one of the great composers and orchestra leaders of the twentieth century and is credited for raising jazz to its highest plateau. He remained musically active through his entire life, creating a prolific musical output. Ellingtonia: The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen compiles Ellington's entire musical catalog from the first recording session in July 1923 to the last concert in March 1974. More than a discography, the book comprises all the activities of these musicians, including studio recordings, movie soundtracks, concerts, dance dates, radio broadcasts, telecasts, and private and unissued recordings, as well as recordings made by Ellington's sidemen under their own names or with other bands. W. E. Timner provides the date, location and personnel for each session, the label of first issue, master and take numbers (if available), and song title, including alternate titles and derivatives. Containing a comprehensive guide for users and indexes of titles, musicians, cities, venues, and general subjects, this completely revised and updated 5th edition also contains a new section listing Ellington's radio broadcasts and telecasts. Complete with extensive footnotes, Ellingtonia remains an indispensable and easy to use reference source for Jazz collectors and scholars.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a significant wealth of information, all carefully documented and organized into a very easy-to-understand format...If you love Ellington, this book is a treasure! (Jazz Educators Journal )

This forthcoming book holds great promise. It is a meticulous compilation... (Ellingtonia )

...a monumental achievement which all serious collectors will find indispensable. (Blue Light: Journal Of The Duke Ellington Society )

...equally important as a scholarly tool....Recommended. (Choice )

About the Author

W. E. Timner collects all styles of jazz as well as classical and folk music. He is retired and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press; Fifth Edition edition (November 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810860287
• ISBN-13: 978-0810860285
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,272,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The place to go with questions on Ellington recordings, July 31, 2002

By 

bukhtan (Chicago, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ellingtonia: The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen (Hardcover)

This book fills in the gaps left by dodgy or absent liner notes. The main body of the text is a chronological list of Ellington band performances (including the small ensembles under sidemen's names) which were known to have been recorded and released by somebody at sometime somewhere. The typical entry includes:
a)title of ensemble (e.g. D.E. and his Famous Orchestra, Johnny Hodges and his Orchestra etc.),
b)date,
c) nature of performance (live, studio, movie sound track),
d)musicians,
e)place, and
f) titles with original record label & identifying numbers. There are occasionally notes giving variant titles.
There is also an alphabetical list of titles indicating the various recording dates and several lists and indexes of "Ellingtonians", band personnel who were connected with the Ellington organization in any way, as well as lists of record labels and the various names under which Ellington recorded.
This is entirely oriented toward identifying recordings, not compositions, so there is no composer or publishing data given. There is no interpretive or evaluative commentary.
Keep in mind that there have been several editions, as new performances are occasionally unearthed, so this is a work in progress. For example, the fifth volume of the Duke Ellington Treasury Shows, released by Storyville in 2002, included a live performance from 1945 that I did not find in Timner.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for any serious Ellington lover, March 9, 2002

By 

David N. Smith (Gaylordsville, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ellingtonia: The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen (Hardcover)

This is a huge and initially intimidating book which lists every known recording of Duke Ellington including much that has never been released. Also included are recording of 'Ellingtonians', men from the band who now and then led their own groups. Heavily indexed and cross-referenced.

I've had the 4th edition ever since it came out and I find it indespensible. Grab one now before you have to buy one used at twice the price!

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