Customer Reviews

Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges

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Its the tightness of Duke Ellington, with the swing of the coolest after hours jam session in the world !

If you're a bit of a Jazz buff the line up in itself should tell you more than you need to know about what to expect... (Cat Anderson and Grady Tate are enough for me !)

Cat Anderson - Trumpet
Richard Davis - Bass
Paul Gonsalves - Sax (Tenor)
Ray Nance - Trumpet, Violin, Vocals
Harold Ashby - Sax (Tenor)
Lawrence Brown - Trombone
Grady Tate - Drums
Russell Procope - Clarinet, Sax (Alto)
Britt Woodman - Trombone
Harry Carney - Sax (Baritone)
Buster Cooper - Trombone
Rolf Ericson - Trumpet
Jimmy Hamilton - Clarinet, Sax (Tenor)
Gus Johnson - Drums
Herb Jones - Trumpet
Jimmy Jones - Piano
Ernie Shepard - Bass

...and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder.

These were actually two albums released in '64 and '65 - - the second labum being Inspired Abandon which was originally released under trombonist Lawrence Brown's name. - - Lawrence Brown for some reason is not as well remembered as many of the other Duke Ellington alumni these days (he only recorded two solo albums, this being one of them...) however, his relaxed yet well developed lines bring the blues to an entirely new level.

All and all, throughout both albums the tunes have a cool, bouncy, sophisticated swing to them... and the musicians feel quite comfortable with one another... this isn't a cutting contest... its a cavalcade of legends comfortable enough with one another that they can take their time and make some great toe tapping music.

While the entire CD is fantastic, I agree with the reviewer who mentions that the title track is "funny" and will definitely stick in your head for days... if anything, that's an understatment...!

This is a truly wonderful CD. There are too many standouts to go through, but "Everybody Knows" is a funny, catchy tune you'll surely be humming for days. The bass work on that one is particularly outstanding also. Papa Knows is a sassy, bluesy-type number that accompanies the piece. This, too, is among the best. "Main Stem," an Ellington Orchestra tune, is done well here, as is the funky "Good Queen Bess." My personal favorite is "Open Mike." I don't know why, but that infectious bossa nova accent, combined with that powerful, screaming brass hitting high notes most top-notch musicians could only dream of, all that tension that underlies the piece... "Open Mike" is hard-driving jazz at its very best. Johnny Hodges is in very fine form here, backed by many A-1 musicians who almost steal the spotlight at times, including his son, Brother, on a few tracks. (The song "Little Brother" is named for him, although I don't believe he drums on that one.) If you love jazz, you'll love this CD. But, you don't have to take my word for it. (Dah-da dah.)

A great value that combines two small group sessions of Ellingtonians from '64 and '65. Hodges delivers a Mood Indigo and a Jeep's Blues that will make you remember every lost love. Harry Carney's bari on "I Let A Song . . ." defines how lush his instrument can sound. All in all, these tracks provide the songs and saxophone playing that make singers envious.

While you get a lot of JH for your money, and the music is certainly excellent, the Verve Johnny Hodges with Billy Strayhorn and the Orchestra finds him in company with the same Ellington cats but playing with considerably more fire and emotion and with much better sound quality.

This great c.d. has two albums for the price of one. The duke is not present, but the soloists and music are pure Ellingtonia. A big thanks to Michael Cuscuna for a job well done. Thank you, amazon.

"INSPIRED ABANDON"---LAWRENCE BROWN ALL STAR'S WITH JOHNNY HODGES included one of the most moving renditions of "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me" you're likely to hear, with Lawrence Brown soloing over the band. That record is now available as the "bonus tracks" on this reissue of "Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges" the combination of which makes this great Hodges record a very worthwhile listen.