Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges – Side by Side (AS Verve Vinyl LP)

Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges’ Side by Side on 180g LP. Remastered and Transferred from Analog Tapes. Pressed at QRP and Packaged in Deluxe Gatefold Packaging.

When Norman Granz signed Johnny Hodges to a recording contract in 1951, it was a prelude to Hodges’ leaving the Duke Ellington orchestra to lead his own small band. Four years later Hodges was back in the Ellington fold, but he continued to record for Granz under his own name.

Side by Side, recorded in 1958 and 1959, is a throwback to the small-group sessions Ellington recorded with Hodges and other members of his orchestra in the 1930s, but with a couple of important differences: the absence of Ellington himself on several cuts (with Billy Strayhorn taking over on piano), and the presence of such notable non-Ellingtonians as drummer Jo Jones and trumpeters Roy Eldridge and Harry “Sweets” Edison. This Verve Records Series features transfers from analog tapes and remastered 180-gram vinyl in deluxe gatefold packaging.

Musicians:
Duke Ellington – Piano
Johnny Hodges – Alto Saxophone
Billy Strayhorn – Piano
Roy Eldridge – Trumpet
Harry “Sweets” Edison – Trumpet
Jo Jones – Drums

Side A:

1. Stompy Jones
2. Squeeze Me
3. Big Shoe
4. Going Up

Side B:

1. Just A Memory
2. Let’s Fall In Love
3. Ruint
4. Bend One
5. You Need To Rock