Topping off a wealth of full-band recordings, the various stars of Ellington's great outfit recorded many combo sides under their own names. And while not on the same sophisticated level of classic Ellingtonia, the late-'30s material cut by Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, and Rex Stewart is packed with tasty solo work and some of the finest examples of early small-group swing. These later examples from 1958-1959 feature Hodges backed by both Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano and such non-Duke luminaries as Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Jo Jones. Like its companion album, Back to Back, Side by Side has a loose, jam session feel, with all the soloists stretching out. Hodges is in top form throughout, while Edison and Webster man their spots just fine. Highlights include the sveltely swinging "Going Up" and Hodges' bluesy closer, "You Need to Rock." A must for fans of vintage combo swing. © Stephen Cook

This release presents two albums by Johnny Hodges, recorded outside of the Ellington setting and both appearing here on CD for the first time ever. The first, which was originally released as PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED RECORDINGS, is in quintet format and marks Hodges only recorded encounter ever with Argentinean pianist and composer Lalo Schifrin, who contributes two compositions. While the second album, THE ELEVENTH HOUR, showcases the saxophonist soloing on standard tunes with a big band of winds & strings, conducted & arranged by Oliver Nelson.

This album is of historic interest as it comprises the only studio recordings made by the Johnny Hodges band while John Coltrane was a member, most of the other sidemen being former Ellingtonians or guests from Duke Ellington's orchestra. The music is excellent: Johnny Hodges is on superb form throughout; all of Harold Baker's trumpet solos are exquisite, as is Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet playing on "If you were mine",while Louie Bellson demonstrates that he was surely the best drummer ever to play with Ellington.
The CD is marketed under John Coltrane's name. However anyone who buys this record expecting to hear any solos by Coltrane will be disappointed; Coltrane is the one horn player in the band who does not play any solos.

Johnny Hodges was a jazz alto saxophonist, who enjoyed a performing and recording career that lasted from the 1920s through to his death in 1970. Best-known for his work with Duke Ellington, he had a pure tone and economy of melody on both the blues and ballads that won him admiration from musicians of all eras and styles, and made him ubiquitous on recording sessions across the spectrum of jazz. He occasionally led his own bands, and this 41-track 2-CD collection focuses on albums he made in a concentrated period in the mid-1950s with his small orchestra for the Clef and Norgran labels, owned by renowned impresario and producer Norman Granz, which were forerunners of Verve. It features the titles from the albums. “Johnny Hodges Collates”, “Johnny Hodges Collates No. 2”, “Swing With Johnny Hodges”, “Memories of Ellington”, “Castle Rock”, “The Blues” and “In A Tender Mood”, with some of the titles appearing on more than one album. A number of the titles were also released as singles, and two of them “Castle Rock “ and “A Pound Of Blues”, were US R&B hits. It naturally features some notable musicians of the era, including Al Sears, Leroy Lovett, Billy Strayhorn, Al McGibbon, Sonny Greer, Emmett Berry, Lloyd Trotman, Flip Phillips, Red Callender, Ray Brown, J.C. Heard and others. It’s a snapshot of a particular and intriguing phase of Johnny Hodges’ career, and a great showcase for his understated virtuosity as a jazz musician and leader.

During its classic period, jazz saw the emergence of numerous regular small formations which successfully encouraged improvisation, enabling their best soloists a freedom of expression without any of the constraints of a big band. Jacques Morgantini allows us to discover this decisive period in the evolution of Jazz with this 36 tracks CD set featuring a 32 pages booklet.

Recorded during his five year "vacation" from Duke Ellington's orchestra, this Johnny Hodges set features his band sticking mostly to standards. With trumpeter Harold "Shorty" Baker, trombonist Lawrence Brown, baritonist Harry Carney, pianist Call Cobbs, or Richie Powell, bassist John Williams, drummer Louis Bellson, and either Jimmy Hamilton or John Coltrane (who unfortunately does not solo) on tenor, Hodges had a particularly strong group. High points include "On the Sunny Side of the Street," the title track and a seven-song ballad medley.

Topping off a wealth of full-band recordings, the various stars of Ellington's great outfit recorded many combo sides under their own names. And while not on the same sophisticated level of classic Ellingtonia, the late-'30s material cut by Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, and Rex Stewart is packed with tasty solo work and some of the finest examples of early small-group swing. These later examples from 1958-1959 feature Hodges backed by both Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on piano and such non-Duke luminaries as Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Harry "Sweets" Edison, and Jo Jones. Like its companion album, Back to Back, Side by Side has a loose, jam session feel, with all the soloists stretching out. Hodges is in top form throughout, while Edison and Webster man their spots just fine. Highlights include the sveltely swinging "Going Up" and Hodges' bluesy closer, "You Need to Rock." A must for fans of vintage combo swing.

The defining saxophonist of his generation, Johnny Hodges rose to prominence during the big-band era with what Duke Ellington described as 'a tone so beautiful it sometimes bought tears to the eyes'. Perhaps an understated member of Ellington's big band initially, Hodges' deft tone and seductive style soon affirmed him as one of The Duke's most valuable soloists and a vital player in his orchestra. A subdued yet commanding presence in the big band format, Hodges' assured mastery of the alto-sax and his subtle nuance has left him regarded as one of the very best musicians to have worked alongside Ellington. Hodges' career-defining moment came in 1928 when he joined Duke Ellington's orchestra, and from 1937 he led his own studio group drawn from members of the group, with whom he released tracks co-written with Ellington, including 'Jeep's Blues', 'Hodge Podge' and 'Confab With Rab', each composed to complement Hodges' own seductive style of play.

Two Verve albums from Johnny Hodges - both relatively obscure, and both pretty darn great! The Eleventh Hour is an overlooked gem from Johnny Hodges - a 60s session that hearkens back to the "with strings" Verve mode of the 50s - but one that also updates the approach strongly, thanks to some well crafted arrangements by Oliver Nelson! Nelson's work in the jazz backings for soloist mode during the 60s was some of the best of the big band genre - and although his work here is much more in the mellow tone mode than his backings for players like Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson, Hodges is still getting top shelf treatment, some really wonderful washes of sound and color that show that his tone is still very much alive…

The Hammond organ, named after its inventor Laurens Hammond, debuted in 1935 as a cost-effective electro-acoustic alternative to the gigantic pipe organs mainly installed in churches. Among Hammond’s first customers were George Gershwin and Count Basie. Jazz pianists like Basie, Fats Waller, Wild Bill Davis and Milt Buckner were the founding fathers of the instrument’s international conquest, which led across all styles of popular music, from jazz to progressive rock, with its heyday in the 1960s and '70s…

This exciting CD has 20 diverse performances that were originally produced by Leonard Feather for the Victor label during 1946-47. The first eight selections feature various versions of Esquire's All-American Award Winners and have some unique combinations of musicians. "Long Long Journey" was the first record to match together Duke Ellington (who verbally introduces the song) and Louis Armstrong, and on "Snafu" Armstrong takes a surprisingly modern solo that hints at bebop. Trumpeter Charlie Shavers creates a remarkable improvisation on "The One That Got Away," ltoist Johnny Hodges plays beautifully on "Gone with the Wind" and other key players include tenor saxophonist Don Byas, trumpeter Buck Clayton, trombonist J.J. Johnson and tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins. In addition, there are selections featuring trombonist Jack Teagarden, the 52nd Street All-Stars (with Shavers, Hawkins and tenorman Allan Eager), the tenor of Lucky Thompson, trumpeter Neal Hefti, altoist Benny Carter, singer Mildred Bailey and solo piano records by Art Tatum and Erroll Garner. The mid-to-late '40s were a particularly rich period for jazz and this highly recommended CD is filled with gems.

Johnny Hodges surprised the jazz world by leaving Duke Ellington's band to go out on his own as a leader in 1951, and the early Castle Rock LP was one of his biggest successes, powered by the appeal of the very rhythmic blues title track (written by tenor saxophonist Al Sears, another Ellington veteran). Billy Strayhorn and trumpeter Emmett Berry are on hand on a few tracks. In spite of the presence of other Ellington alumni, including Lawrence Brown, trumpeter Nelson Williams, and drummer Sonny Greer, the pieces previously recorded by Hodges while he was still with Ellington just don't have the same impact with the smaller groups heard on these dates. Hodges was evidently trying to make somewhat of a break from his established sound with this recording, though the results are mixed. It's still worth acquiring, though there are a number of better recordings available under Hodges' name.