"It exists and it isn't a disguised Sun Ra record from his inexhaustable vaults ...
The music was recorded on April 2nd and 3rd of 1958 in New York City, at the beginning of Duke's second great period of small ensemble work (the first was in the late thirties and early forties), during which he produced other such fine works at Back to Back and Side by Side with Johnny Hodges and the LP with Coleman Hawkins. This personnel on this diminutive orchestra are:
piano: Duke Ellington throughoutbass: Jimmy Woode
drums: Sam Woodyard
trombones: Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman & John Sanders
trumpet & fluegelhorn: Clark Terry
tenor sax: Paul Gonsalves
clarinet: Jimmy Hamilton.
Works featured:
Avalon (arr. Hamilton)
Body & Soul
Bass-ment
Early Autumn (arr. Hamilton)
Jones (two takes)
Perdido
St. Louis Blues
Spacemen
Midnight Sun
Take the "A" Train
Hamilton, Terry and Gonsalves all solo frequently and to fine effect. Duke a bit too, but not enough, in my view. Ellington fans will know that the trombonists are all capable soloists, especially Britt Woodman, but they play pretty much as an ensemble throughout.
Hamilton's arrangements alone are well worth the cost of the CD, if you can find it.
My copy is CBS 467179 2, with a disc manufactured in Austria and inserts printed in Holland, labelled under an "I [heart] jazz" series. Evidently an LP was at one time available, differing only in lacking the alternate take of "Jones""
Big Hint
T. Butler | Chicago, IL United States | 03/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Hey you can get this excellent CD at Mosaic for $15. It is in the Mosaic singles section. Mosaic's transfers are first rate and the linear notes are very detailed."
Great surprise
BevRich | St. Louis | 09/19/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've never heard of this cd and came across it while surfing through Duke's titles on Amazon. All I can say is that this is another great offering from Duke and his musicians. We certainly don't get wonderful music like this today."
Get This One While You Still Can!
J. Rich | 12/15/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
""The Cosmic Scene" is a different album from the Duke. He really assembled a first-rate group of musicians and it's unusual line-up is what makes this a unique recording in the vast Ellington catalog. The Duke is joined by the following musicians:
Clark Terry - flugelhorn
Paul Gonsalves - tenor saxophone
Jimmy Hamilton - clarinet
Jimmy Wood - bass
Sam Woodyard - drums
Quentin Jackson - trombone
John Sanders - trombone
Britt Woodman - trombone
If you are at all a fan of Ellington's work, then you should definitely pick this one up.
"
Very nice small ensemble recording from the Duke
Roger Berlind | NY, USA | 06/10/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I have many Duke Ellington albums, spanning from the late 30s to the early 70s, shortly before his death. I found this album a very nice addition to my Ellington collection. It reminds me of the small group sessions he recorded in the late 30s, but it has the benefit of being remastered in stereo with excellent sound. The earlier recordings can be obtained in two 2-CD sets from Columbia: "The Duke's Men: Small Groups", volumes 1 and 2. While the members of the band are completely different with the exception of the Duke, the musicianship is just as high as the earlier groups or any other Ellington ensemble.
Many of the songs were pre-existing classics, so you won't find many new Ellington songs that you haven't already heard on other albums. But the songs are all performed with taste and skill. You've probably heard "Body and Soul" in many versions, but this version is delightfully breezy and fresh. The only new songs are "Bass-Ment", "Jones", and "Spacemen".