Festival Session Explained

Festival Session is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded for the Columbia Records label in 1959.^[1] The album was rereleased on CD in 2004 with two bonus tracks.

According to the original liner notes by Irving Townsend Ellington waited with the recording of the new material till the end of the festival season, before he started the recording session in New York and finally recorded the whole album "from 8 a.m. to Noon".

Reception

The Allmusic reviewer Ken Dryden stated: "Duke Ellington was constantly composing new material as well as creating new arrangements of vintage works, as heard on this Columbia LP recorded in 1959... Long one of the classic sleepers awaiting discovery in Duke Ellington's considerable discography... Highly recommended".^[2]

Track listing

All compositions by Duke Ellington except as indicatedLP Side A

1. "Perdido" (Juan Tizol) – 4:36
2. "Copout Extension" – 8:19
3. "Duael Fuel, Part 1" (Ellington, Clark Terry) – 2:45
4. "Duael Fuel, Part 2" (Ellington, Terry) – 1:43
5. "Duael Fuel, Part 3" (Ellington, Terry) – 6:17

LP side B

1. "Idiom '59, Part 1" – 2:02
2. "Idiom '59, Part 2" – 4:36
3. "Idiom '59, Part 3" – 7:06
4. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (Mercer Ellington) – 3:00
5. "Launching Pad" (Ellington, Terry) – 7:37

Bonus tracks on 2004 CD re-issue

11. "V.I.P.'s Boogie" – 2:57
12. "Jam With Sam" – 3:17

• Recorded at Columbia Records 30th Street Studio, New York on September 8, 1959.

Personnel

• Duke Ellington – piano
• Cat Anderson, Shorty Baker, Willie Cook, Fats Ford, Ray Nance, Clark Terry – trumpet
• Britt Woodman – trombone
• Quentin Jackson – trombone (tracks 1, 2 & 6-12), bass (tracks 3-5)
• John Sanders – valve trombone
• Jimmy Hamilton – clarinet, tenor saxophone
• Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone
• Russell Procope – alto saxophone, clarinet
• Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
• Harry Carney – baritone saxophone
• Jimmy Woode – bass (tracks 1, 2 & 9-12)
• Joe Benjamin – bass (tracks 6-8)
• Sam Woodyard, James Johnson – drums

References

• Columbia CS 8200

Notes and References

1. http://www.depanorama.net/index.htm A Duke Ellington Panorama
2. Dryden, K. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r679745|pure_url=yes}} Allmusic Review] accessed May 18, 2010