[Dixielandjazz] Duke Ellington and uniqueness

[Steve Voce]

Ruby Braff considered Nance, after Armstrong, to be one of the greatest 
of all jazz players. Ruby's trumpet-cornet playing was much influenced 
by Ray Nance's violin and cornet playing.

Steve Voce

On 17/01/2013 20:07, ROBERT R. CALDER wrote:
> Basie and others maybe had to disband, but not Ellington, who had at times to use his song-writing royalties to keep his band together by "giving them money".  There was a peculiar period not to mention recording date with only Ray Nance on trumpet -- I would not say with only one trumpeter, since that would altogether belittle the singularity of Nance's playing, not least on the date in question.
>
>
> Of course the notion that even the Ellington band ceased for a while to exist is just a piece of over-generalising. There is a nice clip of Basie answering the question whether his band or Ellington's was the better. He obviously thought it a ridiculous one, and as regards the difference between their respective ensembles pronounced in decisive and admiring or even awestruck tone, "Class".
>
>
> I don't suppose I had appreciated quite what a player Ray Nance was until I had for review a reissue of the material with no trumpeter but he. Reports of his post-Ellington career, guesting with the band and then touring with the Alex Welsh band suggest very unhappy effects of a recognised unhappy combination of diabetes (which I know he suffered from) and not necessarily a ridiculous intake of alcohol, but quite apart from everything else he could do and even without his mute work he was one of the great trumpeters-cornetists.
>
> "That's the sound!" Jimmy Rushing said in particular admiration,
>
> and as I recall from one documentary about the Ellington band, it wasn't exactly certain what would be played where -- like a lengthy movement from one of his suites to a barnful of Las Vegas gamblers. Or -- announced by the piano player as Dixieland -- Money Johnson doing a Louis Armstrong act at concerts on the final tour of UK.
>
> Robert R. Calder
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