Duke Ellington “East St. Louis Toodle-oo” 1927

“East St. Louis Toodle-oo” can be considered the first real “hit” that came from the young Duke Ellington and between the years of 1926 and 1928 the band wound up recording it 6 times for 6 different labels. This is the early “Jungle Sound” of the Ellington band and was intended as a feature for James “Bubber” Miley, a tragic figure whose growl trumpet style became a major imprint for the Ellington band. For this particular recording, cut for Victor on December 19, 1927, Ellington slowed down the tempo from the 3 prior waxings and dispensed with ensemble sections in favor of solos by bari-man Harry Carney and clarinetist Rudy Jackson. As on the other recordings, “Tricky Sam” Nanton solos on trombone.

-Scott Wenzel