Duke Ellington and his orchestra in concert 1969 Solo for Johnny Hodges . This is the year before he died . The songs Black Butterfly Things ain't what they used to be . and Laying on mellow .
Thank you ! Johnny Hodges is my Father. He met my Mother in Washington DC. My birth certificate ssys Father unknown. My Father were married to someone else. He had to keep a secret. So his wife would not know I'm his son
I was born in 39 but as I grew up my favourit was Charlie Parker, First later I discovered Johnny Hodgers and to dayI love his music and his wondefully sound
So warm. Perfect. Ellington wrote for everyone in the band and made them sound better. And the dynamics with acoustic instruments is what makes all the older jazz players sound better regardless of instrument and Ellington controlled that cool heat. Thanks.
I have read more than once that, in concerts, after another amazing solo, Hodges would look at Duke and rub his fingers, as if demanding salary increase. This is widely confirmed here after "Black Butterfly".
Wow, nice catch, I always knew the tension between them, but never caught it in all the shows I've watched. Sort of sad to see really, especially the best band known for their polish and professionalism.
Wow, nice catch, I've always heard of the tension between them but never saw that in all the shows I've watched. Sad to see really, especially for the best band know for their polish and professionalism.
@@brotzmannsax Wouldn't say it's sad. Hodges had a good, long-lasting and steady paying career with Ellington. The Duke put much of the royalties he got through his compositions into the band to have them play day by day and night by night, even when big bands were more or less out of fashion. An unhappy Johnny Hodges would not have stayed 1928 to 1970, apart a few years trying to be a bandleader himself. And imagine you are working for a boss who features you in his own compositions as Prelude to a Kiss, Star-Crossed Lovers, Day Dream, I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good), Isfahan and so many more. Hodges and the Duke were a match made in heaven, and them knew it.
I thought Johnny Hodges was born in 1906 and died in 1970 at or above 64yrs. young. Thanks for the information. He IS smooth, cool and calm. Johnny HAS HAD a swift staccato 👅. This IS JAZZ; this IS SMOOTH; this is the true essence of the phrase "Smooth Jazz". Lohvissimo.
Well yeah... :) I mean who needs all the B.S. of a lot of pointless notes (that are mostly dissonances) out of nowhere, which I swear a lot of people use only to show other people that they know what they are or let everyone know they studied music in some chord factory and can do it, but have no idea WHEN to use any of it or HOW, which is RIGHT for the moment. And the same goes for a lot of writers, perhaps even moreso. Jazz is far more sophisticated than just using any note you want just because you supposedly can ...because some teacher or textbook says a particular note is "usable" on a D7(b9) chord.
If you understand anything about the construction of a sax you will immediately sense that Mr. Hodges flat knows how to manipulate and get the most out of his reed. The texture and character of is melodies are palpable.
Hodges had a beautiful sound that Charlie Parker rebelled from. Parker was looking for more from his own playing. More being beyond swing that was prevalent during the 30s and early 40s. When Parker found and mastered cromanticism he never looked back. B-bop has reigned ever since.
Absolutely disagree, Johnny Hodges had nothing to do with "cool school" he was the alto giant with Benny Carter 20 years before the cool movement came ! His warm sound and his vibrato, like Ben Webster, another Duke's man has nothing to see with cool movement...
@@charlesbarry2485 Even in terms of sound, cool school had no vibrato, no inflexions, no glissando, no sense of blues like Hodges and Bechet had... Guys like Desmond, Mulligan, Getz, Sims, Pepper etc...had nothing in common with Bechet !
@@SELMER1947 the others are their sons with, in between, the bird who changed the rules, then post bop would be patronized by lester young and cool came on the stage
Sencacional ! Que emissão, um genio numa banda de outro genio. Acho que foi uma das ulltimas apresentações de Hodges, que morreria no começo de 1970. Mas ele e Duke seguem cada vez mais vivos !!!
Hodges - July 25, 1907 - May 11, 1970 was just shy of his 63 birthday. I saw Dukes band in 1971 without Hodges obviously, but it was still one of the best musical experiences of my life. It was Hodges's playing that inspired me to take up the alto sax at 14, I'm still playing today 53 years later.
I was never keen on the lush ballads that Ellington too often (for me) played. I suppose Hodges played brilliantly but they were still lush, sentimental ballads. Hodges was at his best for me on the Blues. the album Back to Back teams him up with Harry Edison on trumpet and the Duke on piano playing all Blues numbers in a small group. An absolutely great album, really a "must listen".
Quote from Clark Terry , if The Musicians were upset with Duke maybe they should have written more for themselves . Barney Bigard , Cootie Williams , Hodges all had warmup licks Duke turned into full blown Orchestrated Composition s , they didn't Duke got a lick from those great Musicians and did something with it instead of it just being a warmup
