Teddy Charles - Three For Duke (1957) [vinyl>flac]

"As for Duke's music," Oscar concluded, "I haven't heard anything bad by him yet. In terms of adapting some of his works for a trio, I did make some suggestions; because, having worked with Duke so long, I had a kind of insight on how he does things. So I sort of pulled their coats a little from time to time. Anyway, write whatever you want about the session; I just dig playing the music." From Nat Hentoff's liner notes (Jubilee). - "There was no drum used at all. It is a lasting tribute to the genius that was Oscar Pettiford that he was able to integrate his playing into everything that was going on and still keep the tempo going." ~ from Liner Notes by Nat Hentoff.

For the "Three For Duke" session, of 1957 on the Jubilee label, Teddy Charles was reunited with his friend and mentor Hall Overton in a trio rounded out by the master bassist Oscar Pettiford. Six Ellington compositions were recorded including a nine-minute exploration of “Sophisticated Lady,” taken at very slow tempo, but notably avoiding the common ballad crutch of doubling the tempo. Charles had some trepidation about doing this album without a drummer, but Pettiford's strength and taste rendered such concerns unnecessary. With sketches by both Overton and Charles, the music is faithful to Ellington's legacy and thoughtful and moving solos are provided by all three participants. The concepts of group rapport and contextual appropriateness so important to all of Charles's work are ever present. This is an album that definitely merits reissue. Extract from New Directions Revisited - The Rich and Unique Legacy of Teddy Charles by Noal Cohen.

Jubilee Records, JLP 1047, 1958?

Recorded 29^th May, 1957 in New York

Personnel:

Teddy Charles - Vibraphone

Hall Overton - Piano

Oscar Pettiford - Bass

Track Listing:

A1. Main Stem {Duke Ellington} (4:57)

A2. Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me {Duke Ellington, Bob Russell} (5:11)

A3. Sophisticated Lady {Duke Ellington, Mitchell Parish, Irving Mills} (9:40)

B1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore {Duke Ellington, Bob Russell} (5:32)

B2. Sherman Shuffle {Duke Ellington} (6:52)

B3. The Mooch {Duke Ellington, Irving Mills} (6:11)

Credits:

Producer - Lee Kraft

Cover Design - Tom Hannan

Liner Notes - Nat Hentoff