In the mid 1980s Mercer Ellington, the son of legendary American Composer/Bandleader Duke Ellington made several attempts to get his father’s posthumous big band in the studio to record albums in order to stay relevant. While recording in L.A., he employed both East Coast and West Coast nuclei, which were utilized for Mercer’s touring band. On Harlem Throwbacks, the focus was to do modern recreations of records made in the Cotton Club days of the late 1920s up to the early 1940s. Several Duke Ellington alumni were present for this outing, such as Harold Minerve, Art Baron, Rocky White, Anita Moore, Barrie Lee Hall, and Chuck Connors. It is quite interesting to hear these classic arrangements re-recorded in digital stereo in 1984.
1. Hot and Bothered (3:05)
2. The Mooche (5:33)
3. Creole Love Call (3:01)
4. Daybreak Express (3:55)
5. East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (3:10)
6. Caravan (2:34)
7. Echoes of Harlem (3:25)
8. Ring Dem Bells (2:43)
9. Harlem Speaks (2:45)
Trumpets: Rick Baptist, Barrie Lee Hall, Will Miller, Ron Tooley
Trombones: Art Baron, Chuck Connors, Herman Green, Ed Nuemeister
Reeds: Harold Minerve, Gary Bias, Bill Green, Charlie Owens, Herman Riley
Piano: Lloyd Mayers
Guitar & Banjo: Kenny Burrell
Bass: J.J. Wiggins
Drums: Rocky White
Percussion: Rudy Bird
Clarinet: Jackie Kelso (tracks 1,6,&9)
Vocals: Anita Moore (track 1)
Trumpet: Dick Hurwitz (track 7)
Recorded June 22, 1984, Los Angeles
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