"Edward 'Duke' Ellington with his bandmembers always dressed so simply & elegantly, never falling victims to the hipness of passing fashion & going for the classic. For the one-reel Bundle of Blues (1933) they have a stage setting that is as streamlined & tasteful as as their physical baring. Ellington's was the orchestra that represented the height of good taste in image as well as sound. As the film begins we're hearing 'Lightnin' which blends right into 'Rockin' in Rhythm' which includes a Joe Nanton trumbone solo, followed in quick order by an instrumentalizing 'Stormy Weather' which Duke calls 'a haunting melody.' It's a great song performed by great musicians. Then, stepping out from a curtain, Ivie Anderson appears, to provide the purist of pure interpretation to the lyrics. Most of us know Lena's version best & think of it as her song, but Ivie Anderson was one of the greatest blues singers of her generation. ..."
Weird Wild Realm, Weird Wild Realm - 1
W - Symphony in Black, W - Black and Tan (film)
Discogs
YouTube: Bundle Of Blues, Symphony In Black - A Rhapsody of Negro Life, Black & Tan
2011 November: Duke Ellington - "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", 1943, 2011 September: "Take the A Train" - Duke Ellington, 2015 January: Home Movies of Duke Ellington Playing Baseball (And How Baseball Coined the Word “Jazz”), 2017 November: Secret Music: On Duke Ellington’s The Queen’s Suite.
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