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Artist
The Gotham Stompers
12+ albums
about
Duke Ellington small group side project of the mid 30s. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
why this is interesting
This mid-1930s small group project reveals Ellington's restless experimentation beyond his orchestra's grandeur. Working in intimate settings with select musicians, the recordings showcase his compositional precision and the intricate interplay possible when constraints breed invention. The sessions capture a distinctive moment in jazz history—neither early hot jazz nor the swing era's full maturity, but something characteristically transitional. What emerges is Ellington's ability to generate sophisticated harmonic ideas and structural innovations within miniature formats, proving that his genius wasn't dependent on orchestral scale. The recordings offer genuine insight into how one of jazz's greatest minds approached creative problem-solving in stripped-down conditions.
top songs
albums
Duke Ellington Small Groups Vol.1 (1936-37)
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The Chronological Classics: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 1937
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Duke Ellington Small Groups Vol. 1 (1936-37)
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Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936–1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions
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100 Rare Sessions
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Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion and Okeh Small Group Sessions
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The 1930's - Small Combos
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The Small Combos
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The Encyclopedia Of Jazz – Swing Time
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Swing Time - The Encyclopedia of Jazz, Vol. 17
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Duke Ellington: The Complete 1936-1940 Variety, Vocalion & Okeh Small Group Sessions, Disc 2
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The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror