I really dont think that you should be worried by Paul's being underrated. Amongst musicians and coinesseurs he is in fact very highly regarded as one of the greatest personalities that came out of the Ellington herd. Anyone who really "feels" jazz can't but recognize his talent so not to worry ;-)
wow thats great sound by paul, even in present times that is rhythmically and melodically plush, to think this was done decades ago is just astounding ....if only life were constant melodies and harmonies,hehehe
In case I was unclear, all the fucking closeups are only of Paul's face. Completely inept cameraman didn't bother to pan down to the awesomeness going on at the finger level.
Having said that, he still plays great here. Somebody once said of Gonsalves that he didn't play clichés because he couldn't remember them, and whether or not that's true, his whole performance sounds like a guy making it up as he goes along, not trotting out his carefully practised licks. Brilliant stuff.
The irony is that, from what I've read, Gonsalves was temperamentally averse to being shoved in the spotlight and expected to grandstand at length - he was a great but subtle player who didn't particularly like to show off. But after Newport, that's what Duke wanted him to do. Ah well.
Magnificent setting of a magnificent classic! Dig them bones, and one of the best of Ellington bassists, Ernie Shephard, just stompin'! Dig, too, how the piano player don't ease off for a second, but always the Harlem stride master pushin' the whole works down the track. Smokin'!
Saw this a year ago and am still stunned by the fantastic playing. Dukes little solo in the beginning is out of this world. Sam Woodyard, what a GROOVE! Paul Gonsaves tone, swing, power, unending inspiration....Merry Christmas to all that find this.
Actually, this is only the Diminuendo in Blue section plus Gonsalves' interlude. If it included the Crescendo in Blue part it would add about 3 minutes to it. Magnificient piece of music and orchestration.
I had a Columbia album in the late 50's that had a sampling of various jazz styles.
One of the cuts was Gonsalves playing Cop-Out at Newport in '56. I recall the liner notes said he blew 27 choruses. Duke also used two drummers-Jimmy Johnson and Sam Woodyard.
Dizzy Gillespie spoke of this band and I quote too have a band like this you have people stay with you all most forever.Throw in Johnny Hodges ,Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves,Lawrence Brown You couldn't put a band like this together in this day and time, it would cost a king's ransume too keep it together.The only reason why Duke was able too do it was the royalties from his music.Just a big old swing band
Dizzy Gillespie spoke of this band and I quote too have a band like this you have people stay with you all most forever.Throw in Johnny Hodges ,Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves,Lawrence Brown You couldn't put a band like this together in this day and time, it would cost a king's ransume too keep it together.The only reason why Duke was able too do it was the royalties from his music.Just a big old swing band
Completely agree, he was indeed underrated. He used to fall asleep and had to be awakened by his section mates for his solo. As "punishment", Duke would make him play solos for hours...what chops! The band loved him. I love this guy and with Louis Bellson behind him on "A" Train, there is NO BETTER tenor solo ever.
To celebrate the release of John Pizzarelli's new album, Rockin' In Rhythm: A Tribute To Duke Ellington, Telarc International is giving away a complimentary two-night stay at the Carlyle Hotel, two tickets to my performance, dinner for two and a travel voucher!
What I find almost equally as amazing as Paul Gonsalves' epic tenor solo is how carefully all of the young "hippies" or "beatniks" in the audience are listening to him. Note the responses on their faces when he gets off a good lick. Very few people of that age group have the same listening skills today. Sadly.
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
@bobjazz11 hi, this is a great post. you really should load it again. i believe the time limit is up to 15 minutes now. i know i just posted one a few days ago that ran 12:30 or thereabout. it would be nice to hear the whole thing. thanks for the nice post.
@bobjazz11 - You have made the world a better place by sharing this with us. I agree re: "shamefully under-rated and largely ignored tenor-sax giant" however how many players got to stretch for that long with Duke''s band behind them? It's like hitching a ride on the damn space shuttle. Thank you!
@maitrejim - last night we saw the Chicago Jazz Ensemble play this song. They brought up sax player in the role of Gonsalves for a 25 min. show-stopper.
Jo Jones is the best drummer I've ever seen, but in this video this is not Jo Jones, but Sam Woodyard, he did the famous original newport version too as well.
Newport Jazz Festival in 59 had one of the most electric jams ever known in Jazz. This piece was started and Jonah Jones egged Gonsalves on offstage with a rolled up newspaper. Gonsalves went 59 straight choruses impromptu... the crowd went wild people were dancing on the chairs! Great music.
Great - some people have built a whole career on fewer blues phrases! I say him around 1969-70 with Duke and his solos were (with Cootie Williams') the best of the show. He played some of Johnny Hodge's tunes because Rab was in hospital soon to die, which made it very poignant. His sound was soft (he was quite ill himself I think) but the ideas flowing.
Absolutely fabulous!! Duke Ellington was such a phenomenal musician and human being. Thank you for this post. The only critique I have is that the sound is a bit muted, a little soft/low. Is there anyway to increase volume? I've got my vloume settings @ highest and still sound very soft.
SAM WOODYARD.....WOW! What a pocket!!!! He got EVERYONE withy that backbeat.. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul in Bologna and hearing that wonderful band with all the key players. A memory I will traeasure forever.
Solid time keeping from Sam Woodyard behind Paul's wonderful solo. His wrist must have been aching rapping, if you'll pardon the phrase, the butt of his stick on the rim. I realise I've been playing that style wrong for years. I don't think Gonsalves was so underrated. He was a national jazz hero after his Newport triumph with Duke. I remember school friends playing the LP back in 1958, miming to the solo with 'air' saxophones!
One guy actually bought a sax and couldn't play a note.
Bad Bad Bad Paul Gonsalves.Duke could write.But Paul could play his a-- off.Got to give Paul his props.He was one of the baddist tenor sax men i have ever heard.We could never forget this giant.
Tempo is faster, not as grooving and creative as the original '56 performance. The best CD remastering ever--the best argument, in fact, for digital technology over analog--is "Ellington at Newport '56." Sony spent hundreds of thousands to reconstruct the actual event (Ellington left the stage when 4 of his band members hadn't arrived, then came back 5 hours later. Most of the LP was recorded in a studio the next day.) The new one has Paul in authentic stereo--1st time ever.
Some great art. I don't agree about the "largely ignored tenor sax."; Paul Gonzalves is very wellknown as one of the greatest tenor swingman, with fantastic sound and ideas. Probably this man was too crazy to lead his own carrer, so the soloist is not compared to Stan Getz, Ben Webster or Illinois Jacquet... It is not the same to be a big band star, and a star. .Often journalist don't understand music, musicians play it, so undestand it. Thanks for posting , sorry for my english.
A shame that he's ignored! The amount of heroin that this poor man consumed to make us all musically happy would keep the Mexican drug cartels in business for a year! Just keep him out of Jackie Sharpe's living room!
What the fuck i'm counting how many chorus he took plus him with the band and think i misscount by almost up to 40 chorus he took, 7mins of a god on a sax
What a monster! The track "Medley: Toot Suite" of "Ellington Jazz Party" was my introduction to Paul Gonsalves. (If i remember right, it occupies an entire side of the LP.) It has a very similar performance by PG & the band which immediately became one of my all-time favorites. Thanks for posting!
I see paul in anther video of diminuendo blue and he was playing with a metalic selmer mouthpiece and i think that is a mark 6 sax or an older serie than the supe balance.
He could have been the greatest tenor player of the fifties and the sixties ( better than Coltrane or Rollins or Dexter Gordon... ) without his drug -dipendence and alcool addiction ...
That's reaching, Paul was highly underrated, but the guys you mention were more innovative and strong as any sax players ever!
There is of course the legendary 27-chorus solo PG took at Newport in '56 (on the wrong mic!) that apparently singlehandedly kickstarted Duke's flagging career and started a riot of unbridled frugging among the audience. I have the single CD with a somewhat distant-sounding PG (the crescendo of crowd reaction is stunning), but I believe the double CD of the complete concert has been cleaned up so it's a lot more audible. This is amazing stuff!!
in 1957 Lester Young was asked about his favourite tenor player .He named four : Hawk, Webster, Getz and Paul Gonsalves. I'm quite agree with him ! Gonsalves plays Webster in a bepop way , but in the same time he's got the Blues inside the hearth ... He could have been the greatest tenor player of the fifties and the sixties ( better than Coltrane or Rollins or Dexter Gordon... ) without his drug -dipendence and alcool addiction ...
Duke is also in rare form here, incorporating all of his signature piano styles in lightning succession. In his short spot just after the "Diminuendo" he seems to almost spoofs his very early stride-like style, then gradually increases the intensity of his comping until he's playing hard bop (or close to it) around 3:50. At about 4:48, Duke introduces a modal treatment of the blues, and the effect is stunning. Makes this 1937 work sound like 1965. A real tour de force!
my favorite swing song my favorite swing band of all time great song great man most influencial musician in the first half of the 20th century without him no jazz no rock n roll or rhytham n blues
this a true test of endurance for a soloist. It is amazing how duke can take such a simple chord form and make it into something special. Paul is a truly inspiring and innovative player.
"Sometime in your life, you must know him. He's the jazz giant. WHat you hear now are jazz fusion", he said. And boy was he right. =) It was only in College days when I digged into his casette tape recordings of Duke's, Great!
I miss my grandpa for in the piano, he plays ala-Duke.=)
Thank you for posting these for every jazz enthusiasts to see. =) Always better to see in videos music you like. MORE PLEASE!
He would often say "Know Duke Ellington,hey?", and I was just about 10-11 years old that time(still young though,just 36, ha-ha) as I dig into his THEN casette tapes (and some phonograph records as well) of HErp Albert,Chick Corea,Earl Klugh and Alphonse Mouson (around early 80's)among many others which I enjoyed immensely at that young age.
BRAVO! WOW! Great swinging! God,I miss my late grandpa (He died 1999)who instilled in me a heavy jazz influence (I'm particularly a Smooth Jazz fan but through the years transcended ,enjoyed and learned to appreciate the roots ) whilst he plays in the piano standards such as Sophisticated Lady,Mood Indigo even Body and Soul and the like (which I enjoyed a great deal).
That '56 Newport Concert would have been the ONE that I would want to travel back in time for. Duke got Paul Gonsalves to repeat that long solo that he did at Newport many times, but it was never as exciting as the one that day. Thank you for posting this. We get to see the principals at that concert in their prime.
I was born 5,616 days after that 1956 performance.
I couldn't even walk out into the street after the first time I heard that performance. I stood in the street like a moron. I don't know what happened...
I'll tell ya one thing: I stopped looking for the meaning of life and I have been happy ever since.
Not a jazz expert by any means (I get into punk and black metal normally) but this is my favorite jazz song, and the live version from Newport is even cooler. Amazing horn work by Gonsalves. Thanks for posting this!
I agree with you 100%. I'm also mostly into punk (particularly Ginn and Black Flag), and lots of noisy shit, but this is my favorite jazz work too--particularly the "Newport" version. Gonsalves is the swingin' man!
MAN!! I suck. I went to go give you a thumbs up--and pushed Down! And now it's just stuck there for all time... jesus... What if I get to heaven and Paul hits me in the face?
I was gonna write a comment in agreement of 1956 concert, but now I can't write a thing.
QUÉ GRANDE! I'm very happy by just have found this jewell, recently I'been listening a lot the Newport version, nice to see this one, is incredible how Paul digs, explores and reelaborates without lose originality nor copy himself or repeat or bore. This is real jazz. Too bad the tube time limit
call me crazy, but when i first heard gonsalves on the newport recording, i thought what he played on 'D&C' sounded like it could be played on a violin. although all the yelling from duke and the band here comes across as false, gonsalves seems into it and the coda is really exciting.
I always felt he seemed to come at a song sideways on, never heard anything like his playing! It's not discordant like some 'out-there' players, it's highly melodic, but the first time I heard him I had to listen again straight away as I wasn't sure he'd played a single note 'in the right place'! Once my ear was attuned I decided her was a true stylist, doesn't seem to sound like anyone else or show any real influences. A great player!
I have the recording of this, except, for whatever reason, it's about 2 minutes shorter, which is odd, because it contains the beginning and the end. Must have chopped away at Gonsalves's solo.
I have the complete concert on video but this particular number went over the 10 minutes allowed for a Youtube clip - so I chopped the intro and cadenza to get all the man's solo in.
Bob, does the full version also contain the "Crescendo"? In later years (post-Newport) I had assumed Duke was loathe to perform the "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo" together, to avoid comparisons with Newport. He frequently recorded "Diminuendo In Blue" as its own title throughout the 60s, but I've never actually seen or heard a late version of the two pieces together, especially with Gonsalves.
This is the number that shot Duke back into the spotlight in 1956. It's a fantastic story, and one of the best ones in Jazz history. Paul G was an amazing player - shown here for sure. Great post.
I'm sorry if this is like having sex for ten minutes for you - Try modifying your technique. Solos are about content and construction - if, for you, the end is of such supreme importance then perhaps you might consider watching golf instead
I love this song. This may be the greatest swing marathon sax solo of all time. I have the "Duke Ellington-The Great London Concerts" CD from 1963 or so and this sounds like the same cut note for note. I love this! What happened to the beginning and end?
Swings like mad, but some of it is also pretty outside - harmonically he's way advanced. Gonsalves is beginning to be rediscovered as a really great player. He's not as underrated as he used to be.
I really dont think that you should be worried by Paul's being underrated. Amongst musicians and coinesseurs he is in fact very highly regarded as one of the greatest personalities that came out of the Ellington herd. Anyone who really "feels" jazz can't but recognize his talent so not to worry ;-)
Retrographer 1 week ago
27 beautiful choruses of Paul Gonsalves.
Coolhowi 4 weeks ago
Sam Woodyard is just pounding that groove in the back!
churchboy908 1 month ago
I used to love watching Gonsalves perform. He put as much emotion into his playing as any sax player I ever saw.
rasherer 1 month ago
wow thats great sound by paul, even in present times that is rhythmically and melodically plush, to think this was done decades ago is just astounding ....if only life were constant melodies and harmonies,hehehe
drwaxmax 2 months ago
jazz has really changed my life :) THANK YOU DUKE!
peacesellsstevebuyin 3 months ago
These guys are just having fun. Just great.
flaviosilva55 5 months ago
In case I was unclear, all the fucking closeups are only of Paul's face. Completely inept cameraman didn't bother to pan down to the awesomeness going on at the finger level.
SoaringTrumpet 6 months ago
@SoaringTrumpet
That's nearly always the way it goes... I like it best when they start filming the wrong guy!
Bob
bobjazz11 6 months ago
@bobjazz11 No kidding! That's the silver lining: at least they were keeping the camera on the right soloist! :P
SoaringTrumpet 6 months ago
@SoaringTrumpet
Right! ... I suppose we should be thankful the cameraman wasn't focussing on the shoes (why do they do that?)
bobjazz11 6 months ago
Gee, thank god we got to to see everything but the the fingering of Gonsalves.
SoaringTrumpet 6 months ago
This is so magic! Duke is "the" pianoman, Gonsalves is just the best of all here.
jazzuffe 7 months ago
Having said that, he still plays great here. Somebody once said of Gonsalves that he didn't play clichés because he couldn't remember them, and whether or not that's true, his whole performance sounds like a guy making it up as he goes along, not trotting out his carefully practised licks. Brilliant stuff.
lexo30 7 months ago
The irony is that, from what I've read, Gonsalves was temperamentally averse to being shoved in the spotlight and expected to grandstand at length - he was a great but subtle player who didn't particularly like to show off. But after Newport, that's what Duke wanted him to do. Ah well.
lexo30 7 months ago
Simply genius :) my 10th time on this...
somaditya75 8 months ago
is this the one at newport that threw the crowd into a riot?
michaelspadaro6 8 months ago
Magnificent setting of a magnificent classic! Dig them bones, and one of the best of Ellington bassists, Ernie Shephard, just stompin'! Dig, too, how the piano player don't ease off for a second, but always the Harlem stride master pushin' the whole works down the track. Smokin'!
kurtarmbruster 9 months ago
That drummer is in the zone!Just groovin all the time.
ipanemaish 9 months ago
DAMN!!! I've always dug Paul Gonsalves.
eelRolyat 9 months ago
I never get tired of listening to Paul Gonsalves! Love every version of this track - thanks for posting!
upstreamification 11 months ago 2
I'm an absolute Paul nut so this is heaven thanks BobJazz
Roland
rolandramanan 1 year ago
Saw this a year ago and am still stunned by the fantastic playing. Dukes little solo in the beginning is out of this world. Sam Woodyard, what a GROOVE! Paul Gonsaves tone, swing, power, unending inspiration....Merry Christmas to all that find this.
Steveidrum 1 year ago
I know this is a pathetic question, but what scale(s) would Paul be using to solo?
DayleKT 1 year ago
Is this video of Duke's Newport Concert 1956?
obelice 1 year ago
Actually, this is only the Diminuendo in Blue section plus Gonsalves' interlude. If it included the Crescendo in Blue part it would add about 3 minutes to it. Magnificient piece of music and orchestration.
reidojazz 1 year ago
God bless Harry Carney.
JazzJonnie 1 year ago
ah :D! my surname is Gonsalves, too :D just searched for Gonsalves here on youtube..
Robertgj2010 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this.
I had a Columbia album in the late 50's that had a sampling of various jazz styles.
One of the cuts was Gonsalves playing Cop-Out at Newport in '56. I recall the liner notes said he blew 27 choruses. Duke also used two drummers-Jimmy Johnson and Sam Woodyard.
comeacross9 1 year ago
è indemoniato!
albertrombone 1 year ago
4 people missed the "like" button.
UncleLlama1 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Dizzy Gillespie spoke of this band and I quote too have a band like this you have people stay with you all most forever.Throw in Johnny Hodges ,Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves,Lawrence Brown You couldn't put a band like this together in this day and time, it would cost a king's ransume too keep it together.The only reason why Duke was able too do it was the royalties from his music.Just a big old swing band
hremdldw 1 year ago
Dizzy Gillespie spoke of this band and I quote too have a band like this you have people stay with you all most forever.Throw in Johnny Hodges ,Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves,Lawrence Brown You couldn't put a band like this together in this day and time, it would cost a king's ransume too keep it together.The only reason why Duke was able too do it was the royalties from his music.Just a big old swing band
hremdldw 1 year ago
That's is one of greatest shows i saw here in
YouTube . Paul you are a MONSTER...
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR UPLOADING THIS
liorfito 1 year ago
Completely agree, he was indeed underrated. He used to fall asleep and had to be awakened by his section mates for his solo. As "punishment", Duke would make him play solos for hours...what chops! The band loved him. I love this guy and with Louis Bellson behind him on "A" Train, there is NO BETTER tenor solo ever.
eflatguy 1 year ago
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John Pizzarelli Carlyle Contest
To celebrate the release of John Pizzarelli's new album, Rockin' In Rhythm: A Tribute To Duke Ellington, Telarc International is giving away a complimentary two-night stay at the Carlyle Hotel, two tickets to my performance, dinner for two and a travel voucher!
To enter the contest visit here:
telarc.com/pizzicarlyle/
Contest ends August 15, 2010!
Good luck!
skimes11 1 year ago
Swing like you done lost your monkey mind Paul!!!
MrBosnian78 1 year ago
l'assolo " mostruoso " di Gonsalves è assolutamente intrascrivibile, come ad esempio in break di Parkr in Night in Tunisia.
123must 1 year ago
do you need more...
Lottolearnstrings 1 year ago
sick!!!!!! :D
rockinsurfkid 1 year ago
What I find almost equally as amazing as Paul Gonsalves' epic tenor solo is how carefully all of the young "hippies" or "beatniks" in the audience are listening to him. Note the responses on their faces when he gets off a good lick. Very few people of that age group have the same listening skills today. Sadly.
garthastro 1 year ago
Amazing
EmptyPlanetFilms 1 year ago
DAMN DUDE!
this guy's a beast!
chuns00 1 year ago
tous simplement SUBLIME !
theusis1 1 year ago
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no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
RusselProcope 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
RusselProcope 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
RusselProcope 1 year ago
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
RusselProcope 1 year ago
no other jazz orchestra can play this tune as duke's orchestra did...i've seen diminuendo and crescendo played by marsalis ' orchestra on a youtube video , but, unfortunately , marsalis version is light -years far away from duke's version ...duke ellington had the best orchestra of the jazz history and in fifties and sixties these cats had marvelous sound , authority, power , swing , and class like no others ...
RusselProcope 1 year ago
duke , we love you madly ...
RusselProcope 1 year ago
I'd give this 10 stars if the last 10 seconds weren't cut off.
mahlermahlermahler1 1 year ago 9
Well it's more than 10 seconds actually - but I can only put a ten minute clip up on YouTube
Bo b
bobjazz11 1 year ago
ohhh yeaah
mahlermahlermahler1 1 year ago
@bobjazz11 Interestingly enough you can make it up to 10:59 and that's still considered 10 minutes :)
ShinyShiranai 1 year ago 4
@ShinyShiranai
Hi
I seem to remember that when I first put this clip up you could only do ten minutes
Bob
bobjazz11 1 year ago
@bobjazz11 hi, this is a great post. you really should load it again. i believe the time limit is up to 15 minutes now. i know i just posted one a few days ago that ran 12:30 or thereabout. it would be nice to hear the whole thing. thanks for the nice post.
mpcguy 1 year ago 6
@mpcguy
I checked my copy of the show - The program itself cuts before the end of the number
Bob
bobjazz11 1 year ago
@bobjazz11 - You have made the world a better place by sharing this with us. I agree re: "shamefully under-rated and largely ignored tenor-sax giant" however how many players got to stretch for that long with Duke''s band behind them? It's like hitching a ride on the damn space shuttle. Thank you!
zappr5 7 months ago
@mahlermahlermahler1 id give it 10 anyways
MrMrilikepiealot 1 year ago
It's weird how duke was able to assemble the most unique instrumentalists and all in the same band
Prodigy502 1 year ago
the femous version was on the newport jazz festivas right? when the blond woman started to dance while the sax was playing
TheJazzStreet 2 years ago
@maitrejim - last night we saw the Chicago Jazz Ensemble play this song. They brought up sax player in the role of Gonsalves for a 25 min. show-stopper.
calinder403 2 years ago
Jo Jones is the best drummer I've ever seen, but in this video this is not Jo Jones, but Sam Woodyard, he did the famous original newport version too as well.
smoothbv 2 years ago
And it was'nt Jonah Jones wich is a trumpet player, but "Papa" Jo Jones, the famous drummer...
tednav 2 years ago
The famous solo was at Newport on 7 July 1956.
SFSpinguy 2 years ago
Newport Jazz Festival in 59 had one of the most electric jams ever known in Jazz. This piece was started and Jonah Jones egged Gonsalves on offstage with a rolled up newspaper. Gonsalves went 59 straight choruses impromptu... the crowd went wild people were dancing on the chairs! Great music.
maitrejim 2 years ago
my grandpa was one of the sax players on this video !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love you sonny gonsalves r.i.p
saldivarstatus 2 years ago 4
AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH LISTEN TO THE BASS!!!!!! so awesome, it's like a locomotive!
g81atherton 2 years ago 2
Amazing sound and presence!
TrioBrenner 2 years ago
ouf, need stamina to play that one...
JeepMammoth 2 years ago
Great performance. Does anyone know what year this recording is from?
BurgSprinta 2 years ago
must have been in july 1956
moeskel40 2 years ago
Great - some people have built a whole career on fewer blues phrases! I say him around 1969-70 with Duke and his solos were (with Cootie Williams') the best of the show. He played some of Johnny Hodge's tunes because Rab was in hospital soon to die, which made it very poignant. His sound was soft (he was quite ill himself I think) but the ideas flowing.
22typee 2 years ago
Absolutely fabulous clip, thanks for posting it.
stpd1957 2 years ago
wow what an education....
Noggbadd 2 years ago
Absolutely fabulous!! Duke Ellington was such a phenomenal musician and human being. Thank you for this post. The only critique I have is that the sound is a bit muted, a little soft/low. Is there anyway to increase volume? I've got my vloume settings @ highest and still sound very soft.
2dasimmons 2 years ago 2
encore!!
malilacreuse 2 years ago
SAM WOODYARD.....WOW! What a pocket!!!! He got EVERYONE withy that backbeat.. I had the pleasure of meeting Paul in Bologna and hearing that wonderful band with all the key players. A memory I will traeasure forever.
Steveidrum 2 years ago
Solid time keeping from Sam Woodyard behind Paul's wonderful solo. His wrist must have been aching rapping, if you'll pardon the phrase, the butt of his stick on the rim. I realise I've been playing that style wrong for years. I don't think Gonsalves was so underrated. He was a national jazz hero after his Newport triumph with Duke. I remember school friends playing the LP back in 1958, miming to the solo with 'air' saxophones!
One guy actually bought a sax and couldn't play a note.
Fnarge 2 years ago 2
This is really one of the greatest sounds I have heard in a long time. Paul almost blew the roof of my home. Thanks for the good vibes from Germany.
huntermassimo 2 years ago 2
Bad Bad Bad Paul Gonsalves.Duke could write.But Paul could play his a-- off.Got to give Paul his props.He was one of the baddist tenor sax men i have ever heard.We could never forget this giant.
MrReadyrudy30315 2 years ago
Thanks! Gonsalves is really one of the greatest among t.s. players
123must 2 years ago
Wow! Thanks for posting!
Check out that pumpin bassline!
eric1love 2 years ago
Those audience cutaways make me feel like saying a beatnik poem.
waldo2384 2 years ago
Holy shit that solo is amazing
fetusplant 2 years ago
WHATTT???
robertojimenez204 2 years ago
Tempo is faster, not as grooving and creative as the original '56 performance. The best CD remastering ever--the best argument, in fact, for digital technology over analog--is "Ellington at Newport '56." Sony spent hundreds of thousands to reconstruct the actual event (Ellington left the stage when 4 of his band members hadn't arrived, then came back 5 hours later. Most of the LP was recorded in a studio the next day.) The new one has Paul in authentic stereo--1st time ever.
caponsacchi 2 years ago
Harry Carney! :D
Shieksghost 2 years ago
I wish they recorded the new port jazz festival performance with the blond in a black dress dancing!!!!!
Honeypietwinny 2 years ago
Saw some pics of that once, she was dancing her butt off
Achimotastar 2 years ago
I saw him once try and play in a club. Alcohol had destroyed him. Pitiful to watch, such a waste.
MAJORSNODGRASS 2 years ago
But it misses the end!!!
ponkwrt 2 years ago
That's because the clip can only be this long.
bobjazz11 2 years ago
He is one of the most exciting saxists of his time.wonderful!
538921 2 years ago
Gonsalves took no prisoners this night. I think they had to drag him off the stage.
Great to see a vid to go with audio I love.
screwmaster404 2 years ago
Some great art. I don't agree about the "largely ignored tenor sax."; Paul Gonzalves is very wellknown as one of the greatest tenor swingman, with fantastic sound and ideas. Probably this man was too crazy to lead his own carrer, so the soloist is not compared to Stan Getz, Ben Webster or Illinois Jacquet... It is not the same to be a big band star, and a star. .Often journalist don't understand music, musicians play it, so undestand it. Thanks for posting , sorry for my english.
Thouveninpascal 2 years ago 3
Great performance... Was wondering if there existed some footage of the Newport '56 Jazz festival ?
nicolasdebruyne 2 years ago
Thank you sooo much for uploading this. I've heard this a hundred times, but never seen a vid. THUMBS UP A THOUSAND TIMES!!!:)
c4rv3r 2 years ago
A shame that he's ignored! The amount of heroin that this poor man consumed to make us all musically happy would keep the Mexican drug cartels in business for a year! Just keep him out of Jackie Sharpe's living room!
kcsulkin 2 years ago
Full-throttle swing! Even that cannot explain it.
Thanks.
4u2b1ib12 2 years ago
What the fuck i'm counting how many chorus he took plus him with the band and think i misscount by almost up to 40 chorus he took, 7mins of a god on a sax
Paul is a monster and swings hard like one
smoothbv 2 years ago 6
The man who made the Duke come back on July 7, 1956. Thanks a lot! For more great swingin' jazz feel free to visit my blog anytime (link in profile).
Best regards,
Brew Lite
BrunoJazzmanLeicht 2 years ago 9
I assume you're talking about the infamous performance at the Newport Jazz Festival?
davisc1926 2 years ago
Famous, my friend, the word is "famous". ;)
BrunoJazzmanLeicht 2 years ago 3
That too, but I meant 'infamous' as in 'legendary'. :-)
davisc1926 2 years ago
davisc1926, infamous has no relation to "legendary", it means having an evil reputation, public reproach, or strong condemnation.
mssp4 2 years ago
Ok, thank you.
davisc1926 2 years ago
Poppy Joe? That's Basie's band. This is Arron Bell & Jimmy Woodward. Swingalingleleesky.....
laughingtiger123 2 years ago
Where is Popa Joe?
dixoin56 2 years ago
Can anybody tell what year (or decade) this is from?
Thanks for the great vid! left me dazlzed :)
gqgq3341 2 years ago
This has to be from the 50's at Newport, RI
bmoore167 2 years ago
Sorry but it aint! It's a UK TV concert.
Bob
bobjazz11 2 years ago
What a monster! The track "Medley: Toot Suite" of "Ellington Jazz Party" was my introduction to Paul Gonsalves. (If i remember right, it occupies an entire side of the LP.) It has a very similar performance by PG & the band which immediately became one of my all-time favorites. Thanks for posting!
sablobsimus 2 years ago
Gonsalves is probably underrated because he never went out on his own. He's definitely one of the great swingin soloists.
cavaleer 2 years ago
Anyone spot the genuine British simpleton at 7mins?
mistarossi 3 years ago
Do you mind that's me in my younger days !
jofrad 3 years ago
I see paul in anther video of diminuendo blue and he was playing with a metalic selmer mouthpiece and i think that is a mark 6 sax or an older serie than the supe balance.
flavio030994 3 years ago
He could have been the greatest tenor player of the fifties and the sixties ( better than Coltrane or Rollins or Dexter Gordon... ) without his drug -dipendence and alcool addiction ...
That's reaching, Paul was highly underrated, but the guys you mention were more innovative and strong as any sax players ever!
AhhCulo 3 years ago
paul gonsalves fuckin kickass this is one of the most incredibkle jazz saxo solos ever
E7022 3 years ago 2
It's incredible to be able to see this. Makes me wish there was video of the classic Newport set.
mattthecat77 3 years ago 2
There is of course the legendary 27-chorus solo PG took at Newport in '56 (on the wrong mic!) that apparently singlehandedly kickstarted Duke's flagging career and started a riot of unbridled frugging among the audience. I have the single CD with a somewhat distant-sounding PG (the crescendo of crowd reaction is stunning), but I believe the double CD of the complete concert has been cleaned up so it's a lot more audible. This is amazing stuff!!
bobgreen623 3 years ago 2
in 1957 Lester Young was asked about his favourite tenor player .He named four : Hawk, Webster, Getz and Paul Gonsalves. I'm quite agree with him ! Gonsalves plays Webster in a bepop way , but in the same time he's got the Blues inside the hearth ... He could have been the greatest tenor player of the fifties and the sixties ( better than Coltrane or Rollins or Dexter Gordon... ) without his drug -dipendence and alcool addiction ...
cappalacappa 3 years ago
freakin' awesome!! Gonsalves wails here!
54spiritedwill54 3 years ago 2
Such a killer player, I love the way he plays a phrase and then repeats it outside.
Too cool!
Saxotomitry 3 years ago 3
Duke is also in rare form here, incorporating all of his signature piano styles in lightning succession. In his short spot just after the "Diminuendo" he seems to almost spoofs his very early stride-like style, then gradually increases the intensity of his comping until he's playing hard bop (or close to it) around 3:50. At about 4:48, Duke introduces a modal treatment of the blues, and the effect is stunning. Makes this 1937 work sound like 1965. A real tour de force!
GatesThomas 3 years ago
my favorite swing song my favorite swing band of all time great song great man most influencial musician in the first half of the 20th century without him no jazz no rock n roll or rhytham n blues
andrewsandoval1 3 years ago
I have known this song for a long time so to finally see duke and the band playing it is fantastic
RutgersPro 3 years ago
this a true test of endurance for a soloist. It is amazing how duke can take such a simple chord form and make it into something special. Paul is a truly inspiring and innovative player.
eroc70 3 years ago
Apparently in concert Paul would take up to sixty choruses on this tune!!
bobgreen623 3 years ago 2
love Cat Anderson on the side diggin it.
Great stuff.
pianodan10 3 years ago
I know what you mean - those guys are up there with Al Jolson 'The Jazz Singer'
(contempt)
bobjazz11 3 years ago
What a GREAT Assolo, Paul !!!!!!!
Guallera 3 years ago
Only first class musicians played for Duke, and such a long solo demostrates how he apreciated Gonsalves.
aerofredywr 3 years ago
Sam Woodyard is my hero!
pstewartdrum 3 years ago
Sam Woodyard is amazing! That's mostly because of him that Gonsalves keeps on playing some many choruses
YerbaCCS 3 years ago
phantastic! I'm so glad about finding my favourite music here in YOUTUBE !!!
Dsippuk 3 years ago
This footage is amazing. Paul was never underated in my book. I wish he lived longer.
davidhazard71 3 years ago
sorry. didn't know
mambojazz1 3 years ago
who said white musicians don't swing? Forget that. Here's your proof
mambojazz1 3 years ago
Paul was NOT white! His parents were from the Cape Verde Island.
BergLarsen110 3 years ago
God, the whole DE orchestra did very good. But that Paul Gonsalves was wicked! Great!
JazzyJean 3 years ago
"Sometime in your life, you must know him. He's the jazz giant. WHat you hear now are jazz fusion", he said. And boy was he right. =) It was only in College days when I digged into his casette tape recordings of Duke's, Great!
I miss my grandpa for in the piano, he plays ala-Duke.=)
Thank you for posting these for every jazz enthusiasts to see. =) Always better to see in videos music you like. MORE PLEASE!
JazzyJean 3 years ago
He would often say "Know Duke Ellington,hey?", and I was just about 10-11 years old that time(still young though,just 36, ha-ha) as I dig into his THEN casette tapes (and some phonograph records as well) of HErp Albert,Chick Corea,Earl Klugh and Alphonse Mouson (around early 80's)among many others which I enjoyed immensely at that young age.
JazzyJean 3 years ago
BRAVO! WOW! Great swinging! God,I miss my late grandpa (He died 1999)who instilled in me a heavy jazz influence (I'm particularly a Smooth Jazz fan but through the years transcended ,enjoyed and learned to appreciate the roots ) whilst he plays in the piano standards such as Sophisticated Lady,Mood Indigo even Body and Soul and the like (which I enjoyed a great deal).
JazzyJean 3 years ago
Paul Gonsalves is a MF!!!
watsonp143 3 years ago 2
wow.
angelg2392 3 years ago
That '56 Newport Concert would have been the ONE that I would want to travel back in time for. Duke got Paul Gonsalves to repeat that long solo that he did at Newport many times, but it was never as exciting as the one that day. Thank you for posting this. We get to see the principals at that concert in their prime.
goofoff1966 3 years ago
I was born 5,616 days after that 1956 performance.
I couldn't even walk out into the street after the first time I heard that performance. I stood in the street like a moron. I don't know what happened...
I'll tell ya one thing: I stopped looking for the meaning of life and I have been happy ever since.
StLennyBruce 3 years ago
This is one of my all time favorite tenor solos ever.
bfl305 3 years ago
I've heard this version hundreds, maybe thousands of times and the chord at 8:05 still gives me chills. This song defines big band.
milanj99 3 years ago
Not a jazz expert by any means (I get into punk and black metal normally) but this is my favorite jazz song, and the live version from Newport is even cooler. Amazing horn work by Gonsalves. Thanks for posting this!
SharksInTheGenePool 3 years ago
I agree with you 100%. I'm also mostly into punk (particularly Ginn and Black Flag), and lots of noisy shit, but this is my favorite jazz work too--particularly the "Newport" version. Gonsalves is the swingin' man!
tony0000 3 years ago
MAN!! I suck. I went to go give you a thumbs up--and pushed Down! And now it's just stuck there for all time... jesus... What if I get to heaven and Paul hits me in the face?
I was gonna write a comment in agreement of 1956 concert, but now I can't write a thing.
StLennyBruce 3 years ago
I love the Bari part, I play bari myself, so I can sympathize with range jump...
Jeeze
Stuart7500 3 years ago
QUÉ GRANDE! I'm very happy by just have found this jewell, recently I'been listening a lot the Newport version, nice to see this one, is incredible how Paul digs, explores and reelaborates without lose originality nor copy himself or repeat or bore. This is real jazz. Too bad the tube time limit
PabloVestory 3 years ago
If someone can show exactly how HOW to get that insane sound on a tenor sax, I wil give you 1 million dollars.
saxylarry26 3 years ago
call me crazy, but when i first heard gonsalves on the newport recording, i thought what he played on 'D&C' sounded like it could be played on a violin. although all the yelling from duke and the band here comes across as false, gonsalves seems into it and the coda is really exciting.
BlockChordsRed 3 years ago 2
Ride Paul, ride.
customkey 3 years ago
absolutely fantastic, thanks
slinaun 3 years ago
I always felt he seemed to come at a song sideways on, never heard anything like his playing! It's not discordant like some 'out-there' players, it's highly melodic, but the first time I heard him I had to listen again straight away as I wasn't sure he'd played a single note 'in the right place'! Once my ear was attuned I decided her was a true stylist, doesn't seem to sound like anyone else or show any real influences. A great player!
knobstick 3 years ago
Thanks for this beautiful clip. Great!!!
rozmarie 3 years ago
I have the recording of this, except, for whatever reason, it's about 2 minutes shorter, which is odd, because it contains the beginning and the end. Must have chopped away at Gonsalves's solo.
Stuart750 3 years ago
I have the complete concert on video but this particular number went over the 10 minutes allowed for a Youtube clip - so I chopped the intro and cadenza to get all the man's solo in.
Bob
bobjazz11 3 years ago
Ah, I see. It's a great tune.
Stuart750 3 years ago
hello bobjazz, I don't other words to put it, but I'm really in need of that complete concert.
do you have any idea how can I get it. please help me.
ubaikamal 3 years ago
If you guys got any leads for the Newport 1956 performance, I'm all ears.
Strayhornfan 3 years ago
I have it
tlharris 3 years ago
Wao.. seriously :)?!
so can you give a copy...?
I'm listening...!
TheLonelyPanther 3 years ago
Share it please! Please,please,please?=)
JazzyJean 3 years ago
Sorry but this comment was meant for the one who said he has the Newport version.=)
JazzyJean 3 years ago
Is it available commercially?
GatesThomas 3 years ago
Bob, does the full version also contain the "Crescendo"? In later years (post-Newport) I had assumed Duke was loathe to perform the "Diminuendo" and "Crescendo" together, to avoid comparisons with Newport. He frequently recorded "Diminuendo In Blue" as its own title throughout the 60s, but I've never actually seen or heard a late version of the two pieces together, especially with Gonsalves.
GatesThomas 3 years ago
This is the number that shot Duke back into the spotlight in 1956. It's a fantastic story, and one of the best ones in Jazz history. Paul G was an amazing player - shown here for sure. Great post.
clskmstg 3 years ago
That was like having sex for 10 minutes and then just stopping before you're done...
Why no last note? Bad part to cut
RavenousDebris 3 years ago
I'm sorry if this is like having sex for ten minutes for you - Try modifying your technique. Solos are about content and construction - if, for you, the end is of such supreme importance then perhaps you might consider watching golf instead
bobjazz11 3 years ago
I love this song. This may be the greatest swing marathon sax solo of all time. I have the "Duke Ellington-The Great London Concerts" CD from 1963 or so and this sounds like the same cut note for note. I love this! What happened to the beginning and end?
BillyBickham 3 years ago
You can only do a ten minute clip so I had to chop it
Bob
bobjazz11 3 years ago
Swings like mad, but some of it is also pretty outside - harmonically he's way advanced. Gonsalves is beginning to be rediscovered as a really great player. He's not as underrated as he used to be.
lexo30 3 years ago 2
freakin' awesome!! Gonsalves wails here!
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