Duke Ellington - Flamingo

[Streamline09]

Glad that he's still singing and performing. He'll be 99 this year! Go on, Herb!

[MrSavvagio83]

Omar White told me bout dis dude!

[RonikGr]

Que delicia de musica, me encanta, me traslada a tiempos que sin haberlos vivido, escuchando a Duke me transporta a tiempos dorardos del jazz, blues, big band.... GENIAL !

[freq32]

fix the mp3, annoying squeek.

[arias4me]

So unmistakeably Ellington. Herb Jeffries outdid himself on this. It is one of my favorites. Thank you for posting.

[straightarrow123]

Jeffries did an incredible version of Flamingo that was even better than the original in the late 70's on one of the Merv Griffin produced specials featuring big band era singers that aired on PBS. I wonder if anybody has that and could upload it?

[Mr311Jwo]

This song is beautiful, it is music to my ears, Duke Ellington is music to my ears.

[helloimbill]

Want to hear a wild version this - check out the version by The Charades!

[MarieMunchkin]

A masterpiece that's what this is. I thought I'd never get to hear this song again, I had an old 78 of this and lost it. Thank you so much - this was one of my favorites since high school - my Dad used to say, "that thing is older than me."

[SwingshiftCat]

I have the original (and longer) recording on a collection CD of the big bands. I believe it was done in Chicago in 1941. Mr. Jeffries' vocal range is absolutely amazing and well showcased in this recording. One of my top ten favorites of The Big Band Era. I wonder if pop music will ever even come close to the quality of this period?

[Vic561]

Well, youngsters . . . some of you may not have heard this old gem : . . .

a flock of flamingos flew overhead yesterday . . . and guess what they were singing ? . . . . . . . . "HERB JEFFRIES" . . . . . . . Nice to see/hear the overlooked/underrated Johnny Hodges in this clip. The equal of---and sometimes better of---Charlie Parker on slow-tempo ballads . . . Gary in Arizona . . . courtesy of Vic561.

[williethechamp]

He did not pass away. He is in the hospital recovering.

[bingoslaststand]

I heard he passed away this weekend.

[avril2]

Dreadful vocal, really dire.

Imagine how he felt knowing that the band despised him.

[Mr311Jwo]

@avril2 Screw you man, SCREW YOU! Think before you speak. Herb Jefferies was one of the best vocalists of that time, you know that his singing is excellent and no one can sing like him. He is a living icon. Moral lesson to this: Think before you speak, you dumb unappreciative prick.

[ironbaby12]

aaaaaawooooooooooooooooooooooo­oo this is three dog and your listening to Galaxy news radio

[sierria64]

HE IS VERY HANDSOME

[TheCalar1]

Heard him sing his signature song just this past June..He Still is amazing and right on key..

[hardcorechicano]

wow, that was a amazing singer...amazing..

[Streamline09]

And Herb is still singing in his 90s!

[VJSco]

great 5*

[onesnarkybrit]

Does anyone know when this song was written?

[iluminatiytu]

I think its HerbJeffries that makes this song memorable. Duke's orchestra is great, no doubt, but Herb is the kicker!

[sgtlzy]

Haven't heard a BAD version of

this gem by anyone, ever! Thanks

for posting.

[Manfi123]

Simply beautiful. What else can one say?

[hootinouts]

I love songs with exotic themes like this.

Flamingo, Poinciana, Bali Hai. Nothing today can compare to these gems.

[youyong28]

Don't forget "Theme from the Hurricane", "Theme form Adventures in Paradise", "Bahia (Baia)", "Quiet Village".

[aarfeld]

@hootinouts: So did the public, generally. This one proved to be a big hit for the band.

[janestreetmusic]

GREAT SONG FROM A GOOD PAL OF MINE..HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY WISHES TO YOU HERB AND LOVE TO SAVANNAH

NICKY.

janestreetmusic

[tuxguys]

My first arranging lesson, actually, my first awareness that a piece of music could be "arranged," that you could do things to it, occurred in 1966: My father, to broaden my listening from just the Animals and Paul Revere and the Raiders, bought me a compilation called "The Swing Years."  This was on it. Six months later Herb alpert and the Tijuana Brass had one of their last hits with a blues shuffle version of this tune. A lightbulb went off over my head. I have never recovered.

[guitarman63mm]

No kidding! I just bought that same compilation last weekend, though I believe it's called "Ten Great Bands". The Duke's version is on there.

Personally, as much as I love Ellington as a composer and performer, i don't think anyone can hold a candle to Stan Getz's version of this. Then again, I think I'm biased because it was the first place I heard it!

[JCJasion]

This soundie is incredibly historic and even more incredibly wonderful!

[closedcircle1]

I sent Herb Jeffries an email recently and got a reply. My favourite Herb Jeffries track is 'There Shall Be No Night' with Duke Ellington backing.

[SweetTeddyG]

My Dad wrote this song, and I didn't even know they produced this short, orchestrated and choreographed as it is. Fabulous.

[guitaress1]

Your Dad must be Theodor Grouya then. This is very well made video and a it's great song!

[zefron4everxox]

what instrements are being played??????

[Apurlec]

Hi, they are mostly metals, some of them in sordine.

[bassplayer4445]

Great post. Thank You very much.

[DRbiohazard]

Boots Randolph played a great saxaphone versi-

of this on his 1963 album Sax-Sational(not on

cd yet as far as I know,but an awesome album).

[kerova2705]

anybody knows who's the original composer of this song?

[nemastoma]

Ted Grouya and Edmund Anderson.

[paulostroff99]

usfins-Johnny Hartman was a great crooner who did an awesome album with the sax great John Coltrane.Get it if you can!This is a very pleasant recording of the great Herb Jeffries!Thank you so much.

[catherineyronwode]

It's nice to see Herb Jeffries looking so young -- and in such great voice, as usual. There are some other nice clips by him on youtube -- check out the one of him rapping (in his mid-90s) and the one of him in the 1950s doing "In My Heart".

[VA24541]

Herb is still alive, age 96. He was also a singing cowboy in the movies after his gig with the Duke.

[tuxguys]

Actually, as I understand it, during, not after. Whenever he made a western for the "race" audience, he changed his last name to "Jeffrey," to avoid confusion with his singing career. He was promoted as a sort of black Gene Autry, and I believe he is the only American of African descent to be inducted into the Cowboy Hall of Fame.

[heysonjayson]

When you have a few minutes to spare, do a little homework. Herb's actual heritage isn't all that straightforward, and makes for really quite an interesting read.

[tuxguys]

If you have a link to something, send it to me, I'd be interested to see it.

[baalbuster]

This is a very sophisticated arrangement of a nothing special pop tune.

[tuxguys]

No offense, but you've got to clean out your ears. The harmonic sophistication of this tune, especially at the time it was a hit, is breathtaking.

[bigbdh]

One of my favorite pop vocalists. and, i"m sure, a big

influence on Billy Eckstine and Johnny Hartman.

[theaikikid]

The singer is Herb Jeffries. He is 90 and still sings.

[joeasmythe]

We need more of this golden stuff, Thank you

[simonjayrocker]

It's Johnny HODGES man

[usfins]

JOHNNY HARTMAN?

[etucker82]

...talk about selling out

[bluesinorbit]

As I understand it, Duke Ellington was quite proud this arrangement by Billy Strayhorn. He mentions it in his autobiography. In fact, he would return to it when he and Strayhorn recorded the duet album as well as a solo vehicle for himself at the Whitney concert. I thought his reading of Flamingo was very passionate, albeit a little short.

[JosephNScott]

Re selling out: Big bands -- Basie, Calloway, whoever -- did some pop vocals during this era (early '40s), along with everything else. I can't think of a single one that didn't, can you?