Prom 30 - 8.08.14: Battle of the Bands (Basie vs. Ellington)

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Friday 8 August
10.15 p.m. – c. 11.30 p.m.
Royal Albert Hall
Battle of the Bands live at the BBC Proms, with leading jazz singer Clare Teal and present-day band leaders James Pearson and Grant Windsor fighting it out in a roof-raising battle

Gregory Porter (singer)
Clare Teal (singer / presenter)
Count Pearson Proms Band
James Pearson (leader / conductor)
Duke Windsor Proms Band
Grant Windsor (leader / conductor)

Leading jazz singer Clare Teal presents a Late Night Prom with a difference as we are transported back to the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s with two of the greatest bands of the day, led at the time by Count Basie and Duke Ellington. With selections including Jumpin' at the Woodside and It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), and culminating in a bespoke 'Battle Royal', the roof will surely be raised as these giants of jazz do battle for the approval of the audience.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

What do our jazz experts think of this?

[Serial_Apologist]

What do our jazz experts think of this?

As little as possible.

[bluestateprommer]

For anyone who wants to check out Gregory Porter in advance, here's the link to his homepage:

http://www.gregoryporter.com/

As long as the 'stand-in's' for The Count and The Duke don't just treat this as an excuse to play louder and louder in the "battle royal" part, this could actually be fun to listen to. Count Basie was the master of understatement at the piano, and his band was famous for its "All-American Rhythm Section", quite possibly the best of all the big bands (Jo Jones on drums, Walter Page on bass, Freddie Green on guitar, and of course The Count himself), not for being raucous, but for their command of swing rhythm. Duke Ellington likewise commanded a stellar line-up of instrumentalists back in the day (e.g. Cootie Williams on trumpet, Johnny Hodges on tenor sax, Harry Carney on baritone sax).

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It seems to me that this Channel 4 style "battle" does little to reinforce the quality of the music.

[Beef Oven!]

Sounds like a great gig in the offing and the 'Battle Royal' should be wonderful - shame I can't be there.

Obviously our jazz experts see it differently. But, they are the experts, so...........

[gradus]

Let's hope for some real solo battles and blinding ensemble work, this could be so exciting.

[bluestateprommer]

Well, once past Petroc at his most bombastic in the intro (but this is arguably "authentic performance practice", as Americans aren't known for subtlety in that sense ), and Clare Teal almost matching him not in volume, but in trying to do the American 'hard sell', the music making is actually quite enjoyable. Time to kick back and relax a bit. Also, one additional vocalist, Vula Malinga, in her Proms debut (calendar updated accordingly).

[PJPJ]

Well, once past Petroc at his most bombastic in the intro (but this is arguably "authentic performance practice", as Americans aren't known for subtlety in that sense ), and Clare Teal almost matching him not in volume, but in trying to do the American 'hard sell', the music making is actually quite enjoyable. Time to kick back and relax a bit. Also, one additional vocalist, Vula Malinga, in her Proms debut (calendar updated accordingly).

I'm just catching up with this now. The presentation is......... no, I won't bother; I will be polite and simply agree with you about the music. Most enjoyable.

[bluestateprommer]

The Radio 2 page on this Prom fortunately has the complete set list, and also a very nice intro about the context of the Battles of the Bands that took place in the 1930's:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04c06h2

Unfortunately for the Radio 2 audience who might find this page, the archived radiocast cuts off at 75 minutes. (The R3 iPlayer has the full concert, of course.) For convenience, here's the playlist (with the usual BSP-ish twist on the presentation, e.g. FP@TP = first performance at The Proms - at least I think so)

1. Basie/Pearson: "Rockin' the Blues" (FP@TP)
2. Basie/Pearson: "Every Tub" (FP@TP)
3. Basie/Pearson: "Blue Skies" (vocals, VM; FP@TP)
4. Ellington/Windsor: "Daybreak Express" (FP@TP)
5. Ellington/Windsor: "Cotton Tail"
6. Ellington/Windsor: "Jump for Joy" (vocals, GP; FP@TP)
7. Basie/Pearson: "9:20 Special" (FP@TP)
8. Basie/Pearson: "One O'Clock Jump" (FP@TP)
9. Basie/Pearson: "Moon Nocturne" (vocals, CT; FP@TP)
10. Ellington/Windsor: "Moon Indigo"
11. Ellington/Windsor: "Truckin'" (vocals, CT; FP@TP)
12. Ellington/Windsor: "Stomp, Look and Listen" (FP@TP)
13. Basie/Pearson: "Futile Frustration" (FP@TP)
14. Basie/Pearson: "Going to Chicago Blues" (vocals, GP; FP@TP)
15. Ellington/Windsor: "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (vocals, VM)
16. Ellington/Windsor: "Rockin' in Rhythm"
17. Basie/Pearson: "Jumpin' at the Woodside" (FP@TP)
18. Ellington/Windsor: "Take the A Train"
19. 'Battle Royal' portion:
(a) "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (vocals, all 3)
(b) "Lester Leaps In" (FP@TP)
(c) "Swinging The Blues" (FP@TP)
(d) "Caravan"
(e) "Flat Foot Floogie" (FP@TP; not sure which band contributed the vocals, unless it was both)
(f) "C Jam Blues" (FP@TP)
(g) "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (vocals, all 3; reprise)

To give Clare Teal credit, even though her emcee manner might grate (and the introductory "Young Person's Guide to the Swing Band" is a bit odd), she's actually a very, very good jazz singer, and does very well indeed in her vocal numbers. (And to be honest, an American presenter wouldn't have been much better. Plus, Petroc is only on for the 1st two minutes, and he probably felt obliged to go OTT in his intro because the show is going out over Radio 2 as well, not that I have a clue about the Radio 2 demographic - but I digress.)

Overall, without slavishly imitating the older bands' style, both bands did quite well, especially given that there isn't a particularly distinctive difference in their sounds, the way that there's a difference between the Philadelphia Orchestra strings and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra strings, for example. The difference is really in the particular musical styles, where I thought that Pearson did nicely in capturing The Count's relatively understated style, with just the occasional letting things rip when the occasion demanded. Likewise, there were little authentic touches from Windsor's re-creation of the Ellington style, like the occasional high trumpet blasts characteristic of Cat Anderson. (I'm really not a jazz aficionado, but am calling up what little knowledge from recordings that I have.) In addition, while there were occasional roof-raising moments volume-wise, to both bands' credit, they didn't indulge in any sort of volume one-upmanship for its own sake. There were definitely mellower moments, as in the slower tempo numbers, and a great respect overall for each band's past styles, but without feeling mummified by the past.

And even if the presenters' style is the least appealing thing about this Prom, think about the folks in the Arena and the Gallery, and the deal they got: quality big band jazz for £5. That would be a low price for a drink in a jazz club in London, I imagine, never mind the cover charge to get into the club in the first place. I think that price is worth any auditory inconvenience.

[pilamenon]

Fascinating stuff, bsp. Thanks very much for this - having missed the Prom, I'm certainly going to catch up with it. The introduction on the Radio 2 website is indeed very informative, both historically and musically. I visited Harlem earlier this year and caught just the faintest whiff of the old days, though it is so much changed.

[Hornspieler]

It seems to me that this Channel 4 style "battle" does little to reinforce the quality of the music.

Who says the quality of the music needs enhancing (reinforcing)?

Of its type and era, it is the highest by far.

I have 28 Basie tracks and 20 Ellington tracks on my hard drive archive.

I really would not wish to hear any modern outfit attempting to reproduce that standard.

It is of the time and any attempts to emulate it can only disappoint.

HS

[PJPJ]

The Radio 2 page on this Prom fortunately has the complete set list, and also a very nice intro about the context of the Battles of the Bands that took place in the 1930's:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04c06h2...........

Thanks for that. I managed to get most but not all of the titles! And thanks for your summing-up, too, rather clearer and more knowledgeable than I can put it but exactly my thoughts. Impressive playing by all.

[bluestateprommer]

I really would not wish to hear any modern outfit attempting to reproduce that standard. It is of the time and any attempts to emulate it can only disappoint.

HS

I think that's a bit harsh, given that both bands sounded quite good, at least IMHO. Maybe if you want to dip in to the concert in places, the impression might change. Just a thought.

[clive heath]

You can be a bit harsh about modern groups attempting to reproduce what you may see as the high point of the recorded jazz history but this is no more than the originators of that history did themselves. My first big-band concert was Duke Ellington at the Colston Hall, Bristol in 1957/8 ? and what we got was re-creations of famous tracks from the past as we did with Count Basie at Hammersmith several years later , ditto Stan Kenton. Not exclusively, of course, there were records to promote. My grandchildren arrived as I was listening to the final flourish of the "Battle of the Bands" and they immediately started bopping around the front room to the manner born. They are 7 and 5 y.o. Prommers of the future maybe! I thought the performances were understated and reverential more than I would have expected, relatively rare titles chosen as well as the old warhorses.