My People (Duke Ellington album)
My People is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington written and recorded in 1963 for a stage show and originally released on Bob Thiele's short-lived Contact label before being reissued on the Flying Dutchman label and later released on CD on the Red Baron label.[1][2] The album features recordings of compositions by Ellington for a stage show presented in Chicago as part of the Century of Negro Progress Exposition in 1963.
My People | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1963 | |||
Recorded | August 20, 21 & 27, 1963 | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 42:16 | |||
Label | Flying Dutchman | |||
Producer | Bob Thiele | |||
Duke Ellington chronology | ||||
|
Reception
The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 3 stars and stated: "Ellington created music whose message of racial harmony remains timeless. Due to the high quality of the "Black, Brown and Beige" suite and the shorter originals, this interesting set is more enjoyable than one might expect".[3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic |
Track listing
- All compositions by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
- "Ain't But the One/Will You Be There?/99%" - 5:16
- "Come Sunday/David Danced Before the Lord" - 6:09
- "My Mother, My Father (Heritage)" - 2:50
- "Montage" - 6:54
- "My People/The Blues" - 8:56
- "Workin' Blues/My Man Sends Me/Jail Blues/Lovin' Lover" - 5:57
- "King Fit the Battle of Alabam'" - 3:25
- "What Color Is Virtue?" - 2:49
- Recorded at Universal Studios, Chicago on August 20 (tracks 1a, 2, 4, 5b, 6a, 6c & 7), August 21 (tracks 1b, 1c, 3, 5a & 8) and August 27 (tracks 6b & 6d), 1963.
Personnel
- Duke Ellington – director, narration
- Ray Nance - cornet
- Bill Berry, Ziggy Harrell, Nat Woodard - trumpet
- Booty Wood, Britt Woodman - trombone
- Chuck Connors - bass trombone
- John Sanders - valve trombone
- Rudy Powell - alto saxophone
- Pete Clark, Russell Procope - alto saxophone, clarinet
- Harold Ashby - tenor saxophone, clarinet
- Bob Freedman - tenor saxophone
- Billy Strayhorn - piano
- Joe Benjamin - bass
- Louis Bellson - drums
- Juan Amalbert - conga
- Joya Sherrill, Lil Greenwood, Jimmy McPhail, Irving Bunton Singers - vocals
References
- A Duke Ellington Panorama Archived 2017-09-09 at the Wayback Machine, accessed May 28, 2010.
- Anderson, D. Derek's Blog: Duke Ellington's My People, accessed May 14, 2019
- Yanow, S. Allmusic Review, accessed May 10, 2010.