The orchestra’s Personnel
Clark Terry, trumpet; Ray Nance, trumpet and violin; Cat Anderson, trumpet high note specialist; Juan Tizol, Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, trombones; Paul Gonsalves, tenor sax; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; Duke Ellington, piano; Wendell Marshall, bass; Louis Bellson, drums; Betty Roche, vocals
Dave recalls...
Clark Terry wowed everyone—including fellow band members—on every solo, but especially on “Perdido.” Paul Gonsalves was much more intellectually involved and instrumentally controlled than he later became, but showed the same intensity.
Louis Bellson did his customary double bass drum “Skin Deep” solo and got the full attention of the band members as well as of Duke Ellington, who sat at the piano shaking his head. The surprise was vocalist Betty Roche; she functioned beautifully as both artist and entertainer. Her “Perdido” scat vocal was much longer than on the Ellington Uptown CD on Columbia, but a reasonable portion of it is duplicated on the recording for all to at least sample.
Point of interest: Because I didn’t know theater stages could rise out of the floor, I made sure I sat in the first row. Needless to say, when the stage lights went up and the stage began its slow ascent, I had to scramble back for a seat with a view that would enable me to comfortably appreciate all the players.