Rockin’ in Rhythm

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Rockin’ in Rhythm (Harry Carney, Irving Mills, Edward Ellington)

Duke Ellington & his Orchestra – 1931

About the recording Jazz.com [site defunct as of 11/1/2020] said :

This standard for the Ellington band came, as Duke said, “as close as an arrangement gets to sounding spontaneous,” with the freely swinging style. It’s also among the Ellington tracks that served as a clear precursor to the big band swing music of the later 1930s and early ’40s. An interesting intro with piano and a deep, low-register, punched-out trombone phrase lead into lively, swinging playing of the distinctive main theme and variations, with sharp horn accents. This is mainly an ensemble piece. Crescendos effectively augment texture, feel and dynamics; and unison playing of the saxophones and clarinet add a further interesting dimension to the soundscape. A feature attraction, following a rumbling, repeated ensemble riff that nicely sets the scene for a sound contrast, is a siren song of a clarinet solo by Barney Bigard with his unique style and rich tone. But Duke Ellington the composer/arranger is the biggest star here, showing off his band’s rich ensemble playing at its finest.

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The youtube provider indicates that after being recorded on 16 January 1931, the side was left unreleased for 9 years.

Musicians:
Duke Ellington – piano
Cootie Williams, Arthur Whetsel, Freddy Jenkins – trumpets
Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton, Juan Tizol – trombones
Johnny Hodges – alto sax
Barney Bigard – tenor sax, clarinet
Harry Carney – clarinet, alto sax, baritone sax
Fred Guy – banjo
Wellman Braud – bass
Sonny Greer – drums

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Duke Ellington, 1959 — Medley: Kinda Dukish/Rockin’ in Rhythm, with a brief introduction by an announcer in German — Solos: Duke Ellington, Harry Carney, Quentin Jackson

Duke Ellington and his Orchestra:
Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Andres Merenguito, Ray Nance – trumpets
Britt Woodman, Quentin Jackson, Booty Wood – trombones
Johnny Hodges (as), Russell Procope (as, cl), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Jimmy Hamilton (ts, cl), Harry Carney (bs, cl, bcl) – reeds
Duke Ellington, (p)
Jimmy Woode (b)
Jimmy Johnson (d)

Duke Ellington – in concert, date unknown, 1960s(?)

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Duke Ellington – live 1969

presently unavailable

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Buddy Rich and his Band – live at the Chicago Jazz Festival, 28 August 1985 – arr; Bill Cunliffe. Featuring: Brian Sjoerdinga – tenor sax, Steve Marcus – soprano sax, Barry Keiner – piano

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Carling Hot Six – in concert at Kungshamn, Sweden – 1990

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Royal Society Jazz Orchestra – 1990

The following info is attached to the video at dailymotion:

Don Neely and the ten piece Royal Society Jazz Orchestra, from San Francisco, are renowned for authentically capturing the exciting sound of Big Band Swing, Hot Syncopated Jazz, Blues, and music of the Cotton Club. Innovators such as Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Paul Whiteman, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Bix Biederbecke, and Louis Armstrong are among the RSJO’s inspirations.