Wilder Hobson on Ellington, from Jazzmen (1939)

Abstract One contributor, Wilder Hobson, documented the rise of hot jazz in New York, discuss ing Ellington’s orchestra as one of three important big bands to emerge there in the twenties (together with those of Fletcher Henderson and Luis Russell). Rex Stewart, trombonist Lawrence Brown, and clarinetist Barney Bigard. Also, this is certainly the most striking ensemble in jazz, with a brilliance, finish and ease resulting from long collaboration. Finally, I don’t know of any jazz orchestrator as musically fertile as Ellington. His ideas may seldom get sustained development, may often be loosely strung together and over-rich for the thematic material which is carrying them. But in an Ellington performance it is a rare three minutes in which something of orchestral fascination doesn’t occur.