Description
Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra – Blues-A-Plenty – 180 Gram Vinyl Record
Blues-A-Plenty places Johnny Hodges in front of a compact all-star band whose sound is closely tied to the Duke Ellington world without simply reproducing an Ellington orchestra date. Recorded in 1958, the session brings Hodges together with Roy Eldridge, Vic Dickenson, Ben Webster, Billy Strayhorn, Jimmy Woode, and Sam Woodyard. The lineup is formidable, but the music remains relaxed and blues-centered.
Hodges’s alto is the record’s unmistakable voice: silky on ballads, sly on medium-tempo blues, and capable of turning a bent note into an entire statement. “I Didn’t Know About You” opens with understated elegance, while “Cool Your Motor” and the title track reveal his playful rhythmic side. Even at his most polished, the phrasing carries a vocal directness.
The supporting players add strong contrasts. Webster’s broad tenor brings shadow and weight, Eldridge supplies bright trumpet sparks, and Dickenson’s trombone keeps the ensemble texture earthy. Strayhorn’s piano is especially important, linking the soloists with voicings that are economical and unmistakably sophisticated. Woode and Woodyard maintain a buoyant swing across the shorter first-side pieces.
The second side opens out into longer performances. “Saturday Afternoon Blues” gives the horns room to trade ideas, “Satin Doll” revisits an Ellington standard from a small-group perspective, and “Reeling and Rocking” closes the album with nearly ten minutes of unforced momentum. The sequence feels like a late-night set built by musicians who know one another’s habits.
This Verve Acoustic Sounds Series edition was mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, and packaged in a Stoughton tip-on gatefold jacket. The audiophile presentation matches the nine-track original program and the session’s richly dimensional horn sound.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
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