Duke's 'Bones

Ellington's Great Trombonists

The purpose of the study recorded in this book is to focus on the work of the members of the trombone section that was at the heart of Ellington's acclaimed orchestra from its beginnings until Ellington's death in 1974. Much of the study focuses on the three giants who were the section in the 1930s and early 1940s: Joe Nanton, Juan Tizol and Lawrence Brown. Each of the significant trombonists is dealt with in several different ways: Biographical information, in no way intended to be exhaustive, is presented. Information that seems pertinent to the careers of each as members of the Ellington band is the focus. While some of this information is anecdotal, the ultimate aim is to try to relate each man to the music he created. At the heart of the study, however, are the solos that these men recorded with Ellington. Solos are transcribed and analyzed from the standpoint of "traditional" analysis of jazz solos, as well as consideration of the solos from the standpoint of trombone playing. The first of three appendices deals briefly with Ellington's writing for the trombonists as a section or in conjunction with other players, as opposed to his writing for the individual players. Appendix 2 records discographical information about the music discussed in the text. Appendix 3 lists all of the trombonists who played with Ellington and the dates of their tenure. The ultimate aims of this study are to introduce the unique work of Nanton, Tizol, Brown and the others to those who are not familiar with it and to shed more light on this work to those already familiar with it.