Rex Stewart - Rex Stewart And The Ellingtonians (1940)

A1 	Solid Rock
A2 	Bugle Call Rag
A3 	Cherry
A4 	Diga Diga Doo
B1 	Flim-Flam
B2 	Blues Kicked The Bucket
B3 	Madeline
B4 	Loopin' Lobo
B5 	A Woman's Got A Right To Change Her Mind
B6 	Departure From Dixie

Alto Saxophone – Otto Hardwick (tracks: B5, B6)
Baritone Saxophone – Harry Carney (tracks: B5, B6)
Bass – Billy Taylor (tracks: B5, B6), John Levy (tracks: B1 to B4), Wellman Braud (tracks: A1 to A4)
Clarinet – Barney Bigard (tracks: A1 to A4)
Cornet – Rex Stewart (tracks: A1 to A4, B1 to B4)
Drums – Cozy Cole (tracks: B1 to B4), Dave Tough (tracks: A1 to A4), Shelley Manne (tracks: B5, B6)
Guitar – Brick Fleagle (tracks: A1 to A4)
Piano – Billy Kyle (tracks: A1 to A4, B1 to B4), Jimmy Jones (tracks: B5, B6)
Tenor Saxophone – Ted Nash (tracks: B5, B6)
Trombone – Lawrence Brown (tracks: A1 to A4, B5, B6)
Trumpet – Joe Thomas (tracks: B5, B6)

This CD reissue has the music from three unrelated sessions. Most valuable are four titles from 1940 that clock in around four minutes (rather than three) apiece and match cornetist Rex Stewart with fellow Ellingtonians (trombonist Lawrence Brown, clarinetist Barney Bigard, and Duke's former bassist Wellman Braud) in addition to pianist Billy Kyle, guitarist Brick Fleagle, and drummer Dave Tough. Their versions of "Bugle Call Rag" and "Diga Diga Doo" are quite exciting. There are also four titles (all Stewart originals) from 1946 that showcase the cornetist in a quartet with pianist Kyle, bassist John Levy, and drummer Cozy Cole. Ironically, the last two songs (also from 1946) are from a session without Rex that was led by pianist Jimmy Jones and included some more of Duke's men (past and present): trombonist Brown, altoist Otto Hardwick, baritonist Harry Carney, and bassist Billy Taylor (in addition to trumpeter Joe Thomas, Ted Nash on tenor, and drummer Shelly Manne). Overall, the music (small-group swing) is quite enjoyable, and these underrated titles are well-worth picking up by mainstream collectors. ---Scott Yanow, AllMusic Review

Rex Stewart (1907–1967) was an American jazz cornetist best known for his work with the Duke Ellington orchestra.

After stints with Elmer Snowden, Fletcher Henderson, Horace Henderson, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, and Luis Russell, Stewart joined the Ellington band in 1934. Ellington arranged many of his pieces to showcase Stewart's half-valve effects, muted sound, and forceful style.

Stewart co-wrote "Boy Meets Horn" and "Morning Glory" while with Ellington, and frequently supervised outside recording sessions by members of the Ellington band. After eleven years Stewart left to lead his own groups. He also toured Europe and Australia with Jazz at the Philharmonic from 1947 to 1951. From the early 1950s on he worked in radio and television and published highly regarded jazz criticism. Jazz Masters of the Thirties is a selection of his criticism. ---jazzmusicarchives.com

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