Duke Ellington Small Band

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		G for Groove	1:46	Play
2		Do Nothin' 'till You hear from Me	4:29	Play
3		Short Note	5:28	Play
4		Uncle Soonie	5:46	Play
5		Heaven	5:47	Play
6		Monk's Dream	2:42	Play
7		Thanks for the Beautiful Land on the Delta	3:30	Play
8		Stand By Me	4:29	Play
9		Caravan	5:53	Play
10		The Shepherd	6:53	Play

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Description

Life is full of mysteries, of course some small, some large. At least a small one is why on earth this is Barrie Lee Halls first album-as-leader. The aphorism better late than never certainly applies in this instance. Sincere thanks to producer (and Barries fellow-Ellingtonian) Shelley Carrol for rendering this particular mystery moot.
Barrie Lee Hall, Jr., was born in Mansfield, Louisiana, on June 30, 1949. He later relocated to Houston, where he attended E. E. Worthing High School. Barrie credits Worthing band director Sammy Harris with first awakening his interest in jazz. He next enrolled in the landmark jazz program at Houstons Texas Southern University (which spawned The Crusaders, Kirk Whalum, and many others), where he enjoyed the tutelage of T. S. U.s legendary jazz instructor, the late Lanny Steele. It was during his T. S. U. days that I first discovered Barrie Lee Hall, and I remain an enthusiastic fan to this day.
Houstons all-time jazz patriarch, Arnett Cobb, arranged for Barries first personal introduction to Duke Ellington at Houstons Shamrock Hotel in 1973. A few days later, after a literal middle-of-the-night phone call from Duke to Barries home, Hall permanently joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra, his inaugural gig being at the Shamrock on June 8, 1973. The rest is indeed history, as Hall became a prominent part of the Ellington organization, not only as trumpeter/flugelhornist, but as arranger, composer, co-producer, interim director, etc. He was a trusted member of Dukes inner circle, and subsequently worked very closely with Mercer (son) and Paul (grandson) in various incarnations of the Orchestra. It is thus entirely appropriate that virtually all of the splendid accompanying musicians on this recording are members of the current Duke Ellington Orchestra.
If I had to choose one word to summarize Barrie Lee Hall it would be elegance (appropriate for an Ellington protg, correct?!):
Elegance in all matters musical
Elegance in deportment
Elegance in appearance
Elegance in family matters (Uncle Soonie is named for a favorite uncle who basically raised Barrie)
Elegance even in hobbies I wish the reader could see some of Barries custom pens/ pencils that he designs/fabricates during his spare time, using the finest woods available.

I guarantee that the listener will have an equally elegant experience when savoring this CD. Enjoy!
Dr. Robert Morgan
Director of Jazz Studies Emeritus
High School for Performing and Visual Arts
Houston, Texas