Time for an add-junk, I mean adjunct post!
Yesterday we started our journey through the chronology of
Duke Ellington’s recordings with his first recordings as a bandleader on the
obscure Blu-Disc label.
If those two sides were the first bricks in the eventual
skyscraper of Ellingtonia, today we present a little of the mortar, if
you will!
Said mortar is in the form of a session for Blu-Disc from a
few days earlier in November of 1924, when Duke first entered a recording studio,
but…
These weren't released as "Ellington" records.
They were released as backing tracks for a singer named Alberta Prime.
The Technical Hook: Even though Duke’s name isn’t on
the front, this is the same DNA as the Choo Choo session. It’s the
Washingtonians providing the muscle.
Let’s listen to the first side, It’s Gonna Be a Cold,
Cold Winter, a solo vocal for Alberta Prime:
Notice how Duke plays behind a vocalist. Even at this early
stage, he wasn't just "playing chords." He was weaving a tapestry
around the voice.
Sonny Greer is the ultimate Ellington “side character,”
serving as Duke’s drummer for about 30 years!
The Warehouse Verdict: I’ve included these because
the Warehouse isn't just about the "Hits." It's about the Context.
To understand the Duke, you have to hear him when he was just a
"work-for-hire" pianist in an obscure Blu-Disc studio.
These cuts do function as a history lesson to me. They’re
important for providing said context, but not something for a playlist in 2026
for repeated listening!
 |
| Actual Alberta Hunter! |
One thing to note: There has apparently long been a debate over the identity of singer Alberta Prime. Some think it’s pseudonym for Alberta Hunter – pseudonyms being very common on record labels in those days – as we’ll see. But it seems Ms. Prime and Ms. Hunter were two separate people.
And what’s the deal with Blu-Disc records having a really
red label? Were the discs themselves blue? Hmmm…
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