Monday Side-Session: A Little Bit of Little Jazz

After enjoying trumpet star Roy Eldridge’s take on the Duke Ellington/Cootie Williams classic Echoes of Harlem, it feels like the perfect moment to swing our Side‑Session spotlight over to Roy — “Little Jazz” himself.

As a big‑band aficionado first and foremost, I’ve always loved Roy’s work with Gene Krupa’s band in the early 1940s. So today we’ll spin a quartet of sides that show off the full Eldridge arsenal: fire, finesse, humor, and heart.

Let Me Off Uptown (Okeh, 1941)

A stone‑cold classic, with Roy trading playful jabs with vocalist Anita O’Day before uncorking a sizzling trumpet solo.

This record is just a blast — ten inches of shellac capturing the whole electric mood of the era.

For extra fun, here's a video transcription of the song:

How cool is that?

After You’ve Gone (Okeh, 1941)

A workout for the ages. Roy tears into this old standard with pyrotechnics that still feel modern.

Rockin’ Chair (Okeh, 1941)

The tempo drops and Roy turns lyrical, delivering a solo that’s a masterclass in melodic storytelling.

Knock Me a Kiss (Columbia, 1942)

A novelty tune elevated by Roy’s charm — he sings, he swings, and the band wraps around him like a well‑tailored suit.

That’s just plain fun!

Taken together, these four sides represent a real peak for Roy, Gene and Anita — a little pocket of perfection in the Krupa discography!

A Little Archeology: Tracing “After You’ve Gone”

Since “After You’ve Gone” is such a signature Eldridge vehicle, let’s dig up a couple of earlier versions that set the stage.

Benny Goodman Trio — After You’ve Gone (Victor, 1935)

Benny on clarinet, Teddy Wilson on piano, and Gene Krupa on drums — three masters in tight formation.

Roy Eldridge & his Orch — After You’ve Gone (Vocalion, 1937)

With vocalist Gladys Palmer, and with Roy already sketching the blueprint for what he’d later unleash with Krupa.

These are just snippets from the long, brilliant career of Little Jazz — but what glorious snippets they are.

Sundays with Duke #21: Echoing Through the Years

As we step into 1936 with Duke Ellington, we arrive at another classic - Echoes of Harlem.

Duke wrote this one as a showcase for the band’s growl‑trumpet master Cootie Williams, and it remains one of the most atmospheric portraits in the Ellington songbook.

The First Echo: Brunswick, 1935

Let’s start with the original Brunswick recording:

A perfect spotlight for Cootie — so perfect, in fact, that he adopted it as his theme song.

The Small‑Group Mood: Cootie's Rug Cutters (1938)

Duke didn’t make another studio recording of the tune, though he played it live for years.

He did join Cootie for a small‑group Vocalion session in 1938, issued under Cootie Williams and His Rug Cutters:

Not exactly rug‑cutting material, but a beautifully moody variation.

The Admirer’s Tribute: Charlie Barnet (1939)

Next comes a non‑Ellington version from one of Duke’s biggest admirers, Charlie Barnet, who recorded the tune for Bluebird in 1939:

A really cool reading - respectful, swinging, and unmistakably Barnet. Of note is that Cootie is listed as a co-writer on this label, but I don't think I've seen such a credit any where else!

The Theme Song Lives On: Cootie’s Capitol Version (1946)

Since Echoes of Harlem was Cootie’s theme, he revisited it several times with his own band.

Here’s a lovely 1946 version for Capitol:

Capitol records from those days sound great - and this one’s no exception.

Little Jazz Steps In: Roy Eldridge (1951)

Another trumpet titan, Roy Eldridge, clearly loved the tune as well. He recorded it more than once; here’s his 1951 take for the small Prestige label:

“Little Jazz” always sounded awesome — and he brings a different kind of fire to the piece.

A Capitol Echo: Jonah Jones & Glen Gray (1962)

Speaking of great‑sounding Capitol records, here’s one more: Jonah Jones with his Quartet, backed by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, from 1962:

Those late‑’50s/early‑’60s Glen Gray albums are gems - and I always love how Glen is dressed on those covers!

Cootie’s showcase truly echoes through the years, inspiring trumpeters across generations and giving each era its own shade of Harlem twilight.