Biography
Throughout his years with Ellington, and on many occasions under his own name, Cootie consistently displayed a vigorous command of his instrument. Whether playing the muted colourful compositions of Ellington, or playing in the full-throated manner that reflected his admiration for Louis Armstrong, the distinctive trumpet playing of Cootie Williams remains one of the lasting joys of jazz.
He was born, Charles Melvin Williams, in Mobile, Alabama, on 10 July 1911. As a small child, he played various instruments in school bands but then took up the trumpet on which he was largely self-taught. He was barely into his teens when he began playing professionally. Among the bands with which he played in these years, the mid 1920s, was the band run by the family of Lester Young. He continued to play in territory bands, mainly in the south, including that led by Alonzo Ross. It was with this band that he played in New York in early 1928, choosing almost at once to quit the band and move on to higher profile engagements. In that same summer, he recorded with James P. Johnson, then with Chick Webb and Fletcher Henderson, and early the following year he was hired by Ellington to replace Bubber Miley. This, Cootie's first spell in Ellington’s orchestra, was to last for 11 years.
At first, Cootie's role in the band required him to play the so- called ‘jungle effects’ originally created by Miley, but his rich open horn sound and his distinctive plunger muted playing quickly became an important part of the palette with which Ellington worked. By the time of his last year with the band, 1940, he was one of the most distinctive musicians amidst a group of highly individualistic players. Ellington, ever alert to the qualities of his sidemen, showcased Cootie in a composition with which the trumpeter would be forever inextricably linked. "Concerto For Cootie", which was recorded in 1940, remains a jazz standard to this day, usually under the title by which it became better known after a lyric was written for it: "Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me."
Cootie's work during this first period was not restricted solely to the Ellington band. He made records with other leaders, among them Lionel Hampton and Teddy Wilson. With the latter, he appeared on sessions accompanying Billie Holiday. He was also leader of one of the small groups drawn from within the Ellington band, the Rug Cutters. When Williams left Ellington in 1940, he was briefly with Benny Goodman, playing in both the full band and the sextet. In 1941, Cootie formed his own big band in which, over the rest of the decade, he included several leading swing era musicians, such as Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis and Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson, as well as a number of the new young beboppers, notably Bud Powell and Charlie Parker.
Commercial pressures that were affecting all big bands took their toll, and by the end of the decade, Cootie had been forced to cut the band down to a small group. For all the difficulties, however, Cootie's band was a very good example of its kind and period; and an important aspect of it was his own playing. Alert to the commercial possibilities of R&B, in the early 50s he played in this style, leading small bands and making record dates. He also recorded a number of fine mainstream jazz dates, notably co-leading a band with Rex Stewart for a 1957 session that resulted in “The Big Challenge.” This recording has seldom been absent from the catalogues, and with excellent playing from the leaders along with Coleman Hawkins, Bud Freeman, Lawrence Brown and Hank Jones, it is not hard to understand why. He went on to do “In Hi-FI,” in 1958, recording with a full-blown big band, the results were again a fine example of what this man could do. But despite successes such as these, in 1962, after briefly rejoining Goodman, Cootie was tempted back into the Ellington fold.
Ellington rewarded the trumpeter with several features, among them "New Concert For Cootie", "The Shepherd" and "Portrait Of Louis Armstrong". He remained in the band - visually an apparently doleful presence - until Ellington's death, staying on when the band was briefly led by Mercer Ellington. He died on 15 September 1985, in New York City.
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Biografía
A lo largo de sus años con Ellington, y en muchas ocasiones con su propio nombre, Cootie demostró constantemente un vigoroso dominio de su instrumento. Tanto si tocaba las coloridas composiciones silenciadas de Ellington como si lo hacía a todo pulmón, como reflejaba su admiración por Louis Armstrong, la distintiva forma de tocar la trompeta de Cootie Williams sigue siendo una de las alegrías duraderas del jazz.
Nació como Charles Melvin Williams en Mobile, Alabama, el 10 de julio de 1911. De pequeño, tocó varios instrumentos en bandas escolares, pero luego se aficionó a la trompeta, con la que aprendió de forma autodidacta. Apenas había entrado en la adolescencia cuando empezó a tocar profesionalmente. Entre las bandas con las que tocó en esos años, a mediados de la década de 1920, se encontraba la de la familia de Lester Young. Siguió tocando en bandas territoriales, principalmente en el sur, incluida la dirigida por Alonzo Ross. Fue con esta banda con la que tocó en Nueva York a principios de 1928, optando casi de inmediato por abandonar la banda y pasar a compromisos de mayor perfil. Ese mismo verano, grabó con James P. Johnson, luego con Chick Webb y Fletcher Henderson, y a principios del año siguiente fue contratado por Ellington para sustituir a Bubber Miley. La primera etapa de Cootie en la orquesta de Ellington duró 11 años.
Al principio, el papel de Cootie en la orquesta le obligaba a tocar los llamados "efectos selváticos" creados originalmente por Miley, pero su rico sonido de trompa abierta y su característico toque de sordina de émbolo se convirtieron rápidamente en una parte importante de la paleta con la que trabajaba Ellington. En su último año con la banda, 1940, era uno de los músicos más distintivos en medio de un grupo de músicos muy individualistas. Ellington, siempre atento a las cualidades de sus músicos de acompañamiento, mostró a Cootie en una composición con la que el trompetista quedaría indisolublemente unido para siempre. "Concerto For Cootie", que se grabó en 1940, sigue siendo un estándar de jazz hasta nuestros días, normalmente con el título con el que se hizo más conocido después de que se escribiera una letra para él: "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me".
El trabajo de Cootie durante este primer periodo no se limitó únicamente a la banda de Ellington. Grabó discos con otros líderes, entre ellos Lionel Hampton y Teddy Wilson. Con este último apareció en sesiones acompañando a Billie Holiday. También fue líder de uno de los pequeños grupos de la banda de Ellington, los Rug Cutters. Cuando Williams dejó Ellington en 1940, estuvo brevemente con Benny Goodman, tocando tanto en la banda completa como en el sexteto. En 1941, Cootie formó su propia big band en la que, durante el resto de la década, incluyó a varios de los principales músicos de la era del swing, como Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis y Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, así como a varios de los nuevos jóvenes beboppers, especialmente Bud Powell y Charlie Parker.
Las presiones comerciales que afectaban a todas las grandes bandas pasaron factura y, a finales de la década, Cootie se vio obligado a reducir la banda a un pequeño grupo. Sin embargo, a pesar de todas las dificultades, la banda de Cootie era un muy buen ejemplo de su clase y de su época; y un aspecto importante de ella era su propia forma de tocar. Atento a las posibilidades comerciales del R&B, a principios de los 50 tocó en este estilo, liderando pequeñas bandas y grabando discos. También grabó una serie de buenas fechas de jazz mainstream, en particular codirigiendo una banda con Rex Stewart para una sesión de 1957 que dio lugar a "The Big Challenge". Esta grabación rara vez ha estado ausente de los catálogos, y con la excelente interpretación de los líderes junto a Coleman Hawkins, Bud Freeman, Lawrence Brown y Hank Jones, no es difícil entender por qué. Más tarde, en 1958, grabó "In Hi-FI" con una big band, y los resultados volvieron a ser un buen ejemplo de lo que este hombre podía hacer. Pero a pesar de éxitos como estos, en 1962, después de reunirse brevemente con Goodman, Cootie fue tentado a volver al redil de Ellington.
Ellington recompensó al trompetista con varios temas, entre ellos "New Concert For Cootie", "The Shepherd" y "Portrait Of Louis Armstrong". Permaneció en la banda -visualmente una presencia aparentemente lúgubre- hasta la muerte de Ellington, quedándose cuando la banda fue dirigida brevemente por Mercer Ellington. Murió el 15 de septiembre de 1985 en Nueva York.
1 - Always (Berlin) - 3:30
2 - Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Russell, Ellington) - 3:40
3 - It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing (Mills, Ellington) - 3:42
4 - I Found A New Baby (Palmer, Williams) - 2:37
5 - Caravan (Tizol, Ellington) - 3:09
6 - When The Saints Go Marching In - 3:15
7 - Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me (Russell, Ellington) - 3:56
8 - Drop Me Off In Harlem (Kenny, Ellington) - 3:15
9 - I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good (Webster, Ellington) - 4:17
10 - There's No You (Adair, Hepper) - 3:21
11 - Mack The Knife (Brecht, Bilzstein, Weill) - 3:07
12 - Blue Skies (Berlin) - 2:50
Originally released in 1960 as Warwick 2007 under license from MCP.
Label: Collectables – COL-CD-6121
Series: Collectables Jazz Classics
Released: 2000
Genre: Jazz
Style: Swing
https://www.discogs.com/release/12075925-Cootie-Williams-Do-Nothing-Till-You-Hear-From--Cootie
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