Jam with Sam
Duke Ellington
Goodyear 1962
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Eleven years earlier Duke Ellington and his orchestra trotted out “Jam with Sam”, a song meant to highlight improvising instrumentalists. Duke Ellington’s roster of professionals would keep rotating, so many horn players over the years have contributed to the “Jam’s” identity.
Often, though – as is the case here – trumpeter Cat Anderson would finish the song, as he was quite proficient in the upper range, for climax. Of Ellington’s thousands of tracks this isn’t necessarily one of the most celebrated, but it remained in his regular performance catalog regardless.