Johnny Hodges surprised the jazz world by leaving
Duke Ellington's band to go out on his own as a leader in 1951, and the early
Castle Rock LP was one of his biggest successes, powered by the appeal of the very rhythmic blues title track (written by tenor saxophonist
Al Sears, another
Ellington veteran).
Billy Strayhorn and trumpeter
Emmett Berry are on hand on a few tracks. In spite of the presence of other
Ellington alumni, including
Lawrence Brown, trumpeter
Nelson Williams, and drummer
Sonny Greer, the pieces previously recorded by
Hodges while he was still with
Ellington just don't have the same impact with the smaller groups heard on these dates.
Hodges was evidently trying to make somewhat of a break from his established sound with this recording, though the results are mixed. It's still worth acquiring, though there are a number of better recordings available under
Hodges' name. ~ Ken Dryden