Bubber Miley was one of the great trumpeters of the 1920s, a master of the plunger mute who largely developed the growling "jungle sound" that made
Duke Ellington's early orchestra so distinctive.
Miley, the predecessor of
Cootie Williams with
Ellington, is heard on a variety of intriguing and often-classic recordings on this CD, which covers the span of his relatively brief career. His pre-
Ellington period is represented by recordings with the Texas Blue Destroyers (a duet with the spooky-sounding reed organ of Arthur Ray), the Kansas City Five, and Clarence Williams' Blue Five ("I've Found a New Baby"). The nine numbers from
Miley's years with
Ellington (1926-1928 plus 1924's "Rainy Nights") focus more on rarities than hits, and show that he was the band's most notable and colorful soloist. After the trumpeter was fired by
Ellington due to his increasing unreliability because of alcoholism in early 1929, he became the lone black member of
Leo Reisman's white society orchestra, an unusual role that worked. All of
Miley's solos with
Reisman are on this CD, including a classic rendition of "What Is This Thing Called Love" and a very rare medley taken from a Vitaphone film short. His early death from tuberculosis in 1932 was a real tragedy;
Bubber Miley was only 29. This CD gives listeners a wide sampling of his valuable output and shows why he was one of the most unique stylists of his era. ~ Scott Yanow