Doug Duke Discography Part Three

PART ONE: Douglas Duke As A Side Man With Lionel Hampton PART TWO: Douglas Duke As A Side Man With Other Leading Artists PART THREE: Douglas Duke As Leading Artist PART FOUR: Walter Dixon Recordings Featuring Douglas Duke As A Solo Artist And As A Side Man With Story Teller, Walter Dixon. PART FIVE: Paul Preo Recordings Featuring Douglas Duke As Solo Artist, As A Leading Artist And As A Side Man With Other Leading Artists.

This exhaustive, five-part discography was created by Mr. Rien Boendermaker exclusively for the official website of jazz artist Douglas Duke. Our thanks to Mr. Boendermaker for his gracious contribution to this site. The LP releases are shown in light brown.

1- Doug Duke solo on The DukeAtron

NYC, 1948 – recorded at Joe Squeezers

Recorded songs:

1-01 You’re driving me grazy [2:50]

1-02 Laura [3:45]

Unreleased

Recorded for Fine Recording Company, Rochester.

2- Doug Duke Trio
Douglas Duke organ / piano
Clyde Lombardi bass
Mel Zelnick drums

Recorded songs:

session -A- NYC, August 21, 1953

2-A-1 Song of India

2-A-2 If Love Is Good to Me

2-A-3 In a Persian Market

2-A-4 A Fine Romance

2-A-5 It Might as Well Be Spring

2-A-6 Love Is Just Around the Corner

session -B- NYC, October 21, 1953

2-B-1 Laura

2-B-2 The Things We Did Last Summer

2-B-3 Yesterdays

2-B-4 There's a Small Hotel

Releases on:

Regent - MG 6013 The Jazz Organist - Doug Duke
LP Vinyl 33rpm - mono
Released on Regent Records Newark, New Jersey

side 1

2-A-1 Song of India

2-A-2 If Love Is Good to Me

2-A-3 In a Persian Market

2-A-4 A Fine Romance

2-A-5 It Might as Well Be Spring

side 2

2-A-6 Love Is Just Around the Corner

2-B-1 Laura

2-B-2 The Things We Did Last Summer

2-B-3 Yesterdays

2-B-4 There's a Small Hotel

The text below is from the back cover the LP, "The Jazz organist - Doug Duke"

One of the most exciting musical personalities to come along in recent years on his instrument, Doug Duke was one of the first of what is now an ever-increasing school of swinging organists.

Although still a very young man, Doug's background includes big band experience with Lionel Hampton, among others, and many years as leader of his own trio.
Truly a triple threat man, Doug plays both piano and organ equally well, swings mightily on both instruments, creates vibrant music on both instruments . . . and plays the simultaneously, on occasion.

In this album, thru the device of tape recording, we are able to see these dual instrumental personalities, Doug the organist and Doug the pianist, performing together against the swinging background set up by bassist Clyde Lombard and drummer Mel Zelnick.

It's truly a full orchestral sound, with the organ performing as solo voice, brass and reed sections, and the piano serving both solo and accompanying roles.

Listen to the interesting harmonic voicings, the interwoven counterpoints, the romping solo and ensemble passages . . . and give due credit to an unpublicized, but top craftsman on his instruments
. . . M r . P i a n o a n d M r . O r g a n - D o u g D u k e !

Savoy 1108 Doug Duke
Metrolyte Vinyl 78rpm – mono

side 1

2-A-1 Song of India

side 2

2-A-2 If Love Is Good to Me

Savoy 1116 Douglas Duke
Metrolyte Vinyl 78rpm – mono

side 1

2-B-1 Laura

side 2

2-B-4 There's a Small Hotel

Savoy XP-8099 Douglas Duke, Organ and Piano
EP Vinyl 45rpm – mono

side 1

2-A-1 Song of India

2-A-2 If Love Is Good to Me

side 2

2-A-3 In a Persian Market

2-A-4 A Fine Romance

Savoy XP-8111 Douglas Duke, Organ and Piano, Vol. 2
EP Vinyl 45rpm - mono

side 1

2-B-1 Laura

2-B-2 The Things We Did Last Summer

side 2

2-B-3 Yesterdays

2-B-4 There's a Small Hotel

3- Douglas Duke Trio
Douglas Duke organ / piano
unknown guitar
Richard Hanson drums

NYC, November, 1953

Mercury 70.093.x45 Douglas Duke Trio
EP Vinyl 45rpm – mono

side 1 side 2
3-1 Little Old Lady

3-2 Mambo At The Meadowbrook

4- Douglas Duke
Douglas Duke organ / piano
Jerry Bruno bass

1956

Herald HLP-0102 "Sounds Impossible" Douglas Duke
LP Vinyl 33rpm – mono

side 1

4-01 Blue Moon 4-07 Moonglow

4-02 Everything I Have Is Yours

4-03 Nina Never Knew

4-04 Don't Be That Way

4-05 If Love Is Good To Me

4-06 Don't Get Around Much Anymore

side 2

4-08 Try A Little Tenderness

4-09 Tenderly

4-10 Idle Gossip

4-11 Old Devil Moon

4-12 I can't Get Started With You

The text below is from the back cover of the LP, "Doug Duke Sounds Impossible"

"Sounds Impossible", a showcase for the inventive creativeness of Douglas Duke's orchestral sounds and arrangements.

Sounds and tonal colors of flutes, French horns, clarinets, brilliant forceful brass saxophones, the "sing" of many strings are sparked by the drive of a happy, free swinging rhythm section.

Birthplace - Buenos Aires - began music studies at the age of 6 on piano (old school, ruler over the knuckles).
Pipe organ at 10 years of age.
By the time he reached 14 years of age he added bassoon, accordion and trumpet.
As most jazzmen, Duke strayed from the severe classical to Jazz.
Later played with bands, Jan Savitt, Shep Fields, Mitch Ayres and Lionel Hampton.
As a result of his band experiences he became more and more obsessed with orchestral sounds.
By the means of the electronic organ he found the possibilities of producing orchestral sounds at his fingertips, and so set about to acquire more than a smattering of music electronically born.
A few years of experiment and a considerable amount of trial and error (electronically) resulted in these sounds you now hear.
This music should be listened to with imagination, bearing in mind that the scope and breadth of these orchestral sounds originates from the hands, mind and heart of one, Douglas Duke.

Editors note: - It was forcibly realized at the recording session, that the amazing flexibility, understanding and fine musicianship of Jerry Bruno on bass, was felt throughout.
The arrangements heard for its most part were spontaneous.
Thanks Jerry !

5- Doug Duke

NYC, October 1959, recorded at il Pappagallo’s
by Paul Preo at Reeves Soundcraft Audition Recording Disc
Unreleased

LP Vinyl 10” 33rpm - stereo

5-1 But not for me

5-2 If you're young at heart

6- Doug Duke
Douglas Duke organ / piano
Osie Johnson drums, bongos, tambourine, xylophone
George Devens drums, bongos, tambourine, xylophone

NYC, October 1962

Philips Doug Duke At The Organ
Swinging The Standards With Piano And Percussion
LP Vinyl 33rpm - mono PHM 200 - 046
LP Vinyl 33rpm - stereo PHS 600 - 046

side 1

6-01 Don't Be That Way

6-02 Lazy River

6-03 Witchcraft

6-04 S'Posin'

6-05 Me And My Shadow

6-06 3 A.M. Blues

side 2

6-07 I'm Beginning To See The Light

6-08 Linger Awhile

6-09 Sometimes I Am Happy

6-10 Don'cha Go Way Mad

6-11 A Sinner Kissed An Angel

6-12 It's Only A Paper Moon

The text below is from the back cover of the LP, " Doug Duke At The Organ"

At the hands of Douglas Duke an organ is more than a musical instrument.
He doesn't arrange tunes he orchestrates.
Apply the organ and piano to this idea, and you have an entire concert ensemble consisting of one man.

"I consider the two hands as sections of a band. The right is the brass, the left is the woodwinds. The pedal, of course, is percussion. I bring in the piano as the soloist."

There are no multiple tracks, no echo chambers, no gimmicks in this album. Except for two sidemen on percussion, the music comes from one pair of hands playing the organ and piano simultaneously.
Duke's theory of orchestrating for the organ is aptly demonstrated throughout the album, but it is most apparent in "Witchcraft." You hear the melody first from the brass section (right hand), then it's picked up by the woodwinds (left hand) with the brass section providing bright accompaniment and punctuation.
Finally, the piano takes up the tune while the organ weaves an interesting tapestry of counter melody in the background. You'll find yourself in the centre of a big band when Douglas Duke plays "Don't Be That Way" in a style reminiscent of the old Benny Goodman organisation of the late thirties. The mighty voice of the theatre pipe organ seems to appear in several cuts, notably "A Sinner Kissed An Angel," in which the artist scoops up great handfuls of notes, and sprinkles them around like sparkle dust in a spotlight. His subtle sense of humour bubbles to the top in his whimsical treatment of "Me And My Shadow" and "S'Posin'," both of which make interesting use of the bongos, with the latter opening and closing with a startling Latin beat. Throughout it all is brilliant piano with organ, sometimes so complex it seems as if a second musician, or at least a third hand, has been slipped in to lend assistance. The percussion which unobtrusively adds sparkle and spice to an already tasty concoction, is artfully supplied by Osie (James) Johnson and George Devens using drums, bongos, tambourine, and xylophone.

Before he had reached his "teens" Doug Duke had already mastered the pipe organ, and he was one of the first serious musicians to embrace the electric organ as something more than a musical novelty. Never satisfied with the range of tonal effects he could achieve with a standard model, however, he has experimented, revamped, and adapted new circuit ideas to his instruments to produce the quality of sound he wants.

The organ used in this session is known affectionately as "Baby Bear", an ancient, scarred Hammond spinet whose insides have been so thoroughly redesigned they barely resemble the original. "Baby Bear" has a bright, brisk voice all its own. The keyboard action is crisp and clean, and quick to respond to the artist's ever changing whims. Duke rarely plays the same tune twice the same way. He and "Baby Bear" are a perfect team for constant ad libbing to suit the mood of the moment.

Doug Duke was born in Buenos Aires of a Spanish father and an English mother. He was brought to the United States by his parents at the age of two. His father was a concert violinist, and Doug's musical education started at an early age. At eight he was accompanying his father in concert. At ten he was playing the pipe organ even though his legs were too short to reach the pedals from the bench, and he had to stand to get his hands on the upper keyboard.

While still in his 'teens and early twenties he was a mature musician playing with many well known bands of the era including Lionel Hampton, Shep Fields, and Mitchell Ayres. After several years he went off on his own as a solo act, and was early recognised as one of the top jazz pianists and organists in the business.

This album displays a virtuosity seldom seen in any single performer. The variety of explicit sounds and chord combinations upon which he fashions his arrangements bespeak a maturity of interpretation rarely found in one individual.

Re- released on:

Philips 452-013 BE Doug Duke Swings On Organ
EP Vinyl 45rpm – mono

side 1

6-01 Don't Be That Way

6-05 Me And My Shadow

side 2

6-08 Linger Awhile

6-12 It's Only A Paper Moon

7- Doug Duke
Douglas Duke organ / piano
Gerard van Bezey drums

Amsterdam, January 1963

Philips P-08081-L Doug Duke - Dancing to the Swinging Hammond Organ
LP Vinyl 33rpm - mono

side 1

7-01 My blue heaven

7-02 Orange coloured sky

7-03 Three little words

7-04 Amapola

7-05 Love is here to stay

side 2

7-06 When you're smiling

7-07 I let a song go out of my heart

7-08 Siboney

7-09 Lullaby of birdland

7-10 Sophisticated swing

7-11 Take the "A" train

The text below is from the back cover of the LP, "Doug Duke - Dancing to the Swinging Hammond Organ"

Born in South America as the son of a Spanish father and an English mother young Doug Duke moved to The United States with his parents at an early age.

Coming from a musical family - his father was a noted concert violinist - Doug soon showed a lively interest in popular music and it wasn't long before he began to develop marked musical talents. First it was the piano - he was six at the time - and then, four years afterwards, the pipe-organ. Later, he completed formal studies at the Rochester Eastman Conservatory and went into show-business as an organist/pianist.

His real name is Ovidio Fernandez but for his professional career he took his mother's name.
His strong liking for jazz and popular music gave him an entree to the right bands and his outstanding jazz-techniques on both piano and organ soon labelled him "definitely" the greatest Swing-organist since Fats WaIler."

To cut a long story short - a story which leads from one success to another - Doug Duke today is no longer simply an organist, for the organ is just the instrument he prefers among many. Rather, his name stands simply for The Best, you might say. With his inventive adventurous mind, always exploring the complete structures of jazz he has continuously been enabled to broaden his scope.

In 1947 Doug bought a Hammond organ and to increase its power tore the instrument apart, changed and rebuilt it until he found the "improved" (more powerful) sound he was looking for. "I had opened its throat," he said later.

The next problem was mobility, for Doug, although a great lover of the pipe-organ, felt that for his purposes, the instrument as it stood was too cumbersome to carry around - and Doug's tours were ceaseless. Soon he found the solution: a handy "compact" organ with all the advantages of the theatre organ and, moreover, "special" sound effects. Doug comments: "It certainly was a happy day when the Hammond organ came along". Having lived in Rochester (N.Y.) over-long (remember the adventurous mind) and eager to see the world, Doug and his wife Shirley (who claims to be Doug's greatest fan) left America in 1962 and sailed for Europe on the "Queen Mary," taking the Hammond organ outfit with them. Their plans involved concerts in various countries.

It was Philips in Holland, who, having heard of Doug's musical activities in America, suggested that he should apply to the producer of the Dutch Tv-show "Music Hall." This he did and shortly afterwards five million viewers watched and heard the truly sensational performance he gave. This led to more contracts with Dutch TV and to other engagements both in Holland and - increasingly - other European countries. Although Doug has decided on Holland as a base for his European tours, he can now point to a string of rave notices in various languages and feels quite assured of a packed reception wherever he goes.

Philips, too, were quick to recognise Doug's importance. The record session they arranged for him in Amsterdam was based on the sure knowledge - not just guess-work but a matter of experience - that Doug Duke's name would soon be ringing bells in the minds of all music-lovers right across Europe.
On this record Doug Duke is accompanied by drummer Gerard van Bezey, a Dutch percussionist he has a special liking for. The liking is not merely professional but the way Gerard performs here makes you understand what took Doug's fancy.

About Doug Duke himself, there is something special - an impression shared by musicians and fans alike.

We believe it is the fact that he is the creator of something. To hear Doug is to hear a "one-man-full-band" so to speak, the right hand being the brass section and the left hand the reed section, the left foot marking the bass rhythm with the piano kept for special solo phrases.

Doug can, genuinely, do EVERYTHING, not excepting rare effects such as bongo-rhythms.

Doug emerged from the session very enthusiastic about the way his programme had been recorded.
"Of all places I've been," he exclaimed "the best recording sound I've ever got happened right here in Holland, in this small country." And he added: "Guess I'm a bit prejudiced in favour of recording for Philips" !

We, of Philips, naturally are a little prejudiced in favour of recording Doug; of having a fine American artist with us and keeping him for a long time. What comes out for you - the ones who simply enjoy it - is some top-rate swinging sound that spells quality in every note. Quality for listening and quality for the dancing that Doug's happy music makes a "must" for all who can move their feet.

8- Doug Duke
Douglas Duke organ / piano

The Netherlands, 1963 Released 1964

Philips JF-327-612 Doug Duke - Evergreen - Hits No. 1
EP Vinyl 45rpm – stereo

side 1

8-1 Deep purple

8-2 Red sails in the sunset

8-3 When my dreamboat comes home

side 2

8-4 Fools rush-in

8-5 Maria Elaina

8-6 Makin' whoopee

Re- released on:

The Netherlands, 1976

Philips 6678-306 30 Gouden Hammond Favorieten (sampler)
"from The United States of America . . . . . Doug Duke"
2-LP Vinyl 33rpm - stereo

record 1 - side 1

8-5 Maria Elaina

8-6 Makin' whoopee

record 2 - side 1

8-2 Red sails in the sunset

8-3 When my dreamboat comes home

Go to Page 4

PART ONE: Douglas Duke As A Side Man With Lionel Hampton PART TWO: Douglas Duke As A Side Man With Other Leading Artists PART THREE: Douglas Duke As Leading Artist PART FOUR: Walter Dixon Recordings Featuring Douglas Duke As A Solo Artist And As A Side Man With Story Teller, Walter Dixon. PART FIVE: Paul Preo Recordings Featuring Douglas Duke As Solo Artist, As A Leading Artist And As A Side Man With Other Leading Artists.