DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #206: Echoes Of Harlem

Here is another jazz standard that was recorded many many times.

By Roy Eldridge, who is the featured artist this week, you can find two different versions.

I couldn't decide which is the better, so I thought I'll just show you both. What is interesting, those two versions were recorded with 1-2 years, but the way Roy plays the trumpet is completely different.

Echoes Of Harlem (1)

The older version: more classic feeling

Echoes Of Harlem (2)

The newer version: Cool Jazz influenced

About the Song

The song was written by Duke Ellington for Cootie Williams.

Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:

From 1936, Ellington began to make recordings of smaller groups (sextets, octets, and nonets) drawn from his then-15-man orchestra and he composed pieces intended to feature a specific instrumentalist, as with “Jeep's Blues” for Johnny Hodges, “Yearning for Love” for Lawrence Brown, “Trumpet in Spades” for Rex Stewart, “Echoes of Harlem” for Cootie Williams and “Clarinet Lament” for Barney Bigard.

Roy Eldridge

David Roy “Little Jazz” Eldridge (Jan. 30, 1911 – Feb. 26, 1989) was one of the top trumpeter of the swing era.

Check out Song of the Week #76 and #138 to learn more about him.

Title: Echoes Of Harlem
Artist: Roy Eldridge Quartet
Recorded: January 20, 1951
Tempo: 81 bpm
Dance: Blues

You can find all the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist.
Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

Which one do you prefer? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Now Check Out

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• DJ Chrisbe's Song of the Week #203: Topsy