AMG Review of Used to Be Duke

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Recorded during his five year "vacation" from Duke Ellington's orchestra, this Johnny Hodges set (reissued on CD) features his band sticking mostly to standards. With trumpeter Harold "Shorty" Baker, trombonist Lawrence Brown, baritonist Harry Carney, pianist Call Cobbs, or Richie Powell, bassist John Williams, drummer Louis Bellson, and either Jimmy Hamilton or John Coltrane (who unfortunately does not solo) on tenor, Hodges had a particularly strong group. High points include "On the Sunny Side of the Street," the title track and a seven-song ballad medley. This session was also included in Mosaic's six-LP Johnny Hodges set.