...And His Mother Called Him Bill

...And His Mother Called Him Bill
Studio album by Duke Ellington
Released	1967
Recorded	August 28, 1967 -November 15, 1967
Genre	Jazz
Length	61:18
Label	Bluebird/RCA
Producer	Steve Backer, Brad McCuen
Duke Ellington chronology
Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York (1967) ...And His Mother Called Him Bill (1967) Francis A. & Edward K. (1967)

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...And His Mother Called Him Bill is a 1967 album by Duke Ellington. He recorded the album in the wake of the death of his long-time music partner Billy Strayhorn. All of the songs featured were written or co-written by Strayhorn. Some were Strayhorn's last works ("Blood Count" and "The Intimacy Of The Blues") while others were rarely, if ever, recorded with Ellington's band. Because of this, Strayhorn's best known tune, "Take the "A" Train," wasn't recorded for this release.

The album was first released in 1967 on RCA Victor, has since been reissued several times on compact disc: first in 1987 by RCA Records/Bluebird Records, then in 1993 by Flying Dutchman Records, and finally by BMG in 2000. Two special reissues were also released, one in America and one in France, though both had the same track listing. They were released in 2002 by RCA and 2001 by BMG International, respectively.

Track listing

Original release

1. "Snibor" (Billy Strayhorn) – 4:16
2. "Boo-Dah" (Strayhorn) – 3:25
3. "Blood Count" (Strayhorn) – 4:16
4. "U.M.M.G. (Upper Manhattan Medical Group)" (Strayhorn) – 3:09
5. "Charpoy" (Strayhorn) – 3:05
6. "After All" (Strayhorn) – 3:28
7. "The Intimacy of the Blues" (Strayhorn) – 2:55
8. "Rain Check" (Strayhorn) – 4:34
9. "Day Dream" (Ellington, John La Touche, Strayhorn) – 4:18
10. "Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 2:59
11. "All Day Long" (Strayhorn) – 2:56
12. "Lotus Blossom" (Strayhorn) – 3:52

1987 CD reissue

1. "Boo-Dah" (Strayhorn) – 3:32
2. "U.M.M.G." (Strayhorn) – 3:13
3. "Blood Count" (Strayhorn) – 4:19
4. "Smada" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 3:20
5. "Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 3:02
6. "Rain Check" (Strayhorn) – 4:37
7. "Midriff" (Strayhorn) – 4:31
8. "My Little Brown Book" (Strayhorn) – 4:13
9. "Lotus Blossom" (Strayhorn) – 3:57
10. "Snibor" (Strayhorn) – 4:19
11. "After All" (Strayhorn) – 3:48
12. "All Day Long" (Strayhorn) – 2:57
13. "Lotus Blossom" (Strayhorn) – 5:01
14. "Day Dream" (Ellington, Latouche, Strayhorn) – 4:20
15. "The Intimacy of the Blues" (Strayhorn) – 3:02
16. "Charpoy" (Strayhorn) – 3:07

American and French reissues

1. "Snibor" (Strayhorn) – 4:16
2. "Boo-Dah" (Strayhorn) – 3:28
3. "Blood Count" (Strayhorn) – 4:18
4. "U.M.M.G." (Strayhorn) – 3:14
5. "Charpoy" (Strayhorn) – 3:07
6. "After All" (Strayhorn) – 3:52
7. "The Intimacy of the Blues" (Strayhorn) – 2:58
8. "Rain Check" (Strayhorn) – 4:37
9. "Day Dream " (Ellington, Latouche, Strayhorn) – 4:25
10. "Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 3:02
11. "All Day Long" (Strayhorn) – 2:58
12. "Lotus Blossom" (Strayhorn) – 3:54
13. "Acht O'Clock Rock" (Ellington) – 2:23
14. "Rain Check [alternate take]" (Strayhorn) – 5:22
15. "Smada [alternate take]" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 3:21
16. "Smada [alternate take]" (Ellington, Strayhorn) – 3:20
17. "Midriff [alternate take]" (Strayhorn) – 4:35
18. "My Little Brown Book [alternate take]" (Strayhorn) – 4:13
19. "Lotus Blossom [alternate take]" (Strayhorn) – 4:56

Personnel

Band:

• Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herbie Jones, Cootie Williams – trumpet
• Aaron Bell, Jeff Castleman – bass
• Lawrence Brown, Chuck Connors, Buster Cooper – trombone
• Harry Carney – clarinet, saxophone (baritone)
• Duke Ellington – piano
• Paul Gonsalves – clarinet, saxophone (tenor)
• Jimmy Hamilton, Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope – clarinet, saxophone (alto)
• Steve Little, Sam Woodyard – drums
• John Sanders – trombone (valve)
• Clark Terry – flugelhorn

Production:

• Steve Backer – executive producer
• Ed Begley – original recordings
• Ray Hall – remixing
• Daniel Maffia – illustrations
• Brad McCuen – producer
• Ed Michel – reissue producer
• Robert Palmer – liner notes
• Neal Pozner, J.J. Stelmach – art direction

Awards

• 1969 Grammy Award – Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance; Album – Duke Ellington