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Rhodes Semmes Baker, Jr. was born on November 27, 1912, in Dallas, Texas. His father, Rhodes S. Baker Sr., was an attorney, and argued in front of the United States Supreme Court in 1901; Baker Sr. was also an avid art collector. Baker Jr. followed in his father's footsteps both as an attorney and as a collector. He graduated from North Dallas High School, attended Princeton University, and earned bachelor's, master's, and law degrees from Southern Methodist University. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 until 1946, and was a tax attorney with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. before relocating to Houston in 1951. A devoted fan of Duke Ellington, he built an extensive collection of rare and unreleased Ellington recordings, frequently corresponding with Swedish Ellington expert Benny Aasland. Rhodes S. Baker Jr. died in Houston on November 25, 1967.
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Purchased from Rhodes S. Baker's widow.
Reproduction and publication of materials in this collection are subject to the policies of the UNT Music Library. Copyright restrictions may apply.
Access to this collection is provided only by special arrangement. Please contact the Music Library for more information.
See also: the Dennis Askey Papers
Information about related materials is available at http://findingaids.library.unt.edu/index.php?p=collections/marc&id=276
Collection is housed in the UNT Music Library and in remote storage. Advance notice for use is required. Please contact the Music Library for further information.
The papers are partially organized, but also contain considerable duplicate material; the arrangement is complicated by early attempts -- some 40 years ago -- to make sense of collection and catalog the recordings which came with it, which saw UNT materials and notes shuffled in with Baker's materials. The collection also includes considerable documentation of stages of assessment and organization in the early 1970s, the early 1990s, and 2008-2009.
The collection consists about 14 boxes of papers related to Houston attorney Rhodes Baker's research and collection of Duke Ellington recordings, along with tape recordings, 78 r.p.m., and LP records.
Photocopies of correspondence with record dealers and auction houses.
Lists from various sources.
Photocopies.
Copied from Baker's papers; compiled as part of an initial effort to digitize recordings.
Includes: Index to Ellington Non-Commercial Material; an index of V-discs; Ellington Air-Shots Recorded on Shellac; Ellington 12" LPs; "Complete List of Multiple Master Recordings."
Includes listings by tape, a key to abbreviations used for vocalists, and an index by tune title.
Large brown binder with alphabetical tabs.
"A" series of tapes consists of dubs from commercial releases and pre-recorded material. "B" series includes air checks.
Items are numbered by their reel (generally B-##), and where there is unissued material, reels are numbered by up to four individual tracks (generally B-##-#). Descriptions frequently refer to the openly accessible discography at Ellingtonia.com.
File number 001. No exact match in Ellingtonia. Date mislabeled as 11/18/1958, which would be in Switzerland (playlist doesn't match). Intro by Aasland says Sweden. All selections released on this track (tracks Ellingtonia calls unissued don't appear, and recording runs straight through). Date confirmed on next track.
File number 001. Playing of Happy Birthday for Ozzie Bailey's birthday matches second concert on 11/6. First two and last medley selections unissued. Happy Birthday also unissued. Ellingtonia lists Hi Fi Fo Fum as unissued, but it does not appear on the recording.
File number 002. Mislabeled as 9/29/1959. Presence of Passion Flower indicates second concert on 9/26. Vast majority unreleased, except for Such Sweet Thunder, Kinda Dukish / Rockin' in Rhythm, Passion Flower, and Satin Doll (in medley).
File number 002. Continues concert. Recording does not contain VIP Boogie, Jam with Sam, or Diminuendo / Wailing Interval / Crescendo in Blue as listed in Ellingtonia. Ends after medley.
File number 003. Released. Appears complete.
File number 003.
File number 004.
File number 004.
File number 005.
File number 005. The Mooch, circa 5:00
File number 008.
File number 008.
File number 009. Labeled "Hodges - Paris - Aasland"
File number 009. 53:51 on track
File number 010. Released material.
File number 010. Released material.
File number 010. Released material.
File number 010.
File number 011. Partial match with March 11, 1967 (unissued) - adjacent A-Train and Sunny Side of the Street. Unclear if multiple live recordings.
File number 011.
File number 011.
File number 011. Live C-Jam Blues (circa 1:05:00) and A-Train (circa 1:32:00) show as released from SoundHound (not 100 percent reliable).
File number 012.
File number 012.
File number 012.
File number 013.
File number 013.
File number 013.
File number 014.
File number 014. Around 20:00, an announcer breaks in to say Tricky Sam Nanton is on trombone. Origin unclear.
File number 015. Baker notes "first performance of Fancy Dan" on 8/22/1945. Ellingtonia has first instance on 9/22/1945. Also Anatomy of a Murder alternate take (JRZSP 46267-1AA), and Ellington SESAC transcriptions.
File number 015. Hand Me Down Love; Liberian Suite; Tone Parallel; Basie at 55:00 mark
File number 016.
File number 016. Likely additional alternate takes
File number 017. unissued
File number 017. Musical selections released, interviews unreleased.
File number 017. Possible Ellington interview (low audio)
File number 017. KTRH, Rice Hotel, Houston
File number 018. Interview with Dr. Brian Kirkland on The Way To Go, followed by WCBS (NY channel 2) telecast of Sacred Concert. Performance was 12/26/1965. Unclear when telecast was.
File number 018. See also: B-36b track 1.
File number 018. Continued from track 1.
File number 019. See also: B-36a track 2.
File number 019. Continued from track 1. Unissued.
File number 020. Introduced by Ed Case. Unissued.
File number 020. Continued from track 1. Unissued.
File number 021. Unissued. Croydon, UK if date correct.. Revisit to rule out that this was another done in Sweden per Aasland's comments.
File number 021. Continued from track 1. Unissued.
File number 022. Probable date. Medley only. "And now we go for dancing" at end. Unissued. By process of elimination, June 5, unissued.
File number 022. Duke says
File number 022. Check names.
File number 022. Continues B-39 track 1. Presence of Satin Doll points to June 6. Released. . Ellington announces music for dancing afterward. Compare dancing announcements for overlap.
File number 023. Possible presence of alternate takes on this reel. Container: "Aasland DE-1" "Chrono. DE No. 1" "Master"
File number 023.
File number 023.
File number 023.
File number 024. Continuation of B-39, track 3, released.
File number 024. Conclusion, released.
File number 024. First concert. Confirmed by Duke announcing they'll be back at 8pm.
File number 024. More from dance date.
File number 025. Not commercially released, but posted on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMi0U1J8COA
File number 025. Continuation of previous track
File number 025. Concert before Dans Inn. Medley joined in progress (Mood Indigo), and A-Train at end. Ellington announces Dans-In after, unissued.
File number 025. Continuation of previous track, unissued.
File number 026.
File number 026.
File number 026.
File number 026. Continuation of previous track.
File number 027.
File number 027.
File number 027.
File number 027. See also B-44 tracks 1 and 2.
File number 028. With alternate takes.
File number 028.
File number 028.
File number 028.
File number 029.
File number 029. Continued from previous track.
File number 029.
File number 029. May include alternate takes.
File number 030.
File number 030. Emphasis on Ivie Anderson.
File number 030. Non-Ellington, Artie Shaw
File number 030. Non-Ellington, including Erskine Hawkins
File number 031. Beginning is on track 4. Unissued.
File number 031. Continued from previous track. Unissued.
File number 031. Sgt. Bob Rich, announcer. Unissued.
File number 031. Beginning of concert. Unissued.
File number 032. Probable identification, unreleased if verified. Distinguished from other performances by Ray Nance vocal.
File number 032.
File number 032. Milt Grayson sings Lost in Loveliness and One More Once
File number 032. Match not located yet.
File number 033. Unissued.
File number 033. Exact date unclear from discography.
File number 033. Appears to continue Track 1. Unissued.
File number 033. Complete. Last 4 tunes unissued.
File number 034. Through Kinda Dukish.
File number 034.
File number 034. Released on VHS, present in Louis Armstrong House Museum collection. https://www.discogs.com/Louis-Armstrong-Stockholm-62/release/8213728
File number 035. Released.
File number 035. Released with possible exception of A-Train (check if before Blue Flame and Orson Welles intro)
File number 035. Includes Armando Peraza
File number 035. Unissued.
File number 036. Swedish announcer between tunes.
File number 036. Continues previous track.
File number 036. Things Ain't What They Used to Be; Mood Indigo
File number 036. With dancers Noelle Adam and Swen Swenson - this: https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/rehearsal-for-the-cbs-television-musical-variety-program-news-photo/683453534
Tape alternately labeled as B-18. File number 037. Introduced by Benny Aasland. Second concert. Unreleased through Depk, plus Isfahan. Includes Jones, not listed in Ellingtonia.
File number 037. Continues previous track.
File number 037. Continues previous track.
File number 037. Continues previous track.
File number 038.
File number 038.
File number 038.
File number 038.
File number 039. Short tape.
File number 039. Short tape.
File number 040. Tentative identification. Unissued if ID verifies.
File number 040. Hosted by Walter Cronkite, CBS telecast about Ellington in Japan. Unissued aside from broadcast
File number 040. Refers to opening "tonight" at Grona Lund in Stockholm - date surmised from discography.
File number 040. Date per announcer. Jeep Is Jumpin', Armed Forces Network.
File number 041. Probable date. Released if date verifies.
File number 041. Could be one of multiple dates in May 1945
File number 041. Released.
File number 041. Released.
File number 042. Introduced by Aasland. Aasland notes version of Johnny Hodges' Peckin' he says is unreleased, but it appears to have been released since the 1960s.
File number 042.
File number 042.
File number 042. Introduced by Aasland. One possible unreleased item noted around 28:20.
File number 043. Studio recordings and commercials. Apparent radio show, possibly from Ed Case.
File number 044. Major discrepancies between Ellingtonia and Tom Lord discographies. Believed to be January 8, in which case unissued. Key characteristic is that Herb Jeffries is announced for Little Posey (Josey), but doesn't sing on it.
File number 044. Ellington released, Harry James unreleased (per Garrod).
File number 044. Opening unreleased (East St. Louis).
File number 044. Released.
File number 044. Need to identify materials at beginning of tape.
File number 044.
File number 044.
File number 044. Continues previous track.
File number 044.
File number 045. Replay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swvEsprdrh0
File number 059. First concert, unissued.
File number 059. Continues same concert. Unissued. Differs from Ellingtonia description.
File number 059. Continues previous track.
File number 059. Second concert, unissued
File number 059. Continues previous track.
File number 059. May continue Milan concert after intermission. Not listed in Ellingtonia description.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Ellington 78 rpm records.
Labeled A-11 for digitization.
Commercial recording, Cootie Williams in Stereo
Commercial recording, Swingin' high with Ellington and Basie. Not clear if tape matches container.
Commercial recording, Salute to Duke Ellington with the Francis Bay Orchestra. Not clear if tape matches container.
"Misc Ellington"
No identifying info found.
Unclear information. "Count Basie" crossed out. Appears to be released recordings.
No identifying info found.
Commercial recording, Back to Back : Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues
Old Misc. Blues
Old Jazz Bands of about '30's or '20's
Old Jazz Bands
"Miscellaneous tape 40" - at least partially released, but includes WOR interview of Ellington and Ed Kirkeby [sic], Nov. 1966, Harry James Bond Drive broadcast, 5/1/1943, Armstrong concert continued from Reel 41 above, among other recordings.
Continues BB reels.
Continues BB reels.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.
Wax Works of Duke Ellington.