Composed and arranged by Billy Strayhorn
Transcribed by David Berger as part of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington series, Strayhorn’s Blood Count (one of my favorites) is from 1967, and has a heavy backstory. Strayhorn was hospitalized in 1967 due to cancer and finished the composition while in the hospital. He died on 31 May and Blood Count was his last finished composition. I want to cry whenever I hear this one. It's such a Hodges classic, and includes some of the most emotional playing ever! It's on Ellington's tribute album to Strayhorn, And His Mother Called Him Bill (this should be in every jazzer's collection, IMHO).
Lineup on this recording: Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, Herbie Jones, Mercer Ellington (t); Clark Terry (flh); Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper (tb); Chuck Connors (btb); Jimmy Hamilton (cl,ts); Russell Procope (cl,as); Johnny Hodges (as); Paul Gonsalves (ts); Harry Carney (cl,bcl,as,bar); Duke Ellington (p); Aaron Bell (sb); Steve Little (d).
Also, Stan Getz is famous for his version of this tune (it became one of his signature pieces); so is Phil Woods for his version.
