4-29-99 Ellington Birthday
Moderators: Mr Awesomer, JesseMiner, CafeSavoy
4-29-99 Ellington Birthday
I do recall that Duke Ellington's birthday was yesterday.
Will big bands ever come back?
I wrote this post back in 2001-
As I recall, either yesterday or today is Duke Ellington's birthday back in 1899.
I probably have more Ellington LPs in my collection than by any other artist.
I don't have much to say right now, but I will comment on some of the various bands DE had over the years, personal observations and facts.
I don't have a favorite edition of DE's band. They were almost always all superb.
The late 20s and early 30s 'jungle sound' is marvelous and unique.
As DE goes thru the mid 30s, he focuses on pop material as well as his own compositions. Intriguing period with a number or personnel changes.
As the late 30s turn into the early 40s, DE begins one of his most creative periods on disc : the 1939 to 1942 is exceptional, even for Ellington.
The war years find changes occurring in the DE band, but the music is still exuberant and explorative.
The post war years are probably Ellington's most 'controversial' years. From 1946 or so until about the mid 50s, he goes thru what is essentially a ten year slump! he lost several key sidemen during this time and much of the material he did in his years at Columbia is either extremely commercial or somewhat 'reaching' (for my tastes).
Ellington changes record label affiliation close to half a dozen times during this decade, with his stint on Capitol Records being the longest lasting. A curious ten years, finally culminating with the return of his 'lost' sidemen and his astounding 'come-back' at the Newport Jazz Festival in July of 1956.
The remained of the 50s and 60s are GREAT years for Ellington on LP, with barely a dud LP appearing. Even his LP recording of tunes from "Mary Poppins" is a swinging blast! You know you are into a good period when even your very commercial LPs are first rate!
The last years of his life saw DE writing and playing more and more sacred music, much of which is not to my taste.
His final years on LP were spent, to a large degree, on the Pablo and had DE featured in various small combos.
There is SO much Ellington on LP/CD, that it is difficult to know to start, if you are a new listener.
Aside from his many studio recordings, there are hundreds of hours of broadcast material, transcriptions and private recordings.
If you have a Duke Ellington question, I will be happy to try and answer it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUKE ELLINGTON! THANKS FOR THE MUSIC!
As I recall, either yesterday or today is Duke Ellington's birthday back in 1899.
I probably have more Ellington LPs in my collection than by any other artist.
I don't have much to say right now, but I will comment on some of the various bands DE had over the years, personal observations and facts.
I don't have a favorite edition of DE's band. They were almost always all superb.
The late 20s and early 30s 'jungle sound' is marvelous and unique.
As DE goes thru the mid 30s, he focuses on pop material as well as his own compositions. Intriguing period with a number or personnel changes.
As the late 30s turn into the early 40s, DE begins one of his most creative periods on disc : the 1939 to 1942 is exceptional, even for Ellington.
The war years find changes occurring in the DE band, but the music is still exuberant and explorative.
The post war years are probably Ellington's most 'controversial' years. From 1946 or so until about the mid 50s, he goes thru what is essentially a ten year slump! he lost several key sidemen during this time and much of the material he did in his years at Columbia is either extremely commercial or somewhat 'reaching' (for my tastes).
Ellington changes record label affiliation close to half a dozen times during this decade, with his stint on Capitol Records being the longest lasting. A curious ten years, finally culminating with the return of his 'lost' sidemen and his astounding 'come-back' at the Newport Jazz Festival in July of 1956.
The remained of the 50s and 60s are GREAT years for Ellington on LP, with barely a dud LP appearing. Even his LP recording of tunes from "Mary Poppins" is a swinging blast! You know you are into a good period when even your very commercial LPs are first rate!
The last years of his life saw DE writing and playing more and more sacred music, much of which is not to my taste.
His final years on LP were spent, to a large degree, on the Pablo and had DE featured in various small combos.
There is SO much Ellington on LP/CD, that it is difficult to know to start, if you are a new listener.
Aside from his many studio recordings, there are hundreds of hours of broadcast material, transcriptions and private recordings.
If you have a Duke Ellington question, I will be happy to try and answer it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DUKE ELLINGTON! THANKS FOR THE MUSIC!
Last edited by Eyeball on Thu Apr 24, 2014 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Akso from 2001-
One thing I enjoy about Duke Ellington's music is that it appeals to the intellect as well as the emotion. The music conveys a distinct mood, but never just out of mindless bravura or raging sentimentality.
And he and his men produced such a wide selection of sounds to enjoy.
There were unusual moments in the band, too. Ellington wanted bassist Jimmy Blanton in his band, but his then current bassist, Billy Taylor, had been with him for a while and had done a fine job, but Blanton was brilliant, so Duke hired Blanton and kept Taylor, too! That gave Duke an easy way out, since Taylor stayed around for a while longer, but knew that with JB there, he was just extra weight and he quit the band.
I think Ellington was the only major band to have three female featured vocalists at one time back in the mid 40s. Why? I don't know.
but they all appear on a wonderfully exciting 1945 recording of "It Don't Mean a Thing" and it is very different in conception from the first recording 13 years earlier.
Ellington also took a lot of heat for hiring Ben Webster. Many Ellington fans felt that Webster's 'boiler-house' tenor style was incompatible with Ellington's style of music. They were partially correct, for his tenor did change the sound of Duke's band. Yet the sound of any band usually changes as the years go by and BW not only contributed hot solos, but beautiful ballads, as well.
The late 50s and on into the 60s are great years for Ellington on LP. He had a secure contract with Columbia and every LP was a new treasure to add to your collection. He was appealing to jazz fans and popular music fans alike. His biggest selling LP, for years, was an LP of all ballads, "Ellington Indigos". His LP of French songs is gentle and easy on the ear.
There were an handful of oddities, such as "A Drum Is a Woman", the appeal of which still escapes me and the LP with Mahalia Jackson is not to my tastes. Duke even recorded an LP with Rosemary Clooney; not bad, but not great. There is just so much.
One collector I read a letter from in a jazz magazine said that, in his house, nothing but Duke Ellington music was ever played! 100% Duke! A little extreme, perhaps, but almost understandable. The only way to hear it all is to play it all and all the time.
As Duke says at the famous 1956 NJF recording : "Aw, we got a lot more, we got a lot more, we got a lot more."
And he did.
One thing I enjoy about Duke Ellington's music is that it appeals to the intellect as well as the emotion. The music conveys a distinct mood, but never just out of mindless bravura or raging sentimentality.
And he and his men produced such a wide selection of sounds to enjoy.
There were unusual moments in the band, too. Ellington wanted bassist Jimmy Blanton in his band, but his then current bassist, Billy Taylor, had been with him for a while and had done a fine job, but Blanton was brilliant, so Duke hired Blanton and kept Taylor, too! That gave Duke an easy way out, since Taylor stayed around for a while longer, but knew that with JB there, he was just extra weight and he quit the band.
I think Ellington was the only major band to have three female featured vocalists at one time back in the mid 40s. Why? I don't know.
but they all appear on a wonderfully exciting 1945 recording of "It Don't Mean a Thing" and it is very different in conception from the first recording 13 years earlier.
Ellington also took a lot of heat for hiring Ben Webster. Many Ellington fans felt that Webster's 'boiler-house' tenor style was incompatible with Ellington's style of music. They were partially correct, for his tenor did change the sound of Duke's band. Yet the sound of any band usually changes as the years go by and BW not only contributed hot solos, but beautiful ballads, as well.
The late 50s and on into the 60s are great years for Ellington on LP. He had a secure contract with Columbia and every LP was a new treasure to add to your collection. He was appealing to jazz fans and popular music fans alike. His biggest selling LP, for years, was an LP of all ballads, "Ellington Indigos". His LP of French songs is gentle and easy on the ear.
There were an handful of oddities, such as "A Drum Is a Woman", the appeal of which still escapes me and the LP with Mahalia Jackson is not to my tastes. Duke even recorded an LP with Rosemary Clooney; not bad, but not great. There is just so much.
One collector I read a letter from in a jazz magazine said that, in his house, nothing but Duke Ellington music was ever played! 100% Duke! A little extreme, perhaps, but almost understandable. The only way to hear it all is to play it all and all the time.
As Duke says at the famous 1956 NJF recording : "Aw, we got a lot more, we got a lot more, we got a lot more."
And he did.
By "Bessie Smith" from 2003-
Part one
Happy birthday to bandleader, pianist, arranger and one of the greatest and most important composers in the history of jazz, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. While Duke was a gifted pianist, his primary instrument was truly his orchestra. He would use his orchestra as a laboratory for new compositions. He would shape his music to showcase the talents of his band members. He wrote thousands of songs, hundreds would become jazz standards. And, throughout his long career, he recorded extensively, amassing a extensive body of work that is still being assessed, collected, rediscovered and reissued to this day.
Born to a middle-class family with parents, his father, James Edward Ellington, was a well-respected butler who sometimes worked at the White House and ran a catering business, and his mother, Daisy Kennedy Ellington, who displayed a tireless devotion to her son. They both emphasized education, culture and refinement, serving as ideal role models to the young Duke. They taught him everything from good manners to music appreciation. He would earn the nickname "Duke" because of his refined, yet easy-going, manner.
His first formal piano lessons came at the age of seven, but those early lessons didn't appear to have left a deep impression on him. He grew bored with practicing the same things over and over. He quit taking lessons, his interest in piano not returning until his teenage years. He would show a talent in art, and attended Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art, even winning first prize in a contest sponsored by the NAACP for a poster design, and an art scholarship to roklyn's Pratt Institute. However, by then, he had started listening to ragtime pianists in Washington, and began to seek them out while vacationing with his family in Philadelphia and Atlantic City. One day, Duke heard about a pianist named Harvey Brooks. He would seek Brooks out, and Brooks showed him some tricks and shortcuts on the piano. The experience gave the young Duke a yearning to play piano. Under the tutelage of Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown, Duke would learn to read music and improve his overall piano skills. He would write his first piece, "Soda Fountain Rag," and began to play parties, dances, and jam sessions. His piano style would be greatly influenced by stride masters James P. Johnston and Willie "The Lion" Smith, who would encourage the young Ellington to test his skills in cutting contests. He would drop out of school, a few months shy of completion, to pursue a career in music.
In 1917, Duke formed his first band, The Duke's Serenaders, and acted as the bands booking agent, which allowed the band to play throught Washington and Virginia at private society balls and embassy events. in 1918, he married Edna Thompson and the next year, their son, Mercer Ellington, was born.
In 1923, Duke left Washington for New York. Renaming his band The Washingtonians, he quickly established himself by playing at several clubs around the city, including a steady gig at the Hollywood Club as well as weekly radio broadcasts. Trumpeter Bubber Miley would join the band, bringing with him his distinctive plunger mute style of playing, a sound that would be dubbed the "Jungle Sound," an excellent example of which can be heard on the bands first theme song, "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo." The bands music and popularity would spread. The band made its first recordings in 1924, but wouldn't really hit the big time until 1926, when Irving Mills became the bands manager and music publisher. The band would record "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "Creole Love Call." In 1927, the bands big break came when they became the house band at the Cotton Club, from which they were broadcast live across the nation on the show "Live from the Cotton Club." Soon, Ellington's band because one of the most sought-after bands in the country. While at the Cotton Club, the band would also play in the Broadway musical, "Show Girl" in 1929 and travel to California to appear in the feature, "Check and Double Check," scoring a #1 song with "Three Little Words" with vocals by the Rhythm Boys, featuring Bing Crosby.
As Duke and his orchestra's popularity would grow with the public, so would his popularity with women. All the attention would upset his wife, Edna. When she discovered an affair Duke was having with a Cotton Club dancer, she cut his cheek in anger. He would have a scar for the rest of his life. The couple would split, though they would never divorce. Duke would send for his parents and sister, Ruth, to live with him, along with his son and the new woman in his life, Mildred Dixon, in Sugar Hill, Harlem's best neighborhood.
In 1931, the band would leave the Cotton Club to tour the U.S. and Europe, beginning what would be for Ellington, the first leg of a lifetime of touring. Ellington would also score a top 5 hit with "Mood Indigo," written by Ellington and clarinetist Barney Bigard, who joined the band in 1928. Known as "The Jungle Band," they would also top the charts with "Rockin' in Rhythm" and Creole Rhapsody," a longer piece pressed onto both sides of a 78, that showed Duke's' desire to extend beyond brief works and the limitations of the standard 78 rpm record.
In 1932, Ellington would have one of his biggest hits with the song for which he is probably best remember, and which gave the Swing era its name, "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," featuring vocalist Ivie Anderson. In the next few years, the band would also appear in several other films, and have songs featured on several soundtracks.
Duke was his mother's son. He was devoted to her, and saw to it she was always well-cared for, wanting and needing for nothing. In 1934, she was diagnosed with cancer, and the following year, she died. The days following ere, as his son, Mercer, recalled, "the saddest and most morbid of his life." When he went back on the road, he didn't compose music, he seemed to lose his drive. He would begin to write a tribute to her called "Reminiscing in Tempo." Written in three movements, it covered both sides of two 78 records, twice the length of "Creole Rhapsody."
Ellington was becoming more ambitious with his desire to write extended compositions, but he was still a mainstay on popularity charts, with hits that included Cotton" and "Love is Like a Cigarette." In 1936, the band would go back to California to record music for the Marx Brothers' film, "A Day at the Races," and have another hit with the song "Caravan" co-written by valve trombonist Juan Tizol. Ellington would write the extended instrumental works, "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue."
Part one
Happy birthday to bandleader, pianist, arranger and one of the greatest and most important composers in the history of jazz, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. While Duke was a gifted pianist, his primary instrument was truly his orchestra. He would use his orchestra as a laboratory for new compositions. He would shape his music to showcase the talents of his band members. He wrote thousands of songs, hundreds would become jazz standards. And, throughout his long career, he recorded extensively, amassing a extensive body of work that is still being assessed, collected, rediscovered and reissued to this day.
Born to a middle-class family with parents, his father, James Edward Ellington, was a well-respected butler who sometimes worked at the White House and ran a catering business, and his mother, Daisy Kennedy Ellington, who displayed a tireless devotion to her son. They both emphasized education, culture and refinement, serving as ideal role models to the young Duke. They taught him everything from good manners to music appreciation. He would earn the nickname "Duke" because of his refined, yet easy-going, manner.
His first formal piano lessons came at the age of seven, but those early lessons didn't appear to have left a deep impression on him. He grew bored with practicing the same things over and over. He quit taking lessons, his interest in piano not returning until his teenage years. He would show a talent in art, and attended Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art, even winning first prize in a contest sponsored by the NAACP for a poster design, and an art scholarship to roklyn's Pratt Institute. However, by then, he had started listening to ragtime pianists in Washington, and began to seek them out while vacationing with his family in Philadelphia and Atlantic City. One day, Duke heard about a pianist named Harvey Brooks. He would seek Brooks out, and Brooks showed him some tricks and shortcuts on the piano. The experience gave the young Duke a yearning to play piano. Under the tutelage of Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown, Duke would learn to read music and improve his overall piano skills. He would write his first piece, "Soda Fountain Rag," and began to play parties, dances, and jam sessions. His piano style would be greatly influenced by stride masters James P. Johnston and Willie "The Lion" Smith, who would encourage the young Ellington to test his skills in cutting contests. He would drop out of school, a few months shy of completion, to pursue a career in music.
In 1917, Duke formed his first band, The Duke's Serenaders, and acted as the bands booking agent, which allowed the band to play throught Washington and Virginia at private society balls and embassy events. in 1918, he married Edna Thompson and the next year, their son, Mercer Ellington, was born.
In 1923, Duke left Washington for New York. Renaming his band The Washingtonians, he quickly established himself by playing at several clubs around the city, including a steady gig at the Hollywood Club as well as weekly radio broadcasts. Trumpeter Bubber Miley would join the band, bringing with him his distinctive plunger mute style of playing, a sound that would be dubbed the "Jungle Sound," an excellent example of which can be heard on the bands first theme song, "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo." The bands music and popularity would spread. The band made its first recordings in 1924, but wouldn't really hit the big time until 1926, when Irving Mills became the bands manager and music publisher. The band would record "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "Creole Love Call." In 1927, the bands big break came when they became the house band at the Cotton Club, from which they were broadcast live across the nation on the show "Live from the Cotton Club." Soon, Ellington's band because one of the most sought-after bands in the country. While at the Cotton Club, the band would also play in the Broadway musical, "Show Girl" in 1929 and travel to California to appear in the feature, "Check and Double Check," scoring a #1 song with "Three Little Words" with vocals by the Rhythm Boys, featuring Bing Crosby.
As Duke and his orchestra's popularity would grow with the public, so would his popularity with women. All the attention would upset his wife, Edna. When she discovered an affair Duke was having with a Cotton Club dancer, she cut his cheek in anger. He would have a scar for the rest of his life. The couple would split, though they would never divorce. Duke would send for his parents and sister, Ruth, to live with him, along with his son and the new woman in his life, Mildred Dixon, in Sugar Hill, Harlem's best neighborhood.
In 1931, the band would leave the Cotton Club to tour the U.S. and Europe, beginning what would be for Ellington, the first leg of a lifetime of touring. Ellington would also score a top 5 hit with "Mood Indigo," written by Ellington and clarinetist Barney Bigard, who joined the band in 1928. Known as "The Jungle Band," they would also top the charts with "Rockin' in Rhythm" and Creole Rhapsody," a longer piece pressed onto both sides of a 78, that showed Duke's' desire to extend beyond brief works and the limitations of the standard 78 rpm record.
In 1932, Ellington would have one of his biggest hits with the song for which he is probably best remember, and which gave the Swing era its name, "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)," featuring vocalist Ivie Anderson. In the next few years, the band would also appear in several other films, and have songs featured on several soundtracks.
Duke was his mother's son. He was devoted to her, and saw to it she was always well-cared for, wanting and needing for nothing. In 1934, she was diagnosed with cancer, and the following year, she died. The days following ere, as his son, Mercer, recalled, "the saddest and most morbid of his life." When he went back on the road, he didn't compose music, he seemed to lose his drive. He would begin to write a tribute to her called "Reminiscing in Tempo." Written in three movements, it covered both sides of two 78 records, twice the length of "Creole Rhapsody."
Ellington was becoming more ambitious with his desire to write extended compositions, but he was still a mainstay on popularity charts, with hits that included Cotton" and "Love is Like a Cigarette." In 1936, the band would go back to California to record music for the Marx Brothers' film, "A Day at the Races," and have another hit with the song "Caravan" co-written by valve trombonist Juan Tizol. Ellington would write the extended instrumental works, "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue."
By "Bessie Smith" from 2003
Part two-
The orchestra would undergo many changes in the 1930s. From successfully making the move from hot jazz to swing in the early 30s, to changing record companies from Brunswick to Victor. In 1939, composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn would join the organization. He would become Ellington's composition partner. The two put so much of themselves into the compositions that it became impossible to tell where one's work would begin and the others ended. Key personnel would also join the orchestra, bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster late in 1939. Their impact on the bands sound would be so profound, that their tenure with the orchestra would be referred to as the "Blanton-Webster Band," a change evident on what would become the bands theme, 1941s "Take the 'A' Train." Many other distinctive songs from that period, including "Cottontail," "Harlem Air Shaft," "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)," "In a Mellotone," and "C" Jam Blues."
With the onset of WWII, and the recording ban, the bands momentum would slow down. Unable to record and with touring limited, Ellington continued to write extended compositions, and on January 23, 1943, had the first of what would become a series of recitals at Carnegie Hall with the premiere of "Black Brown and Beige." The piece would mystify many, who criticized it for neither being classical or jazz. Ellington countered the barbs, saying he didn't want to be easily put into any category. But the criticism stung, and Ellington subsequently would only perform parts of the work.
During WWII, Ellington's orchestra seem to have a niche of its own, seen by many as being a cut above other ensembles. Duke's songs, and the songs of Billy Strayhorn, were played by other groups, such as Harry James, who would have a hit with Duke's composition, "I'm Beginning to see the Light." His back catalog was explored by record companies looking for new material to release during the recording ban. Lyricist Bob Russell would write lyrics to the Ellington instrumental "Never No Lament," and create "Don't Get Around Much, Anymore," which would become a hit for the vocal group, The Ink Spots, while the 3-year old instrumental topped the charts as well. Russell would also pen lyrics for "Concerto for Cootie" to create "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me."
The era of the big band began to decline after the end of WWII. Ellington's major commercial success would also begin to wane, but unlike so many other bandleaders, who broke up their orchestras, Duke kept his together, going on the road, supplementing lowered tour revenues with songwriting revenues to keep the band together. He would incorporate the new sounds of bebop into his music, while continuing to maintain that "swing." Duke would continue to work on extended pieces, such as "The Deep South Suite," 'The Liberia Suite, and "The Perfume Site." He also wrote the score for the movie "The Asphalt Jungle," and co-wrote music for the Broadway musical "Beggar's Holiday." The early 1950s would be a hard period for Ellington and the orchestra. Jazz was dominated by bebop and singers. Many sidemen would leave the band (though many would return). He would have his last pop hit in the 50s with the song "Satin Doll." However, the band would have a major comeback at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. Taking the stage on a drizzly day, people in the audience were starting to leave early when the orchestra launched into "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," featuring an extended solo from saxophonist Paul Gonsalves. The crowd would return to their seats and thank the band with thunderous applause. The performance would be released as "Ellington at Newport" on Columbia Records, and become the best selling album of Duke's career. The comeback also meant increased touring opportunities, and in 1958, Duke and his orchestra undertook a full-scale tour of Europe.
Ellington would concentrate on extended compositions for the rest of his career, taking advantage of the increased time available on LP records. He would also return to writing film soundtracks. In 1958, he would score the film "Anatomy of a Murder," (and play a small part in the film), which would go on to win him 3 Grammy Awards. He would be nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack to the film, "Paris Blues." Duke would also explore his religious feelings, and in 1965, he would stage the first of his concerts of sacred music at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The band would also undertake a State Department sponsored tour through the Middle East and Far East, which would serve as the inspiration for the "Far East Suite." He would also record works with John Coltrane, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, play piano in a trio with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, and record the double big band session with Count Basie.
1967 would bring the loss of Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's close friend and longtime partner. The loss would be nearly as devastating a blow as the loss of his mother. As he had done following the loss of Daisy Ellington, Duke would put his grief into music, recording an album of Strayhorn compositions titled, "And His Mother Called Him Bill."
In his later years, Ellington would become a Grammy favorite, winning Best Original Jazz Composition in 1966 for "In The Beginning, God," Best Instrumental Performance in 1967 for his "Far East Suite," another for his tribute to Billy Strayhorn, "And His Mother Called Him Bill." In 1970, President Richard Nixon would pay an official tribute to Duke at the White House and award him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Duke Ellington would continue to perform until he was finally forced to stop due to the onset of lung cancer. But, even in his hospital bed, he continued to compose suites and even a ballet. Duke Ellington died May 24, 1974 in New York City, having outlived every member of his original orchestra. His son, Mercer would continue to lead the Duke Ellington Orchestra until his death in 1996. Now, Paul Mercer Ellington, Duke's grandson, is the orchestras' conductor and bandleader.
Almost 3 decades after his passing, the musical legacy of Duke Ellington is still being celebrated. He won a posthumous Grammy in 1976 for "The Ellington Suites." 1999, the centennial of his birth, saw celebrations, the release of a 20-CD box set of his Columbia recordings, plus the release of of a seemingly endless amount of newly discovered and rare recordings. Musicians and singers of all styles continue to play his music. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra perform all-Ellington shows. His arranging techniques are taught and studied in music schools, and you can often sometimes hear his style echoed in the playing of pianists today.
Part two-
The orchestra would undergo many changes in the 1930s. From successfully making the move from hot jazz to swing in the early 30s, to changing record companies from Brunswick to Victor. In 1939, composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn would join the organization. He would become Ellington's composition partner. The two put so much of themselves into the compositions that it became impossible to tell where one's work would begin and the others ended. Key personnel would also join the orchestra, bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster late in 1939. Their impact on the bands sound would be so profound, that their tenure with the orchestra would be referred to as the "Blanton-Webster Band," a change evident on what would become the bands theme, 1941s "Take the 'A' Train." Many other distinctive songs from that period, including "Cottontail," "Harlem Air Shaft," "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)," "In a Mellotone," and "C" Jam Blues."
With the onset of WWII, and the recording ban, the bands momentum would slow down. Unable to record and with touring limited, Ellington continued to write extended compositions, and on January 23, 1943, had the first of what would become a series of recitals at Carnegie Hall with the premiere of "Black Brown and Beige." The piece would mystify many, who criticized it for neither being classical or jazz. Ellington countered the barbs, saying he didn't want to be easily put into any category. But the criticism stung, and Ellington subsequently would only perform parts of the work.
During WWII, Ellington's orchestra seem to have a niche of its own, seen by many as being a cut above other ensembles. Duke's songs, and the songs of Billy Strayhorn, were played by other groups, such as Harry James, who would have a hit with Duke's composition, "I'm Beginning to see the Light." His back catalog was explored by record companies looking for new material to release during the recording ban. Lyricist Bob Russell would write lyrics to the Ellington instrumental "Never No Lament," and create "Don't Get Around Much, Anymore," which would become a hit for the vocal group, The Ink Spots, while the 3-year old instrumental topped the charts as well. Russell would also pen lyrics for "Concerto for Cootie" to create "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me."
The era of the big band began to decline after the end of WWII. Ellington's major commercial success would also begin to wane, but unlike so many other bandleaders, who broke up their orchestras, Duke kept his together, going on the road, supplementing lowered tour revenues with songwriting revenues to keep the band together. He would incorporate the new sounds of bebop into his music, while continuing to maintain that "swing." Duke would continue to work on extended pieces, such as "The Deep South Suite," 'The Liberia Suite, and "The Perfume Site." He also wrote the score for the movie "The Asphalt Jungle," and co-wrote music for the Broadway musical "Beggar's Holiday." The early 1950s would be a hard period for Ellington and the orchestra. Jazz was dominated by bebop and singers. Many sidemen would leave the band (though many would return). He would have his last pop hit in the 50s with the song "Satin Doll." However, the band would have a major comeback at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. Taking the stage on a drizzly day, people in the audience were starting to leave early when the orchestra launched into "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," featuring an extended solo from saxophonist Paul Gonsalves. The crowd would return to their seats and thank the band with thunderous applause. The performance would be released as "Ellington at Newport" on Columbia Records, and become the best selling album of Duke's career. The comeback also meant increased touring opportunities, and in 1958, Duke and his orchestra undertook a full-scale tour of Europe.
Ellington would concentrate on extended compositions for the rest of his career, taking advantage of the increased time available on LP records. He would also return to writing film soundtracks. In 1958, he would score the film "Anatomy of a Murder," (and play a small part in the film), which would go on to win him 3 Grammy Awards. He would be nominated for an Academy Award for his soundtrack to the film, "Paris Blues." Duke would also explore his religious feelings, and in 1965, he would stage the first of his concerts of sacred music at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The band would also undertake a State Department sponsored tour through the Middle East and Far East, which would serve as the inspiration for the "Far East Suite." He would also record works with John Coltrane, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, Louis Armstrong, play piano in a trio with bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, and record the double big band session with Count Basie.
1967 would bring the loss of Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's close friend and longtime partner. The loss would be nearly as devastating a blow as the loss of his mother. As he had done following the loss of Daisy Ellington, Duke would put his grief into music, recording an album of Strayhorn compositions titled, "And His Mother Called Him Bill."
In his later years, Ellington would become a Grammy favorite, winning Best Original Jazz Composition in 1966 for "In The Beginning, God," Best Instrumental Performance in 1967 for his "Far East Suite," another for his tribute to Billy Strayhorn, "And His Mother Called Him Bill." In 1970, President Richard Nixon would pay an official tribute to Duke at the White House and award him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Duke Ellington would continue to perform until he was finally forced to stop due to the onset of lung cancer. But, even in his hospital bed, he continued to compose suites and even a ballet. Duke Ellington died May 24, 1974 in New York City, having outlived every member of his original orchestra. His son, Mercer would continue to lead the Duke Ellington Orchestra until his death in 1996. Now, Paul Mercer Ellington, Duke's grandson, is the orchestras' conductor and bandleader.
Almost 3 decades after his passing, the musical legacy of Duke Ellington is still being celebrated. He won a posthumous Grammy in 1976 for "The Ellington Suites." 1999, the centennial of his birth, saw celebrations, the release of a 20-CD box set of his Columbia recordings, plus the release of of a seemingly endless amount of newly discovered and rare recordings. Musicians and singers of all styles continue to play his music. The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra perform all-Ellington shows. His arranging techniques are taught and studied in music schools, and you can often sometimes hear his style echoed in the playing of pianists today.
By "Bessie Smith" from 2003
Part three
Interesting Duke Ellington trivia: By the end of Duke's five decade career, he had played more than 20,000 performances worldwide.
As a young boy, Duke showed more interest in baseball than the piano. His first job would be as a peanut vendor at Washington Senators games.
The instrumental version of "Mood Indigo" and the orchestras' theme song, "Take the 'A' Train," were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Duke's band was famous for it's contentiousness. He had band members who carried on feuds that lasted for years. There were members who would go years without speaking to one another. There would be fights, temper tantrums, drinking and drug use. And through all that, over the career of his orchestra, Duke only fired one band member, bassist Charles Mingus, after Mingus and trombonist Juan Tizol, one of Ellington's star sidemen, got into a violent fight backstage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, that had Tizol pulling a knife while Mingus grabbed a fire ax. The fight was broken up by band members who risked their own safety to do so. Mingus was fired soon after, at the insistence, according to some, of Tizol. However, according to Duke, the real reason behind his firing Mingus was because he didn't like Mingus' frequent use of the upper registers of the bass, stating, "If I wanted a cello player, I would have hired one."
Duke meet Queen Elizabeth II in 1958, and was so impressed that he and Billy Strayhorn composed and recorded "The Queen's Suite," sending her the only copy. It would be released to the public in 1976.
After the release of "Reminiscing in Tempo," Duke's tribute to his mother, John Hammond would write a scathing critique of it, declaring the tribute "vapid... formless and shallow." Hammond then went on to blame what he saw as the works flaws on Duke's character, accusing him of avoiding the hard realities that face other Blacks, of keeping himself from contact with not only the troubles of his people, but also from mankind. Duke rarely replied directly to critics. All he would say was, "I have always believed in experimentation. To stand still musically is equivalent to losing ground." No attacks from Duke, but he would have no great love for music critics from then on.
Despite the well-known personal problems that plagued his band, and the hard times, beginning in the 40s, that caused so many big bands to fold, Ellington not only kept his orchestra together, many of his sidemen remained with the band for long periods of time, and many of those who left would return. Sax player Harry Carney would stay with band from 1927 until Ellington's death in 1974. In the 50s, trombonist Lawrence Brown, altoist Johnny Hodges and drummer Sonny Greer would all leave.
The loss of sidemen in the 1950s would cause some to wonder if Dukes best days were gone, but then the "Great James Robbery" happened. Duke wooed three musicians, drummer Louis Bellson, altoist Willie Smith, and valve trombonist and former band member Juan Tizol, away from Harry James orchestra. In 1955, Johnny Hodges would return.
Ellington recorded jazz's first 2-sided, six minute song in 1929, his version of "Tiger Rag," parts one and two.
Sources:
All Music Guide
The Official Duke Ellington Web Site
Red Hot Jazz archives
Ken Burns Jazz on PBS.org
Ellington's DC at PBS.org
Duke Ellington bio at In-Tune Productions
The Music Hound Guide to Jazz
Duke Ellington by Scott Yanow
Part three
Interesting Duke Ellington trivia: By the end of Duke's five decade career, he had played more than 20,000 performances worldwide.
As a young boy, Duke showed more interest in baseball than the piano. His first job would be as a peanut vendor at Washington Senators games.
The instrumental version of "Mood Indigo" and the orchestras' theme song, "Take the 'A' Train," were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Duke's band was famous for it's contentiousness. He had band members who carried on feuds that lasted for years. There were members who would go years without speaking to one another. There would be fights, temper tantrums, drinking and drug use. And through all that, over the career of his orchestra, Duke only fired one band member, bassist Charles Mingus, after Mingus and trombonist Juan Tizol, one of Ellington's star sidemen, got into a violent fight backstage at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, that had Tizol pulling a knife while Mingus grabbed a fire ax. The fight was broken up by band members who risked their own safety to do so. Mingus was fired soon after, at the insistence, according to some, of Tizol. However, according to Duke, the real reason behind his firing Mingus was because he didn't like Mingus' frequent use of the upper registers of the bass, stating, "If I wanted a cello player, I would have hired one."
Duke meet Queen Elizabeth II in 1958, and was so impressed that he and Billy Strayhorn composed and recorded "The Queen's Suite," sending her the only copy. It would be released to the public in 1976.
After the release of "Reminiscing in Tempo," Duke's tribute to his mother, John Hammond would write a scathing critique of it, declaring the tribute "vapid... formless and shallow." Hammond then went on to blame what he saw as the works flaws on Duke's character, accusing him of avoiding the hard realities that face other Blacks, of keeping himself from contact with not only the troubles of his people, but also from mankind. Duke rarely replied directly to critics. All he would say was, "I have always believed in experimentation. To stand still musically is equivalent to losing ground." No attacks from Duke, but he would have no great love for music critics from then on.
Despite the well-known personal problems that plagued his band, and the hard times, beginning in the 40s, that caused so many big bands to fold, Ellington not only kept his orchestra together, many of his sidemen remained with the band for long periods of time, and many of those who left would return. Sax player Harry Carney would stay with band from 1927 until Ellington's death in 1974. In the 50s, trombonist Lawrence Brown, altoist Johnny Hodges and drummer Sonny Greer would all leave.
The loss of sidemen in the 1950s would cause some to wonder if Dukes best days were gone, but then the "Great James Robbery" happened. Duke wooed three musicians, drummer Louis Bellson, altoist Willie Smith, and valve trombonist and former band member Juan Tizol, away from Harry James orchestra. In 1955, Johnny Hodges would return.
Ellington recorded jazz's first 2-sided, six minute song in 1929, his version of "Tiger Rag," parts one and two.
Sources:
All Music Guide
The Official Duke Ellington Web Site
Red Hot Jazz archives
Ken Burns Jazz on PBS.org
Ellington's DC at PBS.org
Duke Ellington bio at In-Tune Productions
The Music Hound Guide to Jazz
Duke Ellington by Scott Yanow
Last edited by Eyeball on Thu Apr 24, 2014 7:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
By Eyeball from 2003
"I Remember Ellington"
I think the first time I knowingly heard Ellington music was on an early LP circa 1950 that I found in the stacks of stuff in our 'junk' room at home.
It wasn't Ellington playing, but it was Andre Kostelanetz, the semi-classical/pop music orchestra conductor doing an album of classic American tunes by different composers. I got lucky because it was a good album, well played and arranged with good tunes. I forget the DE tunes on there, but there were two or three.
Soon, I was listening to real Ellington. I don't recall my first Duke music, but I remember buying an LP of the Jungle Band that was a bit to exotic for my 13 year old ears. My Sam Goody Ellington mentor, Ken Bruton, recommended something for accessible for me and that was how I got in to listening to DE in the mid-60s.
Ellington was still doing TV appearances with his band and i recall one night when the band was on the Ed Sullivan Sunday night TV variety show. They were doing a salute to the Beatles and the Ellington band was wearing corny Edwardian style outfits and playing a long, dull medley of Beatles hits.
The other TV Duke I remember seeing when it was first broadcast is that clip that has him trying to play "Poodle Dog Rag" and stopping because it was just too fast for him to play any longer.
I probably have more Ellington LP in my collection than LPs by any other artist. I basically have his entire career covered with maybe 90% of all his commercial recordings from the beginning through the late 1960s. I don't have much of his last works from the early 70s.
I like all periods of Ellington though there is a period from the very late forties until the mid fifties were his recorded work varies rather widely. Once the 1956 NJF show was over, he began an incredible period on record that lasted a;most two decades. Just one great album after another. Even his Mary Poppins album is a heavy duty swinger and he has a great album of all French songs that swing and that sooth.
Those are just two unusual albums that stand out from a cadre of work that is amazing.
It's hard to know where to start when you begin listening to Duke Some things that you don't care for may wind up being some of your favorites once you Ellington-ize your ears.
I saw the Ellington band live one time when I was just out of high school (or maybe still in). They were playing an evening concert at another high school on Long Island, so my friend and I drove over to see the show.
The band was good, but not at it's best, as I recall. There was a lot of horseplay on the stage with musicians walking off the stage during a performance and Ellington taking his time about getting out there to sit down and play. I don't remember what they played and I don't remember the audience being wildly enthusiastic. It wasn't a great venue.
There really isn't a 'bad' Ellington Era. Each decade from the 20s to the 70s has many treasures. Great bands, tunes, performances, arrangement, solos, vocalists, re-makes, covers, Ellington's own compositions and longer works....and sometimes just the individual instrumental voices just soaring out of the band in a instrumental passage letting you know that this was the real Ellington and not an imitation. Sometimes just 4 bars of Ellington can change your mood and make your entire day.
Ellington created a unique musical world that no one else came close to creating. And it's music that you can hear in your head without even playing it on a machine.
Good stuff.
"I Remember Ellington"
I think the first time I knowingly heard Ellington music was on an early LP circa 1950 that I found in the stacks of stuff in our 'junk' room at home.
It wasn't Ellington playing, but it was Andre Kostelanetz, the semi-classical/pop music orchestra conductor doing an album of classic American tunes by different composers. I got lucky because it was a good album, well played and arranged with good tunes. I forget the DE tunes on there, but there were two or three.
Soon, I was listening to real Ellington. I don't recall my first Duke music, but I remember buying an LP of the Jungle Band that was a bit to exotic for my 13 year old ears. My Sam Goody Ellington mentor, Ken Bruton, recommended something for accessible for me and that was how I got in to listening to DE in the mid-60s.
Ellington was still doing TV appearances with his band and i recall one night when the band was on the Ed Sullivan Sunday night TV variety show. They were doing a salute to the Beatles and the Ellington band was wearing corny Edwardian style outfits and playing a long, dull medley of Beatles hits.
The other TV Duke I remember seeing when it was first broadcast is that clip that has him trying to play "Poodle Dog Rag" and stopping because it was just too fast for him to play any longer.
I probably have more Ellington LP in my collection than LPs by any other artist. I basically have his entire career covered with maybe 90% of all his commercial recordings from the beginning through the late 1960s. I don't have much of his last works from the early 70s.
I like all periods of Ellington though there is a period from the very late forties until the mid fifties were his recorded work varies rather widely. Once the 1956 NJF show was over, he began an incredible period on record that lasted a;most two decades. Just one great album after another. Even his Mary Poppins album is a heavy duty swinger and he has a great album of all French songs that swing and that sooth.
Those are just two unusual albums that stand out from a cadre of work that is amazing.
It's hard to know where to start when you begin listening to Duke Some things that you don't care for may wind up being some of your favorites once you Ellington-ize your ears.
I saw the Ellington band live one time when I was just out of high school (or maybe still in). They were playing an evening concert at another high school on Long Island, so my friend and I drove over to see the show.
The band was good, but not at it's best, as I recall. There was a lot of horseplay on the stage with musicians walking off the stage during a performance and Ellington taking his time about getting out there to sit down and play. I don't remember what they played and I don't remember the audience being wildly enthusiastic. It wasn't a great venue.
There really isn't a 'bad' Ellington Era. Each decade from the 20s to the 70s has many treasures. Great bands, tunes, performances, arrangement, solos, vocalists, re-makes, covers, Ellington's own compositions and longer works....and sometimes just the individual instrumental voices just soaring out of the band in a instrumental passage letting you know that this was the real Ellington and not an imitation. Sometimes just 4 bars of Ellington can change your mood and make your entire day.
Ellington created a unique musical world that no one else came close to creating. And it's music that you can hear in your head without even playing it on a machine.
Good stuff.
BY Bill Elliott from 2003
I just came across Bessie's tribute to Ellington and I agree that it is the best-written and most selfless series of posts ever to appear. Thank you Bessie for this concise and illuminating distillation. You make the often forgotten point that Ellington kept the band going through more individual and group hardship than most of us could imagine. As for my own Ellington observations, I saw the band live in 1970 or '71 at Lennie's On The Turnpike north of Boston, and I went up to the great man afterwards and shook his hand. At the time I knew little about his history or his soloists, but am I correct in believing that I saw Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, and Cootie Williams with the band at that time? The band was wild and woolly and it was an ear-opening experience. I happened to be in New York that Memorial Day weekend that Duke died, and went up to the funeral home and stood in line to walk past his open casket and pay tribute.
My favorite quote about the elusive magic of Ellington's writing came from an arranger, and I'll paraphrase what I remember from the anecdote in a jazz book somewhere: "Kenton can lay down a blasting poly-harmonic chord with fifteen horns and I'll know exactly what they're all playing. Ellington writes a three note chord for two muted horns and a clarinet, and I have no idea what they're playing." Amen.
I just came across Bessie's tribute to Ellington and I agree that it is the best-written and most selfless series of posts ever to appear. Thank you Bessie for this concise and illuminating distillation. You make the often forgotten point that Ellington kept the band going through more individual and group hardship than most of us could imagine. As for my own Ellington observations, I saw the band live in 1970 or '71 at Lennie's On The Turnpike north of Boston, and I went up to the great man afterwards and shook his hand. At the time I knew little about his history or his soloists, but am I correct in believing that I saw Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, and Cootie Williams with the band at that time? The band was wild and woolly and it was an ear-opening experience. I happened to be in New York that Memorial Day weekend that Duke died, and went up to the funeral home and stood in line to walk past his open casket and pay tribute.
My favorite quote about the elusive magic of Ellington's writing came from an arranger, and I'll paraphrase what I remember from the anecdote in a jazz book somewhere: "Kenton can lay down a blasting poly-harmonic chord with fifteen horns and I'll know exactly what they're all playing. Ellington writes a three note chord for two muted horns and a clarinet, and I have no idea what they're playing." Amen.