Jason Moran: 3

For the third and final part of this post on Jason Moran, here is the video of a full concert with the pianist in the context of a big band, in this case, the Frankfurt Radio Big Band.

When playing the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, our preference here always is for the full instrumentation the charts for which the original charts called. There are big band performances of Ellington's music and then there are big band performances...

The video is over an hour of powerhouse performance where the ensemble really dig in to deep, truthful renditions of the music, inspired, if not spurred on, by Jason Moran's leadership from the keyboard and his astonishing flights.

Listen out particularly for the performance of Northern Lights segueing into just the first theme of East St Louis Toodle-Oo - a pile driver of a performance which does to Ellington's original band theme what Jason Moran does to Black and Tan Fantasy in the previous two parts of this post...  It is Ellington for the ages...

To complete this three-part post on Jason Moran's recent performances, here - and with no copyright infringement intended - is an interview with Jason Moran on "scaling Mount Ellington" from the Center Blog of The Kennedy Center, given prior to his appearance at The Apollo Theatre with Ellington In Focus...

Scaling Mount Ellington: Questions with... Jason Moran

Jason Moran is no stranger to climbing unprecedented heights. As a masterful pianist, composer, performance artist, and the current Kennedy Center Jazz Artistic Director, Moran is deeply invested in reassessing and complicating the relationship between music and language, with his extensive efforts in composition, improvisation, and performance. In celebration of Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday, we asked Jason Moran a few questions in tandem with his first solo piano climb up “Mount Ellington” on April 10 in the Eisenhower Theater.

How has the music and legacy of Duke Ellington inspired you throughout your career?

Ellington’s scale is so expansive that there is not one aspect of my career that he has not influenced. Let’s start with how Ellington plays the piano—ferociously inventive. His attack of the keys goes deeper than the key... into the root of the soil he plays from. When I think about Ellington’s compositions, I get a sense that he used his piano and band to map the world. His map was not only geographical, but emotional. This combination gave listeners a sense that Ellington was writing for and about them. He also collaborated widely with writers, fashion designers, choreographers, set designers, filmmakers, and (most famously) with his right hand, Billy Strayhorn. This wide sense of collaboration is something I mirror in my own life.

Duke Ellington has such a rich, extensive catalogue. What was your process of curating this program and choosing which works to highlight?

I chose a set of songs that fit my hand and also challenge my hand. I am led by instinct when selecting repertoire... which songs call out... and because I am a student of Thelonious Monk, who is a student of Ellington, I know that the greatest challenge is to tailor the song. Monk and Ellington are incredible stylists. I model that as well and am tailoring the songs to fit the themes and modes of today.

This concert is described as “a celebration of Ellington’s enduring legacy,” but also as a reimagination of his music. How did you go about reimagining these works and adding your own personal artistry to them—in better terms, what tools have you relied on in “scaling Mount Ellington” for this project?

I think of this set list as trail mix. I must have songs that give me energy and songs that allow me the time to take in the view. Ellington writes so openly that the piano can help me map not only the time, but the steps I take on the path.

What was it like to collaborate with photographer Gordon Parks on this project in a never-before-seen addition to the program? What are you hoping it will add?

Gordon Parks’ archive is immense. In the mid-’60s, he was on the road with Duke Ellington, following him into hotels, recording studios, television studios, conversations on balconies, etc. In these intimate portraits, we see a more private Ellington. Many of these images have never been seen in public. These images help us also settle into the face of Ellington—a distinct face with an equally distinct vision. Parks captures these characteristics with such elegance, and his images will enhance the journey.

You’re performing this concert in D.C., the birthplace of Ellington and the home of many jazz supporters. How does it feel to be able to celebrate Duke Ellington in a place that is so steeped in his history?

D.C.’s music history is immense, and Ellington has had a lasting impact in this city. I am bringing the flowers for Duke and am thrilled to share in this celebration of his life with my Kennedy Center family. 

Jason Moran: 2

For Part 2 of our post on Jason Moran, here is a more polished and professional presentation of the musician's performance of Black and Tan Fantasy as a precursor to a piece which appeared in The New York Times on Jason Moran's Ellington In Focus.

From The New York Times, no copyright infringement intended...

Jason Moran Unpacks Duke Ellington’s Greatness in a Single Song

Watch as the pianist distills the “joyful tragedy” of Black and Tan Fantasy into a stirring solo piece.

By Hank Shteamer

23 April, 2025

Jason Moran has spent the past year living with the music of Duke Ellington, playing a series of concerts honouring the 125th anniversary of the great pianist, composer and bandleader’s birth. For Moran, a forward-thinking pianist with a deep historical grounding, the experience has only deepened his appreciation for Ellington’s greatness. “This music for me still feels so vital,” he said. “It unlocks a lot of keys.”

Earlier this month, Moran took some time at the Apollo Theatre — where he would perform a spellbinding Ellington-themed solo concert the following night — and reflected on what he called the “knotty nature” of Ellington’s works, highlighting the way they lean into emotional complexity.

Moran broke down one of the staples of his tribute shows, Black and Tan Fantasy, an early Ellington masterpiece written with the trumpeter Bubber Miley.

A black-and-white photo of a man in a white suit playing a piano with a small orchestra standing and playing instruments around him.

Ellington recorded Black and Tan Fantasy several times in 1927 with a small orchestra, showing off the ensemble’s tightly honed, potently expressive sound. Moran converted it into a solo, which he called “one of the great things to do — to reduce something down to its essence.”

This is Black and Tan Fantasy.

Moran’s solo version skilfully translates the rich group texture of the original to the keys.

Moran has a lengthy history of paying homage to his heroes in creative ways, whether staging what he and the bassist-vocalist Meshell Ndegeocello called their Fats Waller Dance Party or presenting imaginative staged programs themed around the lives and times of the pianist Thelonious Monk and the ragtime pioneer James Reese Europe.

His take on Black and Tan Fantasy shows how he both honours and expands on the works he interprets.

A JOYFUL TRAGEDY

Ellington’s own Black and Tan Fantasy shows his ability to convey a wide range of moods in a brief span of time. For Moran, the composition evokes a feeling of what he called “joyful tragedy.” He likens the piece’s opening section to a funeral procession.

"I think Black and Tan Fantasy has two major moments.There’s this kind of blues that’s the first side.The second side is this, you know, this pivot point. So there’s this part that’s ...Like this, minor blues ... and then, you know, it’s a joyful tragedy."

One of the most striking features of Moran’s interpretation is when he leans into the piano’s low register, building up a swell of percussive texture. He demonstrates the technique here.

"There are times when I’m playing Black and Tan Fantasy,I’ll take that initial rhythm and then I’ll sink it lower and lower and lower into the piano, until you can’t really quite hear it anymore, but you start to feel something different. So that rhythm is like this ..."

Moran said that, as a pianist, Ellington was “unafraid to make that instrument rumble.” Accordingly, in his own version, Moran was aiming for something “deep, dark and layered and explosive.”

THEN … A CELEBRATION

Moran relishes the way the mood of the piece lifts about halfway through, when Ellington takes the lead with a whimsical piano theme. If the opening section suggests mourning, this moment, Moran said, brings to mind a dance “where you celebrate that person’s life.”

The light side shows up in this dance moment,

especially in this section that goes ...Right? There’s something about that right hand ..."

Moran’s interpretation leans into the word “fantasy” in the title of the piece, playing up its dreamlike aura.

"See it goes back and forth.Ellington wants us to have more than one side of ourselves.The true double consciousness."

For Moran, the feeling of tension that’s inherent in a work like Black and Tan Fantasy carries with it a lesson for the listener. Ellington, he said, “wants us to have more than one side of ourselves.”

“He’s able to take us to the darkness and to the light,” Moran added. “He really is in both spaces frequently.”

As he’s reckoned with Ellington’s music against the backdrop of what he described as a “weird” and unsettling time in history, Moran said he has found solace in Ellington’s mingling of darkness and light: “I couldn’t ask for a better companion.”

Black and Tan Phonetasy

In the performance of Duke Ellington's music live, there occasionally comes along a musician in a league of their own: someone whose deep rooted love and understanding of Ellington's music allied to their own skills both takes the music in new directions and to new levels, allowing the listener to gain insights they have never experienced before.

Jason Moran is one of those musicians. The video above was taken on the phone of a member of the audience, Nelson George,  at Moran's recent performance at The Apollo Theatre, Harlem, Ellington In Focus (25 April, 2025).

Alone on stage at the piano, behind Jason Moran were projected images of Ellington by photographer Gordon Parks. For those lucky enough to be there, it must have been an exhilarating experience.

Moran takes Ellington and Miley's composition apart like a game of Jenga, brick by brick, assembling, re-assembling, editing and sequencing into some sort of fractal or nexus. I hear the cakewalking piano-style of 19th Century New York boulevards one moment, the emergence of stride the next, then some thunderous, pounding extemporisations which create the impression of a dystopian future yet to happen, as though the composition is being newly created there and then before our ears. Ellington has been and gone, is here now, is yet to happen. A sonic time vortex. Utterly incredible.

 

Live: June 2025

It is advisable to book any event listed here in advance when possible and check with the promoter/ organiser to ensure any performance is going ahead as planned before travelling.

Friday, 6 June 20:00 (EST)

The Duke Orchestra directed by Laurent Mignard

Black Is Beautiful

Le Bal Blomet, 33 Rue Blomet, 75015 Paris, France

L’œuvre de Duke Ellington représente l’un des plus grands héritages du 20ème siècle. Mêlant l’esprit du blues à l’invention orchestrale la plus raffinée, du Cotton Club à Dakar, le Duke a célébré le peuple noir en d’innombrables occasions. 

The Mooche, Black and Tan Fantasy, Black Beauty, Creole Love Call, Harlem Airshaft, Cotton Tail, Jump for Joy, Boola, Black Brown and Beige, A Drum is a Woman, Fleurette Africaine … représentent autant de portes d’entrées pour (re)découvrir un monde d’élégance et de contrastes.

Line up : Didier Desbois (sax alto), Jean Dousteyssier (sax alto, clarinette), Olivier Defays (sax tenor), Matthieu Vernhes (sax tenor, clarinette), Philippe Chagne (sax baryton), Claude Egea, Fabien Mary, Gilles Relisieux, Yves le Carboulec (trompettes), Nicolas Grymonprez, Michaël Ballue, Jerry Edwards (trombones), Philippe Milanta (piano), Bruno Rousselet (contrebasse), Germain Cornet (batterie), Laurent Mignard (direction)

Invitée : Sylvia Howard (chant)

Réservations ici

The Annual General Meeting of the Duke Ellington Society UK will be held via Zoom on Saturday 7 June 2025, 17:00 for 18:00 (BST).

All members are welcome to attend. If you would like to do so, please email desuk@dukeellington.org.uk for the access code.

Harmony In Harlem Directed by Michael Kilpatrick

THE MUSIC OF DUKE ELLINGTON

8 June 2025, 3:00pm

The Maltings

Ship Lane

Ely

Cambs

CB7 4BB

Tel: 01353 662633

Harmony In Harlem come to the Maltings in Ely for a Sunday matinee performance. We will play a vibrant mix of authentic Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn from the Cotton Club days of the 1930s through to the 1960s, including two movements from Duke's acclaimed Far East Suite. Doors open at 2:30pm.

Tickets: £17.50/£7.50/£0 online or cash/card on the door

Details here.

All the kids in the band...

 

The latest edition of Tone Parallel is published today.

Free subscription here

Live: May 2025

It is advisable to book any event listed here in advance when possible and check with the promoter/ organiser to ensure any performance is going ahead as planned before travelling.

Wednesday 7- Sunday 11 May

Essentially Ellington 2025

Details here.

Thursday 8 May- Sunday 11 May 2025

Julliard Jazz Orchestra Plays Ellington: The Blanton-Webster Era

The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra takes the stage at Dizzy’s Club, showcasing the extraordinary talent fostered at one of the world’s most prestigious music institutions. These rising stars, already making waves in the jazz scene, are mentored by some of today’s most respected musicians. Known for their sold-out performances at the club, they return with a dynamic tribute to Duke Ellington, focusing on the iconic Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster era (1940-1942). Experience the energy, passion, and precision that define Juilliard’s legacy and the bright future of jazz.

PERFORMANCE LINEUP

JJO 6A (May 8 & 10) 

Mejedi Owusu, lead trumpet 
Jack Towse, trumpet 
Nathaniel Williford, trumpet 
Miles Keingstein, trumpet 
Nick Mesler, lead trombone 
Grace Rock, trombone 
Luke Ramee, trombone 
Adam Stein, lead alto saxophone 
Kelvin Walters, alto saxophone 
Aidan McKeon, lead tenor saxophone 
Daniel Cohen, tenor saxophone 
Nicklas Caldwell, baritone saxophone 
Blake Slaughter, guitar 
Brandon Goldberg, piano 
Pedro Sequeira, vibraphone 
Allison Lee, bass 
Karl Seyer-Hansen, drums 
Ava Preston, vocals 

JJO 6B (May 9 & 11) 
Miles Keingstein, lead trumpet 
Mejedi Owusu, trumpet 
Preston Rupert, trumpet 
Ace Williams, trumpet 
Luciano Soriano, lead trombone 
Andre Perlman, trombone 
Grace Rock, trombone 
Sion Song, lead alto saxophone 
Miriam Goroff-Behel, alto saxophone 
Daniel Cohen, lead tenor saxophone 
Gustavo Cruz, tenor saxophone 
Veronica Leahy, baritone saxophone 
Edwin Corne, guitar 
José André Montaño, piano 
Lazlo Torok, vibraphone 
Logan Zaud, bass 
Jesse Parker, drums 
Kate Kortum, vocals 

Details here.

Saturday, 17 May, 16:30 (EST)

Ellington Pianiste with Philippe Milanta

Salle Ferrier - Site Duranti du Conservatoire Charles Munch, 7 rue Duranti 75011

WORKSHOP organisé par la Maison du Duke et Leïla Olivesi avec les CMA 11 et CMA 20

"Ellington, pianiste" avec Philippe Milanta

Samedi 17 mai à 16h30 - Conservatoire Charles Munch CMA 11 - 7 rue Duranti - 75011 - Salle Ferrier

Philippe Milanta est un pianiste exceptionnel et protéiforme. Lauréat du prix Sidney Bechet et du Prix Jazz Classique de l'Académie du Jazz, il excelle aussi dans le domaine du jazz moderne comme en attestent ses deux derniers albums : WASH en solo et 1,2,3,4 en quartet. Il a collaboré avec des artistes variés tels que André Villéger, Claude Bolling, Glenn Ferris ou Stan Laferrière pour n'en citer que quelques uns. Pianiste du Duke Orchestra de Laurent Mignard, Philippe est maître dans l'art ellingtonien et il joue cette musique d'une façon moderne et créative.

Le workshop sur la musique d'Ellington donnera lieu à une masterclasse et un petit concert de restitution des élèves et de Philippe Milanta.

Details here.

Sunday, 18 May 15:00 (EDT)

Ellington Effect Workshop #51: Sepia Panorama

with David Berger

Can't make the live call?  Your ticket includes access to the video recording forever.
Each presentation will last around 2 hours, followed by a Q & A.
Joining any workshop also gets you access to the private Ellington Effect Facebook group, where lively discussions continue after the workshops finish.

About Sepia Panorama

This piece is one in a long line that mixes the blues form with other forms like Birmingham Breakdown, Black And Tan Fantasy, The Mooche, Merry Go-Round, Jack The Bear and many more to come, like The Blues from Black, Brown, And Beige, Happy Go-Lucky Local and, of course, Harlem.

Normally, Ellington gave Strayhorn credit for his compositions and arrangements, but as in the case here and numerous other pieces where Strayhorn only contributed a few bars or even as much as a chorus or two, Ellington receives full credit. This is an early example where Ellington lifted eight bars of ensemble from Strayhorn’s unrecorded arrangement of Tuxedo Junction. Ellington’s instructions to Tizol (the copyist) said, “To TJ”. This section occurs twice accompanying Carney’s solos. The rest of the piece is Ellington.

Part of Ellington’s genius is his ability to integrate other’s contributions into his concept. In this case, Strayhorn’s aggressive 8-bar phrase is the perfect foil to the relaxed, understanded surrounding sections. Its relationship to the opening and closing chorus forms a palindromic rondo—ABCDCBA, which in European Classical music is a common form but rare in jazz.

Also integrated are the personalities of the soloists (Blanton, Tizol, Williams, Carney, a duet between the piano player and Blanton, and Webster) into the ensemble writing. In live performance (such as the Fargo recording in November), the two interior solo blues chorus were each repeated. Both Ellington and Webster stayed close to their recorded solos for the first chorus. The time restraints of the 78-rpm phonograph record forced the soloist to be more succinct and pithier. As in the case of other Ellington and Basie condensed recorded versions, this sometimes made for more focused forms.

Sepia Panorama served as the band’s radio opening theme until the ASCAP/BMI war (Warm Valley was the closing radio theme). Ellington, being an ASCAP composer could not have his compositions played on the radio, which BMI controlled. The remedy was to use a piece composed by Billy Strayhorn to begin and end each radio broadcast. Take The 'A' Train took over in January 1941 and became the band’s theme for all performances henceforth, replacing Sepia Panorama on the radio, and the more evocative East St. Louis Toodle-oo on live performances.

Details here.

Sunday 18 May, 17:30 (PDT) 

Francesco Crosara Ellington Tribute

Cellar Cat, 11253 NE State Hwy 104 Kingston, WA

Details here.

Thursday, 22 May, 2025, 19:00 (EDT)

National Jazz Museum in Harlem Celebrates Lawrence Brown

Nick Mesler and Quartet

Join trombonist, arranger, composer, and bandleader Nick Mesler for an evening celebrating the life and legacy of the great trombonist Lawrence Brown, whose trombone NJMH currently has on permanent display. Nick will perform this concert on Brown’s horn, a King Liberty 2B from 1950, and will be accompanied by a rhythm section (TBA) of other young lions steeped in the jazz idiom.

Musical selections will include compositions Brown wrote (or co-wrote with Duke Ellington and others), as well as premieres of rare original works; the evening will also include conversation and expert discussion of Brown’s life and legacy with NJMH Senior Scholar Loren Schoenberg. Enjoy hearing Nick’s signature, beautiful sound on Brown’s horn, which has been played very little since he passed. This will be a true night to remember!

Lawrence Brown, one of the forefathers of the trombone and a pioneer in melodic playing across the jazz idiom, is under-appreciated in the modern day. Born in 1907, Brown influenced nearly every notable trombonist of his era and beyond, from balladeers Tommy Dorsey and Jack Jenny (who copied his intense, melodic style and embellishments) to J.J. Johnson, Curtis Fuller, and beyond. Not only was his soloing studied and emulated, but his lead playing in Duke Ellington’s Orchestra from 1932-1950 and again from 1960-70 solidified him as a true musician’s musician; reliable, emotive, and responsible for much of the trombone section stylings heard in big bands from the 1930s to the present.

Nick Mesler was born and raised in Seattle, WA, where he quickly established himself as a preeminent jazz trombonist, composer, and scholar during his formative years. After moving to NYC in 2021, he quickly immersed himself in the scene as a passionate young musician dedicated to embodying and furthering the jazz idiom.

Nick is currently earning both his Bachelor’ and Master’s degrees in jazz studies from the Juilliard School via their five-year program, and has performed at venues across the world. He has played/collaborated with many luminaries of the music, including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Rufus Reid, Melissa Aldana, Ingrid Jensen, Russell Malone, Warren Wolf, Elio Villafranca, Loren Schoenberg, and many others.

An accomplished composer and arranger, Nick leads his own big band, which recently premiered his first long-form suite, Alone in the Dark. Additionally, he has become a specialist on Duke Ellington, his legacy, and his band through both a musical and historical lens by transcribing many rare Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn works.

This event is FREE. RSVP here.

Essentially Ellington 2025

Essentially Ellington 2025, the thirtieth anniversary of Jazz At Lincoln Center's annual band competition begins in a week's time.

The entire festivities may be watched for free here.

From the website:

JOIN US FOR THE 30TH ANNUAL ESSENTIALLY ELLINGTON FESTIVAL!

We’re thrilled to welcome 30 outstanding high school jazz bands to New York City for the 30th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, taking place May 7–11, 2025. This milestone year features five days of workshops, performances, and community building, culminating in a spectacular final concert at the Metropolitan Opera House. Tickets for select competition events and the final concert are on sale now.

All competition events leading up to the final will stream for free on Jazz Live, and tickets for the final concert featuring the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and top-placing student big bands are on sale now. We can’t wait to celebrate the future of jazz with this incredible community.

The 2025 finalist bands are listed in the video below—each one set to take part in a week of music, mentorship, and celebration. Keep exploring to see the full lineup and this year’s exciting festival schedule.

MAY 11

FINAL CONCERT AT THE METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE

Don’t miss a rare opportunity to see the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO) with Wynton Marsalis in concert at the iconic Metropolitan Opera House. This landmark event, taking place May 11, 2025, is the culmination of the 30th annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s premier education initiative, which brings together top high school jazz ensembles from across the globe for rehearsals, jam sessions, master classes, performances, and community-building. Alongside the JLCO’s headlining set, the afternoon will feature top-placing student big bands, making this a powerful tribute to the future of jazz and an unforgettable experience at one of New York City’s most storied venues.

BUY TICKETS

And don't forget - to celebrate thirty years of Essentially Ellington, Blue Engine Records has released the equivalent of over a dozen CDs of recordings by the Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra: Essentially Ellington: The JLC Recordings 1999-2025