Compose yourself...

Exciting news for the New Year - a new online course on the compositions of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn is to be led by Michele Corcella. I have quoted below extracts and illustrations from Michele's Facebook page, detailing the new course of studies.

I had the pleasure of observing Michele working 'live' with students on Ellington's music which I wrote about here.

I will email Michele to find out more details of the starting date for this new course of studies and bring an update as soon as I can...

Michele writes on his Facebook page...

New Online Course: Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn Music 

My new composition course based entirely on the original manuscript of the two great composers is finally ready. After attending three editions of the Duke Ellington International Conference (Amsterdam 2014, New York 2016, Birmingham 2018), and having rebuilt and directed several Ellingtonian works (Anatomy of a Murder, New Orleans Suite, etc.), I have decided to make my decennial studies and access to my archive available, anyone interested in deepening the music of Ellington and Strayhorn. The course is aimed at composers, musicologists, instrumentalists and singers not only jazz but throughout Black Music. Inbox me for info!

Further exciting news about a live performance of Ellington's music as Michele writes also...

Many of you have written me for Duke Ellington's music class that will start in a few weeks. In the meantime I'll leave you with a goodie.

During the holiday season many choirs and orchestras, in Italy and around the world, perform the Duke's famous Sacred Concerts. However, what you usually perform is NOT the original version, but it's rearrangements of the same compositions, but by other musicians.

The original version, the only one written by Duke Ellington's hand, is this one of which you see some pages in the photo, also characterized by all the indications of the names (and even nicknames) of his orchestra musicians who would have played the various parts.

For 2021 I plan to perform these manuscript live but in the meantime I invite everyone interested to write to me.