Available here...
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Monday, 4 November 2024
Monday, 28 October 2024
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World...
To Madison Square Garden in happier times... 17 October, 1957 and "A Little Party" celebrating the first birthday of Around The World In 80 Days.
DUKE ELLINGTON and his orchestra for dancing
Playing Second Fiddle
These items, a copy of Duke Ellington's Music Is My Mistress and a Christmas Card interestingly a signed, possibly(?) by Evie is currently for sale on eBay.fr
Music is my Christmas!
I have left the vendor's description in its original tongue.
Pictures of the items for sale are all we can afford...
Editions Doubleday & Compagny, Inc - Garden City, New York 1973. Enorme in-4 cartonnage éditeur pleine toile noire de 522 pages au format 18,5 x 5,5 x 28,5 cm. Premier plat et dos avec titre doré et gravé. Complet de la jaquette bleue avec titre imprimé en blanc. Frottis aux coins et mors de la jaquette, qui présente aussi de petits manques et qui à été renforcée au verso. Souvenirs de l'artiste accompagnés de très nombreuses photos hors texte. Tirage sur couché. Rare édition originale américaine en premier tirage et superbe état général, à l'exception des défauts de la jaquette. Précieux Exemplaire accompagné d'une d'une carte de vœux imprimée avec mention " Season's Greeting and Best Wishes for the New Year ", enrichie d'une dédicace autographe signée de Edward Kennedy Ellington dit Duke Ellington et de Beatrice Ellis, sa femme, dite Evie : Sincerely The Duke Ellingtons ( Evie and Edward ).Le livre est aussi accompagné d'une magnifique photo au format 18 x 24 cm, en tirage argentique, avec cachet au verso, représentant Duke Ellington en galante compagnie lors d'une fiesta organisée par Eddie Barclay. Rare et superbe ensemble.
Thursday, 17 October 2024
Live: November 2024
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.
Saturday, 9 November, 2024 19:30 (GMT)
The Music of Duke Ellington
Harmony In Harlem, dir. Michael Kilpatrick
40-43 St Andrew's St, Cambridge, Cambs CB2 3AR Tel: 01223 506343
Details here.
Saturday, 16 November 2024 20:30 (CET)
La Légende de Duke Ellington: Du Cotton Club À Newport
Duke Orchestra, dir. Laurent Mignard
Théâtre de la Garenne, 22 Av. de Verdun 1916, 92250 La Garenne-Colombes, France
From the Cotton Club in the late 1920s to the Newport Festivals in the late 1950s, a breathtaking journey along the paths that led Duke Ellington to the height of fame and glory.
An exceptional concert specially designed to celebrate 20 years of Jazz at La Garenne and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Duke Ellington. A new sesame to enter the world of jazz… not to be missed under any circumstances!
Details here
Sunday, 17 November, 2024, matinee and Evening Sets
Mr Tipple's Jazz Club San Francisco
From Nick Rossi:
I am very proud to once again present the Jazzopaters: an Ellingtonia Unit this coming Sunday, November 17th at Mr. Tipple’s Jazz Club here in San Francisco. This, our final scheduled performance of the year, will consist of two shows each showcasing our Swing Era book of Duke Ellington’s “small group” material adapted and arranged for our 9 piece repertory ensemble. Shows are at 5 and 6:45 p.m. and will consist of two programs of material. We hope that you can join us for this amazing music played with love by some of the best musicians on the scene in a sophisticated but comfortable night club setting.
Advance Tickets Highly Recommended: here
Sunday, 24 November, 2024, 18:00 (GMT)
Kings Place (Hall One), 90 York Way, London N1 9AG
Tomorrow’s Warriors presents Nu Civilisation Orchestra led by Peter Edwards for this special EFG London Jazz Festival performance of Duke Ellington’s New Orleans Suite.
These compositions retain the trademark Ellington swing, but he’s added something more. There’s a swagger and grit to the opening track, Blues for New Orleans, with its swirling electric organ riffs and rolls that anchor you in Tremé from the get-go. Equally evocative is the high-energy street parade of Second Line, conjuring images of crowds partying down streets amidst a sea of spinning umbrellas.
But Ellington goes beyond just celebrating the city. He also honours some of the great New Orleans musicians, many of whom were his contemporaries, with a series of portraits for Sidney Bechet (who Ellington recalled hearing in 1921, “the greatest thing I ever heard in my life. It knocked me out.”), Louis Armstrong, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and bassist Wellman Braud.
“Ellington is a unique composer and bandleader. It’s not just the quality of his arrangements, he brings a humanity to his writing that is unlike anyone else. With New Orleans Suite, he is celebrating a city and its great musicians, but there is an added poignancy. At the time of the recording Bechet and Braud were both already dead, and Armstrong and Jackson would pass away within the next two years. Six decades into his own career, Ellington must have been acutely aware that this was the end of a chapter in jazz history, a changing era. You can feel that in the compositions, but he is embracing that change in true Crescent City style, celebrating life and banging the drum for its blessings. Ellington’s music stands alone. It’s tempting to say that there’s Ellington and then the rest is a bag of noise!”
Dr Gary Crosby OBE, Artistic Director, Nu Civilisation Orchestra
Book tickets here
Saturday, 12 October 2024
The Killer's Boogie
Sumptuous illustrations from a recent lot in the virtual sale room, this programme from Sweden, 1950 is particularly notable for the alleged autograph of trumpeter Al Killian.
Killian's stay with the band was cut short tragically. His entry in Wikipedia reads, in part,
'In 1946, Killian played with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic concert series. An interest in bebop led to Killian forming his own band to play the new music in 1947, but this was short-lived.Following this he briefly toured with bands led by Earle Spencer and Boyd Raeburn, before landing a spot in Duke Ellington's band, with which he toured and recorded from 1947 to 1950.On September 5 of the year that he left Ellington, Killian was murdered in his Los Angeles home by "a psychopathic landlord".'
One of only a handful of sessions where Killian was the leader was released recently on the Mosaic Records Box Set, Classic Black and White Jazz Sessions.
From the discography Mosaic Records include in the box, there is a savage irony in the titles recorded that day...
AL KILLIAN ALL STARS: Al Killian (tp), unidentified (cl), (ts), (p), (el-g), (b), (d).
LA, September 11 – October 30, 1946
466-1 Boogie In My Flat B&W 117
467-2 The Killer’s Boogie –
Incidentally, on the same box are the complete sides Al Killian recorded with the Kenton sound-alike Earle Spencer and his Orchestra. For the record (and, again, from the Mosaic Records discography), those sides were as follows...
EARLE SPENCER AND HIS ORCHESTRA: Al Killian, Bob Fowler, Jimmy Salco, Clair Jones, Richard Binns (tp), Ollie Wilson, Marshall Cram, J. Durward Morsch, Dick Monson (tb), Skeets Herfurt, William Hudspeth (cl, as), Herbie Steward, Francis Polifroni (ts), Bob Snell (bari), Paul Polena and/or Milt Raskin (p), Tony Rizzi (g), Artie Shapiro (b), Jackie Mills (d), Annette Warren (vcl), Frank Erickson, Bill Gillett (arr).
Radio Recorders Studio, LA
September 5, 1946, 2:00-5:30 pm
Supervised by Ralph Bass
384-1 E.S. Boogie (Part II) (BG-arr) B&W 800
385-2 E.S. Boogie (Part I) (ens-vcl) (BG-arr) B&W 799
386 Lover Man (AW-vcl)
or Spenceria (FE-arr) unissued, master no longer exists
387-5 Rhapsody In Boogie (Part I) (FE-arr) B&W 801
(GGG) EARLE SPENCER AND HIS ORCHESTRA: Al Killian, Bob Fowler, Jimmy Salco, Clair Jones, Richard Binns (tp), Ollie Wilson, Marshall Cram, J. Durward Morsch, Dick Monson (tb), James McGee, Richard Hofmann (f-hn), Les Robinson, William Hudspeth (cl, as), Herbie Steward, Francis Polifroni (ts), Bob Snell (bari), Paul Polena and/or Milt Raskin (p), Tony Rizzi (g), Morty Corb (b, arr), Jackie Mills (d), Bob Hayward (vcl), Frank Erickson, Harry Wham (arr).
Radio Recorders Studio, LA,
September 6, 1946, 9:00 pm – 12 am
Supervised by Ralph Bass
388-2 Amber Moon (BH-vcl) (MC-arr) B&W 843
389-2 Spencerian Theory (Part II) (HW-arr) B&W 799
390-1 Rhapsody In Boogie (Part II) (FE-arr) B&W 801
391-2 Spencerian Theory (Part I) (HW-arr) B&W 800
(HHH) EARLE SPENCER AND HIS ORCHESTRA: Al Killian, Bob Fowler, Jimmy Salco, Frank Beach, Richard Binns (tp), Ollie Wilson, J. Durward Morsch, Dick Monson, Ray Sims (tb), Les Robinson, William Hudspeth (cl, as), Ralph Lee, Don Lodice (ts), Hy Mandel (bari), Hal Schaefer (p), Mike Bryan (g), Morty Corb or Artie Shapiro (b), Sam Weiss (d), Bob Gillette, Paul Nelson, Paul Polena (arr).
Radio Recorders Studio, LA,
October 19, 1946, 7:00-11:00 pm
Supervised by Ralph Bass
529-3 Five Guitars In Flight -1 B&W 822
530 Polychronic Suite (PN-arr) unissued, master no longer exists
531-2 Gangbusters (poss. PP-arr) B&W 822
532-alt Piano Interlude (BG-arr) Tops L948-69 (LP)
532-3 Piano Interlude (BG-arr) B&W 854
Monday, 30 September 2024
Live: October 2024
Sunday 13 October 2024 15:00 (BST)
Harmony In Harlem, directed by Michael Kilpatrick
Overture to a Jam Session
St John's Walk, Market Street, Harlow, Essex CM17 0AJ
Tel: 01279 417575
Tickets: £15/£5/£0 online or cash/card on the door
Harmony In Harlem is returning to St John's ARC in October for a second performance of their feature Overture to a Jam Session, a two-part exposition of the genius of Billy Strayhorn. We are also presenting a couple of new songs with Jane Mayo and revisiting some of our older repertoire of up-tempo 1930s/40s swing from the maestro, Duke Ellington.
Tickets may be ordered here or by phoning St John's ARC at the number above. Doors open at 2:30pm.
Monday 14 October 2024, 20:00-21:30 (BST)
North West Duke Ellington Orchestra
Christ The King Parish Club, Score Lane, Childwall, Liverpool L16 6AW
The NW Duke Ellington Orchestra welcomes you to their second concert at Christ The King Parish Club! Directed by Phil Shotton, join us for a night of Duke Ellington's finest music. Get ready to be swept off your feet by the timeless tunes of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, performed by this talented 15 piece big band. Don't miss out on this unforgettable evening filled with jazz, swing, and soulful melodies. Bring your friends and family for an unforgettably fabulous night out!
Tickets here.
Play On
Everyman and Playhouse, Liverpool, 15- 19 October
What does it take for a woman to make it in a man's world?
Meet Vy, a talented songwriter looking to make it big in the 1940's Harlem scene. She quickly learns from her uncle Jester that women will never be taken seriously in a man’s world. But, like many a strong hero, she refuses to accept defeat. Through her gender fluid cunning, she meets club owner The Duke and sensational nightclub singer Lady Liv and is swept up in a syncopated symphony of melodies, mistaken identities and romance. Who will come out on top?
Play On! is set in the jazz scene of New York's Cotton Club. This stylish retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by Talawa’s Artistic Director Michael Buffong (A Kind of People, Royal Court; All My Sons, Talawa and Royal Exchange) fuses the thrilling music of Duke Ellington with street dance choreography. Prepare to be wowed by this musical spectacular that will have your toes tapping and hands clapping along with the timeless soundtrack.
A new Jazz musical based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night
Conceived by Sheldon Epps and Book by Cheryl L.West
Music by Duke Ellington
Produced by Talawa Theatre Company and The Belgrade Theatre
Co-produced with Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Wiltshire Creative
Artwork by Feast Creative
Details here.
Friday 18 October 2024, 19:30 (BST)
Rebel Yell Jazz Orchestra, The Far East Suite
St Nicholas Church, Church Street, Chiswick, W4 2PJ
The Rebel Yell Jazz Orchestra is returning to St Nicholas Church for a fantastic evening of Jazz.
Rebel Yell Jazz Orchestra will be playing the masters of Big Band, including Francy Boland and featuring Duke Ellington’s legendary Far East Suite. ‘One of the nicest acoustics a band can play in and with the most supportive audiences’.
Apart from pieces from the canon of the Clarke/Boland Big Band, the orchestra will also play the entirety of Duke Ellington’s Impressions of the Far East Suite. It should make for a memorable evening.
St Nicholas’ Church, a treasure by the Thames is an inclusive Anglo-Catholic (CofE) West London church serving the people of Chiswick and beyond. They offer beautiful, traditional worship and spirituality alongside a commitment to the complexity of 21 century life, as well as free children’s activities, silent prayer and outreach projects in the community.
Tickets:
£12 on the door. £7 for under 25s. Friends of St Nicholas Church go free.
Sunday, 10 October 2024 15:00 (EDT)
Ellington Effect Workshop No. 44 with David Berger
Happy Go Lucky Local
About Happy Go Lucky Local
Following in his tradition of train pieces like Choo Choo (1924) and Daybreak Express (1933), Ellington now must follow Strayhorn’s formidable Take The 'A' Train (1941). Happy Go-Lucky Local is the opposite of Daybreak Express. Instead of the overwhelming speed and power threatening everything in its path, this broken-down train rumbles through the sleepy countryside at a soulful easy-going pace bringing a smile to every face and as Jimmy Maxwell used to say, “making you want to wiggle your hands, shake your ass and holler.”
Originally conceived as the fourth and final movement of the Deep South Suite, this is the only part of the suite that was recorded commercially. Ellington’s recording contract with RCA Victor ended in January of 1946, and he wouldn’t return to Columbia until September of 1947. In the nearly 2-year interim, he recorded for a number of small labels as well as V-discs for the armed forces.
The most important of these recordings were made for Musicraft in a 1-month period between November and December, 1946. Musicraft’s catalog was sold over and over to other small labels, so that these important sides appeared in many bargain compilations over the years.
The Musicraft sides document Ellington and Strayhorn’s postwar shift from the dancehall to the concert hall. Aside from a couple of straight forward ballad features for Johnny Hodges and Marylou Williams’ Trumpets No End, the music consists of longer pieces that couldn’t fit on one side of a 78 rpm disc. Jam-a-ditty was the only movement recorded from the Tonal Suite. Strayhorn’s Overture To A Jam Session, Ellington’s The Beautiful Indians, the 1937 Diminuendo In Blue minus its finale (Crescendo In Blue), and Happy Go-Lucky Local. Ellington had experimented more than a few times with pieces spanning more than one side going all the way back to Tiger Rag in 1929.
Happy Go-Lucky Local was planned as a 2-parter. Both parts were recorded on the same day, but Part 2 was recorded first. The entire Deep South Suite had already been rehearsed and performed. The original score for Part 1 had been discarded and replaced with completely different (mostly repetitive vamp) material that was likely dictated at rehearsal. The 5-chord transition/modulation appears at the end of Part 1 and then again at the beginning of Part 2. In live performance, there is not repeat.
The blues theme of Part 2 became a Rhythm and Blues hit several years later under the title of Night Train, credited to Jimmy Forrest. Forrest played tenor sax with Ellington from August, 1949 to January, 1950. Curiously, Ellington never contested the authorship.
Tickets available here.
And from Luca Bragalini...
For the Ellington 50-year-old here, focused in October, my bow to the Duke:
From 30 September to 11 October my episodes of the Ellington Special for Italian Swiss Radio (RSI-Rete 2) will be broadcast daily at 17:40 (CET).
The whole 15 episode special will be available in podcast later.
4 and 6 October 20:00 (CET) Ellington 50, Verdi Conservatorio, Milan.
4 October 20:00 (CET), Introduction to the concert for which I curated the programme.
VJ Orchestra directed by Pino Jodice, with arrangements by Jodice and Oscar del Barba.
Gianluca Petrella special guest.
5 October 18:00 (CET) Birdland Library, Milan. Walter Gaeta’s book launch, Duke Ellington and Alvin Ailey. Jazz and dance
6 October 11.00 (CET), Verdi Conservatorio, Sala Puccini, conference The inheritance of a Jazz Duke.
9-15 October Ellington Festival, Brescia Conservatory and Grand Theatre.
10 October, 17:00 (CET) Brescia Conservatory, conference The Musical Universe of Duke Ellington.
12 October, 17:00 (CET), Brescia Conservatory, conference Duke Ellington’s Symphonic Dreams
15 October 20:00 (CET), Teatro Grande in Brescia, Introduction to the Symphonic Ellington concert for which I curated the program. Orchestra of the conservatory directed and arranged by Corrado Guarino. Tino Tracanna special guest.
11-16 October
Jazz In Castle, Duke Ellington & George Gershwin, Melegnano
An initiative supported by the Department of Culture of Melegnano in the person of the deputy mayor Simone Passerini, a kermesse that last year was sold out for the three evenings planned.
The formula is the same: two of my captivating storytellings and a final concert that will amplify what was discussed in the conferences.
This year a double celebration: George Gershwin whose Rhapsody in Blue turns 100 years old and Duke Ellington who left us 50 years ago.
18 October 21:00 (CET) Mediceo Castle in Melegnano, conference Duke Ellington: The Man and the Musician
26 October, 21.00 (CET) Theater La Corte dei Miracoli, Melegnano.
Introduction to the concert for which I curated the programme.
Jodice Jazz Sextet & Sunrise String Quartet, arrangements and direction by Jodice.
I'll be waiting for you!
Saturday, 28 September 2024
A Piece of Pie
A new series of essays in Tone Parallel on Substack starts next week. Subscription is free here:
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