Ellington rehearsing at Royal Albert Hall, London in 1967
#HTTP-EQUIV=keywords CONTENT="classical music: CD new releases, composers, humor etc"> #NAME=author CONTENT="Bill Munger"> #NAME=description CONTENT="new CD releases, composers, humor etc">
Ellington rehearsing at Royal Albert Hall, London in
1967
Ellington, Edward
Kennedy "Duke"
April 29, 1899
He was born in Washington,
New Columbia (to be the 51st State). His father was a butler and
later worked as a blueprint maker in for the Navy. His family
was always modestly well-to-do. Ellington started piano lessons
in 1906 at the age of 5. His name was given him by a young neighbor
because of his dress and demeanor. At Armstrong High, Washington's
leading manual training school, he became absorbed in art and
won a poster contest sponsored by the NAACP.
He continued to study music at school and with Henry Grant, a
private teacher, but learned even more listening to the ragtime
pianists around town during his time in Washington. He turned
down a scholarship to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Instead
he played gigs, organized and managed bands as well as painting
signs. He married Edna Thompson 1918. He was doing very well supplying
bands for parties and dances. Toby Hardwicke, bass and saxophones;
Arthur Whetsol, trumpet; Sonny Greer, drums and Elmer Snowdon,
banjo made up his own band.
He left Washington with Sonny Greer and Toby Hardwicke to join
the so-called symphonic swing band of Wilber Sweatman in New York
City. This turned out to be Ellington's only real period of hardship
and poverty. After a short and unhappy stay with Sweatman they
struggled to survive on their own for a few months. Ellington
returned to Washington but in the spring of 1923 he was persuaded
by Fats Waller to move back to Manhattan. Duke and his Washingtonians
worked for Ada Smith, better known in later years as the "Bricktop"
of European cafe society. Elmer Snowden provided the leadership
at Barron's in Harlem. Then Ellington became the official leader
and Fred Guy took over the banjo chair. They were asked to work
for the Hollywood at Broadway and 49th. Later it became know as
the Kentucky Club.
It was at the Kentucky Club that the first important developments
in the growth of the Ellington Band took place. Ellington's growth
and writing was always connected the style of the band members.
He wrote specifically for the players in his band. He worked with
them as opposed to the members always having to conform to his
writing and his needs. Throughout the band's development the musicians
shaped its concepts and its progress. These musicians were Bubber
Miley, trumpet; Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, trombone; Harry
Carney, alto & baritone saxophones; Rudy Jackson, clarinet
and tenor and from 1926 a definitive rhythm section stayed with
Ellington for a decade: Duke, Fred Guy, Sonny Greer and Wellman
Braud, bass. This band recorded as Ellington's Kentucky Club Orchestra.
Ellington wrote his first review score for Chocolate Kiddies
in 1924. Although the show never got to Broadway it played for
two years in Germany. After four years at the Kentucky Club off
and on, short trips to New England and short stints in the Flamingo
and other clubs the band was engaged at the Cotton Club (December
4, 1927) and gained national recognition. They remained there
until 1932. (In 1930 they appeared in the film Check and Double
Check with Amos and Andy.) During the Cotton Club years the
band was a part of frequent broadcasts and recorded regularly
under several names. The Ellington name became associated with
the highest standards in written and improvised jazz. The new
soloists included Barney Bigard, clarinet; Johnny Hodges, alto
and soprano saxophone; Cootie Williams and Fred Guy, trumpets.
Ellington made the popular music charts with Mood Indigo,
recorded in October 1930 and called Dreamy Blues. The early
Ellington charts included what were called the "the jungle
style" effects. Bubber Miley with his plunger mutes was the
chief exponent and Cootie Williams and later Ray Nance followed
(in Bubber's footsteps) Bubber's contribution. A major contribution
of Duke Ellington was is use of tonal color based on the timbre
of each individual musician in his orchestra. Because of that
those tone colors could not be duplicated.
In 1933 the band made its first trip to Europe. Duke increased to six brass: Cootie Williams, Freddie Jenkins, Tricky Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol and Lawrence Brown and four reeds: Otto Hardwicke, Johnny Hodges, Barney Bigard and Harry Carney. After touring England and Europe the band returned to the US for further popular success with Solitude, 1933; Sophisticated Lady, 1933; and In a Sentimental Mood, 1935. These earned respect with the public and Daybreak Express, Rude Interlude, Stompy Jones, Harlem Speaks, Ducky Wucky, Blue Ramble, Blue Harlem etc (with not only inventive melody but with orchestration just as important and just as inventive as the melody) won him respect with musicians. Most of the tunes were composed by Ellington or co-composed with for example Rockin In Rhythm with Harry Carney.
One unique aspect of the Ellington band during the 1930's was its consistent personnel. This made it possible for Ellington to provide disciplined precision and coordination unheard up to that time. In 1939 he got help with his arranging. Billy Strayhorn was hired as assistant arranger. He and Ellington fit like hand in glove. Many times band members couldn't tell whether Billy or Duke had done the arranging on a particular tune. Rex Stewart, trumpet joined at this time. He developed a new style when the values on his trumpet stuck. His new way of playing evolved from the partial depression of trumpet valves. Jimmy Blanton was hired at this time. His playing determined the way a string bass would sound not only in jazz but in symphony orchestras as well. Gunther Schuller says that before Blanton bass players in symphony orchestras were content with a thin plucking sound. Duke also hired tenor Ben Webster. In some circles this band is called, "The Blanton-Webster Band."
From this time until the recording band of August 1, 1942 is regarded
by many as Ellington's most productive period. It included Billy
Strayhorn's Take the A Train, Chelsea Bridge and
Johnny Come Lately and Ellington's Warm Valley,
Harlem Airshaft, Jack the Bear, Bojangles
and more. During this period the band appeared in the revue, Jump
for Joy in Hollywood. From the revue came I Got It Bad
and That Ain't Good considered Ivie Anderson's best performance.
Billy Strayhorn was heard at the piano during this period. Ray
Nance joined the band at that time as dancer, vocalist, trumpet
and violin player. His first day on the job was recorded by some
students at Fargo, ND. It is available on CD from MHS.
From 1943 to 1950 the band gave annual concerts at Carnegie Hall
beginning in January 1943, Black Brown and Beige was introduced
at that time. It marked the first time an extended work was written
for jazz ensemble. Following it were the extended works Deep
South Suite, Blutopia, Blue Bells of Harlem, Liberian Suite, New
World A-Coming,Tattooed Bride and at the Metropolitan
Opera House in January 1951 Harlem. In 1955 the Ellington
band joined a symphony orchestra for Night Creatures at
Carnegie Hall in March 1955.
Other new musicians to the Ellington orchestra in the 1940s included
Taft Jordon and Harold Baker, trumpets; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet,
Oscar Pettiford, bass; Kay Davis, Herb Jeffries and Al Hibbler,
vocalists. In 1950 the band toured Europe with Ernie Royal and
Al Killian, trumpets; Quentin Jackson, trombone and Butch Ballard
as a second drummer.
More changes came in the early 1950s. Juan Tizol, trombone, Willie
Smith, alto and Louis Bellson, drums all left Harry James to join
Duke in 1951. Louis Bellson contributed several arrangements and
was a great lift and driving force for the band. By 1953 Louis
Bellson and Willie Smith left the band. Despite sagging moral
they remained one of just two or three big bands playing jazz
at that time. There were some peak moments in performances of
earlier charts. In 1955 Johnny Hodges rejoined the band after
a four year absence. Tenor Paul Gonsalves had joined Ellington
in the early 50s. His style is extroverted and influenced by Coleman
Hawkins and Ben Webster.
After 1955 the band went through a renaissance. It started at
the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956. The band had rehearsed two
works from 1937 for the Festival, Diminuendo In Blue and
Crescendo in Blue. It was raining and it was after 12 midnight.
It was illegal for the park to be open after 12 and the police
were threatening to shut the Festival down. So Duke told his men
that Festival manager George Wien was recording and this performance
was important. He told the band he was going to combine both tunes
and the band just looked at each other. This was the first time
that anyone had ever known Duke to lecture the band before a performance.
"Paul Gonsalves said, 'That's the one where I blow?' The
Duke said, 'Yes. . . and keep blowing . We'll tell when to stop.
That's all you have to do.'" Wien started waving his hands,
as the band played, as if he wanted them to stop for fear of police
action. But the crowd was yelling Go, go, go as they rushed the
stage. "And Paul Gonsalves stood up and blew 27 choruses
and it was a riot. It was a sensation" -Duke Ellington. The
recording and the performance did as much as anything to return
the Ellington band to a place of prestige and importance. Later
when Duke was asked he say, "I was discovered at the 1956
Newport Festival" or "I was born in 1956 at the Newport
Jazz Festival."
At that time Duke had a TV special with his suite, Drum Is A Woman. He started writing prolifically again. Billy Staryhorn contributed his suite after Shakespeare, Such Sweet Thunder. It premiered at Town Hall in 1957. In 1958 Ellington took the band to England for the first time since 1933. The band toured Europe again in 1959.
Despite his reluctance to take
an credit Ellington also made an important contribution to jazz
piano. His style built on those of Willie "The Lion"
Smith, Fats Waller, Lucky Roberts, James P. Johnson and others.
For an example listen to Pitter Panther Patter with Jimmy
Blanton.
Ellington's later years were devoted to the writing and performing
Sacred Concerts in churches and halls. He had be devotely religious
all his life and the concerts were of great satisfaction to him.
