I hope everyone had a Happy Duke Ellington Day on Thursday! I was glad to see the media pulling out all the stops for the centennial of Duke Ellington's birth. NPR was the leader, starting last week with a series of stories on "Fresh Air;" "All Things Considered" ran a piece today asking "classical" musicians if Ellington could now be added to the canon of Western classical music. And Russ Cage kindly alerted me to WDET-FM's full day of Ellington's music, so on the way home I got to listen to the 1943 version of Ellington's "Black Brown and Beige" suite, which I had not heard in years. It's not that Ellington was overlooked during his lifetime: I was interested to hear about the Pulitzer Prize's refusal to honor Ellington in 1965, which was a story I did not know. But Ellington had plenty of honors -- I always figured that when the State Department asked him to make several overseas tours as a cultural ambassador, it was a sure sign of official approval. And he had commercial success -- he was wealthy enough that for the last 20+ years of his life he could pay his orchestra -- which no longer made a profit -- from his songwriting royalties. Me, I celebrated in a crass commercial way by stocking up on some of the Ellington reissues which were brought out for the anniversary. I'll write a few quickie reviews as I get a chance, and also enter a few random thoughts from the media coverage. And if any of you saw the Ellington band live in its day, or if anyone saw the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra at Hill last week performing its Ellington show, I hope you'll tell us about it.51 responses total.
My dad was an Ellington fan, and took me to a concert once when I was a kid. I remember thinking that this was one of those grownup things kids were expected to like. Some of it didn't make sense to me. Ellington himself was a rather intimidating presence. Smiling genially, but really rather cool and professional underneath. It wasn't until a few years later that I started having the "Oh *yeah*!" response when I'd hear some Ellington music on the radio. "Satin Doll" was the first song of his that hit me like that, and it's still one of my favorites. "Take the A Train" came second. I heard the NPR special yesterday afternoon. Interviews with Wm Bolcom and others. Ellington definitely does not fit into the classical tradition, and I wish people would stop trying to make him do so. He was a great jazz composer and pianist. What's so bad about that, that you have to try and prove he was something else before you can respect him?
Of course you shouldn't have to do that.
as Stevie Wonder said:
Sir Duke, he is the King of them all 'yall
Wonder if he'll get any royalities for that.
i was at the lincoln center jazz orchestra concert last friday (23 april), but unfortunately, i was unable to be paying attention to what was going on onstage, musically...
I was in the second balcony, so I could hear, but barely see at all. Of course the acoustics of Hill are marvelous, but there's a definite vertigo downside to being up there. I had not seen Marsalis before. It was an excellent all-Ellington concert. Well, songs *associated* with Ellington, not necessarily written by him.
(Maybe "songs" is the incorrect term here.)
The United Methodist hymnal is the only church hymnal that has Duke Ellington music in it. In case you need to know that bit of trivia.
(What song?)
The Canadian Brass performed selections from Ellington's work at their performance on Saturday. The arranger was Luther Henderson, who worked closely with Ellington. While not particularly authentic (I understand that much of Ellington's originality was in his use of tambre, which certainly can't be reproduced by a brass quintet), it was entertaining and, of course, rendered quite skillfully. A new album from the Canadian Brass in tribute to Ellington, titled "Take the A Train", is scheduled to come out May 18th. I think.
[Spelled "timbre," believe it or not.]
oops, you're right. I knew that, just didn't notice....
timbre being froggy in origin...
Wouldn't that be "Take the Eh Train" since it is by The Canadian Brass?
Actually, they made a joke about that during the concert. Their suggested alternate name was "Take the train, eh?"
Or the vulgar rendition "Take the f*ckin' A train!"
I usually took the GG train, but that doesn't scan too well.
Or the Fonzie version: Take the Aaaaayyyy Train.
Shakesperean: Take thee a train.
Canadian version: Take the Eh Train. eh?
Farm animals Take The Hay Train. (anybody else reminded of Spider Robinson right now? :)
The Michael Jordan version? Take the NB-A Train. The Shakespeare version should be Taketh the A-Train.
Nah. I like Orinoco's version better. But I'm too lame to come up with my own yet.
r 20 ahyep. <G>
I was wondering if anybody besides myself and Flem would know of him...:) And since I *just* finished reading "Lady Slings The Booze"....welll...:) A vampire will never "Take The Day Train"
The Cockney animals version: Tayk thee 'ay train!
A heavy on-line shopper might "Take the E-bay Train"
Priests and nuns take the pray train.
We had a dog that REFUSED to take the Gravy Train
A yes-man would Take the 'Kay train
Can we run this into the ground a just a little more? <set Dennis Miller mode=off>
Hey, what's wrong with having some fun...:)
Marie Curie used to take the X-ray train.
heating cooling dealers take the a/c train.
sailors would take the bay train.
What about farmers taking the hay train? (has that already been used?) A meteorologist would take the rain train.
Well, I used horses, but hay did come up. :) Next Friday I get to take the payday train.
When I go to California, I take the air plane.
King Kong would take the Fay Wray train.
Wrinkled people take the Retin-A Train.
Waiting in line you are taking the que train
did Yoda give the Jedi train?
Duke Ellington took the A train... Oh, wait... :)
Somebody's leaving, on a midnight train to Georgia, but I'm leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back again. My brother needs a ticked for an air-o-plane, he ain't got time to take a fast train. (Did that make any sense?) Now I've got those songs stuck in my head. What songs do you get stuck in your head, and do you ever combine them? The personal worst for me was when I had the James Bond theme song, Horse with No Name, The Phantom of the Opera, and the Notre Dame (University) Fight song all stuck in my head at once. Came up with an amusing mental picture of James Bond, wearing a mask, riding a horse through the desert and stopping to watch a football game.
RE #43 I do believe that the music conference has an item about songs that one cannot get out of his/her head.
Re 43: I've been plagued off and on for years by "If I Only Had a Brain," among others. I get songs in my head very easily, and then they refuse to leave. My worst was when I got "Mercedes Benz" and "Lydia the Tattooed Lady" both in my head at once, and felt this odd compulsion to sing them while I was supposed to be studying with friends. They let me live... I have very compassionate friends. ;)
Pioneer's Jazz Band, in its final concert, played a very entertaining set featuring two songs by Ellington. I think they have rehearsed more over the year.
I sing Jimmy Durante's "Inca Dinca Doo" to Achy Breaky Heart. Even publicly performed it about 4 years ago. When it first hit me, I had to stop working and start writing it down. Dr. Demento helped by playing the Durante tune the next Sunday night.
I usually mix up the "Barney Song" with "This Old Man" I love you, you love me, We're a happy family With a knick-knack, paddy whack give the dog a bone, This old man went rolling home. I'm pretty sure that that is not the way it goes, but....well, it's the only way I know how!
<smile> I do that doo... but I know both songs.
(It's the same tune, isn't it?)
Yes. I meant that I know both sets of lyrics. <g> The fact that the tune is the same is why it's so easy to switch lyrics at any point, I do believe.
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