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Home , Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington, Herb Jeffries

Ellingtonia A Publication Of The Society, Inc.

Volume XXIl, Number 6 Courtesy Carlyle Productions June 2014 William McFadden, Editor Copyright © 2014 by The Duke Ellington Society, Inc., P.O. Box 29470, Washington, D.C. 20017, U.S.A. Web Site: depanorama.net/desociety/ E-mail: [email protected]

One more once—until Autumn . . . You Make The Call! (a.k.a. Member’s Choice) The Society’s 2013-2014 season will conclude with a program of music chosen by you. We encourage you to bring at least one Ellington or Strayhorn CD, and be prepared to tell us why you wish to have the tune(s) played. Have to miss the meeting? Send the titles of your favorites requested to [email protected] and we’ll be certain they’re heard on-site. No stumping the programmers, please. This cavalcade of members’ choices will take place at Grace Lutheran Church, 16th and Varnum Streets, NW in the Maestro’s home town, the District of Co- lumbia on Saturday, 7 June 2014—7:00 PM. Whether sweet or substantive, pot luck is how we share the edibles, so don’t forget to bring something good. Even if you do forget, come anyway because we do love to see you, madly that is. Management brings beverages and ice. ———————————————— Generous Donation Will Fund Society Memberships For Students Essential to the mission of our Society are the preser- vation and advancement of Duke Ellington’s musical legacy (and with it, that of ). It’s all well and good to dedicate ourselves to those ends, but Merry-Go-Round . . . by Ye Editor we must not forget that preaching to our very sophisti- cated choir alone does not accomplish them. That handsome poster reproduced above is the em- In an extraordinary gesture of commitment to future blem of a splendid four days in Duke and Billy utopia. appreciation of both Duke and Billy, Society member Here’s the ‘short’ version of our Conference report: Dr. Yvonne Condell of Moorhead, MN has funded You would have loved every minute of it as much as 20 Student memberships in The Duke Ellington So- those of us in attendance did! ciety, Inc., available immediately. The 22nd International Duke Ellington Study Group The memberships are offered in memory of Dr. Conference in Amsterdam from May 14-18 was all James F. Condell and , both of whom substantive content, with no ephemera or fillers. It were original Society members. was scholarly without being pompous, a relaxed col- We encourage you to let any and all young persons legiality in a welcoming atmosphere, a stunning com- know that we would warmly welcome their joining us. bination of musical and historical interpretation. Please contact [email protected] to apply. Soon it became apparent and unmistakable—this Yvonne Condell, we thank you for your gift and for ( Continued on next page) your inspiration. You truly are, “All Heart.” Page 2 Ellingtonia June 2014

______materials since late 2013: the outline of Conference (Continued from front page.) a man on a bicycle waving with his left entire event was a gathering for persons of taste and hand. What was the significance? Was distinction, driven by the common denominator, love! it symbolic of the friendly, bicycle- By comparison, the jewel box setting of the City of dependent citizens of Amsterdam? Hold Amsterdam with its magical charms and beauty was on—It’s DUKE!? nearly reduced to mere lagniappe because the deeper Turns out we could one became immersed in the conference, the more never see the forest gripping the captivation became. for the trees, as it Kicking-off the action was a combined conference were, when the pho- registration and reception, the latter being a long, lei- tograph from the surely affair in an atrium floor of the Conservatorium Orchestra’s first vis- van Amsterdam, the academy for music and perfor- it to the Netherlands mance arts which was the site for all of the sessions. in April, 1939 was Here, we took maximum advantage of the opportuni- spotted in the program booklet. ty to make introductions among the many, known There’s the Maestro on a bike heretofore only from correspondence, the printed with Messrs. Hodges, Stewart and page, and reputation. Carney functioning as training Before long there came an emotional impact from the wheels. Mystery solved . . . significance of being present in a place where every- The 3 keynote/16 plenary sessions began with one in it, from near and far, was there because of Ed- “Duke Ellington in American History” from the au- ward Kennedy Ellington. Such a realization was both thor of Duke Ellington’s America (2012), Harvey G. powerful and inspiring, enough to make an often jad- Cohen (US/UK). He deftly compressed that entire, ed individual feel awe-struck and a bit dazzled. important book into a 45-minute presentation of its Wouldn’t get over it from then on. Didn’t want to. major themes borne of his brilliant research. It should be noted that for the first time in many The editor of Blue Light and a seasoned newspaper- years the Ellington family was in attendance: Guest of man in his own right, Geoff Smith (UK) regaled us Honor, grand-daughter Mercedes Ellington and neph- over his “Date With Duke,” thus generating what ew Stephen James (one of Ruth Ellington Boat- would become the conference’s unofficial motto, wright’s two sons). Both were actively involved, with “Don’t stop now, Baby.” Duke, of course, coined the pertinent comments, throughout each session and par- phrase as a means of signifying his approbation. ticipated in every event, without exception. Charm- Geoff also described organizing the 2012 Conference ing, affable and gregarious, it was great to spend a in Woking, UK along with details on its acclaimed little time with each of them. concert performance of . Conference co-chairs Walter van de Leur and Louis An update on the progress of the internet Ellington Tavecchio convened the proceedings the next itinerary search engine, “The Duke: Where and morning by dedicating the 22nd International Confer- When?” was carefully explained by David Palmquist ence to both Sjef Hoefsmit and . Present to (Canada). The man is an absolute saint. Search the express the Hoefsmit family’s warm regards and grati- title, log on, and enjoy using this essential research tude were Sjef’s daughter, Babette and her sons, Wil- tool. lem and Joost Kempe. Musicologist, researcher and author Marcello Piras This, and all of the sessions would be held in an au- (Italy/Mexico) broke down every tiny element of how ditorium named the ‘Blue Note,’ an intimate, three- Ellington (the trained artist) “painted a portrait” of quarter round platform stage with recording studio- with 1928’s “Black Beauty.” quality acoustics and sound system, not to mention a Carl Woideck (US) is a historian, teacher, perfectly-tuned Yamaha grand . Throughout the author and saxophonist who presented a research pa- duration, it was common to hear conferees delighting per on Duke’s “Encounters With Africa, 1957-1974,” in how they never before heard Ellington recordings asking a fundamental question of whether Ellington at that volume with such instrumental clarity. Pre- wrote music inspired by his experiences within that senter Loren Schoenberg at one point introduced a continent, with African musicians, with honors from recorded passage with the observation that, “It’s like among others, Haile Selassie. We viewed a brief clip being inside ’s mouthpiece.” of the band at Dakar, where the Maestro speaks his Gazing at the projection screen with the conference customary intro to “Caravan” (’cha-cha-cha’), naming logo looming about six feet high, we considered the each musician. This revelation, in turn, provided abstract figure featured in all promotional and related (Continued on next page.)

June 2014 Ellingtonia Page 3 ______our conference with another repeated catch phrase, We Remember . . . “authentic, synthetic hybrid.” A highly accomplished who also happens to (September 24, 1913—May 25, 2014) possess a Ph.D. in musical arts, Matt Cooper (US) has written a new book on Ellington and the piano: Duke The very first male vocalist Ellington as Pianist—A Study of Styles. He gave a re- member of Duke Ellington and cital whose repertoire consisted of his transcriptions: His Famous Orchestra the aforementioned “Black Beauty,” “The Clothed (intermittently, 1939-1942), and Woman,” and several selections from the 1953 LP, perhaps the very last male vocal- Piano Reflections. Think Daniel Barenboim in a recit- ist directly influenced by Bing al of Mozart piano transcriptions. Sublime. Crosby, actor/singer Herb Jeffries And that was just Day One. succumbed to stomach and heart The following day’s keynote session was by none ailments on May 25 in a West other than Matt Cooper who both explained and Hills, CA hospital. demonstrated his work with the Ellington/Strayhorn Always coy about his age and transcriptions forming the basis for his unique tome. heritage, it was widely believed that he actually was Our good colleague Ken Steiner (US) employed the 100 years old, and that he had been born in as instincts of a Sherlock Holmes in his painstaking ef- Umberto Alejandro (or Tomaso) Balentino. forts to successfully discover and document the first He was equally evasive when it came to race, once filmed appearance of Duke Ellington and the Washing- noting, “I’m a chameleon.” Although he lived life as tonians in 1925. The silent movie was entitled, Head- an African American, the fact that he could have lines, and Ken’s findings were confirmed in an an- “passed” for white was a topic of constant gossip in nouncement from the on April 29, the segregated US of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s. 2013. A 30-second clip was analyzed to prove Ken’s While in his teens, Mr. Jeffries sang in Detroit night research. clubs and ballrooms, ultimately joining the Earl (At this point we will fast-forward to the end of the ‘Fatha’ Hines Orchestra in 1933. report due to the editor’s indulgent word count. Part He made film history as “The Bronze Buckaroo,” Two of our conference journal must wait until the starring in a series of low-budget, all-black singing October issue. “Oh, we’ve got a lot more . . . got a lot cowboy movies produced for segregated audiences in more” coverage of the sessions and the magnificent the late 1930’s. music which deserve your attention.) But it was with the Ellington organization that Mr. until Sunday, the final day, things had been un- Jeffries is best remembered: starring opposite Dorothy folding flawlessly. Then, someone let in a certain Mr. Dandridge in Duke’s 1941 theatrical production, Murphy and his dreadful law. The ultra-efficient City “Jump for Joy” and for his vocal turn that same year of Amsterdam experienced a power failure (an ex- on the hit recording which became a standard, tremely unusual occurrence, we were told). Hurriedly, “Flamingo.” conference options including cancellation were consid- Herb Jeffries’ passing deprives our world of another ered. Postponement for later in the day was not feasi- Ellingtonian, one who will be uniquely remembered ble due to the number of us headed to the airport. along with the following lyrics (by Ellington—P.F. Web- To our collective relief, the electricity began return- ster—S. Kuller): ing approximately 45 minutes past the scheduled start When you stomp up to Heaven, time. The Blue Note would have light, but no ventila- and you meet old Saint Pete, tion for the time being. When the remaining conferees tell that boy to jump for joy! finally gathered, it was decided to abbreviate each of Step right in. Give Pete some skin, the three remaining plenary sessions in an effort to ad- and jump for joy! journ the conference on time. By an informal count, we had lost a good third of the ———————————————————- attendance. Some planned to skip Sunday anyway with Yours Truly as a participant was truncated from since the crowning, penultimate conference event was 60 to perhaps 20 minutes. Along with fellow panelists the previous evening’s concert featuring “Black, Loren Schoenberg (US) and Catherine Tackley Brown and Beige” by renowned jazz orchestrator and (UK), we came not to bury Terry Teachout. And then, bandleader, David Berger( US) with the Conservatori- things got interesting . . . um Concert . Do have a safe, comfortable and pleasant summer. The panel session on “Biographies of Ellington,” That’s it for this ride on your Merry-Go-Round! Page 4 Ellingtonia June 2014 ______

“Dramatis Felidae” (To Use Our Man’s Term in MIMM) May Spotlight . . . About Our Members . . . The Artistry of by Art Luby, Secretary It’s not like Drs. Ted and Marion Shell to miss any Society meetings. But spring this year has not been The clarinet remained a central element in the sound gentle in terms of Ted’s well-being. Ted Shell is most of the Ellington Orchestra, even after its overall im- likely the last surviving founder of our Society, and his portance to jazz was diminished with the onset of the first-hand expertise on all things Duke is unequaled. era. Duke used various clarinet styles as part of Please feel better soon Ted! You and Marion are both his orchestral palette, and clearly relished the tradition- loved and missed. al, woody tone. For decades the leading practitioner of this style in both the Orchestra and jazz Dr. Anthony Brown served as adviser and consult- at large was New Orleans-born Barney Bigard. His ant for the International Jazz Day 2014 in Osaka educa- virtuoso talent and dignified bearing commanded so tion programs at the end of April. Although he was much respect throughout his career that he remains scheduled to present "Duke Ellington in the : Re- one of the few Ducal soloists whose accomplishments naissance Man," from his chapter in the forthcoming outside the Ellington organization rival his achieve- Cambridge Companion Ellington in Amster- ments within the fold—specifically, Barney’s tenure in dam on May 17, Dr. Brown was forced to cancel due to ’s All-Stars. health reasons. He wants you to know that he is on the Ed Morris' presentation, excerpts from a develop- mend after a back injury which precluded long-distance ing full-length Bigard program, touched on both phas- travel. es of Barney's career. Starting with his thrilling open- Recently, the Duke Ellington Society of Southern ing solo on "C Jam " played with Armstrong in honored past President Charles Stewart Boston (1947 recording, Satchmo at Symphony Hall), (1997-2001) with a certificate proclaiming him Presi- and moving back through such memorable Ellington dent-Emeritus. Carl Butts, current DES President, performances on "Stompy Jones," "Caravan," and made the presentation in acknowledgement of Charles’ "Clarinet Lament,” each performance illustrated the many years of service to the Society. rich, powerful vibrato and the New Orleans-influenced During Charles’ tenure, DES hosted presentations by approach that made his playing both unique and influ- several former Ellingtonians, such as and ential. Bigard enjoyed working with over . He was in office during the Society’s the years (and in his memoir, Stewart made clear that planning and hosting of Ellington 2000, Duke Elling- the respect was mutual). Included were two examples ton in Hollywood, the very successful International of that collaboration, “Night Wind" and "Monmatre.” Conference held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. ———————————————- Your Dues Are Due for 2014 Concert—A Tribute To The Elegant To Join or to Renew Membership Please Send Your Payment to: Mr. Ellington—in Annapolis, July 11 The Duke Ellington Society, Inc. PO Box 29470, Washington, DC 20017, USA “Beautiful, sensual, lush, rhythmic, rich, swinging,” Our dues remain a bargain: these terms describing the music of Duke Ellington Member, $30; Couple, $50; Student $5 have inspired a new tribute concert from Wings Pro- First-Time-Ever Member, Just $20 ductions and The Blount-Tucker Orchestra, “The Elegant Mr. Ellington” on Friday, July 11 at 8:00 PM We meet on the first Saturday, October—June at 7:00 PM. Guests are always welcomed! at Rams Head On Stage—Annapolis, MD. Offered is a “concert which captures the richness and THE DUKE ELLINGTON SOCIETY, INC. elegance of many of the Duke’s incomparable arrange- ments.” The program will consist of selections repre- Executive Board sentative of Ellington’s entire career, clearly demon- President William McFadden strating how his music remains as beautiful and as rele- Vice President Barbara Anderson Secretary Arthur Luby vant as ever. Treasurer Patricia Braxton Writer, broadcaster and producer John Tegler will - - - narrate this chronicle of the life of Edward Kennedy Luvenia George Edward Morris Ellington —whom he knew—setting off the musical William Hasson Robert Reny Tom Henderson Lawrence Smith selections. Theodore A. Shell Reservations: 410-268-4545, or www.ramsheadonstage.com