eAFRO -AMERICAN '71 Crftical Vote of th« Black Community" Vol. 4, No. 3 Athens, Ohio 45 701 Tuesday, February 5, J 974 Farewell To The Duke... My Behind! By Antar S. K. Mberi Let's go back: New Orleans - Harlem - Cosney talking trash.. J declare that niger Chicago- 1920's-the Harlem Renaissance - got more river in his soul than the sea got Takin the "A" train. Where to begin? sunken gold...Child, bring me my smellin Stompin at the Savoy...On the Road, salts...Daddy, kick yo shoes off. travelin... Bassin' Street? Take your pick, Again we were on the rainbow bridge, it'll come out to - The Duke, The Duke, this time going to Newport. Summertime, The Duke! cool drinks, and can i git a witness for the Black folks from purple black to Creole Duke? Au suddenly we hear risin from the brown. From the "wrong" side to the front row, right isle "In'A Sentimental "right" side of town. Garbage cans...velvet Mood." Mr. Newport himself - Paul lawns...jobbin to death...goodtimes to Gonsalves, on tenor sax. I rode high inside. badtimes to goodtimes to hardtimes...and Damn near moved to tears. (Because this you got to take the rainbow bridge to see it was the Duke's finale; his farewell? My all. A rainbow of soul traversing the years. behind! Thrice over! Ashesaid,"...it'sjust And its The Duke. Bringing the spring of somebody who doesn't know what the hell jass out of a summer of Blues. Suddenly its he's talking about. I don't know anything not New Orleans and King Oliver or Count about it. There's lots of different types of Basie, its Athens, Ohio and Memorial prostitution around. They use me, you, Auditorium; and all the giants are here and everybody else." And that ain't no lie sitting on the lights, armrests, in the aisles, Money, Money, Money, Mo...ney...for the on the stage partaking of a heady brew sake of money. Steal them Blues...Steal known as The Duke and his Band. Folks that jass...year in,yearout...forthesakeof still wondering just how the hell we got money.) Go on, Mr. Newport. Play yo ax. The Mountain to come to us. He'd Chop down treesof emotion. probably reply; it don't matter, I'm here. This particular tune reminded me so Let's groove. much of the Ellington-Coltrane rendition. The history making accomplishments of The crystal clarity of each note. The Duke Ellington span almost an entire vibrate vicissitude of Paul burst like the sun century of music. Very few musicians can on 125th Street in the dead of winter. honestly say they have walked in his rain Warm and resilient. This was my favorite. and not got soaked, for the better. Another world famous piece was The Coltrane, Clifford Brown, Billy Taylor, "C" Jam Blues." The audience turned into Johnny Hodges, Cat Anderson, Lawrence a sea of rockin and bobbin heads and Photographs of Duke Ellington by Brown- just to name a few of the "little" snappin and clappin hands. Lord, I got the fellows who felt his warming rain. But the "C" jam blues. Come on out here Ray and Bruce S. Maliken Duke being the kind of human being he is, dance a while, show us that baggypants would probably say he walked in their soft shoe you do. That man ought to be not; Go on 'Nita sing the "Blim." You "Love You Madly," "Lucky So N So," rains as well and was wet. Who could called "Da Folks." He never lets you forget must got a musician in yo throat. Anita disagree? In him we found the most perfect "One More Time," and joined Anita that this ain't a class for monotone music Moore, from Houston, Texas. One year, six and the band on "Somebody Cares." blend of composer - arranger - musician - appreciation. months with The Duke. Formerly of Texas sharer, elements that raely find a "Love You Madly" in many ways was the Naw. This is livin, baby. Rawbone, gut Southern University's Jass Ensemble. She theme song of the concert. It was compatible home together. To top it all, he bucket livin. Tears of joy and tears of really got under my skin with "New York, is always in touch with his audience. In Ellington's multi-language message to us sadness, so tight together who can tell the New York," "Got It Bad...," and all. Truly an internationalist. Thi; many senses there is a stage breakdown and difference. Go on Nance play yo horn .." and Somebody Cares." the house becomes a picnic of call and definitely comes across in "Afro-Eurasiar sweet silver trumpets"...when Da Folks do The other vocalist was Tony Watkins. Eclipse," which depicts a world that is response, give and take...Aw play that his dance. violin, Ray Nance...that fool got the deyil Many in the audience could not get next to daily coming closer and closer togethei And thus we went on. The night began to him. Their problem, not his. You was tuff in him tonight...Hey Cootie! Is that you' breakdown. Bring on Anita Moore, that man, blowin that trumpet like you done brother. He showed the uniqueness of the African pepperbird to do some scat for us. Afro-American voice, range and quality. lost your plUmfool head? That Ray can Hey Al Hirt, you got shook by Ella at a (cont. on p. 2) dance, sing, flip a couple of card joke, a real True he was no Frank Sinatra, but who halftime football show. Want to try yo came to hear Frankie. Not me. Tony sang renaissance man. hand again. 'Nita take you on. Now? guess Some of the tunes that Ellington laid us out with were over forty years old. Just goes to show, that time can't wash away all the footprints in the sand. Tunes like his Inside "Creole Love Call" which go back to October 26, 1927. Hush now ...can't you hear the sweet golden saxofact of Harry Black Awareness.... p. 2 African Students B. and S. Pride p. 3 Aid Drought Victims' Black Liberation y...p. 4 This week the African Student African Liberation p. 5 Association is collecting money at the campus gate for the African drought victims. The collection is scheduled to last Ali vs. Frazier p. 6, 7 just one week. Money collected will go to all of the Short Story p. 8 countries affected by the drought in West Africa and Ethiopia. During Black Awareness Week on Sat. Wine Boycott List p. 9 Feb. 16, the donations will go to the famine victims in Ethiopia. Poetry. p. JO Next week's Afro-American Affairs will contain an article on how the drought Sports p. 12 came to be. / Page 2 Tuesday, February 5, 1974 Afro-American Affairs (cont. from p.1) everyday. Nothing can stop this. Each people and culture will make its Df»R7iWn Black Awareness week 1974 contribution to the world treasuries of humanity. Surely The Duke has and will continue to make his. Other names in the band, and just as This Friday/ kicks off "Black . Black students should clearly see the companies to limit fuel supplies and raise renowned as accomplished musicians were Awareness Week" here, at Ohio pervasiveness of racism in the education rfuel prices, the Nixon administration has Jaki Byard (electric piano); Harold University. The Center for Afro-American they're receiving. With the exception of wrecked thousands of lives. Minerve (flute, piccolo, sax, clarinet and oboe). Johnnie Coles (trumpet, Studies (CAAS) has planned activities for BSI, no other dpeartment has more than The crippling effects the mis-called frueglehorn). this weekend and throughout next week one or two full-time faculty members "energy crisis" has on Afro-Americans is Cootie Williams (trumpet) who is one of intended to display Black creative (Check out the College of evident considering the large numbers of the most outstanding members of thought and work-past and Communications). The administration has brothers and sisters laid-off in Ellington's band. He has been with c ontemporary. Hopefull, students, already sounded a warning to all first and auto-making plants. GM alone intends to Ellington almost from the beginning; git faculty, administrators, and townspeople second year instructors about the possible lay-off 75,000 workers. The ranks of down Cootie, loves ya madly. Then there will patronize these activities. cutback in that area. Americans out of work grew by 170,000 was Chuck Connors (Bass trombone); Augmenting the general corrosion of Russell Prugre of the Newport jamboree But black awareness cannot' -must-not to 4.4 million in December. Hardest hit (clarinet, sax); Vince Prudende be reserved for a designated week once a quality education here, most courses were white-collar workers and women, taught (except BSI courses) distort or (trombone); Quinten Dwight, the year. Afro-Americans, blapk especially those between 18 and 2.4. youngest member of the band, 21 years awareness must be a conscious effort to offer scarce information and study of About 40 percent of the Detroit jobless old. He's been with Duke since July. consistently unveil, scrutinize, and Afro-Americans. Black students should are black workers. Black students must Formerly from Houston (Smoke them address issues affacting them daily^Black not be passively aware of these facts; but become conscious of the implications drums). Mercer Ellington, The Duke's son, students here can ill-afford to shun they should actively seek to correct these stemming from this depression. Because playing trumpet was also featured.