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DUKE ELLINGTON

The First One Hundred Years

by Ken Rattenbury

Looks back - and forward
On Sacred Music
Ellingtonians
The First One Hundred Years
Love you madly
 

Duke Ellington was born on 29 April 1899, which, with a century’s hindsight has turned out to be a hyper redletter day in the history of American and worldwide music. It saw the start of a full halfcentury of concentrated eyesdown involvement with a music which today can look back on a brief but vital century of development into the rounded, everquesting form it assumes today. So, what is that continuing significance to our music of the Ducal oeuvre? Ill volunteer that the essence of Ellington may lie, and this may be a simplistic approach, in four welldefined categories: (a) A masterful way with the creation of melodies—tunes with form, lyricism, originality and often evidencing some harmonic complexity, but combining into such great beauty that, in a jazz context particularly, they almost play themselves. Courtesy of the craftsmanship that has gone into their development. Yes, hundreds and hundreds of fine tunes indeed. For instance, the stark but always engaging simplicity of ‘Solitude, through to the ranging compass of ‘In A Sentimental Mood with its unexpected chordal sidesteps but unerring direction in modulation: (b) A genius for directlyaimed, allpowerful thrust, in that indestructible twonote riff phrase which announces ‘C Jam Blues, which itself points the way towards (c) Dukes constant reference to the seminal blues (urban, country, call it what you will) either in its two obvious shapes—12or 8bar confines, with an uncomplicated harmonic framework, nevertheless exploring the whole gamut of chromatic possibility, touching on subtle deployments of bitonal (major/ minor) sorcery, open to either scored or extemporised circumstances; then (d) Ellingtons perception and unerring ear for what is right and what is best for the creation and performance of jazz music. And this keenness and selectivity resulted in an orchestra with a remarkably stable constitution, over a half century of time, leaving behind a rich legacy of remarkable jazz recordings of timeless aspect and charming ambience and sheer quality.

It confirms one facet of the Dukes involvement with that seminal blues principle beyond dispute, if we examine the contributions of a few of his most revered soloists: Johnny Hodges, an altoist of peerless accomplishment, with lovely tone, poised, delicate delivery (whenever, for instance performing some of Dukes most attractive works) e. g. ‘Isfahan, Strayhorns ‘Daydream or—and this time snugly back in the bosom of the blues in Mercer Ellingtons ‘Things Aint What They Used To Be. Surely the top soloist from a fine aggregation of sparklers. Ellington dearly loved this wonderful jazzman. Trumpeter Cootie Williams, whose adept and sharply vocalised plunger work as well as his majestic open sound breathed life and immortality into so many pieces, notably of course the incomparable ‘Concerto For Cootie from the early forties; the unmistakable bedrock timbre of Harry Carneys baritone saxophone, who, besides lyrical solo readings of, for example, ‘Sophisticated Lady, imparted such a glow to, in particular, the reeds and, in general, to the whose ensemble.

He was Dukes longestever server and confidant, the contributor of delectable, instantly recognisable tone and depth to the glorious overall sound of the Ellington Orchestra. Another trumpeter/ cornettist/ violinist of note, Ray Nance, whose moving, impassioned style decorated so many recordings, notably the splendid LP collection entitled ‘Blues In Orbit, yes, its the blues again! Then so many otber unforgettable stylists. Saxists first: Paul Gonsalves, whose frenetic, marathon Newport stint on the 1956 ‘Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue some say catapulted the Ducal fortunes back into the limelight of public acclaim where it belonged. But so many other names, Tricky Sam Nanton, Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol (trombones); Barney Bigard, Jimmy Hamilton (clarinets); Russell Procope, Ben Webster (reeds). Then those distinctive trumpetmen Rex Stewart, Arthur Whetsol, Clark Terry. Billy Strayhorn (piano, composer, arranger, lyricist and Dukes inseparable collaborator). Finally, bassists Jimmy Blanton, Wellman Braud and drummers Sonny Greer and $am Woodyard.

Space dictates the brevity of the above catalogue, all contributors to the unmistakable sound, authority and flavour of Ellingtons wonderful catalogue of great, great music.

The byline to this, my heartfelt reminder of the greatness which is Ellington ‘the first hundred years has been chosen with care and much deliberation. And this implies that Dukes legacy is to live on forever! I go as far as to suggest that, some hundreds of years hence, the name Ellington will be one of, if not the only one to survive beyond all others. As a composer, also as a pianist of uncommon subtlety and flair, I would place him as the greatest American composer who ever lived, and whose enormous body of work will forever be available after the simple touch of a switch, praise be. . .

A modus operandi which embraced frequent flouting of the rules of writing, but the results were ravishing. A few years back, I was happy to set aside ten years of my rapidly diminishing stockpile to producing a close, bar by bar examination of his methods and structuring, resulting finally in an analytical study entitled Duke Ellington, Jazz Composer

, and during that period, felt immensely privileged to feel just a little closer to this genius, this foremost contributor to what I feel may be accurately described as ‘The Sound Of The Century’.

Yes, only the first hundred years, for sure. . . .

Duke Ellington, Jazz Composer, by Ken Rattenbury.
Published by The Yale University Press, London
in both hardback and paperback.

 

Copyright © 1971, Les Tomkins. All Rights Reserved.