Back to the beginning of the Musicians section Back to the Top of the Page
Arrangers, producers, other musical associates and ensembles
George Avakian photo,
another, and
and another
Gottlieb portraits of producer George Avakian between 1938 and 1948
Mr. Gottlieb's photos are copyrighted. Check here for permissions.
- added 20060722
George Avakian
Brief biographical note in Wikipedia
- added 20060722
George Avakian
Brief biographical note
- added 20050421
George AvakianDown Beat Lifetime Achievement Award
John McDonough writes of the accomplishments of record producer George Avakian, inventor of the jazz record album.
- added 20050421
WNYC's One Hour With George Avakian with Sarah Fishko.
Listen here to an interview with the inventor of the jazz record album. In this conversation, with music added, the
pioneering producer tells stories about his first jazz loves, what he later produced, and how.
Contributed by Stan Slome - added 20050218
Dick "Two Ton" Baker The Music Maker of Chicago
Ellington segment of a tribute to Ellington's Chicago friend and fan, Two Ton Baker.
- added 20050309
Ibrahim, Abdullah
Biography. Adolph Johannes "Dollar" Brand, born 1934, South Africa; converted to Islam and
adopted the name Abdullah Ibrahim, 1968.
- added 20061227
South Africa: Master Class
Newspaper article about Abdullah Ibrahim leading a master class and playing a club date. Mr. Ibrahim was known as
Dollar Brand in 1963 when Ellington supervised a recording session of Strayhorn with the Dollar Brand Trio, and in 1965 when Brand
he appeared with Ellington in concert in Copenhagen
-added 20060711
Ruth Ellington Boatwright
Obituary for Ellington's sister in The Independent, by Steve Voce, Mar 12, 2004
- added 20061128
Ruth Ellington Boatwright
Biography of Ellington's sister on JazzHouse.org
- added 20060901
Ruth Ellington Boatwright
Obituary for Duke Ellington's sister
- added 20060615
Cab Calloway interview
Jazz journalist Steve Voce: "I've just found an interview that I did with Cab Calloway more
than 50 years ago." Mr. Voce has kindly allowed me to web-publish his interesting, annotated interview.
Contributed by Steve Voce - added 20061206
Zumablog - the HiDeHo Blog
Le premier site français consacré à Cab CALLOWAY! French Cab Calloway tribute website.
Jean-François Pitet writes in DEMS Bulletin that his blog has been viewed by 400 visitors from France and
the entire world, with more than 200 notes to date. This very nicely presented site is in French,
created by M. Pitet to share his passion and love for Cab, his music, his musicians and his era.
M. Pitet promises a commented reading of Cab's autobiography, a biography of each
musician of the orchestra (focus on the less famous), slideshows with the image of Cab in the advertisements.
Existing series will get new content: Cartoons with Cab; television broadcasts; revues from the
Cotton Club, Broadway or elsewhere; the movie Stormy Weather; and Cab's influence on artists
from his era or from today, etc."
- added 20061206
Cab Calloway
Big band database entry re Cab Calloway and his orchestra. Calloway was the backup band at the Cotton Club
during Ellington's first residency, and took over the gig after Ellington began his life on the road. Information here
about many other bands on this comprehensive site, as well.
- added 20060325
MusicWeb Encyclopaedia of Popular Music - Inez Cavanaugh
Donald Clarke writes of Inez Cavanaugh and Timme Rosenkrantz. Ms Cavanaugh was a singer and one of the first
African-American jazz journalists. Mr. Rosenkrantz was well-known and influential in the jazz community. Mr. Clarke tells us who
they were, describes their lives. He also mentions Ellington and several Ellington associates, including Duke's secretary,
Claire Gordon and his publicist, Patricia Willard. He tells us Ms Cavanaugh claimed to have written the notes for
Ellington to recite when he performed Black Brown and Beige.
Contributed by Donald Clarke - added 20050227; link updated 20121218
Ron Collier
Bio of the Canadian composer/arranger/bandleader/educator who recorded briefly with Ellington in the late 1960s.
- added 20070723
Helen Oakley Dance
Steve Voce's obituary for this jazz impresario, producer and columnist who was responsible for the Ellington
small group sessions in the late 1930s.
- added 20061128
Paul
Mercer Ellington
2 hour University of British Columbia CITR radio interview with Paul Ellington, Feb 7, 2008. Some
music, some chatter.
- added 20080208
Leonard Feather Scrapbook
Contributed by Arne Neegaard, who writes, "The Feather Scrapbook has lots of nice stuff re DE,
including audio and film clips.."
- added 20050604
Dorothy Fields
Jon Aldous' comprehensive and attractively designed website tribute to lyricist Dorothy Fields,
who collaborated with Jimmy McHugh on Blackbirds of 1928 and several songs recorded by Ellington in his Cotton Club days.
- added 20080825
Dorothy Fields (NPR bio)
Dorothy Fields (musical theatre biography
Dorothy Fields on Stars Over Broadway, article by Gregory Robinson
Quotations of Dorothy Fields
Other links devoted to Ms Fields
- added 20080825
Norman Granz
Steve Voce's obituary for record producer Norman Granz.
- added 20061128
My Unforgettable Jazz Friends Duke, Benny, Nat, Rex...
Review of Claire P. Gordon's book
- added 20050228
Luther Henderson & His Orchestra
Biography
Contributed by Arne Neegaard- added 20060704
Luther Henderson
Henderson's family moved to the Sugar Hill section of Harlem when Henderson was four and
became neighbors of Duke Ellington's family...
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20050301
Luther Henderson
NPR's commentator Murray Horwitz speaks on composer, arranger, musical director and Ellington collaborator
- added 20050129
Herman's Is Finest Ofay Swing Band
Downbeat 3/1/1945 article about Woody Herman. I've added this link because the article mentions Ellington's
influence on Herman's performance.
- added 20061231
Andrew Homzy
Andrew Homzy is professor of jazz studies at Concordia, and a key figure in keeping the music of Ellington alive.
While I don't know if Professor Homzy knew Ellington, I do know that he has been active in the Ellington community for
many years and sponsors the Duke-LYM e-mail discussion group. Professor Homzy was the reason I developed Ellingtonweb, so
so I decided to include this link to Concordia's information about him.
- added 20060808
Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton made the financial arrangements for Ellington's 1933 English tour.Duke's influence is not difficult to hear in several recordings both before & after
that event. The site has most of Hylton's early recordings. Listen to
"Ellingtonia" from 1933-11-18; see how much he gained from meeting Ellington.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard on Duke-LYM - added 20051204
Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand)
The South-African pianist's page on The Leopard Man's African Music Guide
Ellington arranged a recording session for Ibrahim and sponsored his first appearance at the Newport Jazz
Festival.
Contributed by Jo Ann Sterling - added 20050723
James P. Johnson recordings
RedHotJazz biographical notes and a listing of recordings by this pianist who was one of Ellington's
early mentors. Includes several recordings of him in the 1920s and 1940s, also recordings of
his piano rolls from earlier times.
20061021
James P. Johnson
BBC's profile on the pianist.
- added 20050401
Jonesy Answers Final Call
Obituary for Richard M. Jones, Ellington's valet and chief factotum from 1927 to 1946. Includes photo of Jonesy, Strayhorn
and Jerome Rhea
-added 20060721
Constant Lambert
English composer - the music of Liszt and Duke Ellington that made the deepest impact on Lambert...
- added 20080208
Jimmy McHugh
Jimmy McHugh
Jimmy McHugh
Biographical sketches of Jimmy McHugh, who collaborated early on with Irving Mills, and later teamed
up with Dorothy Fields. They wrote several tunes recorded by Ellington in the Cotton Club days. McHugh
wrote the music and Fields penned the lyrics. "two of America's most celebrated songwriters"
Their Blackbirds of 1928 ran on Broadway for 518 perfomances in a little over a year.
added 20080825
Mills' Ten Black Berries
Red Hot Jazz discography for this Ellington band
- added 20050328
Irving Mills Dies at 91
Obituary from N.Y.Times, 23 May 1985, reproduced in DEMS Bulletin 1985/3 (page down to page 4)
- added 20071228
Irving Mills and His Hotsy Totsy
Gang and Mills Blue Rhythm Orchestra
Brief Big Band Database notes about two of manager Mills' bands.
- added 20060325
Onzy Matthews
played piano for the Ellington band on several occasions when Duke was ill. He also wrote charts
for the band and co-wrote an unrecorded composition 'Just a Gentle Word From You Will Do', with Duke."
Contributed by Joe Medjuck & Anthony Coleman on Duke LYM
- added 20070725
Mitchell Parish
Mitchell Parish
Information about the lyricist for Is That Religion, Sophisticated Lady, Lazy Rhapsody, and other music recorded by Ellington.
- added 20080826
Ken Rattenbury
Steve Voce's obituary of the band leader and author of Duke Ellington, Jazz Composer, a uniquely
detailed examination of the early years of Ellington's music, including analyses of transcriptions
that Rattenbury had made from Ellington's original recordings.
- added 20061128
Willie the Lion Smith
Review of a musical film biography, includes three sound clips and
a photo of Smith with
Ellington, possibly from their 1970 appearance on The David Frost Show.
- added 20061001
Photo, Ellington with The Lion
Photo. If you press the "up" button you'll get a thumbnail page that provides
access to several photos of various Ellingtonians.
- added 20050401
Bricktop
Picture of Ada "Bricktop" Smith in later life. According to Mark Tucker's "Ellington, the Early Years,"
Bricktop recommended the Snowden band to the owner of Barron Wilkin's club in Harlem.
- added 20050328
Lion Tracked to His Lair
Down Beat article by William Gottlieb about Willie the Lion Smith, January 1, 1947
added 20060721
The Memoirs of Willie the Lion Smith
Ad for recordings and reminiscences by Willie the Lion Smith
- added 20060618
Willie "The Lion" Smith
The African American Registry biographical note re Willie the Lion Smith
- added 20060618
Willie "The Lion" Smith
Red Hot Jazz's short biography of Willie "The Lion" Smith.
- added 20060618
Willie 'The Lion' Smith
BBC JazzProfiles biographical sketch
- added 20050401
Willie "The Lion" Smith - timeline
A timeline showing events in the life of Ellington's piano-playing mentor juxtaposed with key dates in American popular culture and
historical events. Includes links to a film script about him and to listen to three recordings.
- added 20060325
Elmer Snowden's band
Big Bands Database
- added 20050131
Wilbur C. Sweatman Orch.
Big Bands Database
- added 20050131
Fredi Washington website and
African
American Registry biography
Websites devoted to the actress who played Ellington's girlfriend in his 1929 film Black and Tan
and who later married Ellington's trombonist Lawrence Brown.
- added 20060723
Inventory of
the Fredi Washington Papers
Description of the holdings of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture of The New York
Public Library. The Fredi Washington Papers reflect both her private life as a married woman and
her professional career. The collection is divided into Personal Papers, Professional Correspondence
and Activities and Printed Matter. Correspondence includes correspondence between Ms Washington and
Lawrence Brown from 1932 to 1939; 3letters written to Mr. Brown by his parents in 1939; general
correspondence including telegrams, letters and greetings from Duke Ellington among others.
- added 20060723
In her own words...Mary Lou Williams interview
Melody Maker, April-June 1954. "...I hope Duke always keeps a band, for he is a genius
who gets the best results out of musicians. And what strange guys they were: half of them didn't
speak to each other. Too many stars, I guess. When they were speaking, and felt like playing,
they'd rearrange some of the band's oldies spontaneously right on the stand. Basie's is the only
other band I know capable of doing this. " This is a lengthy interview where Ms Williams tells
her musical life story.
- added 20061231
Morning Glory: a biography of Mary Lou Williams
Extracts from by Linda Dahl on the International Association of Jazz Educators' site. Includes a section on
her association with the Ellington band and of her writing for it. Very interesting to read.
- added 20060903
Mary Lou Williams
Eyneer Music Archives biography
- added 20050524
Morning Glory, A Biography Of Mary Lou Williams, by Linda Dahl
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
Mary Lou Williams
PBS Biography, with photos and audio interviews
- added 20050312
Back to the beginning of the Musicians section Back to the Top of the Page
Sites focused on the Music of Ellington or Strayhorn
Radio Denmark's Sensational Series Presenting Mercer Donated D.E. Material
***VERY IMPORTANT***
"A special survey displaying new discoveries, new conclusions, new solutions, new surprises"
Pages 9 and 10 of this 1986 DEMS Bulletin catalogues the recordings in the Duke Ellington
Stockpile, donated by his son to Radio Denmark. Page 3 explains the collection, pages 3 to 9
give details of each recording, and Benny Aasland describes the contents of the first 40 broadcasts
by Radio Denmark. There were later broadcasts and there are still recordings in the collection
that have not yet been broadcast.
- updated 20080514 with the assistance of Sjef Hoefsmit of DEMS
The Literary Ellington
Essay by Brent Hayes Edwards discusses the literary aspects of Ellington's music.
- added 2011-08-18
...the notes all change their places
Harry Rasky interviews Ellington about composing the Shakespearean Suite on CBC in a broadcast made May 15, 1957. The interview
is not documented in New Desor, in Stratemann or in Timner 4th edition and may have been recorded on Ellington's birthday,
but that's not certain.
Contributed by _______- added 20090102
DUKE ELLINGTON & his FAMOUS ORCHESTRA LIVE!
David Radlauer's JAZZ RHYTHM site "explores the lore, culture and personalities of early jazz, bringing alive the
colourful personalities, dynamic development and distinctive atmospere of early jazz. These entertaining presentations
will delight and charm whether you are just learning about Jazz, Blues and Swing or a dedicated "moldy fig"."
This is the link to his Ellington page, but the rest of the site is worth exploring. The large MP3 files
may take a minute or so to open, but they're very good quality, musicwise and soundwise.
Contributed by Carl Hällström - added 2010-03-20
50 great moments
in jazz: Duke Ellington plays Newport jazz festival
John Fordham's BBC article about the Ellington appearance in 1956
- added 2010-04-15
AccuJazz.com - Duke Ellington channel
An all-Ellington internet radio channel!
Contributed by Brian Gilmore in Duke LYM- added 20090609
‘‘It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got
That Grundgestalt!’’— Ellington from a Motivic Perspective
Dr. Edward Green, composer and music educator, examines Ellington's method of composing.
Contributed by Hans-Joachim Schmidt- added 2009-06-24
Ko-ko
Listen to the recording on this Norwegian webpage.
added 20090612
Titles of Ellington recordings, with composer/arranger credits
Marcus Girvan has prepared a comprehensive list of titles recorded by Ellington, together with composer and arranger credits.
Contributed by M. Girvan- added 20090102
The Style of Duke Ellington - Jazz Review - April 1959
"Also eluding the analyst's pen, and forming the key to the Ellington sound, are the tone colors of the band. Duke's
men produce a collective and individual intonation which cannot be easily duplicated by outsiders. Individually,
the sound of each artist is free from the restriction of ensemble conformity: an infinite number of false notes,
out-of-range notes, muted brass growls, reed slurs, smears, slides, laughing, crying, preaching, and talking emanates
from every instrumentalist. ...As for the notes that the sections or combinations play, Duke conceives much of his music in terms of
piano chords; he indicates certain notes to be blown regardless of whether the intervals or sequences are convenient or conventional for
the instruments to execute. His men proceed to play them, unmindful that all the rules say such things are impossible...
Duke frequently constructs the chords so that the melody lands in the bottom or middle voices. As the melody is so subdued, the sound of
the harmony is automatically pronounced. When the melody note falls in the upper voice, it enriches the harmony by forming the ninth, elev-
enth, or thirteenth of the chord. Thus the stylistic attributes of the men infuse themselves into the overall aural picture: Rex
Stewart with his peculiar in-between notes; Johnny Hodges' singing alto; Harry Carney's swooping baritone; ... These men, to mention
only a few, at one time or another have become an integral part of the Ellington sound..."
- added 20090307
"Paris Blues: Ellington, Armstrong and Saying It With Music."
The movie "Paris Blues" and album "The Great Summit" are the only collaborations between Ellington and
Louis Armstrong. Author Kiri Gabbard offers a "critical appraisal and behind the scenes glimpse of both. By studying the
film's discarded footage, Gabbard reveals decisions by its producers to expunge images of racial and sexual
self-expression and tolerance, along with their sonic equivalents."
- added 20090307
Quincy Jones reviews the LP Newport 1958
Review of the then-recent album, includes commentary on Ellington's musicians.
- added 20090307
Daybreak Express
A short film by D.A. Pennebaker (1958). A beautifully photographed trip through NYC on an
early train, set to this Ellington classic. Nicely done.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard- added 20080817
A history of Jazz Music - New York: Big Bands
Lots of discussion of Ellington's music and recordings by Piero Scaruffi. Also here - looks like much the same info, but I didn't do a comparison.
- added 20080302
A Masterpiece by Anyone's Standards
2007 review of The Duke Box CD boxset in the New York Sun by Will Friedwald, starting with his views
of Moon Mist.
"For any other composer, "Moon Mist" would be a career highlight (technically, the piece was
credited to the Maestro's son, Mercer Ellington, but it is believed that the Duke had more than
a hand in writing it), but for Ellington it's almost nothing, a minor bauble of a piece that was
buried in negligible spots in his concerts. Indeed, "Moon Mist" is representative of a career in
which the lesser works were superior to everyone else's masterpieces."
- added 20080224
Ellington Suiten
Short German article about the first Sacred Concert, on the Hannover Big Band site.
- added 20080302
The Ellington Effect
Professor Jeff Friedman of Berklee College of Music lists some of the voicings and techniques
Ellington used to achieve his unique sounds.
Contributed by Jeff Friedman- added 20071126
Jazz Workshop: Listening
Guide to Duke Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige
Part I - Black
Part II - Brown
Part III - Beige
Michael J. West's comprehensive Listening Guide to Duke Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige. In these
Blogcritics (an online magazine) articles, Mr. West, a writer, editor, and "shamelessly obsessive
record geek," analyzes the suite.
- updated 20071204
In
A Sentimental Mood (1935)
Comprehensive discussion on JazzStandards.com of the tune and the musicians behind it.
Contributed by Michael Palmer on DukeLYM - added 20071122
-->
All the Lyrics
Lyrics to several Ellington songs. I'm not sure where the webmaster is coming from, because
he intermingles garbage with Ellington's recordings, nor have I tried to confirm the lyrics are accurate.
However, this should be a useful source as long as one doesn't use the trash-talk links.
- added 20071104
Take the A Train
Downloadable or listenable sweet version of A Train in mp3 format on the Diminished Expectations blog.
As it's a blog, I'm not sure how long the link will last, so please let me know if it's gone when
you access it.
- added 20070903
Duking it out
Jon Niccum writes in LJWorld.com about the opening of the American Jazz Museum Ellington collection,
including the availability of sheet music.
- added 20070708
If it ain't got that swing:
Musical Performance Practices and the Possibility of Musical Meaning
"I said that the performance of Bach and Ellington were not essentially different. What unites them
is that we pass in performance from merely making sounds appropriate to the specifications in the score to
making music."
Prof. Donald Keefer's 1992 presentation to American Society for Aesthetics, Eastern Division
Meeting, Bard College, 1992, uses Ellington's music as a starting point for his paper.
- added 20070527
Ellington for Beginners
Michael Leddy writes about the Ellington CD "The Great Paris Concert"
- added 20070406
Caravan
Short essay on Caravan, with mention of its composers.
- added 20070319
Hans Koert's Hit of the Week webpage for March 1930
Earl Okin wrote on Duke LYM "I just acquired a PAPER record of Duke Ellington.
A 'HIT OF THE WEEK' record, around 1930,...It plays quite well!...It sounds more like a stock arrangement
than one by Duke, but you never know...I wonder why Duke got involved with making a paper record,
even if the band is billed at HOT CHOCOLATES. ;-)" Rich Ehrenzeller said "The 2 Hit of the Week Duke
Ellington 78's were issued in the depths of the Depression and only cost 10 cents new. Both have Irvin
Mills vocals. When playing it today, I would recommend placing a normal 10 inch 78 below the
Hit of the Week 78 when you try to play it" Stan Brager: "Hans Koert has a website devoted to the
Hit Of The Week (HOW) recordings."
Contributed by Stan Brager, Earl Okin and Rich Ehrenzeller - added 20070214
"Dooji Woogie" and "King Dooji", song titles
Brief discussion of the origins of "dojie," which appears to be a misspelling of Ellington's
noun used in two compositions.
- added 20061231
What's your favourite Duke Ellington recording?
The Sax on the Web Forum, General Discussion, Polls and Surveys
20061228
Black Beauty
At last I have an excuse to add a link here to Bill Egan's magnificent Florence Mills tribute site.
Bill writes "Black Beauty, in the many versions over the years by Ellington, and many others, has been
the single biggest factor in keeping Florence's memory alive. It has always been considered one of Duke's
finest compositions, an early sign of the depth of his talent." There are three Ellington recordings of
this fine Ellington composition. The first of these triggered Bill's interest in Florence Mills, leading him
in a worldwide quest to gather the material he needed to write her biography,
Florence Mills, Harlem Jazz Queen
Contributed by Bill Egan - added 20061217
Fingers: Celebrating Ellington the Pianist
Notes for a talk at Border's Books and Music, Washington D.C.,by Reuben Jackson.
added 20061022
http://www.redhotjazz.com/kentucky.html
Duke Ellington and His Kentucky Club Orchestra
RedHotJazz listing of recordings by this early Ellington group, including several downloadable recordings.
NOTE: this link appears to be dead, but if you search for "kentucky club orchestra" on
Google.CA it
may come up. Google's search engine probably cached it.
- added 20061021 - updated 20070415
Six Jolly Jesters
Listen to 3 songs (5 sides) by Ellington's Six Jolly Jesters on RedHotJazz, recorded October 1929.
- added 20061021
The Whoopee Makers
RedHotJazz listing of recordings by this Ellington group, including two downloadable recordings
(Hottentot and Misty Morning, Nov/Dec 1928, Pathé, New DESOR session 2817)
- added 20061021
Calgary Lindy Hop Society CD's
This is a delight for those who like to know a little about the music we listen to. This page lists
33 CDs, including Ellington's Three Suites, showing the duration of each song, the number of beats
per minute, and a danceability rating. There are several Ellington recordings in the various big band compilations, too.
- added 20060909
Form and Character in ...Such Sweet Thunder
Stephen M. Buhler's comprehensive history and analysis of Ellington and Strayhorn's Shakespearean Suite
appears to have been presentated at the 2004 meeting of the Shakespeare Association of America. It is
also viewable as a PDF document
- added 20060829
Recordings -
Ellington in Everything but the Name
Peter Watrous discusses The Great Ellington Units (RCA 6751-2 -RB) CD, giving some historical
background as well.
- added 20060829
Wynton Marsalis Interview
In this third page of an 8 page interview, Marsalis discusses jazz, including some comments about Ellington.
- added 20060829
Jump for Joy (new page)
Jump for Joy (old page)
WFIU public radio article on the Ellington 1940s musical Jump for Joy.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard via Duke-LYM- added 20060723, link
updated 20080207 by webmaster David Brent Johnson
The Duke Lives On 92nd Street
Will Friedwald reviews the current New York Ellington music scene and reviews the recent CD "The Cosmic Scene" by Duke Ellington and his Spacemen
- added 20060723
The Palomar A Date With The Duke
George Spink's "podcast" in the style of the great big band radio broadcasts. The site will automatically start playing
Mr. Spink's current show. Scroll down to "Click here to listen to A Date with the
Duke from the 400 Restaurant in New York City on May 5, 1945" to listen to or download the recorded
broadcast. To shut off the original feed, go to the playlist at the bottom of the page and press
the stop button.
Contributed by Stan Slome - added 20060514
The Late Show -why Duke Ellington's late work deserves our attention
Stanley Crouch writes of, and presents sound clips illustrating, later Ellington - " Ellington's early classics...have been
often and rightly praised; his late work has been largely neglected... Put simply, Ellington's late work is largely a secret treasure."
added 20060430
"Mike" clippings from Melody Maker, Sept 1932
Extract from review of Ellington's The Sheik of Araby and Blue Ramble, by British band leader/columnist Spike Hughes,
writing as Mike. Clicking on the link at the bottom will take you to the main Spike Hughes page, which discusses his early
career, including his admiration for Duke. Includes photos of Florence Mills, Ellington, Jack Hylton, Irving Mills and several others.
- added 20060413
Jazzitude - Duke Ellington Reissues
Review by Marshall Bowden's site of CDs Masterpieces by Ellington, Ellington Uptown, Festival Sessions. Sidebar
links take you to Amazon's catalogue for other albums, where there are sound clips to listen to. I found some new-to-me
recordings here. Nice stuff.
- added 20060430
Something 'Bout Believing
Vibesman Jay Hoggard writes about his quartet's CD of this title. I've included the link because Mr. Hoggard
describes his love of Ellington's sacred music.
- added 20060330
Sir Duke
Nate Chinen, 1999, taking a look back at 100 years of Ellington
- added 20060326
It Don't Mean a Thing/Sing, Sing, Sing
Listen to The Nuclear Whales sax sextet's medley It Don't Mean a Thing/Sing, Sing, Sing. While only IDMAT is
by Ellington, it's a nice recording in Real Audio format.
20060308
The Best Negro Jazz Orchestra
Article in Evergreen Review by Robert Goffin - "I do not think it is possible to compare an individual with an
orchestra. Armstrong is the quintessential expression of "hot," the genius of improvisation; Duke Ellington
represents the phenomenal achievement of the man-orchestra,... "
Contributed by Bill Egan 20060301
Mood Indigo
NPR's "100 most important American musical works of the 20th century" series -"Duke Ellington was a master at creating an element of surprise in his compositions. The unique
voicing of instruments on "Mood Indigo" is an example of the composer's subtle sophistication. Lou Santacroce,
host of NPR's At the Opera, tells the story behind this classic hit tune." You'll have to scroll down the page to
access this 8 minute Real Audio sound clip.
- added 20060218
web.grinnell.edu/imts/finearts/projects/flash/guides/atrain
Wow! Sound recording, with accompanying written analysis, of Take the A Train. The text
highlights each section and tells you what you're hearing as you hear it. This is
a tremendous use of modern technology, with analysis by Ralph Russell and design by
David Berk of Grinnel College. David Berger reminds us of the train imagery in this
composition, and says this recording is an arrangement by Strayhorn, although Duke
added the intro and changed a few things like the brass on the last 8 of the first
chorus and the pyramid that sounds like the brake of the train, also possibly the coda.
Two non-Ellington jazz standards are analyzed in a similar manner on this site: Start here.
- added 20051205 (contributed by Arne Neegaard)
This Day in History - Mood Indigo
October 15, 1930 - Mood Indigo recorded - brief synopsis of the origin of the perennial hit.
< - added 2010-04-15
Take the A Train transcribed solo
Ray Nance's trumpet solo, from the "Ellington/Armstrong Jazz Festival" - transcribed by Jeff Helgesen
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20051205
Jazzhouse.org Library - Duke Ellington's Far East Suite
Liner notes for the original CD reissue in 1988, by Neil Tesser
Contributed by Arne Neegaard- added 20051202
Duke Ellington's Chord Progressions listed on SongTrellis
Chord progressions for 29 Ellington compositions - includes sound files and some scores. Fascinating site.
20051007
Dvorak to Duke Ellington
Maurice Peress, conductor, is interviewed by Christopher Leiden about American music and the
links to Dvorak. Most of this discussion is about Duke. This is a downloadable MP3 file,
about 50 minutes long. Peress closes on his own four years at Duke’s side as an
orchestrator and conductor of late Ellington works like the ballet score, “The River,” and
the comic opera for television, “Queenie Pie.”
Recommended by Ken Steiner on Duke-LYM 20050915
Duke Ellington: A Duke Ellington Appreciation
Will Friedwald reviews the 1988 performance of Black Brown and Beige by the American Jazz Orchestra
Added 20050907
Deluxe
Duke Ellington: The Works, 24 CD's of Them
1999 New York Times review of RCA's 24-disk "Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete
RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973)"
- added 20070307
Ellington on Disk, Live, Loosened and Otherwise
1999 New York Times article by Ben Ratliff, discussing which CDs will be best to introduce Ellington's music
- added 20050821
Reborn, and Going International
1999 New York Times article by Robert G. O'Meally, discussing Ellington career post-Newport.
- added 20050821
Ellington Beyond Category
1993 New York Times essay by Margo Jefferson
- added 20050821
Ellington: Unfailingly Modern
New York Times 1985 article by Robert Palmer, discussing Ellington's recording releases of the 1950s and 1960s.
- added 20050821
Sophisticated Ladies
Ellington biographical note with link to performance licence information for the 1981 musical
- added 20050814
"Ballet Theatre Foundation, Inc."
Brief details of 3 ballets featuring Ellington's music
- added 20050814
Princeton, Music 202 / Religion 202
Princeton University description of Ellington's Sacred Concert, with an extract from Derek Jewell, Duke: A Portrait of Duke Ellingtonand from Ellington's program note for the first performance:
- added 20050812
Duke Ellington at Basin Street East
Review by R.W.Dana of a December,1961 performance
- added 20050801
Musical trip: Take the A Train
BBC's report of how the Strayhorn song came to be the band's theme
- added 20050619
Newport festival fever
BBC report on the revitalizing landmark 1956 performance
- added 20050619
Jazzy 'Nutcracker Suite' : Tchaikovsky's melodies get a modern twist
Toledo Blade article by Steven Cornelius, Blade music critic
- added 20050616
Duke Ellington Collection
University of North Texas collection of Ellington recordings assembled by Rhodes Baker …over 1,000 Ellington
recordings inlcuding 88 reel-to-reel tapes of rare performances … including radio, tv & live appearances _ Many … are
the only existing recordings of these performances. More than 800 commercially-released recordings …are also
included in the collection. The catalogue shows the Timnerpage number for those recordings included
in Ellingtonia.
- added 20050616
PEER GYNT GOES HOLLYWOOD - ELLINGTON PLAYS GRIEG
Dr. Walter Lindenbaum's paper on Ellington's Peer Gynt Suite, presented at THE INTERNATIONAL EDVARD
GRIEG SOCIETY CONFERENCE – BERGEN 26 May 2000. Fairly short and interesting discussion. writes
A discussion of the matter seen from a point of view of a jazz researcher can be found in Mervyn
Cooke: "Jazz Among the Classics, and the case of Duke Ellington” published in "The Cambridge
Companion To Jazz.” Cambridge 2002, Mervyn Cooke andDavid Horn (eds.).
Contributed by Jørgen Mathiasen in Duke-LYM - added 20080901
Reidar Storaas: Duke Ellington's forbidden Grieg arrangements
Grieg Society Grieg Forum explanation of the Scandinavian controversy
over the Ellington/Strayhorn arrangements of Peer Gynt Suite.
"We never play it anymore. Billy Strayhorn invested so much love in it that
there is no satisfaction in playing it now that its forbidden. Can you imagine what fools
we've been to work so hard only to have our work forbidden? But I don't think Grieg would
have been offended by our version. He would probably have been delighted." (Aftenposten)
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20050515
Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio
Ed Bradley Featured Programs include several featuring the music of Ellington and Strayhorn
played by The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and others. You'll need RealPlayer which you can download
from the site. Some Ellington-related shows or shows featuring music of Ellington or Strayhorn are:
| Prelude to a Kiss |
Ellington's Strayhorn |
Duke Ellington-In the Spirit of the Place |
| Pianists on the Platform-Ellington Highlights I |
Jump for Joy |
Marcus Roberts Trio |
| Duke In Small Doses |
Body & Soul |
Kenny Barron and Gary Bartz |
-Prompted by Ed Sisu's message in Duke-LYM- added 20050523
Lush Life
Short essay on Strayhorn's Lush Life
- added 20050427
Swingera
Page to hear Ellington recordings - probably good to keep on as background when browsing other sites
- added 20050501
Song Lyrics
Duke Ellington Lyrics List, from LyricsDownload.com site
- added 20050426
PEOPLE IN AMERICA #1789 - DUKE ELLINGTON, PT. 2
Transcription of a radio broadcast by VOA, PEOPLE IN AMERICA.
- added 20050426
IBDB (Internet Broadway Database)
List of Broadway shows using Ellington's music
- added 20050426
IMDb (- Internet Movie Database)
Comprehensive list of films, videos, etc. featuring or using Ellington or his music
- added 20050501
Ellington for solo bass?
Saint-Andre site, with suggestions of which Ellington charts would lend themselves to bass solos.
- added 20050427
AllDukeEllington internet radio
'"radio station" with nothing but Ellington, for free (for those who use AOL.com) as their Internet connection service. The AOL opening page has an icon "CD-Quality Radio". That opens a page that has a list of "stations by category". On that list is a section "Artist Spotlights", one of which is "AllDukeEllington". By clicking that, you'll have free Duke all day, everyday…'.
Contributed by Stan Brager as a result of a suggestion from Kennabro
on Duke-LYM - added 20050407
The Harlem Nutcracker
Dance review, American Visionsby Henry H. Chase
- added 20050327
The Duke Ellington Reader (Tucker) and Beyond Category (Hasse)
Book reviews by Frank Tirro in American Music
- added 20050327
New World A-Comin': A Century of Jazz and Modern Dance
An essay by Ann Daly on modern dance. Discusses the segregation of dance music from jazz, and the later reintegration, including major uses of Ellington's music.
Contributed by David Hill on Duke-LYM - added 20050326
Great Encounters - Duke Ellington at Newport, 1956
As told by Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050314
Duke Ellington Jukebox Page
George Spink's Tuxedo Junction page with downloadable Ellington recordings.
- added 20050311
Satin Doll litigation Tempo Music v. Famous Music
Tempo Music v. Famous Music - litigation between the estates of Ellington and Strayhorn - the extent of Strayhorn's copyright. Includes sound clips and score extracts.
Contributed by Arne Neegard - added 20050305
The River
Stanley Slome's essay for the newsletter of the DE Society of
Southern California on Ellington's ballet, including his critique of the recordings by
Duke Ellington, Mercer Ellington and others.
Contributed by Stanley Slome - added 20050305
Harlem - Duke and the Classical Connection
Stanley Slome attempts to unravel the tangle of
contradictions, factual errors and unanswered questions which mar the historical record
of Ellington's classical connections. Many of them centre on one work: A Tone
Parallel To Harlem,more familiarly known as The Harlem Suite
or just Harlem.
Contributed by Stanley Slome - added 20050303
The Far East Suite-Special Mix, RCA Bluebird CD 66551-2
Jelly Review of the CD.
- added 20061104
Inkblot magazine reviews of Far East Suite, Money Jungle, and
Blues in Orbit
Review of the CDs, brief biographical sketch, links to other
Ellington-related recordings.
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050227
Light
Manuscript of Light from Smithsonian site
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050227
Dan Morgenstern "Living With Jazz"
In this streaming 3 minute 40 second video presentation, the
director of Rutger's Institute of Jazz Studies discusses an Ellington recording session
Contributed by Stan Slome - added 20050226
Dr. Aaron Bell on Ken Burns Jazz
What it was is any, every musician loved playing Duke’s music... Dr. Aaron Bell speaks about how Duke wrote music. Some insights into the man and Strayhorn as well
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050212
Msgr. John Sanders on Ken Burns Jazz
I think Duke believed that he had this ability to convey something special. He believed in his knowledge of a
harmony which he developed. A harmonic language his own... Monsignor John Sanders speaks about Duke's music.
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050212
The Unknown Ellington
Michael Kilpatrick's page dedicated to unknown/untitled Ellington manuscripts, with sound clips
- added 20050130
The Late Show
Why Duke Ellington's late work deserves our attention.
Stanley Crouch discusses the music - this site also has some good forum comments
- added 20050206
Rehearsing The Great Circus Train Turnaround
Blues
David Palmquist's brief observations about the rehearsal transcribed in the booklet for the
CD box set Ella
Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, Côte d'Azur Concerts on Verve
- updated 20060829
Ellington recording sessions
Peter MacHare's list
- added 20050130
Bourbon Street Jazz
list of Ellington compositions
- added 20050130
roundaboutjazz.de
Jørgen Mathiasen 'Round About Jazz')
Research papers on Ellington - Jazz is only a word...; Ellington quotes re "Jazz" and aesthetics;
Detailed index to Music is My Mistress; Ellington's production as a composer
- added 20050130
Ellington's production as a composer
Jørgen Mathiasen's paper for the Nordic jazz research conference, August 2004.
- added 20050130
The Title Key (800 KB)
Jørgen Mathiasen's study of song titles as a measure of Ellington's output
- added 20050130
Smithsonian Institute - Ellington Collection
Finding aids
- added 20050130
Jazz-Institut Darmstadt
Duke Ellington Bibliography, now contains articles, books and essays from 1923 up to 2005, also containing articles in which
Ellington is prominently mentioned, blindfold tests in which an Ellington item was played and Down Beat news items refering to
local activities in the bigger American cities. You can the search pages by using the search tool of your web browser.
- updated 2006-01-09
Austin Lindy Hop
Ellington from the perspective of the Lindy Hop
- added 20050129
Survey of Duke Ellington's Music
Hans-Joachim Schmidt's compilation of links to books,
essays, sites, records, CD's, tapes, etc., etc.
- added 20050129
Todd's Duke Ellington Page
Todd Peach's page with lyrics to many Ellington songs. Includes many books of sheet music.
- added 20050206
Duke Ellington Windows Media Player Jukebox page by George Spink
- Listen to Ellington recordings in mp3 format.
- added 20050206
JFK Center for the Performing Arts
Understanding jazz, with reference to Ellington.
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050210
The Juan Tizol Song
Space Age Pop site, discusses Caravan and mentions Perdido
- added 20050226
The Rise and Fall of Popular Music, Chapter 8, Big Band Jazz
Donald Clarke discusses the Cotton Club composers and their interaction with Ellington "...
But Ellington had nowhere better to go, and probably appreciated the importance of the radio wire...Ellington’s band could
play as hot as any other black outfit, but he was thus influenced by first-class show music almost from the beginning. His
natural talent for tone colours
-Contributed a sensual beauty...". Mr. Clarke's comprehensive study of the
growth of popular music begins here.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - modified 20060829
Birmingham Royal Ballet
Another dance site discussing a performance based on Ellington's version of The Nutcracker
- added 20050327
Donald Byrd's The Harlem Nutcracker
Review of dance based on David Berger's enhancement of Ellington's Nutcracker
- added 20050327
The Sequoia String Quartet plays Benjamin Britten, John Crawford, and Paul Chihara
Review of string quartet CD that includes Paul Chihara's Ellington Fantasy
- added 20050327
Back to the Top of the Page
Ellington societies and their newsletters
La Maison du Duke/Duke's Place in Paris (Français)
La Maison du Duke/Duke's Place in Paris (English)
Home page of the French society La Maison du Duke/Duke's Place in Paris
- added 2011-06-27
The International DEMS Bulletin
The periodical of the International Duke Ellington Music Society (Belgium), published
since 1979, is now available on-line. 2001 to the present are in HTML format, and earlier editions
are in PDF files. Editor Sjef Hoefsmit passed away in 2013, and it is not certain if or in what form the DEMS bulletins will continue.
- updated 2013-08-10
The Duke Ellington Society UK
The Duke Ellington Society of the United Kingdom's purpose is to further the study,
appreciation and dissemination of the music of Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington and his writing
and arranging companion Billy Strayhorn.
- updated 20070319
Blue Light
DESUK newsletter - note you can purchase back issues to as early as 1996 at this site.
- updated 20070319
TDES Inc. (new site) and
TDES Inc. (old site)
The Duke Ellington Society (New York)
If you don't use the suggested Flash Media plug-in, the page won't display
properly. It takes only a moment to instal, and doesn't require any expertise.
- added 20050224
The Duke Ellington Society
The Duke Ellington Society, Washington
- added 20050130
Duke Ellington Society, Bay Area Chapter
The Duke Ellington Society in San Francisco
Contributed by Agustín Pérez- added 20060405
The Duke Ellington Society, Toronto
The Duke Ellington Society, Toronto
- added 20060405
Contributed by Jim Northover - updated 2013-08-10
Duke Ellington Society of Southern California
Duke Ellington Society of Southern California
- updated 2011-04-30
Duke Ellington Society of Sweden
Duke Ellington Society of Sweden (DESS) has been active without interruption for 14 years with a
minimum of four club meetings with live music each year. Members receive the quarterly magazine
"Bulletin", of high standard with many original articles by informed writers. There is a mixture of
English and Swedish material, which has been appreciated by our international members. New members are
welcome at the annual US$40 fee. The new homepage ellington.se is now in operation with
ambitions to also include some material in English.
- updated 20071028
Ellington '04 International Duke Ellington Study Group Conference
Antony Pepper's page, with photos, including Alice Babs
- added 20050415
Origin of The Duke Ellington Study Group
Melvin Saxton's presentation to the May 1998 16th Annual Duke Ellington International Conference, Chicago
- added 20070823
Duke Ellington Study Group Los Angeles
The Ellington Study Group is organized and led by composer and pianist Scott Healy, and is open to all music professionals.
added 2011-09-25
Back to the Top of the Page
Ellington recordings - lists, commentaries & discographies
- Duke-LYM Mailing List (FAQ)
Free E-mail discussion group, formed to discuss all things Ellington.
The linked page shows you how to join or quit, and provides other useful tips as well. Thanks to Jørgen
Mathiasenfor suggesting the FAQ
- added 20050701
- Ellington
Recordings on Compact Disc - Cross-referenced Song Lists
It can be frustrating to find you've just bought an Ellington compact disc that has several
recordings you already have on other Ellington CDs. And sometimes you want to know how badly you need
a new CD or new box set when you may have most of its recordings in your existing collection.
Marcus Girvan, Bjorn F. Andresen and David Palmquist have compiled a database to help you identify
recordings that appear on more than one CD.
- added 20070531
- The Wax Works of Duke Ellington
Benny Aasland's 1954 pocket discography, while outdated, is still the easiest discography of Ellington's
recordings on 78 RPM records. I have scanned the pages and, with the permission of Mr. Aasland's son, Bo Åslund,
uploaded them as a working tool for those who work with Ellington record labels.
Contributed by D. Palmquist added 2010-11-07
- Duke Ellington: Fleurette Africaine
Short blog entry about this track from the album Money Jungle.
- added 20091111
- THE DOZENS: TWELVE TRAIN TRACKS
Thomas Cuniffe briefly reviews a dozen recordings about trains, including Daybreak Express and Happy Go Lucky Local.
- added 20091111
- Ellington Uptown: Duke Ellington,
James P. Johnson and the Birth of Concert Jazz
Brief review of John Howland's 2009 book.
- added 20091004
- Gennett
recordings reflect Ellington's influences
Article in Pal-Item.com (Palladium Item?) website about Ellington's early recordings with
the Gennett record company. The July 26, 1923 unreleased Victor recording with Snowden's Novelty
Orchestra is "Home," written by Ray Klages and Billy Fazioli and recorded by Elmer Snowden's Novelty
Band, according to Mark Tucker's Ellington The Early Years, page 90.
- added 20080827
- Jazz Journal
New online version of the British jazz magazine.
Contributed by Marcus Girvan - added 2009-06-26
- Ellington Interpretations by Other Artists in the 1920s and 1930s
In the '20s and '30s bands strived for their own repertoire, thus defining themselves and keeping a loyal group of followers.
Nevertheless, many Duke Ellington compositions and adapted arrangements were played and recorded by others in these years.
Bjarne Busk has compiled a list of Ellington compositions recorded by other artists in the 1920s and 1930s, a list of
Ellington compositions played by other bands, though not recorded by them, and finally a list of recorded tributes to Duke
Ellington.
Contributed by Bjarne Busk - added 20090102
- ELLINGTON, HINES, OTHERS: The Jazz Piano
Scoredaddy's brief review of the Mosaic CD of the jazz piano workshop of the June 20, 1965 Pittsburgh Jazz Festival.
Also go to Mosaic's site for
the discography and to order the CD.
- - added 20081129
- Buried
Treasure: Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington
Brief review of the album on which the pair collaborated.
- - added 20081129
- Duke
Ellington - 1965 - Stuttgart Germany
List of songs broadcast and apparently captured on tape.
- - added 20081129
- Some Enchanted Evening - Backstory in Blue: Ellington at Newport ’56
Byron Nilsson reviews Backstory in Blue.
- added 20080828
- Homage to Benny Goodman's Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert
Jon Hancock asked me to link to his website, and I decided to because, while the site itself does not currently
mention the Ellington sidemen, their appearance resulted in Blue Reverie, one of my favourite recordings. Mr. Hancock
writes "For many years I have been researching Benny Goodman's Carnegie Hall concert in 1938.
As you probably know, three of Ellington's sidemen played with Goodman that evening: Hodges, Cootie Williams and Harry Carney.
I'm just about ready now to published my findings in a book and I have just launched a website with some additional material."
- Contributed by J. Hancock - added 20081129
-
New book chronicles Duke Ellington concert and its cultural impact
Brief review of John Fass Morton's 2008 book "Backstory in Blue: Ellington at Newport '56."
- added 20080817
- Internet movie data base
List of films that include Ellington's music in the soundtrack.
- added 20080302
- A collection of Duke Ellington 78 rpm record labels
Courtesy of The Dooji Collection
Contributor (anon.)- added 20070902
- The Record Archive - List of Records
This site is a list of records, by label and number, with the song titles and artist names. If you click
on the label/number, you can view an image of the record label. There are several Ellington records listed.
- added 20070907
- The Duke Box
Michael Leddy reviews The Duke Box: Duke Ellington in the Forties(8 CDs,
Storyville Records, 2006).
- added 20070708
- Dobbin's Den
Review of 1963 Montreal Jazz Festival, including a description of an Ellington concert on August 14.
Note this appearance is not documented in Stratemann, which shows Ellington in New Jersey on
August 12 and Chicago on August 20. My People opened in Chicago on August 16 (albeit without the
DEOrch) and one must wonder if Ellington would be away from Chicago only 2 days before its opening.
- added 20070725
- Max on the Music!
Max Dudious reviews the CD Duke Ellington, Assorted Works; Wynton Marsalis/The Lincoln Center Jazz
Orchestra, DMX Music, in Association with Brooks Brothers
- added 20070723
-
VINTAGE 1957: A NIGHT OF DANCE WITH THE DUKE
Full length review of the Carrolltown dance recording, by John Wilson in the New York Times, followed
by a review of the Treasury Series
- added 20070505
- Duke Ellington
by James Lincoln Collier
1998 review by Steve Scharz of Collier's Ellington biography from 1987.
- added 20070424
- An Evening with
Ellington: The 1954 Hamilton Forum Concert
This is actually a blog promoting an April 14, 2007 concert by Rick Wilkins and The Hamilton All
Star Jazz Band, but it opens with a cool description of what the concert was like, so I'm including it here.
- added 20070409
- REMINISCING IN TEMPO
Film reviewed by William Wolf
- added 20060304
- Billy Strayhorn - Piano Passion - with Michel Gaudry, double bass
Announcement of a 21-track reissue collection of Billy Strayhorn in performance on recordings from as
early as 1945 thru 1961. These were just about the only recordings issued during Strayhorn's lifetime
under his own name.
- added 20060216
- The Birth of Duke Ellington
Lengthy and enthusiastic review of the Newport 1956 concert, by an anonymous blogger
- added 20061112
- Craig Allan Hanley
Craig Hanley's website devoted to Gerry Mulligan includes liner notes to NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL 1958 and All-Star
White House Tribute To Duke Ellington.
- added 20061111
- Ellington, Newport and the American Century
RadioOpenSource blog, including downloadable broadcast dedicated to the Ellington Newport 1956 event, including an interview with Stanley Crouch.
Contributed by Stan Slome - added 20060823
- Duke Ellington recordings collection: Guide
Description of the Ellington recordings in the collection donated to Harvard's Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library
by the late collector Joseph Jeffers Dodge
- added 20060823
- Duke in Sacred Concert St. John the Devine advance publicity and
Jackson Journal review
Contemporary publicity for the second Sacred Concert, and a review (Jan 20, 1968) in the Jackson Journal of the performance.
- added 20060823
- The Cosmic Scene
A Million Miles Away blog introduces the 2006 release of the CD The Cosmic Scene. Includes links to
Mosaic's advertisement
and to websites about band members.
- added 20060822
- Eating the Apple
Tover van Ooteldonk writes of his experience at the Newport 1956 Jazz Festival. Note this is a blog, so
you might have to scroll down his menu on the left to find the article Ellington at Newport + 50 Years.
- added 20060822
- Ellingtonia - The
Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen, Fourth Edition
Byron Nilsson's review of W. E. Timner's comprehensive discography.
Contributed by Byron Nilsson 20060812
- Andrew Homzy pays tribute to the Duke
January 1999 announcement of Professor Homzy's Ellington centennial concert.
20060808
- My People
Answers.com details of the 1963 LP, including discography.
20060723
- N.Y. TIMES REVIEW - Anatomy of a Murder - A Court Classic
Contemporary (1959) Bosley Crowther review of the movie for which Ellington wrote the music and in which he made a brief appearance. You may have to subscribe
to the website, but it's free and it's easy. Clicking on the DVD tab gives you a summary of the DVD as well.
- added 20060723
- N.Y. TIMES REVIEW - Check and Double Check
Contemporary (1930)Mordaunt Hall review of the New York premiere of Ellington's first movie. The only mention of Ellington and his
band is "It is where the car, after bringing up a Negro band to the Blair home, suddenly has a flat tire ..." There is also
a synopsis here.
- added 20060723
- Reveille for Beverly synopsis and
contemporary review
Brief New York Times summary and an unfavourable contemporary (1943)review of this movie
which featured the music of Sinatra, the Mills Brothers, the Radio Rogues, Bob Crosby, Ellington, Basie and Freddie Slack.
- added 20060723
- Reviews in The Telegraph and
The Telegraph
Reviews of the 2006 performance of the Duke Ellington Sacred Concert at St Paul's Cathedral, London, July 2006
-added 20060705
- "New Publications"
Earl Mallory's Ellington bibliography (continues)
-added 20060701
- The Best Jazz Albums on CD
A translation to CD by Jim Determan of Len Lyons' The 101 Best Jazz Albums: A History of Jazz on Records.
Section C lists a few Ellington records and tells you which CDs they appear on.
- added 20060522
- Credits - Duke Ellington
List of Ellington movies and videos, with links to very short summaries of each.
- added 20060430
- Duke Ellington Panorama - Albums
While I've listed Peter MacHare's great site at the top of my list of links, for good reason, if you click "Albums" at the top
of this page, it will take you directly to his listing of CD's and albums, with links to his descriptions of many of them.
If you have a moderately sized collection of Ellington recordings, Mr. MacHare's information will be very useful to you when thinking of
buying another CD, particularly where it has the same name as an earlier release.
- added 20060120
- Composing for the Large Jazz Ensemble
This annotated bibliography by Jim Scully includes brief comments about many publications concerning
Ellington and his music and of some recordings as well:
Publications:
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2000. S.v. "Ellington, Duke," (Andre Hodeir, Gunther Schuller)
- Music Is My Mistress ("The organization of this autobiography is a bit unorthodox")
- Duke Ellington and His World (Lawrence, A. H.)
- Reminiscing in Tempo: A Portrait of Duke Ellington (Nicholson, Stuart)
- Black, Brown and Beige and the Critics" (DeVeaux)
- The Role of Trombones in Black, Brown and Beige (Dietrich)
- Duke Ellington, Black, brown, and beige, and the cultural politics of race (Gaines)
- The History of Jazz: Thoughts on Duke Ellington" (Hentoff)
- Black, Brown and Beige in Duke Ellington's Repertoire, 1943-1973 (Homzy)
- Simulated improvisation in Duke Ellington’s Black, Brown and Beige (Knauer)
- My Life with Black, Brown and Beige (Peress)
- Ellington in the Pantheon (Schuller)
- Ellington vis-`a-vis the Swing Era (Schuller)
- The Case for Ellington's Music as Living Repertory (Schuller)
- The Duke Ellington Reader (Tucker)
- The Genesis of Black, Brown And Beige (Tucker)
- Dance: The Unsung Element of Ellingtonia (Willard)
- Suite Times in Monterey: Influence of Duke Ellington at the 42nd Annual Monterey Jazz Festival (Enright)
- Review of Duke Ellington, by Lincoln Collier. "The Duke." In Uncommon People: Resistance,
Rebellion and Jazz (Hobsbawm)
- Review of The Duke Ellington Reader and Swing Changes: Big Band Jazz in New Deal America (Hobsbawm)
- On-line publications:
Duke Ellington's orchestral suite to open Stanford Jazz Workshop
"Black, Brown and Beige," Jazzhouse.org. (Wang)
- added 20060120
- Discogs
Brief notes about the man and his career, followed by a lengthy list of CDs and records. I've included
this link primarily because it has links to information about many obscure record labels.
- added 20070728
- Jazz CD Review Database page 73 and
page 73
"Jazz Review.com is your complete guide to jazz music on the web" These pages of the Jazz CD Review Database include
reviews of several Ellington CDs. One review says "Whereas some soloists can go on and on an on, The Duke says more with a
few select notes than some pianists can in a whole album."
added 20060120
- Vita.htm (Eastern Oregon State College)
Dr.Matt Cooper's list of Ellington recordings and a brief extract from his doctoral thesis on Ellington the pianist.
added 20060116
- Jazz History Weekly
Professor José Bowen's listening guide to Ellington's music - Basic Listening; Basic Reading;
Study and Further Listening; Further Reading; Ellington "Styles"; Ellington's Principal Sidemen
added 20060116
- Bibliography
Lincoln Trail College bibliography re Duke Ellington writings. Also go here>
for the college's library page.
added 20060116
- Seven Decades of the Duke
Peter Keepnews reviews Tucker's The Duke Ellington Reader and Hasse's Beyond Category - The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington
added 20060116
- Duke's 'Bones
Kurt Dietrich's page of book reviews about his book on Ellington's trombonists
added 20051229
- The Duke Ellington Discography On CD
CD listings, with brief commentary. The webmaster goes by the name of Jessey, a student from The Netherlands.
"My life as a jazzophile began in 1997. I had been searching for a 'new' kind of music, music I wasn't familiar
with, until I ran into Milt Hinton's Laughing At Life, my first jazz album. After hearing this CD I realized that my quest for
the ultimate music was over and that this beautiful form of art was probably going to be the music I would (and could) listen to,
for the rest of my life. That day, a new music journey began, and the end is still nowhere in sight..."
added 20051225
- Duke Ellington : 2004 Reissues
Jay Collins reviews Masterpieces by Ellington, Ellington Uptown and Festival Session
added 20051225
- For Duke -
CD tributes celebrate Ellington's centennial
Short article by Greg Cahill about CDs released in 1999
added 20051225
- Ellington
on Record: The 1950's
Nice designed page discussing 9 LPs from the 1950s, created by Phillip D. Atteberry. Includes links to his several
other Ellington pages and to his jazz studies page.
added 20051225
-
Secret History - Agreeable to the Ear -A jazz immortal's last stand in Knoxville
Jack Neeley writes about Ellington's two shows at the Senators Club in Knoxville, which was Feb 28, 1970.
- added 20051009
- Duke Ellington-Features-One Final Note
Jay Collins writes about Ellington recordings
- added 20050923
-
Duke Ellington CD Diskografie 1920-29
German language site. This is the first of several pages listing CD's of
Ellington recordings from each decade, 1920s to 1970s. If you press the "back" button, you'll
be taken to the webmaster's main Ellington page, which has ducal links and details of several
books on Ellington.
- added 20050918
- Jazz Bulletin Board, Discographical Duke
All About Jazz bulletin board which appears to discuss Ellington CDs.
- added 20050901
- Seven Decades of the Duke
Peter Keepnews 1993 New York Times reviews of The Duke Ellington Reader and Beyond Category
- added 20050821
- Deluxe Duke Ellington: The Works, 24 CD's of Them
Terry Teachout's 1999 New York Times review of RCA's 24-disk "Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973),"
- added 20050821
- Onhifi.com - The Ellington Suites
Wes Phillips reviews the Ellington Suites CD, with emphasis on the Queen's Suite.
- added 20050821
-
THE AFRS JUBILEE TRANSCRIPTION
SERIES
Updated and revised discography of the Jubileeseries,
WWII American Armed Forces radio entertainment. The Jubilee transcriptions, produced
by the Armed Forces Radio Service, were distributed to radio stations all over the
world but not heard over the regular USA networks. Carl Hällstrom and
Bo Schermanhave revised the discography originally compiled by
Rainer Lotz and Ulrich Neuert, now encompassing 433 shows. This 409
page document is now available on-line. Ellington is represented in this series -
i.e., the first record has Hayfoot, Strawfoot,recorded Oct. '42. Hällstrom and
Scherman also produced 10 CDs (20 complete programs), available from
Storyville Records The Jubilee
Shows page. Herr Hällstrom's
own homepage is here
- added 20050626
- Symphony in Black
Brief synopsis of this early Ellington movie. Links to a site devoted to the Lindy Hop
- added 20050619
- Jungle Nights
& Soda Fountain Rags on King's Jazz Review, England, and
extracts from JUNGLE NIGHTS & SODA FOUNTAIN RAGS .
Book-length Brian Gilmore poem about Ellington reviewed by Ian King - the second link has extracts from the poem
Contributed by Lance Travis - added 20050619
- Village Voice - Rockin' in Rhythm
Jazz supplement, part II - several contributors discuss Ellington's recordings
- added 20050520
- Blues in Orbit, Piano in the Foreground, The Jaywalker, Piano in the Background
Review of the 4 CDs by Harvey Siders
- added 20050520
- University of Oregon holdings
Ellington resources available at the University of Oregon library
- added 20050501
- Three Suites
Steve Schwartz's lengthy review of the CD Three Suites, which includes The Nutcracker, The Peer Gynt Suite and Zweet Zursday
- added 20050501
- The Soul of Duke, The surprisingly Christian roots of Duke Ellington's jazz
William Edgar's surprisingly long review of Rev. Janna Tull Steed's Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography. William Edgar is professor of apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary
- added 20050501
- "Duke Ellington: Memories Of Duke"
Review of DVD by Paul Broome
- added 20050426
- Notes about Ellington recordings produced by Ed Michel
Ed Michel writes of 3 CD reissues he produced.
- added 20050426
- Duke Ellington, A Spiritual Biography
Worldwide Faith News archives article on Rev. Janna Tull Steed's writing of her book
- added 20050426
- Duke Ellington White House Concert
Review of recording by Terence Ripmasster
- added 20050401
- Ellington/Valburn Collection The Guide to Jazz in Film Bibliography: D - F
Library of Congress, Motion Picture & Television Reading Room - catalogue of holdings featuring Ellington
- added 20050328
- Chronological Classics 542
Brief review of CD
- added 20050328
- Ellington CD list
Polish site listing several Ellington CDs. Note by altering the number in the URL, you
will find lists of many CD's related to the history of jazz.
- added 20050328
- Duke, Django, and Throttlebottom
Article by by Ralph De Toledano, appears to be discussing a 7 cd box set including Ellington,
Reinhardt and Chet Baker recordings
- added 20050328
- Reminscing in Tempo
Book review of Stuart Nicholson's biography of Ellington
- added 20050328
- Music is My Mistress, autobiography by Ellington
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Duke Ellington and His World, A Biography, by A.H.Lawrence
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- A Portrait Of Duke Ellington, Reminiscing in Tempo by Stuart Nicholson
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Beyond Category, The Life And Genius Of Duke Ellington, by John Edward Hasse
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Duke Ellington, Jazz Composer , by Ken Rattenbury
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Duke's Diary, by Ken Vail
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Duke Ellington, by Scott Yanow
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Ellington, The Early Years, by Mark Tucker
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- The King Of All, Sir Duke Ellington And The Artistic Revolution , by Peter Lavezzoli
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Duke Ellington A Spiritual Biography , by Jana Tull Steed
Book review on Jazzscript site
- added 20050328
- Valentino Orchestra "Daybreak Express"
Brief review of Andrew Homzy's CD with his orchestra's renditions of Ellington stock arrangements.
- added 20050327
- From Jazz to Swing: African-American Jazz Musicians and Their Music, 1890-1935
Thomas Hennessey's book reviewed, with mention of chapters that discuss Ellington's band
- added 20050327
- Valentino Orchestra "Daybreak Express":
Brief review of Andrew Homzy's CD with his orchestra's renditions of Ellington stock arrangements.
- added 20050327
- From Jazz to Swing: African-American Jazz Musicians and Their Music, 1890-1935 by Thomas Hennessey
Book review, mentions chapters that discuss Ellington's band
- added 20050327
- Jungle nights & Soda Fountain Rags
Brief Black Issuesreview by Tyehimba Jess of Brian Gilmore's book length poem
- added 20050327
- JazzWeb album reviews, Duke Ellington
Minimalist site, 2 (only 2) very short CD reviews.
- added 20050311
- Duke
Ellington in Holland- 1939
"Through the research of Joop Gussenhoven and Ate
van Delden,it is possible to piece together the band's itinerary, and also present an
eye-witnessaccount of their concert in the Hague.
(Carl Hällström points out the picture
appears to be from 1933, not 1939 - see DEMS Bulletin 02/2 August-November 2002 and
DEMS Bulletin 02/3
December 2002 - March 2003 for more information. Also note the women's skirt lengths
are mid-calf (consistent with earlier 1930's fashions.)
J.P. van Blarkom, who was the former president of the Dutch Jazz Liga, attended
the concert and wrote an extensive report, which we present here for the first time in 61 years."
Palmquist comments - Lambert's Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guidesays
few Ellington recordings were distributed in Europe in the late 1930's, so when the band arrived,
audiences were not accustomed to the development in Ellington's music. This contemporary concert
review would seem to confirm this. This page includes a photo of the band at the Den Haag train
station, embarking for Sweden. The rest of the site is well worth reading, although
I don't see anything more of Duke.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20050226
- The Reprise Studio Recordings
Chris Hovan reviews recordings in the early to mid-1960's.
Contributed by Louis Tavecchio - added 20050302
- Wilson & Alroy's Record Reviews
"We listen to the lousy records so you won't have to." Reviews of several CD's. Some bio.
- added 20050213
- Duke Ellington on Compact Disc
Ellington CD list (Rude Interlude,Robb Holmes)
- added 20050130
- The International DEMS Bulletin
DEMS Bulletin - comprehensive discographical journal edited by Sjef Hoefsmit
with the assistance of Roger Boyes, hosted on Peter MacHare's site
- added 20050129
- Ellington for Everyone
Seattle Weekly Rearview Mirror review of 3 Ellington CD's (March-April 2004)
- added 20050129
- The Duke Ellington Bibliography
Lee Farley : "The Jazz-Institut Darmstadt site lists
books, essays, newspaper articles, short notices, and photographs in their
extensive collection and is periodically updated." Jørgen Mathiasen describes
the Jazz-Institut Darmstadt as: "...an important jazz institution on this continent and its leader,
Wolfram Knauer, is an expert on Ellington. The bibliography is a registration of ARTICLES in journals.
There are 1400+ references..."
- added 20050131
- Library of Congress
Use the simple search feature, type in Ellington, you'll get 1,700 or so hits.
- added 20050130
- RadioGold index
Arne Neegaard writes:"Search for old radio and tv shows - has
almost everything that has been on the air and you can search for artists, programs and
dates!"
- added 20050129
- Elmer Snowden's Band
Snowden band's discography 1923-1934
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20050205
- Duke Ellington Can Help You!
Review of the Duke Ellington Box Set - also has great portrait of Ellington in a tuxedo.
- added 20050206
- The Centennial Edition: Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Close your eyes, dip your hand into this treasure chest, and play any of the
462 tracks contained within: you are guaranteed to hear something magnificent...(Site includes good
links to other Ellington CD's and videos). Carl Hällström writes "The statement that you can listen
to all the "462 tracks" from the complete Centennial Edition, [20050206], is unfortunately too good to be true.
The link goes to a record shop which gives you just a few titles to listen to but they do sell the complete 24 CD-box
- added 20050723
- Wildness and Order in Ellington's “Happy Go Lucky Local”
Alan Shapiro discusses HGLL in the context of Aesthetic Realism and Music Education
- added 20050206
- The Essential Collection, 1927-1961
Mark Anthony Neal's Pop Mattersessay reviewing the 3 CD release The Duke: The Essential Collection, 1927-1961
- added 20050219
- Crabapple Sound - Old Time Radio
Cassettes and CD's of big band radio appearances for sale. You can search by band or by musician; when searching for Ellington, search for surname, band name, first name; be creative. Choosing a letter from the index of music will give you a list of shows the musician appeared on. This appears to be a source for copies of the Date with the Duke series from the mid-1940's.
- added 20050327
Back to the Top of the Page
On-line sellers - Ellington recordings and books
Ellington
Recordings on Compact Disc - Cross-referenced Song Lists
It can be frustrating to find you've just bought an Ellington compact disc that has several
recordings you already have on other Ellington CDs. And sometimes you want to know how badly you need
a new CD or new box set when you may have most of its recordings in your existing collection.
Marcus Girvan, Bjorn F. Andresen and David Palmquist have compiled a database to help you identify
recordings that appear on more than one CD.
- added 20070531
Here is Jazz Old Time on line
I believe this is a French website, in English, where you can listen to over 330 Ellington recordings.
These are full length recordings, not clips. You can listen for free, or you can download as many as you
want if you subscribe to the service, which appears to be very cheap. Please note not all the record
information is accurate, but it seems pretty good.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20070818
Dandylion Records, Seattle
Geff Ratcheson 's Ellington recordings for sale
- added 20050130
Duke Ellington And
His Orchestra - The Treasury Shows
Storyville Records webpage of Duke Ellington Treasury Show CDs. While this page covers the DETS
CDs, you need to search the other pages to find various other Ellington materials - Excellent
resource, includes books as well as CDs.
- added 20050328 updated 20080301
'A DUKE NAMED ELLINGTON'
the 2-hour, Emmy-nominated musical biography which premiered on PBS American
Masters, is now available on DVD and can be purchased online at www.dukeellingtondvd.com by telephone
at 1(800)343-5540 or through TDES (the New York Duke Ellington society.)
Contributed by Terry Carter- added 20070708
Jazz-by-mail
5 or so CDs listed for sale, with track listings and notes
- added 20050619
The Musicsafe.nl
List of Ellington CD's and a few links
- added 20050501
Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, The Great Summit
Review of the Armstrong/Ellington CD by John Ballon
- added 20050426
The Dutch Jazz Orchestra
4 DJO CD's of Billy Strayhorn's music.
Contributed by Walter van de Leur - added 20050302
Review of Far East Suite CD
MustHear.com review of Far East Suite Special Release
Contributed by louis tavecchio - added 20050302
Amazon.Com
major US online CD/DVD retailer
- added 20050130
Amazon.Ca
Amazon.com's Canadian site - same inventory, less hassle (GST charged at source, no extra Canada Post fee)
- added 20050130
Collector's Choice (USA)
Collector's Choice Music
- added 20050130
TowerRecords.com (USA)
Tower Records
- added 20050130
Brittens Music (England)
formerly Seaford Music, appears to be a full service music store
- added 20050130
Lycos Music
Large Ellington selection
- added 20050130
Sony Music
Sony's Ellington material
- added 20050130
Naxos Jazz Legends
Naxos CD series of earlier DE recordings
- added 20050130
Worlds Records Music Store
Lots of Ellington CD's, also DVD's.
Recommended by Ben Pubols - added 20050129
Norbert Ruecker Books and Videos
Prof. Andrew Homzy: "Located in Germany, and possibly the biggest and best
place for jazz books and videos in the world, Norbert Ruecker actively searches out new publications
from around the world, and in any language to add to his already huge catalog. All prices are in
Euros."
- amended 2007-10-01
Scarecrow Press
Use the quick search field at the top to search for Ellington. They carry:
They have Timner's Ellingtonia,Lambert's Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide,and Ken Vail's Duke's Diary, Parts I and II. They also carry Bill Egan's biography Florence Mills: Harlem Jazz Queen, to whom Ellington dedicated his composition Black Beauty
- added 20050131
JerryJazzMusician
Ellington notes & quotes - internet store selling books and records
- added 20050130
German Music Express
European online retailer, specializes in hard-to-find music/videos/CDs/DVDs/Laserdiscs/PAL videos in English, German, and French...
- added 20050206
fantasyjazz.com
fantasyjazz.com - three pages with writeups of their Ellington CDs
- added 20050206
Duke Ellington at PeanutsJazz.com
Biographical details, discography, etc.
- added 20050129
Filmography
Yahoo! Movies - appears to be an online vendor of Ellington related videos
- added 20050219
The Duke Ellington Reader
Oxford University Press page touting Mark Tucker's Duke Ellington Reader.
- added 20050301
Something to Live For The Music of Billy Strayhorn
Oxford University Press selling Walter van de Leur's book.
Contributed by Walter van de Leur - added 20050302
MP3.com
Brief bio on Ellington, and a source to download some of his recordings
- added 20050327
My Unforgettable Jazz Friends
Claire Gordon, Ellington's secretary, writes about her jazz friends
- added 20050403
Back to the Top of the Page
Scores and Sheet Music
Sultans of Swing, New York
David Berger , transcriber of 500 Ellington recordings, conductor, clinician, bandleader Sultans of Swing, 16-piece big band - plays the music of Ellington & other jazz composers including that of Mr. Berger.
- added 20050130
ellington-music.co.uk
Michael Kilpatrick specializes in early and rare Ellington charts
- added 20050130
La Maison du Duke/Duke's Place in Paris
La Maison du Duke makes a selction Duke Orchestra's transcriptions available to
musicians, students and orchestras. The order page is in French, but I will ask M. Mignard if they will post a translation.
Contributed by L. Mignard - added 2011-06-27
Satin Doll
Truly a rarity, you can download a leadsheet here for Satin Doll, to be played on ukelele.
- added 20070723
3-Horn Swing Jazz Charts
About 25 Ellington charts arranged by Henry Francis for 3 horn groupings (trumpet, alto and tenor saxes)
with rhythm and a couple of vocals.
- added 20070723
1920s Orchestra Transcriptions
Mike Henebry's transcriptions or arrangements include many Ellington titles from the early years.
If you click on his Big Band link, you'll find a couple of middle-Ellington charts as well.
- added 20070723
http://partoches.bearteam.org/
Free sheet music for C, Bb and Eb instruments - jazz standard lead sheets including several Ellington tunes.
- added 20061201
Saxsolos.com "Jazz Transcriptions Home Page"
Source for transcribed reed solos by Curtis Swift - lengthy list includes Ellington's reed men. Swift appears
to be willing to transcribe solos if you send him the recording, price negotiable.
- added 20061119
Alle-Noten sheet music and more
Huge German catalogue of Ellington material, including playalong, sax ensemble, trumpets, concert band, etc. Most of the
titles are graded for difficulty level.
- added 20060910
EncoreMusic.com Black Beauty
Source for sheet music
- added 20060223
Duke Ellington Piano - Piano Solos
This piano book contains 17 classics by Ellington
- added 20060212
Duke Ellington For Piano 1929-1946
and Duke Ellington Jazz Piano
"… Ellington's musical versatility is clearly demonstrated in this folio by such varied compositions as Mood Indigo, It Don't Mean A Thing, Sophisticated Lady and Take The A Train."
It looks as if there may be other Ellington music available at this site too.
- added 20050616
Laura's Midi-Heaven
Sheet music and music books of Ellington's music.
- added 20050616
A Salute To Duke Ellington -
A Salute To Duke Ellington - Featuring Caravan, In My Solitude And Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Composer: Duke Ellington. Editor: Pete Barenbregge.
- added 20050501
Southern Music site
Instrumental Music of Duke Ellington A selected listing of Ellington's music published by Warner Bros.
- added 20050615
Duke Ellington: Recommended Titles
Two books of piano and piano/vocal music from Sheet Music Online.
- added 20050427
Billy Strayhorn
Strayhorn works available from the G. Schirmer rental library
- added 20050501
Essentially Ellington
Professionally printed scores and parts for transcribed Ellington recordings - approximately 60 now,
more every year, most transcribed by David Berger.
updated 20060724
G. Schirmer, Inc. and Associated Music Publishers, Inc.
Ellington arrangements for rent and sale .
- added 20050130
Sheet Music Online
Piano books 141 Ellington titles, only a few duplicated
- added 20050130
Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc.
Billy Strayhorn scores and parts
- added 20050220
Charles Colin Music Publications
Twenty Ellington charts for sale, 8 from the 1930's, 7 from the Blanton-Webster era, and a few from later 1940's through 1960.
- added 20050220
Lush Life Music Big Band Arrangements
Two or three arrangements of Ellington band tunes here. This site
also has links to working big bands, big band information in general.
- added 20050311
Jimmy Hamilton's solo in
Perdido
- from The Cosmic Scene
Printable transcribed solo, April 3,1958 (NewDesor DE5818b)
- added
20050317
Music Publishers' Association of the United States
List of, and contact information for, many music publishers, including Ellington's Tempo Music.
- added 20050818
Miscellaneous and not yet categorized
Belle of the Nineties
David Weiner posted this link on Duke-LYM:
"Scroll down for an interesting story about Mae’s BELLE OF THE NINETIES (originally titled
IT AIN’T NO SIN), with clickable photos and ads mentioning Duke’s contribution to the film.
He was surprisingly well featured in these original blurbs, including a caricature of him along
with the film’s stars.
Contributed by David Weiner- added 2010-06-14
Frank Schiffman made the Apollo Theater into the premier venue for African American musicians
Harlem’s Apollo Theater was once a whites-only burlesque house, until the city shut down the circuit in 1934.
That’s when Frank Schiffman, a promoter specializing in what was then called “race music,” bought the place... Click the link
for the podcast history of this venerable theatre.
- added 2010-05-22
Harvard University's
Joseph Jeffers Dodge collection
Recordings of Ellington collected by Joseph Jeffers Dodge, jazz aficionado, artist, museum director, and Harvard Class of 1940.
Contributed by Michael Palmer- added 20090404
Jazz Festivals
In this article excerpted from Jazz: A History of America's Music, PBS includes a section of
Newport 1956, describing how it gave birth to a renewed Ellington orchestra.
- added 20070415
Elaine Lorillard; helped start Newport Jazz Festival
The origins of the Newport Jazz Festival are discussed in this obituary.
- added 20071203
“Ellingtones” (1987)
This page of the Center for Jazz Arts discusses David Baker's composition commissioned by
the N.Y. Philharmonic for Dexter Gordon't trio. Another chapter on this site is devoted to Paul
Whiteman, and is interesting if for no other reason that it has pictures of Sousa and of William Grant Still.
Andrew Homzy's assessment: "Here is a very well-done website - it needs more Ellington content, however."
Contributed by Andrew Homzy - added 20070323
Harlem Memories
Murray L. Pfeffer's cool writeup about Harlem clubs of the 1920s and 1930s, includes a nice
introduction to the Cotton Club.
added 20070131
John Edward Hasse
Interview of John Hasse, Ellington biographer and curator of the Smithsonian's Ellington archive.
- added 20061223
ALL THAT JAZZ: Education Student Creates Jazz Literacy Program
Page 2 of this PDF document describes using Ellington and a play about him in a literacy program - University of
Illinois College of Education site.
- added 20061201
Washington, D.C.
W. A. Brower writes about the jazz venues in Washington D.C. associated with Ellington
Contributed by Bill Egan - added 20061126
The acoustics of
memory: historiography and alterity in representations of 1950s township jazz
I haven't read this article but it appears to be a discussion of South African jazz. In chapter 7, starting
on page 32, there is considerable mention of Ellington.
- added 20061119
Waltzing to a Tango
Introductory chapter of a book by Betty McGettigan, about her close relationship with Ellington beginning in 1969.
- added 20060615
Jenkins Orphanage
History of the band that produced Jabbo Smith and Cat Anderson. Not entirely accurate - Jabbo Smith is said
to play in Duke Ellington’s orchestra through out the late 20s and 30s, which is untrue, and Cat Anderson is only said to
be a well regarded trumpeter in New York and mid-west dance bands.
- added 20060522
DESPERATE MAN BLUES - Record collector Joe Bussard parties like it's 1929
Eddie Deans essay in Washington Free Weekly Inc. about record collector Joe Bussard. The only Ellington link here is an interaction
with Jack Towers, who recorded Ellington's Fargo dance, and Bussard's reaction when Towers played an Ellington recording for him. However,
I thought the article was a fascinating insight into the world of record collecting, so I decided to link to it.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20060430
LEIDERKRANZ HALL - THE WORLD'S BEST RECORDING STUDIO?
Bernhard Behncke writes about the recording studio where Ellington recorded an incredible St. Louis Blues in
December 1927: "I will only recall those days, when someone found out that the Liederkranz Hall was probably the
best place for recording sessions because of its phenomenal acoustical conditions. It thus received an immense importance
for the American dance and jazz music..."
The other articles in
this site are worth exploring too if you are a record collector.
Contributed by Arne Neegaard - added 20060423
Some Thoughts on Jazz as Music, as Revolt, as Mystique
1958 essay by Kenneth Rexroth "...I have been to the Cotton Club, and let me say that in addition the acts were vulgar
and chauvinistic past belief...." Some Ellington comment.
Contributed by Stan Slome - added 20060417
ELLINGTON: THE FIRST ONE HUNDRED YEARS
Society for Music Theory, Atlanta, 1999 annual meeting - SMT Jazz Theory and Analysis Group - short notes about the presentations to be made.
- added 20060402
The Duke Ellington Symposium
Publicity for 1999 symposium at the University of Kentucky
- added 20060402
British Pathé
Jørgen Mathiasen: Hasse's biography: "The floor shows at the Cotton Club", writes Marshall Stearns, "were an
incredible mishmash of talent and nonsense which might well fascinate both sociologists and psychiatrists."
Ken Steiner: "One could go on and on forever about the psycho-social meaning of the Cotton Club...Duke was providing music not
only for the Cotton Club floor shows, but also sets for dancing and broadcasts. The broadcasts gave Duke's
music an impact far beyond the Cotton Club itself...And you can see two films of Duke at the Cotton Club
floor show at the British Pathé website. You have to search for "Ellington," then you can download a
low-resolution version or free. There have been plenty of McHugh-Fields tunes written for the show that were
recorded by Duke: Red Hot Band, Doin the Frog, Doin' the New Low Down, Japanese Dream, Harlemania....
Duke and the band would have worked out the arrangements and orchestration of these after hours I believe.
Contributed by Jørgen Mathiasen and Ken Steiner in Dukr-LYM- added 20060301
Live from the Cotton Club
German language pdf file about the Cotton Club. Be patient, it's 80+ pages and may take a little while to download.
Contributed by Bill Egan by way of Dukr-LYM- added 20060226
A Tone Parallel
To Harlem
Jazz at Lincoln Center Radio with Ed Bradley - the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra tackles Duke Ellington's famously
evocative sound portrait and other extended works including the "Far East Suite" and "Paris Blues Suite."
Conductors include David Berger, Robert Sadin and Wynton Marsalis.
- added 20060218
Mark Tucker
Collection Finding Aid
This finding aid identifies the documents contained in the Mark Tucker Collection given to the Music & Arts
Library at Columbia University.
- added 20060126
Kenny Burrell
Brief article, with interview sound clips, about guitarist and professor Kenny Burrell, who teaches a jazz
course built around Ellington's music.
- added 20060123
Traveling with “The Duke:" Scenes from a Legendary Life
This page about the Jim Cullum Jazz Band Jazz Mass includes material on Grace
Cathedral, venue for Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music, discusses the origin of the music and outlines
the Cullum group's presentation of it. The page also has the text of a sermon by
The Reverend Janna Tull Steed, author of Duke Ellington, A Spiritual Biography.
Brian Priestley advises only the Grace Cathedral event is on the Status lable.
- added 20060118
Ellington's influence on Frits Schjøtt
This message on the Duke-LYM discussion list in October 2005 is reproduced with the
kind permission of the author, Frits Schjøtt.
- added 20051203
Crystal Ballroom, Fargo, N.D.
History of the Crystal Ballroom, site of the famous Nov 7 1940 dance. "...Duke Ellington and his band rolled into Fargo on November 7, 1940, hungry and grumbling. But once they hit the bandstand..."
- added 20051105
The Duke Was Here
NDSU Magazine story of the Nov 7, 1940 Fargo dance, detailed, with photos. If you have trouble reading the tiny text,
you can change your screen resolution to 800x600, or just open the webpage in Notepad by clicking the View menu for your browser, and select "Source."
- added 20051105
Duffy Jackson
The Last Post article about bassist Chubby Jackson. In it, his son Duffy, a drummer, writes briefly about
sitting in with the Ellington band when he was fourteen.
- added 20051009
Yale University
Yale's Duke Ellington Fellowship Award. At the bottom a link takes you to a list of the award winners over the years.
- added 20050818
The Cotton Club Revues
Tom Morgan's delightful Jass.com history of The Cotton Club Revues - primarily covers from the Revues, with lists of songs, covering 1931 to 1939.
-Thanks to Bill Egan for identifying the Jass.com site on Duke-LYM
- added 20050814
Not Quite All That Jazz
David Hajdu's review of the Ken Burns Jazz television series, with sections on Ellington and Tizol.
- added 20050812
Loren Schoenburg
New York musician Loren's writings, including liner
notes for Hodges, Webster and Basie/Ellington CDs, and a review of the 1999 broadcast of the two Peer Gynt Suites (original and Ellington/Strayhorn versions) performed in a joint concert of The Lincoln Center Jazz Band and the New York Philharmonic.
- added 20050812
Blog-O-Jazz (*http://www.blogojazz.blogspot.com )
Steven Bowie's jazz blog. He writes: "I have a couple of Ellington related items in my blog. More are forthcoming!"
- added 20050604
A Drum is a Woman
Guardian review of 2005 performance by Tony Faulkner's Duke Ellington Repertory Orchestra
- added 20050505
Duke Ellington Orchestra in 2003
Review, and a few photos, of the DEO as it was in 2003 (at Birdland)
- added 20050426
Duke Ellington Orchestra in 2003
2nd review of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Sept 2003
- added 20050810
O.P. and Friends
Library and Archives, Canada, Oscar Peterson site, Ellington page - brief bio.
- added 20050426, updated 20081013
Irving Mills, Record Producer, The Master and Variety Record Labels
Short history of Irving Mills's development of the two record labels, by Jim Prohaska. Appears to be a Varietyarticle posted on the website of the International Association of Jazz Record Collectors
- added 20050421
What Is This Thing Called Jazz?
Eric Porter essay - several references to Ellington
Contributed by Arne Neegaard- added 20050415
Essentially Duke (and Wynton)
Nat Hentoff on Essentially Ellington
- added 20050401
Candid photo
Snap by Harry Carney of Procope, Ellington and Cliff Chandler.
About half-way down the page
- added 20050401
The Beautiful American
Essay about broadcaster Dave Crippen, host for 24 years of The Duke Is On The Air, WCBN, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
"…I distinctly recall not knowing enough about Ellington during my first five years in broadcasting. …"
- added 20050401
The Shape of Jazz That Was
Nat Henthoff writes about listening to bands, including the Ellington band
- added 20050401
The Cotton Club
St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture article by Frank A. Salamone describes the famous venue.
- added 20050327
Dancing was never cheap!
Vintage costs article by Frank Morra - discusses prices and wages at the Cotton Club, including how much Sonny Greer was paid.
- added 20050305
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System)
All Smithsonian Institution Archives Center collections are described in
brief on SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information System), anon-line catalog shared by Smithsonian archival units, Smithsonian
Institution Libraries, and some specialized research projects. This catalog is a powerful tool which permits searches by name, subject, and keyword.
Contributed by Andrew Homzy, Montréal- added 20050209
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Non-Ellington material (jazz techniques, etc.)