Duke Ellington studies

334 Pages·2017·14.683 MB·English

by  Ellington, Duke, Howland, John

DukeEllingtonStudies
Duke Ellington (1899–1974) is widely considered the jazz tradi-
tion’smostcelebratedcomposer.Thisengagingyetscholarlyvolume
explores his long career and his rich cultural legacy from a broad
range of in-depth perspectives, from the musical and historical to
the political and international. World-renowned scholars and musi-
cians examine Ellington’s influence on jazz music, its criticism, and
itshistoriography.Thechronologicalstructureofthevolumeallows
aclearunderstandingofthedevelopmentofkeythemes,withchap-
ters surveying his work and his reception in America and abroad.
By both expanding and reconsidering the contexts in which Elling-
ton,hisorchestra,andhismusicarediscussed,DukeEllingtonStudies
reflectsawealthofnewdirectionsthathaveemergedinJazzStudies,
includingfocusesonmusicinmedia,classhierarchydiscourse,glob-
alization,cross-culturalreception,andtheroleofmarketing,aswell
asmanuscriptscorestudiesandperformancestudies.
john howland is Professor of Music History at the Norwegian
UniversityofScienceandTechnologyinTrondheim,Norway,andfor-
merlyanassociateprofessorofMusicology,JazzStudies,andAmerican
StudiesatRutgersUniversity–Newark.Heistheco-founderandfor-
mer editor of the journal Jazz Perspectives, as well as the author of
Ellington Uptown: Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and the Birth of
ConcertJazz(2009).

Duke Ellington Studies
Editedbyjohn howland
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DOI:10.1017/9781139028226
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Names:Howland,John,1964–
Title:DukeEllingtonstudies/editedbyJohnHowland.
Description:Cambridge;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,2017.|
Series:Cambridgecomposerstudies|Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2017003311|ISBN9780521764049(alk.paper)
Subjects:LCSH:Ellington,Duke,1899-1974–Criticismandinterpretation.|
Jazz–Historyandcriticism.
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Contents
ListofIllustrations page[vii]
NotesonContributors [xi]
Preface [xv]
Acknowledgements [xxi]
NoteonReferenceAbbreviations [xxiii]
1 EllingtontheEntertainer:PageantryandProphecyin
DukeEllington’sFilms [1]
phil ford
2 MarketingtotheMiddlebrow:ReconsideringEllingtonia,
theLegacyofEarlyEllingtonCriticism,andtheIdeaofa
“Serious”JazzComposer [32]
john howland
3 “ArtorDebauchery?”:TheReceptionofEllingtoninthe
U.K. [76]
catherine tackley
4 “NobodyWasLooking”:TheUnparalleledJazzPiano
LegacyofDukeEllington [108]
bill dobbins
5 “PeopleWrapTheirLunchesinThem”:DukeEllington
andHisWrittenMusicManuscripts [157]
walter van de leur
6 TheMoor’sRevenge:ThePoliticsofSuchSweetThunder [177]
david schiff
7 DukeEllingtonintheLPEra [197]
gabriel solis
8 AuthenticSyntheticHybrid:Ellington’sConceptsofAfrica
andItsMusic [224]
carl woideck
v
vi Contents
9 “TheMotherofAllAlbums”:RevisitingEllington’sA
DrumIsaWoman [265]
john wriggle
Index [299]
Illustrations
Figures
1.1 MichaelLeavitt,MoveOn.org,ALittleGreenfromaLotof
People(2008) page[8]
1.2 JustinHampton,ThatOne:History(2008) [9]
1.3 TableaufromW.E.B.DuBois,TheStarofEthiopia(Crisis,
August1916) [10]
1.4 FiguresfromW.E.B.DuBois,TheStarofEthiopia(Crisis,
December1915) [10]
1.5 AlecLovejoyandEdgarConnor,BlackandTan(RKO,1929) [21]
2.1 Thered-velvetcoverandaccompanyingliner-notebooklet
tothe1943BrunswickRecords78-rpmalbum,Ellingtonia,
vol.1,B1000 [35]
2.2 Thefrontandbackcoversofthe194678-rpmalbum,Black,
BrownandBeige,SP-9(softcover) [37]
8.1 DukeEllingtonandtheSenegalesepoet,philosopher,and
statesmanLe´opoldSe´darSenghor,April1966.RuthEllington
Collection,ArchivesCenter,NationalMuseumofAmerican
History,SmithsonianInstitution,Washington,D.C. [243]
8.2 TheEllingtonorchestrawithSenegalesepercussionistGana
M’bowinDakar,April1966.RuthEllingtonCollection,
ArchivesCenter,NationalMuseumofAmericanHistory,
SmithsonianInstitution,Washington,D.C. [250]
8.3 DukeEllingtonwelcomedattheairportinAddisAbababy
EmperorHaileSelassie’spetlion,Mecuria,in1974.Courtesy
ofArtBaron.Photographerunknown [258]
8.4 TheEllingtonOrchestraattheAddisAbabaHiltonHotelon
22November1973,withEthiopianvibraphonist/
keyboardist,MulatuAstatke [261]
vii
viii ListofIllustrations
Examples
All examples in Chapter 4 are transcribed from the recordings by Bill
Dobbins.
4.1 BlackBeauty(1October1928),Atheme,mm.1–4 [112]
4.2 InaMellotone(4May1940),introduction,mm.1–3 [119]
4.3 Mr.J.B.Blues(1October1940),secondblueschorus,mm.
5–8 [121]
4.4 BlueSerge(15February1941),lastfourmeasuresof
Ellington’ssolo [123]
4.5 Solitude(14May1941,take2),firstchorus,lastAsection,
mm.1–4 [124]
4.6 BlueBellesofHarlem(23January1943),Ellington’s“bent
note”effect [126]
4.7 NewWorldA-Comin’(11December1943),Ctheme,mm.
1–4 [128]
4.8 “DancersinLove”(fromthePerfumeSuite,19December
1944),finalAphrase,mm.1–4 [130]
4.9. “NobodyWasLooking”(fromtheDeepSouthSuite,23
November1946),Atheme,mm.13–16 [132]
4.10 “Happy-Go-LuckyLocal”(fromtheDeepSouthSuite,23
November1946),firstpianosolo,mm.1–4 [133]
4.11 TheClothedWoman(27December1947),Asection,mm.
1–4 [135]
4.12 “ReflectionsinD”(14April1953),firstAsection,mm.1–3 [139]
4.13 “KindaDukish”(3December1953),32measuresbeforethe
closingtheme [140]
4.14 BandCall(26April1954),Bsection,mm.5–8 [141]
4.15 NightCreature(16March1955),parttwo,mm.1–3 [142]
4.16 “TheSinglePetalofaRose”(fromTheQueen’sSuite,14
April1959),firstA1section,mm.5–8 [144]
4.17 SecondPortraitofTheLion(20June1965),secondAsection,
mm.7–10 [147]
4.18 “TheShepherd”(18July1966),Btheme,mm.9–11 [148]
4.19 “AdLibonNippon”(20December1966),secondchorus,
mm.1–4 [150]
4.20 MoodIndigo,comparisonoftheAtheme,mm.1–4,with
correspondingEllingtonintroductionsorsolos [154]