[Dixielandjazz] Ellington - was scheduling.

[Steve Barbone]

tduncan <tduncan at bellatlantic.net>
 
> I am reading George Wein's autobiography . .. Lots of good stuff in there
> about some OKOM people like Wild Bill, Vic Dickinson, etc. Wein talks about
> the Newport Jazz Festival that was the big breakthrough for that event when
> Duke Ellington totally ignored Wein's frantic attempts to get him to end the
> finale set and went on to higher and greater musical heights until the
> audience almost exploded. Then, he brought it back down and finally closed
> the set in his own good time . . . creating a memorable musical event.

Hi Tom:

That was probably when Duke played Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue in July
1956. The number was full of energy. Paul Gonsalves took his famous 27
chorus solo. A blonde in the audience started a gyrating dance to it. The
audience went nuts. Then the younger people in the audience started
jitterbugging. Another gal did a solo dance around the edge of the crowd.
It was an incredible scene with everyone hollering "GO", some rushing the
stage, others climbing on their chairs screaming and clapping.

The band played louder and louder to be heard over the ambient noise.

Wein, who was just in front of me at near the front edge of the stage
started hollering at Duke. "That's enough, end it" etc. Later it was
reported that Wein was nervous that a riot might start. That's how raucous
the crowd was. But Ellington was not to be denied.

Ellington grinned at Wein, wagged a finger at him and said something like
"Don't mess with the artists." and just kept going, basking in the moment
because his career, at that point had been in decline. He kept urging the
band on, as did Jo Jones who was at the edge of the stage, banging it and
keeping time with a folded up newspaper. All the while Ellington exhorted
the band on, with his "Ah Ha", "Yeah, "Come On" etc.

It was like what we see today in Rock & Roll performances, band was really
screaming, crowd was screaming and dancing around. As I remember it, the
band took at three or four encores. Not because of their wanting to run
overtime, but because the audience would not let them leave.

The performance was recorded and you can hear all of it including Duke
exhorting the band, and the incredible crowd response.

It re-ignited Ellington's career.

It was also the last set of the evening, ran about 40 minutes over etc., but
as Ellington must have guessed, it was the beginning of a new life for him
and his music. 

Such incredible energy. Such stage presence. Such audience participation.
Moments like that in jazz are very rare today and to be savored.

It should have been a lesson to us all that this music should be danced and
gyrated to. Should be high energy, and that every performance should a show.
We went the "artsy" route instead while the rockers took our places. <grin>

Cheers,
Steve Barbone