[Dixielandjazz] Ellington - was scheduling.

[Stan Brager]

Steve;

At many jazz festivals, the last band for the night often extends their set.
At Newport, in 1956, Duke Ellington was the last band for that night.

Stan
Stan Brager
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 8:47 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Ellington - was scheduling.


> 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
>
>
>
>
>
>