[Dixielandjazz] Ghost Ellington

[ROBERT R. CALDER]

I heard what might have been Mercer Ellington's swansong band, after reading 
various accounts of different Mercer-led ghost Duke bands, and hearing some 
recordings. The best recordings were full of guest soloists, there were lots of 
complaints to the effect that the band was only any good when Mercer made an 
effort, which in retrospect means I think when circumstances permitted.  The 
last Mercer band I heard live because it was in Europe, and I suppose that had 
something to do with economics and hiring very good musicians who could work 
together.  I taped a broadcast of one of the continental gigs by the same band, 
and very decent that sounded too. 


After some time Paul Ellington brought a band across, and the late Ken Gallacher 
and I were rejoicing in the music. I was reminded of the first time I saw the 
real band, most of all I think because Paul's ensemble played much the same 
repertoire, Far East Suite period with a lot from c. 1966-67 compositions 
programmed -- Isfahan etc. 
. I forget exactly what Ellington-repertoire English band I heard a few years 
back at an Edinburgh Jazz Festival gala concert, but what was interesting was 
the probable relation between the satisfactory quality of the music and the fact 
that it was a 1945-47 Ellington band.  Both these post-Mercer performances 
focussed on being a specific Ellington band, and another interesting thing about 
the Paul Ellington ensemble was that other in a blues closer with token solo for 
all, the baritone player was confined to section work.  There were no mere 
try-er exercises, the bands or leaders had found out what they could do, and set 
to have fun doing it very well.  
Like Chris Barber 
For that, it is essential to have a lot of repertoire to choose from 


The bad ghost of any band simply tries to do it again sham... 
too much for people too happy to think it is being done at all ...