DEMS BULLETIN
DUKE ELLINGTON MUSIC SOCIETY
12/1 April - July 2012
Our 34th Year of Publication
FOUNDER: BENNY AASLAND
HONORARY MEMBER: FATHER JOHN GARCIA GENSEL
EDITOR: SJEF HOEFSMIT
ASSISTED BY: ROGER BOYES
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THE INTERNATIONAL DEMS BULLETIN DUKE ELLINGTON MUSIC SOCIETY 12/1 April - July 2012 Our 34th Year of Publication FOUNDER: BENNY AASLAND |
Voort 18b, 2328 Meerle, Belgium
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DISCUSSIONS - ADDITIONS - CORRECTIONS
An Announcement From Dan
Morgenstern:
DEMS 12/1-21
For those who may be interested, this to let you know that I'm retiring, after
35 years, from the Institute of Jazz Studies. Officially, end of
year--unofficially, I stop working end of October to use up accumulated
vacation time, during which I'll be tying up loose ends and cleaning up
accumulated clutter. Checking out was not an easy decision, but I want to do
some serious writing, and some of those things people do when they have time,
all of a sudden. As most of you know, my 34-year associate Ed Berger preceded
me in this direction last year, so the Institute will now be in the good hands
of the third member of the Ancient Jazz Trio, Vincent Pelote. No formal search
for replacements for Ed and myself has yet begun, but IJS's archivists, Annie
Kuebler and Tad Hershorn, will back up Vincent, and reference specialists Joe
Peterson and Dan Faulk, both grads of Rutgers-Newark's unique Masters program
in Jazz Research and History, and both musicians, will be on duty.
IJS will turn 60 come 2012, but was already famous as Marshall Stearns's great
collection before he decided to incorporate it as IJS and open it by
appointment twice a week, at his spacious Greenwich Village apartment, and then
to donate it Rutgers, where it landed sooner than anticipated due to Marshall's
sudden death at 58, late in 1966. Until Ed and I came on board (and Vincent
soon thereafter--he began as a student volunteer) IJS was what you might call a
sleeping beauty at Rutgers--we were the first full-time staffers.
It's been a great ride, and a productive one: the collection has more than
quintupled in volume, and most of it is accessible. I do not intend to
disappear from the jazz scene but will be lurking in the underbrush. My e mail
address, as a Rutgers perk, will remain unchanged, and I'll still be on
"Jazz From the Archives," on WBGO.
The Timex All-Star Jazz Shows
DEMS 12/1-22
See DEMS 06/2-17
Duke participated in two of these Timex shows. No 1 (30Dec57, New DESOR 5747)
and No 4 (7Jan59, New DESOR 5902). The address Hoefsmit gave in DEMS 06/2-17
does not work properly. The DVD of Show # 1 can be ordered through .
The Show #4 can be ordered at the same address but with the last number 22
instead of 40.
DEMS
Oklahoma Stomp
DEMS 12/1-23
See DEMS 11/2-6, ad 1.
In the latest DEMS, one reads a reference to Oklahoma Stomp take 3.
There is no such take. Three takes survive: take A, take B, and the office take.
(This was discussed by me in DEMS 05/3-59.) The office take was played on the
radio broadcast.
Steven Lasker
Hiawatha
DEMS 12/1-24
Surprise! The theme of Long Long Ago (T. Haynes-Bailey) recorded by Al
Sears and the "All Star Rhythm, autumn 1945, is exactly the theme of Hiawatha
(Sears-Ellington) in The Beautiful Indians in 1946.
Claude Carrière
I have downloaded from the iTunes store the title Long Long Ago by Al
Sears. But I cannot hear any similarity with The Beautiful Indians.
Sorry!
Sjef Hoefsmit
I found the tune on Deezer: on the album the Rocking and Honking Tenor, on
the French Jazz Archives label (n°210) its under the title Searsy, and
on Long Long Ago you can hear the Searsy of the Ocium
album. So, one of them has inverted the titles
I would say Searsy is
the good title! Sorry.
Claude Carrière
You are quite right. Searsy is exactly the same as Hiawatha. Thank
you very much!
Sjef Hoefsmit
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
DEMS 12/1-25
The excerpt below
sounds like Duke Ellington on solo piano playing several opening bars to Don't
Get Around Much Anymore. The solo doesn't seem to be taken from a prior
recording.
The excerpt is from the /3 RPM War Department disc Downbeat
Program No. 11.
The entire contents of that disk can be heard at
which also has a few other minutes of scripted banter between DE and the
Downbeat "disc jockeys."
Brian Koller
You are right. This comes from my notes on Downbeat # 11:
"Between the records that have been played we hear comments by Duke and
the MC. Just before
Don't Get Around Much Anymore it seems that Duke played a short intro on
the piano, on the spot."
The record in question was made 4May40, matrix . The same recording was
used for
V Disc # 10-A.
Sjef Hoefsmit
The Glen Gray version of Don't Get Around Much Anymore was recorded
circa September 1942, and Duke mentions "eight months ago", so that
would date the Downbeat #11 recording to circa May 1943.
Brian Koller
That is possible, although in Benny Aasland's WaxWorks
"31Jul42-11Nov44" the Downbeat #11 session has been documented under
the date of 11Nov43 (entry 43-180). That could however have been the date of
the broadcast and not of the recording.
Sjef Hoefsmit
Cool Rock
DEMS 12/1-26
The second half of Very Tenor appears to be Cool Rock
(6535a). Cool Rock is played by the band behind Jimmy Hamilton's sax
solo (4:20 to 5:00) and again in the last minute (6:50-7:50).
Come to think of it, other parts of Very Tenor also closely
resemble Cool Rock, such as the band after the opening DE piano
solo.
I think it's safe to say that Very Tenor is actually Cool Rock
with room made for several lengthy tenor sax solos.
Brian Koller
A Very Short Silent But Interesting
Video Recording
DEMS 12/1-27
from the Friday 7Apr39 concert at the "Gebouw for K. and W." at the
Hague in the Netherlands can be found at .
Stephen
Blake
Racing World
DEMS 12/1-28
New DESOR Disc 0485 begins with the
Degas Suite. See page 1375, "The Private Collection" Volume 5. The Introduction,
or Opening Titles, is listed as 6858ae.
The New DESOR description of 6858ae (page 1061) is 1°IBAND;pas4BAND&DE;2°IIWC;etc.
But what I hear instead is 4DE;4PG; followed by 6858ae.
My question is, is the description of 6858ae incorrect, or are the first bars
of Disc 0485 from a different take of the Degas Suite sessions?
Brian Koller
The description of 6858ae is correct. The soundtrack begins however with 6857m
(followed by 6858ae). This is indicated with the parentheses around the number
of the release after 6857m on page 514.
I agree with you that a note on page 1375 would be in order.
Sjef Hoefsmit
Hamburg, 29May50
DEMS 12/1-29
I was listening to this lengthy 1950
concert
and didn't know what to make of what happens following St. Louis Blues.
Drummer Butch Ballard (?) apparently spontaneously begins a drum solo, and
after a while Ray Nance half-heartedly joins in. Perhaps he was dancing as well.
Ellington takes it all in stride.
This is at the end of Ballard's then-stint with Ellington, although he later
returned to the orchestra after Louie Bellson's departure.
Brian Koller
The famous 5 LP Box
DEMS 12/1-30 (See DEMS 98/4-2/4)
In 1977 we were pleasantly surprised by the release of a set of 5 LPs with terrific music. It was produced by M.F.Productions, Inc. The identification of the recordings was in many cases found to be wrong. But what were the correct dates and locations? It took us until recently to be able to fill in the last open spots in the list of dates and locations, thanks to the generosity of our Swedish friends from DESS (See 12/1-9).
A1 Take the "A" Train 24May62 t-1 Bell/NYC 6221h
A2 Taffy Twist 6Jun62 t-1 Bell/NYC 6228a
A3 Black and Tan Fantasy 25May62 t-3 Bell/NYC 6222h
A4 Stompy Jones 6Feb63 2nd Stockholm 6315xe
B1 Sophisticated Lady 6Nov58 2nd Göteborg 5848h
B2 C-Jam Blues 6Feb63 2nd Stockholm 6315m
B3 Serenade to Sweden 4Nov69 1st Stockholm 6948c
B4 Boodah 25May62 t-4 Bell/NYC 6222e
B5 I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart & 3Jul62 t-4 Bell/NYC 6232d
Don't Get Around Much Anymore
C1 The Feeling of Jazz 3Jul62 t-8 Bell/NYC 6232r
C2 Magenta Haze 7Feb66 1st Stockholm 6613c
C3 Dancers in Love 6Feb63 1st Stockholm 9098u
C4 I'm Gonna Go Fishin' 25May62 t-3 Bell/NYC 6222b
C5 Kinda Dukish & Rockin' in Rhythm 26Sep59 2nd Stockholm 5932f,g
D1 Mr Gentle and Mr Cool 28May62 t-2 Bell/NYC 6220a
D2 Smada 24May62 t-1 Bell/NYC 6221e
D3 Jump for Joy 3Jul62 t-1 Bell/NYC 6232c
D4 Things Ain't What They Used To Be 6Nov58 2nd Göteborg 5848m
E1 Caravan 11Mar64 Stockholm 6419n
E2 Jungle Triangle 20Aug63 t62 Univ.Chic. 6362ax
E3 Sentimental Lady 24Jan67 2nd Stockholm 9061l
E4 Guitar Amour 6Feb63 1st Stockholm 9098i
F1 El Viti 7Feb66 1st Stockholm 6613a
F2 Passion Flower 26Sep59 2nd Stockholm 5932i
F3 Agra 11Mar64 Stockholm 6419g
F4 What Am I Here For? 24May62 t-2 Bell/NYC 6221g
F5 Flirtibird 24May62 t-4 Bell/NYC 6221d
G1 Satin Doll 26Sep59 2nd Stockholm 5932o(i)
G2 Isfahan 11Mar64 Stockholm 6419o
G3 Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue 6Nov58 1st Göteborg 5847p,q,r
H1 Jeep's Blues 6Nov58 1st Göteborg 5847j
H2 Pyramid 6Feb63 1st Stockholm 9098g
H3 La Plus Belle Africaine 7Feb66 1st Stockholm 6613b
I1 Happy Reunion 11Mar64 Stockholm 6419k
I2 Chinoiserie 9Nov71 2nd Uppsala 7175h
I3 Sonnet to Hank Cinq 6Nov58 2nd Göteborg 5848i
I4 Star-Crossed Lovers 6Feb63 2nd Stockholm 6315i
I5 Such Sweet Thunder 26Sep59 2nd Stockholm 5932e
J1 Perdido 6Nov58 2nd Göteborg 5848g
J2 Black Butterfly 4Nov69 2nd Stockholm 6949j
J3 Medley (c,d,e,f,h,i,j,l) 6Nov58 2nd Göteborg 5848r
DETS 15
DEMS 12/1-31 (See DEMS 11/2-16)
DETS 15 brought up a couple of questions. I understand that the date that DESOR
lists as April 28 has been changed to May in corrections. However the
description of Way Low for that date doesn't fit what's on the CD. The
description from a later broadcast (with different tunes) does fit. The
description of Way Low on April 28 has Chauncey Haughton as the clarinet
soloist though DESOR don't list him as being in the band during that concert.
Joe Medjuck
This is the story of the 28May43 broadcast. The first time that this session
was mentioned was in DEMS 85/3/4. Among Jerry's discoveries it said:
"28May43, NYC, Hurricane Restaurant, from broadcast: Around My
Heart/Perdido." Benny added the remark: "Should in the WWofDE be
referred to as "43-51z".
The second time the date was mentioned
(this time as 23Apr43) was by Jerry Valburn who played for us on 18May87 at the
Toronto Duke Ellington Conference the selections 2, 3 and 4 from this session.
After this conference and before The New DESOR was published in 1999, I wrote
to my Italian friends that the date should be April and not May, because Jerry
Valburn had mentioned this date in Toronto. That's why in The New DESOR the
date was April.
The third time the date was mentioned in
DEMS Bulletin was by Jerry himself who wrote in 01/3-24 in The New DESOR
corrections:
"Page 69. Session 4312. The following broadcast was transferred from glass
acetates (now at the Library of Congress):
Around My Heart
Perdido
Ogeechee River Lullaby
I acquired these from the pianist Dick Katz. The fact is that the broadcast
took place on 28May43 and not on 28Apr43 as shown in the New DESOR. So the solo
sequence as shown in Volume Two is not Rex Stewart and Lawrence Brown but
Taft Jordan and Sandy Williams.
Most interesting is the arrangement of Perdido, which
is not
heard again until 1945 on the Treasury Broadcast from Detroit-Paradise Theatre
(19May45). Jerry Valburn"
This was my reaction: "The date of 28May43 was first mentioned in your
list of New Discoveries in DEMS Bulletin 85/3-4. On 16May87 you played these
three selections for us at the Ellington Conference in Toronto. You gave as
date 28Apr43. I passed this on to our Italian friends. That is the reason that
the wrong correction was made. I agree with the date being the end of May. Rex
Stewart is not heard in Perdido. I believe however that Lawrence Brown
was still in the band on 28 and 30May43. I know that Klaus Stratemann (p.242)
tells us that Lawrence left at the same time as Rex Stewart at the end of May,
but I think I heard him in Way Low and Around My Heart from 28May
and in Don't Get Around Much Anymore from 30May43. Sjef Hoefsmit"
The session was mentioned for the fourth
time in 01/3-27 under page 1268:
"Page 1268. Way Low 28Apr or May43, 4312a. Chauncey Haughton
cannot have been the clarinet soloist. He left on 10Apr43. It could have been
Oett Mallard if the date was 28Apr43, but since we know that the date was
28May43 (see suggested correction for Page 69 in this column on page 24)
the soloist must have been either Jimmy Hamilton or Nat Jones. Sjef
Hoefsmit"
The fifth time this session was mentioned
in DEMS Bulletin 02/1-25 in The DESOR small corrections sheet 5004. There you
see:
"69 - Session 4312. May 28 instead of April 28;
Same as 4317 instead of Same as 4309."
"1268 - Way Low. 4312a. Delete the whole description; add:
Same as 4317d, but: int8DE"
The sixth time this session appeared in
DEMS Bulletin was in the announcement of CD #5 by
Carl Hällström. DEMS 04/3-43. This was added to that announcement:
"The session of 28May had a wrong date (28Apr43) in the New DESOR. This
error has been corrected with a small correction in DEMS 02/1-25. This
broadcast has not been released previously. DEMS"
Creole Love Call, 11Feb32
DEMS 12/1-32
One of the first jazz records in my
life, over 50 years ago, was Creole Love Call, the 1932 Brunswick
version.
I never liked the idea, circulating at the time, of two different clarinet
soloists, because it didn't fit with what I heard and I felt it unnecessary.
I was glad and satisfied when DESOR decided for one man only and, better, when
they changed from Barney Bigard to Harry Carney.
Moreover, when Duke came to Italy in 1973, I met the guys in the band in
Bologna and asked Carney about it. Just to be sure we were talking about the
same thing he asked me if I meant the solo with the long descending glissando,
thus showing that he was talking exactly about THAT PARTICULAR CHORUS, and then
confirmed that IT BELONGED TO HIM.
I believe this should close all arguments.
Vittorio Castelli
In the old Desor, page 41, session 99, the description of Creole Love
Call shows the first (5°) chorus by Barney Bigard and the second (6°)
chorus also by Barney Bigard. So long ago, we did not yet make references to
the sources of corrections when we implemented them in our notes. Anyway we
corrected the first of the two choruses into Harry Carney. The second remained
as being played by Barney Bigard. And indeed, listening to these choruses on
take -A on CD 1 track 7, makes you believe that the soloist could be different
from the one in the first of both choruses. But it could also very well have
been Harry Carney. This difference is less convincing on the alternate take -B,
CD 1 track 20.
Now we have Harry's own statement about this second (actually 6°) chorus which
has the mentioned glissando, I agree with Vittorio Castelli (and with the New
DESOR) that we should make a correction in the liner notes by Steven Lasker on
page 10 of his award-winning booklet for the Mosaic MD11-248,
11 CD release (DEMS 10/3-5). Chorus 5° and chorus 6° are both by Harry
Carney.
DEMS
Broadway Bandbox
DEMS 12/1-33
Duke Ellington on Frank Sinatra's radio
show "Broadway Bandbox" with the Raymond Scott Orchestra in 1943. The
New DESOR corrections list the date as June 25.
Brian Koller
Grace Cathedral
DEMS 12/1-34
Track 010 of New DESOR disc 0901
(Correction sheet 3025) is listed as 6551f but is actually 6551k followed by
portions of 6551f.
The New DESOR description for 6551f (page 943) is incorrect. It appears to have
been taken from the documentary film of the Grace Cathedral concert (later used
as the second half of disc 0901). For example, the 6551f description lists a
spoken passage by Jon Hendricks (actually in 6551k) and the description omits a
lengthy drum solo by Louie Bellson.
The two corrections above are based upon the versions of 6551f and 6551k from
the Status CD of the concert (New DESOR disc 0720), which I believe are more
accurate than the edited combination of the two tracks presented in the Grace
Cathedral documentary.
Brian Koller
First New Orleans Jazz & Heritage
Festival
DEMS 12/1-35
Has this been reported in the past?
Carl Hällström
NATIONAL FILM PRESERVATION FOUNDATION
AWARDS 36 PRESERVATION GRANTS: 1919 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA EPIC AND JOHN FORDS
HOME MOVIES TO BE SAVED
San Francisco, CA (June 15, 2011)The National Film Preservation Foundation
today announced grants to save 64 films, including Lowell Thomass 1919 With
Allenby in Palestine and Lawrence in Arabia, the phenomenally popular
silent-era documentary that made T.E. Lawrence a household name, and director
John Fords home movies. Awards went to 36 institutions. With these grants, the
NFPF has enabled museums and libraries in every state to rescue and make
available historically significant American films that would have been unlikely
to survive without public support.
Among the other works pegged for
preservation are filmed performances by Duke Ellington and Mahalia Jackson at
the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
No it has not been reported, but the audio recording is available through
Wolfgang's Vault, see
DEMS 02/1-14.
Sjef Hoefsmit
Hep Records 92/93 (double CD)
At the Crystal Gardens, Salem, Oregon 1952
DEMS 12/1-36
See DEMS 11/2-12
I am excited about this double CD. It shows Duke Ellington's majestic band in
what some people think was his weakest period. Everything on these two CDs is
superior. The music as well as the sound restoration are terrific and only
equalled in quality by the brilliant booklet, written by Andrew Homzy.
The piece that featured Willie Cook is not W.C. or Moonstone, as
I suggested in my remarks in the latest Bulletin. It is track 3 of CD 1, titled
Tenderly. It is one of the selections played that evening for which no
written parts were available yet. But Duke's band was not afraid of making up a
splendid head-arrangement on the spot.
A great advantage of these live-recordings is the fact that Duke plays much
more piano than he normally does during studio recordings.
The following notes are for completists. Comparison with our tapes reveals that
there are perhaps four selections missing: Solitude, which on our tape
seems to precede Blues at Sundown; a third version of Take the "A"
Train, which on our tape follows on from It Don't Mean a Thing and
was released on Folkways 2968 and Sunburst 501; Black Beauty, which on
our tape seems to precede Dancers in Love; and finally Flamingo,
which on our tape seems to be between The Tattooed Bride and Blue
Skies. There would have been a little bit more room available on the two
CDs, which respectively offer 60 and 64 minutes of music. That's why it could
be the case that one or more of these selections were dropped deliberately
(they may have been in bad shape). We would appreciate if the producers would
tell us. It is not in the slightest way a criticism of this wonderful release.
We cannot recommend these two CDs enough. They are superb! Later in the
glorious years of 1966 and 1968, the concerts were each evening almost
identical. A real challenge for those who wanted to know exactly what was
played and when and where. At this dance date (and at other similar occasions)
the band sounded so much more enthusiastic. We are inclined to believe that
this had to do with the still relatively young age of the band-members.
Here are the titles:
CD 1
1. Fancy Dan 5205e
2. The Hawk Talks 5205f
3. Tenderly 5205g
4. Frustration 5205h
5. Tea for Two 5205i
6. Take the "A" Train 5205o
7. Sophisticated Lady 5205p
8. Don't Worry 'Bout Me 5205q
9. Perdido 5205r
10. Jeep Is Jumpin' 5205s
11. Deep Purple 5205j
12. Caravan 5205k
13. Warm Valley 5205l
14. I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart 5205m
. Don't Get Around Much Anymore 5205n
CD 2
1. Mood Indigo 5205t
2. How High the Moon 5205u
3. Monologue 5205v
4. Duet 5205w
5. Skin Deep 5205x
6. Blues at Sundown 5205b
7. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me 5205c
8. It Don't Mean a Thing 5205d
9. Dancers in Love 5205z
10. The Tattooed Bride 5205aa
11. Blue Skies 5205ac
12. Take the "A" Train 5205ad
Although nobody knows the exact sequence of the selections, it is safe to
presume that the selections in one group of titles, as indicated by the
position of the DESOR numbering, belong together.
If you go to Correction-sheet 1038 you will see the four selections which are
on our tape but not on the double CD:
5205a; 5205xa; 5205y and 5205ab.
Sjef Hoefsmit
I got the following message from Alastair Robertson - plus permission to
forward it to the list.
Frits Schjøtt
Re omission of Black Beauty - on grounds of slightly damaged sound
quality. The running order very close to original but possibly changed to make
the timings reasonable on both volumes - nothing sinister.
Alastair Robertson.
Hollywood Bowl, 25Aug66
DEMS 12/1-37
See DEMS 81/4-6
On the duke-lym mail list this past September, Bjarne Busk noted a DE Hollywood
Bowl concert posted on the internet at
The title list for this internet mp3 file matches DE6668a through DE6668h, plus
DE6679a through DE6679d, which corresponds to the duke-lym mail list comment by
Hoefsmit:
"A recording, consisting of Harlem, Medley, Satin Doll and Take
the "A" Train is claimed to be from this concert. It is however
taken from San Diego, 2nd concert, 16Nov66, old Desor 1055 and The New DESOR
6679."
However, listening to the second half of the posted mp3 file, DE makes two
references to Bill Kraft, prior to Fanfare/Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
and again before Satin Doll. William Kraft was assistant conductor of
the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. Per Wikipedia, the San Diego
conductor at the time was Earl Bernard Murray. Could it be that the mp3 file
correctly reflects the August 25 concert? [note 1] This would indicate that
DE6668i through DE6668r belong to a different concert. [note2] This would make
sense given that the [symphony] orchestra was present. DE6679 is
presumably a different concert than the mp3 file but with the same title
order due to the need for an orchestra to have carefully prepared scores. [note
3]
Further evidence that the mp3 file contains an intact Hollywood Bowl concert
comes from the
website, which has other Hollywood Bowl concerts from Ian & Sylvia, Bud
& Travis, The Young Rascals, and Hearts and Flowers. The website presumably
has a "source" with vault access to professional recordings made by,
for, or with the permission of the Hollywood Bowl.
Brian Koller
note 1: Yes that is indeed very probable. A correction of this nature was
already made by Benny Aasland in DEMS 81/4-6.
note 2: Not necessarily. It is possible [as you mentioned in your next e-mail
message] that the middle portion of the concert is missing from the mp3 file.
note 3: No trace has been found of a different concert with the same
selections.
I have re-listened to all my tapes. There is no indication that the supposed
missing part of DESOR 6668 (6668i, Black and Tan Fantasy until 6668r, Things
Ain't What They Used To Be) belongs to any other concert. I suggest that we
should keep it there and add to the concert the selections from DESOR 6679.
Another concert with twice the participation by a Symphony Orchestra and a
performance by the Ellington band in the middle was played on 19Feb67 in the
Royal Albert Hall in London. This concert has been recorded for television and
there are no doubts about the sequence of the selections.
There is no reliable indication that a second concert on 16Nov66 (with the San
Diego Symphony) was actually recorded. DESOR 6679 should be cancelled.
Sjef Hoefsmit
I retrieved from the Los Angeles Times archive a next-day review of the
Hollywood Bowl concert.
From the review, it appears that all suspected titles (6668 and 6679 combined)
were part of the concert. Needless to say, the review also confirms that the
concert took place on August 25.
I posted the archived review at
Brian Koller