![]() |
THE INTERNATIONAL DEMS BULLETIN DUKE ELLINGTON MUSIC SOCIETY 04/3 December 2004 - March 2005 26th Year of Publication FOUNDER: BENNY AASLAND |
Voort 18b, 2328 Meerle, Belgium
Telephone: +32 3 315 75 83
Email: dems@skynet.be
DEMS Domesticities
DEMS 04/3-1
We send messages to all DEMS members for whom we have an e-mail
address, announcing the publication of a "fresh" DEMS Bulletin. We
have done so four times so far, for 04/1, for 04/2, for 04/2-55 and
for notifying you that this Bulletin 04/3 would be a few days late.
Some of our messages bounced. DEMS members with an e-mail address,
who have not received these announcements, are invited to send us
their correct e-mail addresses. The same offer is made to anybody
else, who happens to be interested in DEMS Bulletins and who would
like to receive these announcements.
DEMS
This Bulletin is much larger than any Bulletin before. Thanks
to Peter MacHare's hospitality there are no restrictions anymore for
including long articles nor is there a reason to postpone long
articles for future Bulletins.
At the recent Stockholm conference (see 04/2-10), Steven
Lasker developed an interesting theory that a part of the music
copyrighted by Jo. Trent was actually written by Ellington. Steven
told us that he was working on an article about Jo. Trent. The
article is ready now and DEMS has the privilege to publish it in this
Bulletin (see 04/3-57). In his corresponding letter Steven reminded
me of a special anniversary:
"Ellington's earliest released records, Blu-Discs T1002, T1003 and
T1007, appeared exactly 80 years ago this December. In commemoration,
here is the Blu-Disc/Up-to-Date piece I promised--much improved from
previous drafts and ready for posting with the December DEMS.
80 years of Ellington records....now that's an anniversary worth
celebrating....as is the blissful fact that fresh material by
Ellington continues to surface with regularity 30 years after the
maestro's departure."
Not long ago Jørgen Mathiasen published on the Duke-LYM
list an excerpt of his presentation for the 7th Nordic Jazz Research
Conference in Denmark in August of this year. He gave us permission
to publish it in full in this Bulletin. See 04/3-58.
A long and interesting article about Timme Rosenkrantz can be
found on 04/3-55. It is written by Mike Matloff, who found Timme's
name in DEMS Bulletins on Internet and contacted me.
Elaine Norsworthy gave me permission to "re-print" an article by
Eddie Lambert which was published in Coda Magazine almost twenty
years ago. It is about Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. You
find it under number 04/3-56.
I wish all DEMS Bulletin readers (new and old) a Merry Christmas and a very Happy 2005.
You sure will have a lot of reading to do during the holidays! Enjoy!!
Sjef Hoefsmit**
NEW (and older) BOOKS
Dan Morgenstern, "Living with Jazz". A Dan
Morgenstern Reader.
Clark Terry's autobiography
A much valued message from a dear friend
Claire Gordon, "My Unforgettable Jazz Friends".
Mark Tucker, The Ellington Reader
DVD REPORTS
DEMS 04/3-7
The following two DVDs, recently released by Carinco AG in
Switzerland, deserve mention; although liner-notes are absent and the
jacket-infos spare and largely in error, they are very cheap (Eur
6.99 each recently in Germany), of surprisingly good quality,
zone-coded 0 in PAL and run for approximately 59 and 64min
respectively:
Planet Song 8627 "Soft And Gentle" has the BYEN-TV programme
from 23Jan67 New Desor 6709a-p
Planet Song 8628 "On The Jazz Train" has the 1941 "Ellington
Soundies" 4124a-e, the 1952 Snader Transcriptions 5203abcdefgh and
four titles from the Sep68 film "Memories Of Duke": 6851i,
6852abc.
I don't know where to order these DVDs. I purchased them recently in
Cologne and found them currently available in such multi-media stores
as "Media-Markt" and "Saturn".
Klaus Götting**
See for a recently released DVD/CD combination 04/3-35.
DEMS**
Duke's Itinerary
21Aug30
2Nov36
Duke Ellington and Count Basie both performed at Paseo Hall in Kansas City, MO. This date has been incorrectly listed as 31oct36, and incorrectly described as a "battle of the bands." [See Chris Sheridan "Count Basie" p20.]
Kansas City Call, 30Oct36, p2
A look at the contemporary African American press tells the true story. Count Basie and his Barons of Rhythm were headliners for their "farewell dance" on 31oct36, also at Paseo Hall. They would soon leave for an opening at the Grand Terrace in Chicago, followed by further engagements on the East Coast Basie's move to the big-time. Basie and his band were hired to "assist" (as the local union band) Ellingtons orchestra two nights later. The review of the 2Nov36 dance is barely legible. Here is my best interpretation:
Whoever it was who started the rumor that Duke Ellingtons star of popularity was fast descending in the musical heavens should have trekked to Paseo hall Monday night and looked in on the proceedings. The more than 2,000 persons who crammed into every available inch of space in the hall were emphatic that Kansas City still goes in a big way for the Duke of Ellington and group.
Count Basie and his Barons of Rhythm, making their final appearance here before departing for Chicago and the Grand Terrace, opened the evenings entertainment and played with usual gusto. Around 10:30 oclock Duke and the boys took the spotlight.
With Ivy Anderson doing the vocal, Ellington went to town on It Dont Mean a Thing, Stormy Weather, Solitude, Troubled Waters and other numbers that had the huge crowd applauding." (Kansas City Call, 6Nov36, p14)
Basie recalled in his autobiography, "we couldnt stay for the main event because we were scheduled to leave for Chicago that night," and that Duke "made it his business to come outside of Paseo Hall and wish us good luck." (Basie, Good Morning Blues, pp. 176-77)
Duke Ellington performed at the Coliseum in St. Louis on 31oct36, after attending a football game that afternoon. (St. Louis Argus, 30oct36, p5; and 6Nov36, p5).
"Soon after their arrival" in Kansas City on 1Nov36, Duke and his
father had dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E.J. Berry, and were
guests of the Berrys again on 3Nov. The band was scheduled to leave
Kansas City for Texas on 7Nov. (Kansas City Call, 6Nov36,
p7)
Ken Steiner**