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THE INTERNATIONAL DEMS BULLETIN DUKE ELLINGTON MUSIC SOCIETY 10/3 December 2010 - March 2011 Our 32nd Year of Publication FOUNDER: BENNY AASLAND |
Voort 18b, 2328 Meerle, Belgium
Telephone: +32 3 315 75 83
Email: dems1@telenet.be
Sad NEWS
Dick
Buckley
DEMS 10/3-1
The legendary jazz radio host
Dick Buckley died on 22Jul10. He passed away at West Suburban Medical Center in
Oak Park, Chicago. Buckley was a jazz host with WBEZ for more than three
decades. Dick helped his friend Don
Miller to organize the 1984 Duke Ellington Conference in Chicago. When we were
back in Chicago in 1998, Dick was again among the speakers. In 1984 he invited
Willis Conover and me for an interview during his radio show. When I expressed
my surprise at being invited as a completely unknown Ellington fan, he
explained that my accent would be an interesting pleasure for his audience.
Sjef Hoefsmit
Jesse Drakes
DEMS 10/3-2
Jesse Drakes is a rather unknown
Ellingtonian. He only played in the band from March 1956 until 9April. The only
recording sessions he is likely to have attended are those from 18 and 19Mar56,
from which five selections were released on The Private Collection Volume 1.
His date of birth is according to Wikipedia 22oct24, but the date of 22oct26 as
mentioned in The New DESOR (p1456) is confirmed by the website
"Answers.com". The date of his death is even more uncertain. He was
found dead in his New York apartment on 1May10.
Sjef Hoefsmit
Jesse Drakes is a more familiar name to Lester Young enthusiasts like myself.
I’ve just been reading about him in Dave Gelly’s excellent 2007 book, Being
Prez – The Life and Music of Lester Young. He was in Lester’s band in the late
1940s and 1950s.
Roger Boyes
Benny Powell
DEMS 10/3-3
Benny Powell, the trombonist who
played for quite some time in the Basie band, died on 26Jun10 at age 80. He
played in two sessions with Duke's orchestra: on 29Dec66 when he replaced Chuck
Connors during a recording session for Duke's stockpile and on 25Apr69 when he
played together with Bennie Green the trombone parts in one of the recording
sessions for the soundtrack of "Change of Mind". He was also in the
Basie band when Basie recorded with Duke on 6Jul61 for the album "Battle
Royal".
DEMS
Buddy Collette
DEMS 10/3-4
Buddy Collette played in an Ellington
aggregation, recording the soundtrack for "Assault on a Queen" on 19
and 20Jan66. He also appeared in a panel, discussing the making of this
soundtrack, during the Duke Ellington Conference in Los Angeles on 27May2000 in
the afternoon. The panel was moderated by Patricia Willard. Other participants
were Catherine Gotthoffer, Louie Bellson, John Lamb and Ken Shroyer. Bud Shank
couldn't come, but he sent a tape.
It was apparent that Buddy had suffered a stroke (in 1998). In the same year as
the conference (2000) Buddy's autobiography was published: "Jazz
Generations. A Life in American Music and Society". He wrote it with
Steven Iosardi. Buddy Collette was very active in advancing and supporting
integration.
He died on Sunday 19Sep10 at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering shortness of breath
a day earlier.
DEMS
Great NEWS
The Mosaic 11 CD box set
DEMS 10/3-5
See DEMS 10/2-14
By the time this Bulletin gets on line, the 11 CD Box set from Mosaic will
probably be available. Augustin Perez Gasco was the first to inform the Duke
LYM list about the full details available on https://www.mosaicrecords.com/discography.asp?number=248-MD-CD&price=$179.00&copies=11%20CDs
Since we all have access to the Internet, I have not copied these
details in this DEMS Bulletin. I know that a few minor corrections have been
made since their publication on the Mosaic web site.
If you have the 11 CD box and you should find a mistake or query, do not
hesitate to send it to DEMS. The same is true for the earlier Mosaic 7 CD box
with small group recordings.
Sjef Hoefsmit
I am totally happy
with the 11 CDs sent to me by Mosaic to be reviewed and with the text of
Steven Lasker's discographical and historical notes.
I am eagerly waiting for the release of the complete box set to see the
finished booklet with the pictures. I have just finished listening to CDs #1 to
#7. My intention was to tell you how terrific the sound of these CDs is, but I
had a problem. I was supposed to concentrate on the sound quality but the music
is so good, as you all know, that it took my attention away from the sound
quality. I am anyway not the most sensitive listener as far as sound quality is
concerned. I grew up with the poorest kind of records (being acquired second
hand at the flea-market during the war) and the poorest of sound systems: a
re-wind record player with exchangeable needles. No electrical amplification.
(There was only sporadically electricity during the final year of the war.) I
was happy with Duke's music under the poorest listening conditions. When I
concentrated on the sound of these Mosaic CDs, I noticed that with only a very
few tracks it is possible to be aware of the fact that the sources were 78rpm
disks of some sort. In almost all cases the music is completely free of noise.
It is unbelievable!
The instruments which suffered the most as a result of the old fashioned
recording techniques were the drums and the bass. They are now on these Mosaic
CDs gloriously present.
Steven Lasker who produced the digital transfers, has done a marvelous job. But
his historical and discographical work has impressed me even more than the
fabulous sound quality. To make the digital transfers took him almost a year
but accumulating all the knowledge about the records and the music (from which
we only see what was covered in this set) took a lifetime.
The previous Mosaic box set with the recordings of the small groups gave us two
previously unissued takes. See DEMS 06/2-39 and 07/1-39. This time the harvest
is much greater. There are eight previously unreleased recordings in this 11 CD
set:
Clouds in My Heart B 11867-A, 18May32
Porgy B 12784-B & -C, 22Dec32
Jive Stomp B 13801-B, 15Aug33
Moonlight Fiesta C 886-2, 9Jan35
Black Butterfly L 0376-2, 21Dec36
Harmony in Harlem M 650-1, 20Sep37
Dusk on the Desert M 651-1, 20Sep37
There is another difference from the earlier box. This time the alternates are
not put directly behind the master takes, but assembled at the end of each CD.
A very clever decision, which makes listening to the complete CDs more varied
and indeed more pleasurable.
Like my dear friend Eddie Lambert, Steven takes the reader by the hand and
makes him follow Duke's career as a recording artist. The difference is that
Steven's work is illustrated with the music itself. Nothing gives me more
satisfaction than to read his notes and to listen to the music at the same
time. I have to finish this short review here because this Bulletin is waiting
to be put on line. I look forward to continuing my journey through the thirties
with the remaining 4 CDs and I am also looking forward to the complete box.
This masterpiece is a tribute to Duke Ellington which is more impressive than
the biggest statue. If you want to donate to this tribute, by buying this 11 CD
box set, you will not regret it. It is sensational.
Sjef Hoefsmit
NEW BOOKS
Le Jazz, à la Lettre
By Yannick Séité, Presses
universitaires de France 2010.
DEMS 10/3-6
In his book Yannick Séité attempts a
survey of the relationship between jazz and literature (mainly French
literature) in the 20th century, and he meeting of writers with (American) jazz
musicians, and some of the results of these meetings. There have been other
works in French about music and literature, but none of these include the music
called jazz.
Of special interest for people interested in the music of Duke Ellington are
two long chapters dealing in depth with the music of Ellington in a literary
context. One chapter deals with the Ellington/Strayhorn suite Such Sweet
Thunder.
The other chapter deals with the music Ellington wrote and recorded in December
1960 in Paris for the play Turcaret, with French and American musicians, who
are identified, some of whom were also used for the recordings of the music for
the film Paris Blues. Turcaret – a classic French comedy – was written by
Alain-René Lesage (1668-1747), and was to be staged at the Théatre National
Populaire, directed by Jean Vilar. It was the first example of incidental music
by Duke for a theatre play. Yannick Séité analyses the use of the music for the
play. He also tells the story about how it came about and the meeting between
Duke and Jean Vilar, all highly interesting.
The recording of the music for Turcaret circulates among collectors. It is my
sincere hope, that Storyville, the company that has the rights to issue the
music of Duke Ellington, eventually will make this music available on CD.
(Yannick Séité teaches literature at l'Université Paris Didérot – Paris 7.)
Bjarne Busk
The recordings made for Turcaret have been 'released" on DEMS cassette CA
3. See DEMS 85/3-14.
DEMS**
New Book by Claire Gordon
DEMS 10/3-7
Although it is not directly related to
Duke Ellington, we are happy to make an exception and to promote a new book of
a good friend, who co-wrote "Boy Meets Horn", the autobiography of
Rex Stewart and also her own "My Unforgettable Jazz Friends" (see
DEMS 04/2-19).
She wrote to DEMS:
"My novel has just been printed. The title "The Color of Music",
was given it by John Hasse of the Smithsonian. The book is about identical
mixed race twin boys separated at an early age. One is raised as a white child,
the other as black. Yes, they are musical. Yes, Duke and many other familiar
musicians' names and songs are mentioned and part of the plot.
The book is already available on Kindle ($9.99)and soon on iPad. The paperback
version is $16.95 plus postage. USA $4. Europe? I don't know yet."
Claire Gordon