Ellingtonia

Joe Jackson, the pointy-shoed, post new wave popster asking the question “Is She Really Going Out with Him” in 1979, has a new musical release, The Duke. The title refers, of course, to Edward Kennedy Ellington, known throughout the world simply as The Duke. The album covers a wide variety of the Ellington canon and is neither slavish reproduction nor pastiche but honest and sincere homage.

“Isfahan,” an atmospheric instrumental, is built around a beautiful and haunting melody that unfolds under the skillful hands and artful attention of guitar hero Steve Vai. “Caravan” features vocals by Iranian songstress Sussan Deyhim in her native Farsi. “Mood Indigo” starts in the string band style of the original 1930 hit and morphs into a New Orleans second line romp anchored by a wonderfully playful tuba. “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues” is all over the place, opening with a light and chunky guitar riff that wouldn’t be out of place in a James Brown jam, sliding into a bluesy torch song, followed by a brief piano section echoing Ellington’s original, then back to James Brown, and finishing again deep in the blues. “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” could be Manhattan Transfer doing Gershwin and weaves the Duke Ellington Orchestra theme song “Take the A Train” into the mix to add some spice.

All in all, The Duke is a successful and enjoyable tribute to the greatest American composer of the Twentieth Century.

How do I know Duke Ellington is the greatest American composer of the Twentieth Century? Because Ralph J. Gleason told me so. Gleason was a music critic, disc jockey, record company executive, twice Grammy nominated writer of album liner notes, twice Emmy nominated documentarian, instrumental in the beginnings of the Newport Jazz Festival and founding editor of Rolling Stone, on whose masthead he remains to this day, 37 years after his untimely death at age 58 in 1975.

His love of music knew no boundaries. From the jazz of the 1930’s to the psychedelic explorations of the San Francisco sound of the mid 60’s, Gleason loved it all. He was as serious in his critique and illumination of Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Miles Davis as he later was of Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane and the Doors. And everything in-between.

In the collection of his essays, Celebrating the Duke, Gleason’s keen observations and penetrating insights into the music and lives of jazz artists from the 30’s through the 60’s make obvious the fact that he loves not only the music but the musicians as well. Beginning with a short but thorough history of jazz and it’s uniquely American roots, he then chronicles the lives and music of 12 giants of jazz. There is no better introduction to the origins of jazz than this.

The book concludes with three pieces in which Gleason not only celebrates the Duke but convincingly argues that Edward Kennedy Ellington is the greatest American composer of the Twentieth Century. And I believe him.

“Ralph Gleason! I read him. He understands me.”

Miles Davis

Listen: The Duke – Joe Jackson

The Blanton-Webster Band – The Duke Ellington Orchestra

A 66 song collection from the Orchestra’s most productive years

Ellington at Newport/1956 – The Duke Ellington Orchestra

As live as it gets

Together for the First Time – Duke Ellington and Louie Armstrong

Two geniuses at the summit- or in the words of Mr. Armstrong;

“Maxnificent!”