Pondering legacy

Yesterday would have been Duke Ellington's 108th birthday, if my shoddy math skills serve me well. His compositional and musical legacy that he leaves behind is undeniably huge, and yet it has caused some controversy, particularly Terry Teachout's 1996 essay "(Over)praising Duke Ellington," in which he attacks the writing of Albert Murray and Stanley Crouch, labeling it as hyperbole and uninformed, an undoubtedly polemical stance. I prefer the understanding of Duke's extended works proposed by Stefano Zenni in his well written and researched article The Aesthetics of Duke Ellington's Suites: The Case of "Togo Brava", which places his writing in a more appropriate context than either Teachout or Murray and Crouch.

I don't want to get into that whole discussion and the backlash it caused within the Ellingtonian community, but I think it's relevant to note that Duke is not as universally revered as it seems within the sometimes insular jazz community. If I have anything critical to say about the writing on Duke, it's that it has sometimes come at the expense of examining other musicians and composers who are also worthy of examination.

But critical reception is most certainly not what this post is about. Duke was a pioneer in jazz composition and I want to single out a couple of exemplary compositions by him.

The first is a tune that has already had a lot of ink spilled about it: Mood Indigo. The introductory orchestration, utilizing a trombone, a clarinet, and a trumpet, was revolutionary in its voicing, putting the trombone on top and the clarinet on the bottom, creating a unique blend of timbres and overtones that Duke would again utilize in his career. In examining the different versions, from the early Okeh recordings to the 15 minute extended, Strayhorn arranged version that appears on Masterpieces by Ellington, there is an integrity to the original piece that allows it to be condensed and expanded successfully. Listening to different versions also allows you to hear the variations of Duke's piano introductions and interludes, which I always find enjoyable.

You can see it performed live by Duke's orchestra here, with the introduction being played by two trombones and a bass clarinet (!).

The second piece that I want to single out is The Tattooed Bride, which appears on the aforementioned Masterpieces by Ellington album, which first came out in 1950 and was recently reissued within the last few years  (it also appears in the 1953 Pasadena Concert recording). Masterpieces was designed to showcase Ellington's pieces in an extended fashion, utilizing the advent of the LP. Previously, the extended work Creole Rhapsody necessitated flipping and changing records in order to hear the entire piece. I remember hearing it before and then being told to examine it more carefully by a teacher and friend years later to hear it significance not only within Duke's catalog, but also its possible influence on later jazz composers like Mingus.

The Tattooed Bride provides a feature piece for clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, something Duke liked to do in his compositions: showcase the wonderful musicians in his band. This band also includes Ellington orchestra luminaries such as Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, the indispensable Sonny Greer, Johnny Hodges, and Russell Procope. 

To me, the piece exemplifies the way Duke was able to develop themes while utilizing the individual musicians in his band, striking a balance between composition and improvisation, structure and content. As opposed to classical compositions that were meant only to display the vision of the composer and to a certain extent the conductor, Duke integrated an understanding of individual expression inherent in jazz within the context of his own uniquely voiced compositions. The entire piece is really based around the manipulation of one musical motive, it's re-contextualization, and at times inversion.

I said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again: thanks for everything Duke.