Canadian Flag
Canada is not for sale.
We will never be your
51st state, Mr. Trump


This webpage was created and is maintained by David Palmquist, with considerable help from fellow researchers.

It is now in two parts, Part 1 running from 1891 to the end of 1945, and Part 2 from 1946 with Ellington's death in 1974.

Please go here for navigation tips and for technical details.

Last updated 2025-05-08



Useful references:


http://Ellingtonweb.Ca
 
Ellington on CD
  The Dooji Collection
(Ellington record labels)
TDWAW
home page


The Duke – Where and When

A Chronicle of Duke Ellington's
Working Life and Travels

Part 2   1946 to 1974

Click here for Part 1 (1891 - 1945) on the Canadian server
or
Click here for Part 1 (1891 - 1945) on the DESUK server


1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974


1946


Date of event Ending date
(if different)
City/
Other place
Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
Desor
reference
DEMS
reference
Other
references
Contact
person
Date added
/ updated
1946 00 00...Peripheral event
Billy Strayhorn was elected to ASCAP this year.
Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-12-23.....New
added
2024-12-24
1946 01 00...Business event
The Daily Bulletin 1945-12-27:

'NEW YORK, Dec. 27 (ANP)– A formal request that he be released from his contract with Victor records was made by Duke Ellington who charged dissatisfaction with the way he has been handled by that firm as well as with the tunes assigned him to record.
     However, it is not thought likely that Victor will release the noted orchestra leader. His contract is understood to extend until next November and the company states his is obligated, under contractual terms, to remain on the label until March, 1947. His contract calls for 24 sides annually and he has already waxed 39 this year.
     The Duke is also irked over reprots that Victor was about to let him go, although the company denies any knowledge of the rumor.'

Down Beat 1946-01-14:

'TD, Duke Both Re-sign At Victor
     New York–It is..almost a pleasure to report that this issue's item about RCA-Victor concerns a bandleader who re-signed with the record firm, instead of one who withdrew. Of late all important news emanating from there has been to the effect that more talent had been dropped from their disc roster...
     Now however, comes the news that Tommy Dorsey signed a three year renewal of his waxing contract, thereby indicating that the firm, recently immersed in the hot water of production difficulties, is beginning to dry out. TD's signature on the contract and he's noted for never signing anything except at top terms,  is the tipoff that RCA-Victor can now guarantee the artists enough production and distribution to make the deal pay heavy scratch, or simply guarantee sufficient dough so the talent doesn't have to worry about the distribution end.
     Ellington, previously reported tiffing with the firm, also recently inked a new contract running till March 1947.'

  • The Daily Bulletin combined
    with The Ohio Express, Dayton, Ohio
    1945-12-27
  • Down Beat 1946-01-14 p.8
    courtesy S. Lasker
...SLNew
added
2022-01-10
updated
2022-01-14
1946 01 01
Tuesday
.Philadelphia, Penn.Academy of MusicSwing concert

Greer, Guy and Hardwick celebrated their 22nd anniversary with the band during the concert.

The Call and Post reported a near capacity audience and a 15-piece orchestra "at high form."

Titles listed in the programme:
  • The National Anthem
  • Caravan
  • In A Mellow Tone
  • Solid, Old Man
  • Sono
  • Rugged Romeo
  • Cerce [sic]
  • Air Conditioned Jungle
  • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige and Perfume Suite
  • Bugle Break Extended
  • Take The "A" Train
  • A Tonal Group
    • a. Fugue
    • b. Rhapsoditti
    • c. Concerto for Jam Band
  • Bassist and Me
  • Group
    • a. Diminuendo In Blue
    • b. Transblucency
    • c. Crescendo In Blue
  • Magenta Haze
  • Hometown
  • Suburbanite
  • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler, vocalist
  • Riffin' Drill

The Call and Post review confirms Perfume Suite (Naivete and Sophistication) and Blues (from BB&B) were performed, as well as Creole Love Call.

Personnel named in the programme:
  • Hardwick
  • Hodges
  • Sears
  • Hamilton
  • Carney
  • Brown
  • Jones
  • de Paris
  • Jordon [sic]
  • Anderson
  • Hemphill
  • F. Williams
  • Pettiford
  • Guy
  • Greer
  • Ellington
  • Hibbler
The Call and Post review confirms Brown, Jordan, Hamilton, Carney, Greer and Pettiford played, as well as Sherrill and Davis, who the programme did not list.
  • Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
    • 1945-12-16 p.18-D
    • 1945-12-23 p.11
    • 1945-12-30 p.11
  • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
    1946-01-05 p.17
  • The Call and Post, Cleveland, Ohio
    1946-01-12 p.6-B
  • Stratemann, p.264 citing Down Beat, 1946-01-15
  • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2, box 10, folder 19
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-16
2016-01-16
2017-04-20
2022-01-14
2022-01-19

January 1946

circa
1946 01 00
...Peripheral event
Edinburg Daily Courier

'ESQUIRE AGAIN TOPS
ESQUIRE'S JAZZ AWARDS
The inimitable Duke Ellington has been chosen for the second consecutive year as the top arranger and his band as the top jazz band in Esquire's 1946 All-American Jazz Selections.
     And the jazz stylists Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Red Norvo and Coleman Hawkins have been picked for the third consecutive year as the top stylists In the jazz world ...three-time winners of one of jazz's most coveted awards, the 1946 Gold "Esky Statuette, signifying All-American rating...

The award winners named in The Birmingham News and The Call and Post:
  • Gold Esky awards:
    • Cootie Williams, trumpet
    • Bill Harris, trombone
    • Coleman Hawkins, tenor saxophone
    • Benny Goodman, clarinet
    • King Cole, piano
    • Oscar Moore, guitar
    • Dave Tough, drums
    • Chubby Jackson, string bass
    • Red Norvo, vlbraharp
    • Duke Ellington, arranger
    • Duke Ellington, band
    • Louis Armstrong, male vocalist
    • Ella Fitzgerald and Mildred Bailey tied, female vocalist'
  • Silver Esky:
    • Charlie Shavers, trumpet
    • Vic Dickenson, trombonme
    • Johnny Hodges, alto
    • Don Byas, tenor
    • Barney Bigard, clarinet
    • Teddy Wilson, piano
    • Gene Krupa, drums; Slam Stewart, string bass
    • Stuff Smith, violin
    • King Cole and Billie Holiday, vocalists
    • Billy Strayhorn, arranger
    • Woody Herman, band.
  • Bronze Award All-American New Stars:
    • Pete Condoli, trumpet
    • J.H. [recte J.J.] Johnson, trombone
    • Charlie Parker, alto
    • Charlie Ventura, tenor
    • Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet
    • Errol Garner, piano
    • Bill de Arango, guitar
    • J.C. Heard, drums
    • Junior Raglin, string bass
    • Ray Perry violin
    • Billy Eckstine and Frances Wanye, vocalists
    • Ralph Burns, arranger
    • Woody Herman, band.


Since this is peripheral information, no attempt has been made to reconcile lists published in the various newspaper reports of the awards.

Various winners played a recording session on January 10 and on January 16 played a concert, one hour of which was aired nationally.
  • St. Louis Star-Times, St. Louis, Mo.
    1946-01-02 p.10
  • The Edinburg Daily Courier, Edinburg, Ind.
    1946-01-05 p.3
  • The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Ala.
    1946-01-08 p.11
  • The Call and Post, Cleveland, Ohio
    1946-01-12 p.6-B
  • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-08-30
...djpNew
added
2022-01-15
updated
2022-01-16
2022-01-17
2024-08-31
1946 01 02
Wednesday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 03
Thursday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 04
Friday
.New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
(Main Hall)
Concert 8:45 p.m.

Down Beat 1946-01-28:

p.3
'Speaking from a commercial viewpoint, Ellington's fourth annual concert at Carnegie Hall January 4 was a tremdous success. Sold out to the last chair, including the too many rows which cluttered up the stage, leaving merely enough room for the band, this presentation was poorly staged. Scheduled to being at 8:45, a half-hour delay seemed an endless wait, and for the most part, the concert dragged for the balance of the evening...'

p.15
'The Chamber Hall at Carnegie, piped for sound (where you can listen but not see) with a capacity of 300, was two-thirds filled the night of the Ellington concert. Tickets sold for a dollar a seat.'


While Stratemann says the concert was panned in Down Beat and by Barry Ulanov in Metronome, Down Beat's review included:

'...Although several noted men...are no longer with him, ...replacements in the various sections are capable, some even more outstanding. ...The trumpet section, nevertheless, is nothing short of sensational...this concert was not without its moments of musical thrills, if not up to the past Ellington performances. In the vocal department, Albert Hibbler deserves the honors, with equally attractive and beautifully gowned Joya Sherrill and Kay Davis very impressionistic in their solo spots...Summing it all up, many perennial Ellington followers may have found his latest concert at Carnegie lacking, but it goes without saying that any performance by him is well worth attending, and any attempt to present a popular band in concert cannot be surpassed by the wealth of Ellington offerings.'

.
Personnel:
  • Hemphill
  • Jordan
  • Anderson
  • F. Williams
  • Brown
  • de Paris
  • Jones
  • Hamilton
  • Hardwick
  • Hodges
  • Sears
  • Carney
  • Ellington
  • Guy
  • Pettiford
  • Al Lucas
  • Greer
  • Hibbler
  • Sherrill
  • Davis


Titles recorded:
  • Star Spangled Banner
  • Caravan
  • In A Mellow Tone
  • Solid, Old Man
  • Come Sunday
  • Light
  • The Blues
  • Rugged Romeo
  • Sono
  • Air Conditioned Jungle
  • Dancers In Love
  • Coloratura
  • Frankie And Johnny / Metronome All Out
  • Take The "A" Train
  • A TONAL GROUP Rhapsoditti (Mellow Ditty) / Fugueaditti / Jam-A-Ditty
  • Pitter Panther Patter
  • Diminuendo in Blue / Transblucency / Crescendo In Blue
  • Magenta Haze
  • Suburbanite
  • My Little Brown Book
  • Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
  • Fat And Forty
  • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
  • Riff 'n' Drill
  • PM, New York, N.Y., 1946-01-04 p.20
  • Stratemann p.264 citing
  • Down Beat 1946-01-28 p.15
  • Photo, Vail I, p.284
  • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2, box 10, folder 20
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
    Ellingtonia.com
New Desor
DE4601
DEMS.djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-16
2015-12-03
2016-01-16
2017-04-20
2022-01-11
2022-01-18
2022-02-09
2022-02-09
1946 01 05
Saturday
.Hampton, Va.Ogden Hall
Hampton Institute
Sold out fundraising concert, 8:15 p.m., to benefit United Negro College Fund, Inc.
  • Titles listed in the programme:
    • National Anthem
    • Caravan
    • In A Mellow Tone
    • Solid, Old Man
    • Sono
    • Rugged Romeo
    • Cerce
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
    • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige and Perfume Suite
    • Bugle Break Extended
    • Take the A Train
    • A Tonal Group a.Fugue b.Rhapsadittii [sic] c.Concerto for Jam Band
    • Bassist and Me
    • Group a.Diminuendo in Blue b.Transblucency c.Crescendo in Blue
    • Magenta Haze
    • Hometown
    • Suburbanite
    • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler
    • Riffin' Drill
  • Personnel named in the programme and/or the Afro-American report:
    Hardwick, Hodges, Sears, Hamilton, Carney, Brown, Jones, de Paris, Jordan, Anderson, Hemphill, Williams, Pettiford, Guy, Greer, Ellington, Sherrill, Davis, Hibbler

  • It isn't clear why The Omaha Guide wrote its January 5 announcement in past tense:

    'Duke Ellington brought his famous orchestra to Hampton Institute on this weekend, appearing in Ogden Hall Saturday evening January 5th . . .The concert was sponsored by the local committee. . .'

  • Afro-American, January 19:

    'Hampton Students Honor Ellington
         HAMPTON INSTITUTE, Va.–Duke Ellington became an honorary member of the Omicron Social Club of Hampton Institute last Saturday night during a formal dinner given for the Duke and his performers following their concert in Ogden Hall earlier in the evening.
         The scroll of membership ... was presented to the Duke by Clarence Cooper of Washington, N.C., head of the Omicrons, in the presence of over 100 students and officials of Hampton Institute, who gathered at the dinner to honor the Ellington players.
    Ogden Hall Sold Out
         Ogden Hall was sold out for the Ellington concert, with standing room only for belated devotees of the Duke who had not been able to secure tickets beforehand.
         In addition to welcoming such well-known popular favorites as "Take The A Train," "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," "Blue Skies," and others, the audience was also effectively introduced to excerpts from the Duke's "Black. Brown, and Beige," with Joya Sherrill singing the blues theme, a matchless tonal group with Kay Davis vocalizing "Transbluency," and other Ellingtonia which proved as intriguing as the better-known items. "Magenta Haze," featuring the inimitable Johnny Hodges, was ono of these.
         A1 Hibbler sang "My Little Brown Book," "I Got It Bad," and "Fat and Forty," during the concert, which also featured William Anderson, trumpeter; Harry Carney, baritone sax; Lawrence Brown, trombone; Jimmy Hamilton. clarinet; Oscar Pettiford, string bass; Taft Jordan trumpet and Al Sears tenor sax. in addition to the Duke himseLf at the piano.'

  • A shorter report was printed in The New York Age on January 19.
  • Palmquist note:

    Both reports say the event occurred "last Saturday night," which some researchers interpreted to mean the event was postponed to January 12. My understanding is that black press weeklies were dated the Saturday following the date they were published and on newstands, typically a Monday or Tuesday. Their stories would have been submitted by deadline, which may have been as early as the preceding Saturday. If that were so, "last Saturday" referred to January 5, not January 1.

    Further research (July 2024) has revealed a January 12 engagement at the Lewiston Armory on January 12.

  • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 21 United Negro College Fund, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia, January 5, 1946
  • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
  • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
    • 1945-12-01 p. 11
    • 1945-12-29 p.11
    • 1946-01-19 p.7
  • Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
    • 1945-12-22 p.13
  • The Carolinian, Raleigh, N.C.
    • 1945-12-22 p.6
  • Daily Press, Newport News, Va.:
    • 1945-12-23 p.2D
    • 1945-12-30 p.7
    • 1946-01-05
      Saturday morning edition, p.7
  • Richmond News Leader, Richmond, Va.
    • 1946-01-03 p.14
  • Arkansas State Press, Little Rock, Ark.
    • 1946-01-04 p.8
  • The Omaha Guide, Omaha Nebr.
    • 1946-01-05 p.3
  • Email Götting-Palmquist 2022-01-00
  • Webmail query Palmquist-Harvey Library, Hampton Univerity 2022-01-13
  • Email Palmquist-A. Perez Gasco 2022-01-13, reply 2022-01-14
  • Email A. Perez Gasco-Carl Hällström & Rick Steiger 2009-09-01
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-07-29
2022-01-14
2024-07-07
1946 01 05
1946 01 12
Saturday
.Hampton, Va.Hampton InstituteAfter the concert, Ellington and his orchestra were honoured at a formal dinner under the auspices of Hampton's undergraduates' men's club, the Omicron Social Club, attended by 100 or so students and officials. Duke was made an honorary member of the club and was given a Scroll of Membership by club president Clarence Cooper.
  • The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
    1946-01-19 p.10
    courtesy A. Perez Gasco
  • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
    1946-01-19 p.7
...Agustěn Perez Gasco 09 and djp (2013)Added
2011
updated
2013-07-29
2022-01-14
1946 01 06
Sunday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 07
Monday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 08
Tuesday
.Richmond, Va.Mosque Theater
6 N.Laurel St.
8:45 p.m. segregated concert, Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra, sponsored by Samis Grotto.
Tickets: $3.00, $2.10, $1,80
Special Section Reserved for Colored Patrons

Tickets went on sale previous week.

'Duke Ellington Here Tonight For Concert
   Duke Ellington, who has just been awarded the Esquire prize for both the best arranger and the top band of the year, will be in Richmond tonight for a concert at the Mosque at 8:45 o'clock.
   Playing an all-Ellington program, he will feature excerpts from his famous "Black, Brown and Beige" and "Perfume" suites. He will also do a tonal group including fugue, rhapsaditti, and concerto for jam band, and a group of blues studies, including Diminuendo in Blue, Transbluecency [sic], and Crescendo in Blue.
   Other numbers will be "Caravan;" "In a Mellow [sic] Tone;" "Solid, Old Man;" "Sono;" "Rugged Romeo;" "Circe;" "Air Conditioned Jungle;" "Bugle Break Extended;" "Take the A Train;" "Bassist and Me;" "Magenta Haze;" "Hometown;" "Suburbanite;" and "Riffin' Drill."
   Appearing with the Duke will be Taft Jordan, trumpeter; Harry Carney, baritone sax; Lawrence Brown, trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; Oscar Pettiford, string bass; Johnny Hodges, alto sax; Al Sears, tenor sax, and Albert Hibbler, vocalist. The Duke himself will be at the piano.'

Local reviews:

Richmond News Leader
(J.W.H):

'   ...a splendid Duke Ellington program...The Duke went half hour beyond the usual, but nobody noticed.
   Pre-eminent in his musical discretion as to the correct approach to popular music, Ellington and his band demonstrated once again that this class of music ...is worthy competition for the classical variety.
   Emphasis in reviewing last night's show should be placed not so much on what was played but on how it was executed. This was with extreme sensitivity, vigor, humor, pathos and perception, each at the precise moment for greatest effect.
SHOWS ORIGINALITY
   Perhaps the most unusual feature concerning the score was its originality. An all-Ellington program in the popular field is to be compared with an all-Beethoven evening in the classics. There is enough varied artistry in each to provide selection of an evening's absorbing entertainment.
   Aside from Ellington's general excellence last night, the standout of the show was Albert, etc. (who has four first names) Hibler [sic], blind vocalist, who was scheduled for one number, but was yelled, screamed, whistled and pleaded back for four more. His titles were "My Little Brown Book;" "Every Hour on the Hour;" "I Ain't Got Nuthin' But the Blues;" "Inside Out and Outside In," and “I Guess I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So."
   Hibler sings with a highly involved African intonation which is an admirable vehicle for tense and often obvious emotional expression.
   Ellington, to return to the genius of the concert, is the most competent yet unostentatious band leader I have ever seen in action. He is doubly to be appreciated for his generous highlighting of each individual in his group, three-fourths of them are rated in the nation's top ranks for the instruments they handle and the Duke very wisely brings them to the front in numbers that illuminate each to his own best advantage.
HODGES PRAISED
   All points considered, last night's best instrumental performance was turned in by Johnny Hodges, tenor [sic] saxophonist, on "Magenta Haze," the most touching saxophone solo to be heard in Richmond in a long while.
   Top honors for composition go to Ellington's tone poem, "Black, Brown and Beige," two selections from which were in many passages exquisite, intricate, sometimes lugubrious and frequently lyrical. The leader explained that the work was an effort on his part to trace American Negro history in impressionistic style quasi-impressionistic, I should say. Concealed within this piece were interesting contrapuntal medleys of spirituals, work songs and romantic laments, all carefully and satisfactorily woven into a well-integrated whole.
     I don't know why it should have happened this way, but mention of the curtain-raiser, "Caravan," comes last in this notice. Done in Latin style,

Richmond News-Leader (cont'd)

'"Caravan" set a high standard for catchy rhythm and change of pace that was rarely excelled on the program that followed.
   All in all, it was the most pleasing popular concert I've ever attended. I doubt that I'll hear a better one for a long time to come.'


Richmond Times-Dispatch
(Chauncey Durden):

'Duke Ellington, the Brown Bach of Jazz, brought his instrumentalists, his singers, his own compositions and arrangements to the Mosque last night and a large appreciative audience heard two hours of the finest jazz, or swing, whichever term one prefers, played today. Ellington still is far out in front of the rest of the jazz field, just as he was 20 years ago.
   From the first number, a new arrangement of his and Juan Tizol's long familiar "Caravan," until he brought the curtain down with a hot arrangement of "Blue Skies," Ellington and his jazzmen had the audience, longhairs and hepcats alike, sitting on the edge of their seats.
   The Duke went a bit "arty" at times with his more pretentious compositions–excerpts from his "Black, Brown and Beige” and "Perfume" suites, a tonal group, and a group of blues studies–but as always he showed off the talents of his individual instrumentalists. Trumpeter Bill Anderson, Trombonist Laurence [sic] Brown, Trumpeter Taft Jordan, Clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, Bassist Oscar Pettiford, Tenor Saxman Al Sears, Baritone Saxman Johnny [sic] Carney and Alto Saxman Johnny Hodges all had their moments at the microphone.
   Hodges, rated by his fellow jazzmen ns the greatest alto saxman in the business, stopped the concert with his rendition of "Magenta Haze.” Hodges' playing brought the adolescent mating calls, usually reserved for crooners, from the balconies.
   A1 Hibbler, the blind vocalist, did not make his appearance until after intermission, but when the band leader led the singer onto the stage he took complete charge of the show. Hibbler sang a series of three numbers. Including "My Little Brown Book" and “I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues," and then was called back for two encores.
   Several favorite performers ... were missing last night, ... are no longer with the duke. But the Ellington music goes on, sounding as good as ever.
   The subtle arrangements and the tonal effects for which Ellington has long been famous have lost none of their appeal. If there was one fault to be found with last night's concert it was that Ellington leaned a little too far to the side of what some critics call art in jazz. Most disciples of le hot jazz prefer the redhot gal who struts in such Ellington numbers as "Solid, Old Man” or "Rugged Romeo,” or in the band's jamming of "Frankie and Johnnie." But if any jazzman can make a lady of the jazz gal, and in the doing not destroy her vitality and bounce. Duke Ellington is the man to do it.'

  • Richmond News Leader, Richmond, Va.
    • 1945-12-28 p.13
    • 1946-01-08 p.14
  • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
    • 1946-01-06 pp.D-8, D-9
    • 1946-01-08 p.7
    • 1946-01-09 p.9
...djpNew
added
2017-04-20
updated
2022-01-16
1946 01 09
Wednesday
.Baltimore, Md.5th Regiment Armory

THE BAND YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR
DUKE ELLINGTON
IN PERSON
and ORCHESTRA
WILL BE HERE
Wednesday, Jan. 9th
5th Regiment Armory
ADMISSION: Pre-Date $1.25  At the Door $1.60
GET YOUR TICKETS EARLY AT
FREE STATE MUSIC STORES

The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
1946-01-05 p.17
....New
added
2022-01-19
1946 01 10
Thursday
.New York, N.Y.RCA Victor studio #1, 153 E. 24 St.RCA-Victor recording session
"Esquire All-American 1946 Award Winners"
  • The session was called for 8:30 p.m., began at 8:45 and lasted until 2:30 a.m.
  • Esquire's Gold Esky, Silver and New award winners are listed at 1946 01 00 above.
  • Musicians participating in this session: Louis Armstrong, vocal and solo trumpet; Ellington, piano; Charlie Shavers, trumpet; Hamilton, clarinet; Hodges, alto sax; Don Byas, tenor sax; Strayhorn, piano; Remo Palmieri, guitar; Greer, drums; Chubby Jackson, bass; Neil Hefti, trumpet; Red Norvo, vibraharp. The recordings used various combinations of these musicians – the record labels name those playing on each title.
  • Leonard Feather composed three of the four band titles. Steven Lasker:The band, with Feather on piano, played a rehearsal take of Long Long Journey. Ellington arrived as they were listening to a playback of that take. Then, with Ellington on piano, the band recorded the master take of Long Long Journey. This was the only title Ellington recorded with the band. Armstrong is heard on Long Long Journey and Snafu but not the other two band titles. After Long Long Journey was complete, Ellington and Strayhorn worked up and recorded two duets on one piano before the remaining band recordings were made.
  1. Award winners:
    • Long Long Journey
  2. Ellington and Strayhorn on one piano:
    • Pianistically Allied
      (later renamed Tonk)
    • Drawing Room Blues
  3. Award winners again:
    • Snafu
    • The One That
      Got Away
    • Gone With The Wind
Lasker:
  • [Here's an] interesting essay on "Tonk," the card game popular with Ellingtonians https://www.pagat.com/rummy/tonk.html'
  • Tonk and Drawing Room Blues are 10-inch masters. The first title was typed on the sheet as Pianistically Allied; this was crossed out and "Tonk" handwritten next to it, the change dated 4/6/48. These were recorded midway through a session by the Esquire All-American 1946 Award Winners, which resulted in four masters released in a 2-pocket album, catalog number HJ-8, consisting of two 12-inch discs, Long Long Journey/Snafu (Victor 40-001) and The One that Got Away/Gone with the Wind (Victor 40-0002).
  • Leonard Feather supervised the Esquire session for Victor, wrote three of the four tunes, and wrote an essay for the album. He notes that the date was called for 8:30 and began at 8:45. The first title recorded was Long Long Journey [D6VC-5020].
  • While listening to playback [of a rehearsal take], Duke arrived.

    'He sat at the piano and worked out a couple of unexpected chord changes with the bass and guitar. Louis got a big kick out of singing the blues; it was his first blues recording for public release in almost six years. The second take on this number came out okay, which was fast work, considering that on dates of this kind it's not unusual to cut six or seven masters before an acceptable one is made. After the first tune was completed and the musicians were killing time with coffee, sandwiches, and photographers, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn sat down at the piano to noodle around for their own amusement. '

    Their duets, Tonk [D6VB-1518] and Drawing Room Blues [D6VB-1519], were played on a single piano between 11:00 or 11:10 and 12:00 p.m. Feather's notes continue....

    'It was after eleven [recte midnight] when we started work on Snafu [D6VC-5021]" [....] "The One that Got Away [D6VC-5022] took longer to make than any of the other sides on the date....Red Norvo, just through after a hard day's work at the Paramount Theater, arrived in time to make this one [...] By the time we made this one [Gone with the Wind, D6VC-5023] (which was okay on the first master) it was 2:45 a.m.. Hodges and Greer and the other Ellingtonians had to leave very shortly for Pittsburgh, where they were to play a date the next evening. '

  • The file sheet for the piano duets show "A&R Rep: Mr. S. [Steve] H. Sholes"\
  • Benny Aasland:
    The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
  • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 2 1937-47
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
  • W.E. Timner
    The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen Fifth edition
    with, if relevant, corrections in DEMS 09/2/4, 09/3/4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
  • Vail I p. 284
  • Lush Life photo
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • S. Lasker/O. Keepnews, The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition, RCA Victor CD box set 09026-63386-2
  • E. Lambert: Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide, p.129
  • Emails Lasker-Palmquist
    • 2014-10-14 (session time)
    • 2017-01-24 (address)
    • 2021-12-05
    • 2022-01-12
    • 2022-01-15
    • 2022-01-16
New Desor
DE4602 DE4603
DEMSdjpAdded
2011
updated
2014-10-14
2014-11-03
2017-01-27
2020-05-05
2022-01-10
2022-01-11
2022-01-15
2022-01-16
2022-01-17
1946 01 11
Friday
.Newark, N.J.Mosque Theatre
1020 Broad St.
Daily News:

'Duke Ellington repeats his recent sellout Carnegie Hall concert at Newark's Mosque Theatre tonight. He'll offer the same musical routine.'

Daily News, New York, N.Y.
1946-01-11 p.31
....New
added
2022-01-21
1946 01 12
Saturday
.Lewiston, Me.Lewiston ArmoryMarch of Dimes benefit dance

Lewiston Evening Journal Jan. 9:

'  Inaugurating Lewiston's 1946 March of Dimes program for the benefit of the infantile paralysis campaign, Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will occupy the Armory stage Saturday evening to an expected capacity audience.
  No strange to local dance and music fans, the Duke won the applause and praise of over 3,000 enthusiasts when he appeared at the Armory a year ago...Appearing with Ellington will be ... Johnny Hodges,... Lawrence Brown,... Al Hibbler, Oscar Pettiford, Joya Sherrill and Kay Davis...A percentage of the proceeds from the dance will go towards the March of Dimes...'

  • Lewiston Evening Journal, Lewiston, Me.
    • 1946-01-02 p.7
    • 1946-01-04 p.12
    • 1946-01-07 p.10
    • 1946-01-09 p.12
  • Portland Press Herald, Portland, Me.
    • 1946-01-09 p.5
...djpNew
added
2024-07-07
1946 01 13
Sunday
.Boston, Mass.Symphony Hall.
..DEMS..Added
2011
updated
2020-05-05
1946 01 14
Monday
...activities not documented......
circa
1946 01 00
...Personnel change
1. Bernard Flood, trumpet, joined the band in time to play the Esquire All-American broadcast.

2. Lambert reports that, at the beginning of 1946, the band consisted of:
Trumpets:
Sheldon Hemphill
Taft Jordan
Cat Anderson
Francis Williams
Bernard Flood
Trombones:
Lawrence Brown
Wilbur De Paris
Claude Jones (valve trombone)
Reeds:
Otto Hardwick
Al Sears
Johnny Hodges
Jimmy Hamilton
Harry Carney
Rhythm:
Duke Ellington
Fred Guy
Oscar Pettiford
Sonny Greer
Billy Strayhorn (deputy pianist)
Vocal:
Kay Davis
Al Hibbler
Missing from his list are Bernard Flood and Joya Sherrill.
  • 1.: New Desor vol.2
  • 2. Eddy Lambert: Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide, p.128
...djpNew
added
2012-10-25
updated
2013-08-04
2022-01-16
2022-01-17
2022-01-23
1946 01 15
Tuesday
... Peripheral event
Ellington's first biography, Duke Ellington by Barry Ulanov, was released.
Ellington and biographer Ulanov
Duke Ellington and Barry Ulanov
Click to see article and photos


  • Ebony's January edition (vol. 1. no. 3) cover story was about Duke Ellington. The magazine touted Ulanov's biography "which will be in the book stalls this month" and as well as the Victor release of its "Black, Brown and Beige" album.
  • Ebony included several candid photos of Ellington.
  • Ulanov's book was widely publicized, generating many newspaper articles about Duke.
  • In February, The Manitoban printed a lengthy and comprehensive article about Ellington which ends with a referral to the Ulanov book.
  • The New York Sun published a book review in March.
  • In October, the Madison Free Library listed it as a new book.
  • Duke Ellington was one of seven musical biographies shown in Libary Notes in the Nashua Telegraph.
  • "Two Decades With The Duke"
    Ebony 1946-01-00
    Courtesy S. Lasker 2022-02-06
  • "Twisting Dials"
    Zanesville (Ohio) News, Zanesville, Ohio
    1946-01-20, p.7
  • New York Sun, New York, N.Y.
    1946-03-09 p.4
  • "Duke Ellington Arranger-Composer-Conductor"
    The Manitoban, University of Manitoba Student Union
    Winnipeg, Man. 1946-02-12 p.3
  • Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc.
    1946-10-15 p.20
  • Nashua Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.
    1946-12-19, p.13
...djpNew
added
2013-03-13
updated
2022-01-17
2022-01-24
2022-02-27
1946 01 15
Tuesday
.New York, N.Y..RCA Victor Metronome recording session
Strayhorn was present and was photographed with Oliver and Ellington.

  • 12:45 a.m. – Metronome All Stars, conducted by Sy Oliver
    Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Cootie Wiliams, Rex Stewart, Harry Edison, Pete Candoli, Neal Hefti, Sonny Berman, Tommy Dorsey, Will Bradley, Bill Harris, J.C. Higginbotham, Buddy de Franco, Hermie Fields, Flip Phillips, George Auld, Teddy Wilson, Tiny Grimes, Billy Bauer, Chubby Jackson, Dave Tough
    • Title recorded:
      Look Out
  • 3:15 a.m. – Metronome All Stars, conducted by Duke Ellington
    Hodges, Carney, Edison, Candoli, Hefti, Berman, Dorsey, Harris, Higginbotham, de Franco, Fields, Phillips, Auld, Wilson, Red Norvo, Grimes, Bauer, Jackson, Tough
    • Title recorded:
      Metronome All Out
New Desor
DE4604
DEMS.Added
2011
updated
2013-03-16
2020-05-05
2022-01-15
2022-01-17
1946 01 16
Wednesday
.New York, N.Y.Ritz TheatreThird Annual Esquire All-American Jazz Concert
Recorded national one-hour broadcast at 9 p.m. EST

The Ellington orchestra, Woody Herman's band and the King Cole Trio were featured, with 12 soloists selected from the 1946 Esquire Gold award winners. Orson Wells was the m.c. and Leonard Feather was to provide over-all direction.
  1. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Bernard Flood, Brown, de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Hardwick, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
    • Titles recorded:
      • Take the "A" Train (theme)
      • Take the "A" Train
      • Honeysuckle Rose
      • Jam-A-Ditty
    • Esquire Swank
  2. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Francis Wayne
    • Title recorded:
      • I'm Checkin' Out Go'ombye
  3. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Woody Herman's orchestra
    As above plus Sonny Berman, Muzzy Marcellino,Conrad Gozzo, Bill Harris, Ed Kiefer, Ralph Pfeffner, Woody Herman, John LaPorta, Sam Marowitz, Mickey Folus, Flip Phillips Sam Rubinowitch, Tony Aless, Billy Bauer,Red Norvo, Chubby Jackson, Don Lamond
    • Title recorded:
      • C-Jam Blues
Esquire Swank and C-Jam Blues were released on V-Discs.


Mike Thompson, The Manitoban:

'... some of the best jazz music ever broadcast on any program. Duke Ellington, the best of them all, was there, as was Woody Herman whose band has made an astonishing rise from both a financial and musical point of view. The famous King Cole Trio ... was also featured. They, however, were on the short end of the musical proceedings of the concert, playing only two numbers.
     The program opened with the resounding strains of the Duke's "A" Train...in a new arrangement. Some good trumpet was featured, probably Taft Jordan , who is now Duke's first trumpet. Herman followed with his frantic, screaming arrangement of Caldonia ... here, briefly , is the substance of what followed.
      Ellington 's great band was featured again in another of the Duke's originals ( in all senses of the word) called Jamadiddy [sic]. One noted the beautiful blending of muted brass and low-voiced reeds, a facet of the Duke's arrangements that amounts almost to a trademark. More Herman, then Frances Wayne singing Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe ... Somewhere in the program Herman featured a trio of men from his band, namely Red Norvo...on vibes ; Chubby Jackson, phenomenal, portly five string bassist; Ralph Burns, youthful pianist, in ...Jackson Fiddles While Ralph Burns... Ellington then swung his way through a jump number, the title of which escapes me for the moment, composed by his youthful protege, Billy "Swee'Pea" Strayhorn. This composition unrolled a vast panorama of great individual and collective talent Lhat has put Ellington's band where it is today. Featured in lengthy solo spots were slight, stooping Johnny Hodges: Taft Jordon, erstwhile Armstrong imitator: Lawrence Brown, clerical abstemious trombonist, and others of lesser repute. King Cole made his debut about then playing his famous rendition of Sweet Lorraine...An interesting part of this program was the M.C., Orson Welles,self-styled genius and jazz, enthusiast. His relevant and entertaining remarks filled in admirably that hole-in-the-program, between-numbers lull. His remarks, made over an obligatto of low, muted jazz proved very enlightening.
     Duke Ellington then introduced his young, solemn-visaged clarinetist, Jimmy Hamilton, who performed with dextrous ease several interesting and quite listenable choruses of Honeysuckle Rose, the old kickaround. Woody Herman replied in kind , featuring Bill Harris ... in a number which sounded like Mean to Me... King Cole again entered the picture, playing After You've Gone , spotting the splashchord guitar of Oscar Moore... Francis Wayne sang again; this time it was I'm Gonna Leave You, Goodby (or words to that effect) with Duke's band. It is to be noted in passing how well Duke's men play shortly after joining his band. This is true of Al Sears, short, owlish tenorman, the aforementioned Jimmy Hamilton and Taft Jordan, bassist Junior Raglan who has now departed, double High C trumpet specialist Cat Anderson and others.
     Leonard Feather, British-born composer and jazz critic , mentor of Esquire's jazz page, was then called upon to present the Eskie awards to various musicians, which he did: Duke got one, as did Herman and Cole Even master of ceremonies, Welles, was presented with one - quite a philanthropic event. As a hell-for-leather finale , both bands massed and played Duke's C Jam Blues, frequently interspersed with wild imaginative sobs by almost everyone...
                             — MIKE THOMPSON'

Ulanov's less than favourable review is reprinted in Vail I.
  • Metronome, 1946-01-00
  • Coe College Cosmos, 1946-01-09, p.3
  • Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
    1946-01-13 p.6B
  • Radio log, Wisconsin State Journal, 1946-01-16, p.15
  • Times Herald, Olean N.Y.
    1946-01-16 p.8
  • The Manitoban, University of Manitoba
    Winnipeg, Man.
    1946-01-29 p.3
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
    Ellingtonia.com
  • Benny Aasland:
    The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
  • Jepsen 2
  • Nielsen
  • W.E. Timner
    Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His SidemenFifth edition
    and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
  • Vail I
  • Stratemann, p.265
New Desor
DE4605
DEMS
  • Lush Life photo
djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-13
2017-04-20
2020-05-05
2022-01-17
1946 01 17
Thursday
.Pittsburgh, Penn.Savoy Ballroom on the Hill Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan. 19:

'Harry Hendel has booked the Jimmy Lunceford band at his Savoy Ballroom on the Hill for a one-night dance ... Incedentally, Duke Ellington drew a big crowd there on Thursday.'

The Drama Desk,
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Penn.
1946-01-19 p.11.
...djpNew
added
2022-01-22
1946 01 17
Thursday
... Peripheral event
Beginning of "National Duke Ellington Week" publicity.
  • "Twisting Dials,"
    Zanesville (Ohio) News, Zanesville, Ohio
    1946-01-20, p.7
  • The Binghamton Press, Binghamton, N.Y.
    1946-01-21 p.17
  • Evening Observer, Dunkirk,. N.Y.
    1946-01-22 p.6
...djpNew
added
2013-03-13
updated
2022-01-17
1946 01 18
Friday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 19
Saturday
.Detroit, Mich.Masonic Temple AuditoriumDuke Ellington and Orchestra JAZZ CONCERT
Tickets $3.00 $2.40 $1.80 $1.20

Detroit Times:

'We spotted...Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Parker Jr. dining on Thirds avenu Saturday evening . . . before the Duke Ellington concert. '

  • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
    • 1946-01-17 p.17
    • 1946-01-18 p.19
    • 1946-01-19 p.7
  • The Detroit News, Detroit, Mich.
    • 1946-01-13 p.26 pt, 2 p.6
    • 1946-01-16 p.24
    • 1946-01-17 pp.29, 36
    • 1946-01-18 p.26
  • The Detroit Times, Detroit, Mich.
    • 1946-01-03 p.C-9
    • 1946-01-21 p.6-C
...djpNew
added
2022-01-17
updated
2022-01-22
2022-02-18
1946 01 20
Sunday
.Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera HouseTwo concerts, 3:00 and 8:30 p.m. sponsored by Down Beat to present Ellington, Hodges, Carney and Brown with awards from its ninth annual musicians poll.
  • Stratemann reports Ellington got $10,000 of the $19,800 ticket sales.
  • Down Beat reported the venue's capacity was 3,600, but close to 3,700 managed to jam into the place for each concert and about 3,000 more were turned away (100 seats were reportedly placed in the orchestra pit.)
  • AFRS used parts of these concerts on its Date With The Duke #33 transcription but not in its Treasury series.
  • Exactly what was performed in each concert will likely never be known. The programme, printed in advance, was not apparently followed exactly, and the discographies only show what was recorded in-house or from part of the second concert that was aired.
    Steven Lasker:

    '1946 01 20. [The] Concert program corresponds to Chicago Civic Opera House concert as listed in the New Desor except after Circe (composer Ellington) we have Excerpts from Perfume Suite; Bugle Break Extended (Mercer Ellington, Strayhorn and Duke Ellington); INTERMISSION; Take the "A" Train and so on until Pitter Panther Patter, listed in the program as "Bassist and Me" (Ellington); Suburbanite, Al Sears, tenor sax (Ellington); Songs featuring Albert Hibbler; Riffin' Drill, Lawrence Brown, trombone (Ellington). Orange cover, 1940s b&w photo of Duke at piano, same photo as found on programs three, four and five, which all have a blue cover.'

    Palmquist note:

    Programmes for the concerts throughout the early part of the year are similar, although not identical.


    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Personnel named in the discographies and the programme:
    • Hardwick
    • Hodges
    • Sears
    • Hamilton
    • Carney
    • Brown
    • C.Jones
    • de Paris
    • Jordan
    • Anderson
    • Hemphill
    • F.Williams
    • Pettiford
    • Guy
    • Greer
    • Ellington
    • Hibbler (Timner V omits him in the second concert because his segment was not in the broadcast nor among the tunes recorded on site.)
    Personnel not named in the programme:
    • Bernard Flood (new sideman)
    • Kay Davis (vocal)
    The programme shows Ellington as composer of "Bugle Break Extended" but lists Mercer Ellington and Billy Strayhorn where it shows the soloists for the other selections. There is no indication in Down Beat's review nor the discographies that Mercer or Strayhorn performed.

    Titles listed in the programme:
    • The National Anthem
    • Caravan
    • In A Mellow Tone
    • Solid, Old Man
    • Sono
    • Rugged Romeo
    • Circe
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
    • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige and Perfume Suite
    • Bugle Break Extended
    • Take The "A" Train
    • A TONAL GROUP
      • A. Fugue
      • B. Rhapsoditti
      • C. Concerto for Jazz Band
    • Bassist and Me
    • GROUP
      • A. Diminuendo In Blue
      • B. Transblucency
      • C. Crescendo In Blue
    • Magenta Haze
    • Hometown
    • Suburbanite
    • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler
    • Riffin' Drill
    As usual, the programme says: PROGRAM MAY BE ALTERED OR CHANGED BY MR. ELLINGTON ACCORDING TO REQUEST NUMBERS RECEIVED. The discographies confirm some variations in what was performed. They use alternate titles and have some differences in what they say was performed:
    • Star Spangled Banner
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Caravan
      (1)(2)(7)
    • In A Mellow Tone
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Solid Old Man
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Come Sunday [Black, Brown and Beige]
      (1)
    • Light [Black, Brown and Beige]
      (1)
    • Rugged Romeo
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Sono
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Circe
      (1)(2)(7)
    • Dancers In Love [Perfume Suite]
      (2)(7)
    • Coloratura [Perfume Suite]
      (2)(7)
    • Bugle Break Extended
    • Frankie and Johnny / Metronome All Out (1)(4)
    • Take The "A" Train
      (1) (5) (6)(7)
    • A TONAL GROUP Rhapsoditti (Mellow Ditty) / Fugueaditti / Jam-A-Ditty (1)(2)(5 and 6 - Jam-A-Ditty only)(7)
    • Magenta Haze (1)(2)(5)(6)(7)
    • Diminuendo In Blue / Transblucency / Crescendo In Blue
      (1)(2)(5)(6)(7)
    • Pitter Panther Patter ["Bassist and Me"]
      (1)(2)(5)(6)(7)
    • Suburbanite
      (1)(2)(6)(7)
    • ["Songs featuring Albert Hibbler"]
      • My Little Brown Book
        (2)(7)
      • Every Hour on the Hou
        r(2)(7)
      • I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
        (2)(7)
      • Fat and Forty
        (2)(7)
    • Blue Skies
      (2)(7)
    • Riffin' Drill

    Notes:
    • (1) Listed in New Desor and, at the time of writing, Girvan in the afternoon programme recordings.
    • (2) Listed in Nielsen
    • (3) Nielsen and Timner list Black, Brown and Beige as Spritual Theme, Work Song and The Blues.
    • (4) Nielsen and Timner list Frankie and Johnny but not Metronome All Out
    • (5) Also listed in New Desor and, at the time of writing, Girvan in the evening programme recordings
    • (6) Also listed in Nielsen in the evening programme recordings
    • (7) Listed in Timner V
    The discographies differ in varying the names of the songs to what was actually recorded. Some differences were explained by Sjef Hoefsmit:

    'The titles and sequence of the afternoon concert are from John Steiner, who recorded the first concert with a mike suspended from a line he dangled from the attic above the stage. His friend stayed for the second concert and only recorded those titles marked with an asterisk. Part of the second concert was broadcast ... through WENR. The recording of this broadcast has been used for the AFRS in Europe AFRS "DWD" 38. It seems that "Take the 'A' Train" on DETS 33 is taken from a different source to open the broadcast.'

    For a fuller understanding of how the discographies came up with their lists, read the DEMS bulletins listed to the right.
Down Beat photos
Ellington's Down Beat award winners
Click to Enlarge

  • Printed programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2, box 10, folder 22 "Down Beat Concert, Civic Opera House, Chicago, Illinois, January 20, 1946"
  • Down Beat review, 1946-02-11 pp.1, 12, 13
    (courtesy S. Lasker)
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • W.E. Timner
    Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His SidemenFifth edition
    and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
  • Stratemann, p.265 citing
    • Variety 1946-01-23, p.34
    • Down Beat 1946-05-15
  • Email, Lasker-Palmquist
    • 2016 04 05
    • 2021-10-25
    • 2022-01-12
New Desor
DE4606
DE4607
DEMS.djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-13
2016-01-16
2017-04-25
2022-01-11
2022-01-12
2022-01-18
2022-01-27
1946 01 21
Monday
.Chicago, Ill.Millionaire's Club.
.....Added
2011
1946 01 22
Tuesday
.Rochester, Minn.Mayo Civic AuditoriumPublic dance
The Jan. 16 announcement said the Ellington orchestra was 26 musicians, including 3 girl vocalists.
  • Albert Lea Evening Tribune
    • 1946-01-16 p.5
    • 1946-01-18,p.5
  • The Republican-Herald, Winnona, Minn.
    1946-01-15 p.4
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-13
2019-05-08
2022-01-19
Circa
1946 01 23
Wednesday
...Peripheral event
Variety reported Billy Strayhorn became a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
Variety 1946-01-30 p.43...djpNew
added
2022-01-17
1946 01 23
Wednesday
.Minneapolis, Minn.Minneapolis AuditioriumConcert
Variety reported the audience nubmbered about 5,000.

The back page of the programme listed Ellington records available, describing him as "Exclusive RCA Victor Recording Artist."
Titles listed in the programme:
  • National Anthem
  • Caravan
  • In a Mellow Tone
  • Solid, Old Man
  • Sono
  • Rugged Romeo
  • Circe
  • Air Conditioned Jungle
  • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige and Perfume Suite
  • Bugle Break Extended
  • Take the A Train
  • A Tonal Group
      A. Fugue
    • B. Rhapsoditti
    • C. Concerto for Jam Band
  • Bassist and Me
  • Group:
    • A. Diminuendo in Blue
    • B. Transblucency
    • C. Crescendo in Blue
  • Magenta Haze
  • Hometown
  • Suburbanite
  • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler, Vocalist
  • Riffin' Drill

Personnel named in the programme:
  • Hardwick
  • Hodges
  • Sears
  • Hamilton
  • Carney
  • Brown
  • Jones
  • de Paris
  • Jordan
  • Anderson
  • Hemphill
  • F.Williams
  • Pettiford
  • Guy
  • Greer
  • Ellington

Willa Booker, St. Paul Recorder:

'Talk of the past week was the "Duke" Ellington concert at the Minneapolis Auditorium. This was something so different. Each player in "Duke's" orchestra is an artist in his own right. Don't know about you, but enjoyed Duke's directing as much as I did the music. The outstanding features of the evening (to me) were the singing of Al Hibbler [illegible] with the beautiful voice of Joya Sherill, filling in as an instrument; Al Sears' (sax) rendition of "Suburbpette[sic]." ... Taft Jordan and his trumpet, Johnny Hodges and of course our own Oscar Pettiford, bass violinist.
     Spied among the crowd, Mary Lou Hill and daughter, Mary Kate, Mrs. Pearle Brown, DeVelma Newman, Jane Lee and Nancy Norman (St. Paul), Mike and Jerry Schramm, Thelma McClure, Bea Slemmons ... Saw Al Reed and Benny Walton (Rocket Boys from K.C.) "sneaking in in the middle of the concert. ... "Juvenile Jive" Don (Duke) Gates was as near the band as possible....The William Burrells, Mary Ryan, Boy Wright, Patty Davison, Agnes Shanks and many others ... Saw Mrs. Leontine Pettiford and her two younger daughters, Helen and Katherine, coming from backstage where they had been to visit with their son and brother, Pettiford...Oscar did all right for his home people, even gave an encore, for which Mr. Ellington said, "we were a litte unprepared.'
(ellipses in original)

  • Albert Lea Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, Minn,
    • 1946-01-18,p.5
  • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
    • 1946-01-20 p.6
  • Variety 1946-01-30 p.55
  • St. Paul Recorder, St. Paul, Minn.
    • 1946-01-11 p.6
    • 1946-02-01 p.6
  • Minneapolis Spokesman, Minneapolis, Minn.
    • 1946-01-18 p.1
  • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2, box 10, folder 23 Minneapolis Auditiorium, Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 23, 1946
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-13
2016-01-16
2022-01-17
2022-02-18
1946 01 24
Thursday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 25
Friday
.Topeka, Kan...
.....Added
2011
1946 01 26
Saturday
...activities not documented......
1946 01 27
Sunday
.Kansas City, Mo.Municipal Auditorium

'A POSITIVE DEMAND DANCE AND CONCERT
DUKE
ELLINGTON
AND HIS Famous ORCHESTRA
WITH JOHNNY HODGES, LAURENCE [sic] BROWN, DIL [sic] HIBBLER, JOY [sic] SHERRILL, KAY DAVIS
TONIGHT     MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM... '

Palmquist's note:
Given the times and the location, this was probably a whites-only event. The ad and plug make no mention of seating for blacks, and they were in the white press. A second event at the same location the next evening was advertised in the black press.
  • The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Mo.
    • 1946-01-22 p.6
    • 1946-01-27 p.3D
  • The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Mo.
    • 1946-01-22 p.15
  • Stratemann p.265
  • Vail I
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2017-04-21
2022-01-16
1946 01 28
Monday
.Kansas City, Mo.Municipal AuditoriumDance, advance admission $1.25

'HUGE CROWD HEAR
DUKE ELLINGTON
   A crowd estimated between seven and eight thousand turned out Monday night to hear the top ranking band leader, the famous Duke Ellington. . . . Bands may come and bands may go, but the Duke holds his own from year to year. It was one of the largest crowds to appear at the beautiful Municipal Auditorium since the Ink Spots played there three years ago.
   The Duke and his boys entertained those present with their unique style of dishing out hot swing.'



It isn't clear if this was a dance or a concert. In either event, it was probably a performance for Afro-Americans - it was advertised and reported by The Plaindealer, whose masthead described it as "THE OLDEST NEGRO NEWSPAPER IN THE SOUTHWEST."
The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kans.
  • 1946-01-25 p.4
  • 1946-02-01 p.4
.
...djpNew
added
2017-04-21
1946 01 29
Tuesday
.Oelwein, IowaColiseum BallroomDance
  • Oelwein Daily Register, Oelwein, Iowa, 1946-01-28, p.3
  • Des Moines Sunday Register, Des Moines, Iowa,
    • 1946-01-06 p.1
    • 1946-01-27 s.7 p.1
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2013-03-13
2017-04-20
1946 01 30
Wednesday
1946 02 12
Tuesday
Covington, Ken.
(a suburb of Cincinnati)
Lookout House
Dixie Highway
Night club residency, Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra with his All Star Revue, two weeks, two shows daily.
  • The advertisements say there are shows at 8:30 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. and "Social Wed., Fri., Sun. 9:00
  • Acts named in the ads include Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis, Jessie Patterson, James Jackson, The Ray Nance Trio, Hodges, Hibbler, Brown and Pettiford.
  • Ellington's ensemble missed its train in Chicago, arriving at the club at 10 p.m. and playing its first show at midnight instead of the scheduled 8:30.
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer 1946-02-03 and 1946-02-07 reported the show was playing to packed houses.
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer carried no ads or publicity for Ellington at Lookout House after 1946-02-09. Advertising after that date was for Lookout House's next act, starting Wednesday 1946-02-13.
  • The Billboard, Feb.9:

    '... For the current layout – Duke Ellington and his band – [Lookout House manager] Rambeau has loosed the purse strings and for the next two weeks Lookout patrons are assured of strictly upstairs entertainment...
         At the Duke's bow-in Wednesday (30), the spot was jammed to overflowing, and the bistro is virtually reserved solidly for the remainder of the engagement. Ellington and his aggregation missed train connections an route from Oelwein Ia., and arrived two hours late for the opening. However, Ellington rewarded his slightly impatient audience with a snappy presentation, sans rehearsal, which had patrons eating out of his hand from the firat note. It's bell-ringer stuff thruout.
         Duke's fast session gets under way with a neat brass foursome, Johnny Hodges, Al Hibbler, Lawrence Brown and Oscar Pettiford, getting in some terrific licks on Jam a Ditty, combo's own composition. They went away to a big hand. Lawrence Brown followed, featuring great trombone work on the band's recent recording of Come to Baby, Do. Joya Sherill, shapely and sensuous femme with an easy-listening set of pipes, handles the lyrics admirably, Her work is greatly enhanced by good lighting.
         Jessie and James start slowly with a tap number, but at the finish have their clientele sitting on the edge of their chairs. They knock themselves out with a series of jumps, leaps and spins, and beg off with a neat curtainer.
         Equally well received was the band's Transbluecency which features the loveliness and rich voice of the attractive Kay Davis. This one scores going away. La Davis encores effectively with Yesterday.
         Best mitting of the 35-minute setto goes to Patterson and Jackson, beefy duo, who offer a grand bit of tapping to Ain't Misbehavin', and then go into shennanigans that are strictly top drawer. Especially outstanding is their take-off of the Ink Spots If I Didn't Care. They left the Jammed house bleating for more.
         Al Daughtery Trio, sleek attired crew, made a brief appearance for the intermish music. Trio is set for a two-weeker with Duke. Johnnie Fielden's Foursome, which concluded a lengthy engagement in the intermish spot Tuesday (29), was called back for a night to provide music during the Ellington wait. The combo filled the bill excellently.'

  • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
    • 1946-01-03 p.11
    • 1946-01-21 p.18
    • 1946-01-25 p.20
    • 1946-01-26 p.18
    • 1946-01-27 p.2 s.3
    • 1946-01-28 p.14
    • 1946-01-29 p.7
    • 1946-01-30 p.6
    • 1946-01-31 pp,15,18
    • 1946-02-01 p. 22 (review)
    • 1946-02-02 p.24
    • 1946-02-03 p.2 s.3
    • 1946-02-04 p.11
    • 1946-02-05 p.20
    • 1946-02-06 p.8
    • 1946-02-07 pp.16,20
    • 1946-02-08 p.20
    • 1946-02-09 p.22
  • The Billboard 1946-02-09 p.38
  • Stratemann p.265, citing The Billboard 1946-02-23 p.26
  • Vail I
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2012-11-13
2022-01-16
1946 01 31
Thursday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout House...djpAdded
2011
updated
2012-11-13

February 1946

1946 02 01
Friday
.Cincinnati, OhioWCKY Radio

'3:05 p.m. WCKY: Duke Ellington, currently at the Lookout House, is guest of Tom More on the WCKY "1539 Matinee." Ellington recordings will be featured and discussed by the band leader and More.'

The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
1946-02-01 p.10
...djpNew
added
2022-01-16
1946 02 01
Friday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout House...djpAdded
2011
updated
2012-11-13
1946 02 02
Saturday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 03
Sunday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 04
Monday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 05
Tuesday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 06
Wednesday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 07
Thursday
.Cincinnati, OhioWLW Radio

'6:30 p.m. WLW: Duke Ellington, famous band leader, pays a visit to "Crossroads Cafe," where he is interviewed by Rita Hackett. Ellington and his orchestra ae playing at the Lookout House.'

The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
1946-02-07 p.16
...djpNew
added
2022-01-16
1946 02 07
Thursday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 08
Friday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 09
Saturday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 10
Sunday
.New York, N.Y. Alvin TheaterPeripheral event
FBI report:

'According to a reliable source Duke Ellington was e1ected to the Board of Directors of the Independent Citizens Committee of the Arts, Sciences and Professions, Incorportated, at the annual membership meeting of that organization... '

It seems unlikely Ellington was present, since the band was on tour in Kentucky)
FBI file 100-43-4443, p.6...djpNew
added 2012-11-13
1946 02 10
Saturday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 11
or earlier
...(Unconfirmed)

Stratemann, p.280, citing DownBeat, 1946-02-11, says John LaTouche brought Ellington the libretto for Beggar's Holiday in early February 1946, and joined him for a number of days on his Eastern tour to work on the project. Note Ellington was in the midwest from mid-January until March 6, with the Eastern tour beginning March 8 in Baltimore.
Stratemann, pp. 280 - 284...djpNew
added 2013-03-15
1946 02 11
Monday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 12
Tuesday
.Covington, Ken.Lookout Housesee 1946 01 30....djpAdded
2011
updated 2012-11-13
1946 02 13
Wednesday
...activities not documented......
1946 02 14
Thursday
Valentine's Day
...activities not documented......
circa
1946 02 15
Friday
circa
1946 02 21
Thursday
Detroit, Mich.Kronk CenterAt some time during his week in Detroit, Ellington made a personal appearance to speak to a mixed audience at a dance here. Detroit Tribune alleged white kids were kept from the dance, an allegation denied by J. J. Considine, director of Detroit's Parks and Recreation Department:
  • March 16 p.6:

    'An inter-racial committee of residents of the Tireman area has been meeting for the purpose of securing adequate recreation facilities for the children of the neighborhood and to bring about the inter-racial utilization of the Kronk Community Center, run by the Detroit Department of Parks and Recreation...
          The area ... is a mixed one, in which young people growing up in close proximity to each other might learn to know each other better and lay the basis for better race relations in the city. The Department of Parks and Recreation, however, has refused to allow this to happen at the Kronk Center, and even went so far as to try to prevent the holding of an inter-racial dance there at which Duke Ellington was to appear. When residents protested the cancellation of the dance, the authorities posted policemen around the center to keep white youngsters away...'

  • March 16 p.7:

    'A blast at [name omitted] for his discriminatory attitude was sent to Recreation Director [name omitted] by Rev. Charles A. Hill, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP last week.
         Hill told in detail the story of the difficulties Westside citizens had encountered in arranging for Duke Ellington to speak at the center. He asked if [name omitted]'s attitude is shared by the Commission.'

    (Rev. Hill also led the noted inter-racial committee.)
  • March 23 p.1:

    'A charge that the Kronk Community Center effort to segregate Negro and white young people was an expression of the official policy of the Department of Parks and Recreation ... has been made to the TRIBUNE by spokesmen for 50 recreation directors, mostly white who oppose the policy... '

  • March 23 p.2:

    'Last month, a group of Negro young people succeeded in getting Duke Ellington to speak to them at a dance in the center. When recreation authorities heard about this they cancelled the dance and insisted it could only be held in the Brewster Center, miles away from the homes of the kids on the West Side.
         Pressure by parents in the neighborhood forced the department to reinstate the dance in Kronk Center. White youngsters heard about the Duke's appearance and were anxious to hear him. However, at the insistence of the Recreation Department, policemen turned away white young people who came to the building for the dance that night and those who got into the building were diverted from the dance.'

  • March 30, p.1:
    Director Considine responded to the charges. Most of the report of his statement is illegible, but it includes:

    '...To us in the recreation field, all boys and girls are simply children with no tags of any kind ... and the recreational needs of one group [illegible] is as important as those of another group... '

  • March 30, p.2:

    'Considine also has denied the charges ... that white youngsters were turned away from the dance at which Duke Ellington appeared at the Kronk Community Center.
         Said Considine: As far as the Kronk incident is concerned, I wish to say most earnestly that no boy or girl was refused admittance to the Duke Ellington dance, nor was any boy or girl, white or Negro discouraged from attending.
         On the contrary it should be made clear that there were 17 white young people and 58 Negro young people who attended the dance. If anyone can produce a white child who was denied admittance to the dance we should like very much to talk to that boy or girl.'

    The report discusses another alleged incident, after which it again quotes the director, whose additional remarks deny the allegations and appear to support letting the kids mix.
There is nothing in the Detroit Tribune reports to suggest that if the reports were true, Ellington was aware of the situation.
Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich. as noted, available in
  1. the commercial newspaper archive https://www.newspapers.com/
  2. the free Chronicling America archive on the Library of Congress website at https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
.
...djpNew
added
2022-02-18
1946 02 15
Friday
1946 02 21Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville
The Detroit News, Feb.13:

'Duke Ellington and his band will be the attraction at the Paradise Theater starting Friday...Featured with the band will be Johnny Hodges, sax star; Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Detroit's Joya Sherrill, vocalist; Al Hibbler and Kay Davis.
      Other acts include Jesse and James, dancers, and Cook and Brown, comics.
     The screen fare is "Scotland Yard Investigator." '


  • Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
    • 1946-02-09 p.13
    • 1946-02-16 p.13
    • 1946-02-23 p.13
  • The Detroit News - The Home Newspaper, Detroit, Mich.
    • 1946-02-13 p.20
    • 1946-02-14 p.42
    • 1946-02-16 p.15
    • 1946-02-20 p.24
  • Detroit Free Press, Detroit,Mich.
    • 1946-02-16 p.11
    • 1946-02-18 p.17
  • The Detroit Times, Detroit,Mich.
    • 1946-02-18 p.C-5
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2022-01-23
1946 02 16
Saturday
.Detroit, Mich.Paradise Theater
  • Vaudeville - see 1946 02 15
  • Detroit Tribune:

    '...In conjunction with Duke Ellington's local stage appearance at the Paradise theater work starting Friday, February 15, the "king of jazz' will present a 30-minute Jazz Concert Broadcast coming direct from the stage at the Paradise theater over CJLW and the Mutual Network Saturday, February 16 at 4:30 p.m. The special broadcast will be in addition to the regular stage show scheduled at 5 p.m.'

  • Gala Midnight show Saturday, last stage and screen show at 12:30
The Feb.23 Tribune carried a photo of Kay Davis, Joya Sherrill and Duke Ellington, taken after the broadcast.
Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
  • 1946-02-09 p.13
  • 1946-02-16 p.13
  • 1946-02-23 p.13
.
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2022-01-23
1946 02 17
Sunday
.Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 02 15.
.....Added
2011
1946 02 18
Monday
.Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 02 15.
.....Added
2011
1946 02 19
Tuesday
.Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 02 15.
.....Added
2011
1946 02 20
Wednesday
.Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 02 15.
.....Added
2011
1946 02 21
Thursday
.Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 02 15......Added
2011
1946 02 22
Friday
1946 02 28Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville

DUKE
ELLINGTON
America's Foremost Star
HIS PIANO and SENSATIONAL BAND
HEADLINING A LAVISH REVUE!
JESSIE and JAMES             COOK and BROWN
and The Duke's Terrific Gang
JOHNNY HODGES ... LAWRENCE BROWN
OSCAR PETTIFORD ... AL HIBBLER
JOYA SHERRILL ... KAY DAVIS
Plus Torrid Screen Hit!
MARIE "The Body McDONALD
'GETTING GERTIE'S GARTER'


Variety:

'Regal, Chi
          Chicago, Feb. 22
     Duke Ellington Orch (18) with Al Hibbler, Joya Sherril, Kay Davis; Chetney & James; Cooke & Brown; Breakfast in Hollywood" (UA)
      ------------      
     Duke Ellington aggregation could carry this layout with no outside assistance, as the orch hits every facet of jazz rhythms for the south side audience. Opener is “Solid Old Man” arrangement featuring entire trumpet section at the mike. Immediately following Ellington's opus, is “Rugged Romeo" spotting Taft Jordan and horn in a neat turn.
     Cooke and Brown are first of two acts, both of which are bucking an audience that evidently wants the Duke and nothing else. Stint here is comic soft-shoe,' with added gyrations. Patter of songs is almost completely unintelligible at times with straight cracks not much better. Fair terping helps.
     Ellington unveils his standard showpiece to tune of boffo hand when Johnny Hodges altos “Passion Flower.” No question here. Lawrence Brown backs Joya Sherril on "Come to Baby Do” and “The Wonder of You.” Trombone man's finesse is key to fine work in this spot.
     Music-poll winners Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet, and Oscar Pettiford, bass, take long solos in "Metronome All-Out.” Follower is Ellington comp, “Transbluescency,” with special voice effects of regal Kay Davis blending with clarinet , and two trombone tone combo. Might have been a little subtle for moppets of Washington Birthday crowd, but attention was respectful. Femme's encore is “Yesterdays,” formerly an Ellington fave, but more than slightly commercialized here. Gal plenty okay, however.
     Al Sears does fine tenor solo in "Suburbanite," a concert jump tune. Second act is acro-tap with comedy standards, but whipped to froth by swift pacing of Chetney and James. Guys split, slide, tumble, and tap, all the while balancing a whirling tray on one fingertip. This, act a genuine begoff.
     Al Hibbler turns out “My Little Brown Book” and “Every Hour on the Hour.” Stylized presentation okay for here. He does two encores, “Baby, You're My Meat” and “Guess I'm Just a Lucky So-aud-So,” both drawing good applause. Guy is better in this sort of chanty.
     Film is torrid “Blue Skies.”
                 Tomm.'

Rainer clipping:

'Duke's Audience Plays Cool
Glum House Dampens Spirit Of Band
by JAKE GOMEZ
     It must be very dicouraging to the boys in a bandwhen they play their hearts out to a dead-pan audience which won't even raise a finger to clap and starts moving out of the theatre in the middle of the last number.
     Many Duke Ellington fans would want to know what happened last week...
     The theatre was packed every night, but throughout those fine numbers supposed "Duke" followers sat glum as a jury at a murder trial. Only once or twice did applause rise above a ripple...'

  • The Chicago Sun, Chicago, Ill.
    • 1946-02-20 p.15
    • 1946-02-21 p.15
    • 1946-02-22 p.22
    • 1946-02-23 p.11
    • 1946-02-24 p.31
    • 1946-02-25 p.17
    • 1946-02-26 p.11
    • 1946-02-28 p.19
  • Chicago Daily News, Chicago,Ill.
    • 1946-02-20 p.25
    • 1946-02-21 p.37
    • 1946-02-22 p.21
    • 1946-02-23 p.9
    • 1946-02-25 p.15
    • 1946-02-26 p.11
    • 1946-02-27 p.19
    • 1946-02-28 p.23
  • ChicagoTimes and Chicago Sunday Times,Chicago,Ill.
    • 1946-02-20 p.41
    • 1946-02-21 p.38
    • 1946-02-22 p.43
    • 1946-02-23 p.20
    • 1946-02-24 p.44
    • 1946-02-25 p.28
    • 1946-02-26 p.28
  • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
    • 1946-02-23 p.23
  • Variety 1946-02-27 p.58
  • "Duke's Audience Plays Cool"
    Unnamed publication 09-03-1946 p.26
    Franz Hoffman: Jazz Advertised 1910-1967 in the Negro press & New York Times
    1980 special compiled working-book about DUKE ELLINGTON 1919-1967, p.75
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2022-01-23
2022-02-04
1946 02 23
Saturday
.Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreSee 1946 02 22
.....Added
2011
1946 02 24
Sunday
.Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreSee 1946 02 22
.....Added
2011
1946 02 25
Monday
.Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreSee 1946 02 22
.....Added
2011
1946 02 26
Tuesday
.Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreSee 1946 02 22
.....Added
2011
1946 02 27
Wednesday
.Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreSee 1946 02 22
.....Added
2011
1946 02 28
Thursday
.Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreSee 1946 02 22
.....Added
2011
1946 02 00..Private residence (Unconfirmed)

Floyd Snelson's column reported Marva Louis held a cocktail party to bid adieu to Duke after the Regal stay. In attendance were Duke and Bea, Mr. and Mrs. Freddy Guy, Strayhorn, Cook & Brown, Tom Whaley and several others.
California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
1946-03-07 p.20.
...djpNew
added 2013-06-13

March 1946

1946 03 01
Friday
.Ottumwa, IowaOttumwa Coliseum

The Musical Sensation – DUKE ELLINGTON
WITH ALL HIS FAMOUS PERSONALITIES–HARRY CARNEY, AL HIBBLER, JOHNNY HODGES, JOYA SHERRILL, KAY DAVIS AND OSCAR PETTIFORD–BREAKING BOX OFFICE RECORDS EVERYWHERE
TICKETS ON SALE AT LIGGETT'S AND STADLER'S
First 1,000 Tickets $1.56 plus tax

Each of the ads noted to the right opened with one of these lines:
  • The Musical Sensation – DUKE ELLINGTON
  • He's Great – He's Terrific – DUKE ELLINGTON
  • MUSICALLY – The Greatest Band in America – DUKE ELLINGTON
  • Don't Miss DUKE ELLINGTON – He's Great
  • Courier, Ottumwa, Iowa
    • 1946-02-22 p.14
    • 1946-02-25 p.9
    • 1946-02-27 p.11
    • 1946-02-28 p.16
  • The Fairfield (La.) Daily Ledger, Fairfield, La.
    • 1946-02-27 p.8
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2022-01-23
1946 03 02
Saturday
...activities not documented......
1946 03 03
Sunday
.Gary, Ind.Memorial Auditorium.
.....Added
2011
1946 03 04
Monday
1946 03 06
Wednesday
Columbus, OhioRKO Palace Theatre

RKO PALACE
TOMORROW thru Wednesday
The Genius of Jazz,
Duke Ellington Himself
IN PERSON!
DUKE ELLINGTON
and his famous ORCHESTRA
featuring JOHNNY HODGES, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Al Hibbler, Oscar Pettiford, Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis
also COOK and BROWN     JESSE and JAMES

The film feature was "Riverboat Rhythm."

The Columbus Dispatch, 1946-03-05:

'Duke Packs 'Em In At Palace Opening
By Paul Hornung
     The Duke–Ellington's the last name, if you need be prompted–is back and doing business at the same old stand for three days, that “stand" being the RKO-Palace stage.
     And the Duke IS doing business–meaning there are few empty pews at the Palace these days and few customers who don't dig the Duke and his classic jazz.
     Two dancing acts, Cook & Brown and Jessie & James, grace the bill. The former is a knock-about meant-to-be-comedy routine, the latter a dazzling turn featuring spinning trays and joint-unlocking acrobatics.
     But aside from that it's the Duke and his men–and women for more than an hour of everything from hot to deep blue. "Solid Old Man," the opener, is a fast, groovy jump item that gets the cats in the crowd in proper mood. From there the tempo steps all the way to "Passion Flower," the wierdly enchanting Johnny Hodges sax solo.
     High spot of the band performance is the middle bit, a 10-minute interlude of showpiece for the Duke himself at the piano and his all-American solo per formers. It's the kind of thing that leaves you limp and glowing. The last half of the title tells the story. It's "Metronome All Out."
     Each Ellington vocalist in turn scored heavily. Joya Sherrill first with "Come to Baby Do" and "The Wonder of You;" Kay Davis with "Transblucency" and then adding the words as well as voice to "Yesterdays;" and finally Al Hibbler.
     Hibbler's reception amounted to almost a riot. He opened with "My Little Brown Book" and followed with "Every Hour On the Hour," with Hodges' assistance. Then came "My Meat.” And then an exit and an encore to the kind of applause any entertainer must cherish. That produced "I Guess I'm Just a Lucky So and So."
     If you like the Duke, he's here through Wednesday. and he's as good as ever.
     Accompanying the stage production is a Class B screen production ...'

The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
  • 1946-02-27 p.4-B
  • 1946-02-28 p.18-A
  • 1946-03-03 p.10-B
  • 1946-03-04 p.4-A
  • 1946-03-05 p.8-A
  • 1946-03-06 p.10-A
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2022-01-24
1946 03 05
Tuesday
.Columbus, OhioRKO Palace TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 03 04
.....Added
2011
1946 03 06
Wednesday
.Columbus, OhioRKO Palace TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 03 04
.....Added
2011
Circa
1946 03 06
Wednesday
...Personnel change
New Desor says singer Joya Sherrill left the band in January. It instead appears she left in mid-March, having married in Detroit on Feb. 16, 1946. She is mentioned in reviews of the show at Lookout House, in the ads for the Paradise and Palace theatres, and was photographed with Kay Davis and Duke after the February 16 Paradise Theater broadcast. She is named in Variety's review of Duke's show at the Regal February 22 and at the Palace March 4 in Columbus, but not in its review of the March 21 show at the Adams.

She would later record with Ellington's orchestra several times in the 1950s and 1960s.
...djpNew
added
2022-01-23
1946 03 07
Thursday
.Harrisburg, Penn.The ForumConcert
  • Vail II (unsourced)
  • Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Penn. 1946-03-05 p.6
  • The Evening News, Harrisburg, Penn.
    • 1946-03-05 p.17
    • 1946-03-07 p.26
  • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 24 The Forum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1946
...djpNew
added
2016-01-16
Circa
1946 03 08
Friday
...Personnel change
Bassist Ernest Wilson "Serious" Myers (1906 - joined Ellington from Rex Stewart's band in Baltimore, but he only stayed two months before returning to Stewart. New Desor has him recording with Ellington on 1943 11 08 as well.
  • John Chilton, Who's Who in Jazz, p.240
  • New Desor Vol.II
New Desor
DE4359
..djpNew
added (date)2015-10-14
1946 03 08
Friday
1946 03 14
Thursday
Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatre.
.....Added
2011
1946 03 09
Saturday
.Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatresee 1946 03 08
.....Added
2011
1946 03 10
Sunday
.Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatresee 1946 03 08
.....Added
2011
1946 03 11
Monday
.Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatresee 1946 03 08
.....Added
2011
1946 03 12
Tuesday
.Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatresee 1946 03 08
.....Added
2011
1946 03 13
Wednesday
.Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatresee 1946 03 08
.....Added
2011
1946 03 14
Thursday
.Baltimore, Md.Royal Theatresee 1946 03 08
.....Added
2011
1946 03 15
Friday
.Philadelphia, Penn.Mercantile.
.....Added
2011
1946 03 16
Saturday
.New York, N.Y.Radio CityWEAF and NBC network broadcast
"Teentimers Club" show 17
  • This half-hour network advertising vehicle aimed at bobby soxers aired at 11 a.m. EST featuring "name bands."
  • The typed script for this episode (DEMS 00/3 p.4) showed vocals by Joya Sherrill and Al Hibbler crossed out and replaced by performances featuring Hodges and Sears.
  • Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Bernard Flood, Brown, de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Hardwick, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, and Greer, with show staff announcer/singer John Conte and a choir of New York high school girls.
  • Titles performed by the orchestra, alone or accompanying singers:
    • Blue Heaven or My Blue Heaven*
    • Blue Skies*
    • Playoff #1
    • We're the Girl Scouts of America
    • In the Eyes of My Irish Colleen*
    • Playoff #2
    • I'm Just A Lucky So-And-So*
    • Just a-Sittin' and a-Rockin'
    • Unnamed John Conte vocal accompanied by the orchestra
    • Playoff #3
    • Sign-off theme, possibly "Next Week At This Time."

  • Fifteen minutes of this episode are on the AFRS Teen Timers #4 transcription disc.
  • Asterisks (*) denote titles preserved in the AFRS transcription.
  • The playoffs followed commercial breaks and may be Solitude, Day By Day or Take the "A" Train, all of which were cleared for this broadcast.
  • Sponsor magazine's 1947 story about Teentimers Club shows was an advertising vehicle for a clothing line, "Teentimers OHriginals," marketing clothing to bobby-soxers. Its stars drew crowds during their visits to stores in various cities and its sponsor ran local contests in store dress departments, drawing traffic through the store, generating sales in more than just the clothing sections. When first aired in 1945 on a 63-station network, 36 stores had signed franchises, with stores providing local advertising "cut-ins." By March 1947 Teentimers, Inc. and Teentimers Club had 98 radio-franchised stores and 4,000 Teentimers OHriginal outlets, with 4,000 more stores waiting to carry the line.
  • When the show broadcast remotes, it would use name bands already in the area.
  • In 1947 the show cost Teentimers, Inc. $9,500 weekly and appears to have been a very successful advertising venture. Sponsor's headline"
    $500,000 program sells $8,000,000 in teen-age dresses.
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • Timner V
  • National broadcast schedules
    Radio Mirror 1946-03-00 p.54
  • Sponsor 1947-03, p.27-30, 50-51.
New Desor
DE4608
DEMS.djpAdded
2011
updated
2020-05-05
2022-02-09
1946 03 17
Sunday
St. Patrick's Day
.Washington, D.C..Turner's A
.....Added
2011
1946 03 18
Monday
.New York, N.Y.Radio CityNetwork broadcast 10 p.m. EST : Carnation Contented Hour
ad - Carnation Contented Hour broadcast
Percy Faith
Carnation Contented Hour

Click to Enlarge

Minneapolis Spokesman said Ellington would be the featured soloist on this coast-to-coast broadcast, playing Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady and Take the 'A' Train, with Percy Faith directing the Contented Hour orchestra.

Baritone Bob Hannon sang in the show as well.
  • Minneapolis Spokesman, Minneapolis, Minn.
    1946-03-15 p.6
  • Radio log and ad,
    The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah
    1946-03-18 p.12
  • Radio ad,
    The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah
    1946-03-18 p.7
  • Minneapolis Star-Journal,Minneapolis, Minn.
    1946-03-18 p.22
.DEMS.djpAdded
2011
updated
2020-05-05
2022-01-25
2022-02-18
1946 03 19
Tuesday
...activities not documented......
1946 03 20
Wednesday
...activities not documented......
Circa
1946 03 21
Thursday
Circa
1946 03 29
Friday
New York, N.Y. Aquarium RestaurantOn March 4, Lionel Hampton opened a six-week engagement at the Aquarium. The Pittsburgh Courier:

'...Nick Kenny, famed Broadway columnist, had this to say about HBRB in the "Daily Mirror"
     "... Hampton opened my eyes the other night ...Hampton had discovered Duke Ellington at a ringside table. He dragged Duke out to a midget piano and Ellington went to work. Down from the band stand came the entire band, grinning with hero worship as they surrounded the Duke and blasted an accompaniment to his piano..."'

This may have occurred as early as March 21 when Ellington began a residence in Newark, within commuting distance of New York. It seems unlikely to have been March 28 or 29, when Ellington is known to have been in New York, since
  • The Pittsburgh Courier, a weekly, probably hit the streets Tuesday before the printed publication date.
  • Kenny's column must have been printed in New York Daily Mirror at least a day before the PC went to press and the PC has him dating it "the other night."
The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
1946-03-30 p.18
...djpNew
Added
2022-02-03
1946 03 21
Thursday
1946 03 27
Wednesday
Newark, N.J.Adams TheatreVaudeville

Duke ELLINGTON and his WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
featuring
AL HIBBLER OSCAR PETTIFORD
JOYA SHERRILL KAY DAVIS
JOHNNY HODGES, LAWRENCE BROWN plus Cook & Brown, Plus Jesse & James.


Variety:

'ADAMS, Newark
                 Newark, March 21.
     Duke Ellington Orch.(17), Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Sonny Greer, Jesse & James. Cook & Brown; “Prairie Chickens” (UA).
     The Carnegie Hall influence sets the pace for this beautiful ramble in stylish jive. The Duke and his trained ivories apparently have forsaken the pop tunes, like “Solitude," that used to wow the inmates here. In their place are the specialties that grace His Grace's concert dates. The numbers are wonderful and the band is packed tight with talent. But it lacks that Hampton wallop and the draw shouldn't be better than good.
     As in the Duke's January appearance here at the Mosque, the numbers vary between bounce and blues numbers, both with plenty of sock, and music that touches on the French impressionism school. Either way, the band is rock-bottom solid for them as likes it fancy.
      The Duke's own keyboard stuff comes to light best in a long duet with bassist Oscar Pettiford in "Metronome All Out," and both are superfine. Johnny Hodges, besides building up Al Hibbler's increasingly self-conscious vocal style, has a good deal to do in “Mood to be Wooed,” heavy on the portamento. More sax licks brighten up “The Suburbanite,” a rapid-fire bit of humor played by Al Sears.
     The Duke's handiwork is all over such fine exhibition roundelays ns "Rugged Romeo” (Tabs [sic] Jordan, trumpet), “Jam-a-Ditty,” a concerto for four horns (Brown, Carney, Jordan, Hamilton) and “Solid O1' Man” for full ensemble.
     Impressionism is strongest in “Transblucency” ( no kiddin') a wordless song in the "Spellbound" score manner. One section, with Kay Davis' voice and Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet moving in odd harmony, is about the prettiest thing played all season at the Adams.
     The vaude contrib is pretty slim in this bill that doesn't need anything but Ellington. Jesse and James, youngsters with a keen tray-juggling turn, seem headed for big things. Cook and Brown tap with dexterity but their jokes need reconversion into something funny.      Bran'


  • The Newark Star-Ledger, Newark, N.J.
    • 1946-03-16 p.5
    • 1946-03-19 p.8
    • 1946-03-20 p.6
  • Variety 1946-03-27 p.28
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2022-01-25
1946 03 22
Friday
.Newark, N.J.Adams Theatresee 1946 03 21
.....Added
2011
1946 03 23
Saturday
.Newark, N.J.Adams Theatresee 1946 03 21
.....Added
2011
1946 03 24
Sunday
.Newark, N.J.Adams Theatresee 1946 03 21
.....Added
2011
1946 03 25
Monday
.Newark, N.J.Adams Theatresee 1946 03 21
.....Added
2011
Circa
1946 03 26
Tuesday
...Peripheral event
Variety said the Miami local of AF of M was contemplating a six-day week, similar to rules in effect in New York. It said most New York hotel band rooms shut down for the seventh night but may hire a local outfit to fill in.
Variety 1946-03-27 p.55...djpNew
added
2022-02-01
1946 03 26
Tuesday
.Newark, N.J.Adams Theatresee 1946 03 21
.....Added
2011
1946 03 27
Wednesday
.Newark, N.J.Adams Theatresee 1946 03 21
.....Added
2011
1946 03 28
Thursday
...Personnel change
Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, trombone, rejoins the band
New Desor vol.2...djpNew
added 2012-10-23
1946 03 28
Thursday
.New York, N.Y.WMCA Studios
1657 Broadway
First of seven Capitol Transcriptions recording sessions.
March 28 session:

Duke Ellington and his Ochestra
Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F. Williams, Flood, Brown, Nanton, de Paris, Jones, Hamilton, Hardwick, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Myers, Pettiford, Greer, K.Davis

Titles recorded:
  • Crosstown
  • Passion Flower
  • Magenta Haze
  • Everything Goes
  • Eighth Veil
  • Riff'n' Drill
  • Blue Abandon
  • Transblucency
  • Embraceable You
  • Rugged Romeo
  • Jennie
  • Sono
  • Jeep Is Jumpin'
  • Take the "A" Train
  • Perdido
  • Tip Toe Topic

Variety 1946-03-27:

'Hollywood, March 26
     Duke Ellington has signed with Capitol Transcriptions and records first series for firm in N.Y. Thurs. (28) They'll be made at WMCA studios.'


Variety 1946-07-10:

'...Capitol Transcriptions hit the market with its initial releases on July 1...Cap is laying considerable stress on the fact that exclusive contracts have been signed with the artists on its rolls, including Duke Ellington, who signed a transportation [sic] contract for the first time. Practice is not general and under its terms Cap talent is not permitted to record for others.'

Capitol Records was first associated with the MacGregor transcription company but started its own CAPITOL TRANSCRIPTIONS PROGRAM SERVICE FROM HOLLYWOOD in 1945. Its 16 inch 33 1/3 rpm outside start records were intended just for radio airplay, and were leased to subscribing radio stations. Initially these records were to be destroyed after a specific play date, but after the war, they became part of the permanent music libaries of participating stations.

Lambert:

' ...some duplication of numbers made for commercial release. It is always interesting to hear different performances of the same number ... where variations of interpretation in ensemble passages are almost as common as in solos. As with the earlier Standard and World Transcriptions, neither the striving for perfection nor the time limitations of the commercial recordings is to be found in these Capitol Trancriptions. As a consequence, the duration of the numbers varies greatly, but there are no second or third takes. The sessions also contain a number of compositions and arrangements never recorded commercially.'

  • Variety
    • 1946-03-27 p.55
    • 1946-07-10 p.39
  • Lambert, pp.130-131
  • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2017-05-12
New Desor
DE4609
DEMS.djpAdded
2011
updated
2015-06-24
2020-05-05
2022-01-22
2022-02-01
1946 03 29
Friday
1946 04 04Harlem
Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
Vaudeville

'WEEK ONLY – BEG.FRIDAY, MARCH 29th
DUKE
ELLINGTON
AND HIS BAND AND REVUE
PATTERSON and JACKSON
JESSE and JAMES
AND OTHER HEADLINERS
WED AMATEUR BROADCAST      SAT.MIDNGHT SHOW '


Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows includes Charlie Ray, Spider Bruce, and Edna "Yack" Taylor to the ensemble.

Variety:

'Apollo, N. Y.
     Duke Ellington Orch (17) with Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Browm, Oscar Pettiford, Harry Carney; Jesse & James, Patterson & Jackson; "Out of the Depths" (Col).
      With DUke Ellington's flne musicrew holding the fort, Harlem's jive spot this week takes on a subdued tone that's a far cry from its usual "joint-jumping" aspect. He feeds the Apollo audience, brought up on the blaring rhythms of some of the country's hottest swing bands, a diet of numbers almost long-hairish in quality, many of which he introduced at-his recent Carnegie Hall concert. And, though the patrons don't rock and stamp their feet, heavy applause is ample evidence that Ellington's stuff goes over.
     Much of the appeal of Ellington's band lies in the strange, modernistic quality of the maestro's arrangements. With the accompaniment built up on a series of minor chords with off-beat rhythm, the music emerging from the band's nine brass, five reeds and five rhythm sounds almost like Stravinsky at times.
     In keeping with the more austere quality of Ellington's aggregation, the Apollo management gave Pigmeat...a vacation this week, booking only two outside acts. Jesse and James go through their spectacular acro-splits, leaping over chairs, tables, etc., for good returns. Gimmick of twirling serving platters on their fingers while dancing adds to the act's flashiness. Patterson and Jackson, a couple of chubby boys, give out with amazingly fast tap work, despite their weight, and rock the house with a gagged-up impersonation of the Ink Spots.
     Rest of the show, running about 75 minutes when caught, belongs almost entirely, to the orch, with almost each member spotlighted in a solo. Johnny Hodges, with his wailing alto sax, is clicko on "Passion Flower," demonstrating fine feeling and shading in the eerie tones he draws from the horn. Rest of the crew follow suit in such numbers as "Jam-a-Ditty," "Metronome All-Out," etc.
     Indicative of the type of music played is "Transbluesency [sic]," with femme vocalist Kay Davis featured. A nicely gowned looker with a clear soprano. Miss Davis uses her voice on the number as an instrument, rolling off a round tone instead of lyrics to blend and harmonize with the other instruments. Second number, "Embraceable You," is acceptable, but evidence that the vocalist does better with the material especially written for her talents.
     Al Hibbler, Ellington's blind singer, is topnotch on blues, such as "You Are My Meat" and "I Guess I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So." Hibbler sings like Hodges plays his sax, with the same detailed phrasing, sliding notes, etc., all of which get him a beg-off.
     Ellington serves as a genial emcee, kidding with the audience and the band. He plays standing up for most of the show, but gets going with his renowned fingering and chords on several solos that rate kudos from the crowd.            Stal.'

  • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
    • 1946-03-23 p.18
    • 1946-03-30 p.18
  • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
    1946-03-30 p.10
  • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
    1946-03-30 p.17
  • Variety 1946-04-03 p.55
  • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
...djpAdded
2011
updated
2019-11-02
2022-01-26
2022-02-03
1946 03 30
Saturday
.Harlem, Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
see 1946 03 29
.....Added
2011
1946 03 31
Sunday
.Harlem, Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
see 1946 03 29
....Added
2011

April 1946

Circa
1946 04 00
...Business event
Variety:

'20th-Fox has bought Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" for "Dark Corner" thematic accomp...'

...djpNew
added
2022-01-26
2022-02-10
1946 04 00...Personnel changes
  1. Trumpeter Bernard Flood leaves
  2. Trumpeter Reunald Jones joins the band
New Desor vol.2...djpNew
added 2012-10-12
1946 04 01
Monday
.Harlem, Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
see 1946 03 29
.....Added
2011
1946 04 02
Tuesday
.Harlem, Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
see 1946 03 29
.....Added
2011
1946 04 03
Wednesday
.Harlem, Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
see 1946 03 29
.....Added
2011
1946 04 04
Thursday
.Harlem, Manhattan
New York, N.Y.
Apollo Theatre
253 W. 125th St.
see 1946 03 29
.....Added
2011
1946 04 05
Friday
...Personnel change
Ray Nance rejoins the band
New Desor vol.2...djpNew
added 2012-10-23
1946 04 05
Friday
.Cincinnati, Ohio.Business event? (I'm not sure how to categorize this entry)
The Idaho Sunday Statesman:

'The proposed modern version of the famous classic "Beggar's Opera," to which Duke Ellington is contributing the score and John LaTouche the book and lyrics has neared completion. LaTouche joined Ellington in Cincinnati and will travel with him until the project is completed... '

The Idaho Sunday Statesman, Boise, Idaho
1946-04-16 p.14
...djpNew
added
2022-02-06
1946 04 05
Friday
.Cincinnati, OhioTaft Auditorium TheaterConcert
Dr. J.H. Wallace, H. Bayless, J.Whyte present Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
  • Prices $3.60, $3.00, $1.80 tax included
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer 1946-10-27 said

    'Last spring Duke and his company turned away hundreds of persons on the night of their concert who were ":just too late to get tickets." '

  • While The Cincinnati Enquirer April 2 said the programme had not yet been announced, The Cincinnati Post printed it April 1:
    • National Anthem
    • Caravan
         Orchestra
    • In a Mellow Tone
         Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • Solid, Old Man
         Orchestra
    • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige
         Orchestra
    • Rugged Romeo
         Orchestra
    • Solo [sic]
         Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
         Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • Circe
         Lawrence Brown, trombone
    • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
         Orchestra
    • INTERMISSION
    • Take the A Train
         Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A Tonal Group
      • a. Fugue
      • b. Rhapsoditti
      • c. Concerto for Jazz Band

         featuring Lawrence Brown, trombone; Taft Jordan, trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; Harry Carney, baritone sax
    • Magenta Haze
         Johnny Hodges, alto sax
    • Group
      • a. Diminuendo in Blue
           
      • b. Transbluency [sic]
           
      • c. Crescendo in Blue
    • Bassist and Me
         Oscar Pettiford, string bass
         Duke Ellington, Piano
    • Suburbanite
         A. Sears, tenor sax
    • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler, vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill
         Lawrence Brown, trombone

  • This matches the printed programme found in DEC301
  • .
  • Both reviewers attended a Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concert performed with Rudolf Serkin in the afternoon, before going to Ellington's evening concert.
  • Eleanor Bell, The Cincinnati Post:

    'Serkin and Ellington: All in a Days Work
         Rudolf Serkin and Duke Ellington, pianists, shared the musical spotlight here Friday... The Duke and his boys chose the evening hours for their concert in the Taft. Both men scored heavily with their respective followers. Mr. Ellington anti his ebullient boys indulged in several different levels of the jazz idiom, some of which I found distinctly tastefu1 than others. The improvisation in which the band excels was of a very high order and in my opinion to he preferred over such high-flown numbers as "Transblucency" and the two "Diminuendos."
         It is perhaps a confession of naivete to say that I thought the "Stomp for Beginners" was one of the best things on the program and more like ihe Ellington I grew up on. I am still not convinced that the concert hall is the ideal place for the Duke to display his wares.
         The virtuosos of the band had ample opportunities to exhibit their talents last night and among those who received affectionate demonstrations of approval were Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Lawrence Brown and William Anderson.
         Aside from the above-mentioned "Stomp," "Fugaditty" and "Jamaditty" and a little excursion called "Suburbanite"' left me happiest. All in all, it was a pretty noisy show and I question whether the omnipresent microphones were really necessary.'

  • The Cincinnati Enquirer, April 6

    'Dropped in on Duke Ellington's band at the Taft ...Felt like I was in a strange country and didn't know the language. It took me about four numbers to get in the groove. And that's nothing against the Duke, because I'm one of his fans. His syncopating cunning, these weird harmonies, and the atmospheric color his music exudes make it arty and solid in its particular vein. Arrangements are slick. They give each man a chance to show he can compete with the "long-hair" when it comes to tone and phrasing. And the spontaneity and informality turns out pretty rewarding.
         I got “hep" when I heard the gently rising modulations of "Sono." Then "Air Conditioned Jungle" came off as an exciting novelty with Oscar Pettiford, string bass, doing some chromatic "walking" that sounded like quarter tones here and there. "Frankie and Johnnie" as a request encore brought the packed house down. I left after "Tonal Group," which the Duke announced (he forgets there's a printed program) as "Rhapsoditti," "Fugue-a-ditti" and "Jam-a-ditti," the latter featuring four instrumentalists with the mellow-toned trombone of Lawrence Brown giving a heap of stamina.'

Band publicity photo and Taft Theatre ad
April 5 publicity and ad
Taft Theatre

Click to Enlarge
  • The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio
    • 1946-04-01 p.10
    • 1946-04-05 p.22
    • 1946-04-06 p.6
  • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
    • 1946-04-02 p.6
    • 1946-04-04 p.19
    • 1946-04-05 p.13
    • 1946-04-06 p.30
    • 1946-10-27 p.2 s.3
  • Concert programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 25 Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio, April 5,1946
  • ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-16
    2022-02-06
    2023-08-07
    1946 04 06
    Saturday
    .Fort Wayne, Ind.Quimby AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m.
    Titles listed in the programme:
    • NATIONAL ANTHEM
    • Caravan
         Orchestra
    • In A Mellow Tone
         Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • Solid, Old Man
         Orchestra
    • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige and Perfume Suite
         Orchestra
    • Rugged Romeo
         Orchestra
    • Sono
         Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
         Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • Circe
         Lawrence Brown, Trombone
    • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
         Orchestra
    • Intermission
    • Take The "A" Train
         Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A TONAL GROUP
      • A. Fugue
      • B. Rhapsoditti
      • C. Concerto for Jazz Band

         featuring Lawrence Brown, trombone; Taft Jordan, trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; Harry Carney, baritone sax
    • magenta haze
         johnny hodges, alto sax
    • GROUP
      • a. Diminuendo In Blue
           
      • b. Transblucency
           
      • c. Crescendo In Blue
    • Bassist and Me
         Oscar Pettiford, string bass
         Duke Ellington, Piano
    • Suburbanite
         Al Sears, tenor sax
    • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler, vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill
         Lawrence Brown, trombone

    • Duke Ellington's Orchestra is under the exclusive management of William Morris Agency, Inc.
    • Program may be changed according to request numbers received.

    St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1946-04-08:

    '...The band, after a tiring morning trip by train from Fort Wayne, Ind.,... '


    • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
      • 1946-04-08 p.3B
    • Stratemann p.266
    • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 26 Quimby Auditorium, Fort Wayne, Indiana, April 6, 1947
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-16
    2022-01-24
    2022-01-26
    1946 04 07
    Sunday
    .St. Louis, Mo.Convention Hall
    Kiel Auditorium
    Concert Sunday afternoon
    Tickets: 60¢ $1.00 $1.50 $1.75 $2.00 $2.25

    'Jazz Concert
    Conducted by Duke Ellington And His World Famous Orchestra
    guest commentator Rush Hughes


    Stratemann, citing The Billboard, says the band played here Monday as well, but the cited The Billboard page only mentions the Sunday concert.
    Titles listed in the programme for Sunday afternoon:
    • NATIONAL ANTHEM
    • Caravan
         Orchestra
    • In A Mellow Tone
         William Anderson, Trumpet
    • Solid, Old Man
         Orchestra
    • Excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige
         Orchestra
    • Rugged Romeo
         Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • Sono
         Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
         Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • Circe
         Lawrence Brown, Trombone
    • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
         Orchestra
    • Intermission
    • Take The "A" Train
         Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A Tonal Group
      • a. Fugue
      • b. Rhapsoditti
      • c. Concerto for Jazz Band
         Featuring Lawrence Brown, Trombone; Taft Jordan, Trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet; Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Magenta Haze
         Johnny Hodges, Alto Sax
    • GROUP
      • a. Diminuendo In Blue
      • b. Transblucency
      • c. Crescendo In Blue
    • Bassist and Me
         Oscar Pettiford, String Bass
         Duke Ellington, Piano
    • Suburbanite
         Al Sears, Tenor Sax
    • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler, Vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill
         Lawrence Brown, Trombone

    The programme concluded with
    • Duke Ellington's Orchestra is under the exclusive management of William Morris Agency, Inc.
    • Program may be changed according to request numbers received.

    The St. Louis Star-Times estimated the crowd at 4,500, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggested 4,000.St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1946-04-08:

    'EXCELLENT CONCERT BY DUKE ELLINGTON
       -----Jazz Connoisseurs and Symphony Lovers in Audience at Auditorium.
       -----Lovers of hot music had theirmoments yesterday, as Duke Ellington's orchestra gave St. Louis its first full-length jazz concert. An audience estimated at nearly 4000 persons, including jazz connoisseurs and appreeiators and symphony lovers bent on findingout what makes jazz tick, filled one third of Kiel Auditorium's spacious Convention Hall. The jazz-for-listening idea proved popular, for each of the program's 22 numbers was well received.
         For those unfamiliar with jazz concerts, the musicians wore tuxedos and a dignified manner. There were printed programs, applause, an intermission, no jitterbugging.
         Ellington, appropriately enough the man mainly responsible for the jazz concert idea, practically duplicated his January concerts at New York's Carnegie Hall andChicago Civic Opera House, where concerts are now annual events. Most of the numbers were written by Ellington and his collaborators especially for the concert stage. Among these were excerpts from "Black, Brown and Beige,: a tonal story of the American Negro, and excerpts from "Perfume Suite.” One of the latter, "Dancers in Love," a piano solo by Ellington, with orchestra members keeping time with their feet, was especially well received.
         Parade of Soloists
         Ellington's soloists, most of them recognized as the best on their particular instruments, paraded up front throughout the program, Among these displays of musicianship were "Sono" by Harry Carney, baritone saxophone; "Air Conditioned Jungle," by Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; "Circe,” by Lawrence Brown, trombone ; "Rugged Romeo," by Taft Jordan, trumpet; "Pitter Panther Patter,” by Oscar Pettiford, string bass, and “Suburbanite,” by A! Sears, tenor saxophone. Only the experts recognized the fact that Ray Nance,trumpet star just returned to the Ellington band, and not the programmed William Anderson, turned in the neat notes on In a Mellow Tone.”
         Best moods of the afternoon were captured by Johnny Hodges, alto saxophonist, who slurred just enough and bent notes engagingly on "Magenta Haze," and by Kay Davis, whose clear soprano was used instrumentally in a quartet including two trombones and a clarinet on "Transbluency [sic]." The audience squealed its pleasure on the high notes that trumpeter William “Cat" Anderson applied to various numbers; especially "Blue Skies," the dynamic climax.
         Blind Singer
         If there had been an applausemeter prize, it would have gone to Al Hibbler, the blind singer, whose work on such things as "Summertime" and “I'm Just a Lucky So and-So" brought forth cries of ”bravo!: and "more!"
         The concert, as a whole, was excellent, not only because it was the first of its kind here, but because Ellington and his men tried hard to please, and succeeded.
         There was a nice balance between the serious business and cutting up. Drummer "Sonny" Greer, musically associated with Ellington since 1919, was ever present with his great rhythms. The band, after a tiring morning trip by train from Fort Wayne, Ind., displayed fine precision and power, especially on such numbers as "Crescendo in Blue” and "Diminuendo in Blue."
         Those who expected to hear such Ellington hits as “Solitude" and "Mood Indigo” had to settle for such well-known pieces as "Frankie and Johnny” and "Blue Skies."
                     '

    • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
      • 1946-03-12 p.12C
      • 1946-03-16
        Everyday Magazine, p.2B
      • 1946-03-28 p.4D
      • 1946-04-01 p.8A
      • 1946-04-03 p.5C
      • 1946-04-04
        Everyday Magazine, p.4D
      • 1946-04-05 p.10C
      • 1946-04-06
        Everyday Magazine, p.2B
      • 1946-04-07 p.6-I
      • 1946-04-08 p.3B
    • St. Louis Star-Times, St. Louis, Mo.
      • 1946-03-15 p.16
      • 1946-03-19 p.8
      • 1946-03-27 p.14
      • 1946-03-29 p.22
      • 1946-04-02 p.8
      • 1946-04-03 p.13
      • 1946-04-04 p.12
      • 1946-04-05 p.22
      • 1946-04-06 p.5
      • 1946-04-08 p.8
    • Stratemann p.266 citing The Billboard 1946-04-13 p.42
    • Vail I
    • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 27 Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, April 7, 1946
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-17
    2022-01-24
    2022-01-26
    2022-02-06
    1946 04 08
    Monday
    .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel Auditoriumactivities not documented


    Palmquist note:

    Stratemann, citing The Billboard, says the band played in St. Louis Sunday and Monday, but the cited The Billboard page only mentions the Sunday concert.
    While I have found extensive support for the April 7 afternoon concert, I found no indication of a performance of any type in St. Louis on Monday. Perhaps something will turn up in a newspaper archive I am unable to access.

    • Newspaperarchives.com
    • Newspapers.com
    • Genealogybank.com
    • The Billboard
    • Variety
    ...djpUpdated
    Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-01-25
    1946 04 091946 04 16Texas.

    Overview:
    Samuel Huston College 1946 Artist Series


    • The Pittsburgh Courier 1946-03-02 p.14 carried an ad announcing the Samuel Huston College 1946 Artist Series, saying Ellington and his orchestra were to perform in Austin, Waco, Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas, with specific dates to be announced later.
    • The Baltimore Afro-American 1946-04-02 p.9 and The Afro-American, 1946-04-06 p.8:
      'No Jim Crow in Texas at Duke's College Concerts
        AUSTIN, Texas— Samuel Houston [sic] College has booked Duke Ellington and his orchestra play a series of eight concert dates at various Texas colleges designed to promote tolerance.
        One of the specification [sic] of the deal, by which Samuel Houston will co-sponsor dates at Rice Institute, University of Texas and other white colleges, is that audiences must not be segregated.
        Houston is the buyer of the band for each date, guaranteeing the band's usual minimum price against percentages, in each concert at another school, however, the latter is co-promoted with Houston.
        Initial concert will be held at Dallas, Tuesday, April 9, continuing through the 16th at Beaumont. The admission charge has been set at $3.00 per person, plus tax.'
    • A similar announcement appeared in Variety 1946-03-27 p.53, headed "Ellington's 8 Texas Concerts Designed to Further Tolerance."
    • This "non-segregation" was implemented in the April 13 Gregory Gym concert by a special section of seats reserved for colored listeners.

    • Stratemann and Vail I list, without naming sources:
      • April 9 Rice University, Houston, Texas
      • April 10 Baylor University, Waco, Texas
      • April 11 A & M University,Prairie View, Texas
      • April 12 Breckinridge Park, San Antonio, Texas
      • April 13 Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas
    • The finding aid for Box 10 of the Smithsonian Institution's Ellington collection Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, lists
      • Folder 28: Samuel Huston College, Austin, Texas, April 9, 1946
      • Folder 29 Waco Hall, Waco, Texas, April 10, 1946
      • Folder 30 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Galveston, Texas, April 11, 1946
    ....djpNew
    added
    2016-01-18
    updated
    2022-01-25
    1946 04 09
    Tuesday
    .Dallas, TexasFair Park Auditorium8:30 p.m. concert "under the auspices of Samuel Huston College."

    Titles listed in the programme:
    • National Anthem
    • Caravan
    • In A Mellow Tone, William Anderson, Trumpet
    • Solid Old Man
    • Excerpts From Black, Brown And Beige
    • Rugged Romeo, Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • Sono, Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Air Conditioned Jungle, Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • Circe, Lawrence Brown, Trombone
    • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
    • Intermission
    • Take the "A" Train, Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A Tonal Group
      • a.Fugue
      • b.Rhapsodittii
      • c.Concerto for Jam Band
      featuring Lawrence Brown, Trombone; Taft Jordan, Trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet; Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Magenta Haze, Johnny Hodges, Alto Sax
    • Group
      • a.Diminuendo in Blue
      • b.Transblucency
      • c.Crescendo In Blue
      • c.Crescendo In Blue
    • Bassist And Me, Oscar Pettiford, String Bass, Duke Ellington, Piano
    • Suburbanite, Al Sears, Tenor Sax
    • Songs Featuring Albert Hibbler, Vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill, Lawrence Brown, Trombone

    The programme concluded with
    • Duke Ellington's Orchestra is under the exclusive management of the William Morris Agency,Inc.
    • Program may be changed according to request numbers received.


    The Dallas Morning News:

    'Top Hat Jazz In Concert By Ellington
               By Fairfax Nisbet.
         Jazz came to Fair Park Auditorium Tuesday via Duke Ellington and his orchestra. It was jive in a top hat, tailored to the concert hall by one at today's master composers in this medium. The musical forms for the classisists, the fugue, rhapsody, tone poem, concerto and suite were all there, but in the coinage of the hepcat Ellington translated into "Fugueditti [sic], “Rhapsoditti,” "Concerto for Jam Band" and so on down the line.
         Ellington, the pianist, programs his concerts not a showcase for his own talents, but spotlights his instrumentalists and his music, giving the men a plug by name and reputation. The majority are award winners in the Esquire Jazz Poll.
         Excerpts from his tone poem, “Black, Brawn and Beige," show the progress of Negro music opening first with the influence of the old spirituals, gradually moving into the work songs of the race and then to the blues, with the deep primitive note underlying the whole. His girl singer, Kay Davis, featured in the blues section and also in a group that includes "Transbluconey" [sic] where her voice is used as an instrument.
         In his excerpts from his "Perfume" Suite the show-stopper was Bill Williams, [sic] whose high trumpet hits away above top, then the performer reaches up and clips the note off short. It's a very neat trick.
          One of his oldies, "Caravan," opened the pragram, but for the most part the numbers were culled from his more recent compositions. Two prime favorites that were sadly lacking were "Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady." His theme song, "Take the A Train," written by Billy Strayhorn, who collaborates wllh Duke, got big hand, and a new number, "Magenta Haze," which has a haunting nostalgic melody, beautifully soloed by Johnny Hodges, one of the great alto sax men of the day, got a terrific hand.
          One of the best performers in the group is Albert Hibbler, who has a magnificent voice. He sang one of the few non-Ellington numbers, George Gershwin's “Summertime," with feeling and depth, and "I Guess I'm just a Lucky So-and-So."
         A crowd of about 2,500, with Negroes predominating slightly, attended the concert. The music, which was played against the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's shell, was well received throughout. But when the jive rose above the concert hall phase and the band let go in the real language of the hepcat the crowd gave its most vociferous applause, with even a few whistles from the more uninhibited of the jive-lovers.
         Ellington and his band were presented by the Samuel Huston College Alumni Association and will be heard in other Texas cilies under the same auspices. After the Texas tour is concluded, Duke and his boys will open at the Howard Theater in Washington, D.C.'


    Stratemann and Vail report a scheduled concert at Rice University in Houston this date, but plans seem to have changed. The Dallas Morning News review establishes the concert was in Dallas rather than in Houston and the concert programme explicitly gives the date, time and location.
    • Stratemann p.266
    • Vail I
    • Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Tex.:
      • 1946-03-24 p.2 s.IV
      • Ad, 1946-04-07 p.Two-IV
      • Review, 1946-04-10 p.Thirteen-I
    • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 28 Samuel Huston [sic] College, Austin, Texas, April 9, 1946
    ...djpNew
    added
    2016-01-17
    updated
    2022-01-25
    2022-01-27
    1946 04 10
    Wednesday
    .Waco, TexasWaco Hall
    Baylor University
    Concert, co-sponsored by Samuel Huston College - see 1946 04 09

    The concert was announced in the Lariat.

    Baylor's archived copy of the program lists the titles to be played and the featured soloists:
    • National Anthem
    • Caravan
    • In A Mellow Tone, William Anderson, Trumpet
    • Solid Old Man
    • Excerpts From Black, Brown And Beige
    • Rugged Romeo, Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • Sono, Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Air Conditioned Jungle, Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • Circe, Lawrence Brown, Trombone
    • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
    • Intermission
    • Take the "A" Train, Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A Tonal Group
      • a.Fugue
      • b.Rhapsodittii
      • c.Concerto for Jam Band
      featuring Lawrence Brown, Trombone; Taft Jordan, Trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet; Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Magenta Haze, Johnny Hodges, Alto Sax
    • Group
      • a.Diminuendo in Blue
      • b.Transblucency
      • c.Crescendo In Blue
    • Bassist And Me, Oscar Pettiford, String Bass, Duke Ellington, Piano
    • Suburbanite, Al Sears, Tenor Sax
    • Songs Featuring Albert Hibbler, Vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill, Lawrence Brown, Trombone

    The programme concluded with
    • Duke Ellington's Orchestra is under the exclusive management of the William Morris Agency,Inc.
    • Program may be changed according to request numbers received.
    • Stratemann p.266
    • Vail I
    • The Baylor Lariat, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, 1946-04-09 p.1, courtesy of A. Keys Norman, MA, MSIS, CA, Archivist, The Texas Collection, Baylor University
    • Concert programme, courtesy Ms Keys Norman
    • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 29 Waco Hall, Waco, Texas, April 10, 1946
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2013-05-09
    2016-01-17
    2016-01-19
    2016-01-23
    1946 04 11
    Thursday
    8:15 pm
    .Galveston, TexasCity AuditoriumConcert sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Beta Phi Omega Chapter: Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra in a Jazz Concert ...
    SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: box 10, folder 30 has a one-page looseleaf programme and a sixteen-page programme with many advertisements and an opening message from Geo. W. Fraser, Mayor of Galveston. This was a big event for the sorority.
    The looseleaf programme shows:
    • NATIONAL ANTHEM
    • CARAVAN
      Orchestra
    • IN A MELLOW TONE
      William Anderson, Trumpet
    • SOLID OLD MAN
    • EXCERPTS FROM BLACK, BROWN AND BEIGE
      Orchestra
    • RUGGED ROMEO
      Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • SONG
      Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • AIR CONDTIONED JUNGLE
      Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • CIRCE
      Lawrence Brown, Trombone
    • EXCERPTS FROM PERFUME SUITE
      Orchestra
    • INTERMISSION
    • TAKE THE A TRAIN
      Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A TONAL GROUP
      • FUGUE
      • RHAPSODITTII
      • CONCERTO FOR JAM BAND
        Featuring Lawrence Brown, trombone, Taft Jordan, trumpet, Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; Harry Carney, baritone sax
    • MAGENTA HAZE
      Johnny Hodges, Alto Sax
    • GROUP
      • DIMINUENDO IN BLUE
      • TRANSBLUCENCY
      • CRESCENDO IN BLUE
    • BASSIST AND ME
      Oscar Pettiford, String Bass
      Duke Ellington, Piano
    • SUBARBANITE [SIC]
      Al Sears, Tenor Sax
    • SONGS FEATURING ALBERT HIBBLER, Vocalist
    • RIFFIN' DRILL
      Lawrence Brown, Trombone

    The program notes Duke Ellington's Orchestra is under the exclusive management of the William Morris Agency, Inc. and says "PROGRAM MAY BE CHANGED ACCORDING TO REQUEST NUMBERS RECEIVED."

    Titles in the sixteen-page program are the same except "Riffin' Drill" is replaced with
    • Hometown
      William Anderson, trumpet, Al Sears, tenor sax

    Stratemann and Vail reported a concert at A & M University Prairie View, about 100 miles to the north, on this date. Instead, a concert sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, was announced in seven editions of the Galveston News, including a same day announcement.

    The Galveston News 1946-03-24:

    'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be presented in city auditorium April 11 for a concert under the auspices of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Proceeds from the concert will be used to send an outstanding Central High School graduate to college...'

    The April 8 announcement used different wording:

    'Proceeds from the concert will go to a scholarship fund for Central High School. '



    The Galveston concert is documented by a 'same day' announcement.

    The Galveston News announcements do not mention Samuel Huston College's 1946 Artist Series and the SHC announcement in the Pittsburgh Courier does not mention Galveston.
    • The Galveston News, Galveston, Tex.:
      • 1946-03-24 p.15
      • 1946-03-31 p.17
      • 1946-04-08 p.2
      • 1946-04-09 p.2
      • 1946-04-10 p.8
      • 1946-04-11 p.5
    • Printed programmes, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 30 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Galveston, Texas, April 11, 1946
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2013-05-17
    2016-01-17
    2016-01-20
    2020-06-19
    2022-01-25
    1946 04 12
    Friday
    8 pm
    .San Antonio, TexasSunken Garden Theater
    Brackenridge Park

    The Sunken Garden is an amphitheatre adjacent to Brackenridge Park
    Samuel Huston College Art Series Presents Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Admission $4.00 $3.00 (or $3.50? double check) $2.40 $1.80

    .
    Announcements and advertisements gave conflicting dates and venue names:
    • San Antonio Register:
      • 1946-03-01 announcements in the Jo's Jottings column and on page 5 discuss the series, both saying it closes April 14 with a Duke Ellington concert.
      • 1946-03-08 advertises the Samuel Huston College Artist Series, showing Ellington and his Orchestra in Concert April 14.
      • 1946-03-15
        • p.4 advertises the Samuel Huston College Artist Series, showing Ellington and his Orchestra in Concert April 14.
        • p.7 Keeping Posted announced Ellington will play a concert locally on April 14 and concludes by saying he will tour several colleges in Texas "next month."
      • 1946-03-22 p.4 advertises the series, showing two dates for three events, with April 12 above "Duke Ellington And His Orchestra in Concert" at the Sunken Garden.
      • 1946-03-29 p.4 advertises the series, showing "Duke Ellington And His Orchestra in Concert" at the Sunken Garden on April 12.
      • 1946-04-05
        • Jo's Jottings announces
          '...The series will come to a climatic close next Friday evening when America's foremost composer of modern music, the great Duke Ellington, will be presented in concert at beautiful Sunken Garden... '
        • page 4 has a large ad for the concert, Friday April 12 at 8 p.m.
        • Page 6 carries an 8 paragraph announcement about this concert, including:
          'Featured vocalist with the Ellington orchestra is Al Hibbler, blind San Antonio boy, former vocalist with Boots and his Buddies, who moved directly from San Antonio to a place in the Ellington aggregation. Hibbler, one of the most popular vocalists to ever appear in San Antonio, has been a sensational success with Ellington, with his singing having literally "stopped the show" again and again.'
          This announcement says the Sunken Garden only seats 3,000, suggesting this would not meet demand.
      • 1946-04-12 p.2 carries a large announcement with a photo of Ellington, as the final attraction of the 1946 Samuel Huston college artists series. It gives the expected programme, and says that in case of rain, two concerts would be held at the Library auditorium, one at 8, one at 10:30.
      • The 1946-04-19 p.5 review by Chuck Moore confirms the 2 1/2 hour concert was Friday evening at the Sunken Garden, with an audience of about 3,000. Ellington received an ovation when he entered; Hibbler received the biggest ovations of the evening (he had been a featured vocalist in local night spots). Titles named: "Black, Brown and Beige," "Rugged Romeo," "Circe," "Air Conditioned Jungle," "Perfume Suite-Dancers in Love, Colorature [sic]," "Frankie and Johnnie," "Tonal Group (Rhapsoditti, Fuguditti and Jamaditti)," "Group (Diminuendo in Blue, Crescendo in Blue and Transblucency)," "Pitter Patter Prattle [sic]," "Suburbanite," "In My Little Brown Book," "Summertime," "I'm Just A Lucky So-an-So [sic]," and "You're My Meat." Musicians named: Hibbler, Jordan, Brown, Hamilton, Carney, Davis, Lucas, Pettiford And Sears.
    • The San Antonio Light:
      • 1946-04-05, page 6-D advertises Samuel Huston College Artist Series presents Duke Ellington And His Orchestra at Sunken Garden Theatre, Brackenridge Park, Friday, April 12, 8:00 PM.
      • 1946-04-07 pp.14-A and 15-A carry an announcement and an ad, repectively, for the April 12 concert.
        "Duke Ellington and his band will be the final of the Samuel Huston College artist series to be presented in San Antonio this spring. The concert is on April 12 at 8 o'clock in the Sunken Garden theater."
      • 1946-04-09 p.8-A advertises the April 12 concert.
      • 1946-04-12 p.12-A advertises the April 12 concert.
    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.:
      • 1946-03-01
      • 1946-03-08
      • 1946-03-15 pp.4, 7
      • 1946-03-22 p.4
      • 1946-03-29 p.4
      • 1946-04-05
        • Jo's Jottings column
        • also pp.4,6
      • 1946-04-12 p.2
      • 1946-04-19 p.5
      • 1946-12-27 p.7
    • The San Antonio Light, San Antonio, Tex.:
      • 1946-04-05, page 6-D
      • 1946-04-07 pp.14-A, 15-A
      • 1946-04-09 p.8-A
      • 1946-04-12 p.12-A
    • Stratemann p.266
    • Vail I
    ...djpNew
    Added
    2013-01-07
    updated
    2016-01-20
    2022-01-26
    2022-02-14
    2023-03-26
    1946 04 12
    Friday
    .San Antonio, TexasDon's KeyholeAfter-party.

    C.A.Moore:

    'I was rather amazed, but pleased, at the ease and modesty of the great artists in the orchestra. I chatted briefly with Oscar Pettiford, Johnny Hodges, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwick and vocalovely Kay Davis during the after-party at Cohen's Keyhole. Arranger Billy "Swee'pea" Strayhorn, urged on by the band, reluctantly played one of Duke's tunes for the customers... '

    C. A. Moore, "Keeping Posted," San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas, 1946-04-19 p.7...djpNew
    added 2016-01-18
    1946 04 13
    Saturday
    .San Antonio, TexasSan Pedro PlayhouseABC network broadcast, "Your Saturday Date With the Duke" 3 p.m. Central time (see 1945 04 07).

    Most of the one-hour broadcast was not recorded, perhaps due to poor acoustics. In any event, the known recordings were recorded from a Los Angeles radio station, not from KABC. DEMS says other titles attributed to this broadcast in the Mahus Collection booklet are from other dates.
    Duke Ellington and his orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Flood, Nance, Brown, Nanton, deParis, Jones, Hamilton, Hardwick, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Davis

    Titles broadcast and recorded:
    • Jam-A-Ditty
    • Blue Is The Night
    • Passion Flower

    • Stratemann:

      'It was on this day that Ellington resumed the Treasury broadcast series, out of the studios of KABC, the local ABC affiliate. The resumption was quite unannounced, and only parts of it recorded by ABC (DETS #34). The AFRS as well failed to pick up this program for its "Date With The Duke" transcriptions. In fact it did not start to record Ellington's ABC broadcasts until three programs later, on May 4, 1946. '

    • Stratemann and New Desor locate the broadcast at Fort Sam Houston and Nielsen puts it at KABC's studio, but a local newspaper review by C. A. Moore said it was at the San Pedro Playhouse, with an audience of high school musicians. The fort and the playhouse are both in San Antonio, about 6 miles apart.
    • A nationwide survey of radio logs shows no reaon to assume Ellington broadcast from two locations that day:
      Eastern
      Time Zone
      Central
      Time Zone
      Pacific
      Time Zone
      • Stamford, 4:00 p.m.
      • Rochester, N.Y. 3:30 p.m.
        (90 mins.)
      • Columbia, 4:00 p.m.
      • Tampa Bay, 4:00 p.m.
      • Palm Beach, 4:00 p.m.
      • Washington D.C. 4:15 p.m.
      • Zanesville, 4:30 p.m.
      • Orange, 3:30 p.m.
      • Fort Worth, 3:00 p.m.
      • Amarillo, 3:00
      • Chicago, 3:00 p.m.
      • Shreveport, 3:00 p.m.
      • Lincoln, 3:00 p.m.
      • Omaha, 3:00 p.m.
      • Bakersfield, 1:00 p.m.
      • Los Angeles, 1:00 p.m.

      These logs, including Rochester with 90 contiguous minutes, indicate there was only one broadcast this day.
    • C.A. Moore:

      'Last Saturday at 3:00, I sat in on the Ellington broadcast from the San Pedro playhouse which went out over KABC to stations of the American broadcasting company. The broadcast was open only to members of the local school bands. Unfortunately, because of the acoustics in the playhouse, we were unable to hear Kay Davis' vocals. She sings very softly. The background 88ing while Duke was talking over the mike was Billy Strayhorn who also sat in on one of the numbers with the band while Duke directed. If anyone who attended the broadcast is wondering why Duke placed his fingers to his ears during the warm-up prior to going on the air, it is his method of checking the balance of the band.'

    • C. A. Moore, "Keeping Posted,"
      San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas
      1946-04-19 p.7
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
    • Timner V
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    • Radio logs:
      • Orange Leader, Orange, Texas, 1946-04-12 p.7
      • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal. 1946-04-13
      • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill. 1946-04-13
      • Washington Post, Washington D.C. 1946-04-13

        and several more
    New Desor
    DE4610
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-18
    2016-01-20
    2020-05-05
    2022-02-10
    1946 04 13
    Saturday
    .Austin, TexasGregory Gym
    University of Texas
    Stratemann and Vail I report a concert from the Sam Huston College series at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio which appears to have been rescheduled, since the Daily Texan announced the band was at Gregory Gym at the University of Texas in Austin that evening:

    The Daily Texan
    • 1946-03-10:
      'Duke Ellington...will bring his orchestra to Austin for an all-University concert April 13, announced Mrs. Loyce Spratt, Texas Union director. Sponsored by the Union's dance committee, Ellington will play in Gregory Gym for a concert only...'
    • 1946-03-14:
      '...will make an appearance at Gregory Gym Saturday night, April 13, at 8:15 o'clock, under the auspices of the Texas Union, the Cultural Entertainment Committee and the Samuel Huston College Austin Series...
        Prices for the Ellington concert will be $1.20, $1.80, $2.40, and $3.00, with a special section of seats reserved for colored listeners. As the program is not purely a University function, and is being partially sponsored by outside organizations, there will be no blanket tax reduction...'
    • 1946-03-31 p.8 advertisement for April 13
    • 1946-04-14 pp.1,3 report by Bob Cole:
      'The Duke: Dancers Stop, Listen As American Jazz Grows Up

        Duke Ellington is a great guy – he shook my hand.
        Playing before an approximated 3,000 Negro and white audience, the impresario of the piano and his eighteen-piece orchestra thrilled a serious-minded, music loving University and Austin public.
        Making excellent artistic use of light, color, and climactic sound and light changes, the technicians enhanced the beauty and rhythmical action with which the Ellington orchestra played...
      ...
        For the second time in two years at the University, Negroes sat on the main floor of the Gregory Gymnasium auditorium. It may be remembered that Marian Anderson, soprano, came to the University last Spring with the stipulation in her contract that seats of equal proximity be provided to members of her race. A similar clause in the contract of Duke Ellington provided that one half of the seats be reserved for Negroes.
        We talked about some of the piano players Duke knew...'
    • The Laredo Times:

      'Antonio Preito, Jr. enjoyed the Duke Ellington four hour concert last Saturday evening. Antonio...lives with two other Laredoans ... in Austin.'

    • Variety 1946-03-27 p.53
    • The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
      • 1946-04-02 p.9
      • 1946-04-06 p.8
    • Sunday American-Statesman, Austin, Tex.
      • 1946-03-10 p.9
      • 1946-04-07 p.8
    • The Daily Texan, Austin, Tex.:
      • 1946-03-10 p.8
      • 1946-03-14 p.1
      • 1946-03-31 p.8
      • 1946-04-05 p.11
      • 1946-04-07 p.9
      • 1946-04-10 p.3
      • 1946-04-11 p.3
      • 1946-04-12 p.6
      • 1946-04-14 p.1
    • The Austin American, Austin, Tex.
      • 1946-04-06 p.6
      • 1946-04-09 p.8
      • 1946-04-10 p.6
      • 1946-04-11 pp.6, 8
      • 1946-04-12 p.8
      • 1946-04-13 p.12
    • The Laredo Times, Laredo, Tex.
      1946-04-21 p.4
    • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 31 Gregory Gymnasium, Austin, Texas, April 13, 1946
    • Stratemann p.266
    • Vail I
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-21
    2020-05-05
    2022-01-24
    2022-01-26
    2022-02-15
    1946 04 14
    Sunday
    .Houston, Texas.Stratemann reports April 14, Houston, as part of the scheduled Sam Huston College series, with no further details. Vail I just reports a one nighter in this city.

    The San Antonio Register initially carried announcements and ads for an April 14 Ellington at the Library Auditorium, but later ads and the review placed that on April 12 at the Sunken Garden.
    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
      • 1946-03-01 (supplement page)
      • 1946-03-08 p.4
      • 1946-03-15 pp.4, 7
    • The Thresher, Rice Institute, Houston, Tex.
      1946-04-18 p.2
    .
    ...djpNew
    added
    circa
    2016-02-00
    2022-01-27
    2022-02-14
    1946 04 15
    Monday
    .Fort Worth, TexasWill Rogers Memorial AuditoriumSegregated Sam Huston College Artist Series concert, 8:15 p.m.
    Special section reserved for whites
    Reserved seat tickets: $2.50, $2.20 and $2.00
    Stratemann, ads and publicity say the concert was to be in the Will Rogers Auditorium, but the programme cover says Will Rogers Coliseum. Both buildings were on the site of what is now Will Rogers Memorial Center.
    Titles listed in the programme:
    • National Anthem
    • Caravan
           Orchestra
    • In A Mellow Tone
           Taft Jordan, Trumpet
    • Solid, Old Man
           Orchestra
    • Excerpts From Black, Brown And Beige
           Orchestra
    • Rugged Romeo
           Orchestra
    • Sono
           Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
           Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet
    • Circe
           Lawrence Brown, Trombone
    • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
           Orchestra
    • Intermission
    • Take the "A" Train
           Duke Ellington, Piano
    • A Tonal Group
      • A.Fugue
      • B.Rhapsodittii
      • C.Concerto for Jam Band
           featuring Lawrence Brown, Trombone; Taft Jordan, Trumpet; Jimmie Hamilton, Clarinet; Harry Carney, Baritone Sax
    • Magenta Haze
           Johnny Hodges, Alto Sax
    • Group
      • A.Diminuendo in Blue
      • B.Transblucency
      • C.Crescendo In Blue
      • c.Crescendo In Blue
    • Bassist And Me
           Oscar Pettiford, String Bass
           Duke Ellington, Piano
    • Hometown
           William Anderson, Trumpet
           Al Sears, Tenor Sax
    • Suburbanite
           Al Sears, Tenor Sax
    • Songs Featuring Albert Hibbler, Vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill

    E. Clyde Whitlock, Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

    'Duke Ellington Pleases With Distinctive Program
         Duke Ellington and his orchestra came to town and toward the end of the evening the orchestra and the audience merged into one huge jam session. The affair was staged m W jIJ Rogers Memorial Auditorium...for the beneift of Samuel Huston College of Austin, a Negro institution... an almost capacity audience, at least a fourth of whom were whites, crowded into the hall.
         This department would be rash indeed to claim to be hep to all the doings of the evening. Most of the tunes we never had heard but perhaps for that reason it is possible to take a larger over-all view.
         ...The band is primarily brass, with five trumpets and four trombones, five saxophones, a half-time clarinet, two string basses, guitar and a busy percussion. Ellington himself, besides acting as an affable emcee, sits for half-time at the piano on which he has impressive technical facility. He does not begrudge the spotlight to a dozen assorted soloists, among whom were William Anderson, who exploits a freak C in alt. on the trumpet, sultry voiced contralto Kay Davis and Albert Hibler, [sic] popular baritone.
         From a program of generous length, made up we suppose of the best-known Ellington tunes, we may mention a few in naive innocence of what may be the most popular. From "Black, Brown and Beige" ...two arresting excerpts were “Spiritual" and “Blues/" "Sono" and "Circe" were melodically appealing in the "straight" style. Ellington at his most advanced (we would say scholarly) was a tonal group made up of "Rhapsoditti," "Fugueditti" [sic] and Jamditti," [sic] the last a jam holiday on the theme of the fuge. "Magenta Haze" returns to the seductive atmospheric harmonic mist we knew in "Mood Indigo." The style is Ellington's most distinctive contribuiton and we could have used more of it.'

    • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Tex.
      • 1946-04-09 pp.8, 9
      • 1946-04-10 p.5
      • 1946-04-11 p.9
      • 1946-04-12 p.5
      • 1946-04-14 s.2 p.10
      • 1946-04-15 p.12
      • 1946-04-16 p.4
    • Email 2016-01-25 to Palmquist from J. Runnels, Ph.D., Assistant Music Librarian, Bowld Music Library, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
    • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 32 Will Rogers Colliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, April 15, 1946
    Ad and Programme
    Ad and programme cover
    Click to Enlarge
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-21
    2016-01-25
    2022-02-06
    1946 04 16
    Tuesday
    .Beaumont, TexasAuditorium or City AuditoriumStratemann reports a scheduled concert in the Samuel Huston College series here. At the time of writing, it has not been confirmed, but is consistent with Variety, 1946-03-27 p.53 which said the series would end here on April 16.

    The only university in Beaumont in 1946 appears to have been Lamar College. (email enquiry 2016-01-22 outstanding)
    Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 33 City Auditorium, Beaumont, Texas, April 16, 1946...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2016-01-23
    1946 04 17
    Wednesday
    .New Orleans, La.Xavier University.
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 18
    Thursday
    .New Orleans, La...
    .....Added
    2011
    Circa
    1946 04 19
    Friday
    Circa
    1946 04 25
    Washington, D.C..The Negro Star:

    'SPEAKS AT SOUTHERN U. -
    DUKE ELLINGTON NDORSES [sic]
        LOCAL NAACP DRIVE
     Washington, D.C.–Washington-born Duke Ellington, national [sic] known orchestra leader and composer, recently said it with dollars as he gave his endorsement to the Washington Branch, NAACP's membership Campaign [sic] for 15,000 members. Said the Duke as he presented a check for $100 to Branch President George E. C. Hayes, "I have a life membership with the National NAACP Office, but since I am a native Washingtonian, I wish to take out a membership with my local branch during its campalign.[sic]"
      In addition to his other contributions, 'the Duke,' who will appear at Washington's Watergate on June 16th, playing a program of concert music, has been responsible for raising $8,600 for the NAACP.'

    Webmaster note: I have tentatively dated this event during Ellington's last trip to Washington before the article ran. It might have been earlier. Also the headline reference to Southern University is unexplained.

    The same story ran in The Southern News, headlined DUKE ELLINGTON ENDORSES NAACP FUN DRIVE.
    • The Negro Star, Wichita, Kans.
      1946-05-24 p.1
    • The Southern News, Asheville, N.C.
      1946-05-25 p.6
    ...djpNew
    added
    2019-05-27
    updated
    2022-03-08
    1946 04 19
    Friday
    1946 04 25Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville
    Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra
    The ad reproduced in Vail names Hodges, Carney, Pettiford, Brown, Hibbler, Davis and Sherrill plus Patterson & Jackson and Jesse & James. The film was The Spider
    Palmquist note:
    'If I have correctly identified them in the Gottlieb photo to the right, the band members during this week were
    • Ellington
    • Pettiford
    • Nanton
    • Myers
    • de Paris
    • Nance
    • Hodges
    • Jones
    • Sears
    • Brown
    • Hamilton
    • Hardwick
    • Guy
    • Jordan
    • Carney
    • Greer
    • Cat Anderson
    • Hemphill
    • Williams.
    • Missing from the photo are Reunald Jones and singers Davis, Hibbler and Sherrill (the latter is thought to have left the band the previous month).'
    Vail I with unidentifed ad
    Duke Ellington and his orchestra, Howard Theatre, April 1946
    Duke Ellington
    and His Orchestra
    Howard Theatre, April 1946

    Click to Enlarge
    .
    ..WEBphotodjpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-07
    Week of
    1946 04 19-25
    ...Personnel change
    Reed player and Ellington's childhood friend Otto "Toby" Hardwick left the band during the Howard Theatre engagement.
    • Nicholson:

      '...in April 1946, in a dispute with Ellington reportedly over a woman, veteran alto saxophonist Toby Hardwick walked off the stage during a peformance at the Howard Theatre, in Washington, D.C., leaving the orchestra and subsequently the music business.'

    • Timner IV shows him in the June 8 1946 session, but Timner V identifies Russell Procope instead.
    • Procope:

      'Hardwick had walked off the stage at the Howard Theater in Washington. Nobody knew if he was coming back. He never did.'

    • Despite Procope's statement, Hardwick is listed in concert programmes in October 1946 and March 1947. Neither programme names Procope, leading to the conclusion the two programmes were based on outdated personnel lists.
    • New Desor p. 1467
    • Timner IV, Attendance Chart, p.576
    • Concert programmes, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10:
      • Folder 37 Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, 1946
      • Folder 39 Harrison Auditorium, A and T College, Greensboro, North Carolina, March 15, 1947
    • Michael P. Zirpolo, "In Duke's Head" IAJRC Journal Article, p.5
    • Nicholson, pp.278-279
    • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2019-08-01
    ...djpNew
    added
    2012-10-12
    updated
    2017-01-26
    2022-01-28
    2022-07-24
    1946 04 20
    Saturday
    .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 04 19

    Ellington's ABC network broadcast, at 4 p.m. EST: Your Saturday Date With the Duke - see 1945 04 07 appears to have aired from the theatre.
    While the discographies name only one bassist during the Saturday broadcast, the photo at 1946 04 19 above, taken sometime this week, shows two - Pettiford and probably Wilson Myers.
    Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
    Personnel: Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Reunald Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, Wilbur de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, possibly Myers, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis.

    Titles recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Mood To Be Wooed
    • Caravan
    • Duke Ellington Bond promotional message
    • Don't Take Your Love From Me
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • The Blues
    • Bond promo
    • Sono
    • One O'Clock Jump
    • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
    • Bond promo
    • Riff Staccato
    • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
    .New Desor
    DE4611
    DEMSdjpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2020-05-05
    2022-02-09
    2022-07-24
    1946 04 20
    Saturday
    .Washington, D.C..Ellington was scheduled to appear on NBC's network "Tin Pan Alley" radio show airing at 5:45 p.m. EST.
    • "In Chicago", Variety :

      'Duke Ellington airing from Chi Saturday (20) on NBC's "Tin Pan Alley" show...'

    • "Radio Ramblings," Chester (Pa.) Times:

      'Duke Ellington will be the guest of crooner Jack Owens, on "Tin Pan Alley," at 5:45 over KYW. Narrator John Nesbitt will tell the story behind one of the Duke's hit tunes.'

    • "Airglances," Des Moines Register:

      'Duke Ellington, orchestra leader and composer of such hits as "Sophisicated Lady" and "Caravan" will be heard from Washington, D.C. as guest of Crooner Jack Owens on Tin Pan Alley, 4:45 p.m. WHO. Owens is also the male singing star on Breakfast Club...'

    • Richmond Times-Dispatch:

      'Duke Ellington, orchestra leader and composer, will be heard as guest of crooner Jack Owens on the NBC-WMBG Tin Pan Alley at 5:45 P.M. Owen [sic] will sing "Sittin' And A-Rockin'," and will join with the Vagabonds in a medley of "I'm Just A Lucky So and So," Ellington's latest tune; "Don't Get Around Much Any More," and "Solitude." Jack will close with "Mood Indigo." Accompaniment will be by Jimmy Blade and his band.'

    • "The Radio Corner," St. Louis Star-Times:

      'Duke Ellington, band leader, will make a personal appearance on "Tin Pan Alley of the Air" at 10 o'clock from KSD. '

    • Variety 1946-04-17 p.40
    • Chester (Pa.) Times, Chester, Penn.
      1946-04-20 p.13
    • Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa
      1946-04-20 p.5
    • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
      1946-04-20 p.17
    • St. Louis Star-Times, St. Louis, Mo.
      1946-04-20 p.12
    • The Bergen Evening Record, Hackensack, N.J.
      1946-04-20 p.17
    ..djpNew
    Added
    2022-02-14
    1946 04 20
    Saturday
    .Washington, D.C.WWDC Studio
    Ellington, et al, in Conover's studio
    Willis Conover with Ellington et al
    Click to Enlarge
    • In "Willis Conover's Washington," Maristella Feustle reports WWDC radio personality Conover interviewed Duke Ellington and "members of his entourage."
    • In the last of 12 quarter-hour audio tracks of the broadcast held by The University of North Texas Digital Library, Willis Conover (standing) credits Frank Turner as the photographer and names those present as Ellington, Strayhorn, Jerry Rhea, Rhea's wife and sister, Oscar Pettiford, and Emerson Parker. The third lady is not named. Two partly visible clocks in the adjoining studios show the time as 11:20 and 12:20, suggesting the photo was taken after midnight EDT, with the second clock showing another time zone.
    • The SI-NMAH AC 415 (Ruth Ellington Collection) description names Marian Anderson as one of the people present. The SI-NMAH description is:

      'Ruth Ellington Collection #415, Subseries 11.1.5: Interviews, 1946-1966 Box 23, Folder 104.1 Duke Ellington Cavalcade, WWDC, Parts 9 and 11, 1946 April 20 1 sound discs (lacquer)
        In progress conversation of Willis Conover and Duke Ellington, with occasional commentary by Billy Strayhorn, Emerson Parker, Jerry Rhea, and Oscar Pettiford, during radio broadcast from Washington, D.C. hosted by Willis Conover...

    • The recorded interview appears to have aired as part of the 11 p.m. WWDC program listed in the Washington Post radio log as Conover Dance Party.
    • In Conover's Saturday Night Dance Party broadcast April 21 [sic], titled Duke Ellington Cavalcade in the University of North Texas archive, Conover describes Parker as having the largest collection of Ellington records in Washington and possibly the country.
    • DEIP describes Rhea as one of Ellington's cronies from the early days, and someone who more or less adopted Mercer. At page 118 of DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC, edited by Maurice Jackson and Blair A. Ruble, he is said to be Ellington's road manager in 1950, but that conflicts with Al Celley's tenure.

    The Duke Ellington Cavalcade on station WWDC, April 20, 1946:
    This set of 12 sides covers 3 hours from 11:00 pm on April 20 until 2:00 am the following morning... of interest in the earlier sections is an extensive discussion with Emerson Parker (who broadcast at station WQQW), who had supplied a number of rare alternate takes for Conover to broadcast on this program. Even and odd sides are together due to the tandem recording off the radio (for example, needing a second disc to start up side 2 as side 1 ran out)...'

    • After opening Part 1 with some Artie Shaw, Conover talks about the rarity of some of the records on the show, and plays "Animal Crackers," "Bugle Call Rag," Freeze and Melt," and "Black and Tan Fantasy."
    • Conover introduces Ellington collector/expert Parker, and WQQW broadcaster in Part 2,, "Take It Easy," "Mood Indigo," "Sweet Mama," and "Hot and Bothered" are heard.
    • In Part 3, Conover and Parker introduce "Black Beauty" and "I've Got the World on a String."
    • Part 4 includes "I've Got to Be a Rug Cutter," "Ebony Rhapsody," and "Stompy Jones," and the beginning of an introduction of "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree."
    • Part 5 has "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree", "Solitude," "Clarinet Lament," and "Ring Dem Bells," then "Hodge Podge" is introduced.
    • Part 6 has "Hodge Podge," "Braggin' in Brass," "Boy Meets Horn," "Mobile Bay, and "Night Song."
    • Part 7, opens with a time check (12:30) and station identification. Conover says Jerry Rhea will join soon. "Tootin' Through the Roof," "Pitter Panther Patter," and "Warm Valley" are played and "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me" is introduced.
    • Part 8 plays "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear from Me," "Cottontail," "Take the A-Train," and "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'."
    • In Part 9, Conover introduces Ellington and Strayhorn to Parker, and begins the interview, touching on personnel, travel plans, and early recordings.
    • The interview continues in Part 10, up to the introduction of Black, Brown & Beige.
    • Parts of Black Brown & Beige are played in in Part 11 before the interview resumes.
    • In Part 12, the interview touches on Mercer Ellington and Conover speaks of broadcasting while he was in hospital, and Rhea speaks. Conover credits photograher Frank Turner and names those present (Ellington, Strayhorn, Rhea with wife and sister, Pettiford, and Parker. The recording closes with "Ring Dem Bells."
    ...djpNew
    added
    2019-05-26
    updated
    2019-06-15
    2019-06-20
    2019-07-06
    2022-02-14
    1946 04 21
    Sunday
    .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 04 19
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 22
    Monday
    .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 04 19
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 23
    Tuesday
    .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 04 19
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 24
    Wednesday
    .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 04 19
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 25
    Thursday
    .Washington, D.C. Play Center for Colored Children
    2134 Ninth street N.W..
    The Evening Star, Apr.24:

    'Youngsters of the Junior Police and Citizens' Corps will open their new play center for colored children at 2134 Ninth street N.W. with a special program at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow.
         Bandleader Duke Ellington will be on hand for the opening ...'

    (The time might be 3:30 - the clipping was scanned at low resolution and it is hard to tell if the first digit is 2 or 3).
    The Evening Star, Washington, D.C.
    1946-04-24 s.B p.1
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-02-15
    1946 04 25
    Thursday
    .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
    620 T St.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 04 19
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 26
    Friday
    ...Personnel change
    Reed player Russell Procope joins the band and will stay, except for a brief period in 1971, until the end. He previously played two numbers with the band, in Your Saturday Date With the Duke, 1945 10 20.

    Procope, as quoted in the IAJRC Journal:

    'Duke started trying me out in the fall of 1945, right after I got out of the service. Toby Hardwick would not show up from time to time. For me, it was like being a baseball player getting a tryout with the Yankees. In my eyes, Duke Ellington was the very top of the world of music. I felt that way then, and still feel that way. But, I didn't get hired right away. In April of 1946, I finally got the call. I was told to meet the band on its way from Washington, D.C. to Springfield, Massachusetts. Hardwick had walked off the stage at the Howard Theater in Washington. Nobody knew if he was coming back. He never did.
      My job was to play first alto. Duke had a good clarinet soloist in Jimmy Hamilton, and of course a great alto soloist win Johnny Hodges. But gradually, Duke started giving me solos on clarinet because my sound on clarinet was so different from Jimmy's. And my whole approach to the clarinet was different from his. He was a great technician who had a sound almost like a symphony man. My playing was more gutbucket. I never did play many alto solos because Johnny took care of that, and when he wasn't there for a while, there was Willie Smith and Hilton Jefferson, both of whom were excellent soloists.'

    • New Desor vol.2
    • Michael P. Zirpolo, "In Duke's Head" IAJRC Journal Article, p.5
    • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2019-08-01
    ...djpNew
    added
    2012-10-12
    updated
    2017-01-26
    2022-01-28
    1946 04 26
    Friday
    .Springfield, Mass.Municipal Auditorium
    aka
    Springfield Auditorium
    Dance, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
    $1.50 plus tax
    The Springfield Union and Republican,
    The Springfield Sunday Union and Republican
    and The Springfield Daily Republican, Springfield, Mass.
    • 1946-04-14 p.7C
    • 1946-04-21 p.2 (Roto section)
    • 1946-04-24 p.5
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-15
    1946 04 27
    Saturday
    .Worcester, Mass.
    (about 50 miles west of Boston)
    Municipal AuditoriumABC network broadcast, 4 p.m. EST: Your Saturday Date With the Duke - see 1945 04 07
    Timner and Nielsen say there was no audience.
    Duke Ellington and his orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, F.Williams, R. Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, Davis
    Titles aired and recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Stompy Jones
    • Moon Mist
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
    • I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me
    • Sophisticated Lady
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Jennie
    • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
    • Come Sunday
    • Light
    • We'll Be Together Again
    • Hollywood Hangover
    • Just Squeeze Me
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Perdido
    Stratemann:

    'April 27 Municipal Auditorium, Worcester, Mass. (DETS # 35)'

    Vail I, after describing the broadcast, says:

    'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra play a one-nighter at the Armory in Worcester, Mass.'

    Ken Vail may have just assumed there was an evening performance, but without knowing his sources and in view of the lack of ads or publicity in contemporary newspapers in the newspapers.com, newspaperarchive.com and genealogybank.com archives, it seems unlikely.
    • The Bergen Evening Record, Hackensack, N.J.
      1946-04-27 p.17
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner V
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    New Desor
    DE4612
    ..djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-11
    2022-02-15
    1946 04 27
    Saturday
    .Worcester, Mass.Municipal AuditoriumThe Daily Bulletin:

    'DUKE ELLINGTON MAKES SPECIAL BROADCAST
    NEW YORK, April 27–(ANP)–A special half-hour concert was given by Duke Ellington over the National Broadcasting company's network April 27 for the United Negro College Fund, emanating from the Municipal auditorium at Forcester [sic], Mass. at 6 to 6:30 Eastern Standard Time.'

    • The Daily Bulletin Combined With The Ohio Express, Dayton Ohio
      1946-04-27 p.1
    • The Bergen Evening Record, Hackensack, N.J.
      1946-04-27 p.17
    ...djpNew
    Added
    2022-02-15
    1946 04 27
    Saturday
    .Marlborough, Mass.Lyonhurst BallroomUnconfirmed

    After the broadcasts, the Ellington orchestra may have played at the Lyonhurst Ballroom in nearby Marlborough.

    Concord Enterprise:

    'All in all, the Ray McKinley dance .next Wednesday will attract the largest dance reunion of veterans yet held in this section of Massachusetts. Frank Duffy, the producer staging the reunion dance, is preparing to accommodate more than 3,000 persons - more than the huge crowd which applauded Duke Ellington at Lyonhurst last Saturday evening.'

    Further research is required (query written to The Marlborough Historical Society 2022-02-24).
    Concord Enterprise, Concord, Mass.
    1956-05-02 p.4
    ...djpNew
    Added
    2022-02-24
    1946 04 28
    Sunday
    .New Haven, Conn.Armory
    New Haven Arena
    Duke Ellington and is Famous Orchestra Plus Mammoth Stage Show
    3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
    • Meriden Daily Journal, Meriden, Conn.
      1946-04-23 p.10
    • Meriden (Conn.) Record, Meriden, Conn.
      1946-04-24 p.7
    • The Waterbury Democrat, Waterbury, Conn.
      1946-04-25 p.15
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-15
    2022-02-21
    1946 04 29
    Monday
    Ellington's birthday
    .Philadelphia, Penn.Town Hall.
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 04 30
    Tuesday
    8 pm
    .Troy, N.Y.State ArmoryConcert at 8 pm, followed by a dance from 9 to 1
    Tickets $1.50 tax included in advance, or plus tax at the gate.
    • The Times Record, Troy, N.Y.
      • 1946-04-15, p.15
      • 1946-04-27 p.12
      • 1946-04-29 pp.15, 18
    • The Troy Record, Troy, N.Y.
      • 1946-04-27 pp.8, 12
      • 1946-04-29 p.6
      • 1946-04-30 9p.3, 17
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2013-03-13

    May 1946

    1946 05 01
    Wednesday
    .Claremont, N.H.RoselandDuke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra.
    • Rutland Daily Herald, Rutland, Vt.
      1946-04-27 p.10
    • The Barre Daily Times, Barre, Vt.
      1946-04-27 p.6
    ....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-15
    1946 05 02
    Thursday
    .Cranston, R.I.Rhodes-On-The-Pawtuxet.
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 05 03
    Friday
    .Manchester, N.H..A Facebook "Duke Ellington Society" message listing Ellington search results from The Lowell Sun microfilm archives says this was Bedford Grove, which is a ballroom in Manchester. The Lowell Sun clipping cannot be located in online archives so the location needs to be documented. ....djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2020-06-19
    1946 05 04
    Saturday
    .Hanover, N.H.Webster Hall
    Dartmouth College
    ABC network broadcast, 4 p.m. EDT: Your Saturday Date With the Duke - see 1945 04 07
    Timner notes no audience was present.

    Stratemann:

    'This was the first broadcast in the Treasury series to be picked up by the AFRS since the series had been discontinued in November of 1945.'

    Duke Ellington and his orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, R.Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, Wilbur de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis
    Titles recorded
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • 9:20 Special
    • I Can't Get Started
    • Flamingo
    • Fancy Dan
    • Diminuendo In Blue - Transblucency - Crescendo In Blue
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Someone
    • Three Cent Stomp
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner V
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    New Desor
    DE4613
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-03-09
    2020-05-05
    2022-02-11
    1946 05 04
    Saturday
    .Hanover, N.H.Dartmouth CollegeGreen Key Prom
    • Several small-town paper society news reports named locals who would attend or had attended Dartmouth's 1946 Green Key celebration.
    • Vail I reports the afternoon broadcast and a one-nighter at Dartmouth College with no details or support.
    • The Kansas City Star, May 5, named a couple who attended the Green Key prom last night, confirming the dance was the Saturday.
    • The May 9 Springfield Reporter confirms Ellington played it:

      'Miss Eleanor M. Jackson...was a guest of Howard C. MacMillan ... at Dartmouth at house parties last week-end. A feature was the Green Key Prom, with music by Duke Ellington and his orchestra...'

    Conclusion: In addition to the afternoon network broadcast (see above), Ellington's orchestra played a dance at Dartmouth in the evening.
    • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
      1946-04-28 p.14
    • Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Penn.
      1946-05-01 p.8
    • The Summit Herald, Summit, N.J.
      1946-05-02 p.15
    • Plainfield Courier-News, Plainfield, N.J.
      1946-05-04 p.5
    • The Landmark, White River Junction, Vt.
      1946-05-09 p.7
    • The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Mo.
      1946-05-09 p.70
    • Springfield Reporter, Springfield, Vt.
      1946-05-09 p.B2
    • Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
      1945-05-13 p.7
    ...djpNew
    Added
    2022-02-22
    1946 05 05
    Sunday
    .Atlantic City, N.J.Steel PierStratemann and Vail provide no reference material supporting their entries saying Ellington's orchestra played here this date. A search of the archives available to Palmquist turn up no support for this engagement. Note the conflict with the Convention Hall concert announced in the Brooklyn Eagle.
    .....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-16
    1946 05 05
    Sunday
    .Atlantic City, N.J.Convention HallBrooklyn Eagle:

    'Atlantic City, May 4–It's a gala weekend for swing music enthusiasts visiting Atlantic City, with Duke Ellington and his orchestra appearing in concert tomorrow evening in the Convention Hall and Count Basie playing in the hall's ballroom tonight. Both events are part of the program of regualr dances featuring name bands obtained for weekend engagements.'

    Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
    1946-05-05 p.32
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-02-16
    1946 05 06
    Monday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 05 07
    Tuesday
    .Newburgh, N.Y...
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 05 08
    Wednesday
    ...Business event:
    Musicraft label recording contract
    Unhappy with the way RCA Victor handled him and with the titles Victor wanted him to record, Ellington signed a three-year contract with Jefferson-Travis Corporation, which controlled Musicraft Records Inc. while still under contract to RCA Victor. Folders listed in the Institute of Jazz Studies' Musicraft Records collection finding aid suggest talks began as early as January 1946 and that the final contract was executed May 8. Musicraft encountered financial difficulties, so Ellington only recorded 15 titles for the label, all in 1946.

    Stratemann:

    'His [Musicraft] contract was for three years, with a guaranteed return of $75,000 for 34 sides, plus a separate arrangement for the production of a minimum of two albums annually. From these albums he was to draw a separate royalty at the rate of 6% of the purchase price... '

    • Variety 1946-03-27

      'RCA Still Won't Release the Duke
           Duke Ellington continues to ask for release from his RCA-Victor recording contract, and the company continues to reject his requests. This has been going on since Ellington first demanded an out from his agreement, which Victor says has until next March to run and the William Morris agency, which handles Ellington, says expires in November.
           Meanwhile, Ellington has no recording dates scheduled.'

    • Other than the January Esquire and Metronome all-star sessions, the Ellington orchestra recorded only 21 titles in 1946 for RCA, all in Los Angeles.
    • Variety 1946-05-22:

      'Duke Ellington Sealed to Musicraft 100G Deal While Still With RCA
           After months of bickering with RCA-Victor over a release from a contract that has until November of this year to run, Duke Ellington went ahead and signed with Musicraft Records last week. Agreement, for three years, isn't effective until the expiration of the RCA contract, since the latter company consistently refused to turn him loose.
           In switching over to Musicraft, one of the foremost of the war-born independents, Ellington drew a contract probably unequalled by any other Negro band in the business, and one that's the equal of many deals between top white bands and major firms. Details of the pact are being closely guarded for obvious reasons. However, it's said to return Ellington in the neighborhood of $100,000 a year, with certain penalty clauses. While the agreement is with Musicraft, it is underwritten by Jefferson-Travers, the parent company, which bought the diskery months or so ago. He has the usual choice of tunes, etc.
           Adding Ellington to the Musicraft label gives the company a much brighter future...'

    • The Billboard 1946-05-25:

      'Musicraft Gets the Duke; 3 Yr. Paper Calls for 34 Sides, 2 Albums First Yr.
      Minimum Annual Cash Guarantee Around $75,000
            NEW YORK May 18–...It was announced this week that Duke Ellington had left RCA-Victor and signed a contract with Jefferson Travis Corporation, which controls Musicraft Records.
           ...
      (1) Deal is for three years effective November 11 when Ellington's present contract with RCA-Victor expires.
      (2) Musicraft guarantees to cut Ellington on 34 sides (17 single records) plus two albums the first year.
      (3) Ellington will have the right to determine exclusively the tunes he will record on 10 of these sides. Remainder of the tunes will be selected on a "mutually agreeable" basis...(4)...minimum annual cash guarantee estimated to be in the neighborhood of $75,000 per year. (When Irving Felt, Jefferson-Travis prexy, was told of the $100,000 figure being kicked around by some trade observers, he said this was "considerably out of line" tho he would not reveal the actual figure.)
      (5) No advance cash payment was made to Ellington, but every time he makes a side he receives 1/34th of the minimum cash guarantee, every time he makes a record (two sides) he receives 1/17th...
      (6) Musicraft has the right to reject any masters with which they aren't satisfied.
            Contract has no special provisions regarding exploitation of the Ellington disks...Felt is confident that the plattery will be able to press and sell enough of every one of the 17 single disks and the two albums they have guaranteed the Duke in the first year to easily cover the minimum cash guarantee called for in the pact, and make money doing it...
            Despite press-agent paper handed out at time of the contract announcement to the effect that Ellington had a plan to circulate his music to all parts of the world by recording native and folk music of all countries and distribbing the disks in foreign countries, this will definitely be a minor, "prestige" part of the program. Big push on Musicraft's part will be to bring the Duke right up among the top pop best sellers in the disk field and as quickly as possible.
            Tho the contract isn't effective ...until Ellington's pact with Victor expires November 11, Duke's representatives, the William Morris Agency and Cress Courtney in particular, are still negotiating with Eli Oberstein, Victor artists and rep head, and Jim Murray, Victor diskery prexy, trying them to null-and-void the balance of the contract so that Musicraft can start cutting and releasing disks by the Duke...'

    • Variety 1946-06-05:

      'While Duke Ellington's new three-year contract with Musicraft Records calls for $75,000 a year guarantee, it actually amounts to approximately $100,000 a year. First figure is Ellington's guaranteed return for 34 sides, but added to that, he has a separate arrangement for the production of a minimum of two albums annually. From these books, Ellington draws a separate royalty at the rate of 6% of the purchase price, which will make his annual take in the neighborhood of $100,000.'

    • Variety 1946-07-10:

      'Hollywood, July 9
           Musicraft legal representatives will present a plea to Victor this week in New York to allow former firm to wax Duke Ellington in three-day session starting here Aug. 15. The Duke is under contract to Victor for 20 more sides...
           [Musicraft] is anxious to get Ellington on wax as soon as possible due to expected hike of platteries scale for musicians in October. Musicraft promises not to release any Ellington product until mid-November.'

    • Variety 1946-07-24:

      'Musicraft Records has abandoned try to induce Victor to let it wax Duke Ellington before batoneer's pact with latter expires...Deft overtures made to Victor by Musicraft are reported to have received rather a brusque brush. Victor still has 12 Ellington sides to cut, discounting the eight he made last week... It is known that Ellington isn't too happy over situation and trade teems with talk because Victor, with a huge backlog of Ellington wax, hasn't released a platter of it in more than six months. Rumors now have arisen that Victor may never issue the stuff, but will exact full measure from contract, thus freezing a host of prime tunes, since Ellington can't record a selection for Musicraft which he has done for Victor for at least five years.'

    • Variety 1946-08-21:

      'Though his orchestra has been signed to a long-run contract with Musicraft Records, effective next November, Duke Ellington is insisting that RCA-Victor live up to the terms of its expiring contract with him. He is still tied to Victor until the above date and has 12 sides still to make on a pact that guaranteed him 24 sides annually. He wants RCA to cut the final 12 before he moves over to Musicraft. They will be made within the next month or two...'

    • The Billboard 1946-10-12:

      '...Duke Ellington will be leaving behind a flock of unreleased masters when the change becomes effective November 1. There are 16 unreleased Ellington sides in Victor's vaults which were cut after the end of the recording ban in 1944 thru to October, 1945. In addition, Oberstein cut 13 Ellington sides on his recent trip to the Coast. The Victor rep head told The Billboard that Ellington still has to cut several Victor sides in order to fulfill his present contract. Oberstein said that the contract did not specify release arrangements for the Ellington sides, and that it wolud [sic] be entirely up to Victor as to when his RCA disks hit the stalls.
           Meanwhile, Musicraft has arranged for Ellington's first date for the indie firm to be held in early November. Some trade sources have suggested that a good many of the unreleased Victor Ellington sides will not be released in the United States, but would probably be sent to the Gramophone Company in England, which turns out the His Master's Voice label, for pressing and distribution in England and on the Continent, where Ellington has enormous followings.
           Musicraft, in the meantime, is busy moving its processing departments to the Coast...'

    • Charles Menees, "The Record Makers," 1946-10-24:

      '...Victor, already with a bulging deep-freeze of Ellington waxings, has been busy recently making Ellington record his contract quota. This week, the Camden firm gets big-hearted and releases the first single by the Ellington band since January. The dry spell, of course, is the result of a quarrel. New sides are "Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me), a pop by Ellington and Lee Gaines, and the standard "Swamp Fire."..Those unreleased Victors? Oh, the firm will probably release them as they are their backlog of wax by Artie Shaw...'

    • Variety 1946-12-25:

      'Duke Ellington completed cuttings for his Musicraft album Wednesday (18) in his fourth session for the plattery. Album release will follow marketing of the first of the single releases Jan. 1. Latter will be "Happy-Go-Lucky Local" parts I and II...Last two sides to come out of the pressery were "Tulip or Turnip" with Ray Nance on the vocal, and "It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream," with Ray [sic] Hibbler singing.'

    • The Ellington orchestra recorded only 15 sides for Musicraft, all in New York between October 23 and December 18, 1946, although the Musicraft contract provided for 34 sides and 2 albums a year.
    • Richmond Times-Dispatch 1946-12-29:

      'Next week, Musicraft Records will present its first Duke Ellington platter, "Happy Go Local." They plan to follow this platter with an album of the hit tunes from "Beggar's Holiday,"... '

    • The Beggar's Holiday hits album does not appear to have been made. Happy-Go-Lucky Local was released in January 1947 and in 1947 Musicraft issued album S-6 DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous Orchestra AT CARNEGIE HALL. This album had 8 sides on 4 records; their labels say "Star Series." Steven Lasker:

      'It was customary for records from albums to also be available as singles for those who wanted to replace broken discs. Such replacement singles often had to be special ordered.'

      It appears singles were issued - catalogue no. 483 Tulip or Turnip was issed as Tell Me, Dream Face, subtitled Tulip or Turnip, without "Star Series" on its label.
    • In May 1947 The Billboard reported on Musicraft's refinancing and quoted its spokesman as saying a mutual agreement would probably be worked out to release the Ellington orchestra from its contract, a rumour the William Morris agency denied. In any event, having received $45,000 [sic] so far, Ellington reportedly settled for $25,000.

    Ellington's Musicraft recordings

    Session
    date
    Label
    no.
    MatrixTitle
    Oct.235115765-4Diminuendo In Blue
    Oct.234835766-4Magenta Haze
    Nov.254665813-2Sultry Sunset
    Nov.254615814-2Happy-Go-Lucky Local Part II
    Nov.254615816-2Happy-Go-Lucky Local Part I
    Nov.254845815-1Trumpet No End (Blue Skies)
    Dec.54645817-1Beautiful Indians (Hiawatha) Part 1
    Dec.54655818-3Flippant Flurry
    Dec.54655823-1Golden Feather
    Dec.54645824-3Beautiful Indians (Minnehaha) Part 2
    Dec.114635845-3Overture To A Jam Session Part 1
    Dec.114635846-3Overture To A Jam Session Part 2
    Dec.11466
    and 511
    5847-1Jam-A-Ditty (Concerto For Four Jazz Horns)
    Dec.1848358421-2Tulip Or Turnip
    Dec.184845842-3It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream
    Ellington's Musicraft labels
    Ellington's Musicraft labels
    Click to Enlarge
    • Stratemann pp.277, 286, citing
      • Variety
        • 1945-12-19 p.37
        • 1946-05-22 pp.46, 47
        • 1946-06-05 p.58
      • The Billboard
        • 1946-05-25 p.23
          "Musicraft Gets the Duke; 3 Yr. Paper Calls for 34 Sides, 2 Albums First Yr."
        • "MUSICRAFT GETS UP THE MOOLA - Refinancing Deal Reported Set, At Last"
          1947-05-31 p.20
        • "Col. Records Talent Mounts"
          1947-07-19, p.20
    • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-25 p.10
    • E. Lambert:
      Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
      , pp.141-142
    • Variety
      • 1946 -03-27 p.54
      • 1946-07-10 p.45
      • 1946-07-24 p.50
      • 1946-08-21 p.49
      • 1946-12-25 p.35
    • >The Billboard
      • 1946-10-12 p.17
      • 1947-05-31 p.20
    • Charles Menees, "The Record Makers,"
      St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
      Everyday Magazine 1946-10-24 p.2D
    • "On the Popular Side,"
      Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
      1946-12-29 p.B-7
    • RCA Victor Popular Collector's Issue Series 1951 long playing album Duke Ellington's Greatest
    • Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University Libraries, Guide to the Musicraft Records, Inc., Records 1937-1960, MC021, folders in Series 1F: Artist Contracts... Box 3:
      • 27 – Duke Ellington/ Irving Felt Confidential, Concert Program--Carnegie Hall, January 4, 1946
      • 28 – Duke Ellington--Contract Drafts and Negotiations, January-February, 1946
      • 29 – Duke Ellington--Preliminary Papers (contract negotiations and drafts), March 1946
      • 30 – Duke Ellington/Irving Felt Confidential, Contracts w/ copy of Ellington Assignment to Musicraft, March-May 1946
      • 31 – Duke Ellington--Final Original Contract, May 8, 1946
      • 32 – Duke Ellington/ Irving Felt Confidential Intermediate papers
      • 33 – Duke Ellington/ EMI, August 1946
      • 34 – Ellington-Correspondence Re: Alleged Breach of Contract, February 1947
    ...djpNew
    added
    2015-07-12
    updated
    2019-01-28
    2022-01-09
    2022-02-03
    2022-02-04
    2022-02-13
    1946 05 08
    Wednesday
    1946 06 01New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    New York Sun ad
    Newq York Sun 1946-05-08
    Click to Enlarge
    Vaudeville
    • Three and a half week theatre engagement, sharing the bill with Stump and Stumpy, The Clark Brothers and The Mills Brothers. The film feature was The Blue Dahlia. Band members named in the ads and publicity include Hodges, Brown, Hibbler, Pettiford, Sherill and Davis.
    • Variety reported the theatre seated 3,664, admission 70¢ to $1.20, was getting the most trade, and the take on the end of the first week (Tuesday) was $112,000. Five days of rain affected most downtown film houses; Variety reported the theatre only grossed $97,000 the second week. Conversely, The Herald Statesman reported it was drawing crowds in the third week approaching the record figures set by the film "Road to Utopia."
    • There were to have been from 4 to 6 stage shows daily according to the Brooklyn Eagle show times columns:
      • 1946 05 11: 10:43 1:26 4:09 6:52 9:35 12:18
      • 1946 05 13: 12:26 3:43 7:00 10:07
      • 1946 06 01: 11:51 2:42 5:54 8:56 11:58
    • The Brooklyn Eagle, May 10:

      'During the last week of May, in a special music presentation at the Manhattan Paramount Theater, where he will appear with his orchestra, Duke Ellington will present the high school pupils who, last year, were awarded the Ellington Julliard Scholarships. The three are: Elaine Jones, 17, tympanist, of 28 Macombs Place, Manhattan; Paul Rudoff, 18, French horn of 343 E. 15th St., Manhattan, and Warren Norwood, 18, flute, of 68-28 Kessel St., Forest Hills.'

    • The show was panned by Metronome critic Barbara Hodgkins in an undated review reproduced in Vail I but was praised by The Billboard (see 1946 05 09 below).
    • New York Post (May 18):

      '...we listened to a beautiful blues arrangement, which Ellington had written for this season's concert tour, titled "Transblucency" with a very lovely vocal rendition by Kay Davis. Duke describes the tune as presenting "a blue fog, which you can almost see through." When Duke and the band give forth with a medley of five of his outstanding tunes, the audience joined with a low accompaniment of wistful whistling... '

    • Variety's review:

      'Duke Ellington Orch (19) with Kay Davis, Ray Vance [sic], Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Oscar Pettlford, Harry Carney; Mills Bros. Stump & Stumpy, Clock Bros,; "Blue Dahlia” (Par)...
           With Duke Ellington's fine band and the perennially socko Mills Bros., the Paramount stage bill this session couldn't be anything but top entertainment. The Ellington orch continues to dish out its unique arrangements, providing music that's different from the standard swing combos. Mills Bros., doing several of the tunes they made famous via recordings, wind up the well-paced show with the audience clamoring for more.
            Ellington's band, with five trumpets, four trombones, five reed and four rhythm, appeals strongly with the sometimes weird but always ear-caressing qualities of the leader's arrangements. Despite the fact that the brass outnumbers the reed section almost two to one, the orchestral effects are always well-balanced. Use of both a string bass and a pluck bass also adds a lot to the band's modernistic touches.
           After a hot chorus on “Riff Staccato" by Ray Nance, fiddle-player in several of the Duke's more longhairish numbers, Johnny Hodges brings his alto into play for an applause-drawing solo on “Laughing on the Outside." One of the best alto-men in the business, Hodges' fine instrumental work is equalled by almost every member of the band. Orch also plays Ellington's "Transbluecency," the number he introduced at his recent Carnegie Hall Concert, in which femme vocalist Kay Davis uses her voice as an instrument to blend in solid harmony with a clarinet and two trombones. Calloway [sic!] himself shines on a medley of some of his most famous works; including “Mood Indigo,” "Sophisticated Lady," "Solitude,” etc. All go over for heavy returns...'

    • Variety
      • 1946-05-08 pp.13, 25
      • 1946-05-15 p.13
      • 1946-05-22 p.13
      • 1946-05-29 p.15
    • The New York Sun, New York, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-08 p.33
      • 1946-05-14 p.30
      • 1946-05-17 p.18
      • 1946-05-29 p.10
    • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-09 p.C12
      • 1946-05-11 p.21
      • 1946-05-25 p.21
      • 1946-05-28 p.41
    • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        1946-05-09 p.15
    • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-10 p.4
      • 1946-05-11 p.12
      • 1946-05-11 p.12
      • 1946-05-14 p.13
      • 1946-05-23 p.11
      • 1946-05-28 p.13
      • 1946-06-01 pp.11, 12
    • The Daily Argus, Mount Vernon, N.Y.
      • 1956-05-10 p.4
      • 1956-05-11 p.4
      • 1956-05-14 p.4
      • 1956-05-15 p.4
    • The Herald Statesman, Yonkers, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-14 p.6
      • 1946-05-23 p.21
    • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-18 p.16
    • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-25 p.10
    • ANP wirestory datelined New York, June 6
      The Daily Bulletin, Dayton Ohio
      • 1946-06-06 p.4
    • Stratemann p.267 citing reviews in:
      • The Billboard 1946-04-18 p.55
      • Variety 1946-05-15 p.63
    • Vail I with undated negative Metronome review
    ...
  • djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-03-09
    2019-01-28
    2022-01-09
    2022-02-13
    1946 05 09
    Thursday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Gottlieb's dressing room photo
    Click to Enlarge

    William A. Gottlieb's photo of Duke's reflection in his Paramount Theatre dressing room mirror.

    note the piano, the publicity photos tucked into the mirror frame, the extensive wardrobe, the gaudy neckties, one of which was cropped in the edited photo, the Johnsons Baby Powder, and the shoes on the counter.
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08

    The Billboard's review:

    'Paramount, New York
    (Thursday Afternoon, May 9)
    With Duke Ellington and his ork on the stand and the Mills Brothers before the mike, this week's bill is a topper in pop music. It's well paced, varied and peppy and the Duke gets off a number of ducal moments at the keys, while his boys swing out with everything from boogie to blues.
      Opener, Take the A-Train, seques into Blue Skies which the boys kick around a piece before introing Ray Nance, a fast double-talk chirper, who offers Riff Staccato at breakneck speed and gets a good hand. Then it's time for blues as the Duke sells 'em and this time Johnny Hodges at the tenor [sic] sax gives out with a nifty arrangement of Laughin [sic] on the Outside.
      The Clark Brothers, tappers, beat out the rhythms with their pedals. They have a slick series of routines, sell them well and cull heavy palms.
      Transbluecency [sic], one of Ellington's excursions into concert-type crewcut, it [sic] a beaut, with Kay Davis vocalizing as an instrument aided by two muted trombones and a clarinet.
      Stump and Stumpy, a couple of fast-moving, fast-mugging comics, go bit with the pew sitters who brought them back twice and sent them off with socko hands.
      Ork gets into a medley of familiar Ellington ditties, including Sentimental Mood, Mood Indigo, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Sophisticated Lady, Caravan, Solitude and I Let a Song Get [sic] Out of My Heart, played by the Duke against the band's Don't Get Around Much Any More.
      In contrast, the band goes all out on Metronome All Out, a bounce number which singles out different members of the band for fast riffs and hot playing. They come thru flying.
      Introed by the Duke, the Mills Brothers open with Cielito Lindo, followed by ... The quartet, tho still smooth, seems to have lost something of its old slickness. But the four sold to the full pews and could have kept on with recalls for some time.
      Ellington closed with Time's A-Wastin'.
      Film, The Blue Dahlia. Biz fine.'

    The Billboard 1946-05-18 p.55....Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-03-09
    2022-01-09
    1946 05 10
    Friday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 11
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08

    Six shows, from mid-morning to early morning: 10:43 1:26 4:09 6:52 9:35 12:18

    Although many newspaper radio schedules nationwide list the usual Saturday broadcast (i.e. Your Saturday Date with the Duke), the Paramount schedule does not provide time for it, nor is there any indication in the New Desor, Timner or Nielsen discographies that anything was broadcast/recorded this date.
    .....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-12
    1946 05 12
    Sunday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 13
    Monday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08

    Four performances: 12:26 3:43 7:00 10:07
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 05 14
    Tuesday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08
    Five performances: 10:51 1:49 4:53 7:55 10:57
    .....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-01-09
    1946 05 15
    Wednesday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 16
    Thursday
    .New York, N.Y..Business event
    On this date, Tempo Music, Inc. executed a contract with William Anderson (soon known as Cat Anderson) for the rights to
    • Everything Goes
    • Home Town - also known as (A Gatherin' In A Clearing)
    The same day, Tempo executed a contract with Oscar Pettiford and Duke Ellington for the rights to Tip Toe Topic.
    Contracts
    • Tempo - Ellington- Pettiford 1946-06-18
    • Tempo - Anderson 1946-06-18
    .
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-02-14
    1946 05 16
    Thursday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 17
    Friday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 18
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Radio City Studio 6BABC network broadcast, 4 p.m. EDT: Your Saturday Date With the Duke - see 1945 04 07

    Duke Ellington and his orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, R. Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, Wilbur de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis

    Titles aired/recorded
    • In A Mellow Tone
    • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
    • Sono
    • Rugged Romeo
    • Circe
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
    • Full Moon And Empty Arms
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Laughing On The Outside
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    Timner says the broadcast was interrupted three times by news flashes. The interruptions seem likely to have been about an imminent strike by railroad engineers and trainmen due to start at 5 p.m. EDT. The Associated Press announced at 3:56 p.m. EST that a five day cooling off period was agreed to.
    • "ABC of Railroad Strike"
      Associated Press in
      Paterson Evening News, Paterson, N.J.
      1946-05-18 p.1
    • "Railroad Strike Deferred for 5 Days"
      Daily Press, Newport News, Va.
      1946-05-19 p.1
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner V
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    New Desor
    DE4614
    DEMSTimner corrections djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2020-05-05
    2022-02-11
    1946 05 18
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 19
    Sunday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 20
    Monday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 21
    Tuesday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 22
    Wednesday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 23
    Thursday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 24
    Friday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 25
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Radio City Studio 6BABC network broadcast, 4 p.m. EDT: Your Saturday Date With the Duke - see 1945 04 07

    Duke Ellington and his orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, R.Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler

    Titles broadcast and recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
    • Crosstown
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Summertime
    • Teardrops In The Rain
    • Frankie And Johnny - Metronome All Out
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Rockabye River (Hop Skip Jump)
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
        (fifth edition unless otherwise noted)
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    New Desor
    DE4615
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2020-05-05
    2022-02-12
    1946 05 25
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 26
    Sunday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 27
    Monday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 28
    Tuesday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 28
    Tuesday
    .New York, N.Y.Madison Square GardenEllington might have made a personal appearance at the "Fire Ball" fundraising event for the Death Benefit Fund of the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York. He was mentioned in Ed Sullivan's May 25 column plugging the event and in the Brooklyn Eagle's May 28 plug, but he is not among the entertainers named in the latter's May 29 report of the event.
    • The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-28 p.5
      • 1946-05-29 p.16
    • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-25 p.18
      • 1946-05-28 p.5C
    • The Tablet, Brooklyn, N.Y.
      • 1946-05-25 p.17
    ...djpNew
    Added
    2022-02-13
    1946 05 29
    Wednesday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 30
    Thursday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 31
    Friday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08.....Added
    2011
    1946 05 00...Personnel change
    Stratemann and New Desor have singer Marion Cox joining the band in late May but this needs to be confirmed.
    • The discographies have her in the June 1 "Your Saturday With the Duke" broadcast from the Paramount Theatre. and she was in the recordings made that week for Beggar's Opera.
    • Leighla Whipper, "This is Manhattan," The People's Voice:

      'Marion Cox, new singer in Duke's band barely made the deadline of Duke's departure. It seems as though Toby [sic] Hardwicke [sic] told Lionel Belasco that Duke was looking for a new singer. Lionel ran into Johnny Hodges at the Turf Club and suggested Marion for an audition. Hodges arranged the time, Marion went, sang two songs and signed a contract that day. Duke left the next day for the coast. Close work if you can make it.'

      This must be read with a grain of salt, since she was recorded with the band from June 1 to about June 5, before the band played June 6 in Washington D.C. and headed west through Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio, played a week in Chicago then looped north through Canada, reaching Seattle June 28, then Oakland and Los Angeles at the end of that month. The first evidence of her being with the band after it left New York is a broadcast June 8 from Reading, Penn. and the week beginning June 13 in Chicago. She was in the July 16 session in Los Angeles and she sang with the band July 2at the Million Dollar Theatre.
    • She would stay until the following May. She may have left due to illness - see 1947 05 00 below.
    • Stratemann p.267
    • New Desor vol.2
    • Variety 1946-06-12 p.46
    • The People's Voice, New York, N.Y.
      1946-07-20 p.22
    ...djpNew
    added
    2012-10-11
    2022-03-08
    2024-07-06
    2024-07-08
    1946 05 00... Peripheral event
    Dorothy Kilgallen's column:

    'Duke Ellington and Bill Robinson are in Broadway's biggest feud.'

    Walter Winchell's column includes a comment

    'Bill Robinson and Duke Ellington are acting like idiots'

    Mary Wood, The Cincinnati Post:

    'Bill Robinson, attired in a natty grey suit with maroon tie and kerchief said no, he wan't mad at Duke Ellington. "Couldn't anybody get mad at Duke," Bill said, "He's the easy-goingest guy I know."
         A recent item in a New York column, hinting that all was not well between the two, was the first Bill heard of their "trouble."
         "Right away I call up Duke and say, 'hey, its says in the paper we're feudin'," Bill said. "And Duke says, 'Is that so? I must get me a paper and find out what we're mad about'."'

    • Pottsdown Mercury, Pottsdown, N.Y., 1946-05-28 p.4
    • Kingsport News, Kingsport, Tenn. 1946-05-31 p.4
    • The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio
      19646-06-06 p.20
    ...djpNew
    added
    2015-03-09
    updated
    2022-02-23

    June 1946

    1946 06 00...Peripheral event
    Pacific Press Syndicate wirestory:

    'Don't miss the swell article in the magazine "Seventeen" on Duke Ellington.'


    The June 1946 edition of Seventeen ran an article by Dixon Gayer, titled jazz takes the duke seriously.
    Steven Lasker:

    '[this edition is] less notable for the article than it is for Al Hirschfeld's illustration, his only-known rendering of Ellington between the famous caricature of 1931 (see discussion under 1931 04 19) and 1973.'


    The caricature is in black and white in Seventeen on page 124, but can be seen in colour at https://www.alhirschfeldfoundation.org/piece/duke-ellington-1
    • Pacific Press Syndicate wirestory
      The Mississippi Enterprise, Jackson, Miss.
      1946-06-22 p.1
    • Email Lasker/Palmquist 2022-11-24
    ...djp, slNew
    added
    2022-03-08
    updated
    2022-11-25
    1946 06 01
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
    Times Square
    Vaudeville - see 1946 05 08

    Six performances: 11:51 2:42 5:54 8:56 11:58

    ABC network broadcast, 16:00-16:30, "Your Saturday Date With the Duke"- see 1945 04 07

    Stratemann:

    '...on the day of its exit from the Paramount, the Duke Ellington orchestra did broadcast #39 in the Treasury series from the theatre's rehearsal hall.'

    The broadcast is expected to be on the forthcoming Storyville DETS CD no. 20.
    Duke Ellington and his World-Famous Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, R.Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis, M.Cox

    Titles broadcast and recorded:
    • Take the "A" Train (theme)
    • A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Main Stem
    • A Ghost Of A Chance
    • In A Jam
    • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
    • Stomp, Look And Listen
    • Come Rain Or Come Shine
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • Timner V
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
  • .
    New Desor
    DE4616
    DEMS
    • 85,4-7
    • Email, K.Steiner-Palmquist 2015-03-08
    .djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-03-09
    2020-05-05
    2022-02-13
    1946 06 02
    Sunday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 06 03
    Monday
    Possibly
    1946 06 05
    New York, N.Y.Likely
    Carnegie Chamber Music Hall
    or possibly Carnegie Hall's Main Hall
    Sidemen's activities not documented
    Steven Lasker purchased 15 acetates (records) which seem to indicate Ellington, John Latouche, Kay Davis, Marian Cox and Bill Dillard recorded songs from the forthcoming Street Music (working title for Beggar's Holiday) musical at Carnegie Hall on June 3 and possibly June 4 and/or June 5. He describes these as:
    '...a group of 15 original acetates on the Carnegie Hall Recording Co. label from Street Music--music by Duke Ellington, lyrics by John Latouche.
      One label is dated 6/3/46... Some are 10", some are 12"..all play at 78 rpm...
    • 10" acetates Street Music

      • "Loose Living"
        vocal by Bill Dillard
      • "Inbetween"
        vocal by Kay Davis
      • "Lullaby For Junior"
        vocal by Marian Cox
      • "Ore From a Gold Mine"
        vocal by Kay Davis
      • "Oh Polly"
        vocal by Kay Davis
      • "Tooth & Claw"
        vocal by John Latouche
    • 12" acetates Street Music

      • "Sweet Lucy" and "Jail House Lament"
        vocal by Bill Dillard
      • "Inbetween"
        vocal by Kay Davis
      • "Brown Penny"
        vocal by Kay Davis
      • "Lullaby For Junior"
        vocal by Marian Cox
      • "Prisoner's Song"-
        vocal by Bill Dillard
      • "No One But You"
        vocal by Kay Davis
      • "Rooster and the Hen" (cut #2)
        vocal by Kay Davis
        (The disc that bears the date 6-3-46 has two takes of "Rooster and the Hen"; cut #1 is a breakdown, cut #2 is a complete take.
      • "Wrong Side of the Railroad Track" (cut #2)
        vocal by Marian Cox
      • "Lullaby For Junior"
        vocal by Marian Cox
      • "Tooth & Claw"
        vocal by John Latouche
    Note that 6/3/46, 6/4/46 and 6/5/46 are all open days in the Ellington itinerary. I suppose the above were recorded on those dates at Carnegie Hall.'
    and
    • 'Some discs are originals, some are dubs. I've been comparing and find an incomplete alternate take to Rooster and the Hen plus complete alternate takes of Wrong Side of the Railroad Track and No One But You. All other duplicate titles are the same takes.
    • LaTouche supplies spoken introductions to all titles.
    • The printing on each label, (originals and dubs):
      CARNEGIE HALL RECORDING CO. CARNEGIE HALL NEW YORK 19, N.Y.
    • Most labels are stamped THE BEGGARS OPERA COMPANY in red ink.
    • I believe Ellington is the pianist on all sides with the possible exception of Tooth and Claw, where the piano playing is slyly nondescript.
    • Piano Red [Ellington] isn't selling the pianist -- he's selling the songs. This is Broadway-demo playing from Ellington. Not something we've heard from him very often if ever -- don't ask me to cite any other recorded examples!
    and
  • The recordings are indeed piano and vocal, introduced by LaTouche.
  • The sonics suggest a medium-sized room that's pretty bare, i.e., without significant wall padding for damping. That points to the Chamber Music Hall; had the performances been played in the hall itself, the acoustics of a large, lively hall would be heard in the resultant recordings.
  • The Carnegie Hall Recording Co. labels look just like the examples in the little article you sent me.

  • Rob Hudson, Manager, Archives, Carnegie Hall
    • ...the blog post you cited tells you most of everything we know about Len Frank and his operation, and I'm sorry to say that we do not have any documentation specific to the day-to-day activities of the Carnegie Hall Recording Co.
    • As best we can tell, Frank had kind of a "handshake" agreement with John Totten (manager of Carnegie Hall at that time), and he ran his operation very much as his own business - which ranged from radio transcription discs, to "vanity" recordings for artists, to commercial recordings (CH Recording Co. was one of the original sources for the 1938 Benny Goodman live concert recording, for example). He also did outside "contract" work for other labels and studios, e.g. editing/production work for budget label assemblages of classical music, etc.
    • Whatever business documentation existed for the company has vanished. After Frank died, his estate was in litigation for years, and what wasn't thrown away was stored in a warehouse in Elizabeth, NJ (under horrible conditions). We had some contact, through an intermediary, with lawyers for the estate, and we ended up taking possession of about a dozen boxes of recordings five or six years ago. A great deal of it is the kind of production work I mentioned above, and thus not incredibly valuable or interesting. We'd hoped to find some treasures (like maybe some Ellington recordings!), but there wasn't much.
    • The one thing I can tell you is that other than the small engineering studio (305-6) on the third floor - which still exists, by the way, albeit in a modernized/renovated form - there was no separate studio or recording room in the building; there was simply no room. The hall didn't even have adequate dressing rooms for the same reason (that has changed through some later additions). Ensemble recordings were made with the band/orchestra either set up on the main Carnegie Hall stage, or in our small recital hall (today called Weill Recital Hall, but in 1946 it was known as Carnegie Chamber Music Hall... In the main auditorium, either the ensemble would be recorded in performance (e.g. Goodman, or the well-known Ellington at CH recordings), or they would also occasionally use the hall as a recording studio.
    • Sadly, our collection of Carnegie Hall booking ledgers - which not only contain information about concert bookings, but also rehearsals, recordings, etc. - only dates to 1955; we're missing anything prior to that time. So, I can't tell you if Ellington had booked the hall to rehearse/record in June of 1946.
    • In the mid-1940s, there was a series called "Carnegie Pop Concerts" - a kind of precursor to the New York Pops, with seats removed in the auditorium for cocktail tables - and all of the evenings during that first week of June, 1946 were booked for those events. However, that doesn't mean that Ellington might not have rehearsed/recorded earlier in the day, or - perhaps even more likely - after the Pop concert, beginning at 11:30 or midnight (or later); this was not unheard of.
    • The onstage microphones were essentially the CBS radio mikes, and could be accessed from offsite - for example, for the January 16, 1938 Goodman concert, Len Frank was recording his own set of discs at the same time as the CBS studio was doing the same thing remotely. But that was a live performance, so the circumstance makes sense; in this case, since Ellington wasn't performing but simply recording, if he were elsewhere, not only would Len Frank not have had access to the audio feed, but it wouldn't have been necessary (since Ellington would have been set up in a studio). So, my guess is that Ellington's band was either in the main CH auditorium late at night (or possibly in the afternoon), or that they were in the Chamber Music Hall...
    • The only other possibility I can think of, and I'm not sure how likely this is: Len Frank may just have done mastering for recordings that were made elsewhere, along the lines of the contract work I mentioned above...
    • As far as the CH Recording Company materials are concerned: we would have gladly taken ANYTHING that remained - business documents included. But none of that was left - and there's nothing left in the warehouse; this was it...'
    • Email
      • Lasker-Palmquist/Steiner/Homzy/Haufman 2019-03-17
      • Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2019-01-24
        • 2019-03-17
        • 2019-03-18
        • 2019-03-21
    • Hudson-Palmquist
      • 2019-03-19
      • 2019-03-20
    • Blog Carnegie Hall Studio 305-6
    ...slNew
    added
    2019-03-17
    1946 06 04
    Tuesday
    ...Sidemen's activities not documented
    Ellington, Latouche, Davis, Cox and Dillard may have recorded music for Beggar's Holiday at Carnegie Hall this date - see 1946 06 03
    ....slNew
    added
    2019-03-17
    1946 06 05
    Wednesday
    ...Sidemen's activities not documented
    Ellington, Latouche, Davis, Cox and Dillard may have recorded music for Beggar's Holiday at Carnegie Hall this date - see 1946 06 03
    ....slNew
    added
    2019-03-17
    1946 06 06
    Thursday
    .Washington, D.C.Junior Police and Citizens Corps headquarters
    8th and Barry Pl. N.W.
    Fundraiser concert

    '...Duke Ellington and ace trumpeter Ray Nance, officially opened the Junior Police and Citizens Corps outdoor arena ... last week,with a jam session at the corps headquarters...  Duke thrilled the teen-age audience with his own inimitable styling ... while Nance gave with hot licks on the violin which brought resounding applause... '

    Vail I, p.296 reproducing
    • photo of Ray and Duke
    • an undated, unattributed clipping
    ...djpNew
    added 2015-03-10
    1946 06 06
    Thursday
    .Washington, D.C.Barge
    Watergate Amphitheatre
    • Outdoor concert, 8:30 p.m. for the benefit of Teen Age Canteen, for "underprivileged colored adolescents."
    • Sponsored by "The Baker's Dozen, Inc." a group of young women led by Mrs. Ruth Spencer, which had been sponsoring Teen Age Canteen for the previous 18 months. In 1947 The Pittsburgh Courier ran a story about The Baker's Dozen and its project.
    Concert programme
    Concert Programme
    Baker's Dozen presents Duke Ellington and his orchestra

    Click to Enlarge
    • Tickets:
      Reserved $2.40 and $3.60 tax included;
      General admission $1.20,
      Patrons $4.80
    • The concert was played on a stage built on a barge anchored in front of the amphitheatre, which was essentially the wide stairway leading from the Lincoln Memorial to the shore of the Potomac River
    • Then-WWDC radio-man Willis Conover was the master of ceremonies. He and Ellington are pictured on the stage at https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc743762/m1/1/

    • According to Stratemann, this was Ellington's first concert in his home town. His take was $10,000, the audience was the largest to date at this venue, and 3,000 people had to be turned away.
    • An unattributed report in Vail I, headlined "Ellington Concert Lures 11,000 Fans to Watergate," says there was a sellout audience of 8,000 with 3,000 kibitzers.
    • The Evening Star reported:

      '9,000 Hear Duke Ellington's Jazz Concert at Water Gate

        An audience of approximately 9,000 last night swayed to the rhythmic beat of music played at the opening Watergate program of the season led by Duke Ellington - the boy who came into the world within a stone's throw of the Washington ball park, jerked soda at the Poodle Dog Cafe and graduated from the school of hard knocks into the international big time of music.
        The program, sponsored by the Baker's Dozen, Inc., originally 13, now 20, young Washington women, was arranged to raise money for a permanent home for the group's canteen, which aims to provide a social-recreational program for Washington 'teen-agers.
        The program was a sell-out, with 7,000 individuals paying as high as $12 for seats and roughly 2,000 kibitzers lolling in boats and canoes and lining the rails of Arlington Memorial Bridge and Riverside Drive to hear the Duke's hand-picked musicians give out with the last word in blues, jumps, jams, swing, "rhapsoditties," "fugueditties," "magenta hazes," diminuendos, crescendos and "transblucencies."
        The crowd was orderly. As far as could be learned, there were no untoward incidents. There was no raucous applause, no dancing in the aisles. Enthusiastic applause was kept strictly on the polite side.
        The Duke started his program with "Caravan" and ended it with "Blue Skies". In between he ran the gamut of jazz. There was "In a Mellow Tone," "Solid, Old Man," "Black, Brown and Beige" - the Duke's composition which, in the words of a biographer, "parallels the history of the American negro - "Rugged Romeo," "Air Conditioned Jungle," Take the "A" Train," "Bassist and Me," "Riffin' Drill," Metronome All Out," "Frankie and Johnny" (to a jump beat) and a dozen others.
        During the intermission only a relative [sic] few autograph seekers managed to elude guards on the concert barge and get the Duke's signature. Park Police stood by to keep others from pressing onto the barge after the performance, but the crowd as a whole strolled off in good order and silence again closed on the Lincoln Memorial.'

    • The Baltimore Afro-American's review reported a sellout audience of 8,000 including 49 veterans from the Walter Reed General Hospital, and 3,000 kibitzers in rowboats, canoes and lining the rails of the bridge.
    • The Evening Star, Washington D.C.
      • 1946-06-04 Back Page, p.B-12
      • 1946-06-05 p.A-18
      • 1946-06-07 p.B-9
    • ANP Wirestory
      The Daily Bulletin-The Ohio Express, Dayton, Ohio,
      1946-06-14 p.1
    • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
      1946-06-15 p.19
    • Variety 1946-06-05 p.32
    • The PIttsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
      1947-07-26 p.8
    • Stratemann p.267 citing
      • Down Beat 1946-06-15 p.14
      • Metronome 1946-07 p.43
    • Vail I, p.296
    • Maristella Feustle:
      Willis Conover's Washington
      https://www.crj-online.org/v8/CRJ-Conover.php
      Current Research in Jazz
    • Concert programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 34 The Watergate, Washington, D.C., June 6, 1946
    ...CAH
    djp
    Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-03-10
    2019-05-27
    2022-02-22
    2022-02-24
    2022-03-08
    1946 06 07
    Friday
    .Annapolis, Md.Sharron Beach
    State Armory
    DESCRIPTION
    Advertisement for June 7th 1946
    Click to Enlarge
    Neither Stratemann nor Vail provide a reference showing Sharron Beach. The Baltimore Afro-American gives the location as the State Armory.



    DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous ORCHESTRA Featuring AL HIBBLER – KAY DAVIS
    VOCALIST

    Admission:
    Advance Tickets $1.50; At Door $1.75
    Presented by
    NATIONAL COLORED PROMOTERS ASSOCIATION

    The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
    1946-06-08 p.21
    ....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-24
    1946 06 07
    Friday
    .Hazleton? Penn.Knotty Pine.Standard Sentinel, 1946-06-08:

    'Lunched at Knotty Pine
         Members of Duke Ellington's band, which plays at Lakeside tonight, lunched at the Knotty Pine yesterday enroute to their engagement.'

    A search of Pennsylvania newspaper archives turns up Knotty Pine Restaurant in Scranton and a "Knotty Pine barbecue" on the Wilkes-Barre highway, presumably near Hazleton. The Hazleton one seems most likely. Note the apparent conflict between an evening engagement in Annapolis shown in Stratemann and Vail, and a lunch the same day some distance north of Annapolis.
    Standard Sentinel, Hazleton, Penn.
    1946-06-08 pp.5,12
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-02-19
    2022-02-22
    1946 06 08
    Saturday
    .Reading, Penn.WEEU StudioABC network broadcast, "Your Saturday Date With the Duke"- see 1945 04 07

    While radio schedules in the Atlanta Consitution, Atlanta, Ga. and Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburgh, Fla. show this broadcast at 3 p.m. local time, logs in The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Penn., The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass., and The Mercury, Pottsdown, Penn. have it at 4 p.m. The latter is consistent with past weeks.
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, R.Jones, Nance, Brown, Nanton, de Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, Davis, Cox, Hibbler
    Titles broadcast and recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train
    • Mood To Be Wooed
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Johnny Come Lately
    • They Say It's Wonderful
    • Strange Love
    • Honeysuckle Rose
    • Don't Take Your Love From Me
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Blues On The Double
    • Come Sunday
    • Light
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Lover Man
    • Riff Staccato
    • Mood Indigo
    • D.E. Bond Promo
    • Riff 'n' Drill
    • Timner V
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    New Desor
    DE4617
    DEMSdjpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2020-05-05
    1946 06 08
    Saturday
    .Possibly
    Lakeside Park, Penn.
    LakesideDancing, Duke Ellington and his famous Orchestra, 9 til 1, admission $1.67 plus tax.
    "Lakeside" may be Lakeside Ballroom, in Lakeside Park, , in an area bounded by the communities whose newspapers carried ads for Lakeside: Hazleton, Pottsville, Shenandoah, Mount Carmel, and Mauch Chunk, approximately 175 to 200 miles due west of New York City. An ad for Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Ochestra at Lakeside June 1 showed bus service leaving Freeland at 7:30, stopping at Beaver Meadow, Leader Store and, at 8:15, McAdoo, with the dance starting at 9, suggesting the venue was perhaps a 30 minute drive from McAdoo.

    This area is about 50 miles due north of Reading.
    • Evening Herald, Shenendoah, Penn.
      • 1946-04-24 p.7
      • 1946-05-24 p.16
      • 1946-05-25 p.8
      • 1946-06-07 p.3
    • The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, Penn.
      • 1946-04-26 p.19
      • 1946-05-24 p.24
    • Mount Carmel Item, Mount Carmel, Penn.
      • 1946-04-26 p.14
      • 1946-05-10 p.2
      • 1946-06-01 p.4
      • 1946-06-07 p.7
      • 1946-06-08 p.7
    • Times-News, Mauch Chunk, Penn.
      • 1946-05-11 p.6
    • Standard-Sentinel, Hazleton, Penn.
      • 1946-06-01 p.20
      • 1946-06-08 p.12
    ....New
    added
    2022-02-18
    2022-02-21
    2022-02-22
    1946 06 09
    Sunday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 06 10
    Monday
    .Charleston, W.Va.Municipal AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m.
    • The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, W.Va.
      • 1946-06-09 p.20
      • 1946-05-19 p.4
      • 1946-05-31 p.19
      • 1946-06-09 p.20
    • The Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, W.Va.
      • 1946-05-19 p.14
    ....Added
    2011
    updated
    2013-03-17
    2015-06-25
    2022-02-14
    1946 06 11
    Tuesday
    .Huntington, Va...
    .....Added
    2011
    Circa
    1946 06 12
    Wednesday
    ...Peripheral event
    Variety reported Musicraft had signed Mercer Ellington's orchestra for two years. It said the deal has nothing to do with Musicraft's signing of his father.

    Pacific Press Syndicate said the deal was for three years, with an 18-piece band.
    • Variety 1946-06-12 p.48
    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
      1946-06-21 p.7
    • Pacific Press Syndicate wirestory
      The Mississippi Enterprise, Jackson, Miss.
      1946-06-22 p.1
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-02-01
    1946 06 12
    Wednesday
    .Columbus, OhioMemorial HallConcert 8 p.m.
    Tickets: $1.23 $1.85 $2.77 $3.09 tax included
    The programme, published June 11 in The Columbus Dispatch:
    • National Anthem
    • Caravan
           Orchestra
    • In A Mellow Tone
           Taft Jordan, trumpet
    • Solid, Old Man
           Orchestra
    • Sono
           Harry Carney, baritone sax
    • Rugged Romeo
           Orchestra
    • Circe
           Lawrence Brown, trombone
    • Air Conditioned Jungle
           Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet
    • Excerpts From Black, Brown and Beige and Perfume Suite
    • Bugle Break Extended
    • Intermission
    • Take the "A" Train
           Orchestra, Duke Ellington, piano
    • A Tonal Group
      • a.Fugue
      • b.Rhapsodittii
      • c.Concerto for Jam Band
           (Featuring Lawrence Brown, trombone; Jimmie Hamilton, clarinet; Taft Jordan, trumpet; Harry Carney, baritone sax)
    • Bassist And Me
           Oscar Pettiford, string bass
           Duke Ellington, piano
    • Group
      • a.Diminuendo in Blue
      • b.Transblucency
      • c.Crescendo In Blue
    • Magenta Haze
           Johnny Hodges, alto sax
    • Hometown
           William Anderson, trumpet
           Al Sears, tenor sax
    • Suburbanite
           Al Sears, tenor sax
    • Songs Featuring Albert Hibbler, vocalist
    • Riffin' Drill
           Lawrence Brown, trombone
    Dean A. Myers, The Columbus Dispatch, 1946-06-16:

    'IF ANYONE had any doubts about Edward Kennedy Ellington and his band being able to deliver a concert program, all of them should have been effectively dispelled by Thursday night's performance in Memorial Hall. A more varied, interesting and satisfying evening is hard to imagine.
         The program contained a nice balance of familiar items in the Ellington style and the more serious efforts of the Duke in the jazz idiom. Most impressive, even beyond the remarkable rhythm in infinite variety, was the strict musicianship evidenced in all departments.
         Soloists were given ample opportunity to play in "the style of their characters," and if one were to start naming them, each would have to be named. One of the most outstanding men in the orchestra, Sonny Greer, was not given a solo in drums, but he shone brilliantly the entire evening.
         My notes reveal likings for "Sono," an expertly done piece with a strange building to a midcomposition climax; "Air Conditioned Jungle," with nicely controlled frenzy switching to mad midnight quiet, right out of "Emperor Jones;" the piano piece from the Perfume Suite, a highly literate and descriptive item which ought to be included in "long-hair" concerts and finally, "Suburbanite" which filled Memorial Hall full of more fortissimo sound than it ever contained before.
         The tonal group brought various combinations to the center where, with music laid on the floor, some absolutely fabulous things were done in moods ranging from quiet dignity to an authentic jam session. "Transblucency," one of a group, was an interesting novelty which effectively used the clear, true voice tones of Vocalist Kay Davis as an instrument part in a quintet of piano, bass, clarinet and trombone.
          Al Hibbler's rendition of "Summertime" brought him two justifiable encores.'

    The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
    • 1946-06-09 p.6B
    • 1946-06-11 p.4-B
    • 1946-06-12 p.4-B
    • 1946-06-16 p.B-11
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-23
    1946 06 13
    Thursday
    1946 06 19
    Wednesday
    Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville
    • Others on the bill were Stump & Stumpy and Cook & Brown.
    • Marion Cox sang Ghost of a Chance.
    • Sidemen and singers mentioned by Variety and The Chicago Sun were Hodges, Nance, Carney, Cox Davis, Hamilton, Lawrence Brown, Pettiford, Hibbler
    • Titles performed and identified in The Chicago Sun:
      • Laughing on the Outside
      • Riff Staccato
      • Summertime
      • I'm a Lucky So and So
      • Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance
      • Transblucency
      • medley
    • Variety commented on microphone problems, poor lighting and audience impatience caused by a late start resulting from a late train.
    • While The Pittsburgh Courier referred to Ellington closing at the Oriental Thursday night in a story about Lionel Hampton, Ellington closed here Wednesday.
    • The Chicago Sun, Chicago, Ill.
      1946-06-14 p.26
    • Stratemann p.267 citing
      • Variety 1946-06-19 p.50
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1946-06-22 p.19
      • The Billboard 1946-06-22
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-13
    2022-03-09
    2024-07-07
    1946 06 14
    Friday
    .Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 06 13.....Added
    2011
    1946 06 15
    Saturday
    .Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 06 13.....Added
    2011
    1946 06 16
    Sunday
    .Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 06 13.....Added
    2011
    1946 06 17
    Monday
    .Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 06 13.....Added
    2011
    1946 06 18
    Tuesday
    .Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 06 13.....Added
    2011
    1946 06 19
    Wednesday
    .Harlem
    New York, N.Y.
    .Peripheral event

    International News Service announced there would be a motorcade parade through Harlem this afternoon to honour Joe Louis, who was to defend his heavyweight boxing title this evening. The announcment said Duke Ellington's and 11 other "name" bands would be on hand.

    If the parade took place, Ellington's orchestra did not participate. They were in Chicago.
    International News Service
    The Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio
    1946-06-16 p.46
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-03-08
    1946 06 19
    Wednesday
    .Chicago, Ill.Oriental TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 06 13.....Added
    2011
    1946 06 20
    Thursday
    .Duluth, Minn.WDSM studioDaryl Knutsen ("The Milkman") interviewed Ellington and Strayhorn at WDSM's Duluth studio in the afternoon. The interview was broadcast over WDSM at 5:30 p.m. in the Duluth time zone and 4:30 p.m. in the Superior time zone, and again at midnight, after the remote feed from the Armory - see below

    It seems likely the afternoon broadcast was live.
    Recorded interview (transcription record),
    reported in Duke-LYM by Joe Medjuck, Ted O'Reilly and Antony Pepper, April to June 2019
    ...djpNew
    added
    2019-04-25
    updated
    2019-06-05
    1946 06 20
    Thursday
    .Duluth, Minn.Duluth ArmoryDance - 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (Duluth time)
    • Minneapolis Spokesman

      'Duke Ellington's band played to a capacity crowd at the Duluth Armory, Thursday, June 20. A number of our young people attended.'

    • Remote broadcast introduced as Duke Is On the Air
    • Announcer says 2,500 people attended.
    • Part of the dance was broadcast over ABC and WDSM.
    • The recorded songs are:
      • Take The "A" Train (theme)
      • Take The "A" Train
      • Transblucency (Kay Davis vocal)
      • C-Jam Blues
      • I'm Just A Lucky So And So (Al Hibbler vocal)
      • Riff Staccato (incomplete)
      • Come Rain Or Shine (Kay Davis vocal)
      • Blue Skies
      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    • Personnel named by Ellington at the end of the broadcast:
      • Hodges
      • Carney
      • Hamilton
      • Sears
      • Nanton
      • Jordan
      • C. Anderson
      • Greer
      • Nance
      • Pettiford
      • Strayhorn
      • Davis
      • Hibbler
    • At the time of writing, transcriptions of the broadcast can be heard and downloaded at the links to the right.
    • Minneapolis Spokesman, Minneapolis, Minn.
      1946-06-28 p.2
    • Broadcast transcriptions reported in Duke-LYM by Joe Medjuck, Ted O'Reilly and Antony Pepper, April to June 2019:
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2019-04-25
    2019-06-05
    2022-03-09
    1946 06 21
    Friday
    .Port Arthur, Ont.Arena.
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 06 22
    Saturday
    .Winnipeg, Man.Hudson's Bay Company store
    3rd Floor Auditorium
    Record signing

    The Hudson's Bay Company advertised Ellington's records for sale in its fourth floor Record Centre. Buyers were entitled to visit the Bay's Third Floor Auditorium Saturday between 11:30 and 12:15 to receive Ellington's personal signature on their records.
    • Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Man.
      • 1946-06-15 p.6
    • The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Man.
      • 1946-06-15 p.3
      • 1946-06-21 p.10
    ....New
    added
    2022-01-09
    updated
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 22
    Saturday
    .Winnipeg, Man.Deer Lodge Veteran's Hospital

    '...The band will play in the "Salute to Canada" program over radio station CBK at 2 o'clock Saturday afternoon. The broadcast will originate from Deer Lodge Veterans' Hospital in Winnipeg.'

    Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask.
    1946-06-21 p.3
    ....New
    added
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 22
    Saturday
    .Winnipeg, Man.AmphitheatreEdton Enterprises inc. present Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra featuring Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Al Hibbler, Oscar Pettiford, Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis in a Concert and Dance, Tickets $1.65.

    Publicity names Hodges, Stewart, Brown, Carney, Nance, Hardwicke [sic], Greer and Guy
    The Winnipeg Tribune, June 14:

    '  Public safety committee Friday morning granted permission to the Amphitheatre Ltd. to use its premises for a concert and dance when Duke Ellington plays here June 22, but will advise officials that in future, the issuing of permits for this purpose will not be guaranteed.
       W.D. Hurst, city engineer, told committee that "a very high degree of fire protection for dance halls" was in force thoughout the rest of the cuntry [sic], that dane [sic] hall requirements stipulate steel roof and masonry walls, in other words, complete fireproofing.
      "I can't see my way clear to take responsibility for granting this permit, so I've put it on safety committee," he said.
      Ald. J. Stepnuk, committee chairman, pointed out tat Chief Donald Boulden, of the city fire department, would arrange to have special men in and around the building; that it would be "taken care of by hydrants". Since the attraction had already been advertised, grant the permit this time, was his advice.'

    • Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Man.
      • 1946-06-01
      • 1946-06-08 pp.6, 23
      • 1946-06-14
      • 1946-06-15 p.6
      • 1946-06-18 p.7
      • 1946-06-19 pp.7, 18
      • 1946-06-20 pp.7, 20
      • 1946-06-21 p.15
    • The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Man.
      • 1946-06-01 p.2
      • 1946-06-08 pp.2, 4
      • 1946-06-17 p.16
      • 1946-06-18 p.2
      • 1946-06-19 p.2
      • 1946-06-15 p.3
      • 1946-06-15 p.19
      • 1946-06-19 pp.10, 18
      • 1946-06-20 p.20
      • 1946-06-21
        pp.2, 10, 16
      • 1946-06-24 p.11
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-01-09
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 22
    Saturday
    .Winnipeg, Man.Home of Omer Williams
    Banning St.
    The Winnipeg Tribune

    'OMER MEETS THE DUKE
    Negro Boy Has Jam Session With Famed Band Leader
      Duke Ellington made a dream come true for a local colored lad Saturaday [sic] night. Omer Williams, 17-year-old Negro composer-pianist, has wanted to shake the Duke's hand. The Duke heard of this lad and his exceptional musical abilities and asked for Omer to visit his dressing room at the Amphitheatre.
      Duke didn't just shake Omer's hand. After his concert and dance he went to Omer's home on Banning st. There he jammed on the home piano with Omer and ate a large meal with the Williams family.
      The duke was interested in young Omer. He smiled broadly when told Omer had written more than 75 numbers of his own. Omer said that he wrote his first at fifteen.
      "Why, boy, that's how old I was when I did my first," Duke Ellington said...'

    The Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Man.
    1946-06-24 p.11
    ...djpNew
    added
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 23
    Sunday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 06 24
    Monday
    .Saskatoon, Sask.Arena RinkConcert and Dance with Duke Ellington America's Foremost Modern Composer and his orchestra
    9.00 to 1.00
    Admission $1.65 tax incl.
    It's "A DATE WITH DUKE" With All His Original Orchestra Featurring Johnny Hodges, Al Hibbler, Lawrence Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Kay Davis and Joya Sherril [sic]'
    A small ad just above the June 24 one for Ellington said No Dance at the LEGION Tonight. We're all going to hear DUKE ELLINGTON
    Star-Phoenix report:

    'Duke Ellington, hailed in Billboard and Variety as crowding the top of the musical heap, entertained a large crowd of Saskatonians Monday night at the Arena with his own particular style of orchestration and ivory ticklin'. Most of the boys sitting up on the platform with the "Duke" have been with him since the old days, some of the stars as long as 27 years. The band heard in Saskatoon included the concert and dance artists who played at Massey Hall in Toronto last season...'

    Saskatoon Star Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask.
    • 1946-06-01 p.4
    • 1946-06-21 p.3
    • 1946-06-24 pp.3, 4
    • 1946-06-25 p.5
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 25
    Tuesday
    .Edmonton, Alta.Colonel Mewburn Pavilion
    University Hospital.

    'The Ellington ensemble will put on a show at the Colonel Mewburn Pavilion, University hospital at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, for veterans only. ...

    Edmonton Bulletin Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta.
    1946-06-22 p.12.
    ...djpNew
    added
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 25
    Tuesday
    .Edmonton, Alta.ArenaDUKE ELLINGTON and his famous ORCHESTRA featuring Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Al Hibbler, Oscar Pettiford, Joya Sherrill and Kay Davis in a Concert and Dance
    Tickets $1.65 ...
    Auspices of Canadian Legion - Branch No. 24.
    Edmonton Journal Edmonton Bulletin:

    Audience of 3,000 Enjoys Duke's Jazz
      The fabulous Duke Ellington established his right to that regal title in the jazz field at the Arena Tuesday night when he and his 16-piece band "Knocked themselves out" to please the 3,000 persons attending his concert and dance.
      The fans filled half the seats in the Arena an hour or more before the program was due to get under way, and as individual members of the band made their way to [sic] dressing rooms, a little late, they got big hands from the crowd.
      IT WASN'T LONG after the band swung into its first number before the dance floor was crowded, and those who had come to watch and listen were jammed in solid against the band stand watching their favorites [sic] in action.
      After a session of the popular classics the Ellington [sic] has made famous, the band took time out to eat, but the Duke was booked solid for the intermission.
      He signed hundreds of programs scraps of paper, cigarette boxes, anthing the fans could find. The other famous names in the band got the same treatment–Johnny Hodges, the sensational alto sax man; Oscar Pettiford, who slapped the bass all night; Sonny Greer on the drums; tricky [sic] Sam Nanton on the trombone; Ray Nance, who played violin and sang and clowned his way through the show; and "Cat" Anderson, whose high notes on the trumpet were higher than the Arena roof.
      BLIND AL HIBBLER proved his vocal ability with a half-dozen popular tunes, including Gershwin's "Summertime" and got a temendous ovation from the mob.'

    Edmonton Bulletin Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta.
    • 1946-06-18 p.12
    • 1946-06-22 p.12
    • 1946-06-24 p.8
    • 1946-06-25 p.12
    • 1946-06-26 p.12
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 26
    Wednesday
    .Calgary, Alta.The "BAY" auditorium
    Third Floor
    Hudson's Bay Company store
    Ellington was to autograph his Victor records from 11 to 11:30 a.m.

    The Albertan 1946-06-26:

    'Duke Ellington comes to the "Bay"
    Make a date with the Duke – a date to have your Victor recordings of this famous band . . . autographed by Duke Ellington himself. We suggest that you buy your records beforehand to avoid any rush at the last minute. The Duke will be in the "BAY" Auditorium – Third Floor– 11 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 26th. Sponsored by the Calgary Navy Club and RCASC. Duke Ellington will play at Calgary armouries, June. 26th.
    Be in the "Bay" Auditorium at 11 o'clock to-day.

    • The Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alta.
      1946-06-25 p.14
    • The Albertan, Calgary, Alta.
      1946-06-26 p.14
    ...djpNew
    added
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 26
    Wednesday
    .Calgary, Alta.Col. Belcher HospitalThe Albertan 1946-06-22:

    'Duke Ellington, American band leader, will arrive in Calgary Wednesday and will play to patients at the Col Belcher hospital at 4 p.m. prior to his engagement in Mewata barracks Wednesday evening.
      On tour across Canada, the band leader is playing at military hospitals wherever he stops.
      He is sponsored in Calgary by the Navy club branch of the Canadian Legion.
      A special section for Belcher patients able to attend is being reserved at the Mewata dance.

    The Albertan 1946-06-26:

    'This Is The Day . . .
    DUKE ELLINGTON
    AND HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
    Will Be On The Air 1230 kcs. CJCJ 1230 kcs.
    4 P.M. FROM COL. BELCHER HOSPITAL
    Broadcast Time of Concert from Mewata Armouries to be announced over the air later today.
    THANKS TO THE CALGARY NAVY CLUB.

    The Calgary Herald 1946-06-27:

    '...Before he played at the dance Wednesday, Mr. Ellington and a few members of his band gave a brief concert for patients at the Col. Belcher hospital.'

  • The Albertan, Calgary, Alta.
    • 1946-06-22 p.14
    • 1946-06-26 p.11
  • The Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alta.
    • 1946-06-27 p.7
  • ...djpNew
    added
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 26
    Wednesday
    .Calgary, Alta.Mewata ArmouriesConcert and dance
    8:30 p.m.
    By kind permission of Col. Borland, R.C.A.S.C.
    Tickets $1.65 tax included
    Sponsored by Calgary Navy Club
    "Same program as was presented in Carnegie Hall.

    The Calgary Herald 1946-06-27:

    'There are a few people who find train rides soothing and comforting. Duke Ellington is one of them, for it is there he does a good part of his composing.
      "The Duke" was in Calgary Wednesday night to play at a dance sponsored by the Calgary Navy Club at the armories. With him were his 18-piece orchestra, three vocalists and his arranger. . . Mr. Ellington travels comfortably in a navy blue pin-striped suit, open necked shirt, pullover sweater, wine-colored suede shoes and cool straw hat. He's a big man with sleepy eyes, and he wears a scowl when he's concentrating...'

    • The Albertan, Calgary, Alta.
      • 1946-06-08 p.7
      • 1946-06-13 p.2
      • 1946-06-17 p.5
      • 1946-06-20 p.7
      • 1946-06-21 p.7
      • 1946-06-22 p.13
      • 1946-06-24 p.7
      • 1946-06-25 p.11
      • 1946-06-25 p.14
      • 1946-06-26 p.7
      • 1946-06-26 p.11
      • 1946-06-26 p.14
    • The Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alta.
      • 1946-06-15 p.10
      • 1946-06-17 p.8
      • 1946-06-18 p.10
      • 1946-06-19 p.10
      • 1946-06-20 p.10
      • 1946-06-21 p.13
      • 1946-06-22 p.9
      • 1946-06-24 p.12
      • 1946-06-25 p.14
      • 1946-06-26 p.6
      • 1946-06-27 p.7
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2024-07-10
    1946 06 27
    Thursday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 06 28
    Friday
    .Seattle, Wash.Civic Ice ArenaConcert
    The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
    • 1946-06-16 p.16
    • 1946-06-25 p.9
    • 1946-06-26 p.20
    • 1946-06-27 p.15
    • 1946-06-28 p.10
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2022-03-09
    1946 06 29
    Saturday
    .Oakland, Cal.Sweet's Ballroom
    Franklin at 14th
    .
    .....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-07-02
    1946 06 30
    Sunday
    ...activities not documented
    ......

    July 1946

    Circa
    1946 07 00
    Circa
    1946 08 00
    Los Angeles, Cal..Peripheral event
    Two undated Aladdin recording sessions in July or August.

    Al Hibbler with The Harry Carney All Stars
    • Jordan
    • Baker
    • Jack McVea
    • Carney
    • Lady Will Carr
    • Ralph Hamilton
    • Ted Nash
    • Red Callender
    • Hal West
    Titles recorded:
    • Fat and Forty
    • I Surrender, Dear
    • Don't Take Your Love From Me
    • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
    • How Long
    • S'posin'

    In late October, syndicated columnist Chuck Moore commented favourably on the Aladdin record released "this past week," with "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good" and "How Long."
    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
      1946-10-25 p.7
    • Timner V p.538
    ...djpNew
    added
    2023-08-09
    1946 07 01
    Monday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 07 02
    Tuesday
    1946 07 08Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville with The Businessmen of Rhythm and Patterson & Jackson.
    • The programme was almost identical to the Oriental in Chicago in June.
    • Ellington had been booked into the Orpheum, but theatre owner Sherrill Corwin sold the theatre in mid-May. Corwin wanted to move Ellington into his Million Dollar Theater, 9 blocks away.

      Ellington balked until the contract was renegotiated. Instead of a $10,000 guarantee and a split of revenues exceeding $30,000 for the Orpheum, the contract for the Million Dollar Theater was $15,000 guarantee and a split of revenues exceeding $38,000.
    • Variety reported the house sat 2,420 at prices from 55¢ to 85¢. Ellington grossed $43,700.
    • The unit performed 36 times this week, six over that permitted by the theatre's contract with the American Guild of Variety Artists, so Ellington was asked to pay extra salaries to the three variety acts he had hired to round off the show (Patterson and Jackson, Al Hibbler, and Jesse and James).
    • The Pittsburgh Courier:

      'Duke Scores At $1,000,000

        LOS ANGELES–Playing a medley of old and new hits, Duke Ellington's popular orchestra and entertainers scored a smashing triumph at Million Dollar Theatre...
        Kay Davis, Marion Cox and Al Hibbler were effective as vocalists. Sidemen including Al Sears, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Taft Jordan and Jimmy Hamilton, were standouts.
        The Duke is set for a theatre tour of the Southland, will do some movie and recording work in Hollywood, and will appear on the Westview Hospital's benefit jamboree at Hollywood Bowl.'

    • Variety reviewed the July 6 show:

      'Duke Ellington Orch (16), featuring Al Hibbler. Kay Davis, Ray Nance. Johnny Hodges, Marion Cox; Businessmen of Rhythm, Patterson & Jackson; "Passkey to Danger" (Rep).
            It's a class musical show Million Dollar is offering patrons this week. Paced by musical ability of Duke Ellington, show is a solid hour's offering of the best in pop music. Orch takes off with "Solid Old Man" to open for big response. Marion Cox. vocalist, is next on with "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance." Ray Nance then takes it away with vocal and comedy dancing to "Riff-staccato," pleasing mightily. He encores with "Sittin' and a-Rockin'," before orch goes into special arrangement of "Blue Skies," featuring Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Taft Jordan on trumpet and A1 Sears on tenor sax.
           Johnny Hodges, alto sax, grabs spotlight with a very mellow rendition of "Laughing on the Outside" and encore. Ellington highlights the bill with piano work on six of the tunes he helped make popular. Gives standout delivery of such songs as "Three Shades of Blue," "Mood Indigo," "I'm Beginning to See the Light," "Hindustan" and "Solitude."
           Another socko portion of show is "Transblucency," featuring vocal solo by Kay. Davis. Her voice is used sans lyrics to sell the number big. Encore is "Embraceable You." A second orchestra special is driving arrangement of "Metronome All Out," featuring potent instrumental work.
           A1 Hibbler, featured male vocalist, had audience begging for more at show caught after selling "Little Brown Book," "Summertime," "Fat and Forty," and "Lucky So and So." Businessmen of Rhythm, terp team, click with classy stepping
                  Brog.'

    • Los Angeles Examiner's review named Hamilton, Jordan, Sears, Greer, Hodges, Nance, Cox, and Davis. Titles mentioned: "Blue Skies," "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo," "Solitude," "Laughing on the Outside," "Riff Stacato [sic]," "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You," and "Trans Blucency [sic].
    • Los Angeles Herald-Express's review said the first show started a little late, and named Hibbler, Cox, Davis, Hamilton, Jordan, Sears, Hodges and Nance.
    • Los Angeles Examiner, Los Angeles, Ca.
      1946-07-03 pt.II p.3
    • Los Angeles Herald-Express, Los Angeles, Ca.
      1946-07-03 p.A-9
    • Variety 1946-03-20 p.50
    • Stratemann p.267 citing
      • The Billboard 1946-07-13 p.42
      • Variety 1946-07-17 p.45
    • Variety
      • 1946-05-29 p.53
      • 1946-06-19 p.44
      • 1946-07-10 p.49
      • 1946-07-17 p.18
    • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
      1946-07-13 p.18
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-13
    2015-06-25
    2022-01-09
    2022-01-26
    2024-07-08
    1946 07 03
    Wednesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 02
    ......
    1946 07 04
    Thursday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 02
    ......
    1946 07 05
    Friday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 02
    ......
    1946 07 06
    Saturday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 02

    Your Saturday Date With the Duke ABC network Treasury Show #41 broadcast from the theatre
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker (Nielsen) or Reunald Jones (New Desor, Timner, and Girvan), Nance, Brown, Nanton, W. De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis
    Titles recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train
    • Caravan
    • Sonno
    • D.E. Bond Promos
    • Laughing On The Outside
    • The Blues
    • Teardrops In The Rain
    • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
    • Metronome All Out
    • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
    • One O'Clock Jump
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      p.73
    New Desor
    DE4618
    DEMS
    Timner corrections
    Timner corrections -4/29
    djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-14
    2020-05-05
    1946 07 07
    Sunday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 02
    ......
    1946 07 08
    Monday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 02
    ......
    Circa
    1946 07 00
    ...Business event
    In a story about publisher Jack Robbins datelined Atlantic City, July 9, Variety reported he was setting up subsidiary partnership firms for Desi Arnaz and Duke Ellington, the latter with Robbins & Sons as selling agents.
    Variety 1946-07-10 p.45...djpNew
    added
    2022-02-01
    circa
    1946 07 09
    Tuesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal..Personnel change
    Harold "Shorty" Baker, trumpet, rejoins the band, replacing Reunald Jones. Jones was in the band again for a few days in November 1961.

    Nielsen has Baker playing the 1946 07 06 broadcast, but New Desor, Timner V and Girvan have Reunald playing it instead.
    • New Desor vol.2
    • New Desor session DE4618 by reference to DE4611
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      p.73
    ...djpNew
    added 2012-10-00
    1946 07 09
    Tuesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal..Victor recording session,
    Time: 12:00 - 16:00
    RCA Victor recording session
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Nanton, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, K.Davis.

    Titles recorded:
    • Rockabye River [as Hop, Skip, Jump according to MacHare]
    • Suddenly It Jumped
    • Transblucency (A Blue Fog That You Can Almost See Through)
    • Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • Dooji Collection record labels
  • Timner
  • Benny Aasland:
    The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
  • S. Lasker/O. Keepnews, The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition, RCA Victor CD box set 09026-63386-2 (disc 16)
  • E. Lambert:
    Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
    , pp.129-130
  • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 2 1937-47
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    p.73
  • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
  • New Desor
    DE4619
    DEMSTimner corrections .Added
    2011
    updated
    2014-10-14
    2015-06-14
    2020-05-05
    1946 07 10
    Wednesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal..Victor recording session,
    Times:
    • 19:00 - 22:00
    • &
    • 22:25 - 24:00

    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Nanton, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler

    Titles recorded:
    • A Gatherin' In A Clearin'
    • You Don't Love Me No More
    • Pretty Woman
    • Hey Baby
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • Timner
  • Benny Aasland:
    The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
  • S. Lasker/O. Keepnews, The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition, RCA Victor CD box set 09026-63386-2
  • E. Lambert:
    Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
    , p.130
  • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 2 1937-47
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    , p.74
  • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
  • New Desor
    DE4620
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2014-10-14
    2015-06-24
    2020-05-06
    1946 07 11
    Thursday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Radio studio, HollywoodCapitol Transcription recording session
    (transcriptions explained at 1946 03 28 above)
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Nanton, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler

    Titles recorded:
    • Rockabye River
    • A-Gatherin' In A Clearin' (spelling shown on the lable)
    • You Don't Love Me No More
    • Pretty Woman
    • Just Squeeze Me
    • Hey Baby
    • Suddenly It Jumped
    • Come Rain Or Come Shine
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • Dooji Collection record labels
  • Timner
  • Benny Aasland:
    The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
  • E. Lambert:
    Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
    , pp. 130-131
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    , p.74
  • New Desor
    DE4621
    DEMS..Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-24
    1946 07 12
    Friday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 07 13
    Saturday
    .Sacramento, Cal...
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 14
    Sunday
    .Oakland, Cal.Sweet's
    Franklin and 14th
    .
    Ticket for sale on Worthpoint, courtesy S.Lasker 2019-09-15....SLAdded
    2011
    updated
    2019-09-15
    1946 07 15
    Monday
    1946 07 18Fresno, Cal...
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 16
    Tuesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Radio studio, HollywoodCapitol Transcriptions recording session

    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Nanton, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Marion Cox
    Titles recorded:
      • Fickle Fling
      • 9:20 Special (notwithstanding Lambert, there seems to have been several takes)
      • One O'Clock Jump
      • Back Home Again In Indiana
      • A Ghost Of A Chance
      • Lover Man
      • Unbooted Character
      • Suburbanite
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • Dooji Collection record labels
  • Timner
  • E. Lambert:
    Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
    , p. 131
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    p.74
  • New Desor
    DE4622
    DEMSNDCS 1057.Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-24
    2020-05-06
    1946 07 17
    Wednesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Radio Hollywood studiosCapitol Radio Transcription recording session
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, C. Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Nanton, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer

    Titles recorded:
    • Moon Mist
    • In A Jam
    • On The Alamo
    • I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me
    • Just You, Just Me
    • Someone
    • Tea For Two
    • Double Ruff
    • A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
    • The Mooche
  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
    Ellingtonia.com
  • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
  • Timner
  • E. Lambert:
    Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
    , p.131
  • Ole J. Nielsen
    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    , p.75
  • New Desor
    DE4623
    DEMS..Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-24
    2020-05-06
    1946 07 18
    Thursday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 07 19
    Friday
    ...sidemen's activities not documented
    ......
    1946 07 19
    Friday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Alabam(Unconfirmed)

    The California Eagle announced Ellington was among the guests expected to attend the Celebrity Cabaret Party given by the Southwest Business Men's Association at Club Alabam.

    The Association members represented "the leading cocktail lounges, night clubs, cafes, drug stores, malt shops and liquor dealers in all parts of the city."

    Celebrities who said they were coming were Ellington, Ida Mae James, the Ink Spots, and Earl Hines.

    The event was open to the public, tickets $1.10 advance, $1.25 at the door. Doors at 8 pm, floor shows by the new Alabam floor show and an in-house orchestra were scheduled for 10 pm and 1 am, and apparently there was to be dancing as well.
    California Eagle, 1946-07-18 p.14.....New
    added 2013-04-16
    1946 07 20
    Saturday
    ...sidemen's activities not documented
    The Scraggs Hotel in San Francisco was the band's base while in the region.
    .....2015-06-25
    1946 07 20
    Saturday(evening)
    or
    1946 07 21 (morning)
    ...Personnel change
    Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, trombone, was found dead in his bed at the Scraggs Hotel in San Francisco after he didn't show up for the band bus the morning of July 21. Stratemann tells us he died the night before; an obituary by Barry Ulanov says he died on the 21st.

    The Pittsburgh Courier:

    'NANTON'S DEATH STUNS ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA
    LOS ANGELES– ... When the band takes the podium there will be one highly revered member missing in the person of Joseph "Tricky Sam" Nanton, trombone ace and long time member of the group. Nanton passed following a sudden heart attack in his hotel room in San Francisco on Saturday, July 20. The body was shipped to his widow in Chicago for burial...'

    Down Beat said he was buried July 27, named his widow (Marion) and gave his date of birth as Feb. 1 1904.
    Nanton had returned to the Ellington band a few months earlier after being away due to illness from November 1945 to March 26, 1946; he had been paralyzed on his left side.
    Ulanov:

    'All of this, the illness, the return to the band, without full control of his lips, and the approach of death, [he] took with the extraordinary calm which characterized everything he did, from blowing the greatest growl trombone jazz has ever known, to downing enormous quantities of liquor, to arguments about life, liberty and the pursuit of facts in the World Almanac and the news magazines, which he read devotedy and memorized avidly.

    [Tricky Sam replaced Charlie Irvis under protest in June 1926.] "He didn't want to take Irvis' place; he didn't think he was good enough, and besides, Charlie was a good friend. Duke had to take him by the arm forcibly, to get him in his band.

    When Toby Hardwick had gotten to know Joe Nanton well, when he saw the struggle the little man went through to avoid difficult or complicated work, and the fight he put up to handle his horn with the least possible exertion, and the tricks he invented to accomplish these ends, he gave him a name: "Tricky Sam." ... nobody ever called Joe Nanton "Joe;" from late in 1926 on he was Tricky Sam. ... a little man of completely winning charm, of softness and sweetness and great good sense... '

    The Down Beat obituary is comprehensive.
    • The Pittsburgh Courier
      Pittsburgh, Penn.
      1946-08-03 p.19
    • Down Beat 1946-08-12 p.9
    • Barry Ulanov
      Tricky Sam is Dead
      Metronome 1946-09-00
    • New Desor vol.2
    ...djpNew
    added
    2012-10-23
    Updated
    2013-07-02
    2014-11-23
    2023-09-21
    2024-07-09
    1946 07 21
    Sunday
    ...The Kansas City Star:

    'Duke Ellington will be the guest on the Tommy Dorsey show (WDAF) at 6:30 tonight.'

    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Kansas
    1946-07-21 p.4D
    ....New
    Added
    2022-03-09
    1946 07 21
    Sunday
    .Vallejo, Cal...
    Stratemann p.268, no details....Added
    2011
    1946 07 22
    Monday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 07 23
    Tuesday
    1946 07 29
    Monday
    San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville.
    Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra and Entertainers featuring Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Nance, and on vocals, Al Hibbler, Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis. Patterson and Jackson and Jesse and James were in the show and the featured movie was Queen of Burlesque, a murder mystery.

    Doors opened at 11 a.m. and Ellington's show played at 12:35, 2:55, 5.15, 7:30 and 9:55. Admission was $0.75 until 1 p.m., $0.85 until 4 p.m. and $1.10 in the evenings.

    The San Diego Union:

    'DUKE ELLINGTON,BAND ENTERTAIN IN 'JIVE' STYLE.
      ...returned to the Orpheum yesterday after a four-year absence with a typical Ellington band and entertainers, and was greeted enthusiastically by "jive" fans.
      Duke introduced his ensemble with a modern "jivey" version of "Blue Skies"...Then came "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo" and other Ellington compositions.
      ...Duke winds up his musical program with a medley of old-time tunes. The Ellington engagement at the Orpheum lasts a week...'

    • Stratemann p.268
    • The San Diego Union
      • 1946-07-19 p.9-A
      • 1946-07-21 p.3-C
      • 1946-07-22 p.7-A
      • 1946-07-23 p.7-A
      • 1946-07-24 p.5-A
      • 1946-07-25 p.9-A
      • 1946-07-28 p.3-C
      • 1946-+07-29 p.7-A
    • Variety 1946-05-22 p.62
    .
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-25
    2022-03-09
    1946 07 24
    Wednesday
    .San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 23
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 25
    Thursday
    .San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 23
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 26
    Friday
    .San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 23
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 27.San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 23 - with ABC radio's remote Your Saturday Date With the Duke AFRS broadcast, Treasury Show #42

    Recorded broadcast
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C. Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis
    Titles broadcast and recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Jump For Joy
    • A-Gatherin' In A Clearin'
    • Come Rain Or Come Shine
    • Suddenly It Jumped
    • Medley:-
      • Black And Tan Fantasy
      • In A Sentimental Mood
      • Mood Indigo
      • I'm Beginning To See The Light
      • Sophisticated Lady
      • Caravan
      • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
    • Passion Flower
    • Just You, Just Me
    • You Don't Love Me No More
    • Unbooted Character
    • Cotton Tail
    In addition, Duke spoke a couple of bond promos and, according to Stratemann, spoke about Joe Nanton during Black and Tan Fantasy.
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      , pp.75-76
    New Desor
    DE4624
    DEMS..Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-25
    2020-05-06
    1946 07 28
    Sunday
    .San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 23
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 29
    Monday
    .San Diego, Cal.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 23
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 07 30
    Tuesday
    ...activities not documented
    ......
    1946 07 31
    Wednesday
    1946 08 06
    Tuesday
    San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate Theater.
    Variety 1946-05-22 p.62....Added
    2011
    updated
    2022-02-22
    1946 07 00... Peripheral event - Racial matters
    The Pittsburgh Courier:

    'Anti-Bias Clause Inserted In Jazz Group's Contracts
          NEW YORK–A significantly important precedent is currently being set by the famous Jazz at the Philharmonic concert organization, which has inserted an anti-discrimination clause into all contracts for appearances in these concerts by celebarted [sic] jazz instrumentalists. Norman Granz, young producer and conductor of the concerts has insisted that the anti-jim-crow clause be inserted in all his contracts.
         The precedent-shattering words read: "It is of the essence of this agreement that there is no discrimination whatever in the sale of tickets and that there is to be no segregation of whites from Negroes. In the event of any violation of either of these provisions by you, the management of the hall or anyone else. Mr. Granz has the privilege of refusing to give the concert, in which case you will forfeit one half of the contract price to him ." The clause follows the customary clauses as to time, place, date, terms , and so on.
    MIXED REACTION
          Mr. Granz, when interviewed here last week about the novel clause in the contract and possible reactions thereto, said that he had already received many cancellations and refusals especially from the South. However, to his surprise, there had been several acceptances from that sector. "This merely proves," said the young producer, "that the enlightenment is gradually spreading all over the Nation. I realize that in those places where there are State statues [sic] on the books it will be impossible to insist on adherence to such a clause. However, it will probably insure the arranging of equal accommodations for all patrons."
          "I hope my step will be followed by the 'name' Negro bandleaders," Granz said. "After all, it is they who can really strike most effectively at this insidious thing if they but have the courage of their convictions and a deep interest in their own self respect."
          The entertainment field, particularly the booking agencies handling Negro bands, are watching the results and reactions to this courageous departure from the laissez-faire and challenge to the custom of jim crowing in the South.'

    The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
    1946-08-03 p.19
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-03-09

    August 1946

    1946 08 01
    Thursday
    .San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 31
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 02
    Friday
    .San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 31
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 03
    Saturday
    .San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate Theater
    RKO
    Vaudeville - see 1946 07 31

    Remote ABC network Your Saturday Date With The Duke broadcast, 3 p.m. EST (noon, PST)
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis
    Titles recorded:
    • Spoken bond plugs
    • A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
    • Blue Is The Night
    • Eighth Veil
    • Hollywood Hangover
    • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
    • Jeep Is Jumpin'
    • Just Squeeze Me
    • Lover Man
    • "Suite" or medley
      • Diminuendo In Blue
      • Transblucency
      • Crescendo In Blue
    • Take The "A" Train
    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    Variety reported
    • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner, Timner corrections
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      , p.76
    New Desor
    DE4625
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-07-01
    2022-03-09
    1946 08 04
    Sunday
    .San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 31
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 05
    Monday
    .San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 31
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 06
    Tuesday
    ...Peripheral event
    Variety reported ballroom operators all along the west coast were to meet Tuesday afternoon to determine the line of resistance to be thrown up against the top orchestra's guarantee demands.
    Variety 196-08-07 p.47...djpNew
    added
    2022-03-09
    1946 08 06
    Tuesday
    .San Francisco, Cal.Golden Gate TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 07 31
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 06
    Tuesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal..Personnel change
    Band boy and Ellington valet Jonesy (Richard B. Jones) died from "a complication of illnesses."

    The People's Voice:

    '  For the second time within four weeks, death has struck at the heart of the Duke Ellington aggregation... now Richard (Jonesy) Jones, friend, right-hand man and keeper of all instruments, luggage, music, etc., died in Los Angeles last Tusday, August 6, after a third attack of pneumonia.
       "Jonesy," who was ill at the time of "Tricky's" death, died in a private sanitarium where Ellington had him moved from his home. Dr. Arthur Logan was flown to Los Angeles from New York by Ellington with the hope that, because Dr. Logan knew the case history, he would be able to save his life.
      "Jonesy" had been with Ellington since the early days of the Cotton Club where he started as bus boy. He is survived by two children, a brother and a wife. Burial was in Los Angeles, the home of Mrs. Jones.'

    Further research is necessary to determine when Jonesy left the band and if he was replaced.

    ...djpNew
    added 2014-07-21
    updated
    2015-06-25
    2024-07-11
    1946 08 07
    Wednesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine Auditorim
    665 W Jefferson Blvd.
    Concert
    • The Plain Dealer announced Ellington's contract was for a $5,000 guarantee against 60% of the gross.
    • The Pittsburgh Courier 1946-08-03:

      'Duke Ellington and his classic orchestra will be presented in concert under the sponsorhip of Downbeat Magazine at Shrine Civic Auditorim on Wednesday evening Aug.7... the program will consist of old and new favorites and will be similar to the one which the maestro presented in Chicago last year.
        Another change in personnel affects the bass spot where Oscar Pettiford and Serious Myers have replaced Junior Raglin.'

    • Variety 1946-08-14:

      '            Hollywood, Aug. 13
           Duke Ellington last week grossed $11,200 at a jazz concert put on by his orch at Shrine aud here. Take is largest ever harvested by such a concert spotted west of Chicago. At a $3.00 top, 5,150 payees jammed the 6,700 seat site.
           On the strength of showing, Ellington has opened negotiations with Hollywood Bowl for band to stage similar shindig in the open arena next summer. Shrine session was jointly promoted by Ellington and Joe Zucca, operator of Meadowbrook ballroom,...'

    • Down Beat 1941-08-26 p.6:

      'Duke Rings Bell Both Ways With Coast Bash
      By CHARLES EMGE
           Los Angeles–Duke Ellington's Down Beat sponsored concert at the Shrine and [sic] drew better than 5,000, a figure that caused no pain to Duke and operators of the Meadowbrook, backers of the affair. It was a financial and popular success.
           When the curtain rose on the Shrine's huge stage, the band, which covered but a small part of the stage, looked almost lost. Thanks to the aud's excellent acoustics, the band sounded bigger than it did in previous concerts here at the Philharmonic.
           Critical comment aside, Ellington rang up a clean hit with the audience. From the opening Caravan, he launched into excerpts from Black, Brown and Beige. Then trumpeter Taft Jordan set things to jumping with Rugged Romeo and Hamilton and Carney broke loose in Air Conditioned Jungle. Sections from the Perfume Suite fitted easily into the next slot on the program, but, taking no chances, the Duke brought the Intermission curtain down with a free swing at Frankie and Johnny.
      "A-Train" 2nd-Half Opener
           The second half of the program followed a somewhat similar pattern. Band opened with A-Train to shouts from the audience, followed with carefully spotted originals and other pieces designed to successfully display the virtuosity of his soloists then slipped into more "popular" material by presenting Al Hibbler. His Summertime was the high point in audience enthusiasm.
           Ellington closed with a sure-fire medley of his hit songs, such as Sophisticated Lady, Mood Indigo, In My Solitude, unpretentious but appealing musical expressions that may yet prove to be the real Ellington at his best and which some believe he treated to condescendingly in a rather off-the-cuff manner on this occasion.
      Miss Old Stand-bys
           There was some sensible criticism of the concert. No real admirer of Ellington and his music failed to miss Nanton, or. for that matter felt that it would not have been better for the presence of other great Ellington musician who were not there.
           The only real grumbling from the cash customers came from those who paid fifty cents for a "souvenir program", only to find that it was mainly an out-dated collection of press-book material that did not even contain the evening's program.'

    • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kansas
      1946-06-28 p.10
    • Nanton's Death Stuns Ellington Orchestra
      The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
      1946-08-03 p.19
    • Variety
      • 1946-06-12 p.50
      • 1946-08-14 p.36
    • Review, Down Beat 1946-08-26 p.13
      courtesy S.Lasker 2021-10-26
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2014-11-23
    2022-01-27
    2022-03-08
    1946 08 08
    Thursday
    1946 08 25
    Sunday
    Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency. Stratemann reports the club had only 3,000 customers the first 4 days of Ellington's run and the last 4 days drew only 2,300. According to a story in The Pittsburgh Courier, the club was open 4 nights a week. Vail I, without showing sources, has the band there Thursdays through Sundays each week, consistent with the story but conflicting with the Monday August 19 broadcast listed in New Desor session DE4632. Variety's June announcement said Ellington was booked here for three four-day weekends at a price understood to be $6,500/weekend.

    Variety 1946-08-14:

    'Shrine session was jointly promoted by Ellington and Joe Zucca, operator of Meadowbrook ballroom, where band is current, with Ellington guaranteed $7,000 for the night against 60% of gate.'


    New Desor lists 10 Ellington broadcasts from the cafe, one undated and the rest distributed over 7 specific dates shown below. In addition to the dated broadcasts in New Desor, a search of newspaper radio schedules in J.J.'s radio logs and newspapers.com finds Ellington broadcasts nationally every day except Aug. 21. The MBS broadcasts were in the evenings, but the ABC network Your Saturday Date With The Duke broadcasts would have had to be made in the early afternoon, unusual for playing from the stage of a nightclub.
    The club, previously Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club and Casa Mañana, was put up for sale in September. It may relate to poor business due to racial tensions described in The Pittsburgh Courier:

    'Denies Bias At Dancery
    LOS ANGELES – Charges of racial bias in forcing Negro and Mexican patrons to sit in segregated sections of the Meadowbrook Club in nearby Culver City were denied last week by Harold Lewin, manager of the huge nitery at a conference with The Courier's Coast Bureau.
      The majority of complaints arose during the recent engagement of Duke Ellington's orchestra at the club. Both Mexican and Negro couples claimed they were either refused admission because of some flimsy pretext, or if admitted were seated in the far corner near the bandstand.
      The Courier learned further that numbers of youthful white couples resented the asserted jim-crow treatment and remained away from the place in droves with the resultant effect that patronage fell far below the management's expectations during the band's stay.
      Sonny Greer, ace drummer, was among others who allegedly voiced bitter criticism of the managements un-American policy.
      Lewin acted as spokesman for Joe Zucca, one of the onwers of the club who was out of the city.
      He said the Meadowbrook was always open to everyone who confirmed [sic] with the house polciy of no stags, proper dress and behaviour.
      He denied that Negroes and Mexicans were always ushered to the particular section in question. He said that on numerous occasions he had observed them seated in various parts of the house. He pointed out further that there were only approximately 300 reserved seats and these were nearly always reserved and taken early in the evening.
      Lewin was questioned regarding the fallacy of this argument inasmuch as there were nights during Ellington's stay when attendance was only average.
      ... The Meadowbrook is the home of big name bands and is operated four nights a week. More than a decade ago it gained internatonal fame as Frank Sebastian's Cotton Club.'


    The Your Saturday Date With The Duke ABC network broadcasts would have had to go on the air by early in the afternoon, casting doubt upon them being made live from the stage of the club. The MBS network broadcasts were later in the evening and were likely live. The dated broadcasts per New Desor are shown in their respective date slots below. The one undated broadcast was transcribed by AFRS and released on Magic Carpet MC-437 - this may or may not have been a single broadcast since AFRS mixed recordings for their electronic transription records to produce program-length discs. (MC means Magic Carpet, a series of 15 minute AFRS ET broadcasts. New Desor shows this record as MC-435 in error.)

    Broadcast details:
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
    Titles recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Passion Flower
    • Teardrops In The Rain
    • Just Squeeze Me
    • Hollywood Hangover
    • Variety
      • 1946-06-12 p.50
      • 1946-08-14 p.36
      • 1946-09-04 p.46
    • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
      1946-08-12 Daily Magazine and Comic section
    • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
      1946-09-07, p.18
    • The Billboard 1946-10-05 p.13
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner V
    • Nielsen
    • University of Colorado
      Glenn Miller CollectionsMagic Carpet Teentimers Club
    • Email Chiarelli-Dyson-Koller-Palmquist 2024-07-17
    New Desor
    DE4626
    DEMS
    98,3-22
    .djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-27
    2015-06-29
    2022-01-27
    2022-03-08
    2023-08-06
    2024-07-18
    1946 08 09
    Friday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.R.C.A. Studio
    1016 N. Sycamore Ave.
    1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Soundtrack pre-recording session for Paramount's animated George Pal Puppetoon film, Date With Duke - Presenting Duke Ellington Playing His Perfume Suite
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    The Studio Orchestra Manager's Daily Report shows the session was at R.C.A. Studio, and the producing company was Geo.Pal. The report lists personnel (with these spellings), pay, instrument and start and finish times:
    Duke Ellington      93.10 Conductor   1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Chas. Tatspaugh 46.55 Contractor 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Taft Jordan 46.55 Trumpet 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Ray Nance 46.55 Trumpet 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Francic Williams 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Shelton Hemphill 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    William Anderson 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Hal Baker 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Floyd Jones 46.55 Trombone 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Lawrence Brown 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Wilbur deParis 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Russell Procope 46.55 Sax. 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Al Sears 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Harry Carney 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    James Hamilton 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Johnny Hodge 46.55 " 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Fred Guy 46.55 Guitar 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Oscar Pettiford 46.55 Bass 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Sonney [sic] Greer 69.82 Drum, Tymp 1 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.
    Music recorded was Duke Ellington's own set
    numbers

    Titles recorded:
    PERFUME SUITE
    • Balcony Serenade (Strayhorn's "Sonata," representing love)
    • Strange Feeling (representing violence)
    • Dancers In Love (representing naivete)
    This charmingly silly one-reeler film short was the first time Ellington was filmed in Technicolor.

    Ellington appears by himself, playing piano for and speaking with five puppets that pop out of perfume bottles - for a full description see Stratemann.

    In September, Film Daily reported Pal sat in on drums in a jam session with Ellington while Ellington was appearing in Date With The Duke but doesn't say when this was or who else played.
    George Pal's Puppetoons used animated hand-carved wood puppets. In May Showmen's Trade Review announced Pal was seeking a suitable story with music as a vehicle to introduce the innovative combining of live action with his puppets, having overcome technical problems. Film Daily reported in May that Pal wanted Duke for a Puppetoon, and in June that he was negotiating with Ellington.
    Given the studio orchestra manager's report above, those sources that show the prerecording date appear to be in error. Nielsen says Aug. 13, New Desor, Girvan, Stratemann (p.271) and Vail I say Aug. 14 and Stratemann also says Aug. 16 (p.274). Dr. Stratemann wasn't sure when Duke was filmed, but suggested it was either the day of the pre-recording or before Ellington left the west coast "at the end of the month." It seems likely to have been within that time period, since Showmen's Trade Review reported in October, in the past tense,

    'Duke Ellington and his orchestra were featured in the first of the combination shorts, "Date With Duke," in which his Perfume Suite was performed. Pal hopes to have this film released in time for the 1946 Academy Awards.'

    It seems unlikely Duke would have been filmed on Aug. 9 because he had to play a club date that evening.

    Vail incorrectly places the pre-recording session at Paramount Studios. While it was a Paramount film short, Mr. Cantor's document clearly shows the location as R.C.A.'s studio.
    New Desor
    DE4627
    ..djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-28
    2022-01-27
    1946 08 09
    Friday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 10
    Saturday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 11
    Sunday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 12
    Monday
    ...Probably a day off from Meadowbrook Gardens Café - see 1946 08 08 above
    .....Added
    2011
    Circa
    1946 08 12
    Monday
    ...Business and racial matters
    Variety:

    'Race Friction in South Prompts Ellington To Cancel Dates There
         Recent unrest in the south apparently has induced Negro band leaders to avoid playdates there in the immediate future. Mindful of the election battle at Athens. Tenn., a couple weeks ago and the murder of four Negroes at Athens. Ga., a few days later, Duke Ellington, for one, has cancelled all plans to work in the territory until a later late.
         Ellington had between five and six weeks of one-nighters and concerts definitely booked through Texas and other southern states. They were to have been played on his way back from his current stay on the Coast to New York. Late last week he ordered the William Morris agency to cancel all commitments and return all deposits for his appearance.'

    The San Antonio Light

    'Duke Ellington has cancelled his tour of Texas and the south, including an engagement for San Antonio's Municipal auditorium next month.'

    Chuck Moore, syndicated columnist:

    'The stem grapevine...says the Duke Ellington cancellations of a Texas tour was not ony due to racial friction, but that the band members told him if he went to Texas he would go alone...West coast informants report that Duke Ellington was forced to cancel a series of one-nighters because of illness.'

    • Variety 1946-08-21 p.1
    • San Antonio Light, 1946 08 26, section B
    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
      • 1946-09-20 p.7
    • Stratemann p.277
    ...djpNew
    added
    2013-01-25
    updated
    2013-03-17
    2015-06-30
    2022-03-10
    1946 08 13
    Tuesday
    .Culver City, Cal..Probably a day off from Meadowbrook Gardens Café - see 1946 08 08 above
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 14
    Wednesday
    .Culver City, Cal..Probably a day off from Meadowbrook Gardens Café - see 1946 08 08 above
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 15
    Thursday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 16
    Friday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08

    Remote broadcast, confirmed in the Chicago Daily Tribune radio log for this date, and transcribed by AFRS:
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler

    Titles recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • 9:20 Special
    • Day Dream
    • You Don't Love Me No More
    • Metronome All Out
    New Desor
    DE4628
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-28
    1946 08 17
    Saturday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08

    2 remote broadcasts, confirmed in the Chicago Daily Tribune radio log for this date, and transcribed by AFRS:
    The first broadcast is Your Saturday Date With the Duke.Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, K.Davis
    Titles recorded:
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • 9:20 Special
    • Day Dream
    • Metronome All Out
    • D.E. Bond Promos
    • A TONAL GROUP
      • Rhapsoditti (Mellow Ditty)
      • Fugueaditti
      • Jam-A-Ditty
      • Harlem Air Shaft
      • Just Squeeze Me
      • Jumpin' Punkins
      • Teardrops In The Rain
      • Riff 'n' Drill
      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    • Just Squeeze Me
    • One O'Clock Jump
    • Cynthia's In Love
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • J.J.'s radio logs: Washington Post, New York Times
    New Desor
    DE4629
    DE4630
    .Timner corrections -4/17+20.Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-28
    1946 08 18
    Sunday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    Remote radio broadcast.
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C. Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
    Titles recorded:
    • Blue Is The Night
    • Rockabye River
    • Solid Old Man
    • Jack The Bear
    • Suburbanite
    • Blue Skies
    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    New Desor
    DE4631
    ..djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-29
    1946 08 19
    Monday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Probably a day off from Meadowbrook Gardens Café - see 1946 08 08 above - but for the remote radio broadcast.
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C. Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
    Titles recorded:
    • 9:20 Special
    • Just Squeeze Me
    New Desor
    DE4632
    DEMS..Added
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-29
    1946 08 20
    Tuesday
    .Culver City, Cal..Probably a day off from Meadowbrook Gardens Café - see 1946 08 08 above
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 21
    Wednesday
    .Culver City, Cal..Probably a day off from Meadowbrook Gardens Café - see 1946 08 08 above
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 22
    Thursday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    Remote MBS radio broadcast.
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C. Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
    Titles recorded:
    • Back Home Again In Indiana
    • My Honey's Lovin' Arms
    • Just You, Just Me
    New Desor
    DE4633
    ..djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-29
    1946 08 23
    Friday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 08 24
    Saturday
    .New York, N.Y.Carnegie HallPeripheral event
    In 1946 Look Magazine ran a nationwide contest to find the best amateur swing bands. The New York Times reported 194 young musicians participated in the finals at Carnegie Hall on August 24. The Bruce Dybvig Band of Minnesota won the award for big bands, the Hawaiian Swingsters won for small combos, two specialty awards were made, and 31 boys and girls received trophies for excellence on their instruments.

    The Chicago Defender reported Cootie Williams and Erskine Hawkins jammed at the end of the event, and said every band leader who was in and around New York turned out for the event, saying those present included Lombardo, Ellington (in error), Kenton, Hampton, Herman, Armstrong, and Jimmy Dorsey, as well as Sinatra.

    Ellington was one of several band leaders who provided the trophies, but being in California at the time, could not have been present. Look covered the event in its 1946-11-12 edition but did not name the band leaders who provided the awards.

    The New York Times and Look did not say Ellington was present.
    • The Chicago Defender (National edition), Chicago, Ill.
      1946-08-31 p.10, courtesy S. Bowie
    • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
      1946-08-25 p.L 47
    • Look, America's Family Magazine, Des Moines, Iowa
      1946-11-12 pp.69-73
    ...sbNew
    added
    2023-08-30
    1946 08 24
    Saturday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08

    2 remote broadcasts, the earlier being "Your Saturday Date With The Duke" on ABC
    Duke Ellington
    and
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, K.Davis
    Titles recorded, in addition to Ellington's spoken commercials for bonds:
    • A Gatherin' In A Clearin'
    • C-Jam Blues
    • Cynthia's In Love
    • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
    • Hollywood Hangover
    • Jack The Bear
    • Magenta Haze
    • Mood Indigo
    • Sophisticated Lady
    • Solitude
    • Moon Mist
    • Rugged Romeo
    • Take The "A" Train (theme)
    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    • Solid Old Man
    • Stomp, Look And Listen
    • Suburbanite
    • You Don't Love Me No More
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • J.J.'s Radio Logs New York Times
    • Chicago Tribune
    New Desor
    DE4634
    DE4635
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-29
    1946 08 25
    Sunday
    4:30-5:00 PM PST
    .Culver City or Los Angeles, Cal.NBC Hollywood StudiosTommy Dorsey Show or Dorsey's Tender Leaf Tea Show, broadcast on local station KFI and the NBC network
    Ellington and Dorsey speak a little, then Duke plays Solitude with a choir backing him up, and Take the "A" Train with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra
    The recording was reissued as a 16" transcription, the AFRS TOMMY DORSEY SHOW No. 57
    • C. Hällström, personal email, 2013-01-05
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • Radio log, Chicago Tribune and The Columbus Dispatch
    New Desor
    DE4636
    DEMS.CAHAdded
    2011

    2013-01-06
    2015-06-29
    2022-03-09
    1946 08 25
    Sunday
    .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
    8781 W. Washington Blvd.
    Night club residency - see 1946 08 08
    Final night.

    Remote broadcast
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C. Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
    Titles recorded:
    • Magenta Haze
    • Take The "A" Train
    • Rugged Romeo
    • Solid Old Man
    • Hollywood Hangover
    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • Radio logs, Chicago Tribune and Washington Post
    New Desor
    DE4637
    ..djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-29
    1946 08 26
    Monday
    .Los Angeles, Cal..RCA Victor recording session
    20:00 - 24:00
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis, Marion Cox
    Titles recorded:
    • Back Home Again In Indiana
    • Blue Is The Night
    • Lover Man
    • Just You, Just Me
    • Beale Street Blues
    New Desor
    DE4638
    DEMSTimner-4/29djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2014-10-14
    1946 08 27
    Tuesday
    1946 09 02
    Monday
    Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln Theater
    2300 Central Ave.
    Vaudeville

    Now Playing — In Person
    DUKE ELLINGTON
    AND HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
    Three Chefs – Danny Beck

    • Pacific Press Syndicate wirestory
      The Mississippi Enterprise, Jackson, Miss.
      1946-06-22 p.1
    • Variety 1946-07-10 p.44
    • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
      • 1946-08-22 p.14
      • 1946-08-29 p.13
    • Stratemann p.277
    .
    ...djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-30
    2022-03-09
    1946 08 28
    Wednesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 08 27
    ..DEMSTimner corrections .Added
    2011
    1946 08 28
    Wednesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Ciro's
    8433 Sunset Blvd.
    Ellington was a guest in a party at Ciro's.

    Harrison Carroll's syndicated column reported that on French singer Charles Trenet's opening night at Ciro's,

    '...Bandleader Duke Ellington, guest in a large party, wound up at a table out on the floor in front of all the stars.'

    . Dorothy Manners syndicated column established the date to be Aug. 28
    • Dorothy Manners, News of the Movies, San Antonio Light, 1946-08-15, p.16
    • Harrison Carroll, "Behind the Scenes in HOLLYWOOD," The Evening Independent, Massillon, Ohio, 1946-09-14, p.4
    ...djpNew
    added
    2013-01-25
    updated
    2013-03-17
    2015-06-30
    2022-01-09
    1946 08 29
    Thursday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 08 27
    ..DEMSTimner corrections .Added
    2011
    1946 08 30
    Friday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 08 27
    ..DEMSTimner corrections .Added
    2011
    Circa
    1946 08 30
    Friday
    ...Peripheral event
    San Antonio Register reported Cab Calloway headed a syndicate to buy a surplus aircraft carrier to convert into floating dance ballrooms. It was to have bars, restaurants and landing craft for taking patrons to and from shore. The report said Harry James, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington were charter members of the syndicate.
    San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
    1946-08-30 p.4.
    ...djpNew
    added
    2022-03-10
    1946 08 31
    Saturday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 08 27
    Your Saturday Date With The Duke ABC radio remote broadcast ( - see 1945 04 07)
    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, K.Davis, Marion Cox

    Titles recorded:
    • Bond commercials spoken by Duke
    • Beale Street Blues
    • Blues On The Double
    • Come Rain Or Come Shine
    • Jumpin' Punkins
    • Just Squeeze Me
    • Memphis Blues
    • Moon Mist
    • My Honey's Lovin' Arms
    • Pretty Woman
    • St. Louis Blues
    • Swamp Fire
    • Take The "A" Train
    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
    • Three Cent Stomp
    • Warm Valley
    • Stratemann p.277
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • Timner
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      , p.79
    New Desor
    DE4639
    DEMSTimner corrections djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2015-06-30

    September 1946

    1946 09 01
    Sunday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 08 27
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 09 02
    Monday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.Lincoln TheaterVaudeville - see 1946 08 27
    .....Added
    2011
    1946 09 03
    Tuesday
    .Los Angeles, Cal.RCA Hollywood Studio
    1016 N. Sycamore Ave.
    RCA recording session
    Times:
    • Mxs D6-VB-2126 & 2127: 10:30- 13:15
    • Mxs 2128 through 2131: 14:30 to 18:00
    • Mxs 2132 & 2133: 17:15 to 18:00
    RCA Victor's session sheet bears notation "Charge talent cost to French Gramophone Account" against these two masters.
    Mr. Lasker explains

    'There are two sheets for the sessions of 1946 09 03. The first sheet covers msx 2126 & 2127. The second sheet shows the session time 2:30 to 6:00 under mx. 2131, indicating that 2128 through 2131 were recorded during that time. This appears to be a mistake, as under 2133 appears the notation "Time: 5:15 PM to 6:00 PM"; the notation "CHARGE TALENT COST TO FRENCH GRAMMOPHONE ACCOUNT" appears under both 2132-2133. My interpretation is that 2128 through 2131 were recorded from 2:30 to 5:15, while 2132 and 2133 were recorded from 5:15 to 6:00.'


    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
    Anderson, Baker, Hemphill, Jordan, Nance, Francis Williams, Brown, DeParis, Jones, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope,Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Cox

    Titles recorded:
    • My Honey's Lovin' Arms
    • Memphis Blues
    • I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You
    • St Louis Blues
    • Swamp Fire
    • Royal Garden Blues
    • Esquire Swank
    • Midriff
    This was the last Ellington session for his RCA contract - see discussion of the switch to Musicraft above (1946 05 00)

    Leonard Feather:

    '...Ellington made a record date I went to. He had thirteen sides to do to finish up his Victor contract, and I've seldom seen him work so hard. He usually takes a day to get one or two sides finished, but the session I went to he made eight sides in one day.'

    George Hoefer (Down Beat):

    'Some years back [...] Duke was finishing up an RCA Victor recording contract. The contract had called for an album called Duke Ellington Plays the Blues. It had been specified in the contract that the blues to be played were to be familiar standards, such as Royal Garden and the W. C. Handy tunes like St. Louis Blues. Duke had kept putting the project off, remaining unenthusiastic about the idea. When the date came up, the band went into the recording studio without a single arrangement. Duke arranged the dozen sides in the studio. When he finished one chart, the band recorded it while he worked on the next one.'

    • Stratemann, p.277 citing
      • Variety 1945-12-19 p37 and 1946-5-22 p47
      • The Billboard 1946-05-25, p23
    • Leaonard Feather, Sweet and Hot, Modern Screen, 1946-12-00 p.88
    • George Hoefer, "The Hot Box,"
      Down Beat, 1959-12-10, p. 63
      courtesy S. Lasker
    • Emails Lasker-Palmquist
      • 2014-10-14
      • 2014-11-03
      • 2021-11-18
      • 2022-01-04
    .
    New Desor
    DE4640
    DEMS.djpAdded
    2011
    updated
    2013-01-25
    2014-10-14
    2014-11-03
    2015-07-12
    2022-01-04
    2022-01-08
    1946 09 04
    Wednesday
    ...activities not documented...djp
    1946 09 05
    Thursday
    ...activities not documented......
    1946 09 06
    Friday
    ...activities not documented......
    1946 09 07
    Saturday
    ...activities not documented

    Booking in El Paso cancelled - see 1946 08 12 above.

    El Paso Herald-Post:
    'Due to conditions beyond our control, the Southwestern Dance Association regrets to announce the cancellation of the appearance of Duke Ellington on Saturday, September 7th. The following is a telegram from the Orchestra's representative.
    TELEGRAM
    SA 209 56 SER-WUX TDS BEVERLY BILLS
    CALIF 4 2I5P
    RIVERS BOWDEN–SOUTHWESTERN
    DANCE ASSOCIATION–EL PASO TEXAS
    IN LINE WITH MY PHONE CONVERSATION
    WITH YOU THIS MORNING ELLINGTON
    QUITE ILL AND ADVISES THAT HIS PHYS-
    ICIAN ORDERED HIM TO BED IMME-
    DIATELY CONSEQUENTLY HE WILL NOT
    APPEAR IN EL PASO SATURDAY NIGHT
    UNFORTUNATELY DONT KNOW OF ANY
    OTHER WORTHWHILE NAME AVAILABLE
    SATURDAY NIGHT THIS IS REGRETABLE
    SITUATION BUT JUST CANT BE HELPED
    LETTER FOLLOWS REGARDS
         JACK FLYNN–SEC WM MORRIS AGENCY
    The appearance of HARRY JAMES is announced for September 18th. Those holding tickets for Duke Ellington may use their tickets and table reservations for the HARRY JAMES dance at no advance prices.
    The Southwestern Dance Association's secretary will be at the Cortez Drug to gvie refunds on all tickets purchased if the holders desire.
               Southwestern Dance Association'
    • El Paso Herald-Post,El Paso, Tex.
      • 1946-09-06 p.14
      • 1946-09-07 p.5
    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
      • 1946-09-20 p.7
      ...djpNew
      added
      2022-03-10
      2023-08-09
      1946 09 08
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 09
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 10
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 11
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 12
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 13
      Friday
      1946 09 18Wichita, KansasOrpheum Theater
      or
      Fox Orpheum Theater

      The theatre was just named Orpheum in the ads, which were sometimes grouped in batches with Fox theatres. Its website shows it as Fox Orpheum in places.
      It isn't clear why Stratemann and Vail call it the RKO Theater, unless it was affiliated with the RKO chain.

      On the Stage
      THE
      DUKE HIMSELF
      IN PERSON
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      and his famous
      ORCHESTRA
      & ENTERTAINERS
      FEATURING
      JOHNNY HODGES
      HARRY CARNEY
      LAWREWNCE BROWN
      OSCAR PETTIFORD
      RAY NANCE
      AL HIBBLER
      KAY DAVIS
      MARION COX

      PRICES (INCL. TAX)
      MAT. 65¢   EVE. & ALL DAY SUNDAY 76¢   CHILDREN 30¢
      (NO PASSES HONORED)
      DOORS OP0EN 12:45 P.M. DAILY
      FIRST SHOW 1 P.M.

      • The ads only name the Ellington orchestra, its members, and the film. No vaudeville acts are shown.
      • On Sept. 16 a reporter asked Duke about the new Ulanov biography, and Duke almost showed signs of anger...Yesterday the mention of his biography by Ulanov brought a look of pained annoyance to Ellington's face...
      • On Sept. 17 and 18, Ellington's shows were at 2:33, 5:06, 7:39 and 10:12
      • The Wichita Eagle, Wichita, Kans.
        • 1946-08-26 p.4
        • 1946-08-28 p.5
        • 1946-08-30 pp.5, 12
        • 1946-08-31 p.3
        • 1946-09--01 p.17
        • 1946-09-02 p.5
        • 1946-09-03 p.5
        • 1946-09-04 p.5
        • 1946-09-06 p.5
        • 1946-09-07 p.3
        • 1946-09-08 p.18
        • 1946-09-09 p.5
        • 1946-09-10 p.2
        • 1946-09-13 p.8
        • 1946-09-15 p.16
        • 1946-09-16 p.5
        • 1946-09-17 pp.5, 7
        • 1946-09-18 p.3
      • Stratemann p.277
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-07
      1946 09 14
      Saturday
      .Wichita, KansasOrpheum TheaterTheatre engagement - see 1946 09 13
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 09 15
      Sunday
      .Wichita, KansasOrpheum TheaterTheatre engagement - see 1946 09 13
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 09 16
      Monday
      .Wichita, KansasOrpheum TheaterTheatre engagement - see 1946 09 13

      A concert originally booked this date in Amarillo was cancelled by Ellington due to race issues - see 1946 08 12 above
      ...
      • Stratemann p.277
      • Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo, Tex.
        1946-08-31, p.2
      .Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-03-10
      1946 09 17
      Tuesday
      .Wichita, KansasOrpheum TheaterTheatre engagement - see 1946 09 13
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 09 18
      Wednesday
      .Wichita, KansasOrpheum TheaterTheatre engagement - see 1946 09 13
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 09 19
      Thursday
      .Davenport, Iowa.activities not documented
      - see 1946 09 21
      ,...Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-07
      1946 09 20
      Friday
      .Davenport, Iowa.activities not documented
      - see 1946 09 21
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-07
      1946 09 21
      Saturday
      .Davenport, IowaStarlite Ballroom
      Fairgrounds
      Dancing

      Stratemann says after the southern tour was cancelled, the band was rebooked and probably [emphasis added] played Wichita, Davenport, Louisville, St. Louis, Joliet and Hartford before returning to New York. Thus Stratemann and Vail put the orchestra in Davenport Sept. 19 to 21, without identifying a source. A search 2023-08-07 for Ellington in the Iowa and Moline, Ill. newspaper archives available to the writer only turns up radio listings and the Sept. 21 dance.
      • Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill.
        • 1946-09-14 p.9
        • 1946-09-21 p.9
      • The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa
        • 1946-09-14 p.7
        • 1946-09-18 p.5
        • 1946-09-21 p.5
      • Stratemann p.277
      • Vail I
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-07
      2023-08-08
      1946 09 22
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 22
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y..(Unconfirmed)

      In late September, 1946, Ellington announced the completion of the score and that he was ready to deliver the manuscripts in New York; the first practice sessions were scheduled on or about October 1.
      Email 2013-03-16, Caine to Palmquist, cc Duke-LYM....New
      added 2013-03-17
      1946 09 23
      Monday
      .Louisville Ky..(Unconfirmed)
      ...Stratemann p.277.Added
      2011
      1946 09 24
      Tuesday
      .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel Auditorium (Opera House).
      ...Stratemann p.277.Added
      2011
      1946 09 25
      Wednesday
      .Joliet, Ill...
      ...Stratemann p.277.Added
      2011
      1946 09 26
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 09 27
      Friday
      1946 09 29
      Sunday
      Hartford, Conn.State TheatreVaudeville
      • Headline acts:
        • Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
        • Irene Manning
        • Bob Eberly
      • Other acts:Jack Carter, comediann Ross Wyse Jr. and his compay
      • Late stage shows started at 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
      • At 3:35 p.m. Friday, Ellington was to appear on Russ Naughton's MOTR show on WDRC.

      The Billboard reported that the settlement of a musicians' strike against New York hotel owners brought on a wave of rapid booking switches. Ellington, with a package revue, replaced Claude Thornhill's band at the State.
      • Stratemann p.277
        citing Variety 1946-09-25 p.56
      • Meriden (Conn.) Record, Meriden, Conn.
        • 1946-09-25 p.7
      • The Hartford Daily Courant, Hartford, Conn.
        • 1946-09-26 p.8
        • 1946-09-27 p.21
        • 1946-09-28 p.8
        • 1946-09-28 p.A13
      • Naugatuck News (Conn), Naugatuck, Conn.
        • 1946-09-26 p.3
        • 1946-09-27 p.2
      • The Billboard
        1946-09-28 p.17
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-09
      1946 09 28
      Saturday
      .Hartford, Conn.State TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 09 27
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 09 29
      Sunday
      .Hartford, Conn.State TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 09 27
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 09 30
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......

      October 1946

      Circa
      1946 10 00
      ...Peripheral event
      The Billboard, 1946 11 02, p.30 courtesy S.Lasker:

      Circa 1946 10 00: Irving Mills sells the rights to the Master and Variety catalogs outside the U.S., its territories and Canada, to Electric and Musical Industries, Ltd. (EMI).

      The Billboard, 1946 12 28, p.30:

      HOLLYWOOD, Dec. 21–Irving Mills, Mills Music pub exec, skedded to sail for London end of January for confab with execs of Electrical and Musical Industries (EMI), British plattery combine. Mills will meet with EMI people to set release dates of recently acquired catalog of American swing masters.
         EMI has already acquired 400 masters from old "Master" and "Variety" labels, which Mills controlled before purchase by Columbia of the American Record Company. Old catalog includes many early originals by Raymond Scott, Duke Ellington, Harry James and other top flight swing orksters...

      Email Lasker/Palmquist 2023-10-27....New
      added
      2023-10-28
      1946 10 01
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 10 02
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 10 03
      Thursday
      1946 10 30New York, N.Y.Aquarium Restaurant
      701 7th Avenue
      Four-week residency, six nights a week, $5,000/week
      • The Billboard announced in August the residency was to start October 10
      • Variety reported the venue was offering Harry James $12,500 a week and Louis Prima was said to be drawing $6,500.
      • MBS broadcast with disc jockey Barry Gray on WOR
        Regular MBS broadcast as well.
      • While this engagement is often denigrated by Ellington scholars, Stratemann says one reason Ellington took the engagement was to be close at hand for the start of rehearsals of "Beggar's Holiday..."
      • Variety reported the Aquarium Restaurant would close Monday evenings and would drop its $1.00 cover charge every night except Saturday and Sunday.

      Peripheral opening night event:
      Variety reported Barry Gray's "Celebrity Night" broadcast on Ellington's opening night was held up by the American Guild of Variety Artists as violating the union's stance against Celebrity Nights. The union wouldn't allow Gray to chat with other performers attending the opening or have them on mic since this would constitute public performances. This was resolved after the Aquarium's operator, Ben Harriman, agreed to make a donation the union's Welfare Fund.
      • The Billboard 1946-08-31 p.17
      • Variety
        • 1946-09-25 p.52
        • 1946-10-09 pp.66, 69
        • 1946-10-23 p.114
      • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
        1946-10-27 p.D-9
      • Stratemann p.277
      • Vail I p.303 photo
      New Desor
      DE4641
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      2017-04-28
      2023-08-07
      1946 10 04
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 05
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      ABC broadcast US Treasury series "Your Saturday Date With the Duke" (last of DETS programs)
      .New Desor
      DE4642
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      1946 10 06
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 07
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..NBC broadcast
      "Carnation Contented Hour"
      Ellington (piano) with Percy Faith's orchestra and chorus

      Preview of the Deep South Suite movement "There Was Nobody Looking," to be premiered that fall.
      Stratemann p.277New Desor
      DE4643
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      1946 10 07
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03

      Sjef Hoefsmit, writing in DEMS 06-1-9, suggests there were two broadcasts this date: "Magic Carpet" #131 (AFRS) and "One Night Stand" #764, but these may not have been live. See his extensive discussion in that bulletin.
      ....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      1946 10 08
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 09
      Wednesday
      ...Peripheral event
      Variety reported Ellington was writing the four-part "Deep South Suite" for presentation Nov.21 and 22 at Carnegie Hall, and that A & N Presentations booked the Ellington and the Woody Herman bands for concerts at the Music Hall in Kansas City in November. While Ellington played dances in KC that month, a concert is not yet identified.

      Variety describes the Deep South movements:

      ' the first will tell the story of the "gallant South," the second will contain the ugly rumors and facts, the third will be a piano piece embodying Ellington's own reflections on the matter, and the last section will be a blues patterned after the train whistle tunes lplayed by Negro firemen on Southern railway lines.'

      Variety 1946-10-09 p.66...djpNew
      added
      2017-04-28
      1946 10 09
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 10
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 11
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03

      "Guest in the Nest" broadcast
      .New Desor
      DE4644
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      1946 10 12
      Saturday
      11:00 am
      .New York, N.Y.Radio City 11 a.m. EST
      WEAF and NBC network broadcast "Teentimers Club" show #47, transcribed by AFRS for its Teentimers Club #25 record.
      • The show was sponsored by a clothing company and targeted at the bobbysoxer market. Participating stores played their own ads during the breaks. See more about the Teentimer Club broadcasts at 1946 03 16 above.

      • New Desor, Stratemann, Nielsen and Vail I erroneously dated this broadcast as Nov. 16, 1948.
      • New Desor and Vail say it originated from Omaha, Nebr, and Stratemann suggests it may have been from Omaha or Chicago.
      • Ellington's Oct. 12 participation is confirmed through newspaper ads from Oct. 11 and 12, as well as NBC's broadcast and talent report and the show's script, provided by Ted Hudson and Carl Hällström and reproduced in DEMS 00-3 pp.4-6
      • Newspaper ads for the Nov. 16 broadcast confirm Stan Kenton's orchestra had the show that day.
      • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
        Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, F. Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, and Greer, with singing m.c. John Conte.
      • Titles performed by the orchestra, alone or accompanying singers:
        • Somebody Loves Me*
        • Blue Skies*
        • Playoff # 1
        • Just Squeeze Me*
        • September Song9
        • Just You, Just Me
        • When You Wish Upon A Star
        • The Girl That I Marry
        • Playoff # 2
        • Teentimers Tune
        • I'm Not Walking, I'm Dancing
        • The asterisked (*) titles are on the AFRS transcription.
        • The following were also cleared for the broadcast and may have been used during the playoffs:
          • For He's A Jolly Good Fellow
          • Metronome All Out
      • Stratemann p.278
      • Vail I
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Timner V
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Confirmation that Ellington's orchestra would play Oct. 12:
        • Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
          1946-10-11 p.32
        • Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill.
          1946-10-11 p.36
        • Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
          1946-10-12 p.4
        • The Bristol Herald Courier, Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee
          1946-10-12 p.6
        • The Gazette and Daily, York, Penn.
          1946-10-12 p.14
        • The Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise, Idaho
          1946-10-12 p.3
      • Confirmation that Ellington's orchestra did not play Nov.16:
        • The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, Ill.
          1946-11-15 p.27
        • The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa
          1946-11-15 p.30
        • Montana Standard, Butte, Mont.
          1946-11-15 p.3
      New Desor
      DE4648
      New Desor small corrections
      DEMS x.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      2022-02-10
      1946 10 12
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 13
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 14
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      (Note Variety said Ellington played the KNRT in Des Moines this day.)
    • Variety 1946-10-16 p.48
    • .
      ....Added
      2011
      2023-08-09
      1946 10 15
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 16
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      (Note Variety said Ellington was booked to play the Municiapl Auditorium in Kansas City this day.)
      Variety 1946-10-16 p.48....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-09
      1946 10 17
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      (Note Variety said Ellington was booked to play the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City this day.)
      Variety 1946-10-16 p.48....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-09
      1946 10 18
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03

      (Note Variety said Ellington was booked to play the Auditorium in Omaha this day.)
      Variety 1946-10-16 p.48....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-09
      1946 10 19
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 20...Peripheral event
      New recording session "scale" for musicians per International Musician, 1946 11 00:
      For three (3) hours of recording, not
      more than four (4) 10-inch master records,
      each record containing not more than
      3 1/2 minutes of recorded music
      ........................old scale $30.00 new scale $41.25

      Overtime directly following a basic
      recording session of three (3) hours,
      for each one-half hour or fraction thereof
      ........................old scale $10.00 new scale $13.75

      During each half hour or fraction of
      overtime only one (1) 10-or 12-inch side
      of a recording may be completed or made, as
      the case may be.

      Contractor to receive double price.

      Amount for recording each 15-minute electrical
      transcription side
      ........................old scale $18.00 new scale $27.00.

      Leader, double price.

      Steven Lasker:

      'Recording wages wouldn't rise until 1959, much to the dissatisfaction of union members, some of whom brought suit against the union for reasons outlined in a superb essay by Robert A. Groman, The Recording Musician and Union Power: A Case Study of the American Federation of Musicians (free PDF). Inasmuch as the case study was written by a distinguished law professor based on a study he prepared at the request of the U.S. copyright office, it's an objectively authoritative study and highly informative. It touches on a range of interesting topics including the recording bans of 1942-44 and 1948, the music performance trust funds and the role played by union president James Caesar Petrillo.'

      see Steven Lasker's report at 1938 09 15 above...SLNew
      added
      2017-04-13
      updated
      2018-09-27
      1946 10 20
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Hotel AstorPolitical event "Broadway for Mead"
      • The Billboard carried a story datelined New York, Oct 12 1946, saying that in the New York election, the Independent Citizens' Committee of Arts, Sciences and Professions tied together an entertainment package in support of Senator James M. Mead and former Governor Herbert Lehman. The story named a dozen entertainers who would perform at the dinner at the Hotel Astor including Ellington.
      • Variety carried a similar announcement.
      • The New York Times reported dancer Paul Draper, Duke Ellington and his orchestra and entertainers, including Judy Holliday and Lew Parker contributed to the rally, "Broadway for Mead."
      • The Billboard 1946-10-19 pp.3, 4
      • Variety 1946-10-16 p.63
      • New York Times 1946-10-21 p.3
      ...djp/Nick FernandezNew
      added 2013-04-30
      updated
      2013-05-04
      2023-08-09
      1946 10 20
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 21
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..Rehearsals begin for "Beggar's Holiday", initially called "Twilight Alley."
      • Stratemann, p.280
      • Broadway After Dark, New York Sun, 1946-10-26, p.24
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-03-15
      1946 10 21
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 22
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 23
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.WOR Studio #3First of five Musicraft recording sessions
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Baker, Hemphill, Jordan, F. Williams, Nance, Brown, DeParis, Jones, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer

      Titles recorded:
      • Diminuendo In Blue
      • Magenta Haze
      .New Desor
      DE4645
      DEMS

      Note this session is dated 1946 10 26 in DEMS 84-5 p.1
      Stratemann p.277djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      1946 10 23
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 24
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 25
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03

      CBS broadcast
      • A Garden In The Rain
      • The Whole World Is Singing My Song
      • Jennie
      • The Things We Did Last Summer
      • Rugged Romeo
      • C-Jam Blues
      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      .New Desor
      DE4646
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      1946 10 26
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.WOR Studio No.3This entry, from DEMS 84,5, appears to be in error. WOR was the Mutual Broadcasting System flagship station.

      DEMS is about Diminuendo in Blue and Magenta Haze; New Desor shows these were recorded on 1946 10 23.
      .New Desor
      DE4645
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-26
      1946 10 26
      Saturday
      .NBC Network.

      'Duke Ellington features his new tune "Just Squeeze Me" when he and comedian Bert Lahr are guests on the Vaughn Monroe Show at 6:30... '


      The NBC radio network's Vaughn Monroe Show was sponsored by Camel Cigarettes in 1946 and may also have been known as Camel Caravan.
      Mason City Globe-Gazette, Mason City, Iowa
      1946-10-26, p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-01-06
      1946 10 26
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 27
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 28
      Monday
      ...Life event
      A summary of Ellington's current activities:

      'There have been many stories about Duke Ellington's capacity for work, but not even the tallest match the incredible record he is setting these days, and nights.
           Six nights a week Duke leads his band at the Aquarium – which means special work on new arrangements, preparations for nightly broadcasts, and the thousand and one details that take up the time of a successful band leader. During the days, when running a music publishing firm, Ellington participates in the casting, rehearsal and production of his forthcoming Broadway show, "Beggar's Opera," which opens within a month. And when not occupied with such mundane things as eating and sleeping, this great artist is putting the finishing touches on the new "Deep South Suite" which he will introduce at his November concert in Carnegie Hall.
           And somewhere along the line Duke found time to record "Swampfire," which will be released shortly by Victor. Reverse side features a riff tune with one of those typically imaginative Ellington titles, "Squeeze Me But Don't Tease Me."'

      Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond,Va.
      1946-10-27 p.D-9
      ...djpNew
      added
      2022-03-12
      2024-07-11
      1946 10 28
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 29
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 30
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Aquarium RestaurantSee 1946 10 03
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 10 30
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.."Django Rhinehardt [sic], French guitarist, feted at welcoming cocktail party given by Duke Ellington and William Morris Agency Wednesday (30) after his arrival in the United States by plane from France."

      The Billboard doesn't say where the party was, nor whether it was before or after the regular Aquarium show.
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-11
      1946 10 31
      Thursday
      Halloween
      .Atlantic City, N.J...
      .....Added
      2011

      November 1946

      1946 11 01
      Friday
      .Harrisburg, Penn.Chestnut Street HallDance
      • Harrisburg Telegraph, Harrisburg, Penn.
        1946-11-01 p.19
      • The Evening News, Harrisburg, Penn.
        1946-11-01 p.21
      • Stratemann p.277
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-11
      2023-08-07
      1946 11 02
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented

      Likely a travel day.
      ......
      1946 11 03
      Sunday
      ...Personnel change
        The Minneapolis Star-Tribune incorrectly reported French guitarist Django Rheinhardt began his tour with Ellington's orchestra Sunday in Chicago (This was his only U.S. tour).
      • Django described his tour itinerary in a letter to "Gérar," from Minneapolis, including premiere ville Buffalo., indicating he was with the band Nov. 3.
      • Joe Mosbrook's Jazzed in Cleveland reports Reinhardt shared a two-berth compartment with Ellington, while the other band members were in a sleeping car.
      • The letter is on Hotel Nicollett stationery, suggesting Ellington and Reinhardt stayed at that Minneapolis hotel.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-07-06
      updated
      2023-08-07
      1946 11 03
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial AuditoriumConcert
      Stratemann p.277....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-11
      1946 11 04
      Monday
      .Cleveland, OhioHotel Statler
      East 12th and Euclid
      (Unconfirmed)

      Django and Duke shared a suite at the Hotel Statler at East 12th and Euclid. Cleveland Press columnist Milt Widder reported that before they left for the concert, they had dinner in the suite. Django was amazed when Ellington ate dessert first, but Duke was quoted as saying I always eat my dessert first.
      Jazzed in Cleveland http:/www.cleveland.oh.us/wmv_news/jazz23.htm/, quoting Reinhardt's biographer Charles Delauney...djpNew
      added
      2013-07-06
      1946 11 04
      Monday
      .Cleveland, OhioMusic Hall
      in Public Hall
      East 6th & St. Clair
      1,800 people attended the concert marking Django Reinhardt's American debut. The Cleveland Press headline said "French guitarist steals Duke's concert."
      Time reported

      'Django was so certain that he was famous in the U.S. that he left his guitar in France: U.S. guitar manufacturers would give him guitars and pay him for playing them. Last week, before he could go on stage in Cleveland's Public Music Hall, he had to go out and borrow a guitar. The concert manager, for one, had never heard of Django Reinhardt, so...'


      The concert programme personnel list included Hardwick (more likely to have been Procope - see Week of 1946 04 19-25 above), Hodges, Sears, Hamilton, Carney, Brown, Jones, de Paris, Jordan, Anderson, Hemphill, Williams, Nance, Pettiford, Guy, Greer, Ellington and vocalists Hibbler, Davis and Sherrill.

      Titles in the programme:
      • Caravan
      • In a Mellow Tone
      • Solid, Old Man
      • Excerpts from
        "Black, Brown and Beige"
      • Rugged Romeo
      • Sono
      • Air Conditioned Jungle
      • Circe
      • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
      • Bugle Break Extended
      • Take The A Train
      • Tonal Group
        • a. Fugueditti
        • b.Rhapsoditti
        • c.Jamaditti
      • Magenta Haze
      • Group
        • a. Diminuendo in Blue
        • b.Transblucency
        • c.Crescendo in Blue
      • Bassist and Me
      • Suburbanite
      • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler
      • Riffin Drill
      • Variety 1946-11-13 p.55
      • Joe Mosbrook:
        "Jazzed in Cleveland"
      • Concert programme
        SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2,
        box 10, folder 37
        "Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, 1946"
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-12
      2016-01-23
      2022-07-24
      2023-08-07
      2024-07-11
      2024-07-13
      1946 11 05
      Tuesday
      .Kitchener, Ont.Auditorium.
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 11 06
      Wednesday
      .Toronto, Ont.Mutual ArenaThe Varsity:

      Duke Ellington is consistent; consistently good listening and refreshing listening. This was proven once again at Mutual Arena, Tuesday night, November 6...

      Coda by Barry Townley
      The Varsity
      University of Toronto,
      Toronto, Ont. 1946-11-08 p.5.
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-07-12
      1946 11 07
      Thursday
      .Toledo, OhioAuditorium.
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 11 08
      Friday
      .Cincinnati, OhioTaft AuditoriumConcert, advertised as a command performance
      Tickets: $3.60, $3.00, $2.40
      Personnel named in the review
      • Harold Baker
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Johnny Hodges
      • Billy Strayhorn (this might only be a composer credit)
      • Kay Davis
      • Al Sears
      • Albert Hibbler
      • Django Reinhart
      Titles named in the review
      • The Mooche
      • Handy Blues of Memphis, Beale Street and St. Louis
      • The 8th Veil
      • The Golden Cress
      • Sultry Sunset
      • Overture To A Jam Session At The Aquarium
      • Deep South Suite
      • The Beautiful Indians (Minnehaha, Hiawatha)
      • Mood Indigo
      • Sophisticated Lady
      • Sentimental Lady
      • Don't Get Around Much Any More
      The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
      • 1946-10-27 p.2 s.3
      • 1946-11-03 s.3 pp.1,2
      • 1946-11-07 p.15
      • 1946-11-08 p.10
      • 1946-11-09 p.14
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-07
      2024-03-20
      2024-07-11
      1946 11 09
      Saturday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Murat Theatre8:30 pm Concert lasting nearly 3 hours, with an audience of 1,935.
      The Indianapolis News incorrectly said this would be Reinhardt's first American appearance.

      The Indianapolis News 1946-11-07 said the programme would open with "Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium," followed by The Mooche," Handy's "Memphis Blues," "Beale Street Blues" and "St. Louis Blues." Other Ellington pieces to be presented include "The Eighth Veil," "The Golden Feather," "A Very Unbooted Character," "Sultry Sunset," "The Beautiful Indians" and "The Deep South Suite."
      • The Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Ind.
        • 1946-10-19 s.2 p.5
      • The Edinburg Daily Courier, Edinburg, Ind.
        • 1946-11-01 p.6
      • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
        • 1946-11-03 p.21
        • 1946-11-09 p.13
        • 1946-11-11 p.19
      • The Indianapolis New, Indianapolis, Ind.
        • 1946-11-04 p.14
        • 1946-11-07 p.18
        • 1946-11-09 p.5
        • 1946-11-11 p.12
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-08-07
      1946 11 10
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera House
      20 N. Wacker Dr.
      Two concerts 3 pm and 8:30 pm
      Tickets: $1.20 $1.50 $2.50 $3.00 $3.60 (Tax Inc.)
      Variety reported Ellington took $18,200 for the two concerts
      Announced programme (Sunday Chicago Bee):
      • The National Anthem
      • Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium
      • The Mooche
      • Jumpin' Punkins
      • Mr. Handy's Medley (Big Three): Memphis Blues - Beale Sreet Blues- St. Louis Blues (vocal by Marion Cox)
      • The 8th Veil (Trumpet William Anderson)
      • The Golden Feather (Baritone sax Harry Carney)
      • Filippant [sic] Flurry (Clarinet Jimmy Hamilton)
      • The Golden Cross [sic] (Trombone Lawrence Brown)
      • A Very Unbooted Character (Trumpet Harold Baker, Ray Nance)
      • Sultry Sunset (Alto sax Johnny Hodges)
      • Deep South Suite
        • Magnolias Just Dripping With Molasses
        • Orson Welles
        • There Was Nobody Looking
        • Happy Go Lucky Local
      • An Ellington Band Theme
      • The Beautiful Indians: Minnehaha (vocal by Kay Davis), Hiawatha (Tenor sax Al Sears, Trumpet Taft Jordan)
      • Albert Hibbler in Songs:
        • You Don't Love Me No More
        • Pretty Woman
      • Django Reinhart as selected
      • Duke Ellington at the Piano

      Recordings and personnel per ellingtonian.com:
      Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, Claude Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, Davis, Cox, Reinhardt:
      • Overture To A Jam Session Pri DC-01 DE4647a
      • Ring Dem Bells
      • The Mooche
      • Jumpin' Punkins
      • Beale Street Blues - Memphis Blues - St. Louis Blues
      • Eighth Veil
      • Golden Feather
      • Air Conditioned Jungle
      • Golden Cress
      • Unbooted Character
      • Sultry Sunset
      • DEEP SOUTH SUITE
          1. Magnolias Dripping With Molasses
        • 2. Hearsay
        • 3. There Was Nobody Looking
        • 4. Happy Go Lucky Local
      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      • Good Fishin' (Timner has this as a movement of The Beautiful Indians, "Chaugogagog Maushaugagog Chaubunagungamaug"}
      • THE BEAUTIFUL INDIANS
        • 1. Minnehaha
        • 2. Hiawatha
      • Ride Red Ride
      • A Blues Riff
      • Honeysuckle Rose
      • My Little Brown Book
      • You Don't Love Me No More
      • Fat And Forty
      • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
      • Medley:
        • 1. In A Sentimental Mood
        • 2. Mood Indigo
        • 3. I'm Beginning To See The Light
        • 4. Sophisticated Lady
        • 5. Caravan
        • 6. Solitude
        • 7. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
      • Just Squeeze Me
      • Blue Skies

      Steven Lasker:

      'We ... have [John] Steiner to thank for recording the concert ... Those lacquers, cut by Steiner, are today housed at the [Library of Congress]. To my recollection they came from a source other than Valburn, I would suppose either Steiner himself or someone Steiner sold the discs to...
        When I was doing a project at the Library of Congress in 1994 or 1995, the lacquers for the concert were already there, and I recall an engineer ... told me he'd recently transferred the lacquers for a CD issue, but had a rough time with one of Django's solo choruses on "Ride Red Ride," so he simply excised it.'


      • While Stratemann and Vail I report this was the first known public performance of Deep South Suite, it was performed in the concerts Nov. 8 and 9 in Cincinatti and Indianapolis.
      • Stratemann:

        Guiarist Reinhardt was featured in four selections midway through the programme, with a minumum of preparation and accompaniment from the band.

      • Ellington financed the concerts, and grossed $18,200.
      • These concerts, and particularly Air Conditioned Jungle (not listed in Sunday Chicago Bee) and The Deep South Suite, are the focal point of Andrew Berish's A Locomotive Laboratory of Place: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, an analysis of Ellington's music as influenced by his sidemen, their travels and their diverse origins (17 musicans, 17 different places of birth). Berish introduces this chapter by saying he will

        '...show how the music and the "extramusical" (titles, programs, context) worked together to create new kinds of American places. ... These works also suggest important links with other black artists working in visual arts and literature who also were preoccupied with representing the black experience of travel, migration and urbanization.'

      • Stratemann p.278 citing
        Variety 1946-11-20 p.58
      • St. Paul Recorder, St. Paul, Minn.
        • 1946-11-01 p.1
      • Chicago Daily Tribune and
        Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-11-03 pt.6 p.5
        • 1946-11-10 pt.6 p.4
        • 1946-11-11 p.26
      • Chicago Times and
        Chicago Sunday Times, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-11-03 pp. 61, 63
        • 1946-11-08 p.65
        • 1946-11-10 p.65
      • The Chicago Sun, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-11-03 p.36
        • 1946-11-08 p.22
        • 1946-11-12 p.14
      • The Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-11-09 p.23
      • Sunday Chicago Bee, Chicago, Ill,
        • 1946-11-10 pp. 14, 15
      • Variety 1946-11-20 p.58
      • Andrew S. Berish, in Lonesome Roads and Streets of Dreams: Place, Mobility, and Race in Jazz of the 1930s and '40s, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2012, chapter three
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His SidemenFifth edition
        and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His SidemenFifth edition
        with any corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
      • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2016-09-15
      New Desor
      DE4647
      DEMSPhoto, MIMM 142
      Timner corrections
      djp, slAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-11
      2014-11-07
      2016-09-19
      2023-08-07
      2024-07-11
      2024-07-14
      1946 11 11
      Monday
      .Rochester, Minn.Mayo Civic Auditorium.

      'Dancing!
      IN PERSON
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      AND HIS
      WORLD FAMOUS
      ORCHESTRA
      Mon., Nov.11
      Mayo Civic Aud.
      (ROCHESTER)
      Adv. Price $2.00 Tax Incl.
      Send Mail Orders to
      Mike Sternberg,
      Rochester, or phone

      2945
      For Reservations'

      • Vail I says Oscar Pettiford was absent and local bassist C. E. LeBarre filled in.
      • Stratemann has the band here the next day, but shows no supporting information and cautions its schedule should be approached with caution as there may have been some shuffling of dates.
      • The Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, Minn.
        • 1946-11-05 p.9
        • 1946-11-08 p.9
      • Vail I
      • Stratemann p.278
      ....New
      added
      2023-08-07
      1946 11 12
      Tuesday
      .Minneapolis, Minn.Hotel NicollettTravel and rest day.
      • The Nov. 11 Minneapolis Star and Journal reported the band would arrive in Minneapolis early Tuesday to take it easy for one of their few unscheduled days on the tour. The day of rest would be interrupted for a rehearsal to accommodate Django Reinhard, who joined the tour Sunday in Chicago.
      • The Nov. 12 edition describes Duke lying on his hotel bed in his topcoat, hat, scarf and full costume, then getting up to orchestrate some of Reinhardt's original melodies. It quotes him, In this civilized world it shouldn't be possible for anyone to get this tired., repeated in French for Django's. The story says says "today's open date" follows daily concerts in 11 cities.
      Minneapolis Star and Journal, Minneapolis, Minn.
      • 1946-11-11 p.16
      • 1946-11-12 p.17
      ....Added
      2023-08-07
      1946 11 13
      Wednesday
      ...Peripheral non-event
      The New York Age:

      'TULSA–When Cootie Williams...celebrates the sixth anniversary of the organization of his band ... Wednesday night, November 13, one of the unique features of the gala occasion will be a cross-country serenade made by wire between the bands of Williams and Duke Ellington. The Ellington band will be sending its musical greetings from the Aquarium night club in New York...In the exchange of greetings which will be affected by long distance telephone and amplification over the loud speakers in the two ballrooms, Ellington's music will be heard by the dancers in the Casa Loma and Williams' music by those in the Aquarium. This will be the first inter-ballroom salute between bands on record.'

      Ellington finished at the Aquarium Oct. 30. Further research is needed to confirm if Ellington went ahead with serenade from his current location in Minnesota.
      The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
      1946-11-09 p.11.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2024-07-12
      1946 11 13
      Wednesday
      .Minneapolis, Minn.Minneapolis Arena (Minneapolis Auditorium)Concert 8:30 p.m.
      Tickets: $1.20 $1.80 $2.40 $3.00 $3.60
    • Titles in the announced programme:
      • The Deep South Suite
      • Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium
      • The Mooch
      • Jumpin' Punkins
      • Handy's Medley (Marion Cox, vocals)
        • Memphis Blues
        • Beale Street Blues
        • St. Louis Blues
      • Eighth Veil
      • Golden Feather
      • Flippant Flurry
      • Golden Cress
      • Very Unbooted Character
      • Sultry Sunset
      • Deep South Suite
        • Magnolias Just Dripping With Molasses
        • Orson Welles
        • There Was Nobody Looking
        • Happy Go Lucky Local
      • Intermission
      • The Beautiful Indians
        • Minnehaha (voc. Kay Davis)
        • Hiawatha (Sears and Jordan)
      • You Don't Love Me No More
      • Pretty Woman (voc. Hibbler)
      • Selected group, Django Reinhardt, French hot guitarist
      • Piano group featuring Ellington.
    • Titles confirmed in reviews:
      • Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium
      • Ring Them [sic] Bells
      • Deep South Suite
      • Jumpin' Punkins
      • The Eighth Veil
      • The Golden Cross [sic] (The Golden Cress)
      • Memphis Blues
      • Beale Street Blues
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Sultry Sunset
      • Air Conditioned Jungle
      • Transblucency
    • Personnel confirmed in reviews
      • Anderson
      • Brown
      • Cox
      • Davis
      • Greer
      • Hibbler
      • Sears
      • Hamilton
      • Hodges
      • Jordan
      • Nance
      • Reinhardt
      • Minneapolis Spokesman,Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1946-09-20 p.2
        • 1946-11-01 p.1
      • St. Paul Recorder, St. Paul, Minn.span
        • 1946-09-20 p.3
        • 1946-11-01 p.1
        • 1946-11-08 p.6
      • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune,Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1946-11-03 p.13
        • 1946-11-10 pp.15, 16
      • Minneapolis Star and Journal,Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1946-11-08 pp.10, 38
        • 1946-11-11 p.16
        • 1946-11-14 p.14
        • 1946-11-18 p.12
      • Minneapolis Morning Tribune,Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1946-11-14 p.8
      • Minneapolis Daily Times,Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1946-11-14 p.5
      • Variety
        • 1946-10-09 p.64
        • 1946-11-0 p.71
      • Websites
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated

      2013-02-08
      2014-03-03
      2023-08-07
      2024-07-11
      2024-07-13
      1946 11 13
      Wednesday
      .Minneapolis, Minn.Hotel St. PaulRacial matters
      Mr. Chester's website has an unattributed quote from an anonymous source:

      'In 1946 Duke Ellington came to Minneapolis/St. Paul and played the Minneapolis Auditorium. KSTP radio had its studios on the top of the Hotel St. Paul. He was invited to do an interview there, and he and I and my wife-to-be, a performing artist, drove him to the Hotel St. Paul. We walked into the lobby, and we were going to sit and wait for him and then take him to his hotel afterwards, but we were asked to take the freight elevator. Needless to say, we never made that interview. We drove that night and talked for a long time on the way back to the hotel in Minneapolis. He just brushed that off.'

      ....Added
      2011
      updated

      2013-02-08
      2014-03-03
      2022-03-11
      1946 11 14
      Thursday
      .Des Moines, IowaKRNT Radio Theater
      (formerly Shrine Auditorium)
      Concert
      • Des Moines Register reported the concert lasted 2 1/2 hours and the crowd numbered 3,000.
      • The Billboard said 1,571 attended, grossing $3,160. The Billboard:

        The Duke and [Woody] Herman were rental deals, handled by A & N Presentations, Kansas City, Mo., and were played at the Des Moines location sans any of the radio promotion which had helped build Dorsey and Cugat.

      • The Billboard speculated that lower revenues for the Ellington and Herman orchestras compared to Tommy Dorsey and Xavier Cugat's bands may have been hep fans getting too much of the same thing, or to the lack of radio promotion.
      • Personnel named in the Des Moines Register review:
        • Hodges
        • Hamilton
        • Brown
        • Anderson
        • Hibbler
        • Greer
        • Davis
        • Cox
        • Nance
        • Reinhardt
      • Titles reported in that review:
        • Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium
        • Jumpin' Punkins
        • A Very Unbooted Character
        • Mood Indigo
        • Solitude
        • I'm Beginning to See the Light
        • Summertime
        • The Deep South Suite
        • W.C.Handy medley
        • Sultry Sunset
        • The 8th Veil
        • The Goden Cress
        • Improvisations
        • Honeysuckle Rose
      • The Billboard
        • 1946-11-09 p.16
        • 1946-11-30
      • Des Moines Sunday Register
        Des Moines, Iowa
        • 1946-11-14 p.2-X
      • Des Moines Tribune
        Des Moines, Iowa
        • 1946-11-14 p.35
      • Des Moines Register
        Des Moines, Iowa
        • 1946-11-15 p.9
      • Stratemann, p.278, citing
        The Billboard 1946-11-30 p.36
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-12
      2024-07-12
      1946 11 15
      Friday
      .Omaha, Nebr.Train stationThe Omaha Star

      'As Duke Ellington arrived in Omaha on Friday morning enroute to Lincoln, members of the Amvets Club Post No. 2 were on hand to greet him. Reading from right to left in the above picture are Duke Ellington, Betty Givens, vocalist of Terry Gordon's orchestra...; Harold Whiteside, financial officer of the Amvets Club; Paul Allen business manager; and Charles Roper, of the Omaha Star Advertising Department and Amvets member. Members of the famous orchestra appear in the background... '

      The Omaha Star, Omaha, Nebr.
      1946-11-22 p.1.
      ....New
      added
      2024-07-14
      1946 11 15
      Friday
      .Lincoln, Neb.Turnpike

      (No address is shown in the ads. This may have formerly been Turnpike Casino)
      Tickets advance $1.55, door $1.80, incl. tax

      Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star:

      Duke Ellington, the renowned jazz king, took time out from his cross-country concert tour to display his musical wares to a happy crowd of his local followers. The Duke played more solid music "without a break" than any bandleader heard here for a long time, including the September Song, especially popular, and some of his own originals, "Take The A Train," "I'm Beginning t See the Light," and "Moon [sic] Indigo." Heading east, Ellington took his orchestra to Omaha by private pullman for a concert Saturday night...

      The report mentions Django Reinhardt "who is now on tour with him" and Jerry Rhea, "Duke's personal assistant."
      • Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star,
        Lincoln, Neb.
        • 1946-11-10 p.D-6
        • 1946-11-17 p.D-8
      • Lincoln Journal, Lincoln, Neb.
        • 1946-11-12 p.11
        • 1946-11-13 p.9
        • 1946-11-13 p.13
        • 1946-11-15 p.11
      • Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Neb.
        • 1946-11-12 p.10
        • 1946-11-15 p.10
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-12
      2024-07-12
      1946 11 16
      Saturday
      ...False date for "Teentimers" broadcast - see 1946 10 12.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-12
      1946 11 16
      Saturday
      .Omaha, Nebr.Unidentified private residenceEllington was a dinner guest in someone's home. His supper was interrupted by high school journalism class reporters Orvil and Richard:

      'Your reporters have a knack for breaking in while people are either eating or sleeping. In this case it was the former, as Duke Ellington was setting the bib and raising the fork, as we unceremoniously tramped into the house where he was a dinner guest. After the formalities were over, the Duke graciously consented to delay dinner so that he could be interviewed by the gentlemen of the press. We learned these facts about the man you know as Duke Ellington...'

      Central High Register
      Central High School
      Omaha, Nebr.
      1946-11-27 p.2.
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2024-07-14
      1946 11 16
      Saturday
      .Omaha, Nebr.Omaha AuditoriumConcert Tickets $1.00, $1.50, $2.00 plus tax

      Announced program:
      • Caravan
      • In a Mellow Tone
      • Solid, Old Man
      • Excerpts from Black, Brown, and Beige
      • Rugged Romeo
      • Sono
      • Air Conditioned Jungle
      • Circe
      • Excerpts from Perfume Suite
      • Bugle Break Extended
      • Take The A Train
      • Tonal Group
        • Fugueditti
        • Rhapoditti [sic]
        • Jamaditti
      • Magenta Haze
      • Group
        • Diminuedo In Blue
        • Transblucency
        • Crescendo In Blue
      • Bassist and Me
      • Suburbanite
      • Songs featuring Al Hibbler
      • Riffin' Drill
      Announced personnel
      • Anderson
      • Brown
      • Carney
      • Davis
      • de Paris
      • Ellington
      • Greer
      • Guy
      • Hardwick
      • Hamilton
      • Hemphill
      • Hibbler
      • Hodges
      • Jones
      • Jordan
      • Nance
      • Pettiford
      • Sears
      • Sherrill
      • F. Williams

        The Omaha Star, Omaha, Nebr.
        • 1946-11-15 pp. 1, 6
        • 1946-11-22 p.1
        The Omaha Guide, Omaha, Nebr.
        • 1946-11-16 pp. 1,2
        Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Nebr.
        • 1946-11-16 p.10
      • The Billboard 1946-11-09 p.16
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-07-12
      2024-07-14
      1946 11 16
      Saturday
      .Omaha, Nebr.Amvets Club Post No. 2 The Omaha Star

      '... After the concert, several of the members of the band visited the Amvets Club Post No. 2. Duke Ellington upon his visit to the Club, stated that Omaha should be proud of the way in which the veterans are serving the community and especially grateful to them for providing such fine wholesome entertainment. He praised the management of the Club and the group which had been attracted to the Sky Room. The orchestra leader said that the Amvets Club was among the finest in the Mdidle-West [sic]. He said, also, that he was very glad to be in Omaha and always enjoyed meeting his old friends.'

      The Omaha Star, Omaha, Nebr.
      1946-11-22 p.1.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2024-07-14
      1946 11 17
      Sunday
      .Kansas City, Mo.Municipal Auditorium"The Concert of Concerts" 8:30 p.m.

      Personnel named in ads and plugs:
      Hodges, Hibbler, Cox, Carney, Davis, Reinhardt, Anderson, Jordan, Sears, Pettiford, and Hamilton.

      Kansas City Times:

      '  With his white bow tie and traditional broad smile, tall Duke Ellington last night gave 2,000 customers in the Municipal Auditorium a preview of the concert his orchestra will play in Carnegie hall [sic] next Saturday...
        Even under the handicap of playing a concert on a platform in the Arena, Ellington and his boys delivered music that kept jazz fans cheering.
        The concert was strictly Ellington all the way, including musical scores. With the exception of a W.C.Handy medley ("Memphis Blues," "Beale Street Blues" and "St. Louis Blues"), the program was written by Ellington and his assistant, Billy Strayhorn. Besides the old familiars such as "The Mooche" and "Jumpin' Punkins," there were many new compositions with typical Ellington titles such as "Magnolias Just Dripping with Molasses," "The Beautiful Indians," "The Eighth Veil," "The Golden Cress" and "Overture to a Jam Session."
        Albert Hibbler, a 24-year-old Negro singer with the band, is blind but prefers not to capitalize on the handicap, Celley said. On a platform, such as he band used last night, he requires aid in getting to and from the microphone. However, he has a system of guidance similar to the radio beam guide for aircraft worked out for appearances on regular stages. A helper starts him from the wings and he walks toward Ellingotn, who is standing near the microphone talking, following the sound of his voice. After Hibbler sings, Ellington steps near the microphone and begins talking again. Hibbler locates Ellington by his voice and steps back toward the orchestra to keep from the wings. Then the helper in the wings starts talking, and Hibbler, takijng direction from the sound, walks toward him. In this manner, he keeps the crowd from knowing he cannot see.'

      • The Billboard 1946-11-09 p.16
      • The Kansas City Star,
        Kansas City, Mo.
        • 1946-11-10 p.4D
        • 1947-11-17 p.3D
      • "What to see in Kansas City"
        Maryville Daily Forum
        • 1946-11-14, p.8
      • The Plain Dealer,
        Kansas City, Kansas
        • 1946-11-15 p.6
      • The Kansas City Times,
        Kansas City, Mo.
        • 1946-11-18 p.15
      • Stratemann p.278
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-12
      2024-07-12
      1946 11 18
      Monday
      .Kansas City, Mo.."Race dance"

      Personnel named in the ad: Hodges, Hibbler, Cox, Carney, Davis, reinhardt
      • Stratemann, p.278, citing The Billboard 1946-11-09 p.16
      • The Plain Dealer, Kansas City, Kansas
        • 1946-11-15 p.6
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-07-12
      1946 11 19
      Tuesday
      8:30 pm
      1946 11 20Cedar Rapids, IowaMemorial Coliseum"Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra with Django Reinhardt, Famous French Guitarist in a 2 1/2 Hour Concert Tonight"
      The concert was supposed to start at 8:30 p.m. but due to transportation difficulties, the concert started an hour late. The band played until nearly midnight.
      • The Daily Iowan, Iowa City, Iowa
        1946-10-31 p.3
      • The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
        • 1946-11-01 p.16
        • 1946-11-02 p.7
        • 1946-11-03 p.11
        • 1946-11-08 p.16
        • 1946-11-10 pp.10, 11
        • 1946-11-11 p.10
        • 1946-11-12 p.16
        • 1946-11-13 p.18
        • 1946-11-14 p.24
        • 1946-11-15 p.20
        • 1946-11-16 p.7
        • 1946-11-17 p.11
        • 1946-11-18 p.12
        • 1946-11-19 p.18
        • 1946-11-20 p.18
      • Waterloo Sunday Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
        1946-11-03 p.18
      • Olwein Daily Register, Olwein, Iowa
        1946-11-19 p.6
      • Brief society column mention
        Journal-Tribune and Williamsburg Shopper Consolidated
        1946-11-28 p.8
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-14
      2023-08-07
      2024-07-13
      1946 11 20
      Wednesday
      .Cedar Rapids, Iowa.(Unconfirmed)

      Stratemann reports Ellington was in Cedar Rapids for two days, but provides no information about the second day.
      Stratemann p.278....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      1946 11 21
      Thursday

      1946 11 23
      Saturday
      New Haven, Conn.Shubert TheaterPeripheral event
      First 4 tryouts of Beggar's Holiday under the name "Twilight Alley."

      The California Ealge said the show would open in New Haven, then play in Newark, N.J. and Philadelphia before opening on Broadway the week before Christmas.
      • Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        1946-11-16, p.8
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        1946-11-21 p.18
      • Review, Variety 1946-11-27 p.60
      • Stratemann, p. 280 citing The Billboard, 1946-11-30-p.43
      ....New
      added
      2013-03-15
      2016-01-21
      2023-03-30
      1946 11 21
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented

      While the band was not involved in Beggar's Holiday, it seems quite likely that Ellington, who wrote the music, and Strayhorn, who orchestrated it, would have been present for at least some of the rehearsals and initial tryouts.
      .
      1946 11 22
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 11 23
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      57th Street and 7th Avenue
      (Main Hall)
      8:45 p.m., first of two concerts played to a sold-out theatre that seated 2,800.
      Tickets were priced between $1.20 and $4.80, tax included.
      Deep South Suite was performed.

      Django Reinhardt was on the bill.

      Stratemann reports on various negative reviews of the concert and comments on the poor P.A. system.
      • Sunday News>/i>, New York, N.Y.
        1946-11-03 p.86
      • Variety
      • Stratemann, p.278, citing
        • Variety 1946-11-22 p.41
        • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
          1946-11-23 p.21
        • Down Beat 1946-12-16 p.2
        • Metronome 1947-01-00 p.47
      • Harriett Johnson's detailed review
        PM, 1946-11-25, p.17
      New Desor
      DE4649
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-13
      2015-12-03
      2016-01-21
      2022-01-24
      2023-03-30
      2023-08-07
      2023-08-09
      1946 11 24
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      (Main Hall)
      8:45 p.m., second concert of a 2 night "Festival"
      Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 35 Carnegie Hall, New York, New York, November 24, 1946..
      • TDES Nov 2010
      • TDES Jun 2011
      djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      2015-12-03
      2016-01-23
      1946 11 25
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Longacre Theatre
      (WOR and MBS studio)
      220 W.48th St.
      (Times Square)
      Musicraft recording session
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, Anderson, Francis Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer
      Titles recorded:
      • Sultry Sunset
      • Happy Go Lucky Local - Part 2
      • Blue Skies
      • Happy Go Lucky Local - Part 1
      • Stratemann p.278
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-06-12
      New Desor
      DE4650
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      2024-06-12
      1946 11 25
      Monday
      .Hartford, Conn.. Peripheral event
      Beggar's Holiday tryouts continue. Stratemann says plans to continue tryouts at Newark's Opera House and in Philadelphia appear to have been changed in favour of a week in Hartford.
      Stratemann, p.280 citng The Billboard 1947-01-11 p44...djpNew
      added 2013-03-15
      1946 11 26
      Tuesday
      .Baltimore, Md...
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 11 27
      Wednesday
      .Lynchburg, Va.City ArmoryWithout citing sources, Stratemann and Vail I report an appearance at Lynchburg, but Variety reported it was cancelled:

      'Lynchburg Lifts Ban On Whites at Negro DancesLynchburg, Va., Sept. 3.
           City Council has lifted the ban slapped by City Manager R. W. B. Hart on white attendance at Negro dance dates in City Armory. But the Council has decreed a "strict segregation program" for future events.
           Council authorized Hart to draw up an "ironclad contract" guaranteeing Negro and white spectators and dancers would be kept apart in the Armory. At the same time, the Council put its foot down on inter-racial athletic contests.
           Charlie Gilmore, Negro dance promoter, said Duke Ellington had cancelled a Thanksgiving show in Lynchburg because of the Hart ban. Later, a white World War II vets' organization sent a delegation to Council to protest against "one-man ruling" by Hart.'

      Variety 1946-09-04 p.46....New
      Added
      2022-03-12
      1946 11 27
      Wednesday
      .Petersburg, Va.Virginia Hall Auditorium
      Virginia State College
      Concert

      Richmond Times-Dispatch has Ellington's orchestra at Virginia State College as part of the Virginia State College 1946 Artists' Series.

      '...Duke Ellington brings his orchestra to the college November 27, Thanksgiving eve. His appearance will be strictly under concert conditions and will provide an opportunity for his followers to hear the works of this composer and orchestra leader played in the atmosphere of a concert hall. Featured with the orchestra are Harry Carney, Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown and Al Hibbler... '



      Vail I and Stratemann misdate this concert as Nov. 28.
      Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
      • 1946-09-08 p.10-D
      • 1946-09-15 p.10-D
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-03-12
      2023-08-06
      1946 11 28
      Thursday
      U.S. Thanksgiving
      .Petersburg, Va...
      .....Added
      2011
      1946 11 29
      Friday
      .Philadelphia, Penn. Academy of MusicConcert
      Duke Ellington and his orchestra, Django Reinhart

      The concert was to start at 8:45 but the band equipment, shipped by rail, was delayed due to a coal strike, and the concert started "well after 10 o'clock." The curtain was raised while the band was still setting up, with Sonny Greer assembling hius drums and other band members moving on and off stage.
      • The Philadelphia Inquirer's tepid review by Frank Brookhouser said Deep South Suite was performed, there were flashes of individual virtuosity from Brown, Hodges, Carney and Ellington, Sears got the joint to jump on tenor, and Brown was the strong man of the band.
      • Chuck Moore's syndicated column and separate review in the same edition of the San Antonio Register panned the concert, describing it as a pitiful performance. His review was headlined Scribe Says Duke's Philly Concert Stinks. and names the programme played:
        • Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium [sic]
        • The Mooche
        • Jumpin' Punkins
        • Memphis Blues
        • Beale Street Blues
        • St. Louis Blues (sung by Marion Cox)
        • The Eighth Veil (Cat Anderson)
        • The Golden Feather (Harry Carney)
        • Flippant Flurry (Jimmy Hamilton)
        • The Golden Crest [sic] (Lawrence Brown)
        • A very Unbooted Character (Harold Baker and Ray Nance)
        • Sultry Sunset (Johnny Hodges)
        • Deep South Suite
        • intermission
        • Take the A Train
        • The Beautiful Indians, Minnehaha (Kay Davis)
        • The Beautiful Indians, Hiawatha (Al Sears)
        • unnamed pieces by Reinhardt
        • Vocals by Hibbler:
          • In My Little Brown Book
          • You Don't Love Me No More
          • You're My Meat
          • I'm Just A Lucky So-an-So [sic]
      • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
        • 1946-11-17 p.15
        • 1946-11-30 p.6
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        • 1946-12-06 p.7
      ..Django & Duke's other 1946 USA Tour Venues..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-03-03
      2023-03-25
      2023-08-06
      1946 11 30
      Saturday
      .Syracuse, N.Y.Lincoln Auditorium
      Central High School
      Concert, 8:30 p.m.

      DAVE SALMON, INC.
      PRESENTS
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      And His Orchestra
      Repeating His
      CARNEGIE HALL CONCERT
      Featuring First Appearance In America
      DJANGO REINHARDT

      • Personnel
        • Reeds
          • Procope
          • Hodges
          • Hamilton
          • Carney
        • Trumpets
          • Nance
          • Baker
          • Francis Williams
          • Hemphill
        • Trombones
          • Brown
          • de Paris
          • Claude Jones
        • Rhythm
          • Guy
          • Ellington
          • Pettiford
          • Greer
        • Vocals
          • Marion Cox
          • Kay Davis
          • Albert Hibbler
        • Guest
          • Django Reinhart (guest)
      • Leonard Feather's programme notes:
        • Fifth annual Carnegie Hall Concert tour
        • Elllington again won "Best Arranger" and "Best Orchestra" divisions of Esquire All-American jazz poll
        • Procope is lead alto
        • Baker has returned after Army service (the G.I. Bill allowed soldiers to return to their pre-enlistment jobs.
        • Williams is new
        • Pettiford plays bass but not cello yet.
        • Cox recently joined
        • Reinhardt arrived Oct. 29
    • Syracuse programme
      Syracuse programme
      Click to Enlarge
      Programme:
      • Overture to a Jam Session (Strayhorn)
      • The Mooche (Ellington)
      • Jumpin' Punkins (M. Ellington)
      • Mr. Handy's Medley (Big Three) (Handy)
        • A.Memphis Blues
        • B. Beale St. Blues
        • C. St. Louis Blues
      • The Eighth Veil (Strayhorn-Ellington)
      • The Golden Feather
      • Flippant Flurry
      • The Golden Cress
      • A Very Unbooted Character
      • Sultry Sunset
      • The Deep South Suite
        • A. Magnolias Just Dripping With Molasses
        • B. Heresay
        • C. There Was Nobody Looking
        • D.Happy-Go-Lucky Local
      • An Ellington Band Theme (Ellington)
      • The Beautiful Indians (Ellington)
        • A. Minnehaha
        • B. Hiawatha
      • Albert Hibbler - In Songs (Ellington - lyrics and music)
        • A. You Don't Love Me No Morew
        • B. Pretty Woman
      • Django Reinhart – Selections on the Guitar
      • Duke Ellington at the Piano (Ellington)
    • Advertised ticket prices were $1.20, $1.80, $2.10, $3.00 and $3.60 including tax.
      • Tickets for Row C right Seat 30, Row D right Seat 34, and Row F right Seat 44 were offered in online auctions between 2015 and 2020. Each showed Est. Price $3.00 Federal Tax 60¢ Total $3.60.
      • Standing Room Only ticket 42 was offered on eBay in 2024, saying Main Floor, Est. Price $1.00 Federal Tax 20¢ Total $1.20.
      • Syracuse Herald-American, Syracuse, N.Y.
        • 1946-09-15, p23
        • 1946-11-10 p.18
      • The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.
        • 1946-10-27 s.III p.6
        • 1946-11-03 p.24
        • 1946-11-10 p.12
        • 1946-11-17 p.6
        • 1946-11-22 p.20
        • 1946-11-28 p.22
        • 1946-11-29 p.14
        • 1946-11-30, pp.6, 12
      • Cornell Daily Sun,Ithaca, N.Y,
        • 1946-11-13 p.8
      • The Colgate Maroon, Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y.
        • 1946-11-27 p.3
      • Syracuse Herald-Journal, Syracuse, N.Y.
        • 1946-11-29 p.43
      • Tickets as noted
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-04-15
        re ticket 42
      • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 36 Lincoln Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, November 30, 1946
      ..CAH clippingdjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-13
      2016-01-23
      2023-03-26
      2023-03-30
      2023-08-07
      2024-04-15
      2024-07-12

      December 1946

      1946 12 01
      Sunday
      .Boston, Mass.Symphony Hall8:30 p.m. concert

      'A Spencer Fuller Attraction
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      AND HIS CONCERT ORCHESTRA
      FEATURING DJANGO REINHARDT - GUITARIST
      Tickets $1.20 $1.80 $2.40 $3.00 $3.60 Tax Inc. '


      • Boston Sunday Globe, Boston, Mass.
        1946-11-24 p.A-5
      • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
        1946-11-27 p.7
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-03-30
      1946 12 02
      Monday
      .Cranston, R.I.Rhodes-On-The-PawtuxetProbably a dance since the venue is a ballroom.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      1946 12 03
      Tuesday
      1946 12 17?Boston, Mass.Opera House Peripheral event
      Twilight Alley handbill
      Twilight Alley handbill
      Click to Enlarge

      Twilight Alley ad
      Twilight Alley ad
      The final two weeks of Beggar's Holiday (now called Twilight Alley) tryouts begin in Boston. Curtain was to be 8:30 p.m. with matinees Wednesday and Saturday

      After the show returned to New York for restaging, star Libby Holman left the cast and was replaced by Bernice Parks 3 days before the New York opening. Winchell's column said Holman was replaced because she was miscast.
      • The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
        1946-12-04 p.34
      • "Walter Winchell In New York"
        Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1946-12-30 p.21
      • Stratemann, p.280 citing The Billboard 1947-01-11 p.44
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-03-15
      updated
      2023-03-30
      2024-04-11
      1946 12 03
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 04
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 05
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Longacre Theatre
      (WOR and MBS studio)
      220 W.48th St.
      (Times Square)
      Musicraft recording session
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, Francis Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Davis
      Titles recorded:
      • The Beautiful Indians 2. Hiawatha
      • Flippant Flurry
      • Golden Feather
      • The Beautiful Indians 1. Minnehaha
      Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-06-12New Desor
      DE4651
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      2024-06-12
      1946 12 06
      Friday
      .New Castle, Penn.Cathedral Ballroom.Westminster College semi-formal "Dance of the Year" 8:30 to 12:30. The Dean of Women initially gave permission to female students to stay out until 2 a.m. when the dance was scheduled to end at 1, but changed it to 1:30 when the dance was moved ahead to accommodate the band's train departure to Detroit.
      • The booking agent, The Orchestra Bureau of Philadelphia, suggested five bands for Dec. 6, one for Dec. 7 and one of the first for Dec. 13. Ellington's and Tony Pastor's were available for $2,000; Raymond Scott, Bobbie Byrne and Randy Brooks for $1,500 and Hal McIntyre for $1,500.
      • The Dec. 6 campus newspaper announced Duke and his orchestra had arrived, that 550 tickets had been sold on campus and another 100 were expected to be sold at the door. New Castle, Pa., News reported over 1,300 people danced. The Billboard's one sentence agreed 1,300 attended, and said tickets were $6 per couple.
      • The student body voted 619 to 268 to select Ellington's band. Students and faculty made donations between $25 to $200 to finance the affair, raising $2,756.40 by the end of the November 1 pep rally. The booking agent wrote to the student body, congratulating it and the organizers for their teamwork and efforts. He specifically mentioned a coed who donated all her pin money, $12, to the cause. New Castle Pa. News reported the contributions could be returned with interest since 1,350 tickets were 46 11 28sold.
      • The Holcad,
        Westminster College, New Wilmington, Penn.
        • 1946-10-25 p.1
        • 1946-11-01 p.1
        • 1946-11-08 pp.1, 2
        • 1946-12-06 p.1
      • New Castle, Pa. News, New Castle, Penn.
        • 1946-12-07 p.2
      • The Billboard 1946-12-21 p.30
      ....New
      added
      2023-08-06
      updated 2024-04-11
      1946 12 07
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Masonic Temple Auditorium2 hour concert, advertised for 8:20 p.m. but starting 45 minutes late.
      5,000 fans (Stratemann quotes The Billboard as saying "near-capacity house of 4,400 people," grossing $9,546.

      Band members named in the Dec. 1 ad:
      • William Anderson
      • Harold Baker
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Harry Carney
      • Marion Cox
      • Kay Davis
      • Wilbur De Paris
      • Sonny Greer
      • Freddy Guy
      • James Hamilton
      • Shelton Hemphill
      • Albert Hibbler
      • Johnny Hodges
      • Taft Jordan
      • Ray Nance
      • Oscar Pettiford
      • Russell Procope
      • Al Sears
      • Claude Jones
      • Frances Williams
      • Django Reinhardt was also named.

      Pieces played by the band included
      • Deep South Suite (feature)
      • The Golden Cress
      • Transblucency
      • "A medley"
      Django Reinhart (with 2 encores) played
      • Honeysuckle Rose
      • Just Me, Just You
      • Improvisations No.7

      The printed program reads:
      MASONIC TEMPLE

      IRVING TEICHER
      presents
      The DUKE ELLINGTON Show

      SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 7th, 1946 -- 8:30 P.M.

      PROGRAM

      THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

      1. Overture to a Jam Session at the Aquarium

      Billy Strayhorn
      2. The Mooche

      Duke Ellington
      3. Jumpin PunkinsMercer Ellington
      • Rhythm Section

      4. Mr. Handy's Medley (Big Three)

      • Memphis Blues
      • Beale Street Blues
      • St. Louis Blues
        Vocal by Marion Cox

      W.C. Handy
      5. The Eighth VeilStrayhorn-Ellington
      • Trumpet – – Harold Baker

      6. The Golden FeatherEllington
      • Baritone Sax – – Harry Carney

      7. Flippant FlurryStrayhorn
      • Clarinet – – Jimmy Hamilton

      8. The Golden CressBrown-Ellington
      • Trombone – – Lawrence Brown

      9. A Very Unbooted CharacterEllington
        Trumpets – – Harold Baker and Ray Nance

      10. Sultry SunsetEllington
        Alto Sax – – Johnny Hodges

      11. The Deep South Suite
      • (a) Magnolias Just Dripping with Molasses
      • (b) "Heresay"
      • (c) There Was Nobody Looking
      • (d) Happy Go Lucky Local

      Strayhorn-Ellington
      INTERMISSION

      12. An Ellington Band Theme [-]

      13. The Beautiful Indians
      • (a) Minnehaha--Vocal by Kay Davis
      • (b) Hiawatha
           Tenor Sax--Al Sears Trumpet--Taft Jordan

      Ellington
      14. Al Hibbler--In Songs
      • (a) You Don't Love Me No More
      • (b) Pretty Woman

      Ellington
      15. Django Reinhardt

      16. Duke Ellington at the Piano

      PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE
      Lasker:

      'The single page printed program for this concert is stuck inside a 20-page program. The songs listed on the single page are also found in the longer program, except Heresay is shown as Hearsay. It's possible (seems likely) that this same concert program was played on multiple occasions, especially since the same set lists appears in program number four [1947 May-June]. Personnel list corresponds to sometime between 1946 07 20 and February 1947.'

      • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1946-11-24 pt.2 p.6
        • 1946-12-01 pt.2 p.9
      • The Windsor Daily Star, Windsor, Ont.
      • Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
        1946-12-07 p.13
      • Stratemann p.278 citing The Billboard 1946-12-21 p.46
      • Email, S. Lasker-Palmquist, 2016-04-05 with program details
      ...djp slAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      2016-04-05
      2017-04-25
      2022-01-08
      2023-08-06
      1946 12 08
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 09
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 10
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 11
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Longacre Theatre
      (WOR and MBS studio)
      220 W.48th St.
      (Times Square)
      Musicraft recording session
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, Francis Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Davis
      Titles recorded:
      • Overture to a Jam Session I
      • Overture to a Jam Session II
      • Jam-a-Ditty
      Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-06-12New Desor
      DE4652
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      2024-06-12
      2024-06-12
      1946 12 12
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 13
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 14
      Saturday
      .Portland, Me.City HallThis appears to be a concert.

      In Person
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      Directing
      The World's Most
      Famous Band
      ...
      City Hall Box Office Opens 7 P.M.
      Adm. 'til 8.30, 1.25 p.t.

      • Lewiston Evening Journal, Lewiston, Me.
        • 1946-12-11 p.17
        • 1946-12-13 p.23
      • The Lewiston Daily Sun, Lewiston, Me.
        • 1946-12-12 p.19
        • 1946-12-14 p.13
      • Biddeford Daily Journal, Biddeford, Me.
        • 1946-12-13 p.2
      • Portland Press Herald, Portland, Me.
        • 1946-12-13 p.37
      • Portland Evening Express, Portland, Me.
        • 1946-12-14 p.5
      ...djpNew
      added2024-04-15
      1946 12 15
      Sunday
      .Holyoke, Mass.Valley Arena GardensVaudeville: 2:30, 7 and 9 p.m.

      Holyoke (Mass.) Transcript-Telegram:

      '...Duke Ellington will bring his world-famous orchestra to the Valley Arena Gardens Sunday for three performances...Duke has a supporting cast of soloists and featured singers...Among them are Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Marion Cox and Lawrence Brown.
         Don Cummings, comedian, heads the cast of the stage show, while other vaudeville acts include the Four Elgins, comedy juggler [sic], Bedell and Matson, comedians, Ralph and Mary Carnivale, novely act, and Los Acres, acrobats...'

      The Transcript Telegram's anonymous two-column report is mostly biographical, but includes

      ...The Transcript reporter caught the taffy-colored composer, conductor and arranger between the afternoon and evening shows at the Valley Arena yesterday...
      ...He and the band work on a three-day week right now...Asked why he hadn't played the medley of his own compositions for the afternoon Arena audience, Ellington stated he hadn't quite felt up to it. He promised he would do so far [sic] the evening performance. And he did. Such never-to-be-forgotten scores such as Solitude, I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart, Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady and Beginning to See the Light and Don't Get Around Much Any More...Ellinton [sic], whose music is completely relaxed just as his whole band is, compares his position to that of a farmer. "Having a band is just like having a farm," he says. "Only it's better. This way you sow the seed and the next day you have the harvest. With a farm you have to wait until the fall." What does America's top arranger, composer, and musician want for Christmas? A good day's rest and a good night's sleep.'

      • Holyoke (Mass.) Transcript-Telegram, Holyoke, Mass.
        • 1946-12-07 p.2
        • 1946-12-13 p.18
        • 1946-12-14 p.2
        • 1946-12-16 p.2
      • Greenfield Recorder, Greenfield, Mass.
        • 1946-12-07 p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2024-04-15
      1946 12 16
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 17
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 17
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.. Peripheral event
      Hodges, Carney and Brown participated in a Columbia Records "Metronome All Stars" recording session
      ...Vail I p308 photo.Added
      2011
      1946 12 18
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Longacre Theatre
      (WOR and MBS studio)
      220 W.48th St.
      (Times Square)
      Musicraft recording session
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, Francis Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Davis
      Titles recorded:
      • Tulip or Turnip
      • It Shouldn't Happen to a Dream
      Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-06-12New Desor
      DE4653
      DEMSTimner corrections 4/21+29djp(New)

      Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-15
      2024-06-12
      1946 12 19
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 20
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 21
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 22
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 23
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 24
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Broadway Theatreactivities not documented
      Beggar's Holiday: false date

      Ellington researcher/collector Benny Aasland wrote in DEMS Bulletin 1992/3 that Beggar's Holiday opened Dec. 24, but it actually opened on Dec. 26, with a preview on Dec. 25. See below.
      .92,3-5DEMS
      • Strat279
      ..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-11-21
      1946 12 25
      Wednesday
      Christmas
      ...activities not documented......
      1946 12 25
      Wednesday
      Christmas
      .New York, N.Y.Broadway Theatre
      Broadway at 53 St.
      Peripheral event
      Preview performance of Beggar's Holiday to benefit Paul Robeson's Council on African [sic] Affairs
      Stratemann, p.280...djpNew
      added 2013-03-15
      1946 12 26
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Broadway Theatre
      Broadway at 53 St.
      activities not documented
      Peripheral event
      Beggar's Holiday opened at the Broadway.

      'Critic Calls Duke Ellington Score Superb
      By John Chapman
        New York (Special) - Of the new theater attractions presented during the holidays, two have the particular merit of trying to go beyond the routine of manufacturing some thing in the familiar Brondway mold , and a third was an almost successful venture into that most difficult field, fantasy. Their titles, in order, "Beggar's Holiday" a musical...
        Most notable of the trio, and notable at any time, is the musical...
        "Beggar's Holiday," a Negro-and-white modernization of John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera," was a saga of disaster before its Broadway premiere, and producers with less courage than Perry Watkins and John S. Sheppard Jr. would have abandoned it and fled to the bankruptcy courts. There was casting trouble, of course, and one major substitution was made virtually at the last minute. Boston ...did not like "Holiday" at all. In the second week of a projected 3-week stand, the show wrestled exactly $6,695 from the Athenians of Massachusetts. Since it took $27,000 to break even, the third week was canceled, after suitable payments to the unexpectedly darkened theater.
        Along the Rialto it was reported that Messrs. Watkins and Sheppard were frantically looking for more angel money so they could unload their show from the frate cars and install it in the Broadway theater. Certainly no pre-premiere experiences could have been more dismal.
        Happily, everybody connected with the enterprise kept on plugging, and when it did open "Beggar's Holiday" ptoved to be a delightful novelty.
      The highwayman of the 18th century version becomes an American gangster; the locales include the exterior and interior of a bordello, a hobo jungle on the edge of the town, a jail and the abutment of a bridge. The plot is serviceable, providing roles for white and Negro players of varying talents – but it is the treatment of the plot, rather than the story itself, which gives "Beggar's Holiday" distinction.
        The composer, Duke Ellington, and the lyrist, John Latouche, have made their work an integrated affair, rather than a series of musical numbers hopefully offered for the juke box trade – Mr. Ellington's score is superb. There is so much in it that I cannot guess after one hearing whether any of it is destined for popularity in the radio and record businesses; all I know is that it is warm, lively, inventive, and melodious. Mr. Ellington and his collaborator most of the time avoid the set verse-and-chorus formula, yet they have never made any overstrained effort at being screwy. And there are enough songs, goodness knows, with 19 in the first act and 11 in the second, counting reprises. Mr. Latouche's lyrics are of a high order – the work of a literary man and not a hack.
        The talented Oliver Smith, whose settings for "On the Town" marked him as an unusual scenic artist, has contributed magnificently to "Beggar's Holiday."
        With the work of Ellington and Latouche to sing and the surroundings of Smith in which they can appear picturesque, the players are well endowed. And their own talents are often of a high order. Alfred Drake's easygoing masculinity and his good baritone voice make him an excellent choice for the leading role. His co-workers, including Bernice Parks, Avon Long, Mildred Smith, and Jet MacDonald, are a pleasant lot, and for those who like the low comedy of Zero Mostel there Is Mr. Mostel.
        The visual effectiveness of the musical is not in its settings alone, or in the fine costumes of Walter Floret]; It also is in the movement one sees upon the stage. Valerie Bettis, the dance director, has conceived some colorful dance numbers and, with Nicholas Ray as the book director, has achieved a continuously lively stage pageant.'

      Walter Winchell's syndicated column said Libby Holman had been miscast, that the cost to date was $350,000, with J. Shepherd Jr. down for $200,000.
      • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
        1946-12-29 p.B-7
      • "Walter Winchell In New York"
        Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1946-12-30 p.21
      • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        1947-01-05 pt.6 p.4
      • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-01-11 p.17
        • 1947-01-18 p.21
      • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-03-29 p.26
      ...djpNew
      added
      2022-05-28
      updated
      2023-03-24
      2023-03-27
      2024-04-11
      1946 12 27
      Friday
      1947 01 02
      Thursday
      Chicago, Ill.Regal Theatre
      47th & South Parkway
      Vaudeville

      DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous ORCHESTRA
      featuring Johnny Hodges
      Oscar Pettiford - Lawrence Brown
      Harry Carney - Ray Nance - Al Hibbler
      Kay Davis and Marion Cox
      with an ALL-STAR
      HOLIDAY REVUE
      Starring
      APUS & ESTRELLITA - FRED DOUGLAS
      COOK AND BROWN
      SPECIAL NEW YEAR'S EVE SHOW Last Complete Show Starts 11 P.M.

      • Possibly Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-12-18 p.6
      • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-12-28 p.12
        • 1946-12-30 p.14
        • 1947-01-01 p.46
        • 1947-01-02 p.18
      • The Chicago Sun, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-12-23 p.12
        • 1946-12-29 p.19
        • 1946-12-30 p.12
        • 1947-01-01 p.2
      • Chicago Times and Chicago Sunday Times
        Chicago, Ill.
        • 1946-12-22 p.36
        • 1946-12-27 p.41
        • 1946-12-28 p.17
        • 1946-12-30 p.25
        • 1946-12-31 p.20
        • 1947-01-02 p.29
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-05
      2024-04-15
      2024-07-19
      1946 12 28
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 12 27.....Added
      2011
      1946 12 29
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 12 27.....Added
      2011
      1946 12 30
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 12 27.....Added
      2011
      1946 12 31
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 12 27.....Added
      2011



      Back to Navigation List

      1947


      . fa
      Date of event Ending date
      (if different)
      City/
      Other place
      Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
      Desor
      reference
      DEMS
      reference
      Other
      references
      Contact
      person
      Date added
      / updated
      1946 - 1947.New York, N.Y.."Carnation Contented Hour"
      .New Desor
      DE9072
      DEMSNDCS 1089.Added
      2011
      1947 00 00
      1950 00 00.U.S.A.In the 2013-01-29 New York Times, Grace Elizabeth Hale, a professor of history and American studies at the University of Virginia, wrote:

      'By the late 1940s, black sales representatives worked the Southern Black Belt and Northern black urban areas, black fashion models appeared in Pepsi ads in black publications, and special point-of-purchase displays appeared in stores patronized by African-Americans. The company hired Duke Ellington as a spokesman.'

      The New York Times obituary for Pepsi-Cola marketing executive Edward F. Boyd says

      'His program also included having celebrities like Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton give "shout-outs" for Pepsi from the stage.'

      Tanner Colby, Mad Men and Black America:

      'After World War II, seeking a competitive advantage over market leader Coca-Cola, Pepsi's staunchly liberal CEO Walter Mack decided to radically expand his company's marketing efforts in the underserved black community. He hired a team of black sales reps and marketers to blanket the rural Black Belt of the South and the urban enclaves of the North. This team was responsible for hiring some of the first black fashion models used by a major brand. They created the first in-store, point-of-purchase displays targeting black shoppers and hired Duke Ellington to endorse Pepsi from the stage during his shows.'

      ....New
      added
      2013-01-31

      January 1947

      1947 01 00...Personnel change
      Cat Anderson, trumpet, leaves the band. He will return in November, 1950.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-10
      1947 01 01
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 12 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 02
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1946 12 27

      Last day
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 01 03
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 01 04.Springfield, OhioMemorial HallDance

      Duke Ellington
      And His Famous Orchestra
      SAT., JAN. 4th
      Hours 10 to 2
      Adm. $1.75 – Adv. Price $1.50
      Balcony Open To Spectators, $1.00
      ADV. TICKETS ON SALE AT
      Hotel Burton, Babes, Hawks,
      Pettigrew Record Shop
      A Pals Presentation

      • Springfield (O.) Daily News
        • 1946-12-29 p.5-C
        • 1946-12-31 p.5
        • 1947-01-01 p.9
        • 1947-01-03 p.15
        • 1947-01-05 p.5
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2024-04-11
      2024-04-15
      1947 01 05
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 01 06
      Monday
      .Springfield, Ohio.Sidemen's activities are not documented

      LISTEN TO
      SPECIAL
      GUEST
      APPEARANCE
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON

      ON
      RECORD SHOP
      REVIEW
      9:30 to 9:55
      TONIGHT
      on WIZE
      Whether the Ellington broadcast was a live on-air interview or prerecorded is unknown. Prerecording seems likely, since Duke had a recording session in New York the next day.
      Springfield (O.) Daily News
      Springfield, Ohio
      1947-01-06 p.2
      ....New
      added
      2024-04-11
      1947 01 07
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Pathé Studios
      105 E. 106th St. (at Park Ave.)

      The Billboard 1946-11-23 p.14 announced RKO Pathé leased its New York studios to Capitol Records for any type of recording except motion picture sound tracks. Capitol was to carry out all its New York recording activities here.

      Capitol Radio Transcription recording session
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, F. Williams, W. Jones, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C. Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer

      Titles recorded:
      • Golden Feather
      • Golden Cress
      • Flippant Flurry
      • Jam-A-Ditty
      • Fugueaditti
      • Happy Go Lucky Local - Parts 1 & 2
      • Overture To A Jam Session
      • Sultry Sunset
      • Stratemann, p.285
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2022-01-23
      New Desor
      DE4701
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-29
      2022-01-28
      1947 01 08
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 01 09
      Thursday
      1947 01 15Boston, Mass.RKO Boston Theatre

      The Boston Daily Globe ads are for "RKO Boston," but various sources refer to the venue as "RKO-Boston Theatre" and "Keith Boston." From what I can make out in "Built in Boston, City and Suburb 1800-2000," by Douglass Shand-Tucci, there was a Boston Theatre and an RKO Keith Theatre side by side, and across the street, the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre. "

      Vaudeville Old & New, An Encyclopedia of Variety Performers in America, Vol. I" lists 14 Keith-Albee theatres in Boston on page 603, none named "Keith's RKO Theatre".)

      Vaudeville- 4 shows a day
      - every day except Sunday: 12:35 3:40 6:30 9:05
      -Sunday: 1:00, -:35, 6:15 and 8:5-   [- denotes illegible]
      Ellington's orchestra with Peck and Peck, Howell and Bowser, and Fred Douglas

      John W. Riley, The Boston Daily Globe Jan. 10:

      '...the opening show which Ellington and his men put on yesterday was a model of musical interest, expertness and good taste. Seldom in recent years have we seen a "band show" so smoothly put together, so well balanced in regard to variety and so perfectly performed all round.
        Not only does Ellington himstelf garner awards, but his men share. ... This year... Harry Carney gets "The Esquire" Silver Award, and Al Hibbler will receive the Bronze Award as outstanding new vocalist of 1947.
        ...yesterday's show moved at a swift pace and with engaging spirits.
        Peck and Peck had some unusual, impressionistic dances. Marian Cox is a tall, striking gal who sang odd variations on "St. Louis Blues." Freddie Douglas was better at dancing than at making gags or magic tricks. But he drew laughs.
        Duke Ellington's piano medleys...were charming in simplicity and tunefullness...
        Kay Davis' vocalise, "Minnehaha" displayed a lovely voice and melody. Ray Nance had fun with "Just Squeeze Me."
        But certainly the hits of the show, if any could be better than the band itself, were the old time song and dance patter of Howell and Bowser, and Albert Hibbler...has a lot to offer audiences who are tired of crooners and groaners..."

      The Billboard review, signed Bill Riley, is a reworking of The Boston Daily Globe review above.

      • The Boston Daily Globe and
        The Boston Sunday Globe,
        Boston, Mass.
        • 1947-01-08 pp.16, 17
        • 1947-01-09 p.17
        • 1947-01-10 p.24
        • 1947-01-11 p.12
        • 1947-01-12 pp. A-4, 6-A
        • 1947-01-13 pp.5, 14
        • 1947-01-14 p.7
        • 1947-01-15 p.8
      • The Billboard:
        • 1947-01-11 p.35
        • 1947-01-18 p.35
        • 1947-01-25 p.38
        • Stratemann p.285 citing
          Variety 1947-01-15 p.23
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-29
      2024-04-19
      1947 01 10
      Friday
      .Boston, Mass.RKO Boston TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 09

      Just before the 9:05 set, Boston Pops conductor Arthur Fiedler presented Ellington with his third Esquire 'Gold Award'. This award was for the 'top popular music composer and arranger' of 1946.

      John W. Riley, The Boston Daily Globe Jan. 10:

        Tonight at 9:03 Arthur Fiedler of the Boston Pops Orchestra, will step on the stage of the RKO Boston Theatre to make presentation of "The Esquire" Gold Award to Duke Ellington. This will be the third year in which Ellington has received this acknowledgement as the nation's number one popular music composer and arranger.
        And no wonder! [see preceding entry for the rest of Riley's review]

      The Billboard's review of the show, reworked Riley's Boston Globe revew but is datelined Thursday afternoon, Jan. 9. Published Jan. 18, it puts this in the past tense: This week in Boston, Duke Ellington received from Arthur Fiedler...

      • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
        1947-01-08 p.17
      • The Billboard 1947-01-18 pp.35, 38
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-29
      2022-01-08
      2024-04-19
      1947 01 11
      Saturday
      .Boston, Mass.RKO Boston TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 12
      Sunday
      .Boston, Mass.Symphone HallLionel Hampton gave a concert at 8:30 p.m. Barry Ulanov was the commentator. The Boston Sunday Globe said Ellington was to present Hampton with a plaque as a member of the American Honor Roll of 1946, but neither the presentation nor Ellington were mentioned the terse next-day review in The Boston Daily Globe.
      • The Boston Sunday Globe,
        Boston, Mass.
        1947-01-12 p.A-4
      • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.1947-01-13 p.5
      ....New
      Added
      2024-04-19
      1947 01 12
      Sunday
      .Boston, Mass.RKO Boston TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 13
      Monday
      .Boston, Mass.RKO Boston TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 14
      Tuesday
      .Boston, Mass.RKO Boston TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 15
      Wednesday
      .Boston, Mass.RKO Boston TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 16
      Thursday
      1947 01 22
      Wednesday
      Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville

      The Afro-American review named Kay Davis, Al Sears, Marian Cox, Ray Nance, Al Hibbler, and songs Just You, Happy Go Lucky Local, Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Minnehaha, Hiawatha, St. Louis Blues, Just Squeeze Me.

      The accompanying acts were Howell and Bowser, Freddie Douglas, and Peck and Peck.
      The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
      1947-01-21
      ..VARphotodjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-01-08
      1947 01 17
      Friday
      .Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 16.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 18
      Saturday
      .Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 16.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 19
      Sunday
      .Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 16.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 20
      Monday
      .Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 16.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 21
      Tuesday
      .Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 16.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 22
      Wednesday
      .Baltimore, Md.Royal TheatreVaudeville - see 1947 01 16.....Added
      2011
      1947 01 23
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 01 24
      Friday
      ...Business event
      Al Sears assigned his rights to The Beautiful Indians - Hiawatha to Tempo Music Inc.

      The contract was signed by Sears, Ellington and Daniel James
      Tempo Music Inc. - Al Sears contract...djpNew
      added
      2022-06-05
      1947 01 24
      Friday
      1947 01 30
      Thursday
      Detroit, Mich.Paradise Theater
      (formerly Orchestra Hall)
      2500 seats
      3711 Woodward at Parsons
      • Vaudeville
      • DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON AND ORCHESTRA! PLUS HUGE REVUE
        Advertisements name Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Al Hibbler & Marion Cox. Accompanying acts: Howell & Bowser, Freddy Douglas. The film was Rio Grande Raiders.
      • Ellington's show was the headliner for the first week this newly renovated/renamed theatre was open.
      • The theatre held an amateur night Tuesdays at 7:30; it isn't known if Ellington had one more show that evening or not.
      • Saturday there was a gala midnight show.
      • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1947-01-19 pt.1 p.6
        • 1947-01-20 p.10
        • 1947-01-21 p.9
        • 1947-01-22 p.17
        • 1947-01-23 pp.9, 14
        • 1947-01-24 p.17
        • 1947-01-25 pp.11, 12, 15
        • 1947-01-27 p.10
        • 1947-01-28 pp.9, 10
        • 1947-01-29 pp.15, 16
        • 1947-01-30 p.14
      • The Detroit Tribune, Detroit,Mich.
        • 1947-01-11 p.13
        • 1947-01-18 p.4
        • 1947-01-25 p.4
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      2023-03-30
      2024-06-10
      1947 01 25
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1947 01 24

      Detroit Free Press:

      'Direct from the stage of the Paradise Theater, at 4:30 p.m. Saturday over Station CKLW a jazz concert will be broadcast by Duke Ellington and his orchestra for the benefit of the 1947 March of Dimes.
           Featured will be Johnny Hodges, Marion Cox, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford and Ray Nance.'

      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      1947 01 26
      Sunday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1947 01 24.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      1947 01 27
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1947 01 24.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      1947 01 28
      Tuesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1947 01 24

      Amateur night.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      1947 01 29
      Wednesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1947 01 24.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      1947 01 30
      Thursday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterVaudeville - see 1947 01 24.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-29
      1947 01 31
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......

      February 1947

      1947 02 01
      Saturday
      .Gary, Ind...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 02 02...Personnel change
      "Dud" Bascomb, trumpet, joins the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-10
      1947 02 02
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera House
      20 N. Wacker Dr.
      Recorded concert 8:30 p.m.
      Tickets $1.20 $1.80 $2.40 $3.00 $3.60 tax included

      'DOWNBEAT presents
      "AMERICA'S GENIUS OF JAZZ"
      WITH HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
      IN CONCERT
      One Evening Only
      Direct from Carnegie Hall N.Y.
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      Winner of National Poll "Sweet and Swing"
      GET SET FOR AN AMAZING MUSICAL TREAT
      JOHNNY HODGES, HARRY CARNEY , LAWRENCE BROWN, RAY NANCE, AL SEARS, WILLIAM ANDERSON, TAFT JORDAN, HAROLD BAKER, KAY DAVIS, MARION COX, others.'


      Personnel: Hemphill, Jordan, Bascomb, F. Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, De Paris, C.Jones, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, Davis, Cox

      Songs recorded:
      • Happy Go Lucky Local
      • Beggar's Holiday Medley:
        • 1. Take Love Easy
        • 2. When I Walk With You
        • 3. Tomorrow Mountain
        • 4. Brown Penny
      • Triple Play
      • Near Mess
      • THE BEAUTIFUL INDIANS:
        • 1. Minnehaha
        • 2. Hiawatha
      Chicago Daily Tribune

      'Chapel Choir and Ellington Give Concerts
      BY ALBERT GOLDBERG
           ...in the evening Duke Ellington and his orchestra played a return engagement at the Civic Opera house.
           ...After an unexplained late start of nearly half an hour, Duke Ellington's concert finally got off to a rather cold and preoccupied beginning but soon the boys were back in form with "Crescendo in Blue," which paled anything in the crescendo line ever imagined by those classical masters of the device, Rossini and Ravel. After that there was the customary parade of the Duke's music and his boys: Harry Carney and his sax in "Frustration," Oscar Pettiford and his bass in " Jack the Bear," Lawrence Brown's trombone in "The Golden Cress." Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet in Billy Strayhorn's "Flippant Flurry," Johnny Hodges' sax in "Passion Flower," not to mention the Duke himself at the piano for "Dancers in Love."'

      • Minneapolis Spokesman, Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1946-11-01 p.1
      • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-01-12 Pt.6 p.10
      • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-01-25 p.26
      • Chicago Sunday Times, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-01-26 p.46
      • Sunday Chicago Bee, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-01-26 p.15
        • 1947-02-02 p.15
      • The Chicago Sun, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-01-26 p.28
      • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1947-02-03 p.23
      New Desor
      DE4702
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-29
      2022-06-05
      2024-06-10
      2024-07-11
      2024-07-19
      1947 02 031947 02 05Columbus, OhioPalace TheatreTheatre engagement

      NOW thru Wed.RKO PALACE
      ON STAGE
      JIVIN' that's HOT!
      SWING that's TORRID!
      Duke
      ELLINGTON
      AND HIS FAMOUS
      ORCHESTRA
      WITH A STAGE FULL OF SEPIAN STARS
      Winner of the ESQUIRE mag.
      GOLD AWARD
      for the
      BEST BAND
      of the year!


      Monday's publicity named the vaudevillians, Bert Howell and Buddy Bowser, comedy team, and Fred Douglas, dancer and identified Hodges, Brown, Hibbler, Carney, Pettiford, Nance, Davis and Cox.

      Dean A. Myers' review, The Coumbus Dispatch:

      The last time Duke Ellington and his band were in town they played a jazz concert... where matters were formal and the jazz students acted like "longhairs." But Monday when the Duke and his boys gave out from the stage ... matters were back to normal, the band was on familiar territory and everything was groovy.
        Statuesque Marion Cox reopened the case for "The St. Louis Blues," a standard item that shone brilliantly under the Ellington treatment. Kay Davis, the other feminine vocalist with the show supplied the notes without words to the Minehaha [sic] portion of the Indian Suite [sic], while Al Sears intoned "Hiawatha" from the same suite on the saxophone.
        Peck and Peck after literally reducing themselves to limp meal sacks in a dance rendition followed up with a startling dance representation of a street fight done in slow motion under a green spot. The fluid effect of it was eye-popping.
        Ray Nance, who had a corner to himself in which to cut up all evening, came into his own with a little ditty entitled something like "Please Squeeze Me But Don't Tease Me." Two very quiet comics Bert Hal and Buddy Bowser were amusing and sometimes hilarious in a straight patter routine.
        Al Hibbler, Ellington's famouis vocalist, wound up the show with a group of effective songs done in a manner which had brought many of his devotees around to refresh their memory with the delights of his voice. The revue is well put together, has speed and pace, and more sound that has shaken the balconies of the Palace in a long time...'

      The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
      • 1927-02-03 p.4-A
      • 1924-02-04 p.B-5
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-07-19
      1947 02 04
      Tuesday
      .Columbus, OhioPalace TheatreTheatre engagement - see 1947 02 03.....Added
      2011>
      1947 02 05
      Wednesday
      .Columbus, OhioPalace TheatreTheatre engagement - see 1947 02 03.....Added
      2011>
      1947 02 06
      Thursday
      .Pittsburgh, Penn.Savoy Ballroom
      Centre at Devilliers
      Dancing 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
      Tickets $1.65 advance, $2.00 at door, tax included
      • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-01-11 p.12
      • The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-02-02 p.44
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-06-10
      1947 02 07
      Friday
      1947 02 13
      Thursday
      Philadelphia, Penn.Stanley Warner
      Earle Theater
      11th and Market

      Theatre information:
      Vaudeville
      Showtimes advertised Feb.8:
      12:30, 3:30, 6:30, 9:20
      Theatre ad
      Earle Theater ad
      Click to Enlarge

      'DOORS OPEN 10 A.M.
      LAST COMPLETE SHOW 9:30 P.M.
      On Stage
      IN PERSON! America's Foremost Modern Composer
      Duke ELLINGTON
      AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS
      ORCHESTRA
      VICTOR
      RECORDING
      ARTISTS
      Featuring
      JOHNNY HODGES
      HarryCARNEY - LawrenceBROWN
      Oscar PETTIFORD
      Ray NANCE - Al HIBBLER
      Kay DAVIS
      Marion COX
      Plus!
      FRED DOUGLAS
      HOWELL
      AND BOWSER
      PECK & PECK'

      The Philadelphia Inquirer:

      'The Duke Headlines Earle Show
           Duke Ellington got a rousing welcome yesterday from an audience which filled the Earle by the time the first show started forty minutes late, as the cast had missed a train. The Duke's band blared practically continuously, sometimes drowning out the acts with "background" music, but on its own and with the specialists the band made Its usual hit.
           Ellington took a turn at the keyboard in a new number , "Happy Go Lucky Local," with intriguing harmonies. Also heard were Kay Davis, pianist, [sic] in "Indian Suite."[sic] Al Sears in "Hawaiian" and Ray Nance in "Don't Tease Me But Squeeze Me." Al Hibbler wound things up with a vocal medley.
           Peck and Peck were jumpin' ail over the joint in comedy, dancing and pugilistic pantomime. Freddy Douglas tap-danced , and the other supporting act was that of Howell and Bowser in song and instrumental funny business.
           On the screen, "Blind Spot" is a murder mystery...
            SAMUEL L. SINGER '


      Sometime during this engagement, Ellington was interviewed by an unnamed interviewer for a broadcast on a show named "Hot Corner." No details are known, but it was apparently during this interview that Ellington said Carney played a mezzo clarinet in Saddest Tale.
      • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
        • 1947-02-06 p.25
        • 1947-02-08 p.18
        • 1947-02-10 p.20
        • 1947-02-11 p.27
        • 1947-02-12 p.33
        • 1947-02-13 p.12
      • The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        • 1947-02-15 p.3
      • The Billboard
        1946-12-21 p.30
      • Variety
        1946-12-25 p.38
      • The Billboard 1946-12-21
      New Desor
      DE4703
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-29
      2014-11-05
      2018-10-08
      2022-01-08
      2022-06-05
      2024-04-11
      1947 02 08
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - 4 shows - see 1947 02 07.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 09
      Sunday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - 4 shows - see 1947 02 07.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 10
      Monday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - 4 shows - see 1947 02 07.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 11
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - 4 shows - see 1947 02 07.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 12
      Wednesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - 4 shows - see 1947 02 07.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 13
      Thursday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - 4 shows - see 1947 02 07.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 14
      Friday
      Valentine's Day
      1947 02 20Harlem
      Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville

      Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows includes Ellington, Howell & Bowser, Peck & Peck, Al Hibbler and Freddie Douglas

      Apollo's performer card says 2/14/47 14,751.32 Unit
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1947-02-15 pp.10, 15
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-02-15 p.14
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        1947-02-20
      • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
      • Performer cards 347 and 348
        Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-NMAH AC0540.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2019-11-02
      2022-06-06
      2024-06-12
      1947 02 15
      Saturday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Theatre engagement - see 1947 02 14.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 16
      Sunday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Theatre engagement - see 1947 02 14.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 17
      Monday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Theatre engagement - see 1947 02 14.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 18
      Tuesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Theatre engagement - see 1947 02 14.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 19
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Savoy BallroomEllington performed at this fundraiser. People's Voice ran a photo of Ellington and his wife, with Howard Johnson, voice commander of UNAVA State Council. There is nothing to say whether or not the band or some sidemen appeared with Ellington.

      People's Voice
      U N A V A   H O U S I N G   H O P
      Benefit: To Open Boarded-Up Houses in Harlem

      2 GREAT ORCHESTRAS
         • COOTIE WILLIAMS and His Orchestra
         • BUDDY JOHNSON (Fine Brown Frame) and His All Stars


      S A V O Y   B A L L R O O M
      140TH ST. and LENOX AVE.

      W E D.   F E B. 19th Admission $1.20
      The New York Age:

      'Thirty Volunteer hostesses attended the Housing Hop given by the United Negro and Allied Veterans of America at the Savoy Ballroom last Wednesday. More than 50 wounded soldiers from General Tilden Hospital of Fort Dix, N.J. were present. A reserved section was occupied by these two groups. Entertainment was furnished by Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelma Carpenter, and Tip, Tap and Toe. The hostesses were under the supervision of Mrs. Stella Anderson Davis. Lester Davis was chairman of the affair.'

      • People's Voice, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-02-08 p.25
        • 1947-02-22 p.11
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1947-03-01 p.5
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2024-06-10
      2024-07-20
      1947 02 19
      Wednesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Theatre engagement - see 1947 02 14.....Added
      2011
      1947 02 20
      Thursday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Theatre engagement - see 1947 02 14.....Added
      2011
      Circa
      1947 02 21
      Friday
      Circa
      1947 02 27
      Thursday
      Washington, D.C..At some time after Joe Nanton died, Ellington was interviewed by then-WWDC broadcaster Willis Conover. This brief interview likely took place in Washington, D.C., where WWDC and Conover were located.

      It can tentatively be dated as during Ellington's February 1947 Howard Theatre engagement, Ellington's first known visit to Washington after Nanton's death, which Conover mentions.
      The interview and an Ellington recording ("Blue Abandon") are included in a 13 minute 41 second record digitized by University of North Texas Digital Library.

      After playing Ellington's Blue Abandon, Conover described it as

      '...one of the numbers Duke Ellington cut a few months ago out on the West Coast... '
      (emphasis added)


      It is also possible the interview was during one of the two later 1947 appearances Ellington made in Washington. While Conover played records by Sinatra and Miller that were recorded some years earlier, he also included Stan Kenton's Lover. Steven Lasker:

      'Kenton recorded Lover for Capitol transcriptions 6/7/46, but this version was never issued per Tom Lord. Kenton recorded Lover for Capitol Records on 3/31/47.'


      If Conover played the later version, the interview would have to have been later in the year, but it would seem that Nanton's death would be old news by Ellington's next appearance in Washington nearly 11 months after his passing.
      E-mail, Lasker-Palmquist...SL/djpNew
      added
      2019-05-26
      1947 02 21
      Friday
      1947 02 27Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show

      Ellington is interviewed from the theatre, for radio, by Emerson Parker
      .New Desor
      DE4704
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-29
      1947 02 22
      Saturday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show
      -see 1947 02 21
      ....Added
      2011
      1947 02 23
      Sunday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show - see 1947 02 21....Added
      2011
      1947 02 24
      Monday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show - see 1947 02 21....Added
      2011
      1947 02 25
      Tuesday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show - see 1947 02 21....Added
      2011
      1947 02 26
      Wednesday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show - see 1947 02 21....Added
      2011
      1947 02 27
      Thursday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Theatre show - see 1947 02 21....Added
      2011
      1947 02 28
      Friday
      .Baltimore, Md..Shown in Stratemann, with no details.
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011

      March 1947

      1947 03 01
      Saturday
      .Lancaster, Penn.McCaskey High School Auditorium"Two & One-Half Hour Concert", sponsored by Willow St. Lions Club
      8:45 p.m.
      Tickets $3.60, $3.00, $2.40 and $1.80
      • Lancaster, Pa., New Era, Lancaster, Penn.
        • 1947-02-11 p.4
        • 1947-02-25 p.4
        • 1947-02-26 p.4
        • 1947-02-28 p.4
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-06
      2024-06-10
      1947 03 02
      Sunday
      circa
      1947-04-22
      ..Southern tour
      • Syndicated columnist Chuck Moore said Ellington's orchestra was booked into Havana's Compoanmor theatre for ten days beginnng March 22.

        Variety said the deal was to have paid $10,000 weekly plus transportation both ways from Miami, and was to open March 22. While the hotel originally wanted Ellington for two weeks, since Cuba was Catholic Ellington would have been closed Easter Sunday.
      • Stratemann:

        'When an anticipated engagement at the Compoamor Hotel, Havana, Cuba fell through, the Ellington band went on a two month tour of the South and Midwest instead.'

      • Fredi Washington, The People's Voice

        'Duke Ellington and his orchestra are taking no chances on getting into hot water in Georgia where they are now doing a series of one nighters. They are living on two Pullman cars. The crew got an opportunity to see the "wool hats" and the famous Georgia clay when they played Macon and Atlanta last week.'

      • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
        1947-02-16 p.10-D
      • Stratemann p.285 citing Variety 1947-02-26 p.43
      • Keeping Posted with Chuck Moore
        San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1947-03-14 p.7
      • Theatrical Odds and Ends
        The People's Voice, New York, N.Y.
        1947-03-15 p.27
        courtesy S. Bowie
      ...djpNew
      added
      2016-01-23
      updated
      2022-06-06
      2023-03-27
      2023-08-05
      1947 03 02
      Sunday
      .Richmond, Va.MosqueConcert, 2:30 p.m., sponsored by The Exchange Club of Petersburg. Proceeds to go to the club's funds for its Youth Program.
      Reserved white and colored seats $1.88 $2.50 $3.13 $3.75 inc. all tax.

      Richmond Times-Dispatch:

      'Ellngton Features Soloists In Jazz Classics at Mosque
           By Edith Lindeman
           A moderate-sized crowd braved the weather yesterday afternoon to make an enthusiastic audience for Duke Ellington and his band...
           The word "concert" can apply more aptly to Ellington's group than to many another band organization. His program includes practically no currant popular tunes, but is made up of examples of Ellington's genius as a composer of pure jazz in its most elaborate and refined forms. He is one of the few who are not content to reproduce the works of others, nor to arrange those compositions to suit the technique of his organization... Also, he has achieved another admirable (we think) distinction in that his music clings to a melody, elaborates it but does not distort it out of all semblance to the original theme.
           A good part of yesterday's program was given over to bringing his top-flight soloists to the fore. Harry Carney's baritone sax was put through its paces with "Frustration"; Oscar Pettifoid and his string bass took over "Jack the Bear"; Lawrence Brown, with great purity of tone, gave "The Golden Cress" expert treatment with his trombone; Jimmy Hamilton and his clarinet tripped through the tricky and ticklesome passages of "Flippant Flurry"; Taft Jordan and Johnny Hodges on the alto sax, made "Passion Flcwer" wail and mourn, and Ray Nance, who doubles on violin and trumpet, made his vio)in sing through "Moon Mist."
           Highlight of the first portion of the concert, however, was the blues section from Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige." Sung by Kay Davis, with Al Sears on the tenor sax, there was haunting beauty and full-bodied melody in the mournful strain. As a balance, Ellington took to the piano in a virtual jazz concerto based on "Frankie and Johnny," with the band going rowdy or symphonic as occasion demanded,
           Three vocalists were featured yesterday. Marion Cox took the vocals for a medley that included the three famous blues numbers of W. C Handy. Kay Davis, whose voice is operatic in strength and timbre, was heard in the Minnehaha section of "The Beautiful Indians,"' and as one of the quartet featured in "Transblucencty." Kay's voice is used as an instrument in these numbers. Her exquisite tones are blended with trombones or saxophones with up effect that points up the continual effort of Ellington to experiment in musical fields. And one of the day's chief favorites was Albert Hihbler, the blind singer, who took over the microphone for numers ranging from the rowdy "Fat and Forty, to the beautifully-delivered "Flamingo."'

      • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
        • 1947-02-09 p.D-13
        • 1947-02-16 p.10-D
        • 1947-02-26 p.9
        • 1947-02-28 p.17
        • 1947-03-01 p.5
        • 1947-03-02 p.12-D
        • 1947-03-03 p.13
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-06
      2024-07-20
      1947 03 03
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 03 04
      Tuesday
      .Norfolk, Va...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 05
      Wednesday
      .Danville, Va.
      • Stratemann doesn't name a venue
      • Vail says Armory Drillroom
      • Götting has "North Thea" citing CAHmail
      I have been unable to find any mention of this engagement in the Danville Bee. The "North Thea" venue is wrong - the theatre did not open until August 25, 1947.
      • Stratemann, p.285
      • Vail I
      • The Bee, Danville 1947-08-26. p.2
      ...CAHmailAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-11-09
      1947 03 06
      Thursday
      .Raleigh, N.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 07
      Friday
      .Columbia, S.C.Township auditoriumSegregated dance, 9 p.m.
      Seating in the dress circle and balcony reserved for white spectators.
      • The State, Columbia, S.C.
        1947-03-07 p.9-A
      • The Columbia Record, Columbia, S.C.
        1947-03-07 p.5-A
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2024-06-12
      1947 03 08
      Saturday
      .Macon, Ga...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 09
      Sunday
      .Atlanta, Ga...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 10
      Monday
      ...Peripheral event
      The Esquire Fashion Parade transcribed radio programme which aired this date in Wisconsin on WLCO Monday at 7:30 p.m. included a brief interview with Ellington by Esquire Magazine's fashion editor O.E.Sheffler. Other guests were crooners Vic Damone and Chu-Chu Martinez, and the show's announcer was Bob Sherry.
      • The Ellington episode was accessible for listening or downloading at https://pastdaily.com/2019/02/17/duke-ellington-esquire-1947-past-daily/ but as of 2022-07-02 that link is dead.
      • Esquire Fashion Parade was a 15-minute Electric Transcription series recorded in New York that first aired in September 1946. The transcriptions were to be used by men's wear and department stores in 25 major cities. These stores appear to have sponsored the weekly broadcasts on local radio stations to advertise their product.
      • The Ellington episode was aired on various dates the week of March 10.
      • It seems likely Ellington's interview was pre-recorded when he was in New York, sometime before the end of February, unless he was interviewed elsewhere.
      • Broadcasting Telecasting 1946-07-01 p.16
      • Advertising Age, 1946-07-08 p.48
      • Local ads (sampling only)
        • The Janesville (Wis) Daily Gazette, Janesville, Wisc.
          1947-03-10 p.4
        • The Owensboro, Ky. Messenger, Owensboro, Ky.,
          19417-03-12 p.5
        • The Progress-Bulletin, Pomona, Cal.,
          1947-03-15 s.1 p.8
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2022-06-14
      Updated
      2022-07-03
      1947 03 10
      Monday
      .Chattanooga, Tenn.Memorial AuditoriumConcert & Dance "for colored"
    • Advance Sale $1.75
      Last day price $2.25
    • White spectators $1.20
      • The Chattanooga Times, Chattanooga, Tenn.
        • 1947-02-23 p.21
        • 1947-03-02 p.24
        • 1947-03-04 p.15
        • 1947-03-09 pp.26,27
        • 1947-03-10 p.3
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-06-12
      1947 03 11
      Tuesday
      .Knoxville, Tenn.Chilhowie Park PavilionSegregated concert 8:30 - 10 p.m., followed by a dance until 1 a.m.
      • Balcony reserved for white patrons
      • The Knoxville News-Sentinel Feb. 23 ad said 200 chairs were available, but The Knoxville Journal Mar.2 announcement said there would be seating arrangements for 2,000
      • The Knoxville News-Sentinel announced Duke Elilngton and his orchestra would broadcast from Chilhowee Park at 11:30 p.m. on WROL.
      • Cavalcade Section,
        The Knoxville Journal, Knoxville, Tenn.
        1947-03-02 s.D p.7
      • The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn.
        1947-02-23 p.C-8 1947-03-07 p.3 1947-03-09 p.C-7
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-06
      2022-06-07,br>2024-06-12
      1947 03 12
      Wednesday
      .Charlotte, N.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 13
      Thursday
      .Durham, N.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 14
      Friday
      .Kingston, N.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 15
      Saturday
      .Greensboro, N.C.Richard B. Harrison Auditorium
      A. & T. College
      Concert sponsored by the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity in its drive to raise funds to buiild a memorial honouring A. and T. veterans of World War II on campus. The Beta Epsilon Chapter took credit for being the first to present Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra in concert in Greensboro.

      The California Eagle reported about 1,100 attended.
      Concert programme:
      • Music:
        • National Anthem
        • Caravan
        • In A Mellow Tone
        • Solid, Old Man
        • Excerpts from "Black, Brown and Beige"
        • Rugged Romeo
        • Sono
        • Air Conditioned Jungle
        • Circe
        • Excerpts from "Perfume Suite"
        • Bugle Break Extended
        • Take the A Train
        • Tonal Group
          a. Fugueditti b. Rhapsoditti c. Jamaditti
        • Magenta Haze
        • Group
          a. Diminuendo in Blue b. Transblucency c. Crescendo in Blue
        • Bassist and Me
        • Suburbanite
        • Songs featuring Albert Hibbler
        • Riffin' Drill
      • Personnel:
        • Hardwick (unlikely - see Week of 1946 04 19-25 above)
        • Hodges
        • Sears
        • Hamilton
        • Carney
        • Brown
        • C.Jones
        • de Paris
        • Jordan
        • W.Anderson
        • Hemphill
        • F.Williams
        • Nance
        • Pettiford
        • Guy
        • Greer
        • Ellington
        • Hibbler
        • Davis
        • Sherrill
      Titles named in reviews in the local newspapers:
      • Bluetopia
      • The Mooche
      • Overture to a Jam Session
      • Group of W.C. Handy numbers including St. Louis Blues
      • Black from Black, Brown and Beige
      • My Little Brown Book
      • Flamingo
      • Summertime
      • Don't Take Your Love From Me
      • Greensboro, N.C. Record, Greensboro, N.C.
        • 1947-03-15 p.6
        • 1947-03-16 s.B p.1
      • Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, N.C.
        • 1947-03-15 p.7
        • 1947-03-16 s.4 p.7
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-03-27 p.20
      • The Sphinx, Alpha Phi Alpha magazine
        • 1947-05-00 p.24
      • Stratemann, p.285
      • Concert programme
        SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 39 Harrison Auditorium, A and T College, Greensboro, North Carolina, March 15, 1947
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-01-23
      2022-06-07
      2022-06-09
      2022-06-11
      2022-07-24
      2023-03-27
      1947 03 16
      Sunday
      .Atlanta, Ga.AuditoriumDance for the Black community.

      Duke Ellington and his famous band
      12 Midnite to 4 a.m.
      Doors open 11 p.m.
      Tickets: Pre-advance $1.20; Regular advance $1.50, at box $1.80
      Reseved section for white patrons.
      • The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.
        • 1947-03-09 p.4D
        • 1947-03-16 p.3-D
      • The Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, Ga.
        • 1947-03-16 p.14-C
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-06-10
      1947 03 17
      Monday
      St. Patrick's Day
      .Charleston, S.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 18
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 03 19
      Wednesday
      .Wilmington, N.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 20
      Thursday
      .Maxton, N.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 21
      Friday
      .Greenville, S.C...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 22
      Saturday
      .Tuskegee, Ala..The Birmingham Mirror reported The George Browns, W.R. Manard, J. Earle Hensley, Alfred Glover Jr. Charles G. Haywood Jr. Joseph B. Taylor, Bernard Minter, Eddie Jones, Eddie Green Jr. Sam Blount, McDowell Anderson, Oscar Baity, Robert Samuels, Jesse Champion and Pete Smith went by motorcade to see Ellington in Tuskegee.
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Pa.
        quoting The Birmingham Mirror
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-06-12
      1947 03 23
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 03 24
      Monday
      .Lakeland, Fla...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 25
      Tuesday
      .Orlando, Fla...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 26
      Wednesday
      .Palatka, Fla..Down Beat reported Ellington told them about the dance at Palatka.

      Hibbler was singing Don't Take Your Love From Me when something sounding like a couple of shots were heard. The band kept playing and Hibbler kept singing, until more shots rang out. The audience scattered and the band fled to the dressing rooms, abandoning the blind Hibbler, who kept singing. The article concludes by saying a dancer was killed and a second was paralyzed for life.
      • Stratemann, p.285
      • "Even Bullets Can't Keep Hibbler From Singing,"
        Down Beat 1947 06 04
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-24
      1947 03 27
      Thursday
      .St Petersburg, Fla.Joyland
      Sixth Ave. at 22nd St. S.
      Evening Independent:

      'Duke Ellington and his orchestra, who have played in famous theaters and clubs throughout the country, as well as over coast-to-coast broadcasts, will fill an engagement at Joyland, Sixth avenue and 22nd street south, tomorrow. '

      • Evening Independent, St. Petersburg, Fla.
        1947-03-26 courtesy A. Perez Gasco
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...Agustěn Perez Gasco aug11Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-10
      1947 03 28
      Friday
      .West Palm Beach, Fla...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 29
      Saturday
      .Orlando, Fla.ColiseumDance 9:30 to 1:30
      Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra
      Advance tickets $2.80 Tax Inc.

      The March 29 Star ad showed there would be a broadcast from the Coliseum.
      • Orlando Morning Sentinel, Orlando, Fla.
        • 1947-03-22 p.18
        • 1947-03-25 p.7
        • 1947-03-28 p.12
      • The Orlando Star, Orlando, Fla.
        • 1947-03-28 pp.4, 11
        • 1947-03-29 p.5
        • 1947-03-31 p.9
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-10
      1947 03 30
      Sunday
      .Miami, Fla...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 03 31
      Monday
      .Tampa, Fla...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011

      April 1947

      1947 04 01
      Tuesday
      .Fort Myers, Fla.McCollum HallDance, 10 - 2 P.M.[sic]
      Tickets $3.25 advance, $3.75 night of dance
      Reserved tables $5.00
      • Fort Myers News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.
        • 1947-03-25 p.2
        • 1947-03-26 p.6
        • 1947-03-30 p.7
        • 1947-03-31 p.4
        • 1947-04-01 p.2
      • Tampa Sunday Tribune, Tampa, Fla.
        • 1947-03-30 p.23-C
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-10
      1947 04 02
      Wednesday
      .Tampa, Fla.Centro Espanol Ball Room
      16th St. at E. Broadway
      Centro Espanol Bll Room ad
      Centro Espanol Bll Room ad
      Click to Enlarge
      Centro Espanol Club dance, 9 till 1 a.m.
      Tickets - advance $2.20, Door $2.50
      The gig was originally scheduled for April 1.
      • The Tampa Daily Times, Tampa, Fla.
        • 1947-03-29 p.6
      • Tampa Morning Tribune, Tampa, Fla.
        • 1947-03-20 p.11
        • 1947-03-28 p.19
        • 1947-03-29 p.7
      • Tampa Sunday Tribune, Tampa, Fla.
        • 1947-03-30 p.24-C
      • Stratemann, p.285
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-25
      2022-06-10
      1947 04 03
      Thursday
      .Jacksonville, Fla...
      Stratemann, p.285....Added
      2011
      1947 04 04
      Friday
      .Johnson City, Tenn.Big Burley WarehouseKingsport Times:

      'Announcement was made Thursday that the dance featuring Duke Ellington's orchestra, which was to have been held at Big Burley Warehouse in Johnson City Friday evening has been cancelled due to a conflict of dates for Ellington's band.
           The orchestra will play for the dance scheduled for Saturday night at the Kingsport Civic Auditorium, however, officials of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, sponsors of the dance, said. '

      Kingsport Times, Kingsport, Tenn.
      1947-04-03 p.13
      ....New
      added
      2022-05-28
      1947 04 04
      Friday
      .Savannah, Ga..Town Topics by Lou Swarz:

      'SAVANNAH, Georgia
      ...Duke Ellington and his orchetra and entertainers ... before Easter ... helped Savannahans to have a grand Easter by putting them into the mood with his good music... Funny, but many of those who heard the Duke were still asking about Ivy Anderson whose vocal tunes continue to linger on, allro [sic] now three vocalists are used. '

      .
      • Town Topics
        The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1947-04-19 p.4
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-03-27
      1947 04 05
      Saturday
      .Kingsport, Tenn.Kingsport Civic AuditoriumDance 9 p.m. sponsored by Junior Chamber of Commerce.
      "Positively only 1000 couples to be admitted"
      • Kingsport Times, Kingsport, Tenn.
        • 1947-04-02 p.9
        • 1947-04-03 pp.3, 9
        • 1947-04-04 p.8
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-25
      1947 04 06
      Sunday
      .Nashville, Tenn.Paradise BallroomThe Nashville Tennessean:

      'Duke Ellington, composer and arranger, will present music for dancing tonight at 9 o'clock at the Paradise Ballroom for Negroes only. Featured players will be Johnny Hodges, on alto saxophone; Oscar Pettiford, string bass; and Lawrence Brown, trombone.
           Ellington and Billy Strayhorn furnish arrangements for the aggregation which are said to be a forecast of the trends of popular music for the next 10 years. '

      Concert and dance engagement for blacks only, 9 p.m..
      • The Nashville Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn.
        • 1947-04-04 p.20
        • 1947-04-06 p.24-A
      • Stratemann, p.286
      • Email Richard Bambach-Palmquist 2022-05-24
      ...RB, djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-25
      1947 04 07
      Monday
      .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel AuditoriumCancelled dance

      Stratemann and Vail show a one-nighter in St. Louis. The band arrived and set up but the promotor didn't show up and the band did not play.
      • St. Louis Star-Times:

        'Phone Can't Ring, Duke Doesn't Jive, 'Cats' Don't Dance
        Silence and closed doors greeted several hundred teen-agers who went to Kiel Auditorium last night expecting to dance to the jive of Duke Ellington and his band. The reason: there wasn't any dance.
             Harry Boyer, auditorium manager, said the dance was canceled because of failure of the promoters, the Antonello & Nixon Presentations of Kansas City, to arrive to handle arrangements.
             John Antonello, one of the partners, reached here this morning, Boyer said, and explained that he "just couldn't make it last night" and was unable to notify the band because of the telephone strike. The city lost no money, Boyer said, because Antonello paid the $550 charges for rental and other costs.
             Auditorium attendants had "set up" for the band and the musicians arrived on time. But there were no promoters, no tickets and no ticket sellers, so the doors were not even opened. Musicians and teen-agers finally departed, grumbling. '

      • St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

        'SOMEONE FORGOT ABOUT TICKETS, SO DANCE IS OFF
             Several hundred bobby-soxers, teenagers and jitterbugs ...were turned away from a scheduled dance at Kiel Auditorium last night, because the promoters apparently neglected to have tickets printed.
             The crowd of both Negro and white Ellington followers started arriving at the Convention Hall about 8:30 p.m. The band ... set up their instruments on stage, and everything was ready. But no tickets or ticket sellers appeared and the box office windows remained closed.
             By 9:30 p.m., a half hour after the dance was scheduled to begin, the musicians had put their instruments back in the cases, and the crowd, with the exception of a few devotees, reluctantly wandered away. Louis Wagner, auditor for the auditorium said Antonelli & Nixon Presentations of Kansas City had promoted the dance and that John Antonelli, one of the partners, had telegraphed last week that he was unable to get tickets.
             "He apparently couldn't get ticket sellers, either," Wagner said. The auditor's faith in the promoters' ability to pay the cost of rent and labor for the dance was justified. A check for $525, for payment in full, arrived this morning.
             Al Celly [sic], manager of the orchestra, did not react so calmly to the cancellation. He said if necessary, "I'll sue for our guarantee and also for damages." With a fair show of disgust he walked away and was heard to say something about there being easier ways to make a living.'

      • United Press:

        '...neither tickets nor ticket sellers appeared at the box office.
             Louis Wagner, Municipal Auditorium auditor, said the Kansas City promoters had informed him they were unable to get tickets. The band, which had set up its instruments, returned them to their cases a half hour after the performance was scheduled to begin.'

      • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
        1947-04-08 p.3A
      • St. Louis Star-Times,, St. Louis, Mo.
        1947-04-08 p.11
      • United Press wirestory
        Memphis Press-Scimitar, Memphis, Tenn.
        1947-04-09 p.14
      • Stratemann, p.286
      • Vail I
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-27
      1947 04 08
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 04 09
      Wednesday
      .Des Moines, IowaTromar Ballroom.
      Stratemann, p.286....Added
      2011
      1947 04 10
      Thursday
      .St. Paul, Minn.Prom ballroom
      University of Minnesota
      Formal senior prom, 9 p.m.
      Guests expected: Governor & Mrs. Luther W. Youngdahl, Mary and Mrs. Hubert H. Humphrey, Dr. and Mrs. J. I. Merrill.
      • Minneapolis Daily Times, Minneapolis, Minn.
        1947-03-12 p.6
      • Stratemann, p.286,/li>
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-06-12
      1947 04 11
      Friday
      .Chicago, Ill.Grand ballroom
      Stevens Hotel
      First Annual Senior Costume Ball 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
      Tickets $5.50

      'SENIOR BALL
           Breaking away from the tradition that every ball must have a queen, the seniors sponsored a prom this year, in which every girl could be a queen . . . or a slave girl, Lena the Hyena, a witch, or even the Dragon Lady. It was also the first ball where a male could reign as king or serve as clown. For this year the senior class presented the First Annual Senior Costume Ball. The dance was held in the grand ballroom of the Stevens Hotel on April 11.
           The couples waltzed, tangoed, sambaed, mazurkaed, fox-trotted, and went through other sundry gyrations to the tuneful tempo of Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra. The dance itself was reminiscent of the Mardi Gras festivals and the Beaux Arts Balls which have been held in Chicago in the past.'

      .
      • Daily Northwestern, Evanston, Ill.
        • 1947-03-06 p.2
        • 1947-03-06 p.1
      • Syllabus
        Northwestern University Yearbook, Evanston, Ill.
        1947 p.164
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-28
      1947 04 12
      Saturday
      .Anderson, Ind.Green Lantern BallroomDance
      9 to 1
      Admission $2 plus tax.
      • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
        1947-04-06 p.35
      • The Palladium-Item and Sun-Telegram, Richmond, Ind.
        • 1947-04-10 p.11
        • 1947-04-11 p.11
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-28
      1947 04 13
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Savoy Ballroom
      South Parkway at 47th Street
      Dancing
      Early bird prices until 8:30 p.m.
      • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        1947-04-12 p.27
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-05-28
      1947 04 14
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Graystone BallkroomDancing

      Admission $1.50 plus tax

      Your first Dancing Party in over a year
      And it Had to Be Duke!
      J.Ruth Allen:

      'Some of the eager, hard-up Duke Ellington fans seen pushing their way into the Graystone BAllroom last Monday night were: Delores Bobo, Solomon Brown, Edward "Jeep" Broadnax, Calvin Games, Moodie Evans, Josh McCallister, Buddy McCallister, Leroy "Buddy" Burgess and yours truly.'

      • Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1947-03-29 p.7
        • 1947-04-05 p.15
        • 1947-05-03 p.13
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-03-30
      1947 04 15
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 04 16
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 04 17
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 04 18
      Friday
      .Louisburg Lewisburg, Penn.Davis Gymnasium
      Bucknell University
      Semi-formal Senior ball, 9 p,m. to 2 a.m.
      Sunbury Daily Item:

      'Crown New York Girl
           Queen Of B.U. Ball
           More than 1,000 persons, many of them, from off-campus, crowded Davis Gymnasium at Bucknell University Friday night and early today to hear Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra and to see Miss Clara Corell, of New York City, crowned as queen of the senior hall. The Duke himself made the selection of the New York girl from 12 senior girls. Miss Corell had on a strap!ess white lace dress. She was escorted by William Hoveler of Havertown, one of Bucknell's star basketball players.
           Jiss Corell was escorted to her throne by Ellington and after she was seated was duly crowned and handed her scepter. Then Duke's orchestra played a special number for her and her court.
           The gym was decorated in keeping with the spring circus season. Gay streamers floated from the ceiling, there were simulated elephants along the walls and the chaperones were in a corrall [sic]. The dance attracted many persons from Lewisburg and other surrounding towns.
           John Watolak. of Pittsburgh, was chairman of the ball committee, assisted by Miss Jean McKern[illegible] of [illegible], N.Y.'

      • Sunbury Daily Item, Sunbury, Penn.
        • 1947-04-17 p.13
        • 1947-04-19 p.5
      • The Morning Press, Bloomsburg, Penn.
        • 1947-04-17 p.6
      • The Morning News, Danville, Penn.
        • 1947-04-18 p.3
      • Stratemann, p.286
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-06-10
      1947 04 19
      Saturday
      ...Personnel change
      Sonny Greer hospitalized, drummer Ed McConney subs
      Stratemann p.286 citing Down Beat, 1947-05-07...djpNew
      added 2012-11-14
      1947 04 19
      Saturday
      .Ithaca, N.Y.Bailey Hall
      Cornell University
      Concert 8:30 p.m. for the Cornell Rhythm Club.
      • Prices $1.20 $1.60 $2.00 including federal tax.
      • The April 15 and 19 announcements said the audience would be at capacity but the April 18 ad said there were tickets left.
      • The concert was to be aired for 2 hours on WVBR beginning at 8:25 p.m.
      • Professor John M. Kuypers of Cornell Music Department presened Elilngton and the band wiht a Rhythm Club plaque commemorating their "outstanding service to Amercian music."
      • The concert programme lists:
        • The National Anthem
        • Blutopia
        • Moon Mist
        • Diminuendo in Blue
        • Crescendo in Blue
        • Frustration
        • Jack the Bear
        • The Golden Cress
        • Flippant Flurry
        • Chaugogagog Maushaugagog Chaubunagungamaug
        • Passion Flower
        • Jamaditty
      • This compares to what was played and recorded:
        • Blutopia
        • Overture To A Jam Session
        • The Mooche
        • Diminuendo In Blue
        • Crescendo In Blue
        • Frustration
        • Rugged Romeo
        • Flippant Flurry
        • Golden Cress
        • Jam-A-Ditty
        • Passion Flower
        • The Blues
        • Dancers In Love
        • Frankie And Johnny
        • Metronome All Out
        • Things Ain't what They Used To Be
        • Take The "A" Train
        • Beale Street Blues
        • Memphis Blues
        • St. Louis Blues
        • Minnehaha
        • Transblucency
        • Hiawatha
        • My Little Brown Book
        • Don't Take Your Love From Me
        • Summertime
        • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
        • Flamingo
        • Medley:
          In A Sentimental Mood / Mood Indigo / I'm Beginning To See The Light / Sophisticated Lady / Caravan / Solitude / I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart and Don't Get Around Much Anymore
        • Just Squeeze Me
        • Ring Dem Bells

      Anticipatory events:
      • April 3:
        George Ivey discusses the music of Ellington, Willard Straight Music and Art Room.
      • April 16:
        Barry Ulanov to address a joint meeting of the Rhythm Club and NAACP as a preview to the concert.
      • Cornell Daily Sun, Ithaca, N.Y.
        • 1947-03-28 pp.1, 10
        • 1947-04-03 pp.2, 5
        • 1947-04-15 pp.7, 8
        • 1947-04-16 p.3
        • 1947-04-17 p.1
        • 1947-04-18 pp.2, 6, 7.
        • 1947-04-18 p.3
        • 1947-04-19 p.3
        • 1947-04-22 p.12
      • Concert programme
      • Stratemann, p.286
      • Timner and Timner corrections -4/21
      New Desor
      DE4705
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-14
      2022-06-12
      1947 04 20
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial Auditorium.
      Stratemann, p.286....Added
      2011
      1947 04 21
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.CBSSidemen's activities not documented

      Ellington was a guest on the CBS radio network's The Jack Smith Show.

      The Latrobe Bulletin:

      'Duke Ellington, renowned bandleader-composer, headlined the week's array of guest stars on the "Jack Smith Show" when he displayed his keyboard artistry last night.'

      The broadcast aired at 7:15 local time on the east coast and Ohio, at 6:15 in most of the midwest, at 8:15 on the west coast and at 10:15 in Wisconsin. The latter airings suggest the show was recorded for rebroadcast. If the recording still exists, it is not shown in New Desor, Nielsen, or Timner discographies.
      • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
        1947-04-20 p.5-1
      • Asbury Park Evening Press (The Evening News), Asbury Park, N.J.
        1947-04-21 p.9
      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        1947-04-21 p.17
      • Dayton Herald, Dayton, Ohio
        1947-04-21 p.24
      • Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
        1947-04-21 p.16
      • The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.
        1947-04-21 p.13
      • Memphis Press-Scimitar, Memphis,Tenn.
        1947-04-21 p.13
      • Hollywood Citizen-News, Hollywood, Cal.
        1947-04-21 p.24
      • The Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc.
        1947-04-21 p.15
      • The Latrobe Bulletin, Latrobe, Penn.
        1947-04-22 p.12
      ...djpNew
      added
      2022-05-27.
      1947 04 22
      Tuesday
      .Newburgh, N.Y...
      Stratemann, p.286....Added
      2011
      1947 04 00...Personnel change
      Al Hibbler left the band before or during the upcoming Paramount run - see keeping posted with chuck moore:

      'Balladeer Al Hibbler is presently on leave from the Duke Ellington orchestra and is touring with Mercer Ellington's (the Duke's son) 14-piece ork. Al recently pressed several new biscuits on the Sunrise label with Mercer. He will continue with the band for several months.'

      Despite reports in The Pittsburgh Courier and The Plaindealer in July that he was touring with Mercer's band, it appears he was back with the senior Ellington's orchestra by June 15 - see 1947 06 15.


      Singer Chester Crumpler replaced Hibbler. He is listed in the programme for the July 22 War Memorial Opera House, but his hame is crossed out and "Al Hibbler" is handwritten in his place. It would seem Hibbler "bumped" him when he returned to the fold. While Crumper is named in the August 28 publicity for the September 2 Tucson concert, the copywriter was probably relying on a preprinted programme.
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1947-06-06 p.7
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-07-19 p.16
      • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kansas
        1947-07-25 p.5
      • Concert programme: SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 40 "War Memorial Opera House 9-22-47"
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Stratemann p.286 citing Variety 1947-04-30 p.56
      djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      updated
      2023-03-30
      2023-04-10
      1947 04 23
      Wednesday
      1947 05 19New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - six shows daily
      Ellington's male vocalist during this engagement was Chester Crumpler.

      Ed McConney subbed for Greer, who was in Chicago suffering from pneumonia.

      Supporting acts:
      • Buck & Bubbles
      • Coke & Poke
      • Golden Gate Quartette
      • Calcutta

      Stratemann reports the show took in $315,000 (First week, $100,000; second, $85,000; third $70,000; final week, $60,000).
      Tickets were 55¢ before 1 p.m. Monday to Friday; doors opened at 8 a.m.
      • The Billboard
        • 1947-03-10, p.44
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-04-17 p.18
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1947-03-19,p.15
        • 1947-04-19 p.15
        • 1947-05-03 p.16
      • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-04-23 p.46
        • 1947-05-10 p.17
      • The Daily Item, Port Chester, N.Y.
        • 1947-04-23 p.14
        • 1947-04-30 p.10
      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        • 1947-04-24 p.6
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-04-24 p.62
        • 1947-04-30 p.57
        • 1947-05-02 p.48
      • People's Voice, New York, N.Y.
        • 1946-04-26 pp.23, 27
      • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-04-26 p.10
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        • 1947-05-09 p.7
      • The Billboard 1947-05-10 p.44
      • Stratemann, p.286 citing
        The Billboard 1947-05-31 p.30
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-17
      2022-06-15
      2023-03-272024-07-20
      1947 04 24
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 04 25
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 04 26
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 04 27
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 04 28
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 04 29
      Tuesday
      Ellington's birthday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 04 30
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14

      May 1947

      1947 05 00...Personnel changes
      • Singer Marion Cox leaves the band , although she recorded with the band in 1950 and 1955. Her departure may have been due to illness.

        The People's Voice:

        Meet lovely 20-year old Marion Cox currently regaining her health at Kings County Hospital. She's Manhattan born, but now a Macon at boro resident. Attended Morris High School...Studed music under famous operatic teacher Guiseppe Santni and has been vocalist with Dizzy Gillespie's and Duke Ellington's orchestras. Was with Duke when she was stricken and intends to resume her singing career with him when her hospital days are over. Doctors promise an early spring release. Marion's featured in the ew Ellington album on two platters, St. Louis Blues and Ellington Plays the Blues. She's got dimples, no special boy freind, and lives with her ma, Adella Cox. You might drop her a cheery note to help speed he [sic] recovery. She's in Ward F-62...

      • Trombonist Tyree Glenn joins the band. He will stay until March 1950, and would occasionally play in the band in later years. He died a few days before Ellington, and for a while, his body, that of Paul Gonsalves, and that of Duke Ellington laid in the same funeral parlour in 1974.
      • The People's Voice, New York, N.Y.
        1947-11-29 p.15
      • New Desor vol.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-11
      updated
      2012-10-12
      2021-06-02
      2023-03-27
      2024-07-20
      1947 05 01
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 02
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 03
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 04
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.City Center Casino
      133 W.55th St.
      A four-day "carnival-bazar" sponsored by the National Council of American Soviet Friendship ...opened with a variety concert starring Anita Alvarez, John Buckmaster and Duke Ellington. The concert was followed by an auction sale and the official opening of merchandise booths,exhibits and an art show..."...djpNew
      added
      2012-11-14
      1947 05 04
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 05
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 06
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 07
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 08
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 09
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 09
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Golden Gate Ballroom
      142nd Street & Lenox Avenue
      (Unconfirmed)

      FEPC benefit dance "N.Y. Council for a Permanent FEPC presents FEPC Benefit Dance

      Erskine Hawkins and His Band were to provide the music, with entertainment provided by Duke Ellington, Ralph Cooper, Dave "Finian's Rainbow" Wayne, Willie Bryant, Al Jones, Jimmy Daniels, John Mason, and Larry "Call Me Mister" Winters.
      New York Age
      • Announcement 1947-05-03, p.4
      • Announcement and ad, 1947-05-10 p.4
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-06-01
      1947 05 10
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 10
      Saturday
      8:35–9:30 pm
      .New York, N.Y..WNEW broadcast
      Ellington, Taft Jordan, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges, Al Sears, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford and Sonny Greer appeared on "Saturday Night Swing Session" in a "Twentieth Anniversary Salute to Duke Ellington."

      • The broadcast, described as "Swing Session, observing Duke Ellington's Twentieth Anniversary in Show Business," included Jack Teagarden, Skitch Henderson, Billy Strayhorn and possibly Buddy Rich as guest artists.
      • Four recordings from this broadcast were used in the All Services V-Disc transcriptions 795A and 795B
      • Without citing a source, Vail reports "WNEW presents an all day tribute to Duke Ellington," but it is confirmed in the Daily News:

        'Hail the Duke! . . Duke Ellington's twentiety anniversary in the big time will be celebrated by WNEW today with an all-day tribute. Theatre and radio celebrities and newspapermen will eulogize the great colored composer and orchestra leader. Art Ford's "Milkman's Matinee," Martin Block, "Juke Box Jury" and the "Saturday Swing Session" will be among the features participating. On the latter program, at 8:35 P.M., Ellington himself will perform, assisted by such jazz stalwarts as Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Jerry [sic] Carney, Ray Nance and Oscar Pettiford. Also, such big names as Carmen Miranda, Paul Whiteman, Hazel Scott, Kitty Kallen, Louis Prima, Cab Calloway, Buddy Rich and many others will be on hand. Yes sir, it looks like a big day for the Duke! '

      • S. Lasker in DEMS 09/3-24:

        " ...host Art Ford asked [Bill 'Bojangles'] Robinson and Ellington, who were both present, "I understand you two made a record years ago. Is that right?"

        Ellington's reply -- "Well, oh, yes!"-- was nearly drowned by Robinson's: "Well I'd like to say one thing. I'm very proud to be with Duke, I'll tell you why. The first tap dancing record that was ever made in America ... was made by Duke Ellington and Bill Robinson and I'm proud to say that I made the first dancing record with the master."

        "Thank you very much," responded Ellington."

      • The Robinson-Ellington session was 1929 09 13.
      • The proper name for this 1947 WNEW series is Saturday Night Swing Session, although Stratemann calls this episode Saturday Night Swing Show. The naming error seems to be normal; the Daily News named this episode "Swing Session: Tribute to Duke Ellington," "WNEW Swing Session" and "Saturday Swing Session" all on the same page.
      • The 1947 WNEW series "Saturday Night Swing Session" should not be confused with the Columbia Broadcasting System series in the 1930s called Saturday Night Swing Club - see 1936 06 13 above.
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y. 1947-05-10 p.17
      • Stratemann, p.286 citing Down Beat 1947-05-21 and Rarities LP RAR-59
      • The Dooji Collection - V Discs
      • Vail I
      • New York Times radio log, 1947-05-10
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist 2021-03-31
      New Desor
      DE4706
      DEMSTimner corrections -4/17.Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-01
      2014-03-05
      2015-05-17
      2021-04-01
      1947 05 11
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 12
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 12
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Main Hall
      Carnegie Hall
      Peripheral Event
      8:30 p.m. Carnegie Pop Concert: Jazz at the Philharmonic
      presented by Norman Granz Carnegie "Pop concerts"
      Billy Strayhorn, Oscar Pettiford and Harry Carney were named in an ad for this concert and are listed in the Carnegie Hall database. Under Selections not listed and Selections not included in program, the database shows duke Ellington and C-Jam Blues. There is nothing to indicate Ellington participated.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2019-03-17
      1947 05 12
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Hickory HouseNew York Post:

      'On Monday night, the Duke and some of his crew will make a guest star appearance at the Hickory House to aid the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund '

      Earl Wilson's syndicated column:

      'Saloon: Buddy Rich and Duke Ellington put on an impromptu jazz exhibition at the Hickory House's first Damon Runyon night.'

      • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
        1947-05-10 p.17
      • Walter Winchell:
        • The Daily Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.
          1947-05-14 p.6
      • Earl Wilson:
        • Daily Times, Chicago, Ill.
          1947-05-16 p.59
        • The Daiy Mail, Anderson, S.C.
          1947-05-17 p.8
        • San Antonio Evening News, San Antonio, Tex.
          1947-05-19 p.4
        • Evening World Herald, Omaha, Nebr.,
          1947-05-22 p.21
          courtesy S.Bowie
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-03-27
      updated
      2023-04-03
      1947 05 13
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 14
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 15
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 15
      Thursday
      1947 05 17
      Saturday
      ..Peripheral event
      The syndicated column Keeping Posted with Chuck Moore said Ellington's orchestra was booked to play three days, May 15 to May 17, at Iowa State University.
      A similar announcement appeared in Swinging Down The Lane in the Detroit Tribune.

      The engagement did not take place.
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1947-02-21 p.7
      • Detoit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
        1947-03-01 p.5
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2023-03-27
      updated
      2023-03-28
      1947 05 16
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 17
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 18
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 19
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatresee 1947-04-23.....Added
      2011
      updated 2012-11-14
      1947 05 19
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.."Carnation Hour"
      Ellington was the guest pianist on Contented Hour, 9 p.m.
      The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn.
      1947-05-18 p.C-7
      New Desor
      DE4707
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-03-27
      1947 05 19
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 05 20
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 05 21
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 05 22
      Thursday
      .Worcester, Mass...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 05 23
      Friday
      .Boston, Mass.South State ArmoryDuke Ellington and his famous Orchestra
      Benefit dance, United Negro College Fund

      Admission $1.80 including tax, or $1.50 in advance
      New York Age, New York, N.Y.
      • 1947-05-14 p.12
      • 1947-05-24 p.12
      .
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-01
      2023-03-27
      1947 05 24
      Saturday
      .Salem, Mass...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 05 25
      Sunday
      .Shrewsbury, Mass...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 05 26
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 05 27
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 05 28
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 05 29
      Thursday
      .Shrewsbury, Mass.Sun Valley
      formerly Bal-a-lair
      Jct Routes 9 and 20

      'Tonight!
      The World's Greatest Dance Orchestra
      Duke Ellington '

      The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass.
      1947-05-29 p.15
      courtesy Wayne Clutton, Scott MacNeil
      ...Wayne Clutton, email 2020-06-12New
      added
      2020-06-16
      1947 05 30
      Friday
      .Providence, R.I...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 05 31
      Saturday
      Saturday
      .Lewiston, Ma.Dancetime
      Maine State Fair Grounds
      Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra

      Admission $1.50

      The Bath Independent reported Mrs. Orrin Crosby and Margaret Hall went to hear the orchestra.
      • Portland Press Herald, Portland, Maine
        • 1947-05-30 p.5
        • 1947-05-31, p.6
      • Bath Independent, Bath, Maine
        • 1947-06-05 p.1
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-03-18
      2023-03-27
      2023-04-03

      June 1947

      1947 06 00...Personnel changes
      New Desor has Wilbur de Paris, trombone, and Taft Jordan, trumpet, leaving the band in June. The Afro-American "What Happened in '47!" has them quitting in August. De Paris did record with Ellington that month.
      • New Desor vol.2
      • The Afro-American. Baltimore, Md.
        1948-01-03 p.6
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      updated
      2024-07-20
      1947 06 01
      Sunday
      .New London, Conn.Danceland.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 06 02
      Monday
      .Fitchburg, Mass...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 06 03
      Tuesday
      .Manchester, N.H..Dance
      .New Desor
      DE9023
      DEMSNDCS 1029.Added
      2011
      1947 06 04
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 05
      Thursday
      .Baltimore, Md...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 06 06
      Friday
      .Rochester, N.Y...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 06 07
      Saturday
      .Sampson, N.Y.Farragut Gym
      Sampson College

      Spring Carnival Dance
      MUSIC BY
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      and His Orchestra
      PLUS
      GENE ZACHER'S
      ORCHESTRA
      Farragut Gym - 15 Mi. S. Geneva
      JUNE 7
      Semi-Formal, 9:30 - 2:30
      Tickets: $4.80 per couple (Tax inc.)
      ...' '

      The Red Creek Herald

      'Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Shafer and Mr. and Mrs. Fay Lunkenheimer attended the dance at Sampson College last Saturday night, at which Duke Ellington's band played.

      • Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
        1947-06-01 p.4D
      • The Red Creek Herald, Red Creek, N.Y.
        1947-06-12, p.5
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-16
      2023-03-30
      1947 06 08
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 09
      Monday
      .Washington, D.C..In an April story datelined Buffalo, the imperial potentate of the Ancient Egyptian Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine announced the formation of a national foundation for fighting tuberculosis. Its first fund-raising affair was to be an Ellington concert in Washington on June 9. The concert does not appear to have taken place.Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
      1947-04-12 p.1
      ....New
      added
      2023-03-30
      1947 06 09
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Pathé Studios
      105 E. 106th St. (at Park Ave.)
      Capitol Radio Transcription recording session

      Duke Ellington and his orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, Bascomb, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Claude Jones, Tyree Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer. (New Desor lists Kay Davis and Chester Crumpler as well and Nielsen has Kay Davis and Al Hibbler. None appear to have sung in this session.)

      Titles recorded:
      • Beale Street Blues
      • Memphis Blues
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Swamp Fire
      • How High The Moon
      • Blue Lou
      • Non-Violent Integration (Who Struck John?)
      • Violet Blue
      • Royal Garden Blues
      • Jumpin' Punkins
    • Lambert: Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
      pp.130, 131, 143
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
    • Timner V
    • Nielsen, Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography: Vol. Six, Duke Ellington pp.87,88
    • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2022-01-23
    • New Desor
      DE4708
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-01-28
      1947 06 10
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Pathé Studios
      105 E. 106th St. (at Park Ave.)
      Capitol Radio Transcription recording session

      Duke Ellington and his orchestra
      Hemphill, Jordan, Bascomb, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, de Paris, Claude Jones, Tyree Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Crumpler. (New Desor and Nielsen list Kay Davis but she doesn't appear to have sung in this session.)

      Titles recorded:
      • Frustration
      • Blue Is The Night
      • Jump For Joy
      • Far Away Blues
      • Azalea
      • Orchids For Madame
      • Frisky
      • Park At 106th
      New Desor
      DE4709
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-01-28
      1947 06 11
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 12
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 13
      Friday
      .Washington, D.C.Watergate amphitheatreCancelled concert
      Watergate concert ads, 1947DESCRIPTION
      June 1947 Watergate concert ads
      Click to Enlarge
      • Watergate [spelled both as Watergate and Water Gate in various editions of The Evening Star] was a bandshell on a barge anchored in the Potomac River in front of steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial.
      • Baker's Dozen, Inc. sponsored an Ellington concert the previous summer (1946 06 06) to raise funds to buy buildings for a youth centre. It brought Ellington and his orchestra back in 1947 to raise funds to renovate those buildings.
      • At the time of writing, the Cultural Tourism DC webpage says

        'In 1947 Duke Ellington headlined a benefit concert at the Watergate for the building fund.'

      • Stratemann and Vail I report the event, with Vail reprinting an unattributed announcement as well as a poster or handbill from the Washington D.C. archives. The latter can be viewed on Pinterest.
      • The event was advertised and announced in The Evening Star up to the day of the event. There was no report of the concert or its cancellation in The Evening Star or The Sunday Star but ticket refunds were advertised in The Evening Star on June 17, 18 and 19.
      • In the Baltimore Afro-American, 1947-06-28, Ralph Matthews explained the concert was cancelled because it rained "cats and dogs" a half-hour before show time. He reported Ellington received his $4,000 guarantee, and Baker's Dozen lost money, despite having rain insurance.
      • Chicago Bee:

        'FRIDAY 13, JINX FOR DUKE'S CONCERT
        WASHINGTON–(ANP)–Friday, June 13, proved a jinx for the second annual Watergate concert of Duke Ellington when heavy showers cancelled the concert sponsored by the Baker's Dozen. The concert, which was being sponsored by the female club, was for the pursose of raisng funds to help complete the teen-age center for which the club has already purchased property.'

      ...djp (several hours of research)Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-03
      2023-04-04
      1947 06 14
      Saturday
      .Pittsburgh, Penn.Syria MosqueConcert 8:30 p.m.
      Pittsburgh Press music critic Ralph Lewando's glowing review gave some of the song titles:
      • Diminuendo in Blue
      • Crescendo in Blue
      • Bluetopia
      • Moon Mist
      • Black, Brown and Beige
      • Rockin' in Rhythm
      • Chaucogagaug Maushaugagog Chaubunagungamaug
      • Flippant Flurry
      Mr.Lewando said the variety, climaxes and taperings off of tonal volume in Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue sent the audience into spasms of delight.

      Soloists mentioned: Hodges, Jordan, Brown, Carney, Hamilton

      Singers mentioned: Nance, Davis, Chester Crumper

      Billy Strayhorn may have been present. His teacher, Max Adkins attended the concert.

      Ticket prices: $3.60 $3.00, $2.40 $1.80 $1.60
      • The Pittsburgh Press
        • Ads,
        • 1947-06-08, pp.46, 52
        • 1947-06-10 p.16
        • 1947-06-11 p.16
        • 1947-06-13 p.30
        • Review "Duke adds Jet Power to Jazz," 1947-06-16, p.14
      • Variety 1947-06-11 p.55
      • Vail I
      .
      ..Stratemann p.287djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-14
      2023-03-31
      Circa
      1947 06 15
      Sunday
      ...Personnel changes
      Chester Crumpler appears to have left the band, replaced by Al Hibbler - see discussion at 1947 04 00 above.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-11
      2012-10-23
      2023-04-11
      1947 06 15
      Sunday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Tomlinson HallConcert and Dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

      'MATTHEW DICKERSON Presents...
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      and his Orchestra
      In CONCERT and DANCE
      Featuring: AL HIBBLER, Singing
      "SHE'S FAT AND FORTY, BUT SHE'S MY MEAT"

      Tomlinson Hall
      Sun. Nite
      JUNE 15 ONE NITE ONLY
      Advance $1.25–(TAX INC.)–At door $1.50
      ...'

      • The contract, dated May 14, 1947 on a William Morris Agency form, was for sixteen musicians plus a vocalist, to be led by Ellington. "Tomlinson Hall, Indianapolis" is handwritten, covering a typed illegible venue name and "Cincinnati, Ohio." The employer is H.W. Bayless of 6305 Desmond St., Cincinnati, Ohio/
      • The contract price is $1,500; $750 payable on signing, the balance in cash to the leader not later that 10 p.m. on the date of the engagement.
      • A typed personnel list accompanies the contract. It shows Ellington, Hodges, Sears, Hamilton, Carney, Procope, Greer, Pettiford, Guy, Jordan, Anderson, F. Williams, Hemphill, Brown, DeParis, C. Jones, Nance, Baker, all members of local 802, and vocalists Davis, Hibbler and Cox.
      The same-day announcement in The Indianapolis Recorder mentioned ...'She's Fat and Forty, But She's My Meat' is featured by Hibbler, and is rated as one of the tope songs on the juke boxes today.
      • Contract dated May 14, 1947
      • The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
        1947-06-13 p.16
      • The Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Ind.
        1947-06-15 pp.12, 13
      • Stratemann p.287
      • Vail I
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-03
      1947 06 15
      Sunday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Chief Club Rathskelar [sic]The Indianapolis Recorder:

      'Members of the newly-opened Chief Club will entertain Duke Ellington and members of his band next Sunday nite after the dance at Tomlinson Hall, according to Wm. Benbow, president of the club. Mr. Benbow is a close friend of Mr. Ellington and always entertains him when he visits Naptown. The new entertainment spot... is located in the 400 block in Indiana ave., and admission is by membership only. All members are requested to be present Sunday nite past midnite to help entertain the "Duke" and his gang.'

      The Indianapolis Recorder
      Indianapolis, Ind.
      1947-06-15 p.12
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-03
      1947 06 16
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 17
      Tuesday
      .Springfield, Ill.Record Shop
      Main Floor
      Myers Brothers

      'meet
      him
      in person

      DUKE
      Ellington
      4 P.M.
      TUESDAY
      RECORD SHOP
      MAIN FLOOR
      Appearing with His Orchestra
      Tuesday, Orpheum Theater
      MYERS
      BROTHERS'

      .
      • Illinois State Journal-Register
        Springfield, Ill.
        1947-06-15 p.13
      • Illinois State Register
        Springfield, Ill.
        1947-06-17 p.14
      ....New
      Added
      2023-04-03
      updated
      2024-07-20
      1947 06 17
      Tuesday
      .Springfield, Ill.Orpheum TheaterVaudeville:

      'DUKE
      Ellington
      and his famous
      ORCHESTRA
      –PLUS–A Sensational Stage Show, Loaded With Great Entertainers.–prices–60¢ 'Til 5 P.M., Then 85¢
      Children 25¢
      4 Shows At 2:30, 4:40, 7, [illegible]:30
      –ON THE SCREEN–
      "The Devil Thumbs A Ride"
      With Laurence Tierans'

      The plug says

      '...a stage revue will be featured including the two "Song Birds of the South," Kay Davis and Marion Cox... '

      Also advertised: Al Hibbler, Harris & Scott, The Will Mastin Trio
      • Illinois State Journal-Register
        Springfield, Ill.
        1947-06-15 pp.12, 13
      • Illinois State Register
        Springfield, Ill.
        1947-06-17 p.14
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-03
      2024-07-20
      1947 06 18
      Wednesday
      .Joliet, Ill...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 06 19
      Thursday
      .South Bend, Ind.Palace TheatreVaudeville
      4 deluxe stage perforances at 2:20, 4:40, 7:00 and 9:30
      Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra with a grand new sizzling red-hot musical stage revue starring Will Mastin Trio, Harris & Scott.

      Notes
      The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.
      • 1947-06-18 p.10
      • 1947-06-19 p.6
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-04
      1947 06 20
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 21
      Saturday
      .Edelstein, Ind.Hub Ballroom
      Route 88
      Dancing, 9:30 - 1:30
      Admission Advance $1.50, Door $2.00

      Stark County News, June 18:

      'Featured band for Saturday night is Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra in a continuation of top-name bands presented for dancers in this section. According to Manager Bert Potter, the Duke liked the Hub Ballroom when he played there last year and agreed to come again this year, despite the fact that he never plays in small towns.'

      and

      '...The Duke leads the band from his piano, which the Hub management has arranged to be elevated so that every one can see him besides being up close to him during the course of the evening... '


      • The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
        • 1947-06-18 p.2
        • 1947-06-19 p.2
        • 1947-06-20 p.2
        • 1947-06-21 p.2
      • The Stark County News, Toulon, Ill.
        • 1947-06-18 pp.1, 3
      • Wyoming Post-Herald, Wyoming, Ill.
        • 1947-06-18 pp.2, 3
      • Henry News-Republican, Henry, Ill.
        • 1947-06-19 p.5
      • Streator Daily times, Streator, Ill.
        • 1947-06-20 p.1
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-04
      2023-04-11
      1947 06 22
      Sunday
      .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel AuditoriumConcert
      9 till 1 a.m.
      tickets $1.25
      Personnel named in the advertisements: Hodges, Nance, Carney, Brown, Marion Cox and Kay Davis.
      St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
      • 1947-06-19 p.7D
      • 1947-06-20 p.4D
      • 1947-06-22 p.6H
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-11
      1947 06 23
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 24
      Tuesday
      1947 06 25Oklahoma City, Okla.Municipal AuditoriumSegregated dance for Black people

      Oklahoma City Advertiser:

      '...Ellington's famous band, which comes to the Municipal Auditorium Wednesday, June 25th to play a dance for white people, and on Tuesday night, a dance for colored people...'


      The ads were for the dance for whites and show that night's times and ticket prices. These ads don't mention the hours or prices for the Tuesday dance.
      Oklahoma City Advertiser, Oklahoma City, Okla.
      • 1947-06-12 p.9
      • 1947-06-19 p.9
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-11
      1947 06 25
      Wednesday
      .Oklahoma City, Okla.Municipal AuditoriumSegregated dance for White people- see 1947 06 24
      9 'til 1 a.m.
      Tickets - advance $1.23, door $1.63 plus tax.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-11
      1947 06 26
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 06 27
      Friday
      1947 07 10
      Thursday
      Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      Stratemann has this engagement ending July 10 but Vail says there was a broadcast on closing night, July 11. The latest recorded broadcast in New Desor is July 9.
      • Keeping posted,
        San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1947-07-04 p.7
      • Stratemann, p.287
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-05
      2023-04-06
      1947 06 28
      Saturday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 06 29
      Sunday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 06 30
      Monday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011

      July 1947

      1947 07 01
      Tuesday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27
      radio broadcast recorded
      .New Desor
      DE4710
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      1947 07 02
      Wednesday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 03
      Thursday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 04
      Friday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27
      Broadcast recorded
      .New Desor
      DE4711
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1947 07 05
      Saturday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 06
      Sunday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 07
      Monday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 08
      Tuesday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27
      Broadcast recorded
      .New Desor
      DE4712
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      1947 07 09
      Wednesday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27
      Broadcast recorded
      .New Desor
      DE4713
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      1947 07 10
      Thursday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      see 1947 06 27.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 11
      Friday
      .Denver, Col.El Patio Ballroom
      Lakeside Park
      (Unconfirmed)

      see 1947 06 27

      Vail shows a closing night broadcast July 11 but Stratemann has the date running only to July 10. The latest recorded broadcast shown in New Desor is July 9.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-05
      1947 07 12
      Saturday
      1947 07 19
      Saturday
      Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      Night club residency

      Variety reported business was only fair. The spot operated with $1.50 admission Monday to Thursday, $1.70 Friday and $2.00 Saturday, plus a 25¢ table charge on Friday and Saturday. This suggests the club was closed Sunday.
      • The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah
        • 1947-07-11 p.17
        • 1947-07-12 p.10
        • 1947-07-14 p.13
        • 1947-07-15 p.10
        • 1947-07-16 pp.8,14
        • 1947-07-17 p.11
        • 1947-07-18 p.15
        • 1947-07-19 p.9
      • The Deseret News, Salt Lake City, Utah
        • 1947-07-11 p.15
        • 1947-07-19 p.5
      • Salt Lake Telegram, Salt Lake City, Utah
        • 1947-07-16 p.10
      • Variety
        • 1947-07-19 p.33
        • 1947-07-23 p.37
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-06
      1947 07 13
      Sunday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12Likely a day off....Added
      2011
      2023-04-08
      1947 07 14
      Monday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 15
      Tuesday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 16
      Wednesday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 16
      Wednesday
      ...Peripheral event
      Variety named Ellington's current Rainbow Rendezvous [sic] and upcoming Ciro's residencies. It said Ellington's was the only orchestra William Morris has to offer through August, and there were eager buyers for Ellington, who will gig 19 nites in and out of the territory at $1,250 weekdays and $1,500 Saturdays, against usual 60% privilege.
      Variety, 1947-07-16 p.33...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-08
      1947 07 17
      Thursday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 18
      Friday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 19
      Saturday
      .Salt Lake City, UtahJames Jone's
      Rainbow Rendevu
      see 1947 07 12.....Added
      2011
      1947 07 20
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 07 21
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      Stratemann showed the San Francisco Opera House concert this day, but it was the next day.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-08
      1947 07 22
      Thursday
      ... Peripheral event
      Look magazine ran a lengthy review of Ellington's life and accomplishments.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2014-02-15
      updated
      2022-04-08
      1947 07 22
      Tuesday
      .San Francisco, Cal.San Francisco War Memorial Opera HouseConcert 8:30 p.m..
      July 22 1947 programme
      War Memorial Opera House programme
      Click to Enlarge
      • Variety reported Ellington, with a $2,500 guarantee against 60%, received$2,500.
      • San Francisco Chronicle carried a lengthy, far-reaching review by J.P.Kahn, who said the concert was practically sold out thanks to the fervor of the faithful and "some exceedingly scant publicity."
      • Down Beat:

        'Duke's Frisco Concert To A Sedate House
        San Francisco–Duke Ellington's concert at the War Memorial Opera House here last night was almost a sellout, but a lot of lastminute concert-goers vere caught at the boxoffice without enough dough for orchestra seats, the only ones then available.
           Ellington presented much of his familiar concert material and featured Kay Davis and Chester Crumpler as vocalists. The opera house is a pretty heavy joint to get jumping. It took the Duke the full two hours of his concert to do it. Not until the encores, when the band played C Jam Blues, Squeeze Me and Honeysuckle Rose (with Tyree Glenn on vibes) was there much action in the audience.
           The Ellington "serious" pieces were received in the sedate manner in which the band presented them. Ray Nance's muggin' and Glenn's vibes and tram work stopped the show. Miss Davis' dress was possibly more successful than her singing. The rest of the band was its usual magnificent self. Sonny Greer, a little less bumptious, but is still one of the world's greatest drummers. Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges did what little they were given to do with their usual finesse.
              –Ralph J. Gleason'

      • Stratemann has the concert the previous day in error, and misdated the reference to Gleason's review.
      • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
        • 1947-07-08 p.
        • 1947-07-16 p.8
        • 1947-07-17 p.6
        • 1947-07-18 p.7
        • 1947-07-21 p.9
        • 1947-07-22 p.9
        • 1947-08-03 pp.10, 14
      • Variety 1947-07-30 p.44
      • Down Beat 1947-08-13 p.3
      • Concert programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 40 War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California, July 22, 1947
      • Stratemann p.287
      • Vail I with an extract from the programme and 3 paragraphs from the Gleason review in Down Beat.
      ...djpNew
      2016-01-23
      updated
      2023-04-11
      2023-04-12
      1947 07 23
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 07 24
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 07 25
      Friday
      1947 08 07
      Thursday
      Hollywood, Cal.Ciro's
      8433 Sunset Blvd.
      Two week nightclub residency on Sunset Strip, with "numerous broadcasts"
      The July 25 broadcast was transcribed for the AFRS series Spotlight Bands no. 1044/47

      It appears Ellington's orchestra appeared along with a house band, the Don Alfredo Rhumba Band. The June Pittsburgh Courier announcement named Ellington's personnel: Hodges, Sears, Carney, Brown, Greer, Guy, Pettiford, Jordan, Baker, Hemphill and Hibbler.
      New Desor
      DE4714
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-05
      2023-03-31
      2023-04-06
      2024-01-21
      1947 07 26
      Saturday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 07 27
      Sunday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 07 28
      Monday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 07 29
      Tuesday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011
      circa
      1947 07 30
      Wednesday
      ...Apparent date Ellington's Columbia Records new recording contract was executed, although trade papers place it in June.
      • Variety dated Ellington' departure from Musicraft as "last week" in its June 18 edition.
      • The Billboard has the Columbia/Ellington pact wrapped up "last week" in a story datelined July 12.
      • Cambridge Companion says Ellington signed with Columbia in June.
      • Steven Lasker:

        'The file sheet for Columbia mx. HCO-2531 (Ellington's "Hy'a Sue," recorded 8/14/47) bears the notation "Contract dated July 30, 1947."'


      • Lasker believes CC's information came from Lawrence:

        'Per A.H. Lawrence, "Duke Ellington and His World," page 417 ("Chronology"): June 1947: [Ellington] Leaves Musicraft; signs with Columbia in the fall after John Hammond leaves the label...'

      • Variety 1947-06-18 said Ellington "seceded from the new Musicraft Records setup last week."
      • In a story datelined New York July 12, The Billboard said "Just last week Columbia wrapped up a pact with Duke Ellington in which the orkster gets a straight 5 per cent royalty on deal, with a three-figure advance against each side but with no annual guarantee..."
      • It seems possible that the deal was made during June with the contract signed later. Further research is warranted to confirm the date of the Columbia contract.
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        2014-10-14
        2019-01-26
      • Cambridge Companion, p.xvi
      • Variety 1947-06-18 p.39
      • The Billboard 1947-07-19 p.20
      • ANP wirestory
        • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kansas
          1947-06-27 p.4
        • The Indianapolis Recorder, Inianapolis, Ind.
          1947-06-28 p.1
      ...slNew
      added
      2014-10-14
      2015-06-04
      2019-01-27
      2023-04-08
      1947 07 30
      Wednesday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      The July 30 broadcast was transcribed for the AFRS series Spotlight Bands no. 1083
      .New Desor
      DE4715
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-05
      1947 07 31
      Thursday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011

      August 1947

      1947 08 01
      Friday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      A remote broadcast was transcribed for AFRS Spotlight Bands no. 1077 & 1080
      .New Desor
      DE4716
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-23
      1947 08 02
      Saturday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 08 03
      Sunday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      1947 08 04
      Monday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 08 05
      Tuesday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      Remote broadcast
      .New Desor
      DE9049
      DEMSNDCS 1074.Added
      2011
      1947 08 06
      Wednesday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      Remote broadcast
      .New Desor
      DE9050
      .NDCS 1074.Added
      2011
      1947 08 07
      Thursday
      .Hollywood, Cal.Ciro'sNightclub residency - see 1947 07 25
      Remote broadcast
      .New Desor
      DE9051
      .NDCS 1074.Added
      2011
      1947 08 08
      Friday
      .San Diego, Cal.Pacific Square BallroomDance for whites. Kay Davis was included in the advertising.

      Due to racial conflicts in San Diego, this was the first time in eight years that a black band was hired to play for white dancers. The contract was to pay Ellington 60% of the gate, with a $2,000 guarantee.
      Chula Vista Star:

      'Misses Carol Santiago, Elizabeth and Virginia Gonzales, spent the evening of August 14 [sic] at Pacific Square dancing to the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra.'

      • The Billboard 1947-08-02 p.23
      • The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.

        1947-08-06 p.7-A
        1947-08-08 p.7-A
      • Variety 1947-08-06 p.36
      • Chula Vista Star, Chula Vista, Cal.
        1947-08-22 p.7-A
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-11-06
      2022-01-09
      2023-04-08
      2023-04-09
      2023-04-10
      1947 08 08
      Friday
      ..Peripheral event
      Santa Barbara News-Press:

      'One Full Hour
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      Radio Show
      TONGHT

      Ted Scott 1250 Club
      KTMS 11 to 12 p.m.'

      Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara, Cal.
      1947-008 p.A-2
      ....New
      Added
      2023-04-11
      1947 08 09
      Saturday
      .San Bernardino, Cal.Municipal AuditoriumDancing.
      "One Night of Fun for Everybody with Duke and his Entire Band"
      Daily Sun, San Bernardino, Cal.
      • 1947-08-07 p.4
      • 1947-08-09 p.4
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-09
      1947 08 10.Oakland, Cal...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 08 10
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 08 11
      Monday
      .Santa Barbara, Cal.State ArmoryDance 8:30 to 1 a.m.
      Admission - advance $1.50 including tax.
      400 RESERVED SEATS FOR LISTENERS
      An ad for the Uptown Ballroom in Modesto Bee 1947-08-02 p.3 said
      Coming Aug.11 Duke Ellington. This seems to have been superceded by the Santa Barbara dance. The Bee does't mention Ellington again between August 3 and 11.
      • Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara, Cal.
        • 1947 08 03 p.C-3
        • 1947-08-08 p.A-2
        • 1947-08-10 p.C-3
        • 1947-08-12 p.A-6
      • The Lompoc Record, Lompoc, Cal.
        • 1947-08-07 p.3
      • The Modesto Bee, Modesto, Cal.
        • 1947-08-02 p.3
      ...djp
      New
      added
      2023-04-11
      1947 08 12
      Tuesday
      .Fresno, Cal.Fresno Memorial Auditorium

      IN PERSON
      HARLEM'S
      Aristocrat
      OF JAZZ!
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      And His Famous Orchestra
      FRESNO MEMORIAL AUD.
      TUESDAY NITE, AUG. 12

      The Fresno Bee, Fresno, Cal.
      • 1947-08-07 p.16
      • 1947-08-08 p.9
      • 1947-08-10 p.24
      • 1947-08-11 p.11
      • 1947-012 p.4
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-11
      1947 08 13
      Wednesday
      ...Peripheral event
      In a story datelined Hollywood August 12, Variety reported on Ellington's activities and the band business on the west coast, giving some insight to where he played this month:
      Variety 1947-08-13 p.40

      'Coast Top Band Dearth Ups Coin
      Hollywood, Aug. 12.
       Paucity of genuine name bands available for Coast one-niters during rest of summer has resulted in promoters actually tilting guarantees to latch onto what few are around. Duke Ellington, now on a skein of 25 one-nighters up and down the Coast, played for promoter John Burton in Oakland Sun. (10) at a $3,000 guarantee against 60%; he will receive same figure from Dex Lewers in Vancouver Aug.22 and also from Ellis Coder in Seattle Aug. 27. Many other Ellington stands have $2,500 guarantees; relatively few are at $1,750, his old figure.
       Promoters who are laying out the heavy guarantees in many instances are the ones who, last winter, were recoiling from one-nite quotations and asserting they would never ante up tall figures again. However, as pointed out in VARIETY last month, Coast promoters frequently have been shuttering sites on Saturday nites because names were unavailable. Last spring, booking agencies took cognizance of poor Coast situation and routed relatively few names through Far West because of back of dates, compared with years past.
       MCA is hurriedly hustling Buddy Rich into this territory to take up some of the slack. Tommy Dorsey, who will one-nite his way east after he closes ... at Casino Gardens...seems to be having no trouble nailing $2,500 guarantees, against usual percentages. Krupa is being readily sold by MCA for $1,250, and Harry James is being greedily snapped up at $2,000...
       GAC, now lining up late-September one-nite tour for Stan Kenton, has jotted all the dates the reformed crew can handle. As in past, Kenton seeks only $1,750 and percentage. In past several years, Kenton has gone into percentage more often on Coast than any other band.'

      ....djpNew
      added
      2023-04-10
      1947 08 13
      Wednesday
      .Bakersfield, Cal.Melody Bowl
      Twenty-fourth and Highway [illegible]
      Duke Ellington and his famous Orchestra
      The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, Cal.
      • 1947-08-13 p.12
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-09
      1947 08 14
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      20:25 to 23:50
      • Personnel
        Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Chester Crimpler
      • Titles recorded
        • H'ya Sue
        • Lady Of The Lavender Mist (Too Weary To Worry)
        • Women, Women, Women
        • Maybe I Should Change My Ways
      • Nielsen has Strayhorn on piano.
      • Timner:

        BS [Strayhorn] has not been mentioned on the recording sheet. His presence is based on aural judgment. The same applies to session on 1,9 Sep; 1,2,6 Oct; 10,11,20, Nov. 1947.

      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen 5th edition
        and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist:
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2021-07-27 re venue address
        • 2021-07-28 re personnel
      New Desor
      DE4717
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30
      2021-08-05
      2024-07-03
      1947 08 15
      Friday
      .Stockton, Cal.Stockton Civic AuditoriumDuke Ellington and His Orch.
      Public Dancing 9:00 to 1:00
      given by Colored Community Guild Association
      Stockton (Calif.) Record, Stockton, Cal.
      • 1947-08-13 p.15
      • 1947-08-14 p.16
      • 1947-08-15 p.17
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-11
      1947 08 16
      Saturday
      .Mirabel Park, Cal.Mirabel Park
      Russian River

      Santa Rosa Republican 1930-05-29 described Mirabel Park as that popular resort located on the upper Russian river closest to Santa Rosa, being only 12 miles from the Sonoma county seat
      One nighter.
      • Petaluma Argus-Courier, Petaluma, Cal.
        • 1947-08-01 p.8
      • The Napa Journal, Napa, Cal.
        • 1947-08-01 p.5
        • 1947-08-15 p.14
      • The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Cal.
        • 1947-08-06 p.1
        • 1947-08-13 p.1
        • 1947-08-15 p.14
        • 1947-08-16 p.1
      • Santa Rosa Republican, Santa Rosa, Cal.
        • 1947-08-08 p.1
        • 1947-08-09 p.1
        • 1947-08-13 p.1
        • 1947-08-14 p.1
        • 1947-08-15 p.1
        • 1947-08-16 p.1
      • The Sebastopol Times, Sebastopol, Cal.
        • 1947-08-08 p.5
        • 1947-08-15 p.9
      • The Tidings, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-08-29 p.8
      ....New
      added
      2023-04-11
      1947 08 17
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 08 18
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 08 19
      Tuesday
      .Eugene, Ore.Willamette ParkDuke Ellington and his famous Orhestra
      Dancing 9 to 1
      Admission $2.00 including tax

      August 29 Graves record store ad:

      THE DUKE IS CANNED!
      Graves have Duke Ellington Records for those who missed him at the "Park" last night – And... still more records for those who heard him!

      Duke Ellington
      Record #461
      Happy Go Lucky
      Local
      Parts 1 and 2
      NOW RECORDING
      EXCLUSIVELY ON
      Musicraft
      RECORDS
      New York - Hollywood'

      Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.
      • 1947-08-17 p.24
      • 1947-08-20 p.5
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-01-07
      2022-01-08
      1947 08 20
      Wednesday
      .Albany, Ore.CottonwoodsDancing, 9 to 1, Admission $2.00 including taxAlbany Democrat-Herald, Albany, Ore.
      1947-08-19 p.5
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2022-01-08
      1947 08 21...
      P-182 albumAlbum P-182
      Click to Enlarge
      Peripheral event

      Even though Ellington's RCA Victor contract ended in 1946, RCA issued eight 1945-1946 Ellington recordings in the third quarter of 1947, plugging it in the September RCA Victor Record Review.

      Metronome's unenthusiastic review of the album is reprinted in Vail I.

      The Billboard, 1947-08-21, carried an ad for new releases, one being for this four-record, eight-sided album of ten inch 78 rpm Ellington records, Catalogue P-182, Duke Ellington plays the Blues. It also listed the same recordings as four separate 78s, pairing indicated by the RCA catalogue numbers below.

      Song TitleRecordedNew Desor No.RCA Victor
      catalogue no.
      Frankie and Johnny1945-05-16DE4534a 20-2324
      Drawing Room Blues1946-01-10DE4602b 20-2327
      Transblucency (A Blue Fog That You Can
      Almost See Through)
      1946-07-09DE4619c 20-2326
      Pretty Woman 1946-07-10 DE4620c 20-2324
      Beale Street Blues1946-08-26DE4638f 20-2326
      Memphis Blues1946-09-03DE4640b 20-2324
      Royal Garden Blues1946-09-03DE4640f 20-2324
      St. Louis Blues1946-09-03DE4640d 20-2327
      ....New
      added
      2023-04-13
      Updated
      2023-04-14
      1947 08 21
      Thursday
      .Tacoma, Wash...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 08 22
      Friday
      .Douglas, B.C.
      (now Surrey, B.C.)
      Peace Arch border crossing.CBC commentator Susan Fletcher, learning Ellington would not have time in Vancouver to be interviewed for her Flicks and Flashes national radio programme, drove to Peace Arch and "pushed a microphone in front of him as he went through the Customs. The interview was conducted with a background of car horns and assorted crowd sounds, all of which made the assignment just a bit tough!"


      Upon entering Canada, Ellington and his orchestra filed a manifest for members of theatrical organizaions, shows, etc. (form IMM 60). It shows the port of entry and exit was Blaine, Washington, they were arriving from Seattle and were staying until the next day. Personnel listed were:
      NAME P.O. ADDRESS
      IN FULL
      BIRTHPLACENEXT OF KIN, RELATIONSHIP
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      935 St. Nicholas Ave.,
      New York
      Washington D.C. -
      RAYMOND
      NANCE
      270 Convent Ave.,
      New York
      Florence, S.C. Mrs. Richard Kennedy, wife
      FRANCIS
      WILLIAMS
      312 West 112th St.,
      New York
      Pittsburgh, Pa.Mrs. Francis Williams, wife
      SHELTON
      HEMPHILL
      289 Lenox Ave.,
      New York
      Birmingham, Ala.Mrs. Shelton Hemphill, wife
      CLAUDE
      JONES
      535 Convent Ave.,
      New York
      Wheeling, W.Va.Mrs. Claude Jones, wife
      LAWRENCE
      BROWN
      270 St. Nicolas Ave.,
      New York
      Lawrence, Kans.Mrs. Lawrence Brown, wife
      RUSSEL
      PROCOPE
      870 St. Nicolas Ave.,
      New York
      N.Y.C.Mrs. Russell Procope, wife
      HARRY
      CARNEY
      450 West 147 St.,
      New York
      Boston, Mass.Mrs. Harry Carney, wife
      ALBERT
      SEARS
      441 West 151 St.,
      New York
      Macomb, Ill.Mrs. Albert Sears, wife
      JAMES
      HAMILTON
      565 West 150 St.,
      New York
      Hamer, S.Car.Mrs. James Hamilton, wife
      JOHN
      HODGE
      1893 7 Ave.,
      New York
      Cambridge, Mass.Mrs. John Hodge, wife
      WILLIAM
      GREER
      601 East 164 St.,
      New York
      Long Branch, N.J.Mrs. Wm Greer, wife
      FRED
      GUY
      940 St. Nicolas Ave.,
      New York
      Burenville, Va.Mrs. Fred Guy, wife
      FORD
      PETTIFORD
      65 Tiemann Place,
      New York
      Burenville, Va.Mrs. Oscar Pettiford, wife
      K.
      DAVIS
      Palace Hotel,
      New York
      New York, N.Y.Dr. S. E. Mac Donald, father
      ALBERT
      HIBBLER
      2040 E 7th Ave.,
      New York
      Chicago, Ill.Mrs. Lowry, mother
      WILLIAM
      STRAYHORN
      545 Eddington Ave.,
      New York
      Dayton OhioMrs. Wm. Strayhorn, wife
      THOMAS
      WHALEY
      356 West 116 St.,
      New York
      Boston, Mass.Mrs. Thomas Whaley, wife
      JOHN
      CELLEY
      248 West 71st St.,
      New York
      New York, N.Y.Mr. C. Chapman, uncle
      HAROLD
      BAKER
      1619 Broadway,
      New York
      St. Louis, Mo.Mrs. Harold Baker, wife
      DUD
      BASCOMB
      1619 Broadway,
      New York
      New York City, N.Y.Mrs. Dud Bascomb, wife
      MURRAY
      ROSENBAUM
      3713 74th St.,
      New York
      Jackson Heights, N.Y. Mrs.M.Rosenbaum, wife
      TYREE
      GLENN
      1190 Linton Ave.,
      New York
      New York, N.Y.Mrs. T.Glenn, wife

      Imported instruments:
                              Duke Ellington Orchestra
      List of personnel's instruments
      INSTRUMENT MAKE NUMBER
      R NANCE Trumpet Olds 1159
      Violin
      F WILLIAMS Trumpet Bach 4629
      S HEMPHILL Trumpet Conn 371601
      D BASCOMB Trumpet Buescher 238299
      H BAKER Trumpet King (Liberty Model) 226731
      C JONES Trombone King, Bach 405 Bell
      481 Slide
      L BROWN Trombone King 2-B Liberty Model 241362
      T GLENN Valve Trombone Reynolds 906
      Slide Trombone King 208400
      Vibraharps consisting
      of 4 pieces
      R PROCOPE Clarinet Selmer K7 469
      Alto Sax Buescher 283640
      H CARNEY Baritone Sax - Bass Clarinet Selmer - Conn KT114 279566
      Clarinet Selmer B255646-L
      A SEARS Tenor Sax Conn M-246310
      Clarinet Conn No Number
      J HAMILTON Tenor Sax Selmer M275746
      Clarinet Buffet 22299
      J HODGE Alto Sax Conn 300409
      Clarinet Selmer 4309
      F GUY Guitar Stromberg 499
      O PETTIFORD Bass Violin
      S GREER Drums Consisting, of
      6 pieces

      2 cases consisting of music stands
      15 music books
      1 case of mutes
      1 case of irons
      Steven Lasker:
      'A separate sheet lists additional personnel and their instruments; it isn't dated but the personnel corresponds to the period from 1947 12 19 (when Killian joins) to mid-Jan 49 (when Sears leaves):
      Hemphill - trumpet - King #276654
      Killian -- trumpet - Calicchio 1174
      cornet - Buescher 316883
      Sears -- tenor sax - Buescher - 319775 - B11
      Jones -- trombone - Conn 343328 slide
      -- " [illegible]
      '
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-29
      updated
      2016-07-01
      1947 08 22
      Friday
      .Lower Mainland, B.C.en routeThe Province newspaper's Frank Mulcahy interviewed Ellington on the chartered bus as it travelled from Peace Arch to Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. The paper printed his account of the interview and concert the next day. The interview concerned Ellington's feelings about racial prejuduce and about music. According to the intro, the discussion carried on right up to the arrival at Malkin Bowl."Racial Prejudice Everywhere, Says Ellington"   Vancouver Daily Province 1947-08-23 p.9...djpNew
      added 2013-01-05
      1947 08 22
      Friday
      8:30 pm
      .Vancouver, B.C.Malkin Bowl,
      Stanley Park
      Three hour outdoor concert in the Malkin Bowl amphitheatre. Arrangements were made to move the concert indoors if the weather was bad. The concert was advertised in the Daily Province as "Exactly as presented recently in Carnegie Hall, New York" and as "Exactly the same program as the orchestra will present next week in Hollywood Bowl."
      Tickets:
      • "special chairs" $2.50
      • all other seats $2.00


      Stratemann says Down Beat showed Ellington in Seattle on Aug. 22
      • The Daily Province, Vancouver, B..C.
        • 1947-08-21 pp.6, 8
        • 1947-08-22 p.8
        • 1947-08-23
      • The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
        • 1947-08-23 p.21
      • Stratemann, p.287, citing Variety 1947-08-13 p.40
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-05
      2023-04-12
      1947 08 23
      Saturday
      .Portland, Ore...
      Timner corrections -4/17+20....Added
      2011
      1947 08 23
      Saturday
      .Olympia, Wash.Olympia ArmoryVeterans United Productions presents DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous ORCHESTRA.

      'DANCE–Duke Ellington and his band will play for dancing this Saturday night in Olympia Armory. The Duke will bring to Olympia some of the musicians who have been with his organization from five to ten years. Dancing will start at nine o'clock. '

      The Daily Olympian, Olympia, Wash.
      • 1947-08-21 p.2
      • 1947-08-22 p.7
      ..djp.New
      Added
      2022-01-08
      1947 08 24
      Sunday
      .Portland, Ore.Public auditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m.

      BURTON McELROY
      Presents That Great
      Hollywood Bowl Concert Orchestra
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      and His World-Famous Orchestra
      SUNDAY Aug.24 AUDITORIUM
      CONCERT – ONE NIGHT ONLY – 8:30 P.M.
      TICKETS NOW J.K. GILL CO., AT 8681
      $1, $1.50, $2, $3., inc. tax

      Hilmar Grondahl, Music Editor

      'Edward Kennedy Ellington, generally known as "Duke," aroused something just short of a frenzy of enjoyment at the public auditorium Sunday night when he sent his band through 29 programed [sic] numbers of jazz in his own vastly familiar style. Most of the works were of his own composing, Strayhorn and W.C. Handy being the only two to set the leader-composer's name aside completely on the page... '

      Grondahl's review named Carney, Hodges, Brown, Hamilton, Greer and Kay Davis, and songs Air Conditioned Jungle, Transblucenation [sic], and the spriritual and blues sections of Black, Brown and Beige.
      Timner V:

      'A tape of dubious authenticity is circulating among collectors of a concert at the Civic Auditorium, Portland, OR, dated to 24 Aug 1947. The title selections are almost identical with those of the concert at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA.'

      • The Oregonian and The Sunday Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
        • 1947-08-10 p.11
        • 1947-08-17 p.11
        • 1947-08-21 p.13
        • 1947-08-22 p.19
        • 1947-08-23 p.9
        • 1947-08-24 p.11
        • 1947-08-25 p.9
      • Timner: V, p.114
      • Timner corrections-4/17+20
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2022-01-07
      2022-01-09
      1947 08 25
      Monday
      ..Meadowbrook Gardensactivities not documented
      Vail, Vol.I reported Duke was a guest on Tommy Dorsey's Tender Leaf Tea radio show at the Meadowbrook Gardens in Culver City.
      This appears to be in error - see 1946 08 25
      Vail I...djpNew
      added 2013-01-05
      1947 08 26
      Tuesday
      2 to 3 pm
      .Victoria, B.C.Fletcher's record store
      1130 Douglas St.
      Duke made a personal appearance to sign records for buyers.Ad, Victoria Daily Colonist 1947-08-26, p.19.
      ..New
      added 2013-01-05
      1947 08 26
      Tuesday
      9 pm to 1 am
      .Victoria, B.C.Bay Street ArmouryConcert and dance
      Special amplifying system
      Seating arrangement on balcony

      Tickets -
      advance, $1.75;
      at the door, $2.10

      An unidentified reporter tried to interview Ellington before the performance, but didn't get very far. His report concludes "a reporter shuffled out at this point with no interview."
      Victoria Daily Colonist, Victoria, B.C.
      • 1947-08-16 p.18
      • 1947-08-23 p.18
      • 1947-08-26 p.18
      • 1947-08-27, p.3
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-01-05
      updated
      2022-01-08
      1947 08 27
      Wednesday
      .Seattle, Wash..Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
      Dance 8:30 to 12, admission $1.60 plus taxes.
      • The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
        • 1947-08-24 p.36
        • 1947-08-26 p.20
        • 1947-08-27 p.23
      • Stratemann p.287 citing
        Variety 1947-08-13, p.40
      • Vail I
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-01-05
      2022-01-07
      1947 08 28
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 08 29
      Friday
      .Capitola, Cal.Capitola Ballroom.Ellington and his orchestra appear to have played the Capitola Ballroom August 29, but there is some ambiguity.
      • Santa Cruz Sentinel-News 1947-08-22 p.5:

        '...Ellington...will play a one-night stand at the Capitola ballroom Friday, August 29, it was announced Wednesday.
             ...Merle C. Severns of the Capitola ballroom said he "got a break" in securing the Ellington band, which is able to appear here because another booking was cancelled. Ellington will be in Portland August 28 and will play his one-night stand at Capitola on his way south to Santa Barbara.
             ...Ellington's band played at Capitola about 1938 to one of the largest crowds in the history of the dance hall. His last appearance in the county was at the Watsonville civic auditorium in 1945.'

      • Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, 1947-08-29 p.2 and 1947-08-30 p.5 (identical ads):

        DUKE
        Ellington
        and his famous
        ORCHESTRA
        at
        CAPITOLA
        BALLROOM
        appearing
        FRIDAY NITE
        ONLY
        9-1

      • Santa Cruz Sentinel-News 1947-08-30 p.6:

        'For the second time in about nine years Santa Cruzans will have the opportunity tonight to hear the music of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington...
             Ellington, his 16-piece band and two vocalists, will play a one-night stand at the Capitola ballroom from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Last time the Duke played here was about 1938, also at Capitola... '

      • It isn't clear why the Saturday edition would carry an ad and a plug for a dance the night before. According to its identification text block (see 1930-08-30 p.2, the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News was

        'Published daily with a Morning Edition, except Mondays, and an Evening Editon, except Saturday and Sunday by the Sentinel Publishing Company...'

      • Santa Cruz Sentinel-News 1947-09-19 p.2D (photo caption):

        'Duke Ellington, who played a one-night stand at Capitola September 5, has been an international favorite pianist and band leader for nearly 29 years. He is expected to be in great demand on KSCO request platter programs.'

        This seems likely to be a simple mistake. The orchestra was in Arizona September 5, both August 29 and September 5 were Fridays.
      • In a webpublished article dated 2022-01-01, Deborah Osterberg wrote

        '      Built in 1935 ...The Capitola Ballroom featured dancing every Wednesday and Saturday nights.
             ...In 1947, the Capitola Ballroom scored a coup when they were able to get Duke Ellington after one of his other bookings was cancelled. This was the second time the Duke performed at Capitola. Back in 1938, the famed orchestra leader played "...to one of the largest crowds in the history of the dance hall."...'

      • Ms Osterberg did not mention Ellington's 1941 appearance here (see 1941 06 21.)
      Did the orchestra play here in or around 1938?

      • The orchestra was advertised here for June 21, 1941 but searching California newspapers in three commercial online newspaper archives from 1937 through 1939 turns up no mention of Ellington at the Capitola Ballroom as at 2023-04-12. Ms Osterberg may have been relying on the 1947 reports.
      ...KG, djpNew
      added
      2022-01-08
      2023-04-12
      1947 08 30
      Saturday
      .Santa Barbara, Cal.ArmoryGrand Fiesta Final Ball
      Tickets - advance $1.50, door $2.00 tax included.
      Santa Barbara News-Press, Santa Barbara, Cal
      • 1947-08-20 p.B-4
      • 1947-08-23 pp.A-4, B-5
      • 1947-08-24 p.C-2
      • 1947-08-29 p.B-2
      • 1947-08-30 p.A-5
      • 1947-08-20 p.B-4
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-12
      1947 08 31
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood BowlConcert for the benefit of South-East Youth Center, 8:30 p.m.
      Admission $1.50, $2.00, $2.50, $3.00, $3.50 tax included.

      The Pittsburgh Courier reported 10,000 attended.
      • Variety:

        'Hollywood June 24
          Duke Ellington is being mobbed by charity organiztions, after they learned over weekend that the Duke will earmark all profits from his Aug. 31 Hollywood Bowl concert to the charity he finds most desrving. William Morris' band booker Cress Courtney was here from New York over weekend, primarily to help Ellington decide on a specific organization to reap the proceeds
          ...Aside from rent for bowl, all the selected charity will be asked to underwrite is salary for the occaion of the Ellington band. Actually, leader will lose on the deal, since he will premiere his new "Liberian Suite," on which he long has worked on commission of Liberia...'

      • Southern California Southern News, Aug. 18:

        '...The special concert is sponsored by the postoffice [sic] department as part of its drive to raise funds for the juvenile delinquency campaign which [truncated] been carrying on under the {truncated]tion of {postmaster] Fanning... '

        Valley Times:

        'Duke Ellington...will augment his present 25-piece [sic] orchestra with at least ten moree instruments ... In addition a special acoustic shell is being constructed in the huge open-air amphitheater to adapt it to Ellington's particular style...'

        The Pittsburgh Courier:

        '...The Ellington concert is sponsored by a committee...including Postmaster Michael D. Fanning, Father Eugene J. Geisser,...Judges Geore Gockwseller, A.A.Scott, Stanley Mosk and William McKay, Sheriff Eugene Biscallus, Will Rogers Jr. Joshep Scott and Charles Matthews.
         A musical composition by Ellington commemmorating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic of Liberia, played for the first time anywhere, will highlight the benefit... '

      • The concert pogramme:
        • National Anthem
        • Blutopia
        • Overture to a Jam Session
        • The Mooch
        • Jumpin' Punkins
        • Ring Dem Bells
        • The Handy Big Three
          • Beale Street Blues
          • Memphis Blues
          • St. Louis Blues
        • Golden Feather
        • Air Conditioned Jungle
        • Golden Cress
        • Diminuendo in Blue
        • Transblucency
        • Crescendo in Blue
        • Excerpts from Black-Brown and Beige
        • Dancers in Love (Perfume Suite)
        • Intermission
        • Take Thee [sic] A Train
        • Moon Mist
        • Happy Go Lucky ( from Deep South Suite)
        • The Tonal Group
          • Fuga Ditti
          • Jama Ditti
        • The Beautiful Indians
          • Minnehaha
          • Hiawatha
        • Songs by Albert Hibbler
        • Ellington at the Piano
      • Soloists and singers named in the programme:
        • Russell Procope
        • Johnny Hodges
        • Jimmy Hamilton
        • Al Sears
        • Harry Carney
        • Ray Nance
        • Harold Baker
        • Tyree Glenn
        • Lawrence Brown
        • Oscar Pettiford
        • Sonny Greer
        • Kay Davis
        • Albert Hibbler
      • Variety 1947-06-25 p.41
      • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-08-06 p.28
        • 1947-08-27 p.23
        • 1947-08-30 p.15
      • Hollywood Citizen-News, Hollywood, Cal.
        • 1947-08-13 p.18
        • 1947-08-26 p.17
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-08-14 p.18
      • The Tidings, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-08-15 p.5
        • 1947-08-29 p.5
      • Evening Vanguard, Venice, Cal.
        • 1947-08-18 p.3
        • 1947-08-25 p.2
        • 1947-08-29 p.13
      • Southern California Summer News, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-08-18 p.4
        • 1947-08-25 p.4
      • Valley Times, Hollywood, Cal.
        • 1947-08-22 p.16
        • 1947-08-27 p.11
        • 1947-08-30 p.8
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1947-08-23 p.17
        • 1947-08-30 p.16
        • 1947-09-20 p.17
      • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-08-24 pt. III p.5
        • 1947-08-29 pt.I p.5
        • 1947-08-31 pt.I p.2 & pt.III p.5
      • Ads and announcements in other papers or editions,
        too numerous to download or list.
      • Concert programme: SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 41 "Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California, August 31, 1947"
      New Desor
      DE4718
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2016-01-23
      2023-04-10

      September 1947

      1947 09 00...Personnel change
      Singer Dolores Parker (born 1919 or 1920, died 2018-12-17 at 99 years of age) joins the band.

      While obituaries suggest she was with Ellington until 1956, she only worked with Ellington for a few months, her last documented appearance being February 1948.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      2019-01-09
      1947 09 --.Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook..New Desor
      DE4720
      ...Added
      2011
      1947 09 01
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      20:30 to 23:30

      Personnel
      Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler, Parker

      Steven Lasker:

      'Not mentioned in files: Strayhorn replaces Ellington on all versions of Change My Ways and Put Yourself in My Place, Baby '


      Titles recorded:
      • It's Monday Every Day
      • Golden Cress
      • Put Yourself In My Place Baby
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 (session time)
        • 2021-07-27 (venue)
        • 2021-07-28 (personnel)
        • 2024-05-28 (personnel)
      New Desor
      DE4719
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30
      2021-08-05
      2024-06-01
      1947 09 02
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 03
      Wednesday
      8:30 pm
      .Tucson, Ariz.Tucson High School Stadium
      Concert programme - Tucson
      Concert programme
      Tucson High School Stadium

      Click to Enlarge
      Concert sponsored by R. Paul Willett
      Chester Crumpler was announced as the male vocalist in the advance publicity and is named in the programme, but the review says Al Hibbler sang.

      Ellington did not play the piano, saying the atmospheric conditions made the piano so out of tune it was impossible to "get the horns and piano together." A piano tuner had been hired but didn't show.

      Personnel named:
      • Hibbler
      • Nance
      • Davis
      • Glenn
      • Hodges
      • Greer
      • Baker
      • Brown
      • Sears
      The review named these titles:
      • Take the A Train
      • Summertime
      • I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
      • I Guess I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So
      • It's Monday Every Day
      • The Blues from BB&B
      • The Mooch
      • W.C. Handy Big Three:
        • Beale Street Blues
        • Memphis Blues
        • St. Louis Blues
      • Air Conditioned Jungle
      • The Beautiful Indians
      • Tucson Daily Citizen, Tucson, Ariz.
        • Publicity, 1947-08-15 p.13
        • Publicity, 1947-08-23 p.5
        • Publicity 1947-08-28 p.13
        • Notes to Junior Optimists wishing to attend
          • 1947-09-02 p.2
          • 1947-09-03
        • Review 1947-09-04 p.4
      • The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Ariz.
        • 1947-08-28 p.9
      • Concert programme, SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 42, Tucson Senior High School, September 3, 1947
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-05-17
      2016-01-23
      2017-01-02
      2023-04-11
      1947 09 04
      Thursday
      .Tucson, Ariz.West Congress StreetDance: "The Ellington outfit will appear at a dance on West Congress Street this evening under a different sponsorship"Tucson Daily Citizen, Tucson, Ariz.
      1947-09-04 p.4
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-05-17
      1947 09 05
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 06
      Saturday
      .Phoenix, Ariz.Isaac Men's Park
      35th Ave. and Christy Rd.
      (Christy Rd. is now McDowell Road)
      Concert, 8:30 p.m. presented by Exclusive Enterprises. Admission $2.25 and $2.75; reserved seats $3.30, tax included on all prices.
      (Isaac Park is now the location Isaac Middle School)
      • The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz. 1947-08-29 p.21
      • Location researched by R. Bambach (email Bambach-Palmquist 2017-01-05)
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-01-02
      1947 09 07
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 08
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 09
      Tuesday
      1947 09 15Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar Theater
      -capacity 2,400
      Variety show - Duke Ellington and his orchestra, Mantan Moreland with Haywood Jones and Martina D'Arcy, and Jessye Scott (song and dance)

      Picture: Too Many Winners.

      Prices 55 to 98 cents
      Four shows daily

      Variety's announcement said Elliington was to receive a 50-50 split of gross.
      The Sept. 10 show was reviewed in The Billboard.
      • Variety 1947-08-13 p.43
      • The Billboard 1947-09-20 p.52
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-17
      2023-04-12
      1947 09 10
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVariety show - see 1947 09 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 11
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVariety show - see 1947 09 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 12
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVariety show - see 1947 09 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 13
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVariety show - see 1947 09 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 14
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVariety show - see 1947 09 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 15
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterVariety show - see 1947 09 09.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 10
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 11
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 12
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 13
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 14
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 15
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 16
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 17
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 18
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 19
      Friday
      1947 09 21Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W.Washington Blvd.
      First of 3 three-day weekend spots.

      Guarantee $2,500/weekend or 70% of all admissions over $3,000.

      "Ellington and his orchestra will play at the Meadowbrook every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a Sunday concert from 8:30 tp 9:30 preceding the regular dancing."

      Tickets were $1.00 plus tax.
      • Stratemann p.288 citing Variety 1937-08-20, p.45
      • Plug: "Duke Ellington Will Open Fri. Nite at Meadowbrook," California Eagle, 1947-09-18
        • Ads, California Eagle 1947-09-27 p.18
        • 1947-10-02 p.22
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-07-11
      2017-01-02
      1947 09 20
      Saturday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      see 1947 09 19.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 21
      Sunday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      see 1947 09 19.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 22
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 22
      Monday
      1947 10 04
      Saturday
      Vancouver, B.C.Cave Supper Club
      626 Hornby St.
      Peripheral event
      Former Ellington singer Ivy Anderson performed a two-week residency at the Cave this week. Also on the bill: The Dancing McKays, Tony Carlof, Wally Overman, "Chuck" Barber's Music. Two shows a night.
      The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
      • 1947-09-22 p.8
      • 1947-09-25 p.10
      • 1947-09-26 p.10
      • 1947-09-29 p.8
      • 1947-09-30 p.8
      • 1947-10-02 p.12
      • 1947-10-03 p.21
      .
      ....New
      added
      2023-04-13
      1947 09 23
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 24
      Wednesday
      .Hanford, Cal.Hanford AuditoriumConcert 9;30 TO 10;30, then dancing.

      In August, the chairman of the chamber of commerce dance committee announced Ellington and his orchestra were booked to play October 2 for a guaranteed $1,200. In mid-September, the Hanford Morning Journal said Ellington would appear October 6. The Sept. 20 edition said

      '   Duke Ellington, the master of them all, will be here - meaning Hanford - next Wednesday night! He will present his famous Carnegie Hall concert to a seated audience prior to the regular dance program.
         This good news, which finally cleared here at 2:10 p.m. Friday afternoon, brought an immediate flurry of excitement over the city...
      Tickets will be on sale by Saturday morning, for the time is short and the dancing feet of hundreds of Hanford people will be awaiting the opening beat of the Duke next Wednesday evening - a bare five days away.
      The appearance of Ellington culminates five solid years of effort on the part of the local chamber of commerce, a continuous attempt to sign him up for an evening engagement.
         ...We had Ellington for October 2, but a telegram Tuesday revealed that next Wednesday night was the only evening he could make it... '

      A "special new loudspeaker" was installed for this concert to eliminate the dead spot in the centre of the auditorium.
      • Hanford Daily Sentinel, Hanford, Cal.
        • 1947-08-25 p.1
        • 1947-09-26 p.12
      • Hanford Morning Journal, Hanford, Cal.
        • 1947-08-29 p.1
        • 1947-09-17 p.10
        • 1947-09-20 p.1
        • 1947-09-21 p.10
        • 1947-09-23 pp.1, 8
        • 1947-09-24 pp.1, 4
        • 1947-09-28 p.2
        • 1947-10-15 p.2
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-12
      Updated2023-04-14
      1947 09 25
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 09 26
      Friday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      Second three-day weekend gig - see 1947 09 19.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 27
      Saturday
      .Vancouver, B.C.. Peripheral event
      Ivie Anderson interview by Bill Hill on Vancouver radio station CKMO

    • Ivy [sic] Anderson played The Cave Supper Club in Vancouver with other acts, from Sept. 22 to Oct. 4. The last advertisement was Oct. 2, saying she would play until Saturday.
      • The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
        • 1947-09-20
        • 1947-09-22
        • 1947-09-26
        • 1947-09-29
        • 1947-10-02
      • The Vancouver Daily Province,Vancouver, B.C.
        • 1947-09-22
        • 1947-09-23
        • 1947-09-25
      .DEMS
      01,2-16/2
      .Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-17
      2022-01-08
      1947 09 27
      Saturday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      see 1947 09 19
      The California Eagle ad announces Ellington and his Famous Orchestra every Fri., Sat., & Sun. with an added attraction, Hal Schaffer's Trio, and a concert and dance every Sunday Night.
      California Eagle 1947-09-27 p.18...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-02
      1947 09 28
      Sunday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      see 1947 09 19.....Added
      2011
      1947 09 29
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      22:00 - 01:00

      Personnel:
      Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Dolores Parker, Woody Herman

      Steven Lasker:

      'Not mentioned in files: Strayhorn replaces Ellington on all versions of Change My Ways and Put Yourself in My Place, Baby '


      Titles recorded
      • Put Yourself In My Place, Baby
      • Cowboy Rhumba
      • The Wildest Gal In Town
      • I Fell And Broke My Heart
      • Antidisestablishmentarianismist
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2021-07-27 re venue address
        • 2021-07-28 re personnel
      New Desor
      DE4721
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30
      2021-08-05
      1947 09 30
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      13:15-16:15

      Personnel:
      Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Hibbler

      Titles recorded:
      • Antidisestablishmentarianismist
      • Don't Be So Mean To Baby
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2021-07-27 re venue address
        • 2021-07-29 re personnel
      New Desor
      DE4722
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30

      October 1947

      1947 10 01
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      20:20 - 01:10

      Personnel:
      Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Parker

      Steven Lasker:

      'Not mentioned in files: Strayhorn replaces Ellington on all versions of Change My Ways and Put Yourself in My Place, Baby '


      Titles recorded:
      • It's Mad, Mad, Mad
      • You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk
      • Maybe I Should Change My Ways
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2021-07-27 re venue address
        • 2021-07-28 re personnel
      New Desor
      DE4723
      DEMSTimner corrections -4/29.Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30
      2021-08-05
      1947 10 02
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      17:15 - 20:15 pm.

      Personnel:
      Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Davis, Parker

      Titles recorded:
      • Kitty
      • Brown Penny
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2021-07-28 re venue address
        • 2021-07-29 re personnel
      New Desor
      DE4724
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30
      1947 10 03
      Friday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      Third 3 day weekend gig - According to Stratemann, the contract was for three 3-day weekends, but it only shows the band playing at the Meadowbrook on Oct. 4 and 5 on this third appearance. Publicity and ads in the California Eagle, however, say Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
      The California Eagle ad 1947-10-02 says this is the final weekend, and shows all three days.
      California Eagle, 1947-10-02 p.22....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-07-11
      2017-01-02
      1947 10 04
      Saturday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      See 1947 09 19 and 1947 10 03.New Desor
      DE4725
      ...Added
      2011
      1947 10 05
      Sunday
      .Culver City, Cal.Meadowbrook Gardens Café
      8781 W. Washington Blvd.
      See 1947 09 19 and 1947 10 03
      .New Desor
      DE4726
      ...Added
      2011
      1947 10 06
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Columbia studio
      6624 Romaine St.
      Hollywood
      Columbia recording session,
      20:30 - 00:30

      Personnel:
      Nance, F. Williams, Hemphill, Bascomb, Baker, C. Jones, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer

      Steven Lasker:

      'Not mentioned in files: Strayhorn replaces Ellington on all versions of Change My Ways and Put Yourself in My Place, Baby '


      Titles recorded:
      • Maybe I Should Change My Ways
      • Boogie Bop Blues
      • Sultry Serenade
      • Email Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2021-07-27 re venue address
        • 2021-07-28 re personnel
        • 2021-12-23
      New Desor
      DE4727
      NDCS 1104
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2021-07-28
      2021-07-30
      2021-08-05
      2021-12-28
      1947 10 07
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 10 08
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 10 09
      Thursday
      .El Paso, TexasEl Paso ColiseumDance 8:30 - 12:30
      "Duke Ellington will bring his band to El Paso Thursday for a dance at the Coliseum from 8:30 p.m.to 12:30. Special bus service will be provided from San Jacinto Plaza. A large audience of spectators is expected. A special section will be set aside for Negroes..."
      Ad and announcement, El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas, 1947-10-04, p.6....djp Added
      2011
      updated 2012-08-06
      1947 10 10
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 10 11
      Saturday
      1947 10 12
      Sunday
      Fort Worth, TexasTexas Christian UniversityCollege prom
      Stratemann:

      'the Ellington band created a precedent as the first black orchestra to play for the white crowd at this location. '

      Stratemann p.288 citing Variety 1947-10-01 p.46.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-07-11
      1947 10 12
      Sunday
      .Fort Worth, TexasTexas Christian Universitysee 1947 10 11
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 13
      Monday
      .Dallas, Texas..
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 14
      Tuesday
      .Hot Spring, Ark...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 15
      Wednesday
      .Joplin, Mo.Ozark Music Company

      'ELLINGTON'S RECORDS GIVEN JOPLIN WOMAN
      An album of phonograph records which may become a collector's item was presented by Duke Ellington, the famous Negro band leader, to Mrs. Mary Virginia Ebersole, 325 North Gray avenue, as the No. 1 prize in a contest Wednesday night.
        Mrs. Ebersole won the album by naming the "mystery record" played over the Joplin Musicale system, which furnishes many local restaurants with phonograph music over leased wires.
        Because the record she named, "St. Louis Blues," was played by Ellington, Jack Pierson, manager of the Ozark Music Company, arranged for Ellington to appear in person to present the award to Mrs. Ebersole.'

      Joplin Globe, Joplin, Mo., 1947-10-19 p.B 5...djp.New
      added
      2017-01-02
      1947 10 15
      Wednesday
      9 PM-1 AM
      .Joplin, Mo.Holiday InnOne hour concert followed by 3 hours of dancing. Publicity says the band travels in its own railcars, and it was through the cooperation of the Frisco railroad that the Duke was routed through Joplin.
      • Joplin Globe, Joplin, Mo.
        • 1947-09-30 p.9
        • 1947-10-01 p.6
        • 1947-10-02
        • 1947-10-04
        • 1947-10-10 9.B9
        • 1947-10-11 p.7
        • 1947-10-12, pC-5
      • Joplin News-Herald, Joplin, Mo. 1947-10-10 p.4B
      ...djp.Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-07-11
      2017-01-02
      1947 10 16
      Thursday
      .St Joseph, Mo.City auditorium

      'Edward Kennedy Ellington, better known as the Duke, a genius of modern American music, will bring his famous orchestra to St. Joseph's city auditorium Thursday night. The duke has been around the music, theater and show business for a long, long time.'

      .
      The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, Chillicothe, Mo., 1947-10-14 p.6.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-02
      1947 10 17
      Friday
      .Kansas City, Kan.Memorial HallDuke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
      "Don't Miss the Seasan's [sic] Music Treat"
      Admission, Advance $1.25 (Feb. and State Taxes Inc.)
      The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kans.,
    • 1947-10-
    • 1947-10-17 p.5
    • .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-02
      1947 10 18
      Saturday
      ... Peripheral event
      American Federation of Musicians president James C. Petrillo announced a recording ban effective December 31, spurring record companies to lay down as many records as possible before the ban. Columbia ran virtually around the clock, with 2 or 3 sessions a day.
      Stratemann, p.288...djpNew
      added 2012-11-03
      1947 10 18
      Saturday
      .Topeka, Kan...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 19
      Sunday
      .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel Opera House Auditorium
      • Concert, 8:15 p.m. presented by Kappa Alpha Psi.
      • 3,200 attended.
      • The reviewer complained that much of the program was repeated from 18 months earlier, but also ...an excellent program...
        As usual Ellington jumbled up the printed program - with apologies. This was confusing to everyone except those trained to expect this Ellington trait...
        .
      • Titles named:
        • The Mooch
        • Memphis Blues
        • Happy-Go-Lucky Local
        • Diminuendo in Blue-Transblucency-Crescendo in Blue
        • Suddenly It Jumped
        • Golden Feather
        • Golden Cress
        • Air Conditioned Jungle
        • Frankie and Johnny
        • Dancers in Love
        • Solitude
        • Sophisticated Lady
        • I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart
        • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
        • Summertime
      • Musicians named in the review:
        • Ellington
        • Tyree Glenn
        • Kay Davis
        • Harold Baker
        • Harry Carney
        • Lawrence Brown
        • Jimmy Hamilton
        • Al Hibbler
      The Pittsburgh Courier

      Our Town – St. Louis
      By EDYTHE MEAUK SMITH
      Many of the long-haired boys were unwilling stub holders for last week's Kappa Alpha Phi's initial venture in presenting the Duke Ellington concert ... And when the band members made their unceremonious entrance with sheet music clutched madly to their bossoms [sic] – and the Duke himself almost hit the canvas as he made his appearance before the footlights ... We were not alone in feeling that we "should have stayed in bed" ... But we who came to scoff remained to praise, for despite the unglamorous presentation and the fact that Duke's music is ordinarily too futuristic for many of us ... his concert appearance was indeed highly pleasant entertainment for the evening.'
      [Ellipses in original]

      • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
        • 1947-10-14 p.5D
        • 1947-10-15 p.5D
        • 1947-10-16 p.7D
        • 1947-10-17 p.8D
        • 1947-10-20 p.3B
      • Single page programme, SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 43, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, October 19, 1947
      • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
        • 1947-10-20 p.7
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1947-11-01 p.11
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-01-23
      2017-01-02
      2023-04-14
      1947 10 20
      Monday
      ..Activities are not documented.
      According to the Moline Daily Dispatch, Ellington arrived at Moline airport Tuesday morning by car, from Chicago [sic]. It is possible Duke and his band arrived Monday and he went from his hotel to the Moline Airport for the publicity stunt described the next day.
      Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill.
      1947-10-21 p.10
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-14
      1947 10 21
      Tuesday
      .Davenport, IowaLeClaire Gymnasium
      St. Ambrose College
      Ellington and Celley participated in a publicity stunt at nearby Moline Airport, then Duke gave a lecture/piano recital at the college.

      Did St. Ambrose College bestow an honourary doctorate of music to Ellington?

      • Stratemann, citing Down Beat 1947-11-19:

        'On this occasion, Ellington had his first academic degree bestowed upon him, an Honorary Doctorate of Music.'

      • Dr. Wolfram Knauer of Jazzinstitut Darmstadt found no mention of this in Down Beat's 1947-11-19 edition, but found a brief report in the 1947-10-22 edition, p.4:

        'Duke Is Doctor
          Davenport, Iowa—Duke Ellington received a doctorate of music two days ago at St. Ambrose college. The presentation was made by Monseignor Burke.'

      • The 1947-10-31 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported:

        'Duke Ellington received the honorary degree of doctor of music at St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Ia., recently, in honor of his contributions to American music.'

        A similar report was in the "keeping posted" column of the San Antonio Register, Oct. 31.
      • Chronicler Art Pilkington listed Ellington's honorary degrees in DEMS Bulletin 1994/2, commenting:

        '1947 20 Oct St. Ambrose College, Davenport, IA - Day by Day, page 286 lists this award as the first such degree, but the College has no record of the event per letter to A. Pilkington, dated 6 January, 1993.'

      • Ellington did not list a degree from St. Ambrose at pages 476 and 478 of his autobiography, Music is My Mistress, which has 15 other honorary degrees that had been bestowed upon him by 1973.
      • The Smithsonian Institution's DUKE ELLINGTON COLLECTION, 1927-1988, #301 Container List Series 13: Awards, 1939-1982 does not mention a degree from St. Ambrose.
      • In reply to a 2016 request to recheck official College records, archived student newspapers and the 1947-1948 yearbook to see if they mention Ellington, Ms Onnica Marquez, Archivist, St. Ambrose University, wrote:

        'I do not have commencement programs for 1947. It looks like John J. Donovan received an honorary degree that year.
          Commencement would have occurred in the Spring in the 40s. During this time, there were no winter or fall ceremonies. I do not have any evidence indicating that Duke Ellington received an honorary degree from the university.
         I went through the student newspapers. Count Bassie [sic] performed for homecoming. There is an article about that. There is no mention of Duke Ellington in the newspaper the weeks before the given dates or after.
          St. Ambrose students frequently attended event at the Coliseum, so I am sure Duke Ellington had fans here on campus. I think if he had received an honorary degree, given a lecture or anything else, it would have been well known... I'm not saying he didn't, but I am saying I do not have proof available.'

      • Webmaster comment:
        Further research is needed. This is a problematic entry - we have contemporary reports saying Ellington received the degree, and there must have been some reason for that.
      • Daily Dispatch, Moline:

        'The Duke Flies In
        Ellington Car Makes 3-Point Landing
        By BOB SANDS
          A tableau dear to the heart of a publicity man was enacted with pomp and ceremony at Moline airport this morning as a nationally known entertainer "flew" into the field without getting off the ground.
           Duke Ellington, pianist, composer and bandleader, made the "landing" an hour before a scheduled lecture appearance In St Ambrose college gymnasium, Davenport.
          While a crowd of greeters looked on, he stepped out of a Stinson Voyager airplane, and into a publicity stunt.
          Minutes before, he had arrived at the airport from Chicago not in the Stinson, but an automobile.
          This is what happened:
          Ellington with his manager, John [recte Al] "Doc" Celley, drove to the airport at 9:50 this morning where they were met by Vera Roberts, airport general manager. In charge of the Duke's party was Charles Splvak of Davenport, under whose sponsorship Duke will appear at a Rock Island armory dance tonight.
          Original plans called for Ellington to climb into the airplane, be flown around the field and then land in front of the administration building. But the band master was short on time, so instead of flying the pilot simply taxied the ship around the runways for a couple of minutes before drawing up to the ramp.
          There a welcoming committee of mayors, St. Ambrose college officials and a curious score or more of persons was awaiting him.
          While the group posed for pictures. and afterward. Puke answered questions about his life, his work and music...
          ...Ellington belies his age. He's husky and tall. His manager said he is 6 feet 1 inch tall, weighs 185 pounds. He appears to be in his middle 30s. Greeting the band leader this morning were Mayors E.H. Sohner of Moline and Melvin L. McKay of Rock Island; The Rt. Rev. Msgr. A.J, Burke, president of St. Ambrose; Walter Beuse, Scott county sheriff. and Clarence J. Kriesa of the St. Ambrose college school of music. '

      • Vail I:

        'Tuesday 21 October 1947
        In the morning, Duke Ellington gives a lecture at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa. In the evening, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra play a one-nighter at the Rock Island Armory in Rock Island, Illinois.'

      • Ellington gave a short lecture and piano recital in the morning (stories make no mention of a degree being bestowed upon him). The Ambrosian News and the Democrat Leader reported the gymnasium was crowded and implied the entire student body attended. Ellington spoke for a few minutes then played, apparently without accompaniment. Titles reported were
        • Perfume Suite
        • Mood Indigo
        • Sophisticated Lady
        • Solitude
        • Body and Soul
        • Take the "A" Train
        The Ambrosian News reported Ellington was rushed from the Moline Airport with Monsignor Burke and the Mayor of Davenport amid the screams of police sirens. Cheers greeted the Duke as he strode across the gym, wearing a gray pinstripe suit, red and white polka dot tie, and a likable smile. When he finished playing, the audience shouted for more, and he played some encores. Eventually he raised a hand and said:This is the end.
      • Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill.
        • 1947-10-17 p.23
      • The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, Ill.
        • 1947-10-17 p.18
      • The Democrat and Leader, Davenport, Iowa, 1947-10-21, p.9
      • The Daily Times, Davenport, Iowa, 1947-10-21, p.8
      • The Ambrosian News, St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Iowa 1947-10-24 p.4
      • The Davenport clippings were courtesy of
        • Ms Onnica Marquez, Archivist, St. Ambrose University, Library Archivist, St. Ambrose University Library
          (email 2016-04-04)
        • K. Reinhardt, Special Collections Librarian, Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center, Davenport Public Library
        • tratemann p.288 citing Down Beat 1947-11-19
        • Vail I
        • Down Beat 1947-10-22 p.4, courtesy Dr. W. Knauer, Jazzinstitut Darmstadt (email 2016-04-05)
        • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Penn.,
          1947-10-31 p.13
        • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
          1947-10-31 p.7
        • MIMM pp. 476-478
        • SI-NMAH DEC301 Container List Series 13: Awards, 1939-1982
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-03-28
      2016-04-08
      2023-03-26
      2016-04-18
      2023-04-14
      1947 10 21
      Tuesday
      .Rock Island, Ill.Rock Island Armory

      Tuesday
      Oct. 21
      The Musical Scoop of 1947
      Direct from Hollywood
      Winner "Downbeat" polls "Sweet" and "Hot"
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      and his famous ORCHESTRA
      DANCE
      The Easy Way With "The Duke"
      Sound engineers installing special RCA Sound Equipment
      ROCK ISLAND ARMORY
      $1.25 PER PERSON - plus tax'



      Rock Island, Illinois, is in the Mississippi River between Davenport, Iowa and Moline, Illinois, part of the Quad Cities metropolitan area.
      • Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill.
        • 1947-10-18 p.9
        • The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, Ill.
          • 1947-10-18 p.9
        • Stratemann p.288
        • Vail I
        .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-04-08
      2023-04-14
      1947 10 22
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1947 10 23
      Thursday
      .Hayland, Mich...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 241947 10 30
      Thursday
      Detroit, Mich.Paradise Theater
      3711 Woodward Ave.
      Vaudeville - Duke Ellington's all-star band, feturing Johnny Hodges, Al Hibler [sic], Delores [sic] Parker. Also Butter Beans, Susie, Bodbby and Foster Johnson.

      The Free Press music critic J. Dorsey Callaghan, wrote about Duke being interviewed by three young men from the staff of the Highland Park High School newspaper in his dressing room. His story didn't review the show nor does he say night this was.
        Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1947-10-23 p.18
        • 1947-10-25 p.15
        • 1947-10-26 s,B p.6
        • 1947-10-30 p.16
      • Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1947-10-25 p.10
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-02
      2023-04-14
      1947 10 25
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterSee 1947 10 24.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 26
      Sunday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterSee 1947 10 24.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 27
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterSee 1947 10 24.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 28
      Tuesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterSee 1947 10 24.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 29
      Wednesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterSee 1947 10 24.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 30
      Thursday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheaterSee 1947 10 24.
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 10 31
      Friday
      Halloween
      .Ottawa, Ont.AuditoriumCivil Service Association of Ottawa 40th Anniversary Party

      Dancing to
      DUKE ELLINGTON and His Band
      plus
      5 Vaudeville Acts
      Direct from New York
      Public Sale
      Tickets 75c per person at Lindsay's, Sparks St.

      The Evening Citizen reported
      • about 7,500 attended
      • six vaudeville acts (not named)
      • intermission music was by Al Saunders and his orchestra
      • Commedian/impersonator Frank Fontaine emceed the vaudeville show.
      • The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont.,
        • 1947-10-23 p.11
        • 1947-10-28 p.21
        • 1947-10-31 p.25
    • The Evening Citizen, Ottawa, Ont.
      • 1947-11-01 p.30
    • ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-03
      2023-04-14

      November 1947

      1947 11 01
      Saturday
      .Montréal, P.Q.ColiseumConcert/dance
      The Montréal Gazette's favourable review describes an extremely relaxed atmosphere, with people wandering on and off the bandstand in this very large barn-like structure with the acoustics of a boiler factory.
      Montréal Gazette, Montréal,. P.Q...
      Stratemann p.288djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      2017-01-03
      2023-04-14
      1947 11 02
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 11 03
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 11 04
      Tuesday
      .Akron, Ohio..
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 11 05
      Wednesday
      .Cincinnati, Ohio..
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 11 06
      Thursday
      .Toledo, Ohio..
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 11 07
      Friday
      .West Lafayette, Ind.Union Ballroom
      Purdue University
      Military Ball

      Ellington's orchestra played the military ball in the ballroom(s?), and Henry Busse's orchestra played in the Faculty Lounge.

      Ellington was interviewed for the Purdue Exponent by Rick Reikowsky:

      'The great Duke was shivering as he walked into the North Ballroom, just before the Military Ball last night. He was dressed meticulously, as he usually is, and was wearing a tan camel's hair coat, a light felt hat, and he brilliant blue and white silk scarf.
        The Duke his famous for many things and I asked him about these. He is as easy to talk to as a good friend. Very modestly he attributed his success to the fact that his band has been playing together for so long, that it is imbued with his type of music; almost second nature... '

      • The Purdue Exponent, Purdue University, courtesy D. T. Burrows, Graduate Assistant, Archives and Special Collections, Department of History, Purdue University (2016-07-14):
        • 1947-11-06 p.2
        • 1947-11-07 p.1
        • 1947-11-08 p.1
      • Stratemann p.288
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-07-15
      1947 11 08
      Saturday
      .Louisville, Ky...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 11 09
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 11 10
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Presumably in
      Liederkranz Hall
      Columbia recording session,
      14:30 - 17:30

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Bascomb, F. Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, C.Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer.

      Titles recorded:
      • Stomp, Look and Listen
      • Air Conditioned Jungle
      • Three Cent Stomp
      Nielsen and Aasland have Ellington on piano. New Desor DE4728, NDCS 1018 and Ellingtonia.com have Strayhorn. Timner has "DE/BS," referring to its explanatory note at 1947 08 14 above.

      Steven Lasker:

      Ellington is the only pianist listed in the ledger, even though Strayhorn is heard on some of the selections. I've found this to be true of other Columbia 1940s sessions, and suppose Strayhorn wasn't listed in the union contracts either, which I haven't seen. Based on what I hear...Ellington is on Stomp, Look and Listen; Three Cent Stomp; ... No piano is heard on Air Conditioned Jungle..

      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen 5th edition
        and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Dooji Collection record labels
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2024-05-28
        • 2024-07-01
        • 2024-07-04
      New Desor
      DE4728
      NDCS 1018
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2024-07-01
      2024-07-03
      2024-07-04
      1947 11 11
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Presumably in
      Liederkranz Hall
      Columbia recording session,
      15:00 - 18:30

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Bascomb, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Parker.

      Title recorded:
      • Progressive Gavotte [working title Re Bop Gavotte]
      • He Makes Me Believe [That] He's Mine
      Nielsen and Aasland have Ellington on piano. New Desor DE4728 and Ellingtonia.com have Strayhorn. Timner has "DE/BS," referring to its explanatory note at 1947 08 14 above.

      Steven Lasker:
      • Ellington is the only pianist listed in the ledger, even though Strayhorn is heard ... Based on what I hear...Strayhorn is on Progressive Gavotte (working title: Re Bop Gavotte); He Makes Me Believe [that] He's Mine; ...
      • [He Makes Me Believe]
        • per recording ledger:
          He Makes Me Believe (That He's Mine)
        • per copyright registration (12/9/47), also Co(F) 66607 (first issue, 1983):
          He Makes Me Believe He's Mine
        • On the record, Dolores Parker sings the line both with and without the word "that."
      The Bridgeport Post:

      ;'...the Duke was all set to record a new original "Bebop Boogie" when someone advised him that Benny Carter had just written and recorded a tune with the same title, so Duke changes his to Rebop Boogie.'

      • The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
        1947-11-04 p.17
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
         Ellingtonia.com
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen 5th edition
        and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 (session time)
        • 2024-05-28
        • 2024-05-29 (Parker)
        • 2024-07-01 (pianist)
        • 2024-07-04
      New Desor
      DE4729
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2024-06-08
      2024-07-01
      2024-07-03
      1947 11 12
      Wednesday
      .Baltimore,, Md...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 11 13
      Thursday
      .Stamford. Conn..On the Square With Len Massell, Stamford Advocate:

      'That was about the sharpest music to ever hit this town, when Duke Ellington and his band cut loose over at the South St. Armory the other p.m.'

      .
      Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.
      1947-11-24 p.20
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-19
      1947 11 14
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Presumably in
      Liederkranz Hall
      Columbia recording session,
      14:30 to 18:00

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Bascomb, F. Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, C. Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Parker.

      Titles recorded:
      • Take Love Easy
      • I Can't Believe that You're in Love with Me
      • How High the Moon
      • Singin' in the Rain
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
         Ellingtonia.com
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen 5th edition
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 session time
        • 2024-05-28
        • 2024-05-28
        • 2024-07-01
        • 2024-07-04
      New Desor
      DE4730
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-07-01
      2024-07-04
      1947 11 14
      Friday
      .New Brunswick, N.J.Gymnasium
      Rutgers University
      Sophomore hop, "An Evening in Mood Indigo"
      Dancing 9:30 pm to 1 am

      • The Daily Home News:
        • 'The noted bandleader will be presented with an honorary membership card of the Rutgers Jazz Club during an intermission at the hop.'
        • Dance committee was headed by George P. Little.
        • Accommodation provided for female guests in the Wessel dormitory was sold out.
        • Chaperones were Professor Edward M. Burns, Associate Professor Richard Schlatter, both of Rutgers history department.
      • The Sunday Times:
        • 1,700 attended
        • Dean and Mrs. Earl Reed Silvers received the guests.
        • part of the crowd spent more time in front of the dias than dancing...awaiting and applauding their favorite numbers.
        • Various people attending were named: Mr. and Mrs. Fred C. Lambert Jr., Miss Mary Alice Thompson and fiance William Haugland, Miss Barbara Smith, Bruce Nicholas, Miss Evelyn Piombino with Douglas S. Campbell, Miss Gytha Rupp and Forrest Bution.

      • The Daily Home News, New Brunswick, N.J.
        1947-11-14 p.15
      • The Sunday Times, New Brunswick, N.J.
        1947-11-16 p.15
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-14
      1947 11 15
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      Circa
      1947 11 15
      Saturday
      ...Business event
      Sponsor Magazine, Nov. 1947, p.6
      Sponsor Magazine, Nov. 1947
      Click to Enlarge
      • The Cincinnati Post:

        'Duke Ellington is the latest bandleader to join the ranks of the disc jockeys. He has been signed to a five-year contract at $5,000 a week to package a transcribed record show six days a week.'

      • In a story datelined New York, Nov. 15, The Billboard reported radio station WMCA was hiring name band leaders such as Tommy Dorsey and Ellington as disc jockeys, and had signed Ellington.

        Rather than trying to invest in developing new names jockeys, the station used recognized band leaders, planning to recover its $200,000 annual costs with commercials and syndication. The article says the contracts were mostly for five years with Ellington reportedly being paid $1,500/week plus a quarter interest in the gross syndication proceeds. Its 1947-11-29 edition said the show would be aired from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday, and midnight to 1 a.m. seven days a week.
      • Ellington's first show, due to be broadcast Dec. 29, was already sold. WMCA would write, produce and package the program, selling it to other stations for a station's one-time national evening or daytime gross hourly rate, depending on whether the show was aired during the evening or the day.
      • Radio and Television Mirror, Apr.1948:

        'Record Rotating Duke
         REFERRING to his newest venture with quiet humor as "record-rotating," Duke (Edward Kennedy) Ellington–bandleader, composer, pianist and arranger–put another notch in the already dazzling Ellington career at the close of 1947 with the introduction of The Duke Ellington Show, a nationally syndicated disc-jockey series. The Ellington turntable sessions are being aired by WMCA Sundays through Saturdays from 12:03 Midnight to 1:00 A.M.; Mondays through Fridays from 9:03 to 10:00 A.M., and on Sundays from 5:03 to 5:45 P.M.
         Ellington occupies a unique position in the musical mores of our times. Audience comment on an Ellington recording, an Ellington composition or an Ellington concert ranges from the hep-cats' "solid" to the warm approval of the concert hall intelligentsia who gravely compare his creative work with such contemporaries as Stravinsky and Ravel.
         The turntable style of the newest star in the discjockey firmament is as rare as his musical style. Trained as an artist, Ellington's between-record comments reflect the imagery which lends the Duke's musicianship its captivating quality.
         The Ellington glossary pervades the show. Gleanings from recent record-sessions turn up such Ellingtonisms as "lady of pastel tones" (Jo Stafford) ; "the man with the sequin-studded trumpet" (Harry James) ; "serpentine and opalesque quality" (Sarah Vaughn) ; "singer of gossamer moods" (Mel Torme), and "caresses a song with satin and gives it a back-porch intimacy" (Vic Damone). On the other hand he frequently salts his introductions with such phrases as "real gone" and "super-Leviathanic." When the Duke rates something particularly high, it has "scope," or he may occasionally ascribe a "pear ice-cream" quality to a record he likes–a reflection of the fact that the Duke loves food of the gourmet class.
         The Ellington sessions also provide listeners with innumerable anecdotes and "behind the scenes" stories about recording artists and compositions. There is probably no artist in the business he doesn't know and, as one of the top-rated composer musicians in show-business, Ellington is uniquely equipped to comment on the music and performers' style.
         A good many Ellington fans on the "solid" side may be somewhat surprised to learn that the Duke's taste runs the musical gamut. For example, he definitely goes for the sweet dance rhythms of Guy Lombardo and Vaughn Monroe, both of whom get top-ratings with him.
         On the WMCA disc-jockey sessions the Duke features music in quarter-hour blocks–that is, fifteen minutes of a particular band, vocalist, composer. He also likes to play the classics–those popular tunes which have come down through the years as "steadies" in the music business–"Stardust" or "Begin the Beguine" are two of his favorites. In addition, he spots the shows with guest interviews with such luminaries as King Cole, Charlie Spivak, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Barnet, Stan Kenton, Mel Torme, Buddy Clark and Georgia Gibbs, to name just a few.'

      • Earl Wilson syndicated column
        The Morning Herald, Uniontown, Penn.
        1947-11-11 p.4
      • The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, ohio
        1947-11-12 p.16
      • Yellow Jacket, Brownwood, Tex.
        1947-11-18 p.3
      • The Billboard
        • 1947-11-22 pp.10-11
        • 1947-11-29 p.7
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-11-22 p.17
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1947-11-22 p.5
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1947-11-28 p.7
      • The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky,
        1948-0-15 s.5 p.12
      • Radio and Television Mirror, Keystone Edition
        1948-04-00 p.4
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-05-17
      updated
      2023-04-14
      2023-05-28
      1947 11 16
      Sunday
      .Washington, D.C...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 11 17
      Monday
      ...Sidemen's activities not documented
      Wilson:

      'Duke Ellington gets into town Monday to start transcribing for his disc-jockey show.'

      Earl Wilson,It Happened Last Night
      The Morning Herald, Uniontown, Penn.
      1947-11-11 p.4.
      ....New
      added
      2023-04-14
      1947 11 18
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Presumably in
      Liederkranz Hall
      Columbia recording session,
      14:30 to 17:00

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Bascomb, F. Williams, Herman Grimes, Nance, Brown, C. Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Edgar Brown, Greer, Hibbler.

      Title recorded:
      • Do Nothin' till You Hear from Me
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
         Ellingtonia.com
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen 5th edition
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2024-05-28
        • 2024-07-01
        • 2024-07-04
      New Desor
      DE4731
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2020-05-06
      2024-07-01
      2024-07-04
      1947 11 19
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 11 20
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Presumably in
      Liederkranz Hall
      Columbia recording session,
      14:30 to 18:00

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Bascomb, F. Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, C. Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Strayhorn, Guy, Pettiford, Greer, Parker, Hibbler.

      Titles recorded:
      • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
      • Once Upon a Dream
      • It's Love I'm In
      Steven Lasker:
      • Ellington is the only pianist listed in the ledger, even though Strayhorn is heard...Based on what I hear..... Strayhorn is on ... Once Upon a Dream; It's Love I'm In. No piano is heard on ... Don't Get Around Much Anymore.
      • Once Upon a Dream, It's Love I'm In & I Could Get a Man (recorded 1947 12 22) were written for the unproduced musical show "Cole Black and the Seven Dwarfs." For further details, see the entry at 1948 04 13.
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • Dooji Collection record labels
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • W.E. Timner
        Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen, Fifth edition
        and corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 re session time
        • 2024-05-28
        • 2024-07-02
        • 2024-07-04
      New Desor
      DE4732
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2020-05-06
      2024-07-01
      2024-07-02
      2024-07-02
      2024-07-04
      1947 11 21
      Friday
      .Newark, N.J.Terrace Ballroom
      Mosque Theatre Bldg.
      1620 Broad St.
      Dancing, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., sponsored by The 14 Pals Social Club.

      Tickets - tables paid in advance $2.00 tax included, $2,50 at door. It isn't clear what the rest of the pricing is, but it seems to be $4.00 for a table for four and $7.00 for a table for eight.
      New York Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y. 1947-11-15 p.25...djp.Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-02
      1947 11 22
      Saturday
      .Haverford, Penn.Haverford CollegeThe Swarthmore Phoenix:

      'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra will be the featured attraction to be given at Haverford College the night after the Haverford-Swarthmore football game (November 22). The Varsity Club, the sponsoring organization suggests that to compensate for the admission charge of $7.50, no corsages be worn.'

      .
      The Swarthmore Phoenix, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Penn.
      1947-11-14 p.4
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-14
      1947 11 22
      Saturday
      ... Peripheral event
      In a story datelined New York Nov. 22, The Billboard said MGM Records reported signing Billy Strayhorn to a recording contract under which he would be conductor, writer and pianist. It isn't clear if he was to work with Buddy Rich, who the story also reported was signed by MGM.
      The Billboard 29 Nov 1947 p.19....New
      added 2013-04-30
      1947 11 23
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial AuditoriumDancing from ten to two
      Buffalo Courier-Express Pictorial, Buffalo, N.Y., 1947-11-23 p.30....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-03
      1947 11 24
      Monday
      1947 12 07
      Sunday
      Covington, Ky.Lookout House
      • Night club residency, advertised as two weeks only
      • Two floor shows nightly, 8:30 p.m. and 1 a.m.
      • Dancers the Rimmer Sisters and comedians Myers and Walker were part of the show.
      • While Stratemann has the residency ending Dec. 7, Ellington was 400 miles away that night.
      • Covington is a suburb of Cincinnati.
      • The Nov.25 publicity says the entire dining room has been booked for several nights during Ellington's visit to the Lookout House
      • Ellington was reported to be cutting some records to be used in his disc-jockey show.
      • Personnel named in the Nov. 25 plug: Parker, Nance, Davis, Hodges, Hibbler
      • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
        • 1947-11-22 p.11-A
        • 1947-11-23 p.46
        • 1947-11-25 pp.3-B, 6-C
        • 1947-11-30 p.6 s.3
        • 1947-12-04 p.5-B
        • 1947-12-07 p.58
      • The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio
        • 1947-11-25 p.21
        • Stratemann, p.289, citing Down Beat 1947-11-19

      New Desor
      DE9013
      NDCS 1022
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-02
      2020-05-06
      2023-04-14
      1947 11 25
      Tuesday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 11 26
      Wednesday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 11 27
      Thursday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 11 28
      Friday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 11 29
      Saturday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 11 30
      Sunday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 11 30
      Sunday
      .Cincinnati, OhioSampson homeThe Cincinnati Post:

      '...Duke Ellington, the famous pianist and orchestra appearing at the Lookout House, stopped for a visit Sunday evening with the [Wright C.] Sampsons at their residence on Mooney avenue...During an appearance in Cincinnati several years ago, Mr. Ellington was the guest of honor and stellar performer at a cocktail party at the Sampsons.'

      The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio
      1947-12-03 p.19.
      ....New
      Added
      2023-04-15

      December 1947

      circa
      1947 12 22
      ...Personnel change
      Junior Raglin, bass, rejoins the band, likely in time for the band for their Columbia recording session of 1947 12 22.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      1947 12 01
      Monday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 01
      Monday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 02
      Tuesday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 03
      Wednesday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 04
      Thursday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 04
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Club Ebony
      Broadway between 52nd and 53rd Sts.
      Peripheral event
      New York Post:

      The old Rio Cabana reopens Dec. 3 [sic] as the Club Ebony and will feature Negro entertainment and bandleader Mercer Ellington, Duke's son.

      The Pittsburgh Courier's Billy Rowe:

      ... Club Ebony, the first such venture to be owned and operated by Negroes ... The opening of the Ebony ... will also herald the return of all-colored nite club revues to the main stem. It will be the first such entertainment to hit the street since the closing of the Zanzibar... Mercer Ellington, famous son of a famous father, has been signed with his band and is writing an original score upon which the show is being built...

      The Evening Sun reported the club opened Thursday night (Dec 4). Earl Wilson, syndicated columnist, wrote boxer Joe Louis and a party of six attended the first night. Floyd Snelson's review named several people who attended the opening night, including Edna Ellington, Ruth Ellington James, Pearl Bailey, Mildred Dixon, Bea Ellington, Dr. Arthur Logan, Oscar Hammerstein, Willie Bryant, Earl Wilson, Izzy Rowe, Dusty Fletcher, and Evelyn Ellington.
      • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-11-21 p.34
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1947-12-06 p.16
        • 1947-12-20 p.16
      • The Evening Sun, Hanover, Penn.
        • 1947-12-13 p.4
      • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-12-15 p.28
      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        • 1947-12-19 p.21
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1947-12-25 p.19
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-12-27 p.18
      ...djpNew
      added
      2024-06-13
      1947 12 05
      Friday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 06
      Saturday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24-note this conflicts with the Danville engagement below......Added
      2011
      1947 12 06
      Saturday
      .Cincinnati, Ohio.Broadcast - "King Cole Trio Time"
      This does not conflict with the Lookhouse since Covington is a suburb of Cincinnati, just across the Ohio River.
      .New Desor
      DE4733
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-11-06
      2020-05-06
      1947 12 06
      Saturday
      .Danville, Va.North Theater
      and/or
      City Armory
      False date.
      Webmaster comment:
      Götting shows an appearance here at the "North Thea" citing "CAH mail," but I have been unable to find any mention of it in the Danville Bee. The Dec. 6 edition, however, does carry an ad for Ellington appearing Dec. 16 - see below. Since a Dec. 6 appearance conflicts with the Covington job and Danville is hundreds of miles away, it appears the Dec. 6 entry was a mistake.
      • Stratemann, p.285
      • Vail I
      • The Bee, Danville 1947-08-26. p.2
      ...CAHmailAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-08-06
      2014-11-09
      1947 12 07
      Sunday
      .Covington, Ky.Lookout Housesee 1947 11 24.....Added
      2011
      1947 12 08
      Monday
      .Nashville, Tenn.Agricultural and Industrial State College

      'Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will present a program Monday, Dec. 8 at 8:15 p.m. at Ryman auditorium sponsored by the Lyceum committee of State college. Only 700 seats are being off[ered] for sale to the public since [omitted] faculty members and students of [omitted] college. '


      • The Nashville Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn.
        1947-11-10 p.30-A
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 44 Tennessee A and I State College, December 8, 1947
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-01-23
      2017-01-03
      2019-05-26
      1947 12 09
      Tuesday
      .Knoxville, Tenn.Chilhowee Park Administration Building.2-hour concert, 9 p.m., then dancing until 1 a.m.
      • The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn.
        • 1947-11-26 p.5
        • 1947-12-07 p.C-8
        • 1947-12-08 p.15
      • The Knoxville Journal, Knosville, Tenn.
        • 1946-12-07 p.2-D
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-15
      1947 12 10
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 12 11
      Thursday
      .Columbia, S.C..Concerts 3:00 and 8:30pm
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 12 11
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Club Ebony
      1678 Broadway
      between 52nd & 53rd Sts.
      (Times Square District)
      Peripheral event
      The new Club Ebony opened Thursday night, described by Pittsburgh Courier theatrical editor Billy Rowe as the first race-owned nitery.

      The Billboard 1947-11-29 said Mercer Ellington and Buster Harding wrote the music for the show. Opening night attracted many celebrities, as well as friends and relatives of the Ellington family:

      Joe Louis with a date and his managers, Edna Ellington, Ruth Ellington-James, Mildred Dixon, Bea Ellington, Dr. Arthur Logan, Willie Bryant,Evelyn Ellington, columnists/critics Billy Rowe and Earl Wilson, and entertainers Pearl Bailey, Canada Lee, Oscar Hammerstein, Willie Bryant, Dusty Fletcher.
      Mercer's father, being out of town, was not present


      Steven Lasker:

      ...it's the only occasion I know of where, except for Fredi Washington, all the significant women in Ellington's life were present: Ruth, Edna, Mildred and Evie.

      The attendance of so many Ellingtons is explained in the final paragraph of Billboard's coverage: Arrangements were by Mercer Ellington who did the original score, cut the show adequately and played the dances.

      .
      • The New York Post, New York, N.Y.
        1947-11-21 p.34
      • The Billboard
        • 1947-11-29 p.38
        • 1947-12-20 pp.40,46 courtesy S.Lasker
      • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-12-06 p.16 1947-12-20 p.16
      • The Evening Sun, Hanover, Penn.
        1947-12-13 p.4
      • The Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
        1947-12-15 p.28
      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        1947-12-19 p.21
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        1947-12-27 p.18
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        1947-12-25 p.19 , courtesy Lewis Porter
      • Emails Porter/Lasker/Palmquist
        • 2023-09-02
        • 2023-09-03
      .
      ...LP, SL, djpNew
      added
      2013-04-30
      updated
      2023-09-02
      2023-09-03
      1947 12 12
      Friday
      .Augusta, Ga.Delmar CasinoDancing, 9 o'clock.
      Four hours of dancing
      100 White Spectators Will be admitted only
      The Augusta Chronicle, Augusta, Ga.
      1947-11-30 p.10
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-14
      1947 12 13
      Saturday
      ... Peripheral event
      The Dec. 13 Pittsburgh Courier described Ellington's upcoming concert tour:

      'Ellington's Tour to Cover More Than Eighty Dates
        ...The [Dec. 14] concert in Atlanta will not only mark the Duke's first appearance in Georgia's capital city, but it will also launch the orchestra on its concert tour of the most impressive music halls in the key cities of the country.
      MANY CITIES
        Ellington and his aggregation are slated to appear in concert engagements at the Academy of Music in Roanoke, Va. on Dec. 18; Carnegie Hall in New York on Dec. 26-27, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on Dec. 30, Boston's Symphony Hall on Dec. 31 and the Civic Opera House in Chicago on Jan 11 and some eighty-five other concert bookings elsewhere.
        In keeping with past concert engagements, Ellington will present the premiere performances of number of new compositions. Highlighting the new works will be "Tortoise and the Hare," "New York City Blues," "The Clothed Woman," and "Liberian Suite," which was commissioned by the Government of Liberia.
        The Duke refers to these compositions as "solo responsibilities" and will assign them to Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney and Jimmy Hamilton, among others.'

      Chuck Moore's column in the San Antonio Register summarized the planned tour as well.
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-12-13 p.16
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1947-12-19 p.7
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-04-16
      1947 12 13
      Saturday
      .Birmingham, Ala.AuditoriumDance for Colored only
      • The Weekly Review, Birmingham, Ala.
        1947-12-13 p.3
      • Alabama Tribune, Montgomery, Ala.
        1947-12-24 pp.2, 6
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-15
      2023-05-06
      1947 12 14
      Sunday
      .Atlanta, Ga.City AuditoriumConcert, 4 p.m.
      Duke Ellington and his World-Famous Band plus Washington High School's Mixed Glee Club.
      Tickets - Advance $1.29, at box $1.80
      This was Ellington's first concert in Atlanta.
      Pittsburgh Courier photo captions

      'DUKE'S CANARIES – When Duke Ellington gave a concert in Atlanta, Ga., recently, his audience was electrified with the talents of Delores Packer singing "St. Louis Blues" and Kay Davis' ethereal voice blending with the orchestra on "Transblucency." Again, Duke proves his infallibility in selecting artists who fit his musical format.

      GATE CITY ACCLAIMS DUKE – When Duke Ellington and his incomparable orchestra played a concert at Atlanta's City Auditorium, a crowd of 3,000 Negro and white music lovers gave him a might ovation. The welcoming group includes, left to right: Duke Ellington, Mrs. E.M.Groves, choir director, J. Neal Montgomery, promoter, and Mrs. Lucille McAllister Scott of the Atlanta Daily World.'


      • The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.
        • 1947-12-07 p.3-D
        • 1947-12-14 p.3-D
      • Pittsburgh Courier,Pittsburgh,Penn. 1948-01-03 pp.14,19
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-09-27
      1947 12 15
      Monday
      .Raleigh, N.C...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 12 16
      Tuesday
      .Danville, Va.City Armory Drill HallDancing, limited to 500 tickets; advertised 9 'til 1, admissions $2.00, Advance $1.75, white spectators $1.50 tax included.
      The Bee, Danville, Va.
      • 1947-11-17 p.8
      • 1947-12-06 p.10
      • 1947-12-15 p.7
      • 1947-12-06 p.10
      • 1947-12-16 p.2
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-09-27
      2017-01-02
      1947 12 17
      Wednesday
      .Asheville, N.C...
      .....Added
      2011
      1947 12 18
      Thursday
      ...Personnel change
      "Dud" Bascomb leaves the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-10
      1947 12 18
      Thursday
      .Roanoke, Va.Academy of MusicConcert, 8:30 p.m.
      Orchestra and Boxes $3.00
      Balcony $2.50, Gallery $2.00

      The concert hall is equally divided for colored and white.
      The scheduled concert was cancelled because of holiday transportation.
      The Roanoke Times
      Roanoke, Va.
      • 1941-12-07 p.20
      • 1947-12-12 p.28
      • 1947-12-14 p.48
      ....New
      added
      2023-04-15
      1947 12 19
      Friday
      ...Personnel change
      Trumpeter Al Killian, born 1916, joins the band, taking Cat Anderson's role as a high note man. He was murdered while on vacation after the 1950 European tour -see 1950 09 05.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      updated
      2014-11-10
      2023-04-17
      1947 12 19
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 12 20
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 12 21
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      circa
      1947 12 22
      Monday
      ...Personnel change
      Junior Raglin, bass, rejoins the band, likely in time for the band for their Columbia recording session of 1947 12 22.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      1947 12 22
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Liederkranz Hall,
      111 East 58th Street
      Columbia recording session
      14:30 to 17:30
      According to http://depanorama.net/47.htm at the time of writing, this session was in Liederkranz Hall. Other discographies I have consulted do not show the studio.

      Steven Lasker:

      'Columbia's recording ledger doesn't tell us this session was recorded in Liederkranz Hall (which is very likely; 799 Seventh Ave. is the other possibility).'



      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Raglin, Greer, Parker, K.Davis.

      New Desor shows Hibbler was present, but since he didn't do these vocals, it isn't clear why he would have been. He is known to have been away from New York only two days later (see 1947 12 24).
      Titles recorded:
      • I Could Get A Man
      • On A Turquoise Cloud
      New Desor
      DE4734
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2014-11-09
      2018-02-20
      2020-05-06
      2024-07-02
      1947 12 23
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 12 24
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Liederkranz Hall,
      111 East 58th Street
      Columbia recording session
      14:00-18:00
      According to http://depanorama.net/47.htm at the time of writing, this session was in Liederkranz Hall. Other discographies I have consulted do not show the studio.

      Steven Lasker:

      'Columbia's recording ledger doesn't tell us this session was recorded in Liederkranz Hall (which is very likely; 799 Seventh Ave. is the other possibility).'


      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Al Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, C.Jones, Tyree Glenn(tb,vib); Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Raglin, Greer, Elayne Jones(tympani), possibly Davis.

      New Desor p.153 says the personnel are the same as the Dec. 22 session, with tympanist Elayne Jones added, but she is excluded from New Desor Correction Sheet 1069, the 1954 Wax Works, Nielsen and MacHare. Lambert says Greer played tympani here.

      It isn't clear if Kay Davis was present. By saying the personnel is the same as Dec. 22, NDCS 1069 indicates she was as does Jepsen, but there's no apparent reason for her to have been present.

      Nielsen, Wax Works and Jepsen have Hibbler but not Davis. Timner V has neither and says Hibbler's vocal was dubbed later. This is consistent with The Billboard 1948-03-13:

      'Another instance of vocal dubbing will take place at Columbia Records shortly. That diskery has Duke Ellington's Liberian Suite ready for album release. One section of the Suite, howevre, features a vocal usually performed by Albert Hibbler, the Ellington warbler. Hibbler was on the Coast when the work was waxed before the ban and will come East shortly to cut the missing vocal part into the already waxed musical background.'



      Stratemann p.289 says Hibbler's vocal for I Like the Sunrise was dubbed in March 1949.>Steven Lasker advises the ledger sheet (not card) lists instrumentation but not personnel....18 men: 5 trumpets; 3 trombones; 5 saxophones; piano; two basses; guitar; drums; with tympani added on XCO 40789.
      Titles recorded:

      LIBERIAN SUITE
      • I Like The Sunrise
      • Dance No. 1
      • Dance No. 2
      • Dance No. 3
      • Dance No. 4
      • Dance No. 5
      Liberian Suite was commissioned by the government of Liberia to celebrate the country's July 26 centennial.
      New Desor
      DE4735
      NDCS1069
      DEMS 1069.Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2014-11-10
      2018-02-20
      2020-05-07
      2023-03-30
      2023-05-23
      1947 12 25
      Thursday
      Christmas
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 12 26
      Friday
      ... Peripheral event
      A winter storm paralyzed New York and New England this day, leaving 26 inches of snow on the ground by afternoon.
      • Stratemann p.289
      • Weather coverage, Brooklyn Daily Eagle
        • 1947-12-26 p.1
        • 1947-12-27 p.3
      ...djpNew
      added 2014-11-11
      1947 12 26
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Savoy Plaza HotelThe National Committee for the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Liberia gave a luncheon honouring Ellington.
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1947-12-20 p.4
      • The Black Dispatch, Oklahoma City, Ok.
        1947-12-27 p.10
      • Stratemann p.289 citing Variety 1947-12-24 p.40
      .
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-04-17
      2023-05-06
      1947 12 26
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Nola studiosRehearsal for the evening concert.Stratemann p.289....Added
      2011
      1947 12 26
      Friday
      1947 12 27
      Saturday
      New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      (Main Hall)
      First of the Friday and Saturday Carnegie Hall concerts, 8:15 p.m., including the première performance of The Liberian Suite, commissioned by the Liberian government to celebrate that country's centennial.
      Prices: $4.80 $3.60 $3.00 $2.40 $1.80 $1.20 including tax.
      Amsterdam News ad
      Amsterdam News
      1947-12-20

      Click to Enlarge

      Due to the snow, the sidemen's luggage didn't arrive, so they played in street clothes. The instruments had to be carried by hand from the rehearsal hall. The concert started an hour late, at 9:05, and played to a half-empty house. Since most of the tickets were sold in advance, Ellington did not suffer a financial loss. Variety estimated he grossed between $8,500 and $10,000 over the two nights.
      The concert included a performance by Warren Norword (flute), Elaine Jones (F Horn) and Paul Rudolf (piano), the first three students to complete an advanced course at Juilliard on scholarships provided by Ellington. This segment was called "Entrance of Youth" by PM and they played Strayhorn's All Heart, accompanied by the band without Duke.
      The concert was recorded:
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Raglin, Greer, Hibbler, Parker, K.Davis, guests Norword, E.Jones and Rudolf.
      Titles recorded:
      • Star Spangled Banner
      • Snibor (The New Look)
      • Blue Serge
      • Midriff
      • Triple Play
      • He Makes Me Believe He's Mine
      • Harlem Air-Shaft
      • Mella Brava
      • Kickapoo Joy Juice
      • On A Turquoise Cloud
      • Medley:
        • Wanderlust
        • Junior Hop
        • Jeep's Blues
        • Dooji Wooji
        • Jeep Is Jumpin'
        • Mood To Be Wooed
      • Juke Bop Boogie (Basso Profundo or Boogie Bop Blue?)
      • New York City Blues
      • The Clothed Woman
      • All Heart
      • LIBERIAN SUITE
        • I Like The Sunrise
        • Dance No. 1
        • Dance No. 2
        • Dance No. 3
        • Dance No. 4
        • Dance No. 5
      • Medley:
        • East St. Louis Toodle-O
        • Echoes Of Harlem
        • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      • Stomp, Look And Listen
      • Bakiff
      • Rockin' In Rhythm
      • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
      • It's Monday Every Day
      • Lover Come Back To Me
      • Don't Take Your Love From Me
      • It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
      • Medley
        • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
        • In A Sentimental Mood
        • Mood Indigo
        • I'm Beginning To See The Light
        • Sophisticated Lady
        • Caravan
        • Solitude
        • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart / Don't Get Around Much Anymore
      Steven Lasker reports the set list in the printed program varies slightly from what's listed in DESOR.
      Lambert:

      'The Clothéd Woman paints a musical portrait of a sophisticated, experienced and dignified woman and contains a little "depth psychology" in the form of a ragtime middle section. The inspiration of this piece is clearly close to that of The Perfume Suite, and there are also similarities in the musical idiom. The Clothéd Woman is one of Ellington's most successful compositions, with a harmonic usage which is very modern in conception, but so apposite to the musical content that it never sounds in any way bizarre or modish. The conception and execution of the piano part are of great mastery. In contrast to the outer sections, which approach atonality, the central ragtime section is harmonically very static. The Clothéd Woman is an extremely imaginative piece in which hints of melodic shapes and harmonic directions are conveyed in a most subtle manner. It was performed at the November [sic} 1947 Carnegie Hall concerts and that version...is performed with the full band and is longer than the Columbia. The Columbia alternative take ... is also longer and contains a fascinating development of the ragtime middle section... '

      Stefano Zenni:

      '...the middle section is a paraphrase of the third strain of Morning Air by Willie The Lion Smith. This opens the wider question about the meaning of the tune, the choice of the title etc. Why a "clothed woman"? Why this strange flashback back to the 20s in the middle of "modern", a disguised blues?...'

      • Announcement re Miss Jones, Keeping Posted,
        San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas,
        • 1947-09-12 p.7
      • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
        1947-12-20 p.4
      • PM, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-12-22, p.17
        • 1947-12-26 p.16
      • Sunday News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-12-21 s,2 pp.4,5
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1947-12-27 p.19
      • Stratemann p.289 citing
        • Variety
          • 1947-12-31 p.42
          • 1948-01-07 p.217
        • Down Beat 1948-01-14
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
      • Timner
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • E. Lambert:
        Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
        , pp.146-147
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2016-04-05
      • Carnegie Hall database
      • Email, Stefano Zenni, Duke-LYM discussion list, 2019-01-01
      • The printed programme with "Notes on the Program" by Leonard Feather is in SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 10, folder 45 Carnegie Hall, New York, New York, December 26, 1947
      New Desor
      DE4736
      DEMSCAH photodjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-04
      2014-11-10
      2015-12-03
      2016-01-23
      2017-01-02
      2017-04-25
      2019-03-17
      2019-07-27
      2020-05-07
      2023-05-06
      1947 12 27
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      (Main Hall)
      Stage photo, Carnegie Hall, Dec. 27, 1947
      Carnegie Hall concert, Dec. 27, 1947
      Click to Enlarge
      Concert, 8:15 p.m.
      This 3 hour recorded concert included the trio from Julliard again.
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jones, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Pettiford, Raglin, Greer, Hibbler, Parker, K.Davis, guests Norword, E.Jones and Rudolf.
      Titles recorded:
      • Star Spangled Banner
      • Snibor (The New Look)
      • Blue Serge
      • Midriff
      • Triple Play
      • He Makes Me Believe He's Mine
      • Harlem Air-Shaft
      • Mella Brava
      • Kickapoo Joy Juice
      • On A Turquoise Cloud
      • Medley:
        • Wanderlust
        • Junior Hop
        • Jeep's Blues
        • Squaty Roo
        • Jeep Is Jumpin'
        • Mood To Be Wooed
      • Juke Bop Boogie
      • New York City Blues
      • The Clothed Woman
      • All Heart
      • LIBERIAN SUITE
        • I Like The Sunrise
        • Dance No. 1
        • Dance No. 2
        • Dance No. 3
        • Dance No. 5
        • Dance No. 5
      • Medley:
        • East St. Louis Toodle-O
        • Echoes Of Harlem
        • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      • Stomp, Look And Listen
      • Bakiff
      • Rockin' In Rhythm
      • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
      • Cotton Tail
      • It's Monday Every Day
      • Lover Come Back To Me
      • Don't Take Your Love From Me
      • It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
      • Medley:
        • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
        • In A Sentimental Mood
        • Mood Indigo
        • I'm Beginning To See The Light
        • Sophisticated Lady
        • Caravan
        • Solitude
        • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart / Don't Get Around Much Anymore
      • Tulip Or Turnip
      • Blue Skies (Trumpets No End)
      New Desor
      DE4737
      DEMSStratemann p.289djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-11-10
      2015-12-03
      2019-03-17
      2020-05-07
      2023-04-16
      1947 12 28
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1947 12 29
      Monday
      Midnight
      .New York, N.Y.WMCA Studios
      1657 Broadway
      Broadcast, 12:03 to 1:00 a.m.

      This was the inaugural broadcast of Ellington's new nightly WMCA Dial The Duke radio disc jockey show, sponsored by Paradise Wine.
      • Duke, several of his sidemen and guests performed the first broadcast live:
        Duke Ellington Group and guest performers:
        Killian, Nance, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Hodges, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Guy, Raglin, Greer, and K.Davis, with guests Buddy Rich, Mel Tormé, Eileen Barton, Vic Damone, Bea Wain, Tony Pastor, and Dolores Parker
      • Titles recorded:
        • Take The "A" Train (theme)
        • C-Jam Blues
        • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
        • Transblucency
        • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
      • New Desor:

        'The broadcast included other titles with Billy Strayhorn at the piano and guest musicians.'

      • Vail I lists these tunes as
        • September Song
        • Them There Eyes
        • They Didn't Believe Me
        • I Didn't Know About You
        • I Can't Give You Anything But Love
        • He Makes Me Believe
      • In a story datelined New York, Nov. 22, The Billboard reported WMCA's new transcribed Duke Ellington disk jockey show would kick off December 29 and play from 9 to 10 am Monday to Friday and from midnight to 1 a.m. seven days a week. The entire nighttime version was already bought by Paradise Wine Corporation, and three sponsors each had purchased 15 minutes of the morning show. Bob Bach, formerly with The Billboard, was to take over writing and disc selection duties.
      • Stratemann:

        '...On November 7, 1947, contracts were finalized between WMCA and Ellington for a five-year, five-days a week, one-hour radio program that would earn Ellington $3,000 per week... The Ellington record programs were to be played at 8 to 9 p.m. and again from midnight to 1 a.m. according to the original formula, but they were apparently restricted to the early morning time slot later on...The initial "Duke Ellington Show" was staged live at WMCA's New York studios, amidst much hoopla...
        Dec. 29
        WMCA "Dial the Duke" premiere broadcast, midnight to 1:00 a.m.
        For some live music, Ellington had a small contingent of his men with him: ...Among the numerous guests, some of whom sat in with the group, were Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Tony Pastor, Ziggy Elman, Buddy Rich, Vic Damone, Mel Tormé, Sy Oliver and June Christy. Andrew Baruch acted as the program's host...For subsequent shows, Ellington would have had to pre-record introductions to the discs played over the air, in order to arrive at 5 one-hour shows a week.'

      • The Pittsburgh Courier reported the contract was for five years. It said the Dec. 29 midnight broadcast would be a one hour live show, to be repeated later. The other programs would be by transcription so as not to interrupt Duke's personal appearances.
      • Daily News said Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich, Perry Como, Lena Horne, Vic Damone, Guy Lombardo, Martha Raye and Mel Torme were among the luminaries who would be there.
      • The Afro-American ran a photo of Duke with King Cole. The caption says the show would be featured over WWDC, Washington, and would be heard daily except Sunday from midnight to 1 a.m., and twice a week Duke would interview a guest star. The caption seems to the first interview was with [Nat] King Cole.
      • The Billboard, Nov. 29 1947, p.7
      • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1947-11-22, p.17
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        1947-12-27 p.16
      • The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        1948-01-03 p.6
      New Desor
      DE4738
      DEMS. CAHoct05; djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-30
      2014-02-28
      2014-11-11
      2020-05-07
      2023-05-06
      2023-05-22
      2024-07-20
      1947 12 30
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y..Columbia recording session,
      14:20 - 17:00
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Killian, Baker, Brown, Glenn, Hamilton, Hodges, Sears, Carney, Ellington, Raglin, Greer, Parker
      Titles recorded:
      • A Woman And A Man
      • The Clothed Woman
      • New York City Blues
      • Let's Go Blues
    • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
    • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
      Ellingtonia.com
    • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
    • Dooji Collection record labels
    • Timner
    • Benny Aasland:
      The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
    • E. Lambert:
      Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
      , p.147
    • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol.3 1947-59
    • Ole J. Nielsen
      Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
      Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
    • New Desor
      DE4739
      DEMSTimner corrections.Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2020-05-07
      1947 12 30
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Academy of MusicEvening concert. The house was not full.
      The Philadelphia Inquirer named the musicians particating: Pettiford, L.Brown, Hodges, Carney, Nance, Baker, Hibbler, Davis, Parker, . It named these titles:
      • Solitude
      • Mood Indigo
      • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
      • Perfume Suite
      • Bluetopia
      • Kickapoo Joy
      • Triple Play
      • On a Turquoise Cloud
      The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
      • 1947-12-28 p.18
      • 1947-12-31 p.12
      ..Stratemann p. 291djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-12
      2023-05-06
      1947 12 31
      Wednesday
      .Boston, Mass.Symphony HallConcert 10:30 pm to 1:30 am

      Sidemen named in the Dec. 29 Boston Herald, plug:
      Procope, Hodges, Sears, Hamilton, Carney, Brown, Claude Johnes, Wilbur de Paris, Jordan, [Cat] Anderson, Hemphill, F. Williams, Nance. The Daily Globe ad named vocalists Davis, Cox and Hibbler.
      • Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
        1947-12-29 p.13
      • Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
        1947-12-31 p.6
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-11-11
      2023-05-06



      Back to Navigation List

      1948


      Date of event Ending date
      (if different)
      City/
      Other place
      Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
      Desor
      reference
      DEMS
      reference
      Other
      references
      Contact
      person
      Date added
      / updated

      January 1948

      1948 01 01
      Thursday
      ... Peripheral event
      The 1948 recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians noted at 1947 10 18 above came into effect at midnight December 31, spurring record companies to lay down as many records as possible in late 1947 before the ban.
      • December 1 1947 UP wirestory:

        '...The present contract ... expires Jan. 1 and under the Taft-Hartley law, no provision can be made in the new contract for royalties to be paid into the union fund on each record as is being done at present. But all records made before the Jan. 1 deadline will be subject to union royalties...'

      • Recording resumed in mid-December 1948.
      • E. R. Pinta:

        'The deciding factor for the recording ban was a finding that the AFM welfare fund, paid for by royalties from record companies, was in violation of the Taft-Hartley Labor Act. Major record companies affected by the ban included Capitol, Columbia, Decca, M-G-M, Mercury, and RCA Victor, but the ban affected contracts with over 770 recording and transcription companies. It ended when the U.S. secretary of labor and attorney general held that a modified version of the fund did not violate Taft-Hartley.'

      ...sl/djpNew
      added
      2012-11-03
      updated
      2021-04-21
      1948 01 00...Personnel changes
      Bassist Junior Raglin leaves the band.
      Except The Billboard said:

      'Bassist Oscar Pettiford out of Duke's ork, with Junior Raglin returning to the crew as replacement.'

      • New Desor vol.2
      • The Billboard 1948-01-17 p.18
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      1948 01 00
      .New York, N.Y..Peripheral event
      An undated ANP wirestory reported Fredi Washington Brown filed a separation suit against Ellington's trombonist Lawrence Brown, asking for $100/week alimoiny. The story described her as a drama critic and said she had been a featured columnist with a local newspaper, People's Voice, and said her sister was the first wife of Congressman A. Clayton Powell.
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1948-01-31 p.1
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
        1948-02-06 p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-21
      1948 01 01
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 02
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 03
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 04
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 05
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 06
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 07
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 08
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 09
      Friday
      8:30 pm
      .Cincinnati, OhioTaft AuditoriumConcert
      "Big Music Festival
      25 Musicians and Entertainers
      ...featuring Liberian Suite Commissioned by the Government of Liberia for its Centennial, plus Many of the Favorite Numbers"

      Ticket prices $3.60, $3.00, $2,40, $1.80, $1.20
      The Cincinnati Enquirer review titled ELLINGTONIA confirmed the following titles were played:
      • Blue Serge
      • Harlem Airshaft
      • I Like the Sunrise
      • Jeep's Blues
      • Liberian Suite
      • Mella Brava
      • Mood to be Wooed
      • New Look
      • Midriff
      • New York City Blues
      • On A Turquoise Cloud
      • The Clothed Woman
      • The Jeep Is Jumpin'
      • Triple Play
      • Wanderlust
      Personnel named in the review:
      • Kay Davis
      • Al Hibbler
      • Dolores Parker
      • Johnny Hodges
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Harold Baker
      • Strayhorn and Mercer Ellington were mentioned as writers, but it isn't clear if they performed
      • Hamilton (Ohio) Journal
        • 1948-01-02, p.8
        • 1948-01-05, p.4
        • 1948-01-09, p.8
      • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
        • 1947-12-07 p.4
        • 1947-12-17 p.4-C
        • 1947-12-21 p.46
        • 1947-12-28 pp.22, 23
        • 1948-01-04 pp.45,46
        • 1948-01-07 p.4-B
        • 1948-01-08 p.5-B
        • 1948-01-09 p.5-B
        • Review, 1948-01-10 p.12-B
      • The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio
        • 1947-12-15 p.16
        • 1947-12-16 p.16
        • 1947-12-24 p.6
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in the SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 14, folder 39 Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, Ohio, January 9
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-11-06
      2016-02-12
      2017-01-03
      2023-04-16
      2023-05-06
      1948 01 10
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Masonic AuditoriumDetroit Free Press

      'Duke Ellington will present a program of his own compositions when he brings his orchestra to Masonic Temple on Saturday night.
           Among them will be "New York City Blues"; "Liberian Suite"; "On a Torquoise [sic] Cloud," and "Rocking in Rhythm." Al Hibbler will sing a medley of Ellington songs.'

      .
      Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
      • 1948-01-04 s.B p.7
      • 1947-12-28 s.B p.7
      ..Vail I.Added
      2011
      updated
      2021-06-03
      2023-05-06
      1948 01 11
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera House
      20 N. Wacker
      Two concerts, 3pm and 8:30 pm
      • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        1948-01-10 p.27
      • Stratemann p.291 citing
        Down Beat 1948-01-28
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2021-06-03
      1948 01 12
      Monday
      1948 01 14Columbus, OhioPalace Theatre.
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 01 13
      Tuesday
      .Columbus, OhioPalace TheatreSee 1948 01 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 01 13
      Tuesday
      .Columbus, OhioLVA Club
      Monroe and Mt. Vernon Avenue

      'Columbus Elks Fete Ellington, Grand Bandmaster
      COLUMBUS - The Officers of Franklin Lodge 203, Columbus, Ohio entertained Duke Ellington, members of his orchestra and party, Tuesday night at the LVA Club ... Mr. Ellington, noted composer and orchestra leader and recently made the first colored name band leader to be given a Disc Jockey Program, is also Grand Bandmaster of the Elks.
      The following persons were present during the evening: Herschel Bayless, Zack White, Tom Chambrun, all of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sonny Greer, E.[sic] Procope, Oscar Pettiford, Billy Strayhorn, Harry Carney, Claude Jones, Tyree Glenn, Ray Nance, Speedy Brooks and John [sic] Celley, of the Ellington Organization; Harry Alston, A.B. Flint, L.M. Shaw, Norman E. Jones, John Kinzer, Mrs. Ella Carr, Rosa Hopson, Ablaha Gregory, all of Columbus, Ohio. Duke and his orchestra were appearing at a downtown Theater while the city.'

      The Call and Post, Cleveland, Ohio
      1948-01-24 p.8-A
      ....New
      Added
      2023-05-10
      1948 01 14
      Wednesday
      .Columbus, OhioPalace TheatreSee 1948 01 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 01 15
      Thursday
      .Fort Wayne, Ind.Quimby AuditoriumConcert
      Program details, courtesy S. Lasker:
      4-page printed program, back cover is blank
      Front cover:
      DAN HARBAECKER

      PRESENTS

      Duke Ellington

      QUIMBY AUDITORIUM
      Fort Wayne,
      Indiana

      THURSDAY, JANUARY 15

      Unnumbered page 2:
      DUKE ELLINGTON CONCERT
      PROGRAM
      1948

      THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

      Part I
      1. Opening Selection
      a. The New Look
      b. Blue Serge
      c. Midriff
      Strayhorn, Mercer Ellington
      2. Triple PlayStrayhorn
      3. Introducing Delores Parker Duke Ellington, John Latouche
      4. Harlem AirshaftEllington
      5. Mella BravaEllington
      6. Kikapoo JoysEllington
      7. On a Turquoise CloudLawrence Brown, Ellington
      8. Johnny Hodges Medley.
      9. Basso Mo ThundoEllington
      10. New York City BluesEllington
      11. The Clothed WomanEllington
      12. Liberian SuiteEllington
      INTERMISSION

      Unnumbered page 3:
      Part II
      13. An Ellington ThemeEllington
      14. Stomp, Look and Glisten [sic]Ellington
      14. [sic] BakiffJuan Tizol, Ellington
      15. Rocking in Rhythm [sic]Harry Carney, Ellington
      16. On the Sunny Side of The StreetJimmy McHugh,
      Dorothy Fields
      17. Songs by Al Hibbler.
      18. Duke Ellington at the Piano.

      Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2018-10-01...C.Hällström oct09Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-09
      2019-03-17
      1948 01 16
      Friday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.English Auditorium

      'Duke Ellington and his star-studded band will play a concert January 16 in English's Theater.
           The band personnel will include Taft Jordan,trumpeter; Al Sears,tenor saxophone; Oscar Pettiford, bass; Al Hibbler, blind vocalist; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet, and Kay Davis, vocalist. And of course the Duke's right-hand man for musical arrangements and a deft piano style, Billy Strayhorn.'

      .Tickets: $1.20 $1.80 $2.40 $3.00 $3.50

      The program was listed in the January 16 publicity as:

      Opening SelectionsStrayhorn, Mercer Ellington
      a. The New Look
      b. Blue Serge
      c. Midriff
      Triple PlayStrayhorn
      Introducing Dolores ParkerEllington LaTouche
      Harlem AirshaftEllington
      Mella BravaEllington
      Kikapoo JoysEllington
      On a Turquoise CloudBrown, Ellington
      Johnny Hodges Medley 
      Basso Mo ThunderEllington
      New York City BluesEllington
      The Clothed WomanEllington
      Liberian Suite Ellington
      INTERMISSION
      An Ellington ThemeEllington
      Stomp, Look and GlistenEllington
      BakiffTizol, Ellington
      Rocking in RhythmCarney, Ellington
      On the Sunny Side of the StreetMcHugh, Fields
      Songs by Albert Hibbler
      Duke Ellington at the Piano
      • The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
        • 1948-01-09 p.9
        • 1948-01-12 p.10
        • 1948-01-16 p.25
      • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
        • 1948-01-11 p.30
        • 1948-01-16 p.25
      ..Vail IdjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2021-06-03
      2023-05-09
      1948 01 17
      Saturday
      .Terre Haute, Ind.ArmoryEllington and his orchestra were to play for the annual Crystal Ball sponsored by the sororities of the Women's League at Indiana State Teachers College. While the orchestra was named in the initial announcement, a follow-up plug and a day-after report don't mention the music.
      • Terre Haute Sunday Tribune and Terre Haute Sunday Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
        • 1948-01-11 p.18
        • 1948-01-18 s.2 p.17
      • Terre Haute Tribune, Terre Haute, Ind.
        • 1948-01-15 p.6
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-20
      1948 01 18
      Sunday
      8:30 pm
      .Burlington, IowaMemorial Auditorium
      aka
      Burlington Auditorium
      8:30 p.m. concert "exactly as presented in Carnegie Hall, New York"
      Tickets (taxes included)
      • Main Floor $2.50 2.00
      • Mezzanine 2.50 2.00 1.50
      • Balcony 2.00 1.50 1.00
      Hawk-Eye Gazette:

      ' Duke Ellington's Orchestra Swings Blue and Loud
      Duke Ellington, famed orchestra leader and composer of jazz, blue and swing tunes, played to a fair sized audience in Burlington's Memorial auditorium Sunday night in an ear-splitting concert.
      His orchestra proved it could swing and has mastered the blues, and the variety entertainment won enthusiastic applause. Microphones were in use, but they wouldn't have been necessary, as the volume would have filled "all outdoors."
      Ellington presented several numbers which he had given in Carnegie hall, and which brought him acclaim in many of the big cities of the nation. He also swung into popular tunes of his own composition, and they were warmly received. The tap-tap-tap of feet could be heard everywhere in the auditorium as spectators took up the rhythm.
      Albert Hibber, blind singer with a deep baritone voice, was among the favorites with the audience. Kay Davis and Delores Parker, shapely singers, went over well. Johnny Hodges, alto sax, and Ray Nance, trumpeter who doubled with violin, vocal and antics, were among top entertainers. Ellington's distinctive style at the piano, kept things rolling.
      "There are 5 great trumpeters", Ellington announced, "and we have all of them."'

      Burlington, Ia, Hawk-Eye Gazette, Burlington, Iowa
      • 1948-01-17, p.3
      • 1948-01-19
      ..Vail IA.Neegard oct09Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-02
      2023-05-10
      1948 01 19
      Monday
      8 pm
      .Lawrence, Ks.Hoch Auditorium
      University of Kansas
      "Carnegie Hall Concert"Ad, Lawrence Daily Journal-World, Lawrence, Ks.
      1948-01-07, p.3
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-11-07
      1948 01 20
      Tuesday
      .Ames, IowaMemorial Union Hall
      Photo, Iowa State College 1948 Yearbook
      Iowa State College 1948 YearbookTITLE
      Click to Enlarge
      Afternoon concert for Iowa State College students, 4:15 p.m.
      • Council Bluffs, Iowa, Nonpareil,
        • Special to the Nonpareil, 1948-01-15, p.19
        • Special to the Nonpareil, 1948-01-16, p.19
      • Photo, Iowa State College 1948 yearbook
      ..Vail I.Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-05
      2023-05-09
      1948 01 21
      Wednesday
      .Minneapolis, Minn.Minneapolis AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m.
      • Sponsored by University of Minnesota's American Veterans' Committee to fundraise for its educational programme to improve human relations and spotlight intolerance.
      • Prices $1.25, 1.80, 2.50 including tax.
      • Programme announced in the Sunday Tribune:
        • The New Look
        • Blue Serge
        • Midriff
        • Triple Play
        • Introducing Dolores Parker
        • Harlem Airshaft
        • Mella Brava
        • Kickapoo Joys
        • Turquoise Cloud
        • Bass Mo Thundo
        • New York City Blues
        • The Clothed Woman
        • Liberian Suite
        • Ellington Theme
        • Stop, Look and Glisten
        • Bakiff
        • Rocking [sic] in Rhythm
        • Sunny Side of the Street
        • Songs by Albert Hibbler
        • Ellington piano interlude
      .
      • The Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1948-01-01 p.30
        • 1948-01-14 p.32
        • 1948-01-15 p.26
        • 1948-01-16 p.16
        • 1948-01-19 p.16
        • 1948-01-22 p.18
      • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1948-01-04 p.15
        • 1948-01-11 p.16
        • 1948-01-18 p.16
      • Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1948-01-14 p.14
        • 1948-01-15 p.14
        • 1948-01-16 p.14
        • 1948-01-20 p.4
        • 1948-01-22 p.18
        • 1948-01-23 p.14
      • Minneapolis Spokesman Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1948-01-09 p.8
        • 1948-01-16 pp.1,6
      • St. Paul Recorder, St. Paul, Minn.
        • 1948-01-09 pp. 1, 5
        • 1948-01-16 pp.1, 6
      • Variety 1948-01-21 p.53
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-22
      1948 01 22
      Thursday
      .Madison, Wisc.Orpheum TheatreConcert(s) - it isn't clear from the report how many shows the band played. It mentiones the band arrived late for the first matinee from St. Paul, and were left for Cedar Rapids in sub-zero temperatures after the last show. Hodge and Nance are mentioned but the review doesn't say much about the performances.
      The Capital Times, Madison, Wisc.
      • 1947-12-30 p.4
      • 1948-01-18 p.31
      • 1948-01-19 p.2
      • 1948-01-23 p.7
      .
      ..Vail I.Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-09
      1948 01 23
      Friday
      .Urbana-Champaign, Ill.Illini Union Faculty Lounge
      University of Illinois
      Peripheral event
      Marshall Stearns, described as the former editor of Down Beat, gave a lecture "Ellington and Development of Jazz" at 4 p.m. as part of the university's Star Course.
      • The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.,
        • 1948-01-21 p.2
        • 1948-01-23
      • Vail I
      ...djpNew
      added 2015-07-05
      1948 01 23
      Friday
      1948 01 24Urbana, Ill.Auditorium
      University of Illinois
      8 p.m. concert, admission $1.80

      First of two Ellington concerts on campus this weekend, rescheduled from Jan. 15.
      Alan Zachary in Daily Illini:

      'Ray Nance..."waltzed " away with the honors at last night's excellent Star Course performance by the Duke and his brilliant instrumentalists.
        ...the concert provided three hours of the best popular entertainment presented in the Twin Cities this year.
        Nance's ability on the violin and as a "scat" singer was vividly illustrated by what were probably the most unique performances of the evening.
        In ..."Liberian Suite" Nance displayed virtuosity and tone equal to that of many famous violinists. The impressionistic "Bakiff" by Juan Tizol and Ellington was also interpreted with feeling.
        Nance's vocal on "What Am I To You" was the reward Ellington gave the audience when the orchestra was called back for final encore.
        As master of ceremonies, Ellington was extraordinarily talented. He said during intermission that "it was a sensitive audience" and that he was "pleased with the response."
        ...Kay Davis, using her voice as one of a group of instruments, introduced one of Ellington's musical experiments... '

      Mr. Zachary goes on to discuss performances by Hibbler, Hodges, Brown and Greer, and named Liberian Suite, Bakiff, What Am I to You, Indian Love Call, Monday Every Day, Lover Come Back To Me, Summertime, Basso Mo Thundo, On the Sunny Side of the Street, Sophisticated Lady, Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Mood Indigo.

      Shorty Baker and Tyree Glenn were also present since they were photographed for the Illini.
      Marshall Stearns' Down Beat review:

      'After a three-week shakedown on the road, the new Ellington concert program has crescendoed into a thing of beauty...For two nights in a row the concert sold out to frantically enthusiastic audiences...
        Changes in the program...have been slight but important. A few numbers have come and gone, but the big switch consists of cuts here and there where the going was dull and above all, individual modifications by the soloists and sections to fit their own styles and tastes...
        ... the first part of the concert program consists of new stuff, arranged in order of maximum contrast and featuring Duke's Liberian Suite ...
        The second part of the concert contains better-known material with a flag-waver towards the end which turns the audience into the aisles...Starting mildly enough with a vocal by Al Hibbler on It Don't Mean A Thing, the band gradually works up a momentum which rocks the countryside. Even the squarest get hep. For it's the band at its best, erupting with that fundamental, unchanging ingredient of all great jazz. The stuff has been there for nearly twenty years, and it's still mellow!'

      The venue is the University of Illinois rather than the University of Chicago as reported in Stratemann. While the former had a satellite campus for first and second year courses at the Navy Pier in Chicago, there was no University of Chicago at the time.
      • Stratemann, p.292, citing Marshall Stearns in Down Beat, 1948-02-25
      • Brief mention, Waterloo Daily Courier, 1948-01-28, p.3
      • Vail I, with a copy of the Down Beat review by Stearns
      • The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
        • Ads and publicity,
          • 1947-11-21 p.1
          • 1948-01-13 p.4
          • 1948-01-15 p.1
          • 1948-01-21 p.2
          • 1948-01-23 pp.1,2,4
        • Alan Zachary review, 1948-01-24 pp.1,2
        • Photo 1948-01-27 p.1
      • The Santa Monica City College Corsair, Santa Monica, Cal;.
        1948-03-17 p.2
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-02
      2015-07-05
      2023-05-23
      1948 01 24
      Sunday
      .Urbana, Ill.Auditorium
      University of Illinois
      Second concert on campus, 9:30 p.m., scheduled late to avoid conflicting with a basketball game. Admission $1.80 See review at 1948 01 22 above.
      See 1948 01 23.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-02
      2015-07-05
      1948 01 25
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.New Savoy BallroomDance
      Duke Ellington and his Orchestra plus Claude McLin and his Orchestra
      • Chicago Defender 1948-01-24 p.27
      • Stratemann, p.292 citing Chicago Defender 1948-01-21 p.27
      .
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-10
      1948 01 26
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 27
      Tuesday
      8:15 pm
      .Cedar Rapids, IowaColiseum
      (Likely Veteran's Memorial Coliseum)
      Concert 2 1/2 hour show, curtain 8:15 p.m.

      Tickets:
      • Reserved seats $2.50 tax paid
      • General adm. $1.75 and $1.25 including tax

      Featured stars: Hodges, Carney, Pettiford, Hibbler, Nance, Brown, Davis and Delores Parker
      • Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
        • 1948-01-28, p.3
      • Unidentified advertisement, from A.Neegard's research Oct.2009
      • Iowa City Press-Citizen, Iowa City, Iowa
        • 1948-01-16 p.7
        • 1948-01-20, p.8
        • 1948-01-24, p.10
      • The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
        • 1948-01-17 p.6
        • 1948-01-22 p.2
        • 1948-01-27 p.4
      • The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
        • 1948-01-25 p.11
      ...A.Neegard oct09Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-05
      2023-05-10
      1948 01 28
      Wednesday
      .Freeport, Ill.Consistory Auditorium
      Shrine Temple
      activities not documented
      The Journal-Standard 1948-01-12 announced the band would play the Consistory on January 28, but it appears the event was cancelled. The paper's 1949-09-15 edition announces two concerts on Oct. 4 at this venue, saying it will be the first local appearance of the popular musician and his organization...
      Announcements, The Journal-Standard, Freeport, Ill.
      • 1948-01-12 p.2
      • 1948-09-15 p.2
      ...djpNew
      added 2014-04-14
      1948 01 29
      Thursday
      .Cedar Falls, IowaAuditorium
      Iowa State Teachers College
      Concert

      Sonny Greer absent, Oliver Coleman of Chicago subbed.

      Frances Jordan McHugh, Courier Staff Writer:

      'Duke Ellington and Band Give Out With Hot Concert at TC

      Duke Ellington and his galaxy of jive artists sent a quiver through the old boards of Iowa State Teachers college auditorium Thursday night, when they reached way down and came up with some throbbing, scarlet-toned music.
        ...The concert touring, reportedly unprecedented, which began following a Carnegie hall concert in January, 1943, brought an innovation in concert courses at several universities and colleges in the country this year.
        For TC it was a surprise treat arranged quickly for an open date between Cedar Rapids and Ames, Ia.
        Feet and hands moved to the jive of the Duke and his boys throughout the long list of numbers. And when the concert performers beat out the end, shouting for more filled the auditorium.
        It was almost entirely an Ellington program, and cannot he called jazz according to Sam Stahl, Cedar Falls, who is a hobby expert on jazz.
        It is instead the result of Ellington's having taken the standard patterns of the jazz idiom and arranged them in a more or less symphonic character. Certainly his vocabulary of jazz is complete, hut he has a middle-line course between jazz and swing. And that coupled with Ellington's nigh genius as a tune composer makes him great enough to pull yearly concert bookings from Carnegie.
        The auditorium was too small to handle the Duke's boys, particularly his trumpets, as their crystal clear screams struck hard at the eardrums. But gymnasium schedules and shortage of time prohibited having the stage built for the concert there.
        It will be as easy to leave out an outstanding number, as it will be to forget some of the toppers who gave forth, because the program was so full of the specials.
        But from here it seemed that one of the best numbers was "Triple Play" (Strayhorn), which used a combo of trombone and two saxes in mighty fine harmony. Tyree Glenn's trombone was smooth and rich as butterscotch syrup.
        "New York City Blues" {Ellington) made its mark on the memory, as did "On a Turquoise Cloud," a Lawrence Brown-Ellington collaboration, which is a beauty. For the latter a trio of instruments took the lead, and a gorgeous gal. Kay Davis, sang a soprano obligato sort of thing that was definitely on the esthetic side. "Liberian Suite" is an Ellington creation with a serious theme.
        The trumpet of Harold Baker and Ray Nance (of jive violin fame) were fine. Johnny Hodges fame with the alto saxophone certainly was justified, as was Sonny Greer's with the drums. Harry Carney's baritone sax solos bore up his national title, too. Oscar Pettiford's string bass seemed a little under-featured, as the man is good. Albert Hibbler did a lot of song work in a Sinatrish voice, but a sense of tempo that Frankie might profit by imitating.
        There you are. All the space is used up on only a few of the pieces and probably not enough of the musicians have been mentioned.
        It should be said that the Duke showed off his talent on the piano, and it was "reeeelly neet." He was outstanding for another thing. He played up his band members, kept a suave and quiet presence when he wasn't at the mike or soloing on the keyboard.
        Every member of the 22-piece band enjoyed himself, and let it be known that those boys put out with a lot of energy in an evening's work.'

      • Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
        • 1948-01-16 p.9
        • 1948-01-28, p.3
        • 1948-01-30 p.9
      ...A.Neegard 09Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-05
      2023-05-21
      1948 01 30
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 01 31
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......

      February 1948

      1948 02 01
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 02 02
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 02 03
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 02 04
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 02 05
      Thursday
      .Louisville, Ky.Variety Record Shop
      645 S. 4th St.
      Ellington signing records Feb. 5 1948
      Ellington in the Variety Record Shop
      1948-02-05

      Click to Enlarge
      Ellington signed records at the Variety Record Shop; the session was scheduled for 3:30 to 4 p.m.

      These photos were downloaded from the Royal Photo Company Collection, Louisville.edu library in 2016 but don't seem to be available in 2023.
      • The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky. 1948-02-05 s.1 p.4
      • Royal Photo Company collection,
        University of Louisville Photographic Archives
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-21
      1948 02 05
      Thursday
      1948 02 10
      Tuesday
      Louisville, Ky.National Theatre
      5th St., 6th St. and Walnut St.
      Vaudeville
      • Segregated stage show with impersonator George Kirby and dancers Peck & Peck.
      • "2nd balcony open for colored patrons."
      • Showtimes:
          Feb. 5, 6, 9 and 10      1:23    4:11  6:59   9:20 p.m.
        Feb. 7 and 8 12:59 3:27 5:48 8:09 10;30 p.m.
      • Personnel named in plugs,ads and reviews:
        • Hodges
        • Nance
        • Carney
        • L.Brown
        • Raglin
        • Pettiford
        • Hibbler
        • K.Davis
        • Parker
      • Song titles named in the reviews:
        • How High the Mountain
        • St. Louis Blues
        • Wanderlust
        • Mood to Be Wooed
        • Mood Indigo
        • I'm Beginning to See the Light
        • In My Solitude
        • Don't Get Around Much Any More
        • Indian Love Call
        • My Little Brown Book
        • Summertime
        • Lover Come Back to Me
        • Transblucency
        • Trumpets No End
        • Monday Every Day
        • I Guess I'm Just a Lucky So and So
        • Tulip or Turnip
        • Melancholy Baby
      • Stratemann and Vail I show the engagement running Feb. 6 to 11, but the advertised and reported dates in the media show it were Feb. 5 to 10.
      • One of the Thursday shows was reviewed in the Feb. 6 Friday morning edition of The Courier-Journal.
      • Variety reported a severe snowstorm hit Louisville Thursday, February 5, practically blanking out the first runs. It went on to say the show Got slow start on stormy Thursday (5)
      • Variety's favourable review of the show is dated Feb.8.
      • The Louisville Leader, Louisville, Ky.
        • 1948-01-31 p.3
      • The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
        • 1948-02-05 s.1 p.4; s.2 p.5 (review)
        • 1948-02-06 s2 pp.4, 5
        • 1948-02-07 s.2 p.7
        • 1948-02-08 s.5 p.2
        • 1948-02-09 p.9
        • 1948-02-10 s.2 p.2
      • Variety 1948-02-11 pp.9, 48
      • Stratemann p.292 citing Variety 1948-02-11 p.48
      • Vail I
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      2023-05-21
      948 02 06
      Friday
      .Louisville, Ky.National Theatresee 1948 02 05......
      1948 02 07
      Saturday
      .Louisville, Ky.National Theatresee 1948 02 05.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 08
      Sunday
      .Louisville, Ky.National Theatresee 1948 02 05.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 09
      Monday
      .Louisville, Ky.National Theatresee 1948 02 05.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 10
      Tuesday
      .Louisville, Ky.National Theatresee 1948 02 05.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 11
      Wednesday
      .Akron, OhioArmoryPresumably a dance.


      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-04
      2023-05-21
      1948 02 12
      Thursday
      1948 02 18
      Wednesday
      Cleveland, OhioPalace TheaterVaudeville
      • Ellington's orchestra, Peck and Peck, George Kirby, Timmy Rogers
      • 4 shows Feb.13
      • Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
        • 1948-02-08 p.15-B
        • 1948-02-13 p.19
        • 1948-02-17 p.18
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-22
      1948 02 13
      Friday
      .Cleveland, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 02 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 02 14
      Saturday
      Valentine's Day
      .Cleveland, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 02 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 02 15
      Sunday
      .Cleveland, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 02 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 02 16
      Monday
      .Cleveland, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 02 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 02 17
      Tuesday
      .Cleveland, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 02 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 02 18
      Wednesday
      .Cleveland, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 02 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 02 19
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 02 00...Personnel changes
      Singer Dolores Parker leaves the band.
      While she is named in the ad for the Regal Theatre appearance, she may have gone earlier, since these ads are usually based on publicity material sent some time before an engagement.
      ....djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      updated
      2019-01-09
      1948 02 20
      Friday
      1948 02 26
      Thursday
      Chicago, Ill.Regal Theatre
      47th at South Parkway
      Vaudeville

      'IN PERSON
      ON STAGE
      America's
      Genius
      of Jazz
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      and his famous ORCHESTRA
      Featuring
      Johnny Hodges
      RAY NANCE - Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown,
      Junior Raglin
      AL HIBBLER - KAY DAVIS - DOLORES PARKER
      Extra Added Attraction!
      MANTON MORELAND & HEYWOOD JONES
      PECK and PECK - GEORGE KIRBY
      Plus Action Thriller On Screen...'

      • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill.
        1948-02-21 p.26
      • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        1948-02-21 pt.7 p.10
      • Stratemann p.292
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-06
      2023-05-22
      1948 02 21
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 02 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 22
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 02 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 23
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 02 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 24
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 02 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 25
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 02 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 26
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 02 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 02 27
      Friday
      1948 03 04
      Thursday
      Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville

      In Person
      "Duke"
      Ellington
      his
      ORCHESTRA
      & ALL-SEPIA REVUE

      Admission 46¢ plus tax till 1 p.m.
      Sentinel, Feb. 28

      'Duke Ellington's all sepia revue is designed for the hepcats. It's jazz, rhythm, and be-bop rolled into one with a few restful excursions into the classics with the Duke himself majestically tickling the ivories.

      Practically everyone in the aggregation does a specialty and vies for individual honors with vaudevillians augmenting the musical portion of the show. Peck and Peck, those dancing clowns, are up to their old tricks. George Kirby is probably the best of the better impressionists. Al Hibbler has a strange but engaging voice. Kay Davis sings well and Mantan Moreland, the colored film player from Monogram Studios, is moderately funny.'

      • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.
        • 1948-02-27 p.13 and Green Sheet p.3
        • 1948-02-28 p.3
        • 1948-02-29 p.4
        • 1948-03-01 p.2 (local section) and p.14
        • 1948-03-02 p.5
        • 1948-03-04 p.3 (local section)
      • Milwaukee Sentinel, Milwaukee, Wisc.
        • 1948-02-28 pt. 1 p.6 and pt.2 p.6
        • 1948-02-29 pt.1 p.18
        • 1948-03-01 pt.1 p.9
        • 1948-03-04 pt.2 p.8
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 02 28
      Saturday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 02 27
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 02 29
      Sunday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 02 27
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23

      March 1948

      1948 03 01
      Monday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 02 27
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      Circa
      1948 03 01
      Monday
      Circa
      1948 03 04
      Thursday
      Milwaukee, Wisc.Hotel SchroederSometime during these four days, Ellington attended a party for delegates to a conference of the Young Women's Christian association.

      The Daily News:

      'Marylouise Lindquist, president of Ludington high school Y-Teens and Joyce Abrahamson were delegates from the local Y-Teen organization at a central conference of Young Women's Christian association held March 1 to 5 in Milwaukee...
        There was a party for the 20 Y-Teens representatives at the conference one evening at Hotel Schroeder. Miss Barnes [Lois Reid Barnes, president of World YMCA] and several advisers were present at the party.
        Marylouise and Joyce were introduced to Duke Ellington and have his autograph...'

      The Daily News, Ludington, Mich.
      1948-03-09 p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 02
      Tuesday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 02 27
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 03
      Wednesday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 02 27
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 04
      Thursday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 02 27
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 05
      Friday
      .Kenosha, Wisc.Standard's Kenosha theatreDuke Ellington, His Orchestra and Revue featuring Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Delores Parker.
      • Also on the bill:
        • Peck and Peck
        • George Kirby
        • Marian Moreland
      • Show times 1:00 4:20, 6:55 and 9:30
      • Admission 54¢ plus tax 'til 6:00 p.m. Eve., 71¢ plus tax Children 21¢ plus tax
      Kenosha Evening News, Kenosha, Wisc.
      • 1948-02-27 p.12
      • 1948-02-18 p.8
      • 1948-03-01 p.10
      • 1948-03-02 p.9
      • 1948-03-03 p.10
      • 1948-03-04 p.16
      • 1948-03-05 p.10
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-22
      1948 03 06
      Saturday
      .Gary, Ind.Miramar Ballroom.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 03 07
      Sunday
      2:30 pm
      .Bunker Hill Air Base, Ind.Show PalaceConcert 2:30 p.m.
      Tickets: $1.50, $2.00 & $2.50 plus tax
      Sponsored by Logansport Beta Sigma Phi sorority, profits to benefit its charity fund.

      The publicity says "The Duke Ellington concert is considered one of the nation's great musical attractions. The same concert broke all records at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Chicago Civic Opera House."

      "Mr. and Mrs. James Hall and Beulah attended the Duke Ellington show at the Bunker Hill Air Base Show Palace Sunday afternoon."
      Bunker Hill Air Base is now Grissom Reserve Air Force Base on Hwy 31 between Peru and Kokomo.
      Logansport Pharos-Tribune
      Ads
      1948-01-26,p.3
      1948-03-01
      1948-03-05 p.6
      1948-03-28,p.8
      Publicity
      1948-02-26,p.14
      1948-03-05,p.6
      Society note
      1948-03-09,p.7
      Kokomo Tribune
      Ads
      1948-03-03, p.10
      1948-03-05,p.7
      Publicity
      1948-03-04,p.16
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-11-06
      updated 2013-08-17
      2020-06-17
      1948 03 08
      Monday
      1948 03 14
      Sunday
      Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville.
      Duke Ellington and his 20-pc. Band and Own Harlem Revue
      3 shows nightly, 7:30, 10:30 and 1:30, no admission, cover or entertainment charges except Saturday
      Full course dinners $1.50 up.
      Monday was advertised as "Ladies Night - Spend only what you like."
      Buffalo Courier Express, 1948-03-07 p.5-D:

      '...The famous maestro is beginning his 1948 tour of principal American cities which will take him to Hollywood for picture work.
        "We are extremely fortunate in having been successful in securing the Duke, his orchestra and revue featuring a variety of top ranking vaudeville acts..." said Harry Altman, Casino show producer, and Harry Wallens, co-owner.
        ...This weeks program also will feature Mary Allen and her Three Gentlemen of Syncopation, Lenny Page, master-of-ceremonies, Jack Fairchild and John Arnt, piano and organ duo, and other acts.'

      The Thursday and Saturday ads said "Packing Crowds In."
      Palmquist comment:
      While I did not find a webpage devoted to the venue, several describe it, including one with a vintage postcard describing it as "America's Most Beautiful RESTAURANT-THEATRE." Opened in 1945 across from Shea's Buffalo theatre, the main floor was for dining, with a stage at one end, and gambling was in the basement. It was equipped for radio remote broadcasts.
      • Stratemann, p.292
      • Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y.:
        • 1948-02-15, p.7
        • 1948-03-02, p.16
        • 1948-03-03, p.18
        • 1948-03-04 p.24
        • 1948-03-05, p.8
        • 1948-03-06, p.8
        • 1948-03-07, pp.5-B, 5-D
        • 1948-03-08, pp.1, 16
        • 1948-03-09, p.6
        • 1948-03-10, p.6
        • 1948-03-11, pp.1, 10
        • 1948-03-13, p.20
      • Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
        1948-03-07 p.9D
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-12
      2015-04-14
      2020-06-17
      1948 03 09
      Tuesday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - see 1948 03 08
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 10
      Wednesday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - see 1948 03 08
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 11
      Thursday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - see 1948 03 08
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 12
      Friday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - see 1948 03 08
      .....Added
      2011
      c.
      1948 03 12
      Friday
      .Washington, D.C..Peripheral Event

      'Billy Strayhorn, arranger for the Duke Ellington ork, is currently appearing as accompanist with Herb Jeffries doing a stint at the Club Bengad in Dee Cee...'

      San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas
      1948-03-12 p.7
      ..
      .New
      added
      2020-06-17
      1948 03 13
      Saturday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - see 1948 03 08
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 14
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - see 1948 03 08
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 15
      Monday
      1948 03 17
      Wednesday
      St. Patrick's Day
      Youngstown, OhioPalace TheaterTheatre show
      Stratemann, p.292.....Added
      2011
      1948 03 16
      Tuesday
      .Youngstown, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 03 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 17
      Wednesday
      St. Patrick's Day
      .Youngstown, OhioPalace Theatersee 1948 03 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 03 18
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 03 19
      Friday
      1948 03 21
      Sunday
      Hartford, Conn.State TheaterVaudeville

      'FRIDAY . SAT . SUN
      ALL IN PERSON
      AMERICA'S FOREMOST COMPOSER
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      & WORLD
      FAMOUS BAND
      Plus The Duke's Greatest Stage Show
      JOHNNY HODGES . RAY NANCE. HARRY CARNEY
      LAWRENCE BROWN . JUNIOR RAGLIN
      AL HIBBLER . KAY DAVIS
      DOLORES PARKER
      PECK & PECK . GEO KIRBY
      Extra
      MANTON MORELAND
      with KITTY MURRAY. '

      Columnist M/ Oakley Stafford wrote there was a baby beside her during the show on the 19th. She took the baby, Ronald Smith, a year and a half old, and his parents, Lulu and George, backstage to meet Ellington. She wrote that she asked Duke what he would give the baby to make his life pleasant and successful, and Duke replied, I'd give him understanding.
      • Meriden Daily Journal, Meriden, Conn.
        1948-03-16 p.9
      • Naugatuck News, Naugatuck, Conn.
        1948-03-19 p.6
      • The Hartford Daily Courant, Hartford, Conn.
        • 1948-03-19 p.23
        • 1948-03-20 p.16
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 20
      Saturday
      .Hartford, Conn.State TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 03 19
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 21
      Sunday
      .Hartford, Conn.State TheaterVaudeville - see 1948 03 19
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-23
      1948 03 22
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 03 23
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 03 24
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 03 25
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 03 26
      Good Friday
      1948 04 01
      Thursday
      Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show.....Added
      2011
      1948 03 27
      Saturday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show - see 1948 03 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 03 28
      Easter Sunday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show - see 1948 03 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 03 28
      Easter Sunday
      .New York, N.Y. Abyssinian Baptist Church
      Harlem
      Peripheral event
      Former Ellington singer Marie Ellington married Nat King Cole. Billy Strayhorn was among the 350 guests at the reception at Belmont Plaza.
      Down Beat, Chicago, Ill.
      1948-04-21 p.1
      Courtesy S.Bowie 2023-07-27
      ....New
      added
      2024-12-09
      1948 03 29
      Monday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show - see 1948 03 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 03 30
      Tuesday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show - see 1948 03 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 03 31
      Wednesday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show - see 1948 03 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 00 00...Personnel change
      Oscar Pettiford leaves the band in the spring of 1948
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23

      April 1948

      1948 04 01
      Thursday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Stage show - see 1948 03 26.....Added
      2011
      1948 04 01
      (or 1948 04 08)
      Thursday
      .Galveston, TexasCity auditoriumThe 1948-03-31 edition of The Galveston News announced Ellington and his orchestra would play a benefit concert "next Thursday night" sponsored by the Alpha Kappa Sorority. If this meant April 1, it would have been difficult for the band to go from Washington March 31 to Texas and then to New York by April 2. If it meant April 8, it would conflict with the Apollo week. No other mention of this dance is found in March or April 1948 Texas newspaper archives available to the writer as at 2023-06-08.

      It appears either the announcement was in error, or the job was booked but the band did not do it.
      The Galveston News, Galveston, Tex.
      1948-03-31 p.17
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-06-08
      1948 04 02
      Friday
      .En routeTrainTravel day
      • Ellington collapsed on the train between Washington and New York and was taken to hospital on arrival in New York.
      • Per Variety 1947-04-07 and Down Beat 1948-04-21, he had surgery Monday, April 5 to remove a cyst on his kidney. Billy Rowe reported the operation took an hour and ten minutes.
      • He remained in the hospital until Saturday, April 10 (Earl Wilson), convalescing at home until the Paramount Theatre residency began April 21.
      • He told an ANP reporter he had to invite everyone on his floor to help eat the candy, fruit and cookies sent to him. He remarked it was odd the day nurses ate the fruit and the night nurses ate the candy and cookies.
      • WMCA announced Ellington would transcribe his The Duke Ellington Show from his bedside in the Harkness Pavilion of Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center during the week of April 12. An ANP wirestory dated April 23 said he also carried on the transcription work at his home, where he was allowed to go last week.
      • Several gigs were cancelled, and others were played without Duke. Piano subs included Una Mae Carlisle, Teddy Wilson, Mary Lou Williams and Billy Strayhorn; the orchestra was led by Strayhorn until Billy Eckstine took over. Down Beat reported Mary Lou was the pianist for six days at the Apollo.
      • The New York Age , New York, N.Y.
        1948-04-17 p.6
      • ANP wirestories
        • The Ohio Daily-Express , Dayton, Ohio
          1948-04-23 p.1
        • Alabama Tribune , Montgomery, Ala.
          1948-05+07 p.4
        • The Plaindealer , Kansas City, Kansas
          1948-05-07 p.8
        • The Pittsburgh Courier , Pittsburgh, Penn.
          1948-04-24 p.14
      • Chuck Moore, "Keeping posted"
        San Antonio Register , San Antonio, Texas
        1948-04-16 p.7
      • Billy Rowe's Note Book
        The Pittsburgh Courier , Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1948-04-17 p.16
      • Stratemann, p.292, citing
        The Billboard 1948-04-17
      • Earl Wilson
        The Times Recorder , Zanesville, Ohio
        1948-04-20 p.4
      • Down Beat
        • 1948-04-21 p.1
        • 1948-05-05 p.7
      • Variety 1948-04-21 p.45
      • Metronome 1948-05-00 (courtesy S.Bowie)
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-11-12
      updated
      2023-06-05
      2023-06-11
      2024-12-09
      1948 04 02
      Friday
      1948 04 08
      Thursday
      Harlem
      Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville

      WEEK ONLY – BEG. FRIDAY, APRIL 2nd

      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      AND HIS BAND and REVUE

      MANTAN MORELAND
      HOLLYWOOD STAR

      BOY WITH 1000 VOICES GEO. KIRBY

      ROCHESTER'S PARTNER KITTY MURRAY

      AL HIBBLER – KAY DAVIS
      JOHNNY HODGES – PECK & PECK

      WED NIGHT Amateurs – SAT. MIDNIGHT SHOW


      • Stratemann says with Ellington in hospital, guest conductors were used the first two nights, while Strayhorn subbed on piano. – thereafter Strayhorn led the band while Mary Lou Williams subbed on piano.
      • Variety 1948-04-07 named the piano sub as Una Mae Carlisle and the 1948-04-10 The Billboard said the opening day subs were Teddy Wilson and Mary Lou Williams
      • Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows includes Ellington, Al Hibbler, Johnny Hodges, Kay Davis, George Kirby, Mantan Moreland, Kitty Murray, and Peck & Peck
      • Apollo's performer card shows $10,588.78 Unit.
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1948-04-03 p.6
      • Stratemann, p.292, citing
        • Down Beat
          • 1948-04-24
          • 1948-05-05
        • Variety
          • 1948-04-07 p.51
          • 1948-04-10 p.41
      • Variety
        • 1948-04-07 p.55
      • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
      • Performer cards 347 and 348
        Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-12
      2019-11-02
      2023-03-26
      2023-05-25
      2023-06-03
      1948 04 03
      Saturday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1948 04 02
      Guest conductor used, Strayhorn subbed on piano
      Stratemann, p.292....Added
      2011
      1948 04 03
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      (Main Hall)
      Concert, 11:30 P.M.
      • Ellington's orchestra placed first in The Pittsburgh Courier's annual poll and opened the concert with C-Jam Blues. Ellington was still in hospital, and Strayhorn led the band in his stead. Hodges, also a winner, performed a medley, and Lawrence Brown was mentioned in Billy Rowe's comprehensive review.
      • This was The Pittsburgh Courier Charities Fund, Inc. annual Midnite Jazz Concert, featuring winners of its Popularity Poll. Poll results:
        • Top band - Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra
        • Top band leader - Ellington
        • top arranger - Ellington
        • top alto sax - Johnny Hodges
        • member of all-star band - Lawrence Brown
        • Harry Carney placed second for baritone saxophone
      • Named in the Amsterdam News March 20 ad:
        • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
        • Count Basie
        • Billy Eckstine
        • Billy [sic] Holliday
        • Mary Lou Williams
        • Johnny Hodges
        • Fred Robbins
        • Dan Burley
        • Lucky Millender and Band
        • Illinois Jacquet
        • Sarah Vaughn
        • The Charioteers
        • Oscar Moore
        • Leo Parker
        • Bull Moose Jackson
        • Ed Sullivan
        • Wilberforce Collegians
        • "and other selected artists"
      • Part of the concert was broadcast on the MBS network, with an estimated audience of 19,000,000.
      • Ticket prices, tax included, were $5.00, $3.60, $2.40 and $1.80, with tickets sold at the Carnegie Hall box office and the offices of the Amsterdam News on Eighth Avenue and in Brooklyn and at the New York Courier office.
      • Carnegie Hall's performance history database shows 2,000 attended the concert. The Pittsburgh Courier reported tickets were sold out and several hundred sat on the stage and backstage.
      • Billy Rowe reviewed the concert in the April 17 editon of The Pittsburgh Courier, saying Duke's orchestra played more than half an hour and named Hodges and Brown. He said the hall was packed-to-overflowing, and the concert ran from midnight to three a.m.
      • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-03-20 p.23
        • 1948-03-28 p.23
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1948-03-27 pp.1, 5, 13, 20
        • 1948-04-03 pp.16, 20
        • 1948-04-10 p.16
        • 1948-04-17 pp.7, 17
      • Carnegie Hall database
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2015-03-16
      updated
      2015-12-03
      2016-09-25
      2019-03-17
      2023-05-30
      1948 04 04
      Sunday
      .Harlem District
      Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1948 04 02
      Strayhorn subbed as conductor and Mary Lou Williams subbed on piano
      Stratemann, p.292....Added
      2011
      1948 04 05
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Harkness Pavilion
      Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center
      Downbeat reported Ellington had a cyst removed from his kidney April 5, should be up and around within ten days, and was forbidden to indulge in any exercises or strenuous routines of any sort.
      -see 1948 04 02 above
      • Down Beat, Chicago, Ill.
        1948-04-21 p.1
        courtesy S.Bowie
      • Metronome.
        1948-05-00 p.6
        courtesy S.Bowie
      • Vail I
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-07-29
      2024-12-09
      1948 04 05
      Monday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1948 04 02 and 1948 04 04
      Strayhorn subbed as conductor and Mary Lou Williams subbed on piano
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 04 06
      Tuesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1948 04 02 and 1948 04 04
      Strayhorn subbed as conductor and Mary Lou Williams subbed on piano

      ANP wirestory:

      'WASHINGTON, April 13. (ANP)–Duke Ellington received a special fee [sic] from the Shriners in a testimonial presentation at the Howard theater Tuesday evening. The presentation was made by Charles D. Freeman, treasurer of the imperial coucil of the Ancient Egyption [sic] Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine.'

      ANP story
      The Ohio Daily Express, Dayton, Ohio
      1948-04-14 p.2.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-25
      1948 04 07
      Wednesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1948 04 02 and 1948 04 04
      Strayhorn subbed as conductor and Mary Lou Williams subbed on piano
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 04 08
      Thursday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1948 04 02 and 1948 04 04
      Strayhorn subbed as conductor and Mary Lou Williams subbed on piano
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 04 09
      Friday
      .Lewisberg, Penn.Davis Gymnasium
      Bucknell University
      Dance
      Ellington's orchestra was led by Billy Eckstine. A comedy dance team performed at intermission; Elizabeth Hoile was crowned queen of the Mandarin ball. Nearly 1,000 students attended.
      Sunbury Daily Item, Sunbury, Penn.
      1948-04-10 p.5
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-06-05
      1948 04 10
      Saturday
      .Syracuse, N.Y.Civic Theater
      572 S.Salina St.
      Activities not documented

      A scheduled concert in Syracuse was "cancelled on account of serious illness of Duke Ellington."
      The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.
      ...djp Added
      2011
      updated 2012-08-06
      2015-03-16
      2020-06-17
      1948 04 11
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial AuditoriumStratemann and Vail I show a concert here without Duke, and provide no sources for this information.
      As of 2023-06-03 the available newspaper archives (genealogybank.com, newspaperarchives.com, newspapers.com, and chroniclingAmerica(LOC)) for April have no ads or reports of it, nor is there any mention in the April issues of Down Beat or Variety.
      ...Vail I djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-06-03
      1948 04 12
      Monday
      .Pittsburgh, Penn.Savoy BallroomUnconfirmed dance
      • Stratemann, p.292, suggests this was cancelled.
      • Götting's TDWAW, citing Vail, says "no Duke"
      • Vail I says the orchestra played a dance here without Duke.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-30
      2023-06-03
      1948 04 12
      Monday
      .Dayton, OhioBeavercreek township schoolThe Dayton Herald, a daily, announced the annual athletic banquet of the Beavercreek township school would be held at 6:30 Monday with entertainment by Duke Ellington and his orchestra. There is no further mention of this appearance in the genealogybank.com, newspaperarchives.com, newspapers.com, and chroniclingAmerica(LOC)) Ohio newspaper archives as of 2023-06-03. It seems unlikely to have been a confirmed booking for this date considering the band was to play in Pittsburgh the same evening. Pittsburgh and Dayton are some 250 miles apart. The Dayton Herald, Dayton, Ohio
      1948-04-10 p.16
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2023-06-03
      1948 04 13
      Tuesday
      ...Peripheral event
      In The Drama Desk, columnist Harold V. Cohen wrote:

      'The Carnegie Tech drama graduate, William Herz [sic], Jr. ...has just acquired "Cole Black and the Seven Dwarfs" and intends to produce it himself in the fall. An all-Negro musical dealing iwith a band of swing musicians, the tunes were composed by Duke Ellington and the book and lyrics are the collaboration of T. Hee, of Walt Disney's staff, and William Cotrell... '

      Franceschina discusses the show at length:
      • The project had been announced as early as January 1946
      • On May 17, 1949 the lyricists signed a contract with Ellington and Strayhorn for the show's ballad, Once Upon a Dream.
      • On July 18, 1949 I Could Get a Man was registered for copyright.
      • Other song titles were Love I'm In (which may date to 1946), Satin Doll, Sweet Velvet O'Toole and Wishy, Washy Bubble Soap.
      • A full script emerged by August 1955, but the show was never produced.
      • The show was renamed Satin Doll and the Seven Little Men and the heroine was Satin Doll.

      Note this planned musical theatre production should not be confused with the 1943 Merrie Melodies animated cartoon Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs although the plots of both seem to be based on Disney's 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
      • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1948-04-13 p.16
      • John Franceschina: Duke Ellington's Music for the Theater pp.93-97, 215 notes 26, 27)
        citing Down Beat 1948-08-25 p.6 (brief mention by Ellington in an interview).
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-06-05
      1948 04 13
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      (Main Hall)
      Benefit concert for the Booker T. Washington Memorial Fund, 8:30 p.m. 300 disabled veterans were to be honoured guests. The Ellington orchestra performed without Duke, who was also supposed to be the master of ceremonies. Arthur Godfrey and Earl Wilson emceed, and Strayhorn led the orchestra.
      • Down Beat said Ellington and his orchestra would make a special trip into New York as headliners for this concert.
      • The concert programme is heavily Ellington-based, naming Duke as the m.c. and listing Overture to a Jam Session (Strayhorn), Frankie and Johnny (arr. Strayhorn), Selections from Ellingtonia, The A-Train (Strayhorn), Medley of Ellington TUnes, Medley of Johnny Hodges Tunes, Blue Skies.
        • The New York Times announcement said Ellington's orchestra would be among the performers. Its day-after report said Ellington was ill and unable to be there, but that the orchestra performed,with Strayhorn conducting. Arthur Godfrey and Earl Wilson were the masters of ceremonies and the audience numbered 2,000.
        • Howland says Duke was the MC and the Ellington band played one number.
        • Stratemann, p.292, suggests the appearance was cancelled along with other bookings until the April 21 Paramount opening. Vail I says the orchestra, led by Strayhorn, played without Ellington.
        • In a follow-up column headed Two Swell Joes In A Soft Shoe Number, syndicated columnist Earl Wilson describes various performers and guests, says Arthur Godfrey emceed it, but does not mention the musicians.
      • The Times Recorder, Zanesville, Ohio
        • Announcement, 1948-04-06, p.4
        • Report (Earl Wilson syndicated column) 1948-04-14 p.4
        • Report (Wilson) 1948-04-19, p.4
      • Down Beat 1948-04-07 p.16
      • Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        • 1948-04-10 p.6
      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        • 1948-04-11 p.7
      • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
        • Announcement, 1948-04-11 p.64
        • Report 1948-04-14 p.33
      • Vail I
      • John Howland, Ellington Uptown, University of Michigan Press, 2009, p. 253
      • SI-NMAH DEC 301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Domestic Tours, 1937-1974, Box 11, Folder 1
      ..p
      .Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-14
      2014-07-20
      2015-03-16
      2015-12-03
      2023-05-25
      2023-05-30
      2023-06-03
      1948 04 14
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 04 15
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 04 16
      Friday
      .Sandusky, OhioJunior High Schoolactivities not documented

      A concert at the junior high school was postponed due to Ellington's hospitalization. Stratemann, p. 292, says further bookings for the band (after the Apollo run) were cancelled, and the band did not resume its schedule until the Paramount engagement.
      • The Sandusky Register-Star-News Sandusky, Ohio
        • 1948-03-06, p.10
        • 1948-04-05, p.15
        • 1948-04-08, p.2
        • 1948-04-05, p.15
      • Stratemann p.292
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-11-12
      updated
      2023-05-30
      1948 04 17
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 04 18
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 04 19
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 04 20
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 04 21
      Wednesday
      1948 05 18
      Tuesday
      New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
      Times Square
      1501 Broadway
      Vaudeville

      in Person
      America's Foremost
      Modern Composer
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      And His World Famous
      ORCHESTRA featuring
      Johnny Hodges – Ray Nance
      Al Hibbler – Kay Davis
      plus
      George Kirby
      Extra Added Attraction!
      Ella
      Fitzgerald
      The First Lady of Song
      ...


      4 stage shows daily and 5 on weekends. With a show limited to 35 minutes that included Ella Fitzgerald (acc. by Hank Jones), the Four Step Brothers dance act and impersonator George Kirby, Ellington could only perform three numbers each show. The Billboard review was tepid, mentioning the band opened with a few bars of "A Train" and later mentions Kay Davis singing "Trhansblucency," backed by 5 sidewmen including a fiddle.

      Down Beat's review was more enthusiastic:

      'Somebody should enter the Ellington-Fitzgerald show at the Paramount theater in the Memorial Day race at Indianapolis. It moves faster than anything on wheels. Here is a show that combines the talents of two of the hottest attractions in the music business, attractions which easily could use the entire show time to their own individual advantage without fully satisfying the customers. The band’s contributions are few but somehow manage to show off all departments to advantage. Two instrumentals give star sidemen the necessary opportunities, How High the Moon being the opener, and a special concert of Frankie And Johnny taking the halfway spot. Kay Davis does her familiar On A Turquoise Cloud and, aside from exceptional accompaniment for the Four Steppe [sic] Brothers, that about takes care of the band. Ella does three tunes, Robbins Nest, Can’t Help Lovin' That Man and, of course, Lady Be Good. She is followed by a mimic, George Kirby, who does the usual run-of-the-mill imitations of movie and radio stars, then kills the audience by doing a perfect take-off of Ella doing the number she'd just finished, Lady Be Good. That old axiom of show business, "always leave them wanting more," is applied here for the show as a whole and for the artists individually. This kind of stuff is a hypo for both band and show biz.
      —jeg'

      The theatre grossed $381,000 over the four week run of this show.
      • Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        • 1948-04-20 p.8
        • 1948-05-09 p.30
      • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-04-20 p.32
        • x
        • 1948-04-22 p.34
        • 1948-04-24 p,12
        • x
        • 1945-04-25 p.4N
        • 1948-04-26 p.26
        • x
      • Stratemann, p.292 citing
        • Variety 1948-04-28 p.54
        • The Billboard 1948-05-01 p.42 (review)
        • Down Beat 1948-05-19 p.12 (review)
      • The Billboard
        • 1948-06-05 p.37
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-04-25 s.2 p.8
        • 1948-04-26 p.40
        • 1948-05-15 p.26
        • 1948-05-17 p.38
        • 1948-05-18 p.53
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-12
      2023-05-25
      2023-06-11
      2023-09-30
      2023-10-07
      1948 04 22
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 04 23
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 04 24
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      Last stage show this day was midnight.
    • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
    • 1948-04-24 p,12
    • .... 2011
      updated
      2023-10-07
      1948 04 25
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Three DeucesHerman Leonard's photograph of Duke smiling at Ella Fitzgerald during her night club engagement is mistakenly said to have been on her birthday, April 25, 1948, in Stratemann and VailI, who place it in Birdland (not possible) and Club Ebony, respectively. It appears to have been taken instead during Ella's June 10, 1948 opening at Three Deuces - see 1948 06 10 below......2011
      updated
      2023-10-06
      restored
      2024-07-21
      1948 04 25
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      Last stage show, 11 p.m.
      Daily News, New York, N.Y.
      1948-04-25 s.2 p.8
      .... 2011
      updated
      2023-10-07
      1948 04 25
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Three DeucesHerman Leonard's photograph of Duke smiling at Ella Fitzgerald during her night club engagement is mistakenly said to have been on her birthday, April 25, 1948, in Stratemann and VailI, who place it in Birdland (not possible) and Club Ebony, respectively. It appears to have been taken instead during Ella's June 10, 1948 opening at Three Deuces - see 1948 06 10 below......2011
      updated
      2023-10-06
      1948 04 26
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 04 27
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 04 28
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 04 29
      Thursday
      Ellington's birthday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      ANP wirestory"

      'Duke Ellington...observed his 49th birthday last week with what he calls "a new design." The new look is on the interior where Dr. George Cahill recently operated on the Duke to remove a kidney cyst. At the Paramount theater ... Duke did not talk about his birthday or his music, he talked about his operation and stay in the hospital...The band leader said he wasevery [sic] surprised that he could return to work so soon after leaving the hospital.'

      said Duke had returned to work.
      ANP wirestory
      • Alabama Tribune, Montgomery, Ala.
        1948-05-07 p.4
      • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kans.
        1948-05-07 p.8
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-25
      1948 04 30
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011

      May 1948

      1948 05 01
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 02
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 02
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Rainbow Room
      Rockefeller Center
      Duke attended Bing Crosby's birthday party

      Crosby's birthday was the next day.
      • Captioned photo
        Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Man.
        1948-05-10 p.5
      • Photo, Vail I p.332
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      2023-05-26
      1948 05 03
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 04
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 05
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 06
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 07
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 08
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 09
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Y.M.C.A.
      Harlem Branch
      180 West 125th Street
      Gladys P. Graham, "It Happened in New York:"

      'F. A. Price, consul general of Liberia, addressed two groups ... at the Harlem YMCA breakfast for residents Sunday. Both Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington presented trophies to awardees, in the 9th invitational basketball tourney. Both musicians are ardent Y enthusiasts. Both have donated these trophies for the last three years to Y teen-age athletics.'

      Ms Graham's column was published in the Ohio paper some weeks after the event. The event was reported in The New York Age the Saturday after it occurred. That report describes Mr. Price's speech, but does not mention Calloway or Ellington.
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1948-05-15 p.5
      • The Ohio Daily Express, Dayton, Ohio
        1948-06-09 p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-07-30
      1948 05 09
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      The last stage show was advertised to start at 10:30 p.m.
      Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
      1948-05-09 p.30.
      .... 2011
      updated
      2023-10-07
      1948 05 10
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 11
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 12
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      Ed Sullivan's night life gossip column, datelined New York May 12:

      'Duke ellington doubling between Paramount and Roosevelt Hospital.'

      The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
      1948-05-13 p.23.
      .... 2011
      updated
      2023-05-27
      1948 05 13
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21
      ..... 2011
      1948 05 14
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 15
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      The last stage show was advertised for 11:30 p.m.
    • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
    • 1948-05-15 p.26
    • .... 2011
      updated
      2023-10-07
      1948 05 15
      Saturday
      Possibly until
      1948 08 20
      ..Peripheral event
      Al Hibbler:
      • was advertised as the special guest performer May 15, 1948 in a Concert by the Jazz Symphonette at Fairfield High School, Bridgeport, Conn.
      • Indianapolis Recorder:

        'Brooklyn–Al Hibbler, popular vocalist of the Duke Ellington band, will make his first appearance as a solo entertainer when he fills the feature spot again this weekend at the Kingston Lounge. Popular manager Cam Young was forced to accede to the demands for a repeat performance after Hibbler played to turn-away crowds last weekend on his first appearance.'

      • The Pittsburgh Courier:

        'Al Hibbler, sensational vocalist with Duke Ellington's band, signed contracts this week to headline the June 15 show going into the Apollo Bar and Cafe on West 125th Street. This will mark his only engagement while the Duke is in London. The move to get Hibbler ... was started by Earl Bolling, former manager of the Apollo Theatre, and now handling the bookings for the cafe. Others to go into the show will include Herman Autry, former trumpetman with the late Fats Waller's ork, and his quaret [sic]. Emcee and host will be Russell Bolling, brother of the manager. '

      • Hibbler was on the Apollo Cafe bill with the Hodges sextet when it came into the cafe July 2. The group appears to have stayed until August 20 - see 1948 07 09.
      • Whether or not Hibbler had time off between June 15 and Hodges' arrival is not documented.


      • The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn.
        1948-05-15 p.12
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1948-06-12 p.16
      • Cleveland Call and Post, Cleveland, Ohio
        1948-06-19 p.9-B
      • Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Ind.
        1948-06-26 p.8
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-18
      1948 05 16
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Central Park Mall
      Manhattan
      Ellington may have attended the an annual "I Am an American Day" rally. Brooklyn Eagle announced he would be one of several stage, screen and radio performers taking part in the event which began at 2:30 p.m. The New York Times report said heavy rain caused the programme to be shorter than planned and only 15,000 people turned out. 1,000 were new citizens on hand for a mass oath of allegiance. Ellington is not mentioned. The report says the entertainment part of the programme was cancelled, but the stars of Broadway shows, (which possibly does not describe Ellington) waited behind the speakers' stand until the rain had made their part of the programme impossible.
      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        1948-05-016 p.5
      • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
        1948-05-17 p.11
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-06-11
      1948 05 16
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 17
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21..... 2011
      1948 05 18
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreVaudeville - see 1948 04 21

      Last day

      Ellington and his orchestra and Ella Fitzgerald were to play in the evening along with a preview of the film that would open the next day.
      Daily News, New York, N.Y.
      1948-05-18 p.53
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-25
      1948 05 19
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 20
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 21
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hallactivities not documented

      The Baltimore Afro-American:

      'Mildred Bailey, Duke Ellington, Maxine Sullivan and the Deep River Boys appeared on the "Fats" Waller Memorial Saturday [sic] night at Carnegie Hall.'



    • The Carnegie Hall archives date the concert May 21 (Friday) and names those who the New York Times review said appeared. Ellington is not one of them.
    • Daily News:

      'Waller Tribute
           Mildred Bailey, Duke Ellington, Maxine Sullivan and The Deep River Boys will join tonight's Carnegie Pops Concert honoring the music of Thomas "Fats" Waller. Proceeds will go to establish Waller music scholarships in local schools.'

    • The New York Times' Friday edition announced the concert in its as one of "Tonight's events." Its Saturday edition reported Waller was saluted "last night."
      • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        • 1948-05-29 s.2 p.5
      • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-05-20 p.21
        • 1948-05-21 p.21
        • 1948-05-22 p.8
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
          1948-05-21 p.71
      • Carnegie Hall Performance History Search
      ...W.CluttonNew
      added
      2020-06-21
      2023-05-27
      2023-06-11
      1948 05 21
      Friday
      .Salem, N.H.Canobie Lake ParkIn early May, The Lowell Sun carried ads for the May 7 opening of the Canobie Lake Park in Salem, N.H. saying "Coming Fri. May 21st – Duke Ellington." No ads specifically for an Ellington appearance at Canobie Lake closer to the event date have been located to confirm the event.
      • The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass.
        courtesy Wayne Clutton/Scott MacNeil
        • 1948-05-06 p.38
        • 1948-05-07 p.19
      ...W.CluttonNew
      added
      2020-06-21
      2023-05-27
      2023-06-11
      1948 05 21
      Friday
      circa
      1948-05-28
      Thursday
      Harlem district
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatrePeripheral event
      Cat Anderson, his golden trumpet and Great Band shared the bill with Paul Gayten and his trio, Josephine Premnice, Pigmeat and Emerald Sisters for a week of vaudeville.
      The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
      1948-05-22 p.6
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-27
      1948 05 22
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 23
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 24
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 25
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 26
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 27
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 28
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 29
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 30
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 05 31
      Monday
      .Lake Bomoseen, Vt.CasinoDancing, 9 to 1, admission $1.80 tax included
      Rutland Daily Herald, June 1:

      'Hundreds wound up their holiday at the Casino dance pavilion at Lake Bomoseen, where the world-famous Duke Ellington and his orchestra held sway.'

      Rutland Daily Herald, Rutland, Vt.
      • 1948-05-24 p.10
      • 1948-05-27 p.10
      • 1948-05-28 p.10
      • 1948-05-29 p.10
      • 1948-06-01 p.10
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-27

      June 1948

      1948 06 01
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 02
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 03
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 04
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Pine Room
      Warwick Hotel
      Ellington hosted a cocktail party for the English pressStratemann p.292 citing The Billboard 1948-06-05 p.20....Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-02
      1948 06 04
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y..Peripheral event
      Chuck Moore's syndicated column:

      'Duke Ellington and his ork were slated to play a concet at the Watergate in Dee Cee Wednesday, one of his last concerts, stateside, before leaving for European soil...'

      There is no evidence Ellington played a Watergate concert in 1948.
      San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas.
      1948-06-04 p.7
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2023-07-30
      1948 06 05
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 06
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 07
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 08
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 09
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 06 10
      Thursday
      .........
      1948 06 10
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Three Deuces
      72 W. 52nd Street

      Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and others in a nightclub
      Ella Fitzgerald opens at Three Deuces, 1948
      (Photography, Herman Leonard)

      Click to Enlarge
      Sidemen's activities are not documented.)
      • The night before Ellington and publisher Jack Robbins sailed to England, they attended Ella Fitzgerald's opening at the Three Deuces night club. This wonderful photograph by a young Herman Leonard seems to have been taken that evening. Duke is smiling at Ella, and Robbins sits beside him. Clarinetists Stan Hasselgard and Benny Goodman are behind Ellington.
      • Stratemann and Vail I reprint the photo, dating it 1948 04 25 ( Ella's birthday). Stratemann places it in Birdland and Vail locates it at Ebony Club [recte Club Ebony]. The photo is widely circulated on the internet, with some sayng it was taken in 1949, others 1948. Some say it was in Club Downbeat. At the time of writing, SI-NMAH AC 0445 Guide to the Herman Leonard Photographic Collection, 1948-1993 says the photo was taken in 1949. This may be because Mr. Leonard thought he took it that year until he remembered Hasselgard died in 1948.
      • Birdland did not open until after Hasselgard's late 1949 death. Club Ebony and Club Downbeat were half a mile or more away from the Paramount Theatre, making it unlikely Ella played either club in between the four to six shows she performed with Duke at the theatre April 25, the last one beginning at 11 p.m. It seems unlikely she would have worked two locations the same day, and if she were playing Club Ebony, she likely would have been named prominently in its ads.
      • The photo can only have been taken after clarinetist Hasselgard (Sten Âke Hasselgârd) arrived in the United States 1947 06 30 from Sweden and before his death 1948 11 23 in an automobile accident. Hasselgard joined Goodman's sextet and septet in mid-1948, and they are pictured in a sextet rehearsal on the 1948-06-30 front page of Down Beat.
      • Miss Fitzgerald does not appoear to have sung in Club Ebony during 1947 or 1948. She played Club Downbeat in late 1947, not in 1948, and Ellington was out of town during her time there. While she played Club Downbeat again in 1949, that was after Hasselgard died. Ellington left for England June 11, returning August 4, and Ella left for England September 15, returning October 30.
      • http://hermanleonard.com/graphics/images/_full/ELF03.jpg describes the photo as DUKE ELLINGTON, ELLA FITZGERALD, BENNY GOODMAN, STAN HASSELGARD, JACK ROBBINS Downbeat, New York, 1948. Mr. Leonard's photo ELF07, described as DUKE ELLINGTON, ELLA FITZGERALD, GEORGE SHEARING Downbeat, New York, 1948 seems to have been taken the same evening, since Ella and Duke wear the same clothing as the first picture. Ella appears to be wearing the same dress, corsage, broach and hairstyle in the cover photo of the 1948-06-28 The Billboard . In The Billboard photo, she is being given what appears to be the cake seen in Leonard's ELF07.
      • Daily News:

        'Ella Fitzgerald tonight makes one of her rare night club appearances when she starts an engagement at The Three Deuces in W.52nd St.'

      • The New York Age:

        'Ella Fitzgerald ... is going over with a bang at the Three Deuces, on 52nd street and nightclub manager Sammy Kaye knows it. The nitery impressario offered Ella a brand new contract which extends her stay at the New York club until July 7.
           The new contract also calls for Ella to make one appearance per year at the Three Deuces for the next ten years.
           Ever since her opening on June 10th, Ella Fitzgerald has been the toast of New York. On opening night a host of celebrities, including Nat "King" Cole, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw Ethel Smith, Henry Morgan, Benny Goodman, Art Tatum and Kay Starr turned out to pay tribute to the songstress who is celebrating her 10th anniversary as a headliner. Even standing room was at a premium opening night and it has not let up since. 52nd Street has not seen such business for quite a long time...'

      • Herman Leonard biography
      • Stratemann p.306
      • Vail I p.311
      • S.S. Gripsholm passenger list,
        1947 06 30 arrival in New York
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-06-10 p.73
      • Sunday News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-06-13 s.2 p.6
      • The Billboard
        • 1948-06-28
      • Down Beat
        • 1948-06-30 p.1
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-07-03 p.6
      • Email
        • Lasker-Palmquist
          2023-09-29
        • Herman Leonard Photography (Shana Leonard)-Palmquist
          2023-10-01 to 2023-10-05
        • C.S.Windheuser,
          SI-NMAH AC Reference Services Volunteer , 2023-10-11
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-13
      2023-10-01
      2023-10-07
      2023-10-11
      restored
      2024-07-21
      1948 06 00... Peripheral event
      While Ellington was overseas, Harry Carney had his only extended vacation in his first 25 years with Ellington (1927-1952), holidaying with his family at Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

      Stratemann reports the rest of the band was either on paid vacation or had had short paying gigs - for instance, see 1948 07 02 below.

      The Omaha Star said the sidemen were given a month's pay
      .DEMS.djpNew
      added
      2013-01-06
      updated
      2020-05-07
      2023-05-15
      2023-05-18
      2023-05-20
      1948 06 11
      Friday
      1948 06 19
      Saturday
      New York, N.Y.R.M.S. MediaEllington, with manager Al Celley, possibly with barber Fernandez or Hernandez, and music publisher John (Jack) Robbins, embarked on the Cunard White Star passenger liner R.M.S. Media for a tour of Great Britain as a cabaret act.
      Ellington, Celley and Robbins are on the passenger list, but Fernandez/Hernandez is not. It appears Kay Davis and Ray Nance went by air.

      Newbrook:

      "...The more I look into it, the more I read into it, I become quite convinced in my mind that Duke really regarded this visit as a holiday, a paid holiday, and very nice too. And that's reinforced by some notes I found. I actually did find in the archive the two copies of Down Beat which relate to his Paris trip which was the well-known 68 Hours Without Sleep by Ernest Bornemann. He actually asked Duke outright, did he like being over here with this small unit better than the big band. And Duke said, 'No, I was sick. They took a cyst out of my kidney and I wanted to take a rest.'"


      Peter Newbrook to Kay Davis: ...And I'd like to ask Kay if she has any memories of the actual opening of the show at the Palladium.

      Ms Davis:I don't really have any strong memories of anything. It was 50 years ago, right. But, I remember Pearl on the plane going over. We flew. Duke went on the ship, but we flew over. I think Ray flew, too.

      Newbrook: Ray did too, yes.

      Gloria Nance questions this.

      Ellington seems to contradict this in MIMM:

      "Jack and I used to play gin rummy all night, and at five o'clock every morning they would put on a crew of five to serve us breakfast, just Jack and me. After we had had our breakfast, I would go into the salon to sit at the piano and warm up my left hand,...I had to have my exercise. I would play and play until one by one the other passengers came in. We had a ball all the way over. Besides Kay Davis and Ray Nance, I had Hermandez, my barber, with me."

      Mrs. Nance said Ellington used this trip to entice Ray back into the band.

      Other passengers on the ship included Rev. and Mrs. Arthur Gregson (returning to England for a holiday) and Dr. Emory Ross, secretary of the Africa Committee of the Foreign Missions Conference.
      • Panel discussion, Peter Newbrook, Kay Davis, Gloria Nance, Jack Fallon, Malcolm Mitchell and Tony Crombie, "The British Tour, 1948," Blue Light 15/1 (Spring 2008)
      • Personals, Portville, N.Y. Review, 1948-05-27, p.5
      • New York Age, 1948-06-19
      • Down Beat 1948 08 25 p.6
      • Duke Ellington, MIMM p.188
      • Photograph, Duke on gangway of the R.M.S.Media at Pier 54
      • Forms A 195 and A 196
        In-coming Passengers
        R.M.S. Media
        Port of Arrival: Liverpool
        Date of Arrival 19th June 1948
      ...R.Boyes emails May 2013Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-23
      2013-09-15
      2021-08-21
      1948 06 12
      Saturday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 13
      Sunday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 14
      Monday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 15
      Tuesday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 16
      Wednesday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 17
      Thursday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 18
      Friday
      .Atlantic OceanRMS MediaAt sea, bound for England
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 06 19
      Saturday
      .Liverpool and London, England.Disembarking in Liverpool, Ellington travelled the same day to London, where a very tired and "browned off" Duke arrived late on the Saturday.
      • Stratemann p.292
      • Down Beat 1948-07-28 p. 2
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-19
      2020-05-07
      1948 06 001948 07 00Braintree, Essex, UKStanley Dance's homeAt some time during his time in England, Ellington visited the home of Stanley Dance's parents (Dance was born in Braintree.)

      Photos show Ellington with Stanley Dance, by himself and with Helen Dance.
      • Three photos credited to Stanley Dance in Peter Gammond, Duke Ellington - His Life And Music, 1959, p.128
      • Vail I carries one of the photos
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-05-19
      1948 06 20
      Sunday
      .London, UKThe London PalladiumThis day's activities are not documented but the wording in Down Beat seems to suggest this day was spent rehearsing "the rest of the big supporting bill."Down Beat
      1948-07-28 p. 2
      ...djpNew.jpg>
      added 2013-05-19
      1948 06 21
      Monday
      1948 07 03
      Friday
      London, EnglandThe London Palladium
      The London Palladium programme
      The London Palladium programme
      Click to Enlarge
      Music hall (vaudeville) show.

      The Nicholas Brothers American dance team appeared in the first half, and Americans Ellington, Nance and Davis were the fourth act after the intermission, followed by American Pearl Bailey supported by the local "Skyrockets Orchestra."
      • The New York Age announcement said the Deep River Boys would be included but they aren't in the programme or the ad in the June 27 Observer.
      • Stratemann says Ellington was paid $10,000/week for the Palladium engagement.
      • Opening night was panned by the critics.
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1948-05-22 p.6
      • Stratemann p.292
      • The Observer, London, England
        1948-06-27 p./6
      • Stuart S. Allen: "London Largo. A Weary Duke Errs By Not Rehearsing with Ork," Down Beat 1948-07-28 p.2
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-19
      2020-05-07
      2023-05-27
      2023-06-12
      1948 06 22
      Tuesday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 23
      Wednesday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 24
      Thursday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 25
      Friday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 26
      Saturday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 27
      Sunday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 28
      Monday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 29
      Tuesday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 06 30
      Wednesday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011

      July 1948

      1948 00 00...Personnel change
      Hal Singer, tenor sax, joins the band in the summer of 1948 and leaves in the fall.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      1948 07 01
      Thursday
      .London, England. Peripheral event
      Ray Nance played in a Ray Ellington Quartet recording session (Ray Ellington was a pseudonym for English musician Reggie Pitts.)
      ..DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-13
      2020-05-07
      1948 07 01
      Thursday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 07 02
      Friday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 07 02
      Friday
      1948 08 20
      Friday
      Harlem district
      Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Tiger Room
      Apollo Café
      393 West 125th St.

      (The Tiger Room sat about 75)
      Peripheral event
      In early July, a sextet led by Johnny Hodges with Jimmy Hamilton, Tyree Glenn, Billy Strayhorn, Sonny Greer and Junior Raglin played seven weeks in the Tiger Room at the Apollo Cafe with Al Hibbler.

      • Hibbler may already have been at the cafe - in May The Pittsburgh Courier announced he would headline its show starting June 15, and he was named in the July 10 ads for the Hodges group.
      • Despite early reports saying the group would play three of four weeks (one week on, one off, then two on), the engagement ran seven weeks according to Hodges in Stanley Dance, The World of Duke Ellington, pp. 99-100:

        '...while we were laying off, Russell Procope and I came to Atlantic City with our wives for a little vacation. One night we decided to go to the Belmont to hear Wild Bill [Davis]. He invited us to a jam session, so we took our horns and we jammed and jammed, until seven or eight in the morning. Our jamming drew most of the people over from the Club Harlem, and a couple of clubowners from New York heard us. One of them had the Apollo bar on 125th Street, and when we got back he approached me about getting a little band together. So, Billy Strayhorn, Tyree Glenn, Jimmy Hamilton, Sonny Greer, Al Hibbler and I went in there, and we got very lucky, and started putting 125th Street on the map again. Later on, we added Junior Raglin on bass, and we stayed there for seven weeks, until Duke came back. He got right off the boat and came to the Apollo Bar to find out what was going on, and whether we were going to continue with this little band. But we were loyal, and we broke the band up, and came back. '

      • The opening date is not adequately documented, but July 2 is consistent with closing August 20 after seven weeks.
      • Stratemann, relying on The Billboard, The New York Age and Variety:

        'Upon his return to New York on August 4, 1948...Ellington reassembled his musicians, who had been on paid vacation or played brief club engagements.
        A small group ... had been constituted for a three-week gig (one week; a week off; then another two weeks) at New York's Apollo Café...The Hodges group gave a welcome home party for Ellington at the nightspot on August 10.'

      • The Billboard:
        • 1948-07-10 p.18:

          'Johnny Hodges, long-time alto sax star with the Duke Ellington ork, will play three weeks at the Apollo Bar in Harlem; he's playing the first week out currently, skips a week and comes back for two. The Hodges date, played with Ellington sidemen and singer Al Hibbler, fills the gap for the tootlers while Ellington is completing a two-month sojourn in England.'

        • 1948-08-21 p.21

          'Duke Ellington tendered a welcome home party August 10 by Johnny Hodges at the Apollo Cafe. Duke currently reassembling the ork for an August 24 opening in Canada.'

      • The Daily News Friday 1948-07-02 said Hodges' group would begin at the Apollo "Friday" but the first ads for Hodges and his group at the cafe appeared in its July 10 editions.
      • The July 10 Daily News ads said

        'HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT TRUE
        ALL IN ONE SHOW
        BILLY Eckstein {sic}
        Alto Sax Star JOHNNY HODGES
        and all-star quintet
        AL HIBBLER
        Appearing Nitely at APOLLO CAFE
        393 West 125th St.'

        Eckstine, whose name is misspelt in the ad, led a band during the 1940s,but became a solo performer in 1947. He appears to have shared the stage with the Hodges' group for a week, then opened with Charlie Ventura's band July 23 at the Royal Roost (Daily News 1948-07-18 p.5 and Variety 1948-07-28 p.96.)
      • The Pittsburgh Courier 1948-07-10 p.22:

        'Johnny Hodges, the alto sax virtuoso, has brought together a sextet from the incomparable Duke Ellington aggregation and on their initial appearance at the Apollo Cafe Tiger Room in Harlem appear to be one of the best balanced and musically entertaining combos to be heard since the small band trend started.'

      • Seeing Stars, The Omaha Star 1948-07-30 p.13:

        'We doubt whether Duke Ellington will approve the big sensation his three top men, Johnny Hodges, Al Hibbler and Billy Strayhorn are making doing the bebop at the Apollo Cafe in Harlem... Duke, who's abroad, left the guy's [sic] a month's pay, we hear, and never relished their performance commercially elsewhere while still members of his band.'

      • Daily News 1948-08-07 p.20 carried Apollo's ad which announced "Last Two Weeks" for the Hodges group, indicating it would finish August 20. The ad also said "Coming Aug. 13 Lester Young's Orch," but it appears the cafe had two acts for the week beginning August 13. The Pittsburgh Courier 1948-07-10 p.22:

        'NEW YORK -It'll be the battles of the saxes Friday night, Aug. 13 when tenorman Lester Young moves into the Apollo Cafe to share the bandstand with Johnny Hodges, alto ace from the Duke Ellington crew, and his all-star quintet. Making his first uptown cafe appearance this year, Young will [illegible] for four weeks. This will be the second time that owner Bill Bruley has booked two big names into his spot, having only recently had vocalist Billy Eckstine here for a week's run.'

      • Ohio Daily Express carried an ANP wirestory datelined New York Aug. 12 saying:

        'It'll be the battle of the saxes Friday August 13 when when tenorman Lester Young moves his band into the Apollo cafe to share the bandstand with oJhnny [sic] Hodges, alto man ... and his all-star quintet...August 20, Hodges concludes his eight weeks stand here... '

      • The Baltimore Afro-American 1948-08-21 p.2 s.2:

        'It was a battle of saxes Friday night, when tenorman Lester Young moved his band into the Apollo Cafe to share the bandstand with Johnny Hodges...and his all-star quintet... On this Friday, Hodges concludes his eight-week stand here...'

      • Email Lasker/Palmquist 2023-05-14 and 2023-05-18 referencing the Hodges quotation by Stanley Dance in The World of Duke Ellington, pp.99-100
      • Stratemann p.293, citing:
        • The Billboard
          • 1948-07-10 p.18
          • 1948-08-21 p.18
        • Variety
          • 1948-08-04 (incorrect page reference)
        • The New York Age
          • 1948-08-07 (incorrect page reference)
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1948-07-02
        • 1947-07-10
        • 1948-07-18 p.5
        • 1948-07-18 p.5
        • 1948-08-06 p.47
        • 1948-08-07 p.20
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1948-06-12 p.16
        • 1948-07-10 p.22
      • Variety
        • 1948-07-28 p.96
      • The Omaha Star, Omaha, Neb.
        • 1948-07-30 p.13
      • ANP newswire report
        Ohio Daily Express, Dayton, Ohio
        • 1948-08-12 p.3
      • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        • 1948-08-21 p.2 s.2
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1948-08-26 p.14
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-18
      updated
      2023-05-20
      2023-05-21
      2023-09-19
      1948 07 02
      Friday
      1948 08 20
      Friday
      Richmond, Ky.Crystal Slipper BallroomPeripheral event
      Mercer Ellington's band played for dancing in Richmond, Ky. The ads say Al Hibbler was featured.
      • The Lexington Leader, Lexington, Ky.
        1948-07-02 p.13
      • The Lexington Herald, Lexington, Ky.
        1948-07-02 p.26
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-06-19
      1948 07 03
      Saturday
      .London, EnglandThe London Palladiumsee 1948 06 21.....Added
      2011
      1948 07 04
      Sunday
      .Southampton, EnglandGuildhall
      Programme, 1948 British Isles tour
      Programme, 1948 British Isles tour
      Click to Enlarge
      Concert tour
      After leaving the Palladium, Ellington, Nance and Davis toured Britain with a two hour show, accompanied by a British trio: Malcolm Mitchell, guitar; Jack Fallon, bass; Tony Crombie, drums.

      They travelled by coach (bus). Mitchell said Ellington wrote out Take the "A" Train for him on the coach from London to Southampton. Crombie said there were about 40 people in the entourage, and Nance travelled with a big box of records weighing about 200 pounds, a record player, two instruments and a wardrobe.
      • Stratemann p.292
      • Panel discussion - see 1948 06 11
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-05-23
      2020-05-07
      2023-05-09
      1948 07 05
      Monday
      1948 07 09Bournemouth, EnglandWinter Gardens
      Handbill for the Winter Gardens performances
      Handbill
      Click to Enlarge

      DUKE ELLINGTON
      with
      FAMOUS SUPPORTING ARTISTS in
      THE ELLINGTON REVUE
      USUAL POPULAR PRICES 2/6, 4/-, 5/- and 6/*
      Special seats at 8/6


      First of four performances

      The event was advertised for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday evenings at 8 p.m., but not for Thursday.
    • Handbill (eBay listing, courtesy S.Lasker 2021-01-23)
    • Stratemann p.292
    • ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-13
      2021-01-24
      1948 07 06
      Tuesday
      .Bournemouth, EnglandWinter GardensTHE ELLINGTON REVUE 8 p.m.
      - see 1948 07 04
      ....djpAdded
      2011
      1948 07 07
      Wednesday
      .Bournemouth, EnglandWinter GardensTHE ELLINGTON REVUE 8 p.m.
      -see 1948 07 04
      ....djpAdded
      2011
      1948 07 08
      Thursday
      ..activities not documented
      While Ellington and his performers probably remained in Bournemouth, no concert was scheduled this evening

      ....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2021-01-24
      1948 07 09
      Friday
      .Bournemouth, EnglandWinter GardensTHE ELLINGTON REVUE 8 p.m.
      -see 1948 07 04
      ....djpAdded
      2011
      1948 07 10
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 07 11
      Sunday
      .Blackpool, EnglandNew Opera HouseConcert, see 1948 07 04Stratemann p.292...djpAdded
      2011
      updated 2012-11-13
      1948 07 12
      Monday
      .Edinburgh, ScotlandUsher HallConcert, see 1948 07 04

      After the show, Ellington, Mitchell, Fallon and Crombie attended a private party; host's name not documented.
      • Vail I
      • Panel discussion - see 1948 06 11
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-05-19
      1948 07 13
      Tuesday
      .Glasgow, ScotlandSt. Andrew's HallConcert, see 1948 07 04Stratemann p.292...djpAdded
      2011
      updated 2012-11-13
      1948 07 14
      Wednesday
      .Newcastle-on-Tyne, EnglandCity HallConcert, see 1948 07 04Stratemann p.292...djpAdded
      2011
      updated 2012-11-13
      1948 07 15
      Thursday
      .Leicester, EnglandDeMontfort HallConcert, see 1948 07 04Stratemann p.292...djpAdded
      2011
      updated 2012-11-13
      1948 07 16
      Friday
      .Nottingham, EnglandAlbert Hall Methodist MissionUnscheduled day off
      A concert planned for this "temperance hall" was cancelled when the minister refused to allow it.
      Rev. Frank T. Copplestone...said: "We felt it seemed hardly the standard of concert we like to have in the hall – which, after all, is our church...We aim to let the hall be used for civic and social functions and high-class concerts.'

      The group therefore had the day off.
      • UP wirestory
        The Hartford Daily Courant, Hartford, Conn.
        1948-07-12 p.3
      • CTPS wirestory
        The Knoxville Journal, Knoxville, Tenn.
        1948-07-13 p.7
      • The New York Age
      • , New York, N.Y.
        1948-07-17 p.1
      • David Bradbury Duke Ellington Life & Times, Haus Publishing, 2005, p.73
      • Stratemann p.292
      • Vail I
      • Panel discussion - see 1948 06 11
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-05-23
      updated
      2023-07-30
      1948 07 17
      Saturday
      .Sheffield, EnglandCity HallConcert, see 1948 07 04Stratemann p.292...djpAdded
      2011
      updated 2012-11-13
      1948 07 18
      Sunday
      .Buxton, England.Matinée, see 1948 07 04R. Boyes...djpNew
      added 2013-05-23
      1948 07 18
      Sunday
      .Manchester, EnglandKing's Hall
      Belle Vue Zoological Gardens
      Concert, see 1948 07 04Stratemann p.292...djpAdded
      2011
      updated 2013-05-23
      1948 07 19
      Monday
      .
      • London, England
      • Paris, France
      • Victoria Station
      • The Golden Arrow boat train
      • Unnamed ferry
      • La Flèche d'Or boat train
      • La Gare du Nord
      • Claridge's hotel
      • Moune's club
      • Club Saint Germain-de-Près
      • Club Lido
      • Claridge's
      Stratemann and Vail report Ellington and his five companions (Davis, Nance, Mitchell, Fallon and Crombie) journeyed from England to France.

      The Baltimore Afro-American printed photos of Ellington being kissed by a fan as he stepped off the Golden Arrow boat train at Gare du Nord and posing with a snare drum, surrounded by musicians playing soprano sax, cornet or trumpet, trombone and string bass, with a crowd behind him.

      Assuming the schedule did not change significantly between 1948 and 1949, the train would have left Victoria Station, London at 10:30 a.m. GMT. The party would have taken a special ferry to Calais, transferred to the service's French train, La Flèche d'Or, and arrived in Paris at Gare du Nord at 5:30 p.m. GMT+1 or 4:30 p.m. GMT, a six hour trip.

      Ellington's Associated Press guest column describes his arrival:

      '...During the Channel crossing to France, Kay Davis, Ray Nance and I voiced our fears that nothing could equal our reception in Britain. When we stepped from the train at the Gare du Nord in Paris those fears were swept away at once. Two bands, one jazz and one be-bop ... were on hand to spark the welcome by a cheering, clamoring throng that filled the streets as far as the eye could reach. Never have I been kissed so much in so short a time.'

      Although Ellington's description of their arrival says they played at the Salle Pleyel "that night," that first concert was the next night.

      Ernest Borneman described Duke's arrival in Down Beat. He says the MGM newsreel truck, the Radio Diffusion recording van and photographers from practically every paper in the city were present. The people waiting for Duke included "Strayhorn's pal" Aaron Bridges and singer Honey Johnson.

      Arriving with Duke were Kay, Ray and the English trio, publisher Jack Robbins, songwriter Kermit Gould, manager Al Celley, barber Hernandez and half a dozen hangers-on. Leaving the station, they were met by Claude Bolling's seven-piece band, "a fanfare of New Orleans jazz." He reports Duke sat down and played snare drum with Bolling's band (as shown in the Baltimore Afro-American photos). Promoter Jules Borking organized their transfer in a cavalcade of honking cars and taxis to Claridge's hotel on the Champs-Elysées.

      The hotel suite, on the first floor of the hotel facing the street would be too noisy For Ellington to sleep during the day, it only had four rooms, and Duke thought the bathtub was too small. A connecting suite was taken, "just in time to welcome the first influx of visitors, musicians, musicians' wives, pressmen, photographers, autograph hounds and curiosity seekers."

      Rex Stewart's wife and a friend came; Stewart was then touring Germany. Borneman's interview with Ellington was interrupted by Al Celley who told Duke to go to bed for an hour before having dinner and going to a party.

      Duke slept some two hours, and they left the hotel at 11 p.m., stopping first at a club in the Latin Quarter run by someone named Moune who Bridges wanted to meet.

      Promoter Borkin, irate, arrived with staff from Club Saint Germain-de-Près to take Duke to the party. Borkin's car stalled, so they were about two hours late getting to the club. The club had hired forty policemen to keep order, and it was too noisy for Boris Vian's orchestra to be heard. Among the people there named by Borneman were Timme Rosenkrantz, Inez Cavanaugh, composer Georges Auric, and actress Simone Signoret ... Returning to Duke's hotel before daybreak, the group stopped at Club Lido, where Jack Robbins and Kay Davis danced. The morning edition of Combat was brought in, already describing the Club Saint Germain party. Someone from the Paris Herald Tribune took Ellington off to the bar, and somebody else bought drinks for everyone.

      After Club Lido closed, the group returned to Claridge's for sandwiches and coffee. Although Ellington was ready to sleep, Borneman had to work.
      • Stratemann p.293
      • Vail I
      • Baltimore Afro-American 1948-07-31 p.6 courtesy Franz Hoffman clippings files at RainerJazz, the Jazz Archive Site
      • Duke Ellington, Broadway column, Associated Press 1948-08-26
      • Ernest Borneman, The Duke in Paris–Part I, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, Down Beat 1948-08-25 pp.6-7
      .
      ..VAR photo
      Webphotos+
      djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-13
      1948 07 20
      Tuesday
      .Paris, FranceClaridge'sBy the time Borneman finished work at 5:30, Ellington had been up for a few hours to make Swiss and Belgian radio broadcasts promoting his concerts in Zurich and Brussels. Inez Cavanaugh had assumed the role of secretary, and the phone rang often, while reporters and photographers kept moving things around. Visiting French musicians sat in awe.

      The concert was to start at 9 o'clock, but Duke was still in the hotel at 8:50 p.m.
      Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6...djpNew
      added
      2015-07-13
      1948 07 20
      Tuesday
      1948 07 21Paris, FranceSalle PleyelConcert - scheduled to start 9 p.m.; actual curtain 9:25.
      Ellington:

      'That night [recte the next night], at the Salle Pleyel, following the regular two hour concert by the six in our troup [sic] we were forced (very happily) to do almost 40 minutes of encores.'

      Borneman says Al Celley controlled the lighting, that the audience, expecting the full band, was at first disappointed to see just the trio of Fallon, Mitchell and Crumbie but Duke captured the audience within 20 minutes. The trio played better during their first three numbers than with Duke. Borneman names some of the titles played, including [truncated] -long to You, Things Ain't What They Used to Be, Dancers in Love, a medley (I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart, Sophisticated Lady, Solitude, etc.), Squeeze Me but Don't Tease Me, Just A-Settin' and a-Rockin', then Duke played Take the A-Train and left the stage, returning quickly for a series of encores - Mood Indigo, C-Jam Blues, Body and Soul, Turnip or Tulip [sic] and Honeysuckle Rose.

      Songs listed in the concert program included Caravan, The Clothed Woman, Moon Mist, Ragtime in A Major, Creole Love Call, The Blues from Black, Brown and Beige, Transblucency, Frankie and Johnny, Jump with the Trio, Black and Tan Fantasy, Things Ain't What They Used To Be, Dancers in Love, Piano Medley, Just Sqeenze Me But Please Don't Tease Me/Just a-Settin' [sic] and a-Rockin', Take the "A" Train.
      • Stratemann p.293
      • Vail I
      • Duke Ellington, Broadway column, Associated Press 1948-08-26
      • Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6
      • Concert Programme, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 9 Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, July 20-21, 1948, Archive Center, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History
      • Photo F. Billard, Duke Ellington, Seuil, 1994
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-13
      2015-12-30
      2016-06-01
      1948 07 20
      Tuesday
      .Paris, FranceClub Saint Germain-de-PrèsBorneman reported that after the concert, everybody returned to Club Saint Germain-de-Près to listen to Vian's orchestra, drink, and talk about everything except music.

      Ellington:

      'One of our dressing room visitors after the concert was Django Rheinhardt... Django insisted that we attend a party in our honor at the famed Club St. Germaine, haunt of the Existentialists. That was certainly one of my most unique parties. Food could not be had even for the asking, but only the champagne flowed more rapidly than the extremely animated conversation...'

      Expatriate American writer Richard Wright's chronicle:

      Wright attends a reception honoring Duke Ellington at the Club St. Germain des Prés , where Wright is seated at the head table and Ellington and others squeeze in to see Wright.'

      Borneman left at 4 a.m. to walk home and write his report on the first two nights.
      • Vail I
      • Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6
      • Duke Ellington, Broadway column, Associated Press 1948-08-26
      • Toru Kiuchi, Yoshinobu Hakutani, Richard Wright: A Documented Chronology, 1908-1960, McFarland & Company, Inc., Jefferson, North Carolina, 2013, p.246, citing newspaper and other sources found in other books
      ..Photo F. Billard, Duke Ellington, Seuil, 1994djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-13
      2015-07-14
      1948 07 21
      Wednesday
      .Paris, FranceSalons Gallimard
      5, rue Sebastien Bottin
      Borneman received an invitation early in the day to a cocktail party in Ellington's honour held by the Présence Africaine magazine at 5:30 precisely which "turns out to be 7:15 p.m. vaguely." Duke, welcomed by African drummers and dancers, played a bit while Honey Johnson sang.

      Richard Wright, a Présence Africaine board member, attended to welcome Louis Armstrong and Ellington.

      Ellington left at 8:15 to return to his hotel for a snack before the evening concert.
      • Vail I
      • Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6
      • Richard Wright: A Documented Chronology, 1908-1960 (ibid.), p.246
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-13
      2015-07-14
      1948 07 21
      Wednesday
      .Paris, FranceSalle PleyelConcert

      The programme was changed, so Kay Davis opened with Creole Love Call sung off-stage. Other than saying the programme built from there and was "even better" than the night before, Borneman gives no details.

      By midnight everybody was back at Claridges.
      Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-13
      1948 07 21
      Wednesday
      .Paris, France
      • Claridge's hotel
      • Carrèrés
      • Florence
      • Cloche d'Or
      • Claridge's
      Ellington missed a news conference scheduled for 11 p.m. at his hotel. By the time he and his group arrived, the reporters were gone. Some people remained - Jack Robbins, Timme Rosenkrantz, and Inez Cavanaugh - and musicians and their friends began to arrive. By 1:30 a.m. the "house is so full that everybody decides to move out again."

      The group went to Carrèrés where, after an hour or so, a lady asked Duke to play Transblucency. He obliged even though Kay Davis wasn't there.

      About 3 in the morning, Duke decided to go to a place called Florence to meet trumpeter Arthur Briggs. There, when French trumpeter Jackie Vermont asked Duke what he thought of bebop, Duke replied,

      'I don't think I want to consider it as a technique. All I can say its that it's part of the emancipation of the American Negro.'

      An unnamed expatriate American entertainer with an interest in some Paris nightclubs insulted Duke, saying he liked to be surrounded by white people. This was followed by dead silence, and Duke left.

      On his way out the cloakroom girl asked for his autograph; since he didn't have a piece of paper, he signed a thousand franc note for her.

      The Ellington party then had onion soup at Cloche d'Or between 5 and 6 a.m. and chatted until Ellington returned to his hotel to pack.
      Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6...djpNew
      added 2015-07-14
      1948 07 22
      Thursday
      .Paris to BrusselsTrainEllington and his party left Paris for Brussels by train at 9:30 a.m.

      Borneman wrote Ellington was to play one night in Brussels, then a night in Antwerp, another in Brussels, one in Zurich and one in Geneva, before returning home via Paris.
      Ernest Borneman, Diary—68 Hours Without Sleep, The Duke in Paris–Part II, Down Beat 1948-09-08 p.6....Added 2015-07-14
      1948 07 22
      Thursday
      .Bruxelles, La Belgique
      aka
      Brussel, België
      Hotel MétropoleEllington and Kay Davis attended an afternoon press reception opened by a Jacques Loar, who is unknown to M Debroe. (This may be the Belgian actor and film director listed in IMDB.)

      During the press conference, Ellington answered questions about Existentialism and be-bop.
      • De Nieuwe Gids, Amsterdam, 1948-07-23, courtesy Véronique Wese, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België by email 2015-07-17
      • Email, Debroe-Palmquist 2015-07-18
      ..KG photodjpAdded
      2015-07-17
      2015-07-18
      1948 07 22
      Thursday
      .Bruxelles, La Belgique
      aka
      Brussel, België
      Palais des Beaux-Arts,
      aka
      Paleis voor Schone Kunsten
      8:15 p.m.
      First of two Brussels concerts

      Tickets were sold at La Maison Bleu, a record store at 34, Zuidestraat.

      Palmquist comments:
      • Belgian researcher Georges Debroe provided the times and dates of these concerts, and said the French papers also advertised another Paris concert for August 1. It clearly didn't take place date since Ellington and party embarked from Cherbourg on July 30.
      • Playlist written by a fan at one of the Brussels concerts, in order (courtesy M Debroe):
        • Rockin' in Rhythm
        • Caravan
        • The Clothed Woman
        • Black and Tan Fantasy
        • ?
        • Creole Love Call
        • Transblucency
        • ?
        • Frankie & Johnnie i?? Intermission i?? Jumping with The Trio
        • Ragtime in A Major
        • Blues
        • ?
        • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
        • Dancers In Love
        • Medley:I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart-Sophisticated Lady-?-Don't Get Around Much Anymore-Solitude
        • Just A-Settin and A-Rockin'
        • Take the "A" Train
        • Mood Indigo
        • C Jam Blues
        • Body And Soul
        • ?
      • Stratemann p.293
      • Vail I
      • Email, Debroe-Palmquist
        • 2015-07-15
        • 2015-07-18
      • Email, Véronique Wese, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, clippings from De Nieuwe Gids, Amsterdam
        • 1948-07-18
        • 1948-07-19
        • 1948-07-23
        • 1948-07-25
      ..KG photodjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-15
      2015-07-18
      1948 07 23
      Friday
      .Antwerp, BelgiumZoologieConcert, 8:15 p.m.
      • Stratemann p.293
      • Vail I
      • Email Debroe-Palmquist 2015-07-15
      • Email, Véronique Wese, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, clippings from Nieuwe Gids, Amsterdam
        • 1948-07-18
        • 1948-07-19
        • 1948-07-23
        • 1948-07-25
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 10 Paris, France, July 23, 1948
      ...GD,djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-14
      2015-12-30
      1948 07 24
      Saturday
      .Bruxelles, La Belgique
      aka
      Brussel, België
      Palais des Beaux-Arts8:15 p.m.
      Second of two Brussels concerts
      • Stratemann p.293
      • Vail I
      • Email, Debroe-Palmquist
        • 2015-07-15
        • 2015-07-18
      • Email, Véronique Wese, Koninklijke Bibliotheek van België, clippings from Nieuwe Gids, Amsterdam
        • 1948-07-18
        • 1948-07-19
        • 1948-07-23
        • 1948-07-25
      ...GD, djp2015-07-15
      1948 07 25
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 07 26
      Monday
      .Zurich, SwitzerlandUrban (Bellevueplatz)Afternoon concert, 17:30
      • Stratemann p.293
      • Vail I
      • Email Y.Maag - Palmquist 2015-07-16 citing Tagblatt der Stadt Zurich 1948-07-26
        Palmquist's note: The Swiss regulate training in information and documentation - see www.ausbildung-id.ch/ - Y. Maag holds the designation Fachmann I+D in Ausbildung, and is based in Zentralbibliothek Zurich
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-16
      1948 07 27
      Tuesday
      .Geneva, SwitzerlandVictoria Hall
      Sautier-Jaeger
      Fusterie 12
      Concert 7 p.m.
      Journale de Geneve, July 27:

      Ce soir 21 hr au VICTORIA HALL
      UN SEUL CONCERT
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      avec le Rythm Trio
      KAY DAVIS et RAY NANCE
      Location: Sautier-Jaeger, Fusterie 12


      Journal de Geneve

      AU VICTORIA HALL
      DUKE ELLINGTON
       On parlait beaucoup anglais hier soir, Américain plutot, au Victoria Hall. On y sifflait sa joi, à lamanière yankee, et l'innombrable et juvénile public qui remptissait la salle exposait sa compétence en matière de jazz par des trépidations enfiévrées pleines d'autorité et de science. Duke Ellington, le roi incontesté des pianistes de jazz, son trio, sa chanteuse, son trompettiste-fantaisiste, étaient là, et secouaient les dorures austères du "Palais Barton" de leurs convulsives harmonies!
       ... Mais n'ironisons pas plus avant, et disons les remarquables qualités de ce bel ensemble. Compte étant tenu de l'inévitable monotonie qui se dégage de cette perpétuelle et un peu fatigante recherche d'effets rythmiques, de souduines et brutales transitions dans les volumes sonores, inclinons-nous devant la valeur d'un pianiste-compositeur qui a la sagesse de ne pas chercher à sortir du domaine de ses possibilitiés, devant l'éblouissantc virtuosité, aussi, du trompettiste Ray Nance, qui obtient de son instrument des effets stupéfiants. La valeur de Malcolm Mitchell, guitariste, et de Tony Crombie. drummer, n'est pas moindre. Le nom du contrebassiste qui complète le "Rythme-Trio" n'est pas cité. C'est grand dommage.
       La chanteuse noire Kay Davis (elle est ravissante. et à peine colorée) posséde, à 1'instar de Marian Anderson, un organe d'une grande diversité. Si elle nous a semblé particulièrement à son aise, si les quelques elle a eu des moments de charmante émotion dans les quelques "songs" inscrits au programme, elle préscenta avee un égal bonheur des mélodies très diverses, entre autres "Creole Love Call", ou` elle interprète d'une fa&ccedi;on étonnante, à la cantonade, une partie solo de clarinette.
      Beau et gros succès d'un ensemble dont la réputation n'est pas surfaite. K.
      Google translation:

      AT VICTORIA HALL
      DUKE ELLINGTON
       We spoke a lot of English last night, american rather, at Victoria Hall. Their joi was hissed, Yankee style, and the innumerable, youthful audience that filled the hall exhibited their skill in jazz with feverish trepidations full of authority and science. Duke Ellington, the undisputed king of jazz pianists, his trio, his singer, his fanciful trumpeter, were there, and shook the austere gilding of the "Palais Barton" with their convulsive harmonies!
       ... But let's not be ironic any further, and speak of the remarkable qualities of this beautiful group. Given the inevitable monotony that emanates from this perpetual and somewhat tiring search for rhythmic effects, sudden and brutal transitions in sound volumes, let us bow before the value of a pianist-composer who has the wisdom not to try to go beyond the realm of his possibilities, in front of the dazzling virtuosity, also, of the trumpeter Ray Nance, who obtains from his instrument stupefying effects. The value of Malcolm Mitchell, guitarist, and Tony Crombie. drummer, is no less. The name of the double bass player who completes the "Rythme-Trio" is not mentioned. It is a great pity.
       The black singer Kay Davis (she is lovely and barely colored) has, like Marian Anderson, an organ of great diversity. If she seemed particularly at ease to us, if the few moments she had of charming emotion in the few "songs" included in the program, she presented with equal happiness very diverse melodies, among others "Creole Love Call", where she interprets in an astonishing way, at any time, a solo clarinet part.
       Beautiful and big success of an ensemble whose reputation is not overrated. K.
      • Journal de Geneve, Geneva, Switzerland:
      • Tribune de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
        • 1948-07-29 p.2
      • Stratemann, p.293
      • Vail I
      ..Vail I 336photodjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-07-14
      2023-07-30
      1948 07 28
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 07 29
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 07 30
      Friday
      1948 08 04Cherbourg. France
      at sea, Atlantic Ocean
      R.M.S. Queen ElizabethEllington (age 49) and Al Celley (age 39) embarked for New York, travelling in first class. Willis R. Nance, 5845 Indiana, Chicago, age 34, Kathryn Davis, age 27, 666 St. Nicholas Ave., New York, and Gerado [sic} Hermandez [sic} , age 47, 874 Kelly St., Bronx, New York, travelled cabin class. Presumably the latter was the man described as Ellington's barber, Hernandez.

      (The ship carried 2,240 passengers.)
      U.S. Treasury Department Form I-416, List of In-Bound Passengers (United States Citizens and Nationals), departing Cherbourg 30th July 1948....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-06-25
      2015-07-14
      1948 07 31
      Saturday
      .at seaR.M.S. Queen Elizabethsailing home
      .....Added
      2011

      August 1948

      1948 08 01
      Sunday
      .at seaR.M.S. Queen Elizabethsailing home
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 08 02
      Monday
      .at seaR.M.S. Queen Elizabethsailing home
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 08 03
      Tuesday
      .at seaR.M.S. Queen Elizabethsailing home
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 08 04
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.R.M.S. Queen ElizabethArrival in New York

      Hodges (see 1948 07 02 above):

      '... we [his sextet] stayed there [Apollo Cafe] for seven weeks, until Duke came back. He got right off the boat and came to the Apollo Bar to find out what was going on, and whether we were going to continue with this little band...'

      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2023-05-20
      1948 08 05
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 06
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 07
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 08
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 09
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 10
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Apollo CaféMost of the sidemen's activities are not documented.
      Hodges and his small group, playing at the Apollo in Duke's absence (see 1948 07 10 above), gave Ellington a welcome home party, presenting him with a portrait painted by Al Guster. The Baltimore Afro-American carried a photo of Guster holding his painting up, with M.C. Rubel Blakey, Hodges, Mildred Smith, Ellington, Jimmy Hamilton and singer Marion Bruce gathered round.
      • Stratemann, p.293 citing
        • New York Age 1948-08-07 p.25
        • The Billboard 1948-07-10 p.18
      • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
        1948-08-21 p.4 second news section
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-30
      2023-05-15
      1948 08 11
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 12
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 13
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 14
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented

      Peripheral event
      The Billboard:

      'Goodman To Control Duke's Platter Show
        NEW YORK, Aug.14.– Harry S. Goodman has acquired complete control of the Duke Ellington disk show. The previous deal between a Goodman and WMCA, New York, specified that Goodwin would handle sales. Goodwin now will supervise production, too. Joseph Gottlieb, formerly with WMCA, is now doing production and writing chores on the show, working under Goodman. All current station pacts on the Ellington show will remain in force.
        Contrary to reports, WMCA will continue the Ellington program, at least until the end of the year when the pact expires. The station, however, will drop the Tommy Dorsey disk show in September.
        Heretofore, the Ellington show has been sold only to stations. The new plan will pitch it to stations, agencies and sponsors.
        Ellington, on his recent trip abroad, arranged with British artists for the use of their disks on his program here. In the meantime, Ellington has recorded sessions with Peggy Lee, and Goodman has lined up Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Dick Haymes for future dates.'

      The Billboard, New York, N.Y.
      1948-08-21 p.8
      ...djpNew
      added
      2019-12-15
      1948 08 15
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 16
      Monday
      ...Ellington's and most of the sidemen's activities are not documented
      Peripheral event
      Al Hibbler, Johnny Hodges and Tryee Glenn were guests on Bill Cook's WAAT radio programme "Cookie's Caravan." After their broadcast, Hibbler was given a birthday party at Dodger's Cocktail Lounge, 8 Bedford St., Newark, N.J. The cake had 33 candles and guests included Hodges and wife, Glenn and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Lecont Portier, exotic dancer LaZonda, Hibbler's fiancee Jeannette McAden, Johnny Byran Jr., Tuddy McIvey, Mr. and Mrs Kirby Walker, Dave Coff, Gloria Kimbrough, Gracke Smith, Bettye Glover, reporters Mary Louise Twyman, Tiny Prince, and Ethel Mae Moore, and members of the show.
      The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
      1948-08-21 p.4 second news section
      ...djpNew
      added
      2023-05-15
      1948 08 17
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 18
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 19
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 20
      Friday
      ...Most sidemen's and Ellington's activities are not documented

      Peripheral event
      This appears to be the closing date of the Hodges sextet and Hibbler at the Apollo Café - see 1948 07 10 above.
      .....New
      added
      2023-05-18
      updated
      2023-05-20
      1948 08 21
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 22
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 23
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 08 24
      Tuesday
      ...The Billboard 1948-08-21 p.21 reported the band would depart this day for a three week tour of Canada and the eastern United States....djpUpdated
      2019-12-15
      1948 08 25
      Wednesday
      .Verdun, P.Q.Verdun Auditorium
      (air-conditioned)
      Dancing, 9 p.m. till closing.
      One night only
      Duke Ellington
      America's Foremost Modern
      Composer
      and
      His World Famous Orchestra
      featuring
      Johnny Hodges, Alto-Sax, Ray Nance, Violin-Trumpet-Vocal,
      Harry Carney, Baritone-Sax, Lawrence Brown, Trombone,
      Junior Raglin, Bass, Al Hibbler, Vocal,
      Kay Davis, Vocal

      Tickets - advance $1.50, same day $1.75 (tax included)

      The Gazette:

      'Heat Did Not Stop Ellington Fans
        In spite of the heat, a goodly number of Jive Hounds turned out last night to hear Duke Ellington at the Verdun Auditorium. Most of the fans did not bother to dance, but just stood around the bandstand and watched the good Duke put the orchestra through its paces.
        After every "hot lick" the crowd edged a few feet nearer the band and emitted shrill whistles and various other sounds signifying complete approbation.
        Johnny Hodges pleased his audience no end with his alto saxophone. Billed as America's number one sax man, he turned out some very smooth fingering for the edification of the crowd.'

      The Gazette, Montreal, P.Q.
      • 1948-08-16 p.6
      • 1948-08-18 p.6
      • 1948-08-21 p.22
      • 1948-08-24 p.6
      • 1948-08-26 p.6
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2019-12-15
      1948 08 26
      Thursday
      .Lake Bomoseen, Vt.The Casino.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 08 27
      Friday
      .BurlingtonBay Pavilion.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 08 28
      Saturday
      .LewistonFairgrounds.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 08 29
      Sunday
      .New London, Conn.Danceland.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 08 30
      Monday
      .Fitchburg, Mass.Whalon Park.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 08 31
      Tuesday
      .Alton Bay, N.H.Pavilion.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011

      September 1948

      1948 09 00.New York, N.Y..Personnel change
      Wendell Marshall (1920-2002), bass, joined the band sometime in September.
      Matthias Heyman:

      'On August 12, 1942, Wendell Marshall, Jimmie Blanton's first cousin (on his mother's side), received a letter with an offer from Lionel Hampton to join his band, although he had hardly been playing professionally for a few months (in his home town, St. Louis). He joined Hampton in Los Angeles shortly before the band opened at the Casa Mañana on August 20.

      His Aunt Gertrude, Jimmie Blanton's mother, was still in Los Angeles to make final arrangements for Jimmie's remains to be sent home, and offered his bass to Marshall.

      Marshall stayed with Hampton only for a few months before his military service,* but kept Blanton's bass as his personal instrument for the remainder of his professional career. When he joined Ellington in September 1948 (after playing briefly with Mercer's band) he not only brought a bit of Blanton back into the band through kinship, but also with Jimmie's instrument.

      P.S.: No interview of Marshall has a more concrete date than September, although he did say that he joined the band at a time when Raglin was still with them, but was ill. He doesn't say they played alongside each other (like Blanton and Raglin did), but it is likely that he observed Raglin a bit 'to get a feel of the band,' as happened before with Blanton and Raglin (although Blanton and Raglin did play side by side).'

    • In 1955 he told Nat Hentoff he went to Lincoln University, after leaving Hampton, and was inducted into the army in 1943. After 37 months in the army, he worked with Stuff Smith and formed his own group. In New York in 1947, he joined Mercer Ellington's band in New York. During a layoff, Mercer put him into Duke's orchestra, where he stayed until January 1955.

    • Palmquist comments:
      • New Desor has Marshall in the band from Sept.1948 to January 1955, with a month out of the band in early 1953.
      • Stratemann has him replacing Raglin in New York, which would have to be by Sept. 8 or in early November - he was recorded in Schenectady on Nov.6.
      • New Desor has Raglin leaving the band in January 1948, and Pettiford leaving in the spring of 1948, so I'm not sure which one Wendell Marshall replaced.
      • Stratemann also has Ben Webster rejoining on Nov. 11, writing that Marshall and Butter Jackson simultaneously replaced Raglin and Claude Jones.
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Email, M.Heymann-Palmquist 2014-11-11, citing:
        • Metronome, Oct. 1942, p.7 "Blanton's Bass with Hampton"
        • "Down Beat 1942-09-01 p.2 "New Hamp Bass is First Cousin of Blanton"
        • Down Beat 1955-03-23 p.6, Nat Hentoff, "Marshall, Bass On Own After 6 Years With Duke"
        • Radio interview Phil Schaap - Caroline Blanton 1993-10-05 (Blanton's 75th Birthday Special)
        • Radio interview Phil Schaap - Wendell Marshall 2000-10-24 (Marshall's 80th Birthday Special)
      • Obituary, The Independent (by Steve Voce)
      • Jazz Times obituary
      • The Telegraph obituary
      ...MH/djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      Updated
      2014-11-20
      2016-10-03
      1948 09 01
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 02
      Thursday
      .Newport, Vt.International Club.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 09 03
      Friday
      .Marshfield, Mass.Fieldston Sea Gate.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 09 04
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 05
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 06
      Monday
      .Hartford, Conn.Auditorium.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 09 07
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 08
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Madison Square Gardens.
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 09 09
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 10
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 11
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 12
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 13
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 14
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 15
      Wednesday
      .Cumberland, Md.Maryland Theater(Unconfirmed)

      "Duke Ellington, genius of modern American music, brings his world famous orchestra to the stage of the Maryland Theatre, for one day only, Wednesday, Sept.15. Featured with the Ellington band of 16 will be Ray Nance, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis,vocal; Johnny Hodge [sic], Harry Carney, Junior Raglin,and Lawrence Brown,novelties."
      Stage show 1:40, 4:05, 7:05 and 9:30

      Adults 12 to 5 All Seats 60 cents Inc.Tax 5 to Close 80 cents Inc.Tax Children Under 12 Yrs. 20 cents Inc.Tax

      Gallery open 11:45 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. COLORED ONLY
      Gallery seats - 12 to 5 50 cents - 5 to Close 60 cents - Children 20 cents
      Ad and publicity photo, Cumberland Sunday Times 1948-09-12, p.25...djpNew
      added 2012-11-09
      1948 09 16
      Thursday
      1948 09 18Reading, Penn.Rajah Theatre.
      Stratemann p.293, citing Variety 1948-09-15p52....Added
      2011
      1948 09 17
      Friday
      .Reading, Penn.Rajah Theatresee 1948 09 16
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 09 18
      Saturday
      .Reading, Penn.Rajah Theatresee 1948 09 16
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 09 19
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 20
      Monday
      .Mexico, N.Y.Oswego Theater

      'ONE DAY ONLY
      IN PERSON
      ON OUR STAGE
      DUKE ELLINGTON &
      HIS ORCHESTRA'



      .
      Ad, The Mexico Independent, Mexico N.Y.,
      1948-09-16
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-08-18
      updated
      2016-10-03
      1948 09 21
      Tuesday
      1948 09 22
      Wednesday
      Batavia, N.Y.Mancuso TheatreStage show, 2 big days, at 3:21, 5:42, 8:03, 10:24..Vail I djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-09-12
      2013-06-15
      2016-10-03
      1948 09 22
      Wednesday
      .
      Wednesday
      Batavia, N.Y.Mancuso Theatresee 1948 09 21
      ...Vail I djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-09-12
      1948 09 23
      Thursday
      .UniontownMelody Rink.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 09 24
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 25
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1948 09 26
      Sunday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Murat Theater.
    • NMAH Duke Ellington Collection, 1927-1988, #301, Container List Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Domestic Tours, 1937-1974, Box 11, Folder 1
    • ....Added
      2011
      1948 09 27
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 09 28
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 09 29
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 09 30
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......

      October 1948

      1948 10 00...Personnel change
      Trombonist Claude B. Jones leaves the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      1948 10 01
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 02
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 03
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Pershing Ballroom.
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 04
      Monday
      .Freeport, Ill.Consistory Auditorium
      Shrine Temple
      (Unconfirmed)

      Journal-Standard 1948-09-15 p.2:

      "Duke Ellington's Band Here For 2 Shows Oct. 4, Consistory Auditorium

      Duke Ellington's orchestra and company of entertainers will present two shows in Consistory auditorium on Monday evening, Oct. 4, beginning at 7:15 and 9:15.
       It will be the first local appearance of the popular musician and his organization of 30 persons, many of whom have been with him for years. The reserved seat sale at Collier's music store will begin next week."

      The ads on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1 were for concerts at 7:00 and 9:15, and announced a price correction. The Oct. 4 ad was for one concert at 8:15 pm. No followup reviews were found, but the archive had missing editions and missing pages.
      Journal-Standard, Freeport, Ill.
      • Announcements:
        • 1948-09-15 p.2
        • 1948-09-21 p.7
        • 1948-09-27 p.7
      • Ads
        • 1948-09-29,p.2
        • 1948-10-01, p.12
        • 1948-10-04 p.12
      ...djpNew
      added 2014-04-14
      1948 10 05
      Tuesday
      .Spring Green, Wisc.Rainbow Gardens
      (Unconfirmed)
      .
      ad, LaCrosse (Wisc.) Tribune, 1948-10-03,p.14....New
      added 2012-08-06
      1948 10 06
      Wednesday
      .Winona, Minn.ArmoryDance sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce
      (Unconfirmed)
      ad, LaCrosse (Wisc.) Tribune, 1948-10-03,p.14....New
      added 2012-08-06
      1948 10 07
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 08
      Friday
      1948 10 09
      Saturday
      Aberdeen, S.D..

      Overview


      Ellington and his orchestra played a concert Friday night and a dance Saturday night for the Northern State Teachers College Gypsy Days homecoming weekend. They seem to have had a very good experience here (see the following events).

      In January, the campus paper published a Gypsy Day Report, showing the concert took in $1,320.39 at a cost of $2,524.77, but the dance took in $3,462.12 at a cost of $2,784.66
      DEMS 02/3-08/1:
      • 'I am wondering why the middle (slow) section of The Tattooed Bride is called Aberdeen. A most odd title for Duke to have used, relating to a famous old city on the East Coast of Scotland. And if this section is titled, do the other two fast sections one on each side of Aberdeen also have their own titles?'
        --Frank Dutton
      • 'I think I can answer the question of the city Duke referred to as Aberdeen when he called for the number from The Tattooed Bride. It was Aberdeen, South Dakota.
          In late October, l948 Duke had a 5 or 6 day event in Aberdeen,1 when he likely could have been preparing numbers for his Carnegie Hall concert, set for November 13, 1948. Duke and the band came to Washington, DC on November 12 for a 10-day gig. I had a chat with Sonny Greer, and he told about the fine time they had in Aberdeen, the hometown of my wife Rhoda. Sonny told me about the big mansion they stayed in, and the fine piano they had in the building. The band left Washington on the morning of November 11,3 and 2 days later played at Carnegie Hall where the band did its first public performance of The Tattooed Bride.'
        --Jack Towers
      • 'The Tattooed Bride has 3 movements: Kitchen Stove, Omaha and Aberdeen.'
        --Annie Kuebler
      ' Notes:
      1. Only 2 days are documented in Aberdeen. With undocumented days before and after the college events, Ellington may have been here for up to four days. Towers dated this as the last part of October, but this only the beginning of the second week of the month. The campus newspaper covered Ellington's activities on the Gypsy Days weekend, but does not make any mention of Ellington in Aberdeen later in the month.
      2. Ellington opened in Washington Oct. 22.
      3. When Ellington and his orchestra left Washington is not yet documented, but it is reported to have made a broadcast from Schenectady on Nov.5
      • The Exponent, Northern State Teachers College, Aberdeen, S.C.
        • 1948-10-08 p.1
        • 1948-10-22 p.4
        • 1949-01-14 p.2
      • Huronite & Daily Plainsman:
        • Publicity, 1948-10-03
        • Ad 1948-10-07
      • Stratemann p.293 citing DownBeat 1948-07-28
      • Vail I
      • Emails, R. Bambach-Palmquist Sept.2016
      .DEMS.djp2016-10-03
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 10 08
      Friday
      .Aberdeen, S.D.Banquet room
      Sherman Hotel

      'A dinner was held in honor of Duke Ellington and his orchestra in the Sherman Hotel banquet room, before the Ellington concert on Friday evening... Dr. N. E. Steele, NSTC president, and Howard Bassingwaite, representing the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce, gave Mr. Ellington informal welcomes to Aberdeen. Approximately fifteen guests were present.

        Mr. Ellington, in a talk before the group, discussed his present tour itinerary, his own compositions, and his orchestra. He disclosed that he was to go directly to Harvard University following Gypsy Day after which he would give a concert at Carnegie Hall... '

      See overview at 1948 10 08 above...djpNew
      added
      2016-10-03
      1948 10 08
      Friday
      1948 10 09
      Saturday
      Aberdeen, S.D.Aberdeen Civic ArenaConcert 9:30 p.m.
      Ticket prices including tax: $2.04 and $1.74


      • '...The ... high school football game ... Friday night will precede the Ellington concert, presented by Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra at the Aberdeen Civic Arena. After the concert cheerleaders from the college will beat in a pop fest ... A special feature of the pop fest will be Duke Ellington's arrangement of the college songs, "Our Gypsy Queen" and "Alma Mater"...
          On Saturday morning the Gypsy Queen will be introduced and entertained at coronation ceremonies... and the annual Gypsy parade is scheduled to leave the campus at 11:00 a.m...

          The Gypsy Queen will be honored at a luncheon ..., after which the homecoming football game will begin at Simmons Field at 2:15... Following the football game, students, alumni and friends of the college will attend the barbecued elk dinner at the Lincoln dining hall.
          Concluding the events of the day, Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play for the homecoming dance at the Civic Arena, Saturday night, October 9.'
      See overview at 1948 10 08 above..Sjef dec09
      AGP 2013-02-12
      djp
      Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-12
      2016-09-26
      2016-10-03
      1948 10 09
      Saturday
      .Aberdeen, S.D.Parade route
      Stadium
      Lincoln dining hall
      Daytime activities
      • 11 a.m. Parade (possibly only Ellington)
      • 2:15 p.m. Football game (whole band)
      • 5:30 p.m. Barbecue (whole band)

      'The entire Ellington orchestra attended the Gypsy Day football game and the elk barbecue which followed. Duke rode in an open convertible in the homecoming parade, Saturday morning...'

      See overview at 1948 10 08 above...djpNew
      added
      2016-10-03
      1948 10 09
      Saturday
      9 pm
      .Aberdeen, S.D.Aberdeen Civic ArenaNorthern State Teachers College "Gypsy Dance"
      See overview at 1948 10 08 above.DEMS.AGP 2013-02-12Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-12
      2016-09-26
      2016-10-03
      2020-05-07
      1948 10 09
      Saturday
      .Aberdeen, S.D.Banquet room
      Sherman Hotel

      'After the dance that evening, he [Ellington] played the piano in the Sherman banquet room for all those who wanted to listen until after four o'clock the next morning.'

      The Exponent, Northern State Teachers College, Aberdeen, S.D., 1948-10-22 p.4...djpNew
      added
      2016-10-03
      1948 10 10
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 11.Omaha, Neb.Dreamland.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 10 12
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 13
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 14
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 10 15
      Friday
      1948 10 21
      Thursday
      Detroit, Mich.Paradise Theatre.
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 16
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreStage show - see 1948 10 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 17
      Sunday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreStage show - see 1948 10 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 18
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreStage show - see 1948 10 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 19
      Tuesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreStage show - see 1948 10 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 20
      Wednesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreStage show - see 1948 10 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 21
      Thursday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreStage show - see 1948 10 15
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 10 22
      Friday
      ...Personnel changes
      • Trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson joins the band
      • Ben Webster, tenor sax, effectively rejoined the band when it opened at Duke Ellington's Club. While New Desor dates his return as Nov. 11, Grimmer's narrative puts him with the band every night during that residency, and has him leaving with the band.

        Frank Büchmann-Møller tells us Webster was supposed to join a sextet in the midwest in early October, but instead joined another group in Washington for more money. After meeting Duke there, he "sat in a few nights," and "went back in the band," which paid better than he was getting with his own group. "Ben started immediately and was already in the saxophone group at the orchestra's next booking ... in Schenectady..."
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Mac Grimmer: "Club Ellington," Ellingtonia, Newsletter of The Duke Ellington Society, June 2004. citing Bill Crow, "From Birdland to Broadway: Scenes from a Jazz Life"
      • Frank Büchmann-Møller, Someone to Watch Over Me, The Life and Music of Ben Webster, University of Michigan Press, 2006, pp.129-130
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      updated
      2016-09-26
      1948 10 22
      Friday
      Circa
      1948 10 31
      Sunday
      Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Club
      (Club Ellington per Stratemann and Grimmer)
      Ninth and V Streets N.W.
      Ten day night club residency in the new Duke Ellington's Club.
      • Ellingtonia (June 2004) reported the opening night was Nov. 1, a Monday. An ad in Vail says the club was closed Mondays. Variety's review reports Oct. 22, a Friday, and the Afro-American refers to "last Friday night. Variety reported opening night drew a good though not capacity crowd and said Ellington would be at the club for 10 days.1,3,4
      • The club was managed by Charles Nelson and co-owners were Benjamin Bass, Herb Sachs and Ellington. Ed Sullivan reported Duke was half-owner.3,6,7
      • Duke reportedly announced the club would be the band's base in Washington.1. It was a large hall, with balcony seating for those who didn't want to order at the tables on the main floor.4
      • A wide burgundy carpet ran from the entry to the bandstand, across the bandstand and up the wall to the ceiling.
      • Kay Davis sang from a balcony on the side above the piano. Greer had his usual elaborate percussion setup.1
      • The hall was near the Howard Theatre and Griffiths Stadium.1 Variety referred to the district as Harlem Place and commented that the venue catered to a mixed clientele.4
      • Variety reported the loudspeakers were not working well on opening night so Davis' music was partly lost to those sitting away from the band.4 This may be because she sang without a microphone.1
      • Admission was $1.80
      • There was to be a radio feed several times during this engagement.4,6
      • The club did not have a liquor licence but the media reported "set-ups" and food were reasonably priced.6
      • The club closed at 2 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 3 a.m. Saturday and 4 a.m. Sunday.3
      • Ellingtonia (June 2004) reported the club folded after New Years Day but it was already reported to be closed by Dec.15.1,5
      • Stratemann says Ellington's engagement ended Nov. 2,2 but Billy Eckstine and Hal Singer were to open that night.3. Since the club was dark on Monday, it is more likely Ellington's last night was October 31.
      • Variety reported the band numbered 18 on opening night with 2 vocalists.4. Personnel identified in the media and advertisements:3
        • Hodges
        • Sears
        • Carney
        • Jordan (Taft left the band in 1947, yet his name is in an ad3)
        • Greer
        • Nance
        • Brown
        • Pettiford
        • Hibbler
        • Davis
      • Ben Webster lived nearby and sat in every night, using Al Sears' tenor the first night. He would rejoin the band when it left Washington. Jack Towers was also present every night.1


      • Webmaster comment:
        I am grateful for Richard Bambach's research and discussion related to this engagement.
      • 1.Mac Grimmer: "Club Ellington," Ellingtonia, Newsletter of The Duke Ellington Society, June 2004. citing Bill Crow, "From Birdland to Broadway: Scenes from a Jazz Life"
      • 2.Stratemann, p.293
      • 3.Vail I with reproduced, unidentified ads and review
      • 4.Variety 1948-10-27 p.44 (courtesy Richard Bambach)
      • 5.Danton Walker, Gossip of the Nation, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn. 1948-12-15 p.45
      • 6.Baltimore Afro-American 1948-10-30, p.B10 (national edition)
      • 7.Ed Sullivan, Gossip of the Nation, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1948-11-06 p.11
      • 8.Nick Fernandez email 2012-01-18
      • Emails, R.Bambach-Palmquist, Sept. 2016
      .DEMS
      03,3-25
      ..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-12
      2016-10-17
      2020-05-07
      2024-12-01
      1948 10 23
      Saturday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 24
      Sunday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 25
      Monday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 26
      Tuesday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 27
      Wednesday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 28
      Thursday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 29
      Friday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 30
      Saturday
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011
      1948 10 31
      Sunday
      Halloween
      .Washington, D.C.Duke Ellington's Clubsee 1948 10 22.....Added
      2011

      November 1948

      1948 11 01
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 02
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 03
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 04
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented

      Dorothy Kilgallen's Nov. 1 column reported Ellington was to enter Medical Center this day for a complete going-over.

      The Nov.18 Oregonian reported he was taking time out in Johns-Hopkins with a recurrance [sic] of a stomach complaint.
      • Dorothy Kilgallen in The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass., 1948-11-01 p.25
      • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore., 1948-11-18 p.7
      ...djpNew
      added
      2016-09-26
      1948 11 05
      Friday
      .Schenectady, N.Y..activities not documented

      Carl Hällström in DEMS 03,3-25:

      'The NBC Artist card index for Duke Ellington shows a broadcast from Schenectady on 5Nov48. Ole Nielsen p99 and Klaus Stratemann p293 show a Union College dance & NBC broadcast in the same city at 6Nov. So who's right?'

      A short survey of radio schedules for Nov. 5 shows Ellington as follows (an asterisk shows the broadcasts explicitly marked as network broadcasts):
        * The Times-Picayune, New Orleans  WSMB-FM 11:30 pm - midnight
      Council Bluffs (Iowa) Non-Pareil WOW 11:30 pm - midnight
      * Morning Advocate, Baton Rouge WJBO 11:00 pm - 11:30 pm
      Chester (PA) Times WFIL 11:15 pm - midnight
      ("Duke Ellington Show")
      Washington Post WWDC 8:00 pm - 8:30 pm
      New York Times WMCA 9:00 am - 10:00 am
      (after news)
      The variation in broadcast times within one time-zone seems to indicate these were part of a series of pre-recorded transcriptions. In 1947 Ellington signed a five-year contract to produce five transcription radio shows a week. Radio stations had to broadcast a new transcription each day. The Billboard announced in August 1948 that WMCA would carry it at least until the end of the year. The show did not necessarily use Ellington recordings; The Billboard announced Ellington used other artists: while in England, he arranged to use British artists' recordings and had recorded Peggy Lee, with Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Dick Haymes "lined up" for future dates.
      The Billboard
      • 1947-11-22 pp.10-11
      • 1947-12-27 p.9
      • 1948-08-21 p.8
      .DEMS
      03,3-25
      ..Added
      2011
      updated
      2016-10-17
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 06
      Saturday
      .Schenectady, N.Y.Union CollegeNBC broadcast
      Sound file: Duke Ellington Remote from Union CollegeNew Desor
      DE4801
      DEMS
      03,3-25
      .djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 07
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 08
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 09
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 10
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 11
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 12
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 13
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
      (Main Hall)
      Concert, 8:30 p.m.
      The Carnegie Hall history database shows
      • Presenter : William Morris Agency, Inc.
      • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      • John Stafford Smith (1750-1836) The Star Spangled Banner
      • Duke Ellington, Three Cent Stomp
      • Duke Ellington, Lady Of The Lavender Mists
      • Duke Ellington, Suddenly It Jumped
      • Duke Ellington, Reminiscing In Tempo (1935)
      • Mercer Ellington, She Wouldn't Be Moved:
        Wendell Marshall, Double Bass
      • Billy Strayhorn, Symphomaniac (1948; Arr. Ellington, Duke):
        • Symphonic Or Bust
        • How You Sound
      • Duke Ellington, My Friend:
        Al Sears, Tenor Saxophone
      • Duke Ellington, Tootin' Through The Roof:
        Al Killian, Trumpet; Ray Nance, Trumpet; Shelton Hemphill, Trumpet; Harold Baker, Trumpet; Francis Williams, Trumpet
      • Duke Ellington, Creole Love Call (1927; Arr. Miley, Bubber (Co-Composer)):
        Ray Nance, Trumpet; Kay Davis, Vocalist
      • Jimmy McHugh, Don't Blame Me:
        Ray Nance, Trumpet; Kay Davis, Vocalist; Duke Ellington, Piano
      • Billy Strayhorn,Paradise (1948):
        Harry Carney, Baritone Saxophone
      • Duke Ellington, The Tattoed Bride
      • Billy Strayhorn, Manhattan Murals (As Seen From Strayhorn's "Take the "A" Train")
      • Billy Strayhorn, Lush Life:
        Kay Davis, Vocalist; Billy Strayhorn, Piano
      • Duke Ellington, Hi Ya Sue
      • Duke Ellington, Fantazm:
        Harry Carney, Bass Clarinet; Lawrence Brown, Trombone
      • Duke Ellington, Y' Oughta:
        Al Killian, Trumpet
      • Billy Strayhorn, Brown Betty (1948):
        Johnny Hodges, Alto Saxophone
      • Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904), Humoresque:
        Ray Nance, Violin; Harold Baker, Trumpet; Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinet; Harry Carney, Baritone Saxophone; Al Killian, Trumpet
      • Morgan Lewis, How High The Moon (1940):
        Ben Webster, Tenor Saxophone
      • Duke Ellington, Cottontail (1940):
        Ben Webster, Tenor Saxophone; Ray Nance, Trumpet; Harry Carney, Baritone Saxophone; Duke Ellington, Piano
      • Peggy Lee, Don't Be So Mean To Baby:
        Al Hibbler, Vocalist
      • Sigmund Romberg, The New Moon: Lover, Come Back To Me (1928):
        Al Hibbler, Vocalist; Al Killian, Trumpet
      • Oscar Rasbach, Trees (1922):
        Al Hibbler, Vocalist; Ray Nance, Violin
      • Sydney Robin, It's Monday Every Day:
        Al Hibbler, Vocalist; Lawrence Brown, Trombone
      • Duke Ellington, Selection
      • Peter Braham,Limehouse Blues (1922):
        Tyree Glenn, Vibraphone
      • Duke Ellington, Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
      • Mary Lou Williams, Trumpets No End
      • Mercer Ellington, Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      • Soloists not assigned to specific works:
        • Tyree Glenn, Trombone
        • Quentin Jackson, Trombone
        • Sonny Greer, Drums
        • Fred Guy, Guitar
      • NMAH Duke Ellington Collection, 1927-1988, #301, Container List, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Domestic Tours, 1937-1974, Box 11, Folder 1
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 3 Carnegie Hall, New York, New York, November 13, 1948
      • Carnegie Hall history database
      New Desor
      DE4802
      DEMSPhotos
      • F. Billard, Duke Ellington, Seuil, 1994, p.149
      • Vail I p.340
      • Harvey G. Cohen, Duke Ellington's America, University of Chicago Press, 2010
      djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-12-03
      2016-01-23
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 14
      Sunday
      .Camden, N.J.Armory.
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 11 15
      Monday
      ...Date of contract B2534 between Blue Note Cafe by Frank Holzfeind, Duke Ellington Inc. and William Morris Agency to provide 15 musicians and 2 vocalists led by Duke Ellington to perform six days weekly, not to exceed 38 hours per week, for 2 weeks beginning March 14, 1949, with Tuesdays off.
      Blue Note Memories by Dan Caine is a wonderful history of the Blue Note, its founder Frank Holzfeind and key employee Betty Smith.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-31
      updated
      2016-02-28
      1948 11 16
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Broadwood HotelDescribed as a fiasco by The Billboard in an article titled "Philly Concert Season Flop," the band played to only 900 in the 4,000 capacity ballroom.
      The Billboard, 1948-12-04, p.18.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-06
      1948 11 17
      Wednesday
      ...See 1948 12 10
      ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 18
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 19
      Friday
      .Newark, N.J.Terrace Ballroom.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 11 20
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 21
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 22
      Monday
      1948 11 27Philadelphia, Penn.The Click.
      .New Desor
      DE4803
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 23
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Clicksee 1948 11 22
      .New Desor
      DE4804
      ...Added
      2011
      1948 11 24
      Wednesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Clicksee 1948 11 22
      .New Desor
      DE4805
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 25
      Thursday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Clicksee 1948 11 22
      .New Desor
      DE4805
      ...Added
      2011
      1948 11 26
      Friday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Clicksee 1948 11 22
      .New Desor
      DE4806
      ...Added
      2011
      1948 11 27
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Click.
      .New Desor
      DE4807
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 11 28
      Sunday
      8:30 p.m.
      .White Plains, N.Y.Westchester County CenterDance.
      This venue is listed as Westchester County Center in Stratemann and Vail I, but as George Washington Carver Community Center, Westchester County in the Smithsonian Duke Ellington collection business records file listing.
      • Stratemann p.293 citing Amsterdam News 1948-11-20 p.4
      • NMAH Duke Ellington Collection, 1927-1988, #301, Container List, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Domestic Tours, 1937-1974, Box 11, Folder 1
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 4 George Washington Carver Community Center, Westchester County, New York, November 28, 1948
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-07-20
      2016-01-23
      1948 11 29
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 11 30
      Tuesday
      .Oil City, Penn. Hasson Heights Recreation Center(Unconfirmed)

      Dance, sponsored by Friendship League of America, Inc.

      Ticket prices -
      advance $1.85
      door $2.20
      • Friendship League ad, Oil City Derrick, 1948-11-24
      • Ad, The Blizzard 1948-11-23, p.4
      • Friendship League ad, Titusville Herald, 1948-11-25
      • Swanson's store ad, Titusville Herald, 1948-11-27
      • Swanson's store ad, Titusville Herald, 1948-11-30
      ...AGP 2013-02-13New
      added 2013-02-13

      December 1948

      1948 12 00.Philadelphia, Penn. .Undated AFRS Radio Transcription recording session for 16 inch AFRS record "Here's to Veterans" (never issued)

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, Francis Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Guy, Marshall, Greer, Hibbler, Davis

      Titles recorded:
      • Take The "A" Train
      • C-Jam Blues
      • Brown Betty
      • Blue Skies
      .New Desor
      DE4809
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-12
      1948 12 01
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 02
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 03
      Friday
      .Wilberforce, OhioJones Auditorium
      Wilberforce University
      .
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      updated
      2016-12-17
      1948 12 04
      Saturday
      .Cleveland, OhioMusic Hall.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1948 12 05
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 06
      Monday
      ..Peripheral Event
      Columbia CL 6024, "Mood Ellington" is released. This was the first release of an Ellington recording on 331/3 rpm microgroove.
      Steven Lasker:

      It was a reissue of a four-pocket 78 album ("Mood Ellington") originally released 1948 07 05.

      The first Columbia Lps were shipped on 1948 06 01. The major companies replaced disc recording with tape recording in 1949-50. Thanks to Bing Crosby, Decca was the first to switch, in September 1949.

      As a general rule, Ellington's records were recorded to disc in the first half of his recording career, and tape in the second half. The first half of his recording career were mostly 78s, the second half mostly 33s and 45s.

      ...New
      added
      2018-10-08
      updated
      2023-06-29
      1948 12 06
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 07
      Tuesday/td>
      .Pittsburgh, Penn.Syria Mosque.
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 12 08
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 09
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 10
      Friday
      .Ithaca, N.Y.Cornell University.
      .New Desor
      DE4808
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1948 12 11
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 12
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 13
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 14
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 14
      Tuesday
      ... Peripheral event
      The 1948 recording ban by the American Federation of Musicians ended Tuesday December 14.
      • 'New York, Dec. 13 (AP)– The government tonight gave James C. Petrillo a legal O.K. on his musicians union welfare fund, opening the way for immediate resumption of record making by AFL musicians.
             A five year contract, agreed to last October, will be signed tomorrow between the phonograf [sic] record companies and the AFL-American Federation of Musicians headed by Petrillo...
             Three of the big four record companies...planned to record new numbers to put in dealers' hands for the Christmas trade. Decca officials said they were in no particular rush... '
      • The royalties were to be from 1 to 2.5 cents a record depending on selling price. The money was to be paid to a single trustee not employed by the union, getting around the Taft-Harley law, and would be used to hire unemployed instrumentatlists to perform free concerts.
      • An AP wirestory Dec. 13 said phonograph record companies alerted artists to stand by Monday for a formal end of the ban, expected Tuesday.
      • The contract was signed Tuesday, and recording activities started immediately.
      • An AP wirestory in the Dec.15 Daytona Beach Morning Journal reported musicians flocked into studios on both coasts "last night;" the same story mutatis mutandis in December 14 papers said "tonight."
      AP wirestories ...sl/djpNew
      added
      2021-04-21
      1948 12 15
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 16
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 17
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 18
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 19
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 20
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 21
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 22
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 23
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1948 12 24
      Friday
      1948 12 30Harlem
      Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      ONE WEEK ONLY BEGINNING FRIDAY, DEC.24TH
      AMERICA'S FOREMOST MODERN COMPOSER
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      his BAND and REVIEW
      "THE HOT SOPHISTICATE"
      TIMMIE ROGERS
      AL HIBBLER      HAROLD and LOLA

      Jesse Cornell & Lawrence-Kay Davis
      Wed. Nite AMATEURS Sat. MIDNITE SHOW
      and wishes you A Merry Xmas and A happy New Year
      (Rogers was a comedian, Harriett and Lola were snake dancers, and Jesse, Cornell and Lawerence were a dance team)

      Apollo's performer card: Net 9,519.38
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-10-12
      2023-03-26
      1948 12 25
      Saturday
      Christmas
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      see 1948 12 24
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 12 26
      Sunday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      see 1948 12 24
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 12 27
      Monday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      see 1948 12 24
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 12 28
      Tuesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      see 1948 12 24
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 12 29
      Wednesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      See 1948 12 24

      WMCA broadcst (Cotton Tail and Dancers in Love)
      .New Desor
      DE4810
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-12
      1948 12 30
      Thursday
      .Harlem, Manhattan
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      see 1948 12 24
      .....Added
      2011
      1948 12 31
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......



      Back to Navigation List

      1949


      Date of event Ending date
      (if different)
      City/
      Other place
      Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
      Desor
      reference
      DEMS
      reference
      Other
      references
      Contact
      person
      Date added
      / updated
      1949 00 00
      ...Harry Carney and Duke Ellington began travelling together by car after Harry bought one sometime in 1949.

      Carney in 1961:

      'After riding on the bus for so long, and having to stop and go when someone gave the word, I decided if I had a car I might have a little more freedom. I was tired of being cooped up in a bus... I've always been car crazy, so in 1949 I got a car.
        At first, it was my intention to make short hops in and around New York, and in the Eastern area. Then I found I was enjoying it so much, and Duke was riding with me almost every day. That was how it started, until I found I was jumping all over the country... if the weather was bad or if there was a big snow, I'd leave the car here rather than risk being unable to make a night.
        On most hops, I manage to get into a hotel around noon. We leave after the job and we like to go two hundred miles at least without stopping. Duke always says "Let's get some miles under our belt before we stop... he has a wonderful knowledge of route and road numbers. He remembers them...
        [in] the Mid-West, the average hop is about four hundred miles. Sometimes we may go two hundred and fifty, at other times five or six hundred. Duke sleeps occasionally , but not as a rule...He sits in the front and he does a lot of thinking. He'll pull out a piece of paper and make notes. We do very little talking, but if he thinks I'm getting weary he'll make conversation so that I don't fall asleep.
        The thing we enjoy most, after leaving a job, is breakfast... We may both be hungry, but still it's necessary to put this first two hundred miles under our belt. When we go in for breakfast, we look forward to a good meal. It gives me energy. We know most of the good eating spots that are open that time of morning...
        When we check into a hotel, I go to bed until about 6:30. Most of the jobs run from 9 to 1 A.M...I hate to finish a job and go straight to bed. I usually stay out to two or three in the morning. It's curious how when we play more than a week in one place a kind of boredom sets in. That's one thing about traveling [sic], it always gives you something to look forward to, even if it's no more than going to another town to see the people there you know...'

      Harry Carney as quoted by Stanley Dance, The World of Duke Ellington, Da Capo Press, 1970. pp.79-80...djpNew
      added 2014-08-08

      January 1949

      1949 01 00...Personnel change
      Fred Guy, guitar, left the band in mid January. Ellington did not replace him.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-12
      1949 01 01
      Saturday
      .Scranton, Penn.Masonic Temple"There will be a four-hour dance and show commencing at 8 p.m."Times-Leader, The Evening News, Wilkes-Barre, Penn.
      1948-12-31 pp.11,15
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-10-12
      1949 01 02
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 03
      Monday
      1949 01 09Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville, advertised as
      • DUKE ELLINGTON And Entire Sepia Revue
      • DUKE ELLINGTON His Band & Big Show
      • DUKE ELLINGTON His 1949 Band! and Big Revue Featuring Stump & Stumpy, Harold & Lake, The 3 Rockets, Enid Williams...
      • DUKE ELLINGTON WITH HIS BIG ORCHESTRA And ALL STAR Revue
      • DUKE ELLINGTON HIS ENTIRE ORCHESTRA And Big All-Star Show!
      3 shows nightly, 7:30, 10:30 and 1:30. The Dec.26 ad said no admission, cover or entertainment charges except Saturday and holidays, the other ads don't mention these charges.
      • Ads, Buffalo Courier-Express:
        • 1948-12-26, p.6-C
        • 1948-12-30, p.6
        • 1949-01-01, p.4
        • 1949-01-01, p.18
        • 1949-01-04, p.6
        • 1949-01-05, p.6
        • 1949-01-06, p.8
        • 1949-01-07, p.6
        • 1949-01-08, p.6
      • Stratemann p.294
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-14
      1949 01 04
      Tuesday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - 3 shows - see 1949 01 03.....Added
      2011
      1949 01 05
      Wednesday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - 3 shows - see 1949 01 03.....Added
      2011
      1949 01 06
      Thursday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - 3 shows - see 1949 01 03.....Added
      2011
      1949 01 07
      Friday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - 3 shows - see 1949 01 03.....Added
      2011
      1949 01 08
      Saturday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - 3 shows - see 1949 01 03.....Added
      2011
      1949 01 09
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoVaudeville - 3 shows - see 1949 01 03.....Added
      2011
      1949 01 10
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Graystone Ballroom.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1949 01 11
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 12
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 13
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 14
      Friday
      .West Lafayette, Ind.Union Ballrooms [sic]
      Purdue University.
      Cary Club Formal dance
      Programme: Page 1

      The Men of Cary Club
      present their
      ANNUAL
      DINNER-DANCE
      January Fourteenth
      Nineteen Hundred Forty-Nine
      Cary Club
      UNION BALLROOMS 6:30 P.M. to 12:00 P.M.

      Programme: Page 3

      PRESENTING
      THE MUSIC OF
      DUKE ELLINGTON


      • Autographed programme, courtesy of Ian Bradley
        Email, Bradley-Palmquist 2019-01-22
      • Photo of Ellington signing his autograph for students, The 1949 Debris, yearbook, Purdue University, West Lafayette.
      ...IBNew
      added
      2019-01-23
      updated
      2019-02-23
      1949 01 15
      Saturday
      .Peoria, Ill.Labor Temple Ballroom.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1949 01 16
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera House.
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 01 00...Personnel change
      Al Sears, tenor sax, leaves the band in mid-January
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      1949 01 17
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 18
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 19
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 20
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 21
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 22
      Saturday
      .Boulder, Col.University of Colorado.
      ...Vail I .Added
      2011
      1949 01 23
      Sunday
      .Bridgeport, Conn.. Peripheral event
      Singer Al Hibbler married Jeanette McAden. According to the New York Age, "Duke Ellington, playing an engagement in Denver, Colo. phoned his regrets on being unable to attend..."
      • New York Age
        • 1949-01-29 p.11
        • 1949-01-22 p.5
        • 1949-02-05, p.10
      • Amsterdam News, New York, 1949-01-29. p.25
      djp,N.Fernandes.New
      added 2013-04-09
      1949 01 23
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented possibly in Denver (see 'peripheral event' for this day).
      1949 01 24
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 25
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 26
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 27
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine AuditoriumConcert
      "DUKE ELLINGTON will have his world famed 20 piece band tonight at the Shrine Auditorium for a concert of the composer's own works. Featured artists will include Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Ray Nance, Jimmy Hamilton, and Kay Davis."

      GETTIN' THE NEWS FROM G. G.!
      There'll be a flock on hand to see the greatest of all "Duke Ellington" and his 20-piece band at the Shrine tonight, when Gene Norman presented his "Just Jazz""
      • California Eagle, 1949-01-27, p.16
      • Stratemann, p.294 citing Variety 1949-02-02, p.37
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-08-17
      1949 01 27
      Thursday
      ... Peripheral event

      DUKE ELLINGTON ONLY SEPIA ARTIST ON MICROGROOVES
      NEW YORK (CNS)-Duke Ellington is the sole Negro artist on Columbia's new microgroove records, better known as LPs (long playing) for an entire symphony which can be played from one side with only a special attachment to your phonograph. This Ellington number is called "Mood Ellington" and is complete on two sides with many of the Duke's more famous melodies.

      California Eagle, 1949-01-27, p.16...djpNew
      added 2012-08-17
      1949 01 28
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 01 29
      Saturday
      .Long Beach, Cal.Municipal Auditorium2 1/2 hour concert
      Tickets priced from $1.20 to $3.60
      Herb Smith review:

      '...a program lasting two and one-half hours.
        Some of the soloists were Ray Nance, Kay Davis, Al Hibler [sic], Ben Webster, Jimmy Hamilton, Lawrence Brown, Johnny Hodges, Junior Raglin and Harry Carney.
        The medley of famous Ellington compostions with their originator at the piano was very impressive and took us back some 10 or 12 years. "Creole Love Call" and "Reminiscing in Tempo," along with "Tattooed Bride" and "Manhattan Mural" were unusually well received. The last named featured a musical ride on the "A" train through Manhattan, seen through the eyes of a mellow tenor saxohone solo by Webster, and ending with a disappearance into the tunnel as described by Hamilton [sic] on the baritone sax.'

      Ads, publicity and review, Long Beach Press Telegram
      • 1949-01-12, p.B-7
      • 1949-01-25
      • 1949-01-27
      • 1949-01-29
      • 1949-01-30
      • 1949-01-31
      ...AGPNew
      added
      2013-02-12
      updated
      2017-10-12
      1949 01 31
      Monday
      4:30 pm
      .Oakland, Cal.Capwell's Record Shop
      4th Floor
      Ellington made a personal appearance at Capwell's "to sign your Columbia platters".Ad, Oakland Tribune, 1949-01-30...AGPNew
      added 2013-02-12
      1949 01 30
      Sunday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Opera House.
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 01 31
      Monday
      .Oakland, Cal.Auditorium"Duke Ellington attracted 5,500 people to an Auditorium dance."
      Oakland Tribune, 1949-02-06, p.27...djp?Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-08-20

      February 1949

      1949 02 01
      Tuesday
      1949 02 20
      Sunday
      Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood Empire
      Vine St. above Sunset Blvd.
      Nightclub residency
      • Ellington was paid $3,500/week plus a percentage of the cover charge and bar sales.
      • There were regular ABC network remote broadcasts over KABC Hollywood, and "a great many" of the broadcasts were transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee and Just Jazz records.
      • Lena Horne and Lennie Hayton attended the opening.

      California Eagle:

      "Edward Kennedy Ellington, the Duke, who has nearly 2,000 compositions during his musical career, is playing his most famous works to crowds of enthusiastic patrons nightly at the Hollywood Empire, Vine Street above Sunset Boulevard. Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Al Killian, Jimmy Hamilton, Tyree Glenn, Hal Baker, Ray Nance, Wendell Marshall, and Sonny Greer, who are rated top instrumentalists in the nation, are featured in the Ellngtonia for dancing and listening.
        Beautiful, curvaceous Kay Davis turns soprano for "Creole Love Call" and "On An Azure [sic] Cloud," an amazing transition from her smooth contralto. Al Hibller [sic] includes his great "Trees," "Lover Come Back to Me," "Little Brown Book," and "Don't Be So Mean to Baby" in every show.
        Billy Strayhorn. whose "Take the "A" Train" and more recent "Lush Life" are Ellington standards, takes over the piano once each evening.
        Duke and his boys are on hand Sundays 4 to 7 p.m. for jam sessions. The Empire is closed Mondays"

      Pittsburgh Courier:

      'The Duke Still Packs 'Em In
        LOS ANGELES - Duke Ellington... and his world-famous Orchestra are now drawing crowds lightly, except Mondays, to Hollywood Empire...
        Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Al Killian, Jimmy Hamilton, Tyree Glenn, Hal Baker, Ray Nance, Wendell Marshall, and Sonny Greer, are instrumental evidence why the Duke's orchestra is establishing the Empire as Hollywood's most popular spot.

      KAY DAVIS GREAT
        Luscious Kay Davis and Al Hibler [sic] share vocal honors. Miss Davis' most spectacular numbers being "Creole Love Call" and "On an Azure Cloud." [sic] In these, her voice replaces a clarinet solo. Hibler [sic] includes his great number [sic] "Trees," "Lover Come Back to Me" and "Don't Be So Mean to Baby," in every show.
        Billy Strayhorn whose composition, "Take the A Train," and his recent "Lush Life," takes over the piano once each evening for the entertainment of dancing and listening patrons. Jam sessions are held from 4 to 7 P.M. every Sunday. '

      • "It's a Good Deal at the Empire With Duke's Crew," California Eagle 1949-02-10 p.16
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1949-02-12 p.20
      • Stratemann p.294
      • The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, Cal. 1949-02-05 p.12
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2017-10-12
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 00.Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireUndated network remote broadcast over ABC/KABC Hollywood, transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee or Just Jazz records

      Notice to reader - since the dates are unknown, the undated sessions are simply listed in the order they appear in New Desor. The dated sessions appear in chronological order.
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington,Marshall, Greer, Davis, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • Caravan
      • Brown Betty
      • Main Stem
      • Y'oughta
      • Solitude
      • Stomp, Look And Listen
      New Desor
      DE4901
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 00.Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireUndated network remote broadcast over ABC/KABC Hollywood, transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee or Just Jazz records
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington,Marshall, Greer, Davis, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • H'ya Sue
      • C-Jam Blues
      • Passion Flower
      • Clementine
      • Just a-Sittin' and a-Rockin'
      • One O'Clock Jump
      New Desor
      DE4903
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 00.Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireUndated network remote broadcast over ABC/KABC Hollywood, transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee or Just Jazz records
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Davis, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • H'ya Sue
      • He Makes Me Believe He's Mine
      • Stomp, Look And Listen
      • Brown Betty
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Humoresque
      Ellingtonia.comNew Desor
      DE4906
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 00.Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood Empire.Undated ABC network remote broadcast over KABC Hollywood, transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee or Just Jazz records
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Hibbler, Davis
      Titles recorded:
      • The Tattooed Bride
      • Just Squeeze Me
      • Body And Soul
      • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
      • Rockin' In Rhythm
      Ellingtonia.comNew Desor
      DE4907
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 00.Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireUndated network remote broadcast over ABC/KABC Hollywood, transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee or Just Jazz records
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Al Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Wendell Marshall, Greer, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • Unbooted Character
      • Paradise
      • How You Sound
      • It's Monday Every Day
      • Caravan
      • Cotton Tail
      New Desor
      DE4908
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 00.Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireUndated network remote broadcast over ABC/KABC Hollywood, transcribed (recorded) by AFRS for the Jubilee or Just Jazz records
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer
      Titles recorded:
      • Beale Street Blues
      • Tootin' Through The Roof
      • Harlem Air-Shaft
      • Blue Lou
      • Three Cent Stomp
      • C-Jam Blues
      • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
      • Cotton Tail
      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      Ellingtonia.com New Desor
      DE4909
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 02
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 03
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 04
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 05
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 06
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01

      Afternoon jam session
      Evening performance
      ABC network radio remote over KABC (Hollywood) and recorded by AFRS.
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington,Marshall, Greer, Davis, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • How High the Moon
      • Lover Man
      • Rockin' in Rhythm
      • Just Squeeze Me
      • How You Sound
      New Desor
      DE4902
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 07
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood Empireactivities not documented - day off
      The club was closed on Mondays
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 02 08
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 09
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01

      ABC network/KABC Hollywood remote broadcast recorded by AFRS
      Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Davis, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • Take The "A" Train (theme)
      • The Tattooed Bride
      • Rockin' In Rhythm
      • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
      • How You Sound
      The AFRS record opens with audience noise and an announcer named Leo introducing the show as

      'another half-hour in Just Jazz, a concert in musical rhythm known as jazz... '

      He introduces Just Jazz announcer Gene Norman, who does another introduction. Norman says they're broadcasting from the Empire but says

      '...We've arranged to have the Duke and his men start the show as they would an original broadcast...'

      Norman introduces a third announcer, Lode Cook [phonetic spelling] who also says the show is from the Hollywood Empire. After the Take the A Train opening, Cook asks Ellington to describe the first programmed number, The Tattooed Bride. Duke describes it as an extended work of the season that "we've played all along the line in our concerts" and talks about the four notes arising from the letter W which "we" attempt to rhapsodize for 10 minutes (this recording is 11 minutes, 12 seconds). When it ends, an announcer (Norman?) says that accounts for Part 1. Norman (?) then introduces

      '...a change of pace and tempo with, well, a guy [sic] you all know, if you like jazz, we're happy to present Lady Day, Miss Billie Holiday...'

      Holiday sings Miss Brown to You and Lover Man, Oh Where Can You Be? backed by an unnamed rhythm section. Lou Cook next introduces the Ellington orchestra again. Norman's voice-over series promotional announcements are heard during the first part of the "How You Sound," which is faded out before it ends.

      The front and back record labels on YouTube show
      • "SERIES. END-83"
      • "PROGRAM No." (blank)
      • "Prog. Time 29:15"
      Side 2 has handwritten notations "444" and "2/1/50"suggesting the broadcast was prepared/aired several months after the Empire performance. According to Mackenzie, END was the letter code for

      'ENtertainment, using Domestic Network broadcast material, in whole or in part...
        Generally speaking, series in the old H listing would become EN, but it hasn't always worked out this way. The Just Jazz series, H-83 was considered an AFRS-produced series, although network material was used and edited. Under the new system, it would have been reasonable to assume that the new code allocation would be EN-83, but it seems that because network material was used, it was changed to END-83...'

      This seems to suggest Holiday's songs were not recorded from the same show Ellington played at the Hollywood Empire on Feb. 9, and that her recordings and Norman's announcements were added during the AFRS editing process. A sampling of newspaper radio logs from various cities schedule Ellington for 15 minutes, starting on the quarter hour or half hour. Since Tattooed Bride and its related announcements take nearly 15 minutes, it seems possible the network broadcast 30 minutes of Ellington, with stations picking up the first or last half of the show as they wished.
      New Desor
      DE4904
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2018-01-06
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 10
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01

      ABC network/KABC Hollywood remote broadcast recorded by AFRS
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Hemphill, Killian, F.Williams, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Sears, Webster, Carney, Ellington,Marshall, Greer, Davis, Hibbler
      Titles recorded:
      • Solid Old Man
      • Singin' In The Rain
      • Three Cent Stomp
      • Tulip Or Turnip
      • Take The "A" Train
      New Desor
      DE4905
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 11
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 12
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 13
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01

      Afternoon jam session and evening performance
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 02 14
      Monday
      Valentine's Day
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood Empireactivities not documented - day off
      The club was closed on Mondays
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 02 15
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 16
      Wednesday
      1:00 to ~5:00 P.M.
      .Hollywood, Cal.Stage #10, Universal Studios, Universal City.Music recorded for the Universal Pictures film short "Symphony In Swing"
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Killian, Baker, F.Williams, Hemphill, Nance, Brown, Glenn, Jackson, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope, Webster, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Davis.
      Titles recorded:
      • Take the "A" Train
      • Suddenly It Jumped
      • Turquoise Cloud
      • Y'oughta
      • Dancers In Love
      • Knock Me A Kiss
      • Frankie and Johnny
      • Metronome All Out
      New Desor
      DE4910
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-08
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 16
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 17
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 18
      Friday
      8:45 A.M. - 7:00 P.M.
      .Los Angeles, Cal..Filming of "Symphony In Swing"
      The studio shooting call sheet has Ellington, the orchestra and Ray Nance as vocalist on set at 7:30 A.M. for a shooting call at 8:00 A.M.
      Kay Davis was to be in Hairdressing at 8:00 and in Makeup at 8:30 to arrive on set at 9:00. The Edward Sisters were to be in Hairdressing and Makeup at 11:00 and 11:30 respectively, and to be on set at 1:00 P.M.

      A stand-in for Duke Ellington was admitted through the gate at 7:15 A.M..

      Ten band members finished at 5:20 P.M., the rest were needed to film the Edwards Sister segment.

      The film was released April 28, 1949
      ..DEMSStratemann 295
      Strat298+photos
      Vail I 344photos
      .Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-08
      2020-05-07
      1949 02 18
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 19
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 02 20
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood EmpireNightclub residency - see 1949 02 01

      Afternoon jam session and evening performance
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 02 21
      Monday
      .Long Beach, Cal.Auditorium.
      Stratemann p.303....Added
      2011
      1949 02 22
      Tuesday
      1949 02 28Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar Theater.
      Stratemann p.303....Added
      2011
      1949 02 23
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 02 24
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 02 25
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 02 26
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 02 27
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 02 28
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......

      March 1949

      1949 03 01
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      Likely a travel day
      ......
      1949 03 02
      Wednesday
      .Albuquerque, N.M..(Unconfirmed)

      Likely a dance; a "day of" preview in the March 4 Amarillo Daily News puts the band in Albuquerque the evening of March 2.
      Amarillo Daily News, 1949-03-04...djpNew
      added 2012-08-17
      1949 03 03
      Thursday
      1949 03 04
      Friday
      Amarillo, Texas.Arrival March 3 from Albuquerque (where the band performed Wednesday night)...Amarillo Daily News, Preview, 1949-03-04...djp, agpNew
      added 2012-08-17
      1949 03 04
      Friday
      9 pm
      .Amarillo, TexasThe Natatorium
      ("The Nat")
      Concert
      "THE DUKE A HIT
      ELLINGTON'S MAGIC MUSIC KEEPS FANS BUNCHED AT THE STAND
      The Ellington appearance at the dance last night took on something of the atmosphere of a concert.

      Couples would start dancing and somehow before the number was half over they drifted up to the bandstand until only a half dozen or so were left dancing.

      Then the orchestra would start a fast-rhythm number and the audience would start dancing again. But the interest in technique always won out, and eventually the crowd would be at the bandstand again.

      The lower floor of the Nat was filled to capacity and the upstairs was comfortably filled...(clothing described)...

      Music for the evening included everything from Danny Boy to the hottest boogie-woogie, all performed in the inimitable Ellington Style. With Ellington astuteness, solos were cleverly fitted to the particular numbers. Junior Raglin, conspicuously placed, was an eye-and-ear full with his brass (sic) fiddle..."
      Amarillo Daily News,
      • 1949-02-27
      • 1949-03-04
      • 1949-02-25,p.21
      • Review, 1949-03-05
      • Preview, 1949-02-18, p.21
      • Amarillo Sunday News-Globe, 1949-02-27, p.23
      ...djp, agpNew
      added 2012-08-17
      1949 03 05
      Saturday
      .Los Alamos, N.M.Community HallConcert?Santa Fe New Mexican, 1949-03-06, referring to a concert last night....agpNew
      added 2012-08-17
      1949 03 06
      Sunday
      .Oklahoma City, Okla.Zebra Room(Unconfirmed)

      "Dominic Vietta and Wayne Tolen, who attend East Central State college, spent the weekend in Oklahoma City where they attended a performance given by Duke Ellington and his orchestra."

      Vail I dates this as March 5, but Saturday is unlikely given that we have confirmed an appearance in Los Alamos that day.
      Ada (Oklahoma) Evening News, 1949-03-10.p.3...djpNew
      added 2012-08-17
      1949 03 07
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 03 08
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 03 09
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 03 10
      Thursday
      9PM - 1AM
      .Moberly, Mo.Municipal AuditoriumLions Club Dance

      "Duke Ellington, Here With His Band Thursday, Tops All Polls
      ...Ellington's appearance here is for a dance being sponsored by the Lions Club with tickets available at the Payne, Burton and Mears Drug stores or from any Lions member.
      ...
      All-Out Campaign
        Publicity Chairman W. C. McCluskery and other members of the Lions Club committee have gone all out in the campaign to advertise the Ellington appearance.
        Newspapers, radio stations, window cards, bumper signs and street banners have been used to herald Ellington's performance here.
        Tickets and posters have been distributed throughout a 70-mile radius of Moberly. Advance sales have been good, it is indicated."


      "Band Makes a Big Hit Here
      ...The Duke...and his star-studded 20 -piece band left little to be desired.
        Here for a Lions Club dance at the Municipal Auditorium, the Ellington combination, including Kay Davis and blin Al Hibbler, vocalists, drew only praise from hundreds of dancers and listeners who came from miles around.
        Ellington ran the gamut of musical entertainment - from the Missouri waltz and currently popular ballads to be-bop rhythms that pleased the teen-agers.
        Noteworthy were the vocal renditions of Hibbler whose vocal range and peculiar quality described as 'tonal drama' won the evening's most liberal ovations."

      Moberly Monitor-Index and Moberly Evening Democrat, Moberly, Mo.
      • Publicity:
        • 1949-02-28 p.6
        • 1949-03-08 p.3
      • Ads:
        • 1949-02-28 p.6
        • 1949-03-08 p.3
        • 1949-03-09 p.8
        • 1949-03-10 p.4
      • Review: "Band Makes a Big Hit Here,"
        1949-03-11, p.2
      ...djpNew
      added 2014-04-09
      1949 03 11
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine AuditoriumStratemann lists a possible concert with Billie Holiday, but notes it as unconfirmed. Whether or not Ellington was booked here is not known, but the Shrine board changed its policy in January to no longer allow jazz concerts making an exception for Ellington's January 27 concert which had already been booked.Stratemann p.294,citing Variety 1949-02-02 p.37, and p.303...djpAdded
      2011

      updated
      2012-08-17
      2017-10-12
      1949 03 11
      Friday
      .Iowa City, IowaThe Saturday edition of The Daily Iowan ran a photo of Kay Davis and Duke Ellington in the lobby of the Hotel Jefferson. The accompanying story said they arrived at Iowa City Rock Island station at 4:15 p.m. They were met by fans, the press and local band leader Nat Williams who invited Ellington to a midnight party in his honour at the Amvets club.The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
      1949-03-12 p.8
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-10-12
      1949 03 11
      Friday
      .Iowa City, IowaIowa Union
      Southern University of Iowa
      Two concerts, 7:30 and 10 p.m.
      Tickets were $1.20 including tax, and for the first five days were for sale to students. On March 7 sales to the public began. According to the publicity, were sold first to students, who had purchased almost the entire allotment before tickets were offered to the public.
      The Saturday edition of The Daily Iowan ran a photo of Ray Nance soloing on trumpet with plunger mute during one of the concerts. While two concerts were announced/advertised, the review and photo caption refer only to concert (singular).
      Donald Key in The Daily Iowan:

      'The spontaneous music of Duke Ellington and his band thrilled, bounced and sent waves of rhythm throughout a capacity audience in the Iowa Union last night.
        Jazz, swing, be-bop and mondern moods were all represented, and the audience gave enthusiastic approval to all of them.
        Especially well liked was the arrangement of an old 1927 tune, "Creole Love Call." If featured the versatile and charming voice of Kay Davis and the rocking trumpet of Ray Nance.
        Take-offs on tunes old and new were effectively done by Ben Webster and Frank Williams on the sax, and five trumpet men led by Al Killian.
        Killian is trumpet man with phenomenal range. He picks up a small horn (a baby trumpet called a cornet) and plays notes that are usually produced only on a flute.
        A favorite of the audience was the male vocalist Al Hubler, [sic] who can make his voice respond like a saxophone with a haunting tone.
        Nance, the little trumpeter who supplies comedy to the program, put down his horn and changed to violinist for one novelty number.
        Another outstanding solo was taken by Johnnie [sic] Hodges on his whining alto sax, and of course the Duke and his piano sounded a solid background for the vocals aswell as the band.
        The last number of the much too short concert was a medley of old favorites including "Don't Get Around Much Any More," "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," "Mood Indigo," "Caravan" and "In My Solitude."'

      The Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
      • 1949-03-01 p.4
      • 1949-03-06 p.2
      • 1949-03-06 p.5
      • 1949-03-12 p.8
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-10-12
      1949 03 12
      Saturday
      .Iowa City, IowaMain lounge
      Iowa Union.
      Pan-Hellenic formal dance, 9 p.m.-midnightThe Daily Iowan, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
      1949-03-09 p.3
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-10-13
      1949 03 13
      Sunday
      .Decatur, Ill..Concert
      'Mrs. Irene McCormick, son, Jack, and Bob Beall attended the Duke Ellington concert in Decatur Sunday evening.'
      The Daily Journal Gazette and Commercial Star, Mattoon, Ill, 1949-03-14 p.6...djpNew
      added 2013-04-16
      1949 03 14
      Monday
      1949 03 27
      Sunday
      Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Two week engagement, with 15 musicians and 2 vocalists led by Duke Ellington to perform 6 days weekly according to club policy, not to exceed 38 hours per week, with Tuesdays off; $5,000/week
      • Contract B2534, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann
      • Stratemann p.303
      ..Timner corrections -4/33djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-10-31
      1949 03 15
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill..day off.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 16
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 17
      Thursday
      St. Patrick's Day
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 18
      Friday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 19
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 20
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 21
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 22
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill..day off.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 23
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 24
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 25
      Friday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 26
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 27
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1949 03 14.....updated 2012-10-31
      1949 03 28
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 03 00.Chicago, Ill.Two Ton Baker's homeEllington played piano and spoke or sang on tape at a private party
      Titles recorded:
      • I'm Afraid
      • Lover Man
      • Fantazam
      • Harlem
      • Piano Interlude
      • Unidentified
      • Creole Rhapsody
      • Uno, Due, Tre
      • Rockin' In Rhythm
      • Piano Interlude
      • Sentimental Journey
      • The Mystery Song
      • B-Sharp Boston
      New Desor
      DE4911
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated

      2012-10-31
      2014-04-09
      2020-05-07
      1949 03 29
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 03 30
      Wednesday
      .Evansivlle, Ind.American Legion auditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m., 21/2 hrs,
      A record store ad titled the concert "Carnegie Concert of Jazz"
      Prices: $3.00, $2.40, $1.80 (tax included)
      Named in the publicity: Al Sears, Oscar Pettiford, Al Hibbler, Jimmy Hamilton, Kay Davis.
      Review by D.S.R. in the Courier:

      'Duke Ellington, Band Give Out With Jazz in Concert
        Duke Ellington and his orchestra last night presented a concert of jazz music in the American Legion auditorium that would have satisfied the most critical fan.
        Playing to a small but appreciative audience, Mr. Ellington presented melodies that were masterpieces of rhythm. Orchestra members, each a recognized as a leader on his instrument, soloed throughout.
        One of the most entertaining numbers on the program was "Symphomaniac," a tale of the history of jazz. In two parts, it first satirizes the early days of jazz, when attempts were made to have the music sound symphonic, then goes into a present-day jam session.
        Ben Webster, who plays one of the sweetest tenor saxophones in the business, was heard in "How High the Moon." Ray Nance played a hot trumpet in a strictly-jive tune, "Suddenly It Jumped."
        A new version of the 20-year-old "Creole Love Call" was presented, with Kay Davis vocalizing in the background. Miss Davis also effectively sang "Don't Blame Me."
        "Don't Be So Mean to Baby," "Lover, Come Back to Me," and "Trees" all were sung well by Albert Hibbler.
        The program also included "She Wouldn't Be Moved," with Wendell Marshall on the bass and Sonny Graham on the trumpet: "Lady of the Lavender Mists," "Yours" with Al Killian on the trumpet; "Dancers in Love," and "The Tattooed Bride,": one of Mr. Ellington's newest numbers.
        Other outstanding players were Ray Nance and Hal Baker, trumpet; Lawrence Brown, trombone; Harry Carney, baritone sax; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet, and Johnny Hodges alto sax.
        Final number on the program was a medley of popular compositions, with the orchestra leader at the piano. A fine encore was "Trumpets No End," which showed up the fine trumpet section in a take-off on "Blue Skies." The orchestra was presented by Jack Racine.'

      • The Sunday Courier and Press, Evansville, Ind.
        • 1949-03-06 p.24-A
        • 1949-03-13 p.6-C
        • 1949-03-20 p.24-F
        • 1949-03-27 p.26-A
      • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind.
        • 1949-03-10 p.22
        • 1949-03-11 p.41
        • 1949-03-17 p.22
        • 1949-03-18 p.20
        • 1949-03-25 pp.22, 27, 38
        • 1949-03-30 p.22
        • 1949-03-31 p.7
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-10-12
      1949 03 31
      Thursday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Armory....Vail I .Added
      2011

      April 1949

      1949 04 00
      ...

      'Duke Ellington "officially" denied printed reports that his band soon would break up, in last month's Cap News, but time will tell if he was merely stalling until a more opportune time.
        For at least four men in his band continue to insist that the notice has been posted and that -- within the next 60 days -- the mighty Duke will disband his organization and concentrate on composing. Johnny Hodges, for one, approached Gene Norman of the Hollywood Empire for a possible summer booking with the Rabbit fronting a small combo. Norman, moreover, assured him that he would "buy" the band when....and if.
        But Duke says it won't happen.'


      .
      Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2015-09-21 quoting Capitol[Records] News, April 1949 [vol. 7 no. 4]...SLNew
      added
      2015-09-21
      1949 04 01
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 02
      Saturday
      .West Lafayette, Ind.Hall of Music
      Purdue University
      Vaudeville, 2 shows, 7 and 9:30 p.m.
      The Kokomo Tribune reported "Mr.and Mrs.Roy Donica, Mr.and Mrs.Charles Helvig and Mr.and Mrs.Willard W.Clayton will go to Lafayette Saturday night to attend the Duke Ellington orchestra program at Purdue university."

      The Purdue Exponent:

      'There are still some tickets available for the Victory Varieties show to be held tonight in the Hall of Music at 7 and 9: 30. The revue stars Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Flanking Ellington are Hazel Scott, notable piano stylist, and the Golden Gate Quartet, a team which specializes in Negro spirituals. The Four Step-Brothers, a comedy team, will complete the select colored revue...
        Some members of the orchestra are Johnny Hodges., Ray Nance...,Harry Carney,..., Lawrence Brown..., Junior Raglin... Al Hibbler and Kay Davis...
        And all seats for both shows are reserved and are priced at $1.20 each. '

      • Kokomo (Ind.)Tribune 1949-04-02 p.7
      • The Purdue Exponent, Purdue University, 1949-04-02 p.1, courtesy D. T. Burrows, Graduate Assistant, Archives and Special Collections, Department of History, Purdue University (2016-07-14)
      ..Vail I .Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-10-31
      2016-07-15
      1949 04 03
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 04
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 05
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 06
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 07
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 08
      Friday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState Theatre......Added
      2011
      1949 04 09
      Saturday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState TheatreStage show - see 1949 04 08......
      1949 04 10
      Sunday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState TheatreStage show - see 1949 04 08......
      1949 04 11
      Monday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState TheatreStage show - see 1949 04 08......
      1949 04 12
      Tuesday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState TheatreStage show - see 1949 04 08......
      1949 04 13
      Wednesday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState TheatreStage show - see 1949 04 08......
      1949 04 14
      Thursday
      1949 04 14Cincinnati, OhioState TheatreStage show - see 1949 04 08......
      1949 04 15
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 16
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Masonic Temple......Added
      2011
      1949 04 17
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial Auditorium......Added
      2011
      1949 04 18
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 19
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 04 20
      Wednesday
      1949 05 10
      Tuesday
      New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville - 6 performances a day - shared bill with Billy Eckstine. Others in the show were Peck & Peck and Howell & Bowser. The film was Undercover Man.

      California Eagle:

      'Duke and his band, along with the croon-swooner Billy Eckstein {sic}, just completed engagement at N. York's Paramount Theater.'(3)

      The Weekly Gettysburgian:

      '...Duke Ellington and his outfit were then contracted to substitute for Spivak, but instead , signed with the Paramount Theater of New York for a three weeks run with a one week option . When Paramount developed obligatory movie engagements , it dropped Ellington's option, leaving him free to come to Gettysburg . The contract arrived in today's mail...'

      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      2014-09-10
      2015-04-10
      2019-12-15
      1949 04 21
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 22
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.National Guard Armory
      Fifth Ave. & 142nd St.
      "Duke Ellington to Play For Scholarship Dance"
      "...will be playing his first Harlem dance engagement in recent years, and in aid of education, when he appears under the auspices of the A.C.Powell Sr. Fund, Inc., at the National Guard Armory, ...on Friday evening April 22.
      New York Age,1949-04-23, pp. 4,7...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      2015-04-10
      1949 04 22
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 23
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 24
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 25
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 26
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 27
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 28...Date of contract between Jack Holzstein, Duke Ellington, Inc. and William Morris Agency to provide 17 musicians and 2 vocalists led by Duke Ellington, not to exceed 38 hours per week, to the Blue Note Cafe for 3 weeks beginning October 17, 1949 at $5,000/week.Contract B-1 1452, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
      added 2012-10-31
      1949 04 28
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 29
      Friday
      Ellington's birthday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day
      Barry Ulanov reported Duke spent his 50th birthday doing six shows at the Paramount. Ulanov's article implies he spent some time talking with Duke in Duke's dressing room:
      • He mentions Duke spoke about how relaxed he'd been during the Hollywood Empire and Blue Note runs.
      • Duke appeared to be happy about The Tatooed Bride.
      • Quotes Ellington:

        'I never did get to hear the Liberian Suite. You know we recorded it for Columbia before the ban. Why didn't they release it? Oh yes, of couse. We never did get Hibbler up to record the vocal part. We must do that. As I remember, there's some interesting music in the Liberian Suite.'

      • Ulanov goes on to describe their discussion of bop, jazz, Fugaditti, relaxed recording sessions for Capitol Transcriptions, the use of counterpoint, the vagaries of Strayhorn's coming and going, and routining.
      • Duke:
        'The secret of any dramatic art is routining. When the first show doesn't go over you haven't got a week in New Haven and two in Philadelphia to straighten it out. You've got four or five more to do that day and six more tough days to go and you get it straight by the second or the third show or you're a bust. That is routining and the same procedure has to be followed on every stage, on every record, in anything that even suggests the dramatic. You can dust off a very slight old thing, a tune with nothing, give it a bright trumpet here, a flashy saxophone there, and you've got a pretty young thing. Routining!'
      • Ben Webster entered the dressing room to ask about wearing a "pair of very sharp brown and white shoes. Duke gives him short shrift:
        • Duke:
          'Ben, Barry has been eulogizing you: you've never heard such praise. Don't you think you should leave so he can continue without the embarrassment of your presence?'
        • Ben:
          'We make a good act, don't you think? You know why I stay in this band? To give Duke an act. [Duke laughs and points to the door] Can I wear these?'
        • Duke:
          'No, you cannot. I have enough trouble with Eckstine on the same stage without having to compete with the boys in the band. [Webster leaves] You see, I always look at things from the perspective of a bandleader.'
      Barry Ulanov, Metronome, 1949-06-00 pp. 12, 23...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 04 29
      Friday
      Ellington's birthday
      .New York, N.Y.."Adventures In Jazz"
      8:00 - 8:30 p.m.
      First television appearance by Ellington and his orchestra. Stratemann's description has Ellington playing Sophisticated Lady, C-Jam Blues and On A Turquoise Cloud, but New Desor has additional titles. The program host was WOV disc jockey Fred Robbins.
      Stratemann p.303New Desor
      DE4912
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-03-27
      1949 04 30
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03

      May 1949

      1949 05 00...Personnel change
      Charlie Rouse, tenor sax, born 1924, joins the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      1949 05 01
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day..
      djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 02
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..17:45-18:00 Duke appeared on CBS radio on the "Herb Shriner Show," playing a medley with the house orchestra led by Raymond Scott.Stratemann p.303 .New Desor
      DE4913
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 05 02
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 03
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 04
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 05
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 06
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 07
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 08
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 09
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 10
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theater
      Times Square
      Vaudeville show - see 1949-04-20 - six shows a day....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-11-03
      1949 05 11
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 05 12
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 05 13
      Friday
      .Gettysburg, Penn.Eddie Plank Memorial Gymnasium
      Gettysburg College
      "All school" formal dance, 21:00-01:00

      Ellington replaced Charlie Spivak's orchestra, which had double booked and was in Texas.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      2019-12-15
      1949 05 14
      Saturday
      .New Castle, Penn.Cathedral Hall......Added
      2011
      1949 05 15
      Sunday
      .Clairton, Penn.Downbeat Club......Added
      2011
      1949 05 16
      Monday
      .Morgantown, Penn.Metropolitain Theatre......Added
      2011
      1949 05 17
      Tuesday
      ...Personnel change
      Ben Webster left the band.
      Sjef Hoefsmit in DEMS 04,3-31.DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      2020-05-07
      1949 05 17
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 05 18
      Wednesday
      .Chester, Penn.Warner Bros. Stanley TheatreStage shows 2:30, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
      On screen: The Strange Mrs. Crane
      Ads, Delaware County Daily Times, Chester, Penn.
      • 1949-05-13 p.23
      • 1949-05-18 p.21
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 05 19
      Thursday
      .Trenton, N.J.Arena......Added
      2011
      1949 05 20
      Friday
      ...Personnel change
      Jimmy Forrest, tenor sax, joins the band. He is later credited with composing "Night Train," which is based on one of Ellington's "Happy-Go-Lucky Local" themes.
      New Desor vol.2
      .DEMS.Hoefsmit, djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-10-11
      2020-05-07
      1949 05 20
      Friday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Temple University.....Added
      2011
      1949 05 21
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.13th Regiment Armory
      Sumner & Jefferson Aves.
      Dance, 9 p.m., sharing the bill with Al Hibbler and with the band of Chubby Jackson.
      Band members named in the ad: Hodges, Nance, Webster, Greer, Kay Davis
      • Stratemann, p.303 citing Amsterdam News 1949-05-21 p.19
      • Brooklyn Eagle, 1949-05-20 p.10
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 05 22
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 05 23
      Monday
      .Belleville, Ont.Arena......Added
      2011
      1949 05 24
      Tuesday
      .Hamilton, Ont.Hamilton Armouries......Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 05 25
      Wednesday
      .Toronto, Ont.Massey Hall
      178 Victoria St.
      ......Added
      2011
      updated
      d
      1949 05 26
      Thursday
      .Sudbury, Ont.Capitol Theatre......Added
      2011
      1949 05 27
      Friday
      .Sault Ste Marie, Ont. Memorial Gardens......Added
      2011
      1949 05 28
      Saturday
      .North Bay, Ont. Memorial Gardens......Added
      2011
      1949 05 29
      Sunday
      .Noranda, P.Q.Arena......Added
      2011
      1949 05 30
      Monday
      .Schumacher, Ont.
      (now Timmins)
      McIntyre Arena......Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 05 31
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......

      June 1949

      1949 06 00...Personnel changes
      Francis Williams leaves the band, although he will record with the band three times in the 1950s.

      Trumpeter Nelson "Cadillac" Williams, born 1917, joins the band.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-25
      1949 06 01
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 02
      Thursday
      .London, Ont.Grand Theatre......Added
      2011
      1949 06 03
      Friday
      .Guelph, Ont.Memorial Gardens......Added
      2011
      1949 06 04
      Saturday
      .Peterborough, Ont.Club Aragon ......Added
      2011
      1949 06 05
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 06
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.AAU Club......Added
      2011
      1949 06 07
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 08
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 09
      Thursday
      .Wilberforce, OhioWilberforce UniversityAP wire story:

      'Wilberforce university yesterday awarded an Honorary doctor of music degree to bandleader Duke Ellington during commencement exercises. Two citations were awarded "in absentia" to Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman and Dr. Ralph Bunche, United Nations mediator for Palestine.'

      This was Ellington's second honorary Doctorate of Music.
      The band's activity is not documented.
      -Email query sent 2015-04-10 to the Wilberforce libary to see if the band performed there around this time.
      • Stratemann p.304 citing Variety 1949-06-15 p.39
      • AP wirestory announcement:
        • Lima News, Lima, Ohio 1949-06-07 p.9
        • The Sandusky Register-Star-News, Sandusky, Ohio 1949-06-07 p.13
        • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore., 1949-06-07 p.1
      • AP wirestory report:
        • The Evening Independent, Massillon, Ohio 1949-06-10 p.13
        • The Evening Tribune, Marysville, Ohio, 1949-06-10 p.1
        • The Record-Herald, Washington C.H., Ohio 1949-06-08 p.8
        • Salem News, Salem, Ohio,1949-06-11 p.2
        • Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio, 1949-06-10 p.22
      • Oakland Tribune 1949-07-03 p.10-C
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      2020-05-07
      1949 06 10
      Friday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Sunset TerraceConcert and danceVail I without citing a source...Vail I .Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 06 11
      Saturday
      .Toledo, OhioNaval Armory....Vail I .Added
      2011
      1949 06 12
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 13
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 14
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 15
      Wednesday
      9 pm - 1 am
      .Windsor, Ont.Windsor ArenaDancing Tonight, 9 to 1 DST
      Tickets $1.50
      Duke Ellington And His 17-Piece Orchestra
      Ad, Windsor Daily Star, 1949-06-15 p.2..Vail I .Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-15
      2015-04-10
      1949 06 16
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 17
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 18
      Saturday
      .South Bendm, Ind......Vail I .Added
      2011
      1949 06 19
      Sunday
      .Peoria, Ill.Ing Ballroom....Vail I .Added
      2011
      1949 06 20
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 06 21
      Tuesday
      .Madison, Wisc.Orpheum TheatreVail reports a one-nighter at the Orpheum, and as usual, provides no references. His entry appears to be an error, because the Wisconsin State Journal the previous day carried an ad for a one day appearance at the Capitol in Madison.Vail I with no citation...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 06 21
      Tuesday
      .Madison, Wisc.Warner Bros. Capitol TheaterTheatre appearance, one day ony. Band members named in the ad: Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Bill (!) Carney, Lawrence Brown, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis. The film was Joe Palooka in the Big Fight.Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc., 1949-06-20 p.3...djpNew
      added 2015-04-10
      1949 06 22
      Wednesday
      .Racine, Wisc.Warner Bros. Venetian Theater
      505 Main St.
      (Unconfirmed)

      Stage show - 3 performances, 3:30, 6:35 and 9:40
      "ONE DAY ONLY! ON the STAGE
      DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
      In Person!

      Tickets were "our regular prices" of 50 cents until 2 pm and 65 cents after, children all day were 14 cents."
      Band members named in the ads: Hodges, Carney, Hibbler, Nance, Brown and Kay Davis
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-08-20
      2015-04-10
      1949 06 22
      Wednesday
      .Racine, Wisc.DUKE ELLINGTON will be a guest of Radio 'Station WRJN and WRJN-FM on the program, Requestfully Yours, from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday in conjunction with his appearance on the stage of the Venetian Theater the same day.Racine Journal-Times, 1949-06-20 p.4...djpNew
      added 2015-04-10
      1949 06 23
      Thursday
      1949 06 29Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      circa
      1949 06 23
      Thursday
      circa
      1949 06 29
      Milwaukee, Wisc..(Unconfirmed)
      Stratemann:

      'Possibly during this engagement, Ellington was also on radio, at WKOW, Madison, Wisc., in a program hosted by Pat Hernon.'

      Stratemann
      p.304, citing The Billboard, 1949-08-13 p.38
      ...djpNew
      added 2015-04-10
      1949 06 24
      Friday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      1949 06 25
      Saturday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      1949 06 26
      Sunday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      1949 06 27
      Monday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      1949 06 28
      Tuesday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      1949 06 29
      Wednesday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Riverside Theater......Added
      2011
      1949 06 30
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......

      July 1949

      1949 07 00...Personnel change
      Shelton Hemphill leaves the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-12
      1949 07 011949 07 07Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville -Duke Ellington and His Famous Ochestra and Stars, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown. Also Peck & Peck and The Londons. Plus, on screeen..."Streets of Laredo"...Stratemann p.304 citing Chicago Defender 1949-07-02 p.29...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 07 02
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 07 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 07 03
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 07 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 07 04
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 07 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 07 05
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 07 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 07 06
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 07 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 07 07
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 07 01.....Added
      2011
      1949 07 08
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 09
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 10
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill..Ellington's second television appearance was as a guest on NBC's "Garroway At Large" variety show at 10 p.m. CDT.

      Stratemann:

      'Ellington, in his appearance, was "visible but silent" - a fate he shared with other famous guests on the program. He merely got on screen occasionally as Garroway wandered through the set, but ignored the pianist.'

      The sidemen's activities are not documented
      Stratemann p.304...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-10
      1949 07 11
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 12
      Tuesday
      .Evansville, Ind. Coliseum9 p.m. Concert open to all, followed by a colored dance, white spectators allowed in the balcony.

      The publicity says "featured with the Duke's troupe will be 25 entertainers including Jonny [sic] Hodgen [sic], Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, Kay Davis and Al Hibbler.

      The pricing information is ambiguous: Concert 9 P.M followed by Colored DANCE Tickets $2 ... Balcony Open to White Spectators Adm. $1.00

      Does this mean the concert was $2 and the dance was another $2, or was the dance at no additional charge (in which case, why the $1 for white spectators?
      • Plugs:
        • The Evansville Courier 1949-07-06 p.11
        • The Sunday Courier and Press, Evansville, 1949-07-10 p.12-B
      • Ads:
        • The Sunday Courier and Press, Evansville, 1949-07-10 p.13-B
        • The Evansville Courier
          • 1949-07-11 p.5
          • 1949-07-12 p.16.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2015-04-11
      1949 07 13
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 14
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 15
      Friday
      .Cincinnati, Ohio. Peripheral event
      Ivory Joe Hunter recording session with Ellingtonians Baker, Glenn, Procope, Hodges, Marshall, Greer and singer/pianist Ivory Joe Hunter.
      Steven Lasker advises the record label shows Ivory Joe Hunter, not Hodges, as leader.

      (This event does not appear to conflict with the Charleston engagement; the two cities are less than 200 miles apart.
      Timner V, p.541.DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-11
      2015-04-11
      2020-05-07
      1949 07 15
      Friday
      .Charleston, W.Va.Casa Loma BallroomDance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
      Personnel named in the publicity were Hodges, Nance, Carney, Brown, Hibbler and Davis
      Admission -advance $2.00, door $2.50, reservations accepted until 10 p.m.
      Several ads read

      'DID 'JA 'NO?
      THAT DUKE ELLINGTON WILL PLAY AT THE CASA LOMA FRIDAY, JULY 15 (9 to 1),
      THAT tickets are now on sale at the usual places... '

      • The Charleston Gazette
        • Publicity 1949-07-03 p.2
        • Ads
          • 1949-06-29 p.11
          • 1949-07-06 p.16
      • Ads, Charleston Daily Mail
        • 1949-06-30 p.28
        • 1949-07-01 p.13
        • 1949-07-08 p.12
      ...djpNew
      added
      2015-04-11
      1949 07 16
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 17
      Sunday
      .Ephrata, Penn.Legion Park7 p.m. Duke Ellington and his orchestra, rain or shine, Admission (plus tax) Adults, $1.00, children $0.50
      Ads,
      • Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon, Penn. 1949-07-15 p.17
      • Reading Eagle, Reading, Penn., 1949-07-15 p.19
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2015-04-11
      1949 07 18
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 19
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 20
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 21
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 22
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 23
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 24
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 25...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 25
      Monday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The New Robin Hood Dell
      Fairmount Park
      Programme (titles as printed): First half (Duke Ellington's Orchestra): Lady of the Lavender Mists; Suddenly It Jumped (Quietly); She Wouldn't Be Moved; Symphomaniac; Symphonic or Bust-1935; A Sound Thumping-1949; Brown Betty; You Ought To; Creole Love Call; Liberian Suite, Second half:; New World A-Comin';Grand Slam Jam;Songs by Sarah Vaughan ;The Lord's Prayer;Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child,;Black Coffee;Tonight I Shall Sleep;As You Desire Me;Medley of Ellington Hits
      Robin Hood Dell concert programme
      Click to Enlarge
      Joint outdoor concert with the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra and Sarah Vaughan, in which Ellington introduced his first hybrid arrangement for band and symphony with Grand Slam Jam (later renamed Non-Violent Integration) - see the extensive discussions in DEMS 2000/3, pp,12 and 13 and 05,3-33 (some repetition) and Ken Steiner's review of John Howland's Ellington Uptown: Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and the Birth of Concert Jazz in DEMS 09-2 (links to the right).
      • General admission was $1.30 and reserved seats were $2.60.
      • Ellington and his orchestra played the first half.
      • After intermission, the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra accompanied Duke's piano solo in New World A-Comin', then RHDO and Duke's orchestra performed Grand Slam Jam together. Sarah Vaughan then sang, backed by RHDO
      • The concert ended with a medley of Ellington hits performed by the two orchestras conducted by Russ Case with Ellington as piano soloist.
      • The New York Age:

        'Sarah Vaughan... scored the most illustrious triumph of her meteoric career as she captivated a crowd of more than 15,000 persons in an epic concert in historic Robin Hood Dell with the combined backing of the 100-piece Philadelphia [sic] Symphony Orchestra and Duke Ellington's band...With 118 musicians, the combined forces of the Philadelphia [sic] Symphony and the Ellington band, setting the musical background for her, Miss Vaughan electrified the 15,000 spectators as she rendered popular favorites... '

      • The Philadelphia Inquirer:

        '13,000 at Dell for Duke Ellington Program
        by Edwin H. Schloss
          A large and demonstrative audience was on hand in Robin Hood Dell last night for one of liveliest novelties of the season - a concert by Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington and his band.
          The crowd, estimated at 13,000, included a heavy representation of this city's devotees of jazz, bebop, rebop and tempo di gut bucket, as well as many regular symphony subscribers.
          The Duke,...put on a high, wide handsome and blue program in which he was featured as composer, pianist and conductor.
          The first half of the evening found men of the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra on the sidelines.
          At that stage the Duke and his band of 17 hand-picked virtuosos as well as a number of soloists took over an all-Ellington bill and put it across, literally with a bang.
          The fun really started with "Suddenly It Jumped Quietly." (sic)This number about set the tempo and volume for the eveing, which was pungent, loud and jivey. Indeed, louder playing has seldom been heard in this vicinity...
          Volume, however, is only one phase of the Duke's art...The Ellington ensemble includes some very remarkable performers.'

      • Mr. Schloss named Killian, Baker, Hodges, Marshall, Greer, Glenn, Davis, as well as Sarah Vaughan, who he says stole the show.
      • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        1949-08-06, p.19
      • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
        1949-07-26 p.25
      • Billy Rowe's Notebook,
        The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1949-08-06, p.18
      • Concert programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2:
        Performances and Programs, 1933-1974,
        box 11, folder 5
        "Robin Hood Dell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1949"
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-08-28
      2015-04-11
      2016-01-24
      2020-05-07
      2021-07-25
      1949 07 26
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 27
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 07 28
      Thursday
      .Sylvan Beach, N.Y.Russell's DancelandDance
      Admission $1.35 tax included.
      Syracuse Herald-Journal (author unknown):

      'SYLVAN BEACH – The colored picnic for Central New Yorkers attracted more than 10,000 visitors yesterday, state police estimated....the weather was hot and humid...
        Duke Ellington and his orchestra played at the largest dance hall. Police estimated more than 2,000 colored people flocked here, with 8,000 whites coming as spectators...'

      • Ads, Daily Sentinel, Rome, N.Y. 1949-07-26 p.3
      • 1949-07-27 p.3 1949-07-28 p.2
      • Report, Syracuse Herald-Journal 1949-07-29 p.2
      .
      ...djpNew
      added 2015-04-11
      1949 07 29
      Friday
      .Providence, R.I.Rhode Island Arcadia.Vail I
      CAHoct11 ad
      ....Added
      2011
      1949 07 30
      Saturday
      .Shrewsbury, MaSun Valley.Vail I
      CAHoct11 ad
      ....Added
      2011
      1949 07 31
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......

      August 1949

      1949 08 00...Personnel change
      Vocalist Lu Elliott joins the band
      • New Desor vol.2
      • California Eagle, 1949-01-27, p.16
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-10-11
      1949 08 01
      Monday
      .Fitchburg, Mass.Whalom Park.Vail I....Added
      2011
      1949 08 02
      Tuesday
      .Revere Beach, Mass.Red Roof.Vail I ....Added
      2011
      1949 08 03
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 04
      Thursday
      .Old Orchard Beach, Me.Old Orchard Beach PierDancing
      - see TDWAW supplementary Old Orchard Beach webpage.

      The July 31 plug announced the gig as "next Friday evening" but Aug.2 and 4 ads have it August 4.
      .
    • Vail I
    • ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-08-11
      2015-04-11
      2024-04-07
      1949 08 05
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 06
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 07
      Sunday
      .Annapolis, MarylandSparrow's BeachAdmission, 85 cents including tax....Vail I with reproduced, unattributed ad. .Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-11
      1949 08 08
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 09
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 10
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 11
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 08 12
      Friday
      1949 08 18
      Thursday
      Somer's Point, N.J.Gateway Casino
      (Vail I says Gateway Roadhouse)
      .Stratemann p.304 citing The Billboard 1949-07-02 p.44....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-11
      1949 08 13
      Saturday
      ...Casino engagement - see 1949 08 12.....Added
      2011
      1949 08 14
      Sunday
      ...Casino engagement - see 1949 08 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 15
      Monday
      ...Casino engagement - see 1949 08 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 16
      Tuesday
      .Cincinnati, Ohio. Peripheral event
      Ivory Joe Hunter recording session with Ellingtonians Baker, Glenn, Procope, Hodges, Marshall, Greer and singer/pianist Ivory Joe Hunter.

      Note the apparent conflict with the New Jersey casino job. The two cities are 634 miles apart. Using the interstate system, which did not exist in 1949, Google calculates driving one way would take nearly 10 hours. It's not impossible, if the band had Monday off, for them to go to Cincinnati that day, do the session in the early morning hours, and then return to the casino for Tuesday evening, but is it likely?
      ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-11
      2020-05-07
      1949 08 16
      Tuesday
      ...Casino engagement - see 1949 08 12
      Note conflict with the Ivory Joe Hunter recording session.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-11
      1949 08 17
      Wednesday
      ...Casino engagement - see 1949 08 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 18
      Thursday
      ...Casino engagement - see 1949 08 12
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 19
      Friday
      1949 08 25
      Thursday
      Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville
      Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra featuring Hodges, Carney, Nance, Brown, Hibbler and Davis, plus Howell & Bowser, Peck & Peck and Lucy Elliott. The Afro-American names the comedy team Cook and Brown as well.

      Midniught show on Saturday as usual.

      Vail reports
      • Dave Burns and Nelson Williams replaced Shelton Hemphill and Francis Williams for this run
      • Charlie Rouse and Jimmy Forrest replaced Ben Webster
      • Lu Elliott is added to the band.
      • Vail I (unattributed undated ad
      • Show Bill, Washington Afro-American 1949-08-16 p.9
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-11
      1949 08 20
      Saturday
      .Washington D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville - see 1949 08 19
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 21
      Sunday
      .Washington D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville - see 1949 08 19
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 22
      Monday
      .Washington D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville - see 1949 08 19
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 23
      Tuesday
      .Washington D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville - see 1949 08 19
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 24
      Wednesday
      .Washington D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville - see 1949 08 19
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 25
      Thursday
      .Washington D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      Vaudeville - see 1949 08 19
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 26
      Friday
      1949 09 03Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-13
      1949 08 27
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      ......
      1949 08 28
      Sunday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 29
      Monday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 30
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 08 31
      Wednesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .New Desor
      DE4914
      ...Added
      2011

      September 1949

      1949 09 00...Change of agents

      The Billboard:

      ' New York, Sept. 3—The William Morris Agency (WM) this week closed down its band department after an 11-month "curtailment" campaign. The agency granted a release from management to orkster Duke Ellington, whose pact had about six weeks to run. Cress Courtney, head of the ork wing and last of the band salesmen with the agency, left the Morris office yesterday (2) after better than half a dozen years with the agency. Ellington was the last of the important bands on the WM list...
       Ellington, at press time, remained a free agent following his Morris release...'

      Stratemann reports Ellington would then be represented by Cress Courtney, first operating on his own and then with the Moe Gale agency. This would continue until early 1951, when Ellington and Irving Mills apparently considered working together again, although Ellington would instead sign up with Joe Glaser's Associated Booking Corporation.

      • The Billboard, 1949-09-10 p.22
      • Stratemann, p.304
      • California Eagle, 1949-01-27, p.16
      ,..djpNew
      added
      2013-02-07
      2016-07-04
      1949 09 01
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y..Columbia recording session,
      12:40 - 16:05
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
      New Desor
      DE4915
      DEMSTimner corrections .Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2020-05-07
      1949 09 01
      Thursday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 09 02
      Friday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .New Desor
      DE4916
      ...Added
      2011
      1949 09 03
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The ClickRestaurant residency - see 1949 08 26
      .New Desor
      DE4917
      ...Added
      2011
      1949 09 04
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial Auditorium......Added
      2011
      1949 09 05
      Monday
      1949 09 07Toronto, Ont.Canadian National Exposition.
      • The Billboard 1949-09-03 p.43
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 11 USA and Canada, September 5-7, 1949
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-07
      2015-12-30
      1949 09 06
      Tuesday
      .Toronto, Ont.Canadian National Expositionsee 1949 09 05.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 07
      Wednesday
      .Toronto, Ont.Canadian National Expositionsee 1949 09 05.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 08
      Thursday
      .Sudbury, Ont.Danceland......Added
      2011
      1949 09 09
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 09 10
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 09 11
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 09 12
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 09 13
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 09 14
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      (see 1949 09 15 re Bop City)
      ......
      1949 09 15
      Thursday
      8 pm - 4 am
      1949 10 05
      Wednesday
      New York, N.Y. Bop City
      49th & Broadway

      Bop City was the site of the old Paradise, Hurricane, Zanzibar, Vanity Fair, and Harem clubs. The location became the Paradise again in 1950, but closed soon after.
        Mel Heimer:

      Bop City is the strangest of nightclubs; it has a milk bar for the especially small fry and it has a bullpen in the rear with a brass railing behind which, for 98 cents, people stand. They do not sit and swallow the not over-strong doses of bourbon, nor do they pay the $1.50 minimum charge above and beyond the 98-cent call of duty. They just pay the admission fee and they take up their positions in the bullpen and stand for as many hours as their legs hold out...

      Club residency, Mondays off (Bop City was closed Mondays).
      • Sharing the bill: Ellington & orchestra, singer Savannah Churchill, Red Norvo Sextet.
      • Newcomers to the band were tenorist Jimmy Forrest and vocalist Lu Elliott who joined the band in August.
      • Continuous entertainment 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.
      • Admission was 98 cents including tax, with a minimum charge of $1.50
      • Sunday News 1949-09-18 reported Duke brought 23 changes of clothes with him to Bop City.
      • While the club is opened with a policy of bop, Ellington kept to his regular format, as did Louis Armstrong during his residency preceding Ellijngton.

      Dates?

      • The engagement opened Sept. 15 and appears to have ended Oct. 5, based on Pearl Bailey opening there Oct. 6.
      • Stratemann dates the residency 1949 09 14 (Wednesday) to 1949 10 10 (Monday). While he did not cite a source for the opening, Dr. Stratemann appears to have relied on an apparently erroneous report in Variety, 1949-10-12 (Wednesday) p.49 for the closing:

        'Cab Calloway is current at Bop City having replaced Duke Ellington last night (Tuesday).'

      • Vail II dates the engagement from 1949 09 15 (Thursday) to 1949 10 05 (Wednesday), supported by an unattributed Daily News Sept. 15 ad and an unattributed The Pittsburgh Courier Sept. 24 review.
      • Brooklyn Eagle 1949-09-14:

        'The Duke and his great combo shuffle into Bop City tomorrow for a three week run. Success is assured by the Big Man's box office magic.'

      • Variety 1949-09-14 p.48 carried an ad for Red Norvo and his sextette opening at Bop City 1949-09-15 for 3 weeks. The ad appears to have been placed by Associated Booking Corporation and does not mention Ellington.
      • Daily News' 1949 09 15 ad for Bop City with Ellington et al said "Opening Tonight Thurs."
      • Picture caption, The New York Age 1949-09-17:

        'The Duke of Ellington, himself, who brings his famed aggregation to Bop City on Thursday ... Blues Singer Savannah Churchill is the extra added attraction along with Duke's vocoalist [sic] Al Hibbler and Kay Davis.'

      • The Pittsburgh Courier 1949-09-24 :

        'Bop no more seems to be the new and lucrative theme of Bop City...as it followed the great Louis Armstrong with the just as immortal Duke Ellington who opened there Thursday...If there were any fears of topping the City's marquee with a non-bopper, all such has since passed...Thought there is little difference in the fullness of the place, the spenders are older and shell out more.
          The pattern which got started with Armstrong prevails with the entrance of Ellington. Nightly since his opening the place is chokefull [sic] of people...
           Lionel Hampton and his great orchestra will follow the Duke...'

      • Ed Sullivan's syndicated column:
        • 1941-10-01:
          ...Pearl Bailey into Bop City Oct.6 ...
        • 1949-10-08:
          Cab Calloway joins Pearl Bailey at Bop City, Tuesday
      • The New York Age 1949-10-08 carried an ad for 100% Pearl Bailey, 90% George Shearing Quintet, 90% Gene Ammons opening tonite - Thursday 4 days only. (The New York Age, like other Black weekly newspapers, was dated Saturdays but published earlier in the week.) This ad suggests Ellington's engagement finished Wednesday.
      • Stratemann, p. 305
      • Vail, Vol.I, p.352
      • Mel Hiemer, My New York
        Sapulpa Daily Herald, Sapulpa, Ok.
        1949-10-03 p.2:
      • Al Salerno, Night Life
        Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        1949-09-14, p.27
      • Sunday News, New York, N.Y.
        1949-09-18 s.2 p.12
      • The New York Age New York, N.Y.
        • 1949-09-17 p.16
        • 1949-10-08 p.21
      • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
        • 1949-09-22 p.81
        • Ed Sullivan, Little Old New York
          1949-10-08 p.24
      • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
        1949-09-22 p.44
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        1949-09-24 p.18
      • Ed Sullivan, Big Town Happy Talk,
        Tampa Morning Tribune, Tampa, Fla.
        1949-10-01p.4
      • The Chicago World, Chicago, Ill.
        1949-10-01 p.3
      • Ed Sullivan, Little Old New York
        Daily News - Tampa Morning Tribune
        , Tampa, Fla.
        1949-10-01 p.4
      • Email, Sven-Erik Baun Christensen - Palmquist 2024-05-24
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-07
      2024-05-27
      1949 09 16
      Friday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 17
      Saturday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 18
      Sunday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 19
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..Day off from Bop City
      activities not documented
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 09 20
      Tuesday
      8 pm
      .New York, N.Y..NBC television network's Texaco Star Theater program "The Milton Berle Show,"
      Personal appearance by Duke, who played his medley, "customarily referred to in the contemporary press as 'And then I wrote...'"
      Stratemann, p.305, citing Variety 1949-09-28 p 29New Desor
      DE4918
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-07
      2020-05-07
      1949 09 20
      Tuesday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 21
      Wednesday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 22
      Thursday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 23
      Friday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 24
      Saturday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 25
      Sunday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 26
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..Day off from Bop City
      activities not documented
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 09 27
      Tuesday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 28
      Wednesday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 29
      Thursday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 09 30
      Friday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011

      October 1949

      1949 10 00... Peripheral event
      Ebony magazine's October edition carried a story about Ellington and Lena Horne titled "The Duke And Duchess Of The Music World." It speculates they will work together in a new Ellington musical, which seems to be tentatively titled "A Train Review" and is waiting to go into rehearsal "this month" when Ellington's William Morris Agency contract expires. The article includes photos of the two together, as well as Duke with Sid Kuller, Billy Eckstine, Charlie Parker, "Babs" Gonzales, and restaurateur Vince Sardi,
      Ebony, October 1949
      courtesy S.Lasker
      ...slNew
      added
      2022-02-18
      1949 10 01
      Saturday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 02
      Sunday
      7:30 pm
      .New York, N.Y..CBS television show "This Is Show Business"
      Ellington made a personal appearance, performing "a specialty with the show's Henry Sylvern orchestra." Other guests were a singer and her husband/bandleader and a comedian and the guests were to present a special "problem" to an expert panel.

      Ellington's problem concerned bad night club business and high band salaries. Stratemann's description suggests he just got a sarcastic response from a panelist.
      Stratemann, p.305, citing Variety 1949-10-05 p.49....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-02-07
      1949 10 02
      Sunday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 03
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..Day off from Bop City
      activities not documented
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 10 04
      Tuesday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop Citysee 1949 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 05
      Wednesday
      8 pm - 4 am
      .New York, N.Y.Bop City-This appears to be the last night of the Bop City residency......Added
      2011
      1949 10 06
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented.....
      1949 10 07
      Friday
      .Queens, N.Y.Sunnyside Garden
      aka Sunnyside Gardens
      Queens Blvd. & 45th St.
      Long Island City.
      Dance - 8:30 to 1
      "Duke Ellington And His Entire Orchestra In Person All Evening"
      Daily News, New York, N.Y.
      • 1949-10-06 p.75
      • 1949-10-07 p.87 courtesy Sven-Erik Baun Christensen (email 2024-05-24)
      ....New
      Added
      2024-05-27
      1949 10 08
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented.....
      1949 10 09
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented.....
      1949 10 10
      Monday
      ...activities not documented.....
      1949 10 11
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 10 12
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 10 13
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 10 14
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 10 15
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 10 16
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1949 10 171949 11 06Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency: Contracted for $5,000/week for six nights a week, not more than 38 hours, with Tuesdays off.

      'Duke Ellington Band Returns to Blue Note
      by Will Davidson
        The Duke steps out again tomorrow night, at the Blue Note, and it will be a welcome event. The last time Ellington and his orchestra played there they provided some of the finest music Duke ever has played   a relaxed, humorous, progressive sort of music that had none of the concert hall formality about it but all of the quality. It is the same big band Ellington has had for years, and if you've only heard Duke on the stage or records, you will get quite a lift out of his more intimate performances...'

      • Stratemann p.305
      • Chicago Sunday Tribune, 1949-10-16 Pt.7, S.2 P.4
      ..Vail I 353 photodjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-04-09
      2015-12-20
      1949 10 17
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 18
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented
      Blue Note night off - see 1949 10 17
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 10 19
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 20
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 21
      Friday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 22
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 23
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 24
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 25
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented
      Blue Note night off - see 1949 10 17
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 10 26
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 27
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 28
      Friday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 29
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 30
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 10 31
      Monday
      Halloween
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011

      November 1949

      1949 11 01
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented
      Blue Note night off - see 1949 10 17
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 11 02
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 03
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 04
      Friday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      circa
      1949 11 04
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.. Peripheral event
      The Billboard story datelined New York, Nov. 5:

      'Suit has been brought against...Tempo Music, Inc., asking for rescission of the copyright for the song Flamingo. Ruth Ellington...is president of Tempo. Suit was filed in New York Federal Court ... for Theodore Grouya, one of the writers of Flamingo. The suit also asks for $12,000 in royalties.
        Edmund Anderson, co-author... was included as a party ... without his consent. The complaint alleges that Tempo had agreed to publish and exploit Flamingo and publish a semi-annual report on royalties. The complaint charges that altho [sic] Tempo did file royalty reports from time to time and did pay the writers $4,000, the reports were false and incorrect and at least another $12,000 is due the writers.
        The complaint also charges that since September, 1947, Tempo, by failing to exploit and promote the tune, has violated part of its agreement with the writers.
        ...'

      The next edition of The Billboard carried a rebuttal datelined November 12:

      'Ben Starr, attorney for Tempo Music, this week denied that the pubbery was in arrears for royalties to Theodore Grouya and Edmund Anderson... According to Starr, an accountant representing Grouya checked Tempo's books recently and found that the proper payments had been made as provided for in the contract between the writers and the pubber...
        Starr also said that he would show in his answer that Anderson could not be named as a party plaintiff without his comment [sic] in this type of action.'

      The Billboard
      • 1949-11-12 p.17
      • 1949-11-19, p.20
      ...djpNew
      added
      2015-04-14
      updated
      2015-04-17
      1949 11 05
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 06
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
      56 W. Madison St.
      Night club residency - see 1949 10 17.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 07
      Monday
      1949 11 09Youngstown, OhioPalace TheaterPresumably vaudeville, given the show on the 18th was.Stratemann p.305 citing The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-13
      1949 11 08
      Tuesday
      .Youngstown, OhioPalace TheaterTheatre run - see 1949 11 07.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 09
      Wednesday
      .Youngstown, OhioPalace TheaterTheatre run - see 1949 11 07.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 10
      Thursday
      1949 11 13Toledo, OhioParamount TheatrePresumably vaudeville, given the show on the 18th was.Stratemann p.305 citing The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-13
      1949 11 11
      Friday
      .Toledo, OhioParamount TheatreTheatre run - see 1949 11 10.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 12
      Saturday
      .Toledo, OhioParamount TheatreTheatre run - see 1949 11 10.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 13
      Sunday
      .Toledo, OhioParamount TheatreTheatre run - see 1949 11 10.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 14
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 11 15
      Tuesday
      1949 11 17Schenectady, N.Y.Proctor's
      A Fabian Theater
      Starts today, 3 days only
      ON THE STAGE - IN PERSON
      AMERICA'S FOREMOST MODERN COMPOSER WITH HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA AND A HOST OF SOLOISTS AND SPECIALTY ACTS.
      MUSIC! SONGS! COMEDY!

      The Duke and his group will present 3 shows each day.
      Schenectady Gazette,
      • 1949-11-03 p.28
      • 1949-11-15, p.11
      • Stratemann p.305 citing
        • Variety 1949-11-23 p.61
        • The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-06-11
      1949 11 16
      Wednesday
      .Schenectady, N.Y.Proctor'sVaudeville - see 1949 11 15.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 17
      Thursday
      .Schenectady, N.Y.Proctor'sVaudeville - see 1949 11 15.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 18
      Friday
      1949 11 24
      Wednesday
      Philadelphia, Penn.Earle Theater
      11th and Market

      Theatre information:
      Vaudeville
      In addition to Ellington and his orchestra were Wynonie Harris, the Orioles (vocal group), and Dusty Fletcher (comedian).
      Ellingtonians named by Stratemann were vocalists Davis, Hibbler, and Elliott. Shorty Baker and Jimmy Forrest were named soloists as well.Ellington wrapped up the band segment with Strayhorn's version of Frankie and Johnny.
      Songs performed: I Can Dream, Can't I?, Creole Love Call, Lover Come Back To Me, Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me, Trees, & My Man Sends Me.
      • The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22
      • Stratemann p.305 citing Variety 1949-11-23 p.61
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-13
      updated
      2018-10-08
      1949 11 19
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1949 11 18.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 20
      Sunday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1949 11 18.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 21
      Monday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1949 11 18.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 22
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1949 11 18.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 23
      Wednesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1949 11 18.New Desor
      DE4919
      ...Added
      2011
      1949 11 24
      Thursday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1949 11 18.....Added
      2011
      1949 11 25
      Friday
      1949 12 01
      Thursday
      Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville, similar to Earle Theater show, but with Patterson & Jackson and Peck & Peck comedy and dance teams, and a "white girl dancer" Joan Barry replacing Lu Elliott.

      The Apollo performer card shows 12/1/49 Net receipts $14,979.88 Cash 7,034.93 Kay Davis, Johnny Hudgins, Patterson & Jackson, Peck & Peck, Joan Barry.
      • The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22
      • Stratemann p.305 citing Variety 1949-11-30 p.48
      • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
      • Performer cards 347 and 348
        Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-13
      2019-11-02
      2023-03-26
      1949 11 26
      Saturday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 11 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 11 27
      Sunday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 11 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 11 28
      Monday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 11 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 11 29
      Tuesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 11 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 11 30
      Wednesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 11 25
      .....Added
      2011

      December 1949

      1949 12 01
      Thursday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1949 11 25
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 12 02
      Friday
      .Amherst, Mass.University of Massachusetts.Stratemann p.305 citing The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22....Added
      2011
      1949 12 03
      Saturday
      .Newark, N.J.Terrace Garden.Stratemann p.305 citing The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22....Added
      2011
      1949 12 04
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 05
      Monday
      .Jamestown, OhioPalace Theater.Stratemann p.305 citing Variety 1949-11-30 p.47....Added
      2011
      1949 12 06
      Tuesday
      1949 12 08Utica, N.Y.Stanley TheatreVaudeville, show times 1:50, 4:15, 6:35, 9:00. In addition to Ellington and his orchestra, only Peck and Peck were included in the ads.
      The Billboard puts the gig at the Stanley in Hartford. A local ad in Utica places it there.
      • Stratemann p.305 citing Variety 1949-11-30 p.47
      • The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22
      • Vail I
      • Utica Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y.,1949-12-04, p.7-B
      • Utica Daily Press, Utica, N.Y.
        • 1949-12-05 p.18
        • 1949-12-07 p.13
        • 1949-12-08 p.6
      .
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-14
      1949 12 07
      Wednesday
      .Utica, N.Y.Stanley Theatresee 1949 12 06
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 12 08
      Thursday
      .Utica, N.Y.Stanley Theatresee 1949 12 06
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 12 09
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 10
      Saturday
      .Brooklyn, N.Y.Grand Ballroom
      K of C
      1 Prospect Park West

      DANCE TONITE SAT.
      In Person–All Eve. or Money Refunded
      AMERICA'S FOREMOST MODERN COMPOSER
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      & HIS ENTIRE ORCHESTRA & REVUE
      PEPITO CORTEZ & HIS ORCHESTRA
      ...


      Daily News, New York, N.Y.
      • 1949-12-09 p,BL78
      • 1949-12-10 p.22
        courtesy Sven-Erik Baun Christensen
      ...Christensen (email 2024-05-27)New
      added
      2024-05-29
      1949 12 11
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 12
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 13
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 14
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 15
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 16
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 17
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 18
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 19
      Monday
      ...activities not documented

      Stratemann has Ellington and his orchestra at the Town Casino in Buffalo from 1949 12 16 to 1949 12 25, probably based on an itinerary dated Nov. 5 1949 in The Billboard Nov. 12, 1949 and titled "Ellington Booked Till '50." Vail I does not show this engagement.
      It didn't take place. Town Casino ads published daily in the Buffalo Courier-Express from 1949-12-04 to 1949-12-23 confirm Xavier Cugat began a week on Dec. 12, and was held over "by special arrangement" for another week, which would cover the full "Ellington" week.

      It seems likely that The Billboard's report was correct at the time it was written but that plans changed, perhaps as late as mid-December, since Cugat was held over "by special arrangement."
    • Stratemann p.305
    • The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22
    • Daily ads, Buffalo Courier-Express, 1949-12-04 – 1949-12-23
    • ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-16
      1949 12 20
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      -see 1949 12 19
      ......
      1949 12 21
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      -see 1949 12 19
      ......
      1949 12 22
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y..Columbia label recording session
      14:45 - 18:30
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      Nance, Glenn, Hamilton, Hodges, Forrest, Carney, Strayhorn, Marshall, Greer, Hibbler, Elliott, K. Davis
      Titles recorded:
      • The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
      • Joog Joog
      • Good Woman Blues
      • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
      • B-Sharp Boston
      Steven Lasker:

      'The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise/Joog Joog appeared on two different 78 rpm singles, Columbia 30195 (released 1950 03 16) and Columbia 38789 (released 1950 04 24). Both issues bear the title Joog, Joog; note the comma, absent from the copyright registration.

      Columbia's 30000 series, introduced in May 1948, consisted largely of reissues by Rhythm and Blues (i.e., race) artists). When the OKeh label was revived in 1951, the 30000 series was discontinued. Columbia 38789 was a popular series issue.'

      New Desor
      DE4920
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2014-10-15
      2015-04-17
      2018-02-13
      2020-05-07
      2024-05-24
      1949 12 23
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      -see 1949 12 19
      ......
      1949 12 24
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented
      -see 1949 12 19 re Buffalo
      -Note also that Frank Dutton wrote in DEMS 98,4 that he had a transcription that the seller claimed was recorded this date at Carnegie Hall. There is no evidence this was so; DEMS's reply said there were no Ellington concerts at Carnegie Hall in 1949 and suggests the program was labelled Jazz Club U.S.A. and likely was recorded in 1951.
      Palmquist's note: I checked Carnegie Hall's history page; there is no performance of any kind listed for Dec. 24. Ellington is not one of the groups that performed on Dec. 23 or 25.
      ..DEMS.djp2015-04-17
      2015-12-03
      2020-05-07
      1949 12 25
      Sunday
      Christmas
      ...activities not documented
      -see 1949 12 19
      ......
      1949 12 26
      Monday
      1949 12 28Reading, Penn.Rajah TheatreThis is likely the typical vaudeville show between screenings of the film. (I have been unable to locate local newspapers for this month to confirm what the ads say.)Stratemann p.305 citing Variety 1949-12-21 p.43.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-17
      1949 12 27
      Tuesday
      .Reading, Penn.Rajah Theatre- see 1949 12 26
      .....Added
      2011
      1949 12 28
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.. Peripheral event
      Ivie Anderson (1904 07 10 - 1949 12 28) died at age 44 at her home in the Nealander Apartments in Los Angeles, California.
      Ivie Anderson web page
      ( http://tdwaw.ellingtonweb.ca/IvieAnderson.html )
      ...djpdjpNew
      added 2012-09-10
      updated
      2015-04-17
      2017-02-09
      2017-07-17
      2017-09-26
      1949 12 28
      Wednesday
      .Reading, Penn.Rajah Theatre- see 1949 12 26
      Note possible conflict with the Reading date.
      .....Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-04-17
      1949 12 28
      Wednesday
      .Reading, Penn.Berkshire Country ClubPreview and Review
      ....Agustěn Perez Gasco aug11Added
      2011
      1949 12 29
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 30
      Friday
      ...activities not documented
      ......
      1949 12 31
      Saturday
      11 pm to 6 am
      .New York, N.Y.Rockland Palace
      280 W. 55th St.
      New Years Eve Breakfast Dance, 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
      Duke Ellington's Famous Orchestra with Vocalists Kay Davis and Al Hibbler
      Others on the bill were
      • Artie Suggs and his Orchestra, and
      • Audrey Armstong, the exotic dancer
      Admission: $2.50 at door, $2.00 in advance. Tables $5.00 and boxes $10 and $12
      • The Billboard 1949-11-12 p.22
      • Stratemann, p.305 with reproduced clipping, Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y., 1949-12-24 p.17
      • Vail I, ditto
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-09
      1949-1950...Date uncertain:
      CBS-Broadcast "Jack Smith Show"
      .New Desor
      DE9074
      DEMSNDCS 1089.Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07



      Back to Navigation List

      1950


      Date of event Ending date
      (if different)
      City/
      Other place
      Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
      Desor
      reference
      DEMS
      reference
      Other
      references
      Contact
      person
      Date added
      / updated

      January 1950

      1950 01 01
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 02
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 03
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 04
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 05
      Thursday
      .Allentown, Penn.Lyric Theatre
      (now
      Miller Symphony Hall)
      Concert, 9 p.m.
      Duke Ellington in Person and His Great New Stage Show Featuring Stars of Screen, Radio and Television.
      Prices: Orch. $2.25, $1.90, $1.60; Balc. $1.60, $1.95; 2nd Balc. (Not res.) 85¢. All taxes included.
      The plugs refer to a band of 18 but name only Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford, Ray Nance, Al Sears, Al Hibbler, Jimmy Hamilton, Kay Davis, and Billy Strayhorn. Vocalist Lou Elliot was named in the report.
      Two concerts, 7 and 9 p.m., were advertised, but theatre management cancelled the earlier show due to low ticket sales.

      Ellington:

      'The show was cancelled by the time we got here at 5 o'clock.'


      The report of the show described the audience as enthuiastic. It only mentioned a satire on early jazz and a medley consisting of Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Soliture and Don't Get Around Much Any More.
      • The Morning Call, Allentown, Penn.
        • 1949-12-29 p.25
        • 1950-01-03 p. 19
        • 1950-01-04 p. 37
        • 1950-01-05 p.31
        • 1950-01-06 p.7
      • Sunday Call-Chronicle, Allentown, Penn.
        • 1950-01-01 pp.24, 25
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-13
      1950 01 06
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 07
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 08
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 09
      Monday
      8:30 pm
      .Richmond, Va.WRVA Theater
      9th and Broad
      "Stage show - concert"

      Tickets: Orchestra $3.15 & $2.50; Balcony $2.50; Gallery $1.90. "Tickets for all sections of the theatre for white and colored patrons."

      The Jan.7 Richmond Times-Dispatch said there would only be one show because the Ellington concert and variety show was too long to allow for more than one performance. The Jan. 9 edition named some of the musicians - Al Sears, Oscar Pettiford, Al Hibbler, Jimmy Hamilton, Kay Davis and Billy Strayhorn. Edith Lindeman's glowing review says
      • the theatre was almost full
      • the fans went home begging for more
      • The performance was 2 hours.
      • The concert ran the gamut from intellectual jazz to 'those lilting, singing melodies which Ellington has composed for popular consumption.'
      • Showtopper [sic] Nancy Raye, "yelled a few notes of 'St. Louis blues' and then went into an acrobatic pantomime that is at wide variance with the music which America's leading jazz composer has been turning out."
      • Other musicians named were Johnny Hodges with his satin-smooth alto-sax, Junior Raglan and his thumping pass [sic], Harry Baker, whose trombone talks, cries and swears through a chorus of 'Frankie and Johnnie,' and others. Vocalist Al Hibbler turned 'Trees' into something of a caricature, but his range and phrasing was noteworthy. Kay Davis sang 'Creole Love Call' and 'Body and Soul, and Lou Elliott sang 'Hucklebuck.'
      Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
      • 1950-01-01 p.8-B
      • 1950-01-07, p.11
      • 1950-01-08, p.D-13
      • 1950-01-09, pp.11, 15
      • 1950-01-10, p.9
      ...djpNew
      added
      2013-12-23
      2017-04-08
      2018-10-13
      1950 01 10
      Tuesday
      .Blacksburg, Va.Burruss Hall
      Virginia Polytechnic Institute
      Concert, 8:30 p.m.
      The Virginia Tech Jan.6:

      'Duke Ellington, America's foremost Composer and his World Famous Orchestra will preent a special concert on the stage of Burruss Hall Tuesday, January 10. The two-hour concert will begin at 8:30, immediately following the Tech-George Washington basketball game....'

      Beckley Post-Herald, Jan. 11:

      'BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan.10–
      After running up one of the highest scores seen on the home court against Roanoke College last Friday, the basketeers return to the conference wars against George Washington at home in a game which has been scheduled at 6:45 Wednesday, instead of the usual starting time of 7 o'clock, in order to give the students time to attend the Duke Ellington concert...'

      • The Post-Herald's reference to Wednesday appears to be in error. The game was scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 10 and results were published nation-wide by UP on Wednesday January 11 (Virginia Tech beat George Washington 71-59).
      • The Schine Paramount engagement noted in DEMS for this week didn't begin until Jan. 14.
      • The Virginia Tech, V.P.I., Blacksburg, Va.
        1950-01-06 pp.1,5
      • Beckley, W.Va. Post-Herald, Beckley, W.Va.
        1950-01-11, p.6
      • Email, R.Bambach-Palmquist 2016-12-18
      .DEMS.Arne Neegaard, R Bambach, djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-12-23
      2016-12-19
      2017-04-08
      2020-05-07
      1950 01 11
      Wednesday
      .Blacksburg, Va.Burruss Hall
      Virginia Polytechnic Institute
      activities not documented
      - see 1950 01 10
      ......
      1950 01 12
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 13
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 14
      Saturday
      1950 01 16
      Monday
      Syracuse, N.Y.Schine Paramount Theater
      426 S.Salina St.
      Theatre, 5 shows daily,
      with Howell and Bowser, great comedy team, and Peck & Peck, sensational dancers. Ellington's show times: 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50 and 10:20 p.m.

      This engagement is incorrectly dated January 10 to 13 in DEMS 08,3-9.
      • The Sunday 1950-01-08 edition of the Syracuse Post-Standard, p.17, announced a four day engagement on one page and on p.22, a three day run at the Schine Paramount beginning Saturday, which is 1950-01-14
      • the 1950-01-13 edition carried an ad saying 3 days only starting "tomorrow"
      • the 1950-01-15 edition carried a review of the Saturday show
      • the 1950-01-16 edition carried an ad saying Last Times Today and an article just above the ad refers to the engagement as three days. This edition also announced a John Wayne film would start Tuesday "after Duke Ellington leaves."
      • The Syracuse Herald-American announced a three-day run.

      (Schine, at one time the largest independent U.S. theatre chain with 148 theatres in 6 states in 1942, was the subject of an anti-trust action.)
      • Syracuse Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.:
        • 1950-01-08, pp.17, 22
        • 1950-01-13 p.21
        • 1950-01-15 pp.16, 22
        • 1950-01-16 p.8
      • Syracuse Herald-American, Syracuse, N.Y. 1950-01-08 p.24
      .
      ...apgNew
      added
      2012-08-20
      updated
      2017-02-09
      1950 01 15
      Sunday
      .Syracuse, N.Y.Schine Paramount Theatersee 1950 01 14....djpadded 2012-08-20
      1950 01 16
      Monday
      .Syracuse, N.Y.Schine Paramount Theatersee 1950 01 14.....added 2012-08-20
      1950 01 17
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 18
      Wednesday
      .Columbus, OhioMemorial HallDance, 9 p.m.
      The Orioles, a quintet, appeared with Ellington and his orchestra
      The Columbus Dispatch, 1950-01-12 p.B-7....djpNew
      added
      2017-04-08
      upated
      2018-10-02
      1950 01 19
      Thursday
      1950 01 20
      Friday
      Windsor, Ont..Steven Lasker:

      'A different "Manifest; Members of Theatrical Organizations, Shows, Etc." shows [Ellington and his orchestra] travelling by [illegible] from Detroit to Toronto, their port of entry and exit was Windsor, Ontario, date of entry 1950 01 19, date of departure 1950 01 20. There is no list of instruments. '

      Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2016-06-21...SLNew
      added
      2016-07-01
      1950 01 19
      Thursday
      .Toronto, Ont.Massey Hall
      178 Victoria St.
      ......Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-07-28
      1950 01 20
      Friday
      1950 01 26
      Thursday
      Detroit, Mich.Paradise Theatre
      3711 Woodward at Parsons
      Theatre appearance (vaudeville)
      Ellington personnel mentioned in the ads: Hodges, Nance, Davis, Hibbler. Also on the bill: Peck and Peck, the Orioles
      • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1950-01-19 p.21
        • 1950-01-20 p.21
        • 1950-01-21 p.12
        • 1950-01-22 s.A p.11
        • 1950-01-25 pp.14,15
        • 1950-01-26 pp.18, 22
      • The Detroit Times, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1950-01-18 p.30-C
        • 1950-01-21 s.C pp.10,11
        • 1950-01-24 p.10-C
        • 1950-01-21-p10-C
      • Detroit Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1950-01-21 p.7
        • 1950-01-28 p.1
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-14
      2020-05-07
      2021-06-29
      1950 01 21
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Art InstitutePersonal appearance

      Detroit Free Press
      • 1950-01-21:

        'Duke Ellington to Be Guest on Quizdown
            Band Leader Duke Ellington will be the featured guest and judge on the Free Press-WXYZ Quizdown at the Art Institute at 10:30 a.m. Saturday...'

      • 1950-01-22:

        'King Meets the Duke
        Quizdown Winner, 9, Has Day of Thrills

            Nine-year-old Richard Jankowski, St. John Immanuel Lutheran School fourth grader, "hit a triple" Saturday.
            He won the Free Press-WXYZ weekly Quizdown crown at the Art Institute...
            Then, as an extra honor, Richard met Duke Ellington, famous orchestra leader, and Joe Short, midget clown...
            Ellington... todl the Quizdowners how he made a career in music after "a slow start as a young portrait artist."...'

      • The report is accompanied by a photo of Richard sitting on Ellington's lap while Duke guides his hand on the keys, with Short leaning over the piano to watch.
      • Quizdown was a Saturday morning radio show aired on radio station WXYZ. According to the Detroit Free Press radio log, it was scheduled to air at 11 a.m. January 21 rather than 10:30.
      Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
      • 1950-01-21 p.12
      • 1950-01-22 s.A p.11
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-14
      1950 01 21
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreVaudeville - see 1950-01-20

      • Performances this day included a midnight show and a broadcast of a special March of Dimes concert at 4 p.m. in addition to the regular shows for the day.


      • Recorded broadcast:
        Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
        N.Williams, Killian, Dave Burns, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Rouse, Forrest; Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Hibbler, Elliott, Davis,
        Titles recorded:
        • Take The "A" Train (theme)
        • B-Sharp Boston
        • How High The Moon
        • Ellington spot re polio
        • Creole Love Call
        • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
        • You Of All People
        • Ellington spot re March of Dimes
        • Suddenly It Jumped
        • Take The "A" Train (theme)

      • The broadcast was recorded and released in 1980 on Up-to-Date album UTD-2001 "The Undocumented Ellington Vol.1." The L.P. insert incorrectly dates the broadcast as January 1949.
      • The album insert and hard copy discographies New Desor and Nielsen date the broadcast as late January 1950 and have the broadcast on WJR, but Detroit radio logs and a subsequent report show it was on WWJ:
        • The Detroit Tribune advertised a Duke Ellington broadcast direct from the stage Saturday January 21 at 4:00 p.m. on WWJ.
        • The caption to Duke's publicity photo in the Tribune said:

          'Duke Ellington will present his famous Carnegie Hall concert at the Paradise theatre Saturday Jan. 1 [sic] at 4 p.m. via station WWJ, coming direct from the stage at the Paradise theatre. '

        • The accompanying ad said

          'Extra! Sat. Jan. 21
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          BROADCAST
          Direct from Stage
          At 4:00 p.m. – Station WWJ
          Screen "BARBARY PIRATE"
          Saturday MIDNIGHT SHOW
          Saturday'

        • The Jan. 21 Detroit Times radio log has the March of Dimes broadcast on WWJ from 4 to 5;30 p.m.
        • The Detroit Tribune 1950-01-28 reported

          'Duke Ellington and his orchestra broadcast Saturday from the stage of the Paradise Theatre last Saturday for the [illegible] of the march of Dimes over Station WWJ. '

      New Desor
      DE5002
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2018-10-14
      1950 01 22
      Sunday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreVaudeville - see 1950-01-20.....Added
      2011
      1950 01 23
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreVaudeville - see 1950-01-20.....Added
      2011
      1950 01 24
      Tuesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreVaudeville - see 1950-01-20.....Added
      2011
      1950 01 25
      Wednesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreVaudeville - see 1950-01-20.....Added
      2011
      1950 01 26
      Thursday
      .Detroit, Mich.Paradise TheatreVaudeville - see 1950-01-20.....Added
      2011
      1950 01 27
      Friday
      ...activities not documented.....Added
      2011
      1950 01 00.Detroit, Mich..Private party
      Ellington was recorded singing and playing I'm Afraid and Joog Joog.
      .New Desor
      DE5001
      ...Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-10
      1950 01 28
      Saturday
      .Cleveland, OhioMasonic Auditorium

      'MASONIC AUDITORIUM
      East 36th & Euclid
      THE TOPHATTERS CLUB PRESENTS
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      King Of Jazz
      And his World Famous Orchestra
      In A Musical Concert
      Sat., Jan 28& –-8:15 P.M. Curtain
      Tickets Masonic Temple Or Burrows
      408 Euclid
      $1.80 - $2.40 - $3.60 Tax Inc.'

      This gig was initially identified by Joe Mosbrook by an advertisement. The concert poster has Cow Cow Davenport as an added attraction.
      Cleveland Plain Dealer

      'A fine, high-spirited audience was on hand to welcome Duke Ellington...
        Although the show was 40 minutes late in beginning, once the 16-piece band got started it had plenty of blasting power...
        Spruce in a light gray suit [Ellington] presided with casual grace over a group of hard-working expert musicians playing trumpets, trombones, a whole choir of saxophones, a virtuoso double bass and a drum while he waved his beat with one hand and played the piano with the other.
        After the national anthem, the soft, weird music of "Lady in Lavender Mist" and "Suddenly It Jumped Quietly" turned into a double bass solo, "She Wouldn't Be Moved," and wound up with hair-raising, ear-splitting blasts of the satire "Symphomaniac." Most of the pieces were short, but they had a slippery sense of style.
        Charming Kay Davis, soprano, in brilliant orange sang "Creole Love Call," "I Can Dream, Can't I?" Assisting artists included Al Hiber [sic], baritone, and Johnny Hodges, alto sax...
        During intermission, graying Charles Davenport, Cleveland jazz composer, played his latest pieces, drawing ASCAP royalties, the well known "Cow-Cow Boogie," "Cow-Cow Blues," "He Don't Mean No [illegible - Harm?]" and "Mama Don't Allow No Music Played in Here." '

      • Concert poster
      • Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio,
        • 1950-01-22 p.20-D
        • 1950-01-28 p.8
        • 1950-01-29 p.28-A
      .
      .DEMS.CAH2/09Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-08
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-16
      2020-05-07
      1950 01 29
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial Auditorium......Added
      2011
      1950 01 30
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 01 31
      Tuesday
      .Wilberforce, OhioJones auditorium
      Wilberforce University
      Dayton Daily News, January 29, 1950:

      'WILBERFORCE Jan.28.–Duke Ellington and his orchestra will return to Wilberforce university [sic] Tuesday for a kick-off jazz concert tour of 50 leading colleges and universities...'

      Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio, 1950-01-29 Society Section, p.15...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-15

      February 1950

      1950 02 00...Personnel changes
      • Singer Lu Elliott leaves - the May 1 Wisconsin State Journal reported she left "last month" to perform as a single and had a three-year contract with Apollo Records but the columnist may have meant either April or March.
      • Singer Odessa "Chubby" Kemp joins the band, having been hired by Ellington during the Detroit engagement at the Paradise Theatre.
      • Tenor sax player Jimmy Forrest leaves the band. He will record again with the band on Oct. 23, 1972
      • Tenor sax Alva "Beau" McCain joins the band
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Wisconsin StateJournal, Madison, Wisc, 1950-05-01 p.6 s.1
      ...djpNew
      Added 2012-10-23
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 01
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 02 02
      Thursday
      7 and 9:30 pm
      .Madison, Wisc.Parkway TheatreOrchestra and entertainers, two "variety concerts", also billed as "Concert Variety"

      Tickets $1.20, $1.80 and $2.40
      Theatre manager John Scharnberg announced the Ellington program as:
      I.
        • Jazz Accelerando
        • Bojangles
        • Creole Love Call
        • You Name It
        • Liberian Suite
      II.
      • Resume
      • Songs (Lu Eliot)
      • Violet Blue
      • The History of Jazz in Three Minutes
      • Songs (Albert Hibbler)
      • Piano (Duke Ellington)

      Frank Custer's Capital Times review:
      • both performances played to fair sized crowds
      • constant shift of lighting and changes from the program bothered some
      • personnel named: Nelson "Cootie" Williams [sic!!!]; Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Hamilton, Ray Nance, Al Hibbler, Kay Davis, Luy Eliot, Lawrence Brown
      • Song titles mentioned: Mood Indigo, It Don't Mean A Thing, I Got It Band and That Ain't Good, Creole Love Song [sic], St. Louis Blues, Symphomaniac, Liberian Suite, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, Bojangles.

      Bill Doudna's State Journal review:
      • two small Parkway audiences
      • personnel named: Johnny Hodges, Sonny Greer, Lawrence Brown, Nelson Williams, Albert Hibbler, Al Killian, Wendell Marshall, Lu Eliot, Kay Davis, Ray Nance.
      • ghostly off-stage taps added reality to his musical portrait of the late "Bojangles" Bill Robinson [this was probably Nance dancing back stage]
      • The Capital Times, Madison, Wisc.
        • 1950-01-14 p.5
        • 1950-01-28, p4
        • 1950-02-01, p.15
        • 1950-02-03,p.5
      • Wisconsin State Journal,
        • 1950-01-19 p.21
        • 1950-01-20 p.27
        • 1950-01-22
          • s.1 p.17
          • s.2 p.10
        • 1950-01-29 s.2 p.11
        • 1950-01-31 p.13
        • 1950-02-01, s.2,p.3
        • 1950-02-02, s.1,p.9
        • 1950-02-03 s.1 p.9
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-08
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-16
      2020-05-07
      1950 02 03
      Friday
      .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel Auditorium Opera HouseConcert, 8:30 p.m., Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra and The Orioles quintet.
      Review by Charles Menees in the Post-Dispatch and V.T. in the Star-Times:
      • 3,000 attendance
      • Ellington's share of the concert was part jazz concert, part theater-type show, with comedy, Ray Nance's dancing, tricky use of spotlights, medleys
      • Named music:
        • excerpts from Liberian Suite
        • Bojangles
        • Slow Boat to China
        • She Wouldn't Be Moved
        • Frankie and Johnnie
        • Creole Love Call
        • I Can Dream, Can't I?
      • Personnel named by Menees and V.T. in the Star-Times:
        • Lawrence Brown
        • Hal Baker
        • Wendell Marshall
        • Al Hibbler
        • Kay Davis
        • Johnny Hodges
        • Sonny Greer
        • V.T. mentioned the band had four vocalists, but only Hibbler and Davis were named in the two reviews
      • Menees: 'Completely sold out was the supply of 1948 souvenir programs which naturally didn't correctly list last evening's program and was full of innaccuracies about the band's present personnel.'
      • St. Louis Star-Times, St. Louis, Mo.,
        • 1950-01-23 p.20
        • 1950-01-24 p.18
        • 1950-01-28 p.6
        • 1950-01-31 p.8
        • 1950-02-01 p.15
        • 1950-02-03 p.12
        • 1950-02-04 p.4
      • St. Charles (Daily) Cosmos-Monitor, St. Charles, Mo. 1950-01-24 p.3
      • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St.Louis, Mo.
        • 1950-01-22 p.5G
        • 1950-01-29 p.4G
        • 1950-02-03 p.3C
        • 1950-02-04 p.5A
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-04-08
      updated
      2018-10-16
      1950 02 04
      Saturday
      .Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati Garden"Concert show" 8:30 p.m.

      News-Journal, 1950-01-26

      '...The Ellington concert show will appear at the Garden for one night only. The house has been scaled to bring this concert show to Cincinnati at the lowest concert prices in the history of the city. The management of the Garden announced that 8,000 seats will be priced at $1."

      A plug in the Cincinnati Enquirer 1950 02 05 described the group as Duke Ellington, his orchestra and entertainers, saying the show would be more than two hours. The ad on the same page announced Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra and the Orioles. 8118 general admission tickets were $1, reserved seats were $1.50, $2.00 and $2.50.
      • The Daily News-Journal, Wilmington, Ohio
        • 1950-01-14 p.10
        • 1950-01-26 p.16
      • Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio,
        • 1950-01-15 s.3 p.7
        • 1950-01-22 s.3 p.5
        • 1950-02-04 p.11
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-02-18
      2018-10-16
      1950 02 05
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Opera HouseTwo concerts, afternoon and night, by the band and a vocal quintet, The Orioles, presented by Down Beat.
      Prices (tax included)
      • Matinee $1.25 $1.85 $2.50 $3.10
      • Evening $1.25 $1.85 $2.50 $3.10 $3.71

      Chuck Moore, Notes on the Beat, San Antonio Register:

      'The music mag, "Down Beat," will present it's [sic] annual concert at the civic opera house in Chicago on Sunday with Duke Ellington and his ork in the spotlight. The Ellington band placed second in the "Beat's" poll but inasmuch as the first place winner, Woody Herman, has disbanded, the Duke has been delegated to take over. Of the Ellington musicrew Johnny Hodges will receive an award as the top saxman and Al Hibbler, former San Antonian, most popular band vocalist. With the exception of the Orioles (and heaven only knows why their nasal toning got in on the deal) the program will be strictly Ellington. There will of course be the "Creole Love Call," with vocal by Kay Davis; the Liberian Suite; songs by Al Hibbler; songs by Lu Elliot [sic]; "Violet Blue," written by Billy Strayhorn and played by Johnny Hodges; a medley of Ellington hits and a stint by the Orioles.'

      • The Capital Times, Madison, Wisc., 1950-01-28, p4
      • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex, 1950-02-03 p.5
      • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.,
        • 1950-01-15 pt.7 p.4 s.B
        • 1950-02-05
          • s.2 p.1
          • pt.7 p.4
      • Stratemann p.310 citing Chicago Defender 1950-02-04 p.26
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-10
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-16
      2021-06-29
      1950 02 06
      Monday
      .Kalamazoo, Mich. Central High School.Stratemann, p.310, citing DESB....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      1950 02 07
      Tuesday
      .Lansing, Mich. Prudden Auditorium

      DUKE
      Ellington
      and his famous
      ORCHESTRA
      AND SHOW
      TUESDAY
      FEB. 7th 8:30 P.M.

      Also advertised as

      IN
      PERSON
      Duke ELLINGTON
      Composer - Conductor
      AND HIS FAMOUS
      ORCHESTRA
      Concert Varieties

      Prices: $2.40, $1.80, $1.20 Tax Inc.

      Sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce
      The publicity in Lansing State Journal is interesting - each announcement was several paragraphs long, each one discussed something different about Ellington, his life and music and his orchestra. Examples:

      'Ellington and his band will appear at Prudden auditorium Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 8:30 p.m...Duke's current itinerary calls for 80 concerts a year.'

      and

      '... few people know that he [Ellington] is the donor of three annual musical scholarships to famed Juilliard shcool in New York City...
        ...First students to graduate were three teen-agers: Elaine Jones, pianist; Paul Rudoff, French horn player, and Warren Norwood, flutist, after a series of competitive auditings conducted amonth students of the New York city high schools. In their honor, Ellington wrote a work called "Entrance of Youth" and featured the three hopefuls as soloists at his 1947 concert festival at Carnegie Hall...'


      H. R. Palmer's review of the two-hour concert used some of the publicity material, and named some band members:
      • Harold Bawer [sic]
      • Ray Nash [sic]
      • Wendell Marshall
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Johnny Hodges
      • Sonny Greer
      • Albert Hibbler
      • Kay Davis
      • Lu Eliot [sic]
      and some of the titles played:
      • Liberian Suite
      • Bojangles
      • Creole Love Call
      • Mood Indigo
      • A History of Jazz in Three Minutes
      • Cotton Tail
      • Perdido
      • My Little Brown Book
      • Transblucency
      • Things Ain't What They Used to Be
      Concert poster, Gotta Have Rock And Roll website
      Lansing State Journal, Lansing, Mich.
      • 1950-01-13 p.16
      • 1950-01-21 p.7
      • 1950-01-23 p.16
      • 1950-01-24 p.8
      • 1950-01-25 p.6
      • 1950-01-26 p.18
      • 1950-01-27 p.14
      • 1950-01-30 p.14
      • 1950-01-31 p.14
      • 1950-02-01 p.11
      • 1950-02-02 p.16
      • 1950-02-03 p.20
      • 1950-02-04 p.7
      • 1950-02-06 p.9
      • 1950-02-07 p.10
      • 1950-02-08 p.18
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-04-08
      updated
      2018-10-14
      2019-02-10
      Circa
      1950 02 07
      Tuesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Gotham Hotel.The California Eagle reported a Mr. and Mrs. Andre Vaughn left Los Angeles on Feb. 3, stopped in Chicago and Lansing, and made their way back to Detroit, where they met Ellington at the fashionable Gotham Hotel. Ellington, Hibbler and Sara [sic] Vaughn [sic],gave a party for them in their room.

      If the story is reliable, it places Duke in Detroit around this time.
      The California Eagle, 1950-02-23, p.11...djpUpdated
      2017-04-10
      1950 02 08
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      - see 1950 02 07
      ......
      1950 02 09
      Thursday
      .Saginaw, Mich.Saginaw Auditorium
      Northwest corner
      South Washington and Janes
      Concert, 8:30 p.m.
      The Saginaw News advance publicity said there would be 18 men, naming Hodges, Brown, Carney and Pettiford. Its review:

      'Concert jazz as played by the great Duke Ellington and his orchestra rocked the Auditorium Thursday night to the delight of some 1,000 spectators.
        Sparkling arrangements in stage show style were combined with lovely lighting effects in-a thrilling display of glamorized jazz. Those who like their music strictly hot would have called some of the showpieces quite commercial.
        The Duke and his 15 terrific musicians gave out with some solid stuff in the second half of the program, featuring the boogie-woogie vocalizing of Chubbie Kent [recte Chubby Kemp] and the mad antics of trumpetman Ray Nance. A five-by-five female, Chubbie drove the audience frantic. She and Nance, who gave a knocked-out vocal-dance version of W. C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," came close to stealing the show.
        Other numbers showcased the brilliant alto saxophone improvisations of Johnny Hodges, the sophisticated blues warbling of lovely Kay Davis, and the smooth vocalizing of that extraordinary bass-baritone, Albert Hibbler.'

      Saginaw News ...djpNew
      Added
      2015-10-22
      updated
      2015-10-24
      1950 02 10
      Friday
      1950 02 11Ann Arbor, Mich.University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan Junior Class J-Hop (Junior Hop) dance - two nights
      The Ellington and Louis Prima bands shared the bill, playing alternately on both nights to allow continuous dancing.

      This annual event was the University's only strictly formal dance, with, this year, a "Deep in the Blues" theme. The decorations created an underwater illusion and a cosmetic company distributed a new cologne, J-Hop 51 as favours.

      Attending from Traverse City:
      • Miss Ann Maurer, with Parker Pennington
      • Miss Betty Badgero with William Fonce
      • Miss June Stromberg with Louis Culman
      From Benton Harbor were:
      • Miss Helen Kreider and Robert Gardner
      • Miss Patricia Rohring, escorted by Douglas Gelb of Rochester
      • Miss Dorothy DeWolf, with Liberato D'Addona of New York City
      • Miss Mary Stathopoulos and Milton Karnfills of Flint
      • Miss Roberta Piggott with Rodney Sonnenbert
      • John Ackenhusen escorting Miss Anne Goodyear of Hastings
      • Miss Violet Johnson and Richard Noll
      • William Rohring escorting Miss Ann Fester of Lansing


      From Battle Creek:
      • Miss Dorothy Aitken, guest of Raymond B. Roof, Jr.
      • Miss Janet Mae Taylor, attending with Robert Jones
      • Miss Nancy Weiss hosted by Clifford Voice
      • Miss Barbara Banghard, guest of John Norman
      • Miss Joyce Holzberger, with Russell Smith
      • The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio,
        1950-02-09 p.B-5
      • Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
        • 1950-02-09, p.3
        • 1950-02-11, p.6
      • The Enquirer and News, Battle Creek, Mich.,
        1950-02-12 p.4
      • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.,
        1950-02-11 p.11
      • The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich.
        1950-02-13 p.4
      • Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask.
        1950-02-10 p.9
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-17
      2020-05-072021-06-29
      1950 02 11
      Saturday
      .Ann Arbor, Mich.University of MichiganSecond night of J-Hop dance - see 1950 02 10.....Added
      2011
      1950 02 11
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.UnknownKennedy Records recording session.

      Steven Lasker's Mercer Records discography:

      Chubby Kemp with Billy Strayhorn - Johnny Hodges Sextet
      Hodges, Hamilton, Carney, Strayhorn, Marshall, Greer

      Titles recorded:
      • Hello Little Boy
      • The Greatest There Is!
      This session is not shown in New Desor nor Nielsen, but Timner V has it on p.541, with two more titles in square brackets but no record release information:
      • [Don't You Know I Care]
      • [I Got It Bad]
      The Billboard this date reported Duke Ellington took out a recording licence with AFM for his new disc venture, Kennedy Records. This is not yet documented, but press deadlines would mean this took place before The Billboard's publication date.

      Kennedy Records became the Mercer Records partnership - see 1950 08 08
      The first recording session was Feb.11. Lasker shows it as a Mercer session, but Mercer Records does not appear to have been formed until August. A Kennedy Records session would be consistent with the Local 802 A.F. of M. contract of 1950 09 13 being marked Session 1 and with Leonard Feather's description of that session as the first, but it's rather a moot point, give that the two titles were released on the Mercer Records label M1950A and M21951B

      The location of the recording studio and whether or not Duke was present in the session need to be determined. Mercer Ellington's own band was playing in New York this week, but Ellington's orchestra was in Michigan.

      Letter, 1950-08-04, L. Feather-C.Hoefer:

      'Dear Coleen,

        Enclosed is a set of dubs of four sides that were recorded in Detroit by Chubby Kemp, Duke's blues singer who will be with him at the Regal the week of August 17.
        These sides are cleared through the union, and will probably be released on a new label, Kennedy records. The accompaniment is by Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Billy Strayhorn, Sonny Greer, and Wendell Marshall.
        "Hello Little Boy" and "The Greatest There Is" are credited to Ellington and Kemp, and are both published by Tempo Music. You can consider this letter an authorization of clearance on the two tunes if necessary.

        Please let me know if I can help in any way to supply material or information prior to Duke's visit.
      Kindest regards,

      Sincerely yours,

      LEONARD FEATHER '

      I have not located an AF of M contract for this session.

      • Mercer Records discography, courtesy S. Lasker 2017-02-08
      • Stratemann p.310 citing The Billboard 1950-02-11 p.54
      • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
      • Timner V (p.541 "Ellingtonians")
      ...djp/slNew
      added
      2017-02-09
      updated
      2017-02-12
      1950 02 12
      Sunday
      .Milwaukee, Wisc.Pabst TheatreConcert at either 2:30 or 3 p.m.

      Tickets: $3.60, $3.00, $2.40, $1.80, $1.20

      D.K.G. in the Milwaukee Journal:

      'A disappointingly small house turned out for Duke Ellington and his orchestra Sunday afternoon at the Pabst theater. Those who went heard one of the finest jazz concerts that have come this way in several years.
        The feature was two movements and a song, "I Like the Sunrise" sung by Albert Hibbler, from Ellington's "Liberian Suite." Commissioned by the republic of Liberia, this is superb modern music by any standard. It is great jazz. Sunday afternoon it was an unforgettable thrilling experience.
        For years this has been the finest jazz orchestra in the country. The present group of 17 men play with the discipline and precision of a symphony and with individual brilliance.
        Johnny Hodges played a great alto solo on "Sunny Side of the Street." Tyree Glenn on trombone, Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet, Sonny Greer's drums and the songs of Kay Davis were particularly outstanding.
        The absence of any bop on the program might be significant.'

      • Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc.
        • 1950-02-05, p.16 re Feb 12
        • 1950-02-12, s.2 p.10 re Feb 12
      • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.
        • 1950-01-15 p.9
        • 1950-01-29 p.4
        • 1950-02-03 green sheet, p.1
        • 1950-02-09 p.9
        • 1950-02-10 p.19
        • 1950-02-12 pt II p.15
        • 1950-02-13 p.7
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-08
      2017-04-09
      2017-04-09
      2018-10-17
      2020-05-07
      1950 02 13
      Monday
      .Stillwater, Okla.Field House
      or
      Gallagher hall
      Oklahoma A&M College
      Two concerts, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., tickets $1.00, both performances nearly sold out
      Personnel named in advance publicity include Hodges, Marshall, Nance, Baker, Hebbler [sic], Davis, Eliot.
      Bruce Johnson in The Daily O'Collegian:

      'Duke Ellington was performing in Gallagher hall Monday night, and two near capacity audiences were glad. He brought jazz with him.
        The Duke played the blues for listening Aggies; he also pounded out some crashing boogie. The 14-piece band behind him was loudly brittle, then softly muted, but always clearly blended.
        Jazz of the classic sort was on the program, entitled the "Liberian Suite." There was also a chubby blues singer who sang loud and stayed not long enough. The score was varied and all good.
        Every individual in the group of artists soloed, and with reason. Particularly outstanding was the alto saxophone played by Johnny Hodges, while close competition came from Jimmy Hamilton on a clarinet. Naturally there was a piano and Duke Ellington.
        A clowning Sonny Greer played the drums as his forefathers would have liked.
        There were also five men carrying trumpets, which they played solidly as befits the backbone of a jazz band. When called upon, however, there were five men each playing a different bit of individualism. The horns looked the same, and the quality of excellence was equally there, but each man had a style personally owned and operated.
        Al Hibbler, vocalist, is blind, and can't read a word of music. Naturally. That's how he sings – naturally. He has a talented voice, and didn't get to sing enough. For listening pleasure Al Hibbler is recommended.
        Duke Ellington is the high spot of Allied Arts so far, and this writer hopefully recommends that those officials in charge bring him back again – at least for his two remaining years in college.'

      • The Daily Collegian, Stillwater, Okla.
        • 1950-02-09 p.1
        • 1950-02-11 p.1
        • 1950-02-14 p.3
      • The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Okla. 1950-02-12 p.21
      • Photo of Chubby Kemp and Duke Ellington, with sidemen in the background, The 1950 Redskin, Oklahoma A&M College yearbook p.592.
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-04
      1950 02 14
      Tuesday
      Valentine's Day
      .Enid, Okla.Convention HallConcert, 8:30 p.m.
      • Sponsored by the local Exchange Club
      • "Reserved Section For Colored People"
      • Tickets: $2.44, $1.83 and $1.22 including tax

      The front and back covers of an eight-page programme offered for sale on eBay calls the event "Concert Varieties," the same title used in other locations on this tour. On the back cover the names of the rhythm section and vocalists are shown - Ellington, Greer, Marshall, Hibbler, Davis and Eliot. Chubby Kemp will have been present too, since she joined the band a few days earlier and was identified by the reviewer of the previous day's concerts in Stillwater. Her name was probably omitted because Ellington's booking agent would have sent out publicity material before she was hired.
      Ads and publicity for the concert say Ellington's either 18- or 14-piece orchestra would perform 11 numbers, naming named:
      • The History of Jazz in Three Minutes
      • Liberian Suite
      • Jazz Accelerando
      • Bojangles
      • Creole Love Call
      • Violet Blue
      • Resume [sic]
      The Sunday Feb. 5 edition of The Enid Morning News said the concert would be Friday night, which would have been Feb. 10. The concert programme and the Feb. 9, 12 and 14 editions of The Enid Morning News all say Feb. 14.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-04
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 15
      Wednesday
      .Cincinnati, OhioCotton ClubEllington was among the celebrities who purchased tickets for a benefit ball but it is unlikely he attended given the Tulsa engagement this night.The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1950-02-13 p.3..VaildjpNew
      added
      2017-04-09
      1950 02 15
      Wednesday
      .Tulsa, Okla.Convention Hall....Vail.Added
      2011
      1950 02 16
      Thursday
      .Minneapolis, Minn.Northrop Memorial Auditorium
      105 Northrop Auditorium
      University of Minnesota
      8:30 p.m. - Concert sponsored by all-University congress.

      Tickets: $1.50, $2.00, $2.50, $3.00 tax included

      The pages of the concert programme displayed on eBay in 2015 showed Jazz Accelerando, Bojangles, Creole Love Call, You Name It (Mercer Ellington and Luther Henderson), and Liberian Suite. Other titles shown in pre-concert publicity were Resume, The History of Jazz in Three Minutes, and Violet Blue. The publicity also named singers Lu Eliot and Albert Hibbler.
      Tribune critic Norman Houk named the personnel as: TRUMPETS: Al Killian; Ray Nance; Harold Baker; Nelson Williams; David Burns, TROMBONES Lawrence Brown; Tyree Glenn; Quentin Jackson, REEDS: Johnny Hodges; Harry Conney [sic]; Jimmy Hamilton; Russell Procope, RHYTHM: Duke Ellington; Sonny Greer; Wendell Marshall. Selected comments:

      '...It was a "request performance," for the All-University congress chose the Ellington crew when it rated tops in a campus survey...

      At this concert there was more sparing use of terrific all-out brass display that was the outstanding characteristic the last time he visied Minneapolis, although there were plenty of times when the decibel pressure boosted your pulse rate. There were more subtle and simple effects–but arrived at complexly.

      ..."Creole Love Call" appeared in a new arrangement, with Kay Davis doing the wordless vocal.

      ...Hibbler did a lot of singing...

      A small spotlight from inside the piano shown [sic] on the Duke's face and vertical spots at each edge of the stage picked up a succession of soloists...

      ...Chubby Kemp made her first appearance. She gives forth with about as exuberantly-uninhibited vocal noises as there are on the current market and has such a wonderful time doing it that so do you...'

      Star critic John K. Sherman also wrote a glowing review but provided less detail. Selected comments:

      '...richest, headiest blast of jazz... Crewcut boys and their dates were out in full force in the audience, and the response to the electrifying stuff on the stage was eager and appreciative...The band numbered 15...Sonny Greer, whose sadistic precision is something to behold; ... The vocal team was made of of Albert Hibbler, Kay Davis and Chubby Kemp....'

      • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune and Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1950-01-29 p.F 5
        • 1950-02-05 p.F 5
        • 1950-02-10 p.31
        • 1950-02-12 p.F 5
        • 1950-02-13 p.12
        • 1950-02-14 p.12
        • 1950-02-16 p.8
        • 1950-02-17 p.5
      • The Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis, Minn.
        • 1950-02-10 p.20
        • 1950-02-13 p.18
        • 1950-02-15 p.28
        • 1950-02-16 p.18
        • 1950-02-17 p.18
      • Vail I
      • Autographed concert programme (eBay offering)
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-09
      1950 02 17
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 02 18
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 02 19
      Sunday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Oakland Auditorium"Concert Varieties" programme - cancelled
      While the Oakland Tribune carried an ad for this concert on Feb. 19, it was postponed to Feb. 26 and was to change to dance music.

      Strangely, the San Diego Union ads didn't name the venue.
        The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.
        • 1950-02-14 p.a-8
        • 1950-02-15 p.a-28
        • 1950-02-16 p.1-11
        • 1950-02-17 p.A-11
        • 1950-02-18 p.a-9
      • Oakland Tribune
        • Ad, 1950-02-19, p.1-C ("Concert Varieties")
        • Announcement 1950-02-26, p.C-7 (change of dates and programme)
      • Vail I
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-04-08
      updated
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 19
      Sunday
      .San Diego, Cal.Dressing room
      Russ Auditorium
      Ellington was interviewed by The San Diego Union's Winthrop Cady while getting dressed for the matinee. Cady describes how he dresses and grooms in some detail, describes a photographer taking 2 pictures, and quotes Ellington:

      'We use special material for the concerts - lighter this time than before. We use a little more variety now and it gets loose. In fact, in the second half you can say it gets theatrical. The audiences seem to like it a little looser. We kid it a little and have some fun and the audiences have fun, too. We try... Speedy, who washed these socks?

      That's Speedy Brooks. Sgt. Speedy Brooks, we call him, because he finds the worst laundries in the world. Only a laundry hand-picked by Sgt. Speedy Brooks could shrink socks so small. I'd rather wash them myself.

      Where were we? Having fun? Oh, yes. Well, we try to have a little fun and we try hard not to take ourselves too seriously. We try real hard not to take... well, American jazz music wasn't born on a very high level, and we try to keep it where it belongs.

      Sgt. Speedy Brooks, I'll bet you went to every laundry in Minneapolis to find which one has the cheapest soap before you sent out the socks.

      We try to keep the stuff loose and on its own level. You don't get any place trying to put it on a higher level.

      Sgt. Speedy Brooks, you're 100% today You've got these cuff links in backwards.

      This is a record jump for us. We went from Tulsa to Minneapolis, and that's jump enough. And then we came all the way from Minneapolis to San Diego. That's a long one. We've got eight concerts in California but we may stay around a while before we go back. I'm tired of riding trains.'

      The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal. 1950-02-20, p.a-5...djpNew
      added
      2017-04-09
      1950 02 19
      Sunday
      .San Diego, Cal.Russ AuditoriumMatinee:

      GENE NORMAN PRESENTS                           DUKE ELLINGTON
      In concert and his famous orchestra
      featuring
      AL HIBBLER KAY DAVIS
      Johnny Hodges Lawrence Brown Ray Nance Harry Carney
      Sunday Afternoon, Feb. 19, 2:15 Russ Aud. Tickets from $1.25...


      • The review named sidemen Al Killian, Ray Nance, Harold Baker, Nelson Williams, David Burns, trumpets; Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn and Quentin Jackson, trombones; Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, reeds; Sonny Greer, drums; Wendell Marshall and vocalists Albert Hibbler, Kay Davis, Lu Eliot and Chubby Kent [sic].
      • Music mentioned by the reviewer: Jazz Accelerando; Bojangles; excerpts from the Liberian Suite; a new version of Frankie and Johnny; You Name It; Violet Blue; and The History of Jazz in Three Minutes.
      • 'Other singers were Lu Eliot and Chubby Kent [sic], who was introduced as a "lovely and well balanced girl and a leading exponent of the blues." Be that as it may, Miss Kent has a sizzling style and terrific vocal volume. What she was singing about was anyone's guess.'
      • 'Greer and Marshall got lots of attention. Marshall's finger work on string bass was only equalled by his fast foot-work. He must have run up a tremendous mileage on his right foot alone.'
      • The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.
        • 1950-02-12 p.d-4
        • 1950-02-14 p.a-9
        • 1950-02-15
        • 1950-02-16
        • 1950-02-20, p.a-5
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-09
      1950 02 20
      Monday
      8:30 pm
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine Auditorium"Concert Varieties" concert, 8:30 p.m.
      The Eagle announcement named the vocalists as "Albert Hibbler, Kay Davis and Lu Eliot" and the rest of the band as well: Al Killian, Ray Nance, Harold Baker, Nelson Williams, David Burns, Lawrence Brown, Tyree Glenn, Quentin Jackson, Johnny Hodges, Harry Conney [sic], Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Jimmy Forrest, Sonny Greer, Wendell Marshall and Ellington. Tickets were available at all Mutual Agencies in Southern California. Prices $1.20 $1.80 $2.40 and $3.60, tax included

      Los Angeles Times review by H.L.C.:
      • large audience
      • blithe disregard of starting time and the program as printed, but both audience and band seemed to enjoy it.
      • Opened with "hopped-up" version of the National Anthem
      • Titles mentioned: Jazz Accelerando; She Wouldn't Be Moved; Liberian Suite; Creole Love Call; a blues from Black, Brown and Beige; I Can Dream, Can't I; Frankie and Johnnie ("Herein a trombonist with an outsize mute explored the sound possibilities of his instrument, with results that must have surprised even the trombone"); Bojangles (featured an interesting ghost tap effect produced apparently by soft shoe dancing and percussions off stage)
      • Van Nuys News, Van Nuys, Cal. 1950-02-13 pt.1 p.8
      • California Eagle 1950-02-16
      • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1950-02-02 Pt.III p.11
        • 1950-02-15 pt.1 p.26
        • 1950-02-19 pt. IV p.2
        • 1950-02-20 Pt.II p.7
        • 1950-02-22 pt. III p.10
      • Stratemann, p.310
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-09
      1950 02 21
      Tuesday
      .Stockton, Cal.Civic Auditorium...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 02 22
      Wednesday
      .Sacramento, Cal.Memorial Auditorium8:30 p.m., concert of modern music, with about 500 in attendance
      Reviewer William Glackin said it was a fine band and a good show, but with the Ellington band you expect more. Music named in the review: Violet Blue, Lady of the Lavender Mist (which opened the show), dance from the Liberian Suite, blues from Black, Brown and Beige, Creole Love Call, and a medley. Personnel mentioned: Hodges, Kay Davis, Nance, Baker, Brown. The reviewer commented attendance was low for Alec Templeton [band?] and Stan Kenton's concert [Feb. 18] drew three times as many.
      Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Cal.
      • 1950-01-28 p.23
      • 1950-02-21 p.3
      • 1950-02-22 p.4
      • 1950-02-23 p.7
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-04-09
      updated
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 23
      Thursday
      .Fresno, Cal.Memorial Auditorium....Vail.Added
      2011
      1950 02 24
      Friday
      .San Francisco, Cal.AuditoriumProgram of "Concert Varieties"
      Bob McCary (Feb,25):

      'Ellington's Band at the Audiorium
        There is a school of thought which says Edward Kennedy Ellington is the greatest thing that ever happened to music.
        There is another school which says NO!
        Somewhere between them you could have found Duke Ellington last night. He and his orchestra played a concert at the Civic Auditorium.
        The band played some of the things which have made it famous&–"Take the A train," The Liberian Suite" and others.
        (It also played some things which, from a standing start, would never have made it famous. Among these were "Jazz Accelerando," "Bojangles" and "You Name It.")
        One of the things that made the affair sound good was a young lady named Kay Davis. She did "Creole Love Call," not singing it , but using her voice as an instrument. This technique is all the rage with the bop men this year, but inasmuch as this was first recorded in the 1920's, Ellington deserves a large amount of credit for it.
        (She also sang "I Can Dream, Can't I?" She can, also she can sing.)
        During part of the concert, Ellington conducted the orchestra. (One rude fellow in the audience said, "If he's a conductor, I want a transfer." In this he was expressing what seemed to be a widely held opinion among his listeners–Duke Ellington is much better when he plays the piano and lets the band ad lib.)
        Or to sum it up quickly, Duke Ellington did not sound like Duke Ellington. He sounded like a fellow who is going around the country making appearances and money.'

      • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
        • 1950-02-13 p.3
        • 1950-02-03 Pt.2 p.15
        • 1950-02-23 p.16
        • 1950-02-24 p.19
        • 1950-02-25 p.11
      • Oakland Tribune
        • 1950-02-19 p.1-C
        • 1950-02-23, p.29
      • Vail I
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-10
      2018-10-16
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 25
      Saturday
      .San Jose, Cal.Municipal AuditoriumProgram of "Concert Varieties"
      • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
        • 1950-02-13 p.3
        • 1950-02-23 p.16
        • 1950-02-24 p.19
      • Oakland Tribune
        • 1950-02-19 p.1-C
        • 1950-02-22 p.32
        • 1950-02-23, p.29
      • Vail I
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-10
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 26
      Sunday
      .Oakland, Cal.Oakland AuditoriumInitially announced as a program of "Concert Varieties," the Oakland Tribune annoujnced on Feb. 26 that it would be dance music instead. The event was sponsored by Gene Norman, a Pacific Coast disc jockey.
      Personnel named:
    • Hibbler
    • Lu Eliot
    • Kay Davis
    • Killian
    • Nance
    • Baker
    • N.Williams
    • David Burns, trp
    • Brown
    • Glenn
    • Jackson
    • Hodges
    • Harry Conney [sic]
    • Hamilton
    • Procope
    • Forrest
    • Greer
    • Marshall
    • Ellington
      • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
        • 1950-02-13 p.3
        • 1950-02-23 p.16
        • 1950-02-24 p.19
      • Oakland Tribune
        • 1950-02-19, pp.1-C, 8-C, 10-C
        • 1950-02-20, p.15
        • 1950-02-22 p.32
        • 1950-02-23, p.29
        • 1950-02-23 Kay Davis photo and caption
        • 1950-02-24, p.30D
        • 1950-02-26 p.C-7
      • Vail I
      ..
      .djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-10
      2018-10-17
      1950 02 27
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 02 28
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......

      March 1950

      1950 03 00...Personnel changes
      Tyree Glenn, trombone, left the band this month.

      New Desor has Al Hibbler leaving in March as well, to return in September. He was with the band at Texas A&M College on March 18, but did not go with the band to Europe.
      • New Desor vol.2
      • The East Texan, Commerce, Texas 1950-03-24 p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-25
      updated
      2017-04-07
      1950 03 01
      Wednesday
      1950 03 07Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterProbably a vaudeville show. Ellington paid the costs and took 50% of the revenues.
      • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
        • 1950-03-01 Pt.II p.6
        • 1950-03-02 Pt.II p.10
        • 1950-03-06 Pt.III p.10
        • 1950-03-07 Pt.II p.6
      • Stratemann citing
        • The Billboard Mar.11, 1950 p.55
        • Variety 1950-03-01- p.44
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-11
      2017-04-10
      1950 03 02
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterSee 1950 03 07.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 03
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterSee 1950 03 07.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 03
      Friday
      .Omaha, Neb.OrpheumVarious editions of The World-Herald announced Ellington and his orchestra would open here March 3 for a week. This conflicts with the concurrent theatre engagement in Los Angeles and likely did not take place.
      • Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Neb.
        • 1950-01-17 p.23F
        • Sunday World-Herald, Omaha, Neb.
          • 1950-01-22 p.9-F
          • 1950-02-19 p.3-F
      ...djpadded
      2017-04-08
      updated
      2017-04-10
      2018-10-17
      1950 03 04
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterSee 1950 03 07.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 05
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterSee 1950 03 07.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 06
      Monday
      8 am
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Universal Studios Stage 10Pre-recording for the film "Salute To Duke Ellington," Ellington's second and last Universal short film, and his last short by a major Hollywood studio.

      Although the call time was 8 am, recording started at 8:40 and ended at 12:25.

      Band members included Kay Davis, Al Hibbler, Odessa (Chubby) Kemp, Duke Ellington, Al Killian, Shorty Baker, Ray Nance, Dave Burns, Nelson Williams, Johnny Hodges, Russell Procope, Charlie Rouse, Alva (Bo) McCain, Lawrence Brown, Quentin Jackson, Tyree Glenn, Harry Carney, Wendell Marshall and Sonny Greer.
      Titles recorded:
      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
      • Hello, Little Boy
      • The History of Jazz
      • She Wouldn't Be Moved
      • Violet Blue
      • Take the "A" Train
      • You of All People
      New Desor
      DE5003
      .07,1-2194,2-894,2-194,1-388,4-988,2-4.Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-10
      1950 03 06
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterSee 1950 03 07.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 07
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Million Dollar TheaterSee 1950 03 07.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 08
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Universal Studios Filming "Salute to Duke Ellington" - see 1950 03 06..DEMSStratemann 311
      Strat 313+317 photos
      .Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 03 09
      Thursday
      1950 03 15San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatre.
      • Stratemann p.321 citing Variety 1950-03-15 p.10
      • Ads, Oakland Tribune
        • 1950-03-11 p.6
        • 1950-03-12 p.6C
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-11
      2017-04-10
      1950 03 10
      Friday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatresee 1950 03 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 11
      Saturday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatresee 1950 03 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 12
      Sunday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatresee 1950 03 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 13
      Monday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatresee 1950 03 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 14
      Tuesday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatresee 1950 03 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 15
      Wednesday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Fox Theatresee 1950 03 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 16
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 17
      Friday
      St. Patrick's Day
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 18
      Saturday
      .College Station, TexasGuion Hall
      and
      Sbisa Hall
      Texas A&M University
      6:30 p.m. Concert followed by a military ball at 9 p.m..
      • (1)Guests of honour included a congressman, four generals and a colonel.
      • Society columns reported (2)Pat Hurt, Jacky Chapman, (3)Wanda Nelson, Diana Reed and (4)Pat Cox attended. The latter two were reported to have had a wonderful time.
      • The Baytown Sun announcement

        'High-ranking military officers and a congressman will be honor guests at the military ball March 18 at Texas A. and M. College.
          The ball will be preceded by a formal corps review of the cadets in the afternoon and a concert by Duke Ellington's orchestra in Guion hall at night. Ellington's orchestra will furnish music for the ball.'

      • The review by Cadet Lt. Colonel Ellison said the ball was attended by over two thousand persons; among the guests were Brigadier General La Boisse, Military Attache of the French Embassy, Colonel DeMartino, Military Attache, the Honorable Olin E. Teague, congressman, Lt. Gen. LeRoy Lotes, Maj. Alden R. Crawfore, Maj. Gen. H. H. Johnson. He wrote that the ball itself was held in Sbisa Hall, named Al Hibbler as one of the vocalists and said the concert was at 6:30 p.m.
      • Geroge Charlton, The Battalion:

        '...conert in Guion Hall at 6:30. Most remembered moments came when Kay Davis, featured vocalist, stepped up to the microphone and mournfully supplied her blues renditions. One in particular, "Creole Love Song," in which Miss Davis hums ad sings her way through without the help of any lyric, was particularly haunting. Ellington played in his element–jaz, and the audience seemed to enjoy every hot note...Guests began arriving for the ...ball...
             Duke Ellington and his Orchestra provided a varied assotment of musical concoctions, most of them extremely danceable except occasionally when musicians would slip into some wierdly syncopated arrangement. These latter arrangements were mighty enjoyable listening but not much good for dancing...'

      • Herman C. Gollob, The Battalion:

        'Jazz was presneted in its most inspired and haunting form last Saturday night in Guion ....Each '

      • Announcements
        • The Baytown Sun, Baytown, Texas 1950-03-13 p.5
        • Pampa (Texas) News, 1950-03-12 p.17
        • The Battalion, College Station (Aggieland), Texas
          • 1950-02-02 p.1
          • 1950-02-08 p.1
          • 1950-02-09 p.1
          • 1950-03-14 p.1
          • 1950-03-17 p.1
          • 1950-03-20 p.1
      • Society news items:
        • (2)Brownsville Herald, 1950-03-19
        • (3)Brookshire Times, 1950-03-24
        • (4)Lubbock Evening Journal, 1950-03-17 p.4
        • Kadet Kutups, The East Texan, Commerce, Texas 1950-03-24 p.2
      ...AGP, djpNew
      added
      2012-09-18
      updated
      2013-04-11
      2017-04-07
      2018-10-17
      2021-06-22
      1950 03 19
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 20
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 21
      Tuesday
      .Rocky Mount, N.C.Cameo TheatreFalse date
      This appears to be a film short accompanying the movie Blanche Fury
      Rocky Mount Evening Telegram 1950-03-20, p.5...AGPNew
      added 2012-09-18
      1950 03 21
      Tuesday
      .Wichita, Kans.Forum(Unconfirmed)

      Mr. Ray Overton brings Duke Ellington to the Forum, March 21. Ellington is one of the country's favorite musicians.
      The Negro Star, Wichita, Kans., 1950 03 17, p.4...djpNew
      added 2013-09-07
      1950 03 22
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 23
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 24
      Friday
      .Carbondale, Ill.Shryock Auditorium
      and
      Men's Gymnasium
      Southern Illinois University
      8 p.m. concert and 9:30 p.m. dance sponsored by the Student Council. The admission to each was $1.00
      The Southern Illinoisian printed a lengthy letter to the editor from W. Edward Woods, which opened:

      'I am a daily reader of the Free Press and Southern Illinoisan and I have looked in vain for some recognition by you or some member of your staff of the famous Duke Ellington and his celebrated orchstra who appeared in concert at the Shryock auditorium and played for the dance in the Mens' gymnasium, last Friday, March 24, at Southern Illinois university...'

      His letter says the concert opened with the Star-Spangled Banner and ran an hour and 33 minutes and specifically mentions Al Hibbler "his present vocalist."
      • Duke Ellington to Play at SIU, The Register-News, Mt. Vernon, Ill., 1950-03-14 p.2
      • Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, Ill.,
        • 1950-03-23, p.15
        • 1950-03-24 p.5
        • 1950-04-01, p.4
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-04-11
      updated
      2017-04-07
      2017-04-10
      1950 03 25
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera House

      'Duke Ellington's one-nighter at the Civic Opera House next Sunday [sic] is in the nature of an encore for his soloists and for Duke's own symphonette, "Jazz Accelerando."'

      .
      • Chicago Daily Tribune and Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1950-03-15 Pt.1, P.15
        • 1950-03-19 Pt.7 P.4, S.2
      • Stratemann p.321 citing Chicago Defender 1950-03-11 p.30
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-10
      1950 03 25
      Saturday
      ... Peripheral event
      The Billboard published the first part of its two-part Ellington section: 1950 Music Popularity Charts, The Honor Roll of Popular Songwriters by Jack Burton, No. 53, Duke Ellington.
      The first part begins with a short biography - including his record score to date: 1,200 compositions and 12,000 records, with 20,000,000 copies sold. This count seems to include recordings of Ellington compositions by other artists, since Aasland's 1954 Wax Works only lists 997 Ellington recordings.

      The article then begins the first of four lists of Ellington's most significant recordings by year, recorded by Duke and by others, showing which were then still available. The first list is popular songs (i.e., with lyrics), the second is instrumentals, then come the stage musicals, and lastly, the albums.
      ...Michael Palmer email 2016-02-28.New
      added
      2016-02-28
      1950 03 26
      Sunday
      3 pm
      .Institute, W.Va.West Virginia State Collegeactivities not documented

      A concert advertised for this venue was cancelled due to conditions beyond our control.
      • The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, W.Va., 1950-03-12 p.14
      • 1950-03-25 p.2
      • The Charleston Daily Mail, 1950-03-12 p.10
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-04-11
      2017-04-07
      1950 03 27
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 03 28
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      Circa
      1950 03 29
      Wednesday
      ...Personnel changes
      • Tenor sax sideman Charlie Rouse left the band when it went to Europe. In 1961 he told Down Beat he couldn't find his birth certificate so he could not get a passport and was left behind. This seems to have ended his career with the Ellington orchestra.
      • George "Butch" Ballard was hired for the European trip. Ballard, interviewed by Victor L. Schermer:

        Ballard: So, in 1950,.. I got this call from Duke Ellington. I was asleep, and my wife said, Daddy, you have a call from a Mister Duke Ellington.
        I said, Who?
        I took the phone. He said, Are you Butch Ballard? Butch, this is Duke Ellington. My son, Mercer, told me you play good drums. Well, I'd like you to come join our band in Europe for a few months. I want you to speak to my agent in New York.
        My heart is beating fast. I said to my wife, It's Duke Ellington, sweetheart. He wants me to come with his band!
        We stayed up the whole night. I got my passport together, and went to New York and signed up with his agent. I had a meeting with Duke Ellington. We went over on the Île de France. I met all the guys, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Cat Anderson. I was scared to death! We had rehearsals on the boat. Sonny Greer had all his drums there.

        • Schermer
          Why were you going if Sonny Greer was the drummer?
        • Ballard
          Sonny was drinking quite a bit, and Duke wanted me there for insurance... I met Harry Carney, Russell Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton...
        • Schermer
          What was the first job you did over there?
        • Ballard
          We arrived in Le Havre, France. We had rehearsed on the boat every day.
        • Schermer
          So Sonny was the main drummer. How did you get a chance to play?
        • Ballard
          At the first concert in France. Wendell Marshall was my partner, the bassist, one of the finest musicians in the world. He showed me everything I needed to know in the Ellington band. I had a small set of drums, and Sonny had a huge drum set, but Duke liked the way I could swing.
        • Schermer
          Did you do any recordings with Ellington?
        • Ballard
          Oh yeah! I made a whole lot of records with the band at Capitol Records in California. Juan Tizol, Strayhorn, and Ellington wrote a lot of tunes for the band at the time.
        • Schermer
          Did you eventually take over from Greer?
        • Ballard
          We came home from Europe and Duke hired Louie Bellson. Duke wanted the double bass drums, which I wasn't into. But Duke knew I could play his book. So I got back with the band in California. Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Willie Cook, and Ray Nance were in the band at that time.

      ...djpNew
      added
      2021-12-28
      updated
      2024-01-27
      1950 03 29
      Wednesday
      1950 06 30
      Friday
      European tour.On March 29, Ellington and his orchestra embarked on its first tour of continental Europe and Scandinavia since the beginning of the second world war, arriving home on June 30. Mr. Götting identified many International Duke Ellington Society DEMS Bulletins which concern this tour, but I found it a challenge to jump back and forth. I therefore made these working notes, which are not comprehensive, but may still assist the reader when working through the daily entries in the chronology.
      • 88,2-1 Says that on 1950 05 31 Jimmy Hamilton, Don Byas and Duke Ellington participated in a jam session at Sct. Thomas restaurant. It was recorded and broadcast. I Can't Get Started, Body and Soul, a blues, Laura, In a Sentimental Mood.
      • 88,3-1 Reports the special record made the night of June 6/7.
      • 88,4-3 More about the above special record.
      • 89/1 Nothing apparent regarding the 1950 tour of Europe.
      • 96,2-12 Identifies a CD with four tracks from Paris and Copenhagen recorded during this tour.
      • 97,2-22 Question re June 20 concert conflicting with (incorrect) embarkation date. Now resolved.
      • 97,3-18 Early chronology of part of the tour - May 27 to June 13 only. - superceded.
      • 98,2-21
      • 98,2-22 Description of June 20 concert.
      • 98,3-13 Clarification of previous description of June 20 concert
      • 99,4-25 Description of a Coleman Hawkins CD with several tracks recorded with Ellingtonians during this tour.
      • 01,1-11 Discussion of the date of the Hamburg concert, with several references to other concerts in the tour. Description of BFN (British Forces Network) broadcasts and its facility. Revised preliminary partial itinerary for May 27 - June 13, superceding DEMS 97,3-18, and in turn superceded in DEMS 01,2-21
      • 01,1-13 Incorrect reference. I think it should be 01,1-11
      • 01,2-21 Dating the Göteberg concert, plus a revised preliminary itinerary for May 27 - June 13
      • 01,2-28/6 Just a reference to a non-Ellington recording by Hibbler, nothing to do with the tour.
      • 01,3-10 Details of the Hamburg concerts and mention of the NWDR and BFN broadcasts
      • 01,3-18 Hodges recordings in Copenhagen June 1.
      • 01,3-22 Timner correction regarding one recording.
      • 02,1-5 Absence of trombonist Ted Kelly.
      • 02,3-15 identifying a photo taken in Copenhagen
      • 02,3-23 Some Hodges recordings in Europe during this tour
      • 03,2-28Trumpet player in Mood Indigo in the June 10 concert
      • 04,1-5 Identifying an interview in Paris April 7
      • 04,1-21 New chronology covering Apr. 5 to June 20, with some questions answered. This would seem to supercede the earlier DEMS chronologies.
      • 04,2-28 Personnel in Sweden leg of tour.
      • 04,2-51 New Desor correction to add the April 7 interview.
      • 05,1-20 Information about Ted Kelly
      • 06,1-33 More about Ted Kelly
      • 07,3-10 Discussion of newly issued CD of the Zurich performance May 2.
      • 07,3-32 Story about loss of Kay Davis and a guest appearance in Belgium by a European singer and a possible offer of using her for the next six weeks.
      • 07,3-44 New Desor small correction to add the Zurich concert
      • 08,1-15 Jazz Journal article about a post-concert party in Zurich
      • 08,1-16 More about Zurich and about Ted Kelly.
      • 08,1-19 Hamburg and Zurich CD contents - nothing of consequence.
      • 10,3-16 Identifying performance June 14, seeking info for missing dates.
      ....djpAdded
      2017-04-12
      1950 03 29
      Wednesday
      1950 04 04
      Tuesday
      New York, N.Y.S.S. Île De FranceDuke Ellington and his orchestra embarked by sea for a 2-1/2 month tour of Europe (plus sea-time). This was its first European tour since before the second world war.


      Band members travelling by sea:
      S.S. Ile De France
      Outward-bound passengers
      sailing from New York
      March 29, 1950, bound for
      Le Havre, France
      Homeward-bound passenger
      list
      Baker, Harold
      1619 Broadway St., NYCy. 35
      (Cabin class)
      Harold Baker,
      age 36, single,
      1619 Broadway, New York
      George Ballard,
      age 32, single,
      4130 Paul St, Philadelphia
      Brown, Lawrence 1619 Broadway St., NYCy. 42
      (Cabin class)
      Lawrence Brown,
      age 43, single,
      1619 Broadway, New York
      Carney, Harry
      450 W. 147th St. NYCy. 40
      (Tourist class)
      Harry Carney,
      age 40, married,
      450 W. 147th St.
      Davis, Kathryn
      1829 Ashlard Ave., Evanston, Ill. 29
      (Cabin class)
      Kathryn Davis,
      age 30, single,
      1619 Broadway, New York
      Courtney, Cress 2 Sutton Place, NYCy., 36
      (First class)
      -
      Ellington, Edward
      935 St. Nicholas St., NYCy. 50
      (First class)
      Duke Ellington
      Greer, William
      1619 Broadway St., NYCy. 48
      (Cabin class)
      William Greer,
      age 48, married,
      601 E. 64th St., Bronx
      Hamilton, James
      563 W. 150th St., NYCy 32
      (Cabin class)
      James Hamilton,
      age 33, single,
      1619 Broadway, New York
      Hodges, John
      555 Edgecombe Ave. NYCy 42
      (Tourist class)
      Cornelius Hodges,
      age 43, married,
      555 Edgecomb Ave., New York
      Jackson, Quentin
      1435 Highland Ave., Chicago, Ill. 41
      (Cabin class)
      Quentin Jackson,
      age 41, married,
      3301 Michigan Bd, Chicago
      Killian, Albert
      9115 S. Vincessnes Ave. Chicago, Ill. 33
      (Cabin class)
      Albert Killian,
      age 34, single, cabin class ,
      4112 Vincenzes, Chicago
      Marshall, Wendell 4411 St. Ferdinand Ave., St. Louis, Mo., 29
      (Cabin class)
      Wendell Marshall,
      age 30, married,
      4411 Ferdinand Ave, St. Louis, Mo.
      McCain, Alva
      555 W. 15th St., NYCy. 30
      (Tourist class)
      Alva McCain,
      age 31, single,
      555 W. 151 St., New York
      Procope, Russell
      870 E. Michigan Ave., NYCy 41
      (Cabin class)
      Ruseel [sic] Procope,
      age 42,
      850 Michlas Ave, New York
      Ernest Royal,
      age 29, married,
      154-47th St., Los Angeles, Cal.
      Strayhorn, William 315 Convent Av. NYCy. 34
      (First class)
      William Strayhorn,
      age 35, single,
      1619 Broadway, New York
      Williams, Nelson
      60 W. 11th St., NYCy 32
      (Tourist class)
      Nelson Williams,
      age 33, single,
      1619 Broadway, New York
      Odessa Reid,
      age 27,
      1619 Broadway, NYC
      Kelly, Thi??odore
      247 W. 65th St., NYCy 28
      (Tourist class)
      .
      Ballard, George
      4130 Paul St., Phila. Pa. 32
      (Tourist class)
      .

      The following associates sailed with the band as well:
      Outward-boundHomeward-bound
      Carney, Dorthy
      450 W. 147th St. NYCy. 43
      (Tourist class)
      Dorothy Carney
      age 42
      (Harry's wife)
      Celley, Albert
      2059 Hightower Dr., Hollywood, Cal. 40 (or 41)
      (First class)
      Albert Celley, age 41 (road manager)
      .Eve Celley, age 41
      (Al's wife)
      Celley, John
      2059 Hightower Dr., Hollywood, Cal. 48
      (Cabin class)
      John Celley, age 49
      (Al's brother)
      Eve Ellington, age 35
      (Duke's common-law wife)
      Hodges, Edith
      555 Edgecombe Ave. NYCy 35
      (Tourist class)
      Edith Hodges
      (Johnny's wife)
      It seems likely Ellington would have travelled with his barber and a band boy/valet as well.
      Notes:
      • George "Butch" Ballard, drums, was the backup for Sonny Greer, who was not always reliable. In Switzerland, Greer praised Marshall and asked a fan if he thought it was easy to play bass with a band that has two drums. This would seem to suggest Ellington had two drum sets on the go, but that is speculation only.
      • Lawrence Brown was hospitalized for nine days in Milan.
      • Dave Burns had replaced Shelton Hemphill
      • Nelson "Cadillac" Williams replaced Francis Williams
      • The reed section grew to six men in 1949 when Ben Webster left the band and was replaced by Charlie Rouse and Jimmy Forrest. Forrest was himself replaced by Alva "Bo" McCain.
      • Ernie Royal joined the trumpets
      • Tyree Glenn was unable to go to Europe, and was replaced by Theodore Kelly for part of the tour. Kelly returned to the United States the day after the Palais de Chaillot concerts. DEMS notes Kelly was absent from some of the concerts played there.
      • Downbeat, 1950 05 05, p.1 erroneously reported:

        'Only member of the Ellington crew to stay behind was singer Al Hibbler, who is trying out as a single. He's currently on his first date at the Baby Grand in Harlem.'

        The New York Age:

        'For the first time in years, Duke ELLINGTON is off on a major trek without AL HIBBLER. Al stayed behind Wednesday when the Duke set sail for Europe. Also missing the boat ... was AL SEARS, former Ellington sideman, who is launching a career as a front man with a Baby Grand engagement with Hib in top billing as a single.'

      • Charlie Rouse is shown in concert programmes for this tour but was replaced by Alva McCain.
      • Charles Brooks, vocals, was announced in advertising and early concert programs, but apparently did not perform with the band. It may be that he didn't make the journey at all.
      • The New York Age, 1950-04-01 p.21
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Stratemann, pp.320-321
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folders:
        • 12 European Tour, April 4-June 10, 1950
        • 13 Milan, Italy, April 5, 1950
        • 14 Paris, France, April 12, 1950 (April 12-15, 1950)
        • 15 Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 30, 1950
        • 16 Sweden, June 2-4, 1950
        • 17 Stockholm, Sweden, June 6, 1950
      • Transcontinental-Western Air, Inc. Air Passenger Manifest 1950-04-17, line 22

      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-12
      2015-12-30
      2017-04-07
      2017-04-10
      2020-05-07
      2021-12-28
      1950 03 30
      Thursday
      .Atlantic OceanS.S. Île de Franceat sea - see 1950 03 29.....Added
      2011
      1950 03 31
      Friday
      .Atlantic OceanS.S. Île de Franceat sea - see 1950 03 29.....Added
      2011

      April 1950

      1950 04 01
      Saturday
      .Atlantic OceanS.S. Île de Franceat sea - see 1950 03 29.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 02
      Sunday
      .Atlantic OceanS.S. Île de Franceat sea - see 1950 03 29.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 02
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.
      to Paris, France
      New York Int'l AirportRay Nance (as Willis Nance), passport no. 226919 departed April 2, 1950 from New York for Paris on Air France flight 008/81. The aircraft (registration F BAZH) was this Lockheed Constellation.Ancestry.com: Air France passenger list ...djpNew
      added
      2018-03-16
      1950 04 03
      Monday
      .Atlantic OceanS.S. Île de Franceat sea - see 1950 03 29.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 04
      Tuesday
      .Le Havre, France.Arrival in EuropeDocumentation is likely to be found in the Smithsonian's Ellington collection, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 12 European Tour, April 4-June 10, 1950....Added
      2011
      1950 04 05
      Wednesday
      .Le Havre, FranceCinéma NormandieConcert..DEMS.HoefsmitAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 06
      Thursday
      .Rouen, France.Concert..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 07
      Friday
      .Paris, France.Inedit interview
      Georges Debroe wrote, in DEMS 04,1-5:

      "...interesting radio broadcasts with the French bandleader Boris Vian,... an interview with Ellington ...in his hotel-room on the Avenue des Champs Elysées ... by an unknown radio man with Boris Vian and Maurice Culaz, the interpreter. They talked about the forthcoming stay in Paris with the band at the Palais de Chaillot starting 12Apr50 with 8 concerts, including 3 matinees... The band was supposed to include 20 people including 3 vocalists. The interview took 4:50 and was cut short by Duke's manicurist."
      .New Desor
      DE9040
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 08
      Saturday
      1950 04 10
      Monday
      Knokke, BelgiumCasino CommunalConcerts
      The venue's name is unclear: Stratemann says Knokke-Le Zoute, Belgium; Casino Communal, Albert Plage.
      DEMS 04,1 just says Knokke-Le Zoute, Belgium; Casino Communal.

      Matthias Heyman advises 'Albert Plage' is the beach (plage in French) in front of the casino in Knokke, probably named for King Albert I. While there is now a hotel named Albert Plage, he thinks it is more likely Ellington played the casino of Knokke.
      • Stratemann, p.322
      • Email, Heyman-Palmquist 2014-07-05
      .
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2014-07-05
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 09
      Sunday
      .Knokke, BelgiumCasino Communal, Albert Plagesee 1950 04 08......Added
      2011
      1950 04 10
      Monday
      .Knokke, BelgiumCasino Communal, Albert Plagesee 1950 04 08......Added
      2011
      1950 04 11
      Tuesday
      .Lille, FranceL'OpéraTwo concerts..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      circa
      1950 04 00
      Wednesday
      .Paris, France.K. Götting's original TDWAW listed a cocktail party in Paris between the April 11 Lille entry and the April 12 Paris concert, supported by a photograph printed in Gammond and Vail I. The photo shows Ellington conducting Harry Carney, while Shorty Baker holds his trumpet behind Harry.

      Pathé filmed Ellington in front of the band on April 7 at "la ferme d'Auteil." Three short segments of that probably became a newsreel. Two identical videos have been posted to YouTube of members of the band playing in a rather informal setting which Laurent Mignard identifies as "à la ferme d'Auteuil." He posted a video to YouTube of Ellington leading some sidemen in a jam session of sorts. Another source posted the same video, albeit of lower quality.

      Patricia Willard identified the Ellington personnel as Shorty Baker, Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Alvin "Bo" McCain, Billy Strayhorn, Al Killian, Johnny Hodges, Quentin Jackson, Al Celley, Nelson Williams, Russell Procope, Kay Davis and Odessa "Chubby" Kemp. Brian Priestley reports the Gaumont-Pathé Archive gives a specific date "rehearsing before the performance of April 12th."

      1. The Pathe film shooting record places the shoot at the farm near Paris on April 7 1950.
      2. The clothing - Duke, Harry, Shorty - is similar in the still and the movie - Duke's suit is identical, but I can't tell if his tie is. Shorty has a wide lapel with a white button in the same position in the film and the still; he has a dark shirt, light tie, and the suit is a similar colour. Harry's suit has the same texture in the close-up at 3:45 as in the Vail photo.
      3. The band did not go to England between 1933 and 1958
      4. Chubby Kemp is present - she was only in the band in 1950
      5. Al Killian is present according to Patricia - he was slain in 1950.
      6. No Clark Terry or Paul Gonsalves
      7. Ellington went to the home of Dance's parents in 1948 but that was when it was just Duke, Ray and Kay.
      8. The fence in the background of the film looks to be the same structurally as the fence in the background of the Vail photo
      9. By 1958 or 1959, Ellington's lapels weren't as wide as in 1950 (I'm really stretching here).

      It is Shorty Baker! Also present: Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Alvin "Bo" McCain, Billy Strayhorn, Al Killiian, Johnny Hodges, Quentin Jackson, Al Celley, Nelson Williams, Russell Procope, Kay Davis and Odessa "Chubby" Kemp.


      Stratemann writes that Ellington encountered Orson Welles at the tour's first Paris stop, and Welles asked Ellington to write the music for one of his plays, "Le Temps Court" (Time Runs); he writes that Duke spent what spare time there was during the tour writing the music.
      Photos:...djp/koller/priestleyAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-12-30
      2019-11-10
      1950 04 12
      Wednesday
      1950 04 16Paris, FrancePalais de ChaillotConcert, 9:15 p.m.

      The programme lists
      • Lady of the Lavender mists
      • Suddenly It Jumped (Quietly)
        Hal Baker, Trompette
      • She Wouldn't be Moved
        Wendell Marschall, [sic] Contrebasse
      • Etraits de The Liberian Suite
        Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinette
        Ray Nance, Violon
        Harry Carney, Sax Baryton
        Al Killian, Trompette
      • Créole Love Call
        Nelson Williams, Trompette
        Kay Davis, chante
      • Frankie et Johnnie
      • ENTR'ACTE
      • Entre Act Jam
        Ernie Royal, Trompette
        Charles Rouse, Tenor Sax
        Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinette
        Ted Kelly, Trombone
      • Résumé Théatrical.
      • Chubby Kemp chante le Blues.
      • Violet Blue
        Johnny Hodges, Alto Sax
      • History of Jazz in 3 minutes
        Russel [sic} Procope, Clarinette
        Hal Baker, Trompette
        Ray Nance, Pantomime
      • Duke Ellington au piano
      In addition to those named above, the programme's personnel list showed:
      • Quentin Jackson
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Alva McCain Jr.
      • Sonny Greer
      • George Ballard
      • Charles Brooks
      • Odessa Reid
      • Billy Strayhorn

      The first concert was poorly received - Der Spiegel wrote that the audience nearly booed the band off the stage.
      Letter, Jules Borkon to Duke Ellington, 1950-04-13 [as written], on the letterhead of Les Productions Parisiennes Arts et Spectacles, Directeur Géneral - Jules Borkon:
      Dear Mr. Ellington,
      I am very sorry that I must write this letter
      to you but I have to do it because of yesterday's perfor-
      mance and I think you yourself are aware that the success
      was not such as we expected it to be.
      Unfortunately, the programme did not make ap-
      peal to the public although from the artistic point of
      view it was very satisfactory.
      The real error was caused by the lights –the
      audience could not see much of what was being passed on
      the scene and although I insisted on putting more light
      Mr. CELLEY refused to follow my and the Chief Electrician's
      advice and kept to his own idea.
      This experience is going to cost me too much.
      On the other hand it was a psychological mis-
      take not to cut short KAY DAVIS' song when the public showed
      its dissatisfaction.
      We should never allow ourselves to go against
      the public's whishes as it is the thing of greatest impor-
      tance.
      The audience was dissatisfied as well because
      the programme was too short.
      Because of this unfortunate evening of yester-
      daywhich started in this way our tour in Paris I cannot
      foresee what consequences it may have for the future.
      Therefore, we must see what we can do about
      it all and what decissions to make to our best understan-
      ding and mutual profit.
            In consequence I would like you to change
      a little the programme and the end of the first and the
      second part and add two "morceaux" of "ENCORE" which would
      be showy and please to the audience. It was we expect from
      the Jazz Orchestra.
      Therefore four very showy "morceaux" should be added
      ( two at the end of the first part and two at the end of the
      second part) -
      Stress should be put on the effects of lights and the
      audience should not be kept in the dark most of the time.
      KAY DAVIS is to sing one song in the "coulisses" and
      an another song after a while.
      I insist that all this is done immediately to avoid
      bitter and grave consequences.
      Do not forget, please, that from my part, I have pre-
      pared your reception in EUROPE and PARIS well and fulfilled my
      duties in 100 per cent.
      The unfortunate evening of yesterday was not my fault
      at all.
      Hoping for your best collaboration and relying on your
      loyalty.
      I am very sincerely yours.
      P/J. Borkon

      Stratemann reports Ellington changed the programme by the time the band appeared in Switzerland.
      • Concert ticket
      • Stratemann, p.322, citing Der Spiegel 1950-05-11 p.40
      • Photos, Vail II p. 360
      • Archive Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 14, Paris, France, April 12, 1950 (April 12-15, 1950)
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-12-30
      2016-06-03
      2020-05-07
      2022-11-14
      1950 04 13
      Thursday
      .Paris, FrancePalais de Chaillot.Photo, Götting private collection....Added
      2011
      1950 04 13
      Thursday
      .Paris, FranceChaplain restaurantAfter the concert, Ellington went to a restaurant.
      Ollie Stewart, Report from Europe:

      'Honey Johnson (the beautiful) and her husband-manager, Herbert Gentry, invited Duke to their Chaplain restaurant for a midnight snack after his Thursday night performance. I dropped in near one o'clock, and the place was packed. Waiting for the Duke.
        Somebody said to me: "Did you know that the French booed Kay Davis last night? They certainly did. Her stuff was too high-class for them. They expected Dixieland or barrel-house yelling from her.
        Most of Duke's program was over their heads. If you're colored, they expect you to be loud and [illegible.]
        Finally, Duke came in with his [illegible]. He did have bags under the eyes. He looked tired.
        Since arriving, he and the band had played in Belgium and a flock of one-horse towns in northern France. '

      [The rest of the article is illegible.]
      Report From Europe, Afro-American, Baltimore, Md., 1950-04-29, p.4...djpNew
      added
      2017-04-11
      1950 04 14
      Friday
      .Paris, FrancePalais de Chaillot.Photo, Götting private collection....Added
      2011
      1950 04 15
      Saturday
      .Paris, France.Peripheral Event
      A Brisbane newspaper published an unattributed wirephoto of Ellington, captioned:

      'Duke Ellington, American coloured pinaist and band leader, with his hand set in plaster, making a cast of his hands for a French sculptor in Paris, last week.'

      The Courier-Mail, Brisbane, Australia,1950-04-15 p.6...djpNew
      added
      2018-11-05
      1950 04 15
      Saturday
      .Paris, FrancePalais de Chaillot...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 16
      Sunday
      .Paris, FrancePalais de Chaillot...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 17
      Monday
      .Paris, France to New York, N.Y.TWA 969/17.Trombonist Theodore (Ted) Kelly flew from Paris to New York via Shannon, Ireland.Transcontinental-Western Air, Inc. Air Passenger Manifest 1950-04-17, line 22.DEMS.djpAdded
      2017-04-12
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 17
      Monday
      .Lyon, France.Concert..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 18
      Tuesday
      .Strasbourg, FrancePalais des FêtesConcert, 9 p.m.

      MARDI 18 AVRIL à 21 h. au PALAIS DES FÊTES
      ======================================
      LE HOT-CLUB DE STRASBOURG
      on entente avec
      Germain Muller et Raymond Vogel
      PRÉSENTE
      L'ÉVÉNEMENT DU DEMI-SIÈCLE A STRASBOURG
      DUKE ELLINGTON

      ET SA GRANDE FORMATIONS AMÉRICAINE DE 20 SOLISTES
      ======================================
      Places de 350.- à 1000.- frs. - Loc. LA FONTAINE - TÉL. 208-34

      Advertisement
      courtesy Agustín Pérez Gasco 2023-1-28
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      2023-12-04
      1950 04 19
      Wednesday
      .Nancy, FranceGrand ThéatreTwo concerts..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 20
      Thursday
      ...Personnel change
      Don Byas, tenor sax, then living in Paris, joins the band for the tour.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-11
      1950 04 20
      Thursday
      .Namur, Belgium.Concert..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 21
      Friday
      1950 04 25
      Tuesday
      Brussels, Belgium.Concerts..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 22
      Saturday
      .Brussels, Belgiumsee 1950 04 21.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 23
      Sunday
      .Brussels, Belgiumsee 1950 04 21.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 24
      Monday
      .Brussels, Belgiumsee 1950 04 21.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 25
      Tuesday
      .Brussels, Belgiumsee 1950 04 21.....Added
      2011
      1950 04 26
      Wednesday
      .Roubaix, FranceCinéma la Colisée...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 27
      Thursday
      .Liege, BelgiumForum...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 28
      Friday
      .Den Haag, The NetherlandsGebouw voor K.& W..NMAH (Smithsonian) DE Collection Box 14, folder 18 "Duke Ellington en zijn Orkest, presented by Julius Barkan" (Amsterdam and Den Haag, The Netherlands) [Program], April 28 and 30, 1950..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 29
      Saturday
      Ellington's birthday
      .Antwerp, BelgiumConcertzaal van de Zoo...DEMS
      • A href=http://tdwaw.ellingtonweb.ca/DEMS/DEMS-04-1b,200404-200407,pts10-21.html >04,1-21
      ..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 04 30
      Sunday
      .Amsterdam, The NetherlandsConcertgebouw PERSONNEL listed in the Amsterdam April 30 concert programme:
      • Harold Baker
      • Georges Ballard
      • Charles Brooks
        May not have embarked with the band
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Harry Carney
      • Kay Davis
      • Duke Ellington
      • Sonny Greer
      • Jimmy Hamilton
      • Johnny Hodges
      • Quentin Jackson
      • Theodore Kelly
        (flew home April 17)
      • Al Killian
      • Wendell Marshall
      • Alva McCain Jr.
      • Ray Nance
      • Russel Procope
      • Charlie Rouse (did not come on the tour)
      • Ernie Royal
      • Billy Strayhorn
      • Nelson William [sic]
      • Odessa Reid [= Chubby Kemp]
      The programme would have been printed ahead of time, so personnel changes during the tour were not shown.
      • NMAH (Smithsonian) DE Collection Box 14, folder 18 "Duke Ellington en zijn Orkest, presented by Julius Barkan" (Amsterdam and Den Haag, The Netherlands) [Program], April 28 and 30, 1950
      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 15 Amsterdam, Netherlands, April 30, 1950
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-12-30
      2018-03-17
      2020-05-07

      May 1950

      1950 05 01
      Monday
      .Namur, Belgium.Concert..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 02
      Tuesday
      .Zurich, SwitzerlandKongresshausConcert
      From an article in Jazz Journal, July 1950 written by Arthur Goepfert (see DEMS 08/1-15), one learns:
      • The band seems to have arrived by train.
      • "First surprising thing I learned was that although the boys were quite happy about the money, they earned, they were not so happy about working with the Duke."
      • Don Byas was accompanied by his wife and baby; Duke wanted Byas to return to the U.S.
      • Greer was drunk before the matinee
      • After the concert, about 150 people went to a dance hall and the fans each paid 8 francs so the musicians could drink free of charge. Procope, Hamilton and Ernie Royal jammed for hours.
      • Duke spent only about half the concert at the piano
      • Greer was perched high up above the band, and played fill-ins
      • Al Killian had lip trouble and a stomach ache. He was fed up with the music business and swore he would get out of the mess as soon as he was back in the States.


      For many years, it was thought only one concert recording from the 1950 tour survived, taped in Hamburg. In 2007, the TCB label released a recording on CD of the entire Zurich concert except the medley.
      .New Desor
      DE9064
      DEMSNDCS 1084.Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 03
      Wednesday
      .Geneva, SwitzerlandVictoria Hall...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 04
      Thursday
      .Geneva, Switzerland.Pre-RSR-Broadcast.New Desor
      DE5004
      ...Added
      2011
      1950 05 04
      Thursday
      .Lausanne, SwitzerlandThéatre de Beaulieu...DEMS
      • A href=http://tdwaw.ellingtonweb.ca/DEMS/DEMS-04-1b,200404-200407,pts10-21.html >04,1-21
      ..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 05
      Friday
      1950 05 09
      Tuesday
      Milan, ItalyTeatro OdeonConcert

      Sometime during the stay in Milan, Lawrence Brown became ill and was hospitalized in Milan for 9 days. Sjef Hoefsmit noted this in DEMS 04,1-21, writing that he did not know whether he was replaced, and if so, by whom.
      Documentation is likely to be found in the SI NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 13 Milan, Italy, April 5, 1950 [note apparent dating error].DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 06
      Saturday
      .Milan, ItalyTeatro Odeonsee 1950 05 05.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 07
      Sunday
      .Milan, ItalyTeatro Odeonsee 1950 05 05.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 08
      Monday
      .Milan, ItalyTeatro Odeonsee 1950 05 05.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 09
      Tuesday
      .Milan, ItalyTeatro Odeonsee 1950 05 05.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 10
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 05 11
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 05 12
      Friday
      1950 05 16
      Tuesday
      Rome, ItalyTeatro Quirino...DEMSJohn Edward Hasse: Beyond Category, The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington p.296 photo.Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 13
      Saturday
      .Rome, ItalyTeatro Quirinosee 1950 05 12.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 14
      Sunday
      .Rome, ItalyTeatro Quirinosee 1950 05 12.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 15
      Monday
      .Rome, ItalyTeatro Quirinosee 1950 05 12.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 16
      Tuesday
      .Rome, ItalyTeatro Quirinosee 1950 05 12.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 17
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 05 18
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 05 19
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 05 20
      Saturday
      .Genova, ItalyTeatro Augustus(Unconfirmed)

      Concert

      This date in Genoa is not shown in either Stratemann or DEMS 04,1-21
      ...Vail.Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      1950 05 21
      Sunday
      .Genova, ItalyTeatro AugustusConcert

      (note DEMS 04,1-21 says the venue was "Teatro Gusgustus" but this is likely a typing mistake.
      ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 22
      Monday
      1950 05 23
      Tuesday
      Torino, ItalyTeatro Alfieri...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 23
      Tuesday
      .Torino, ItalyTeatro Alfierisee 1950 05 22......Added
      2011
      1950 05 24
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 05 25
      Thursday
      .Como, ItalyTeatro Politeama...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 26
      Friday
      .Baden Baden, GermanyCasino(Unconfirmed)

      Concert

      This appearance is not shown in either Stratemann or DEMS 04,1-21
      ...Vail.Added
      2011
      1950 05 27
      Saturday
      .Frankfurt, GermanyFRANZ ALTHOFF - BAU IM ZOOConcert
      Concert programme:
      FRANZ ALTHOFF - BAU IM ZOO
      Cpl. Calloway und Cpl. McCarthy, GYA NCO'S
      reigt
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      UND SEIN ORCHESTER

      Mai 1950
      ZU GUNSTEN DER DEUTSCHEN JUGEND

      Set lists shown in an autographed programme, "ANDERUNGEN VOHREHALTEN" (subject to change):
                               1. Teil

      Lady of the Lavender mists D. Ellington

      Suddenly it Jumped "

      She Wouldn't be Moved M. Ellington

      Wendell Marschall, Contrabass L. Henderson

      Auszüge aus The Liberian Suite D. Ellington
      Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinette
      Ray Nance, Schlagbaff
      Harry Carney, Sax. Bariton
      Al Killian, Trompete

      Creole Love Call "
      Nelson Williams, Tromete
      Kay Davis Gesang

      Frankie und Johnnie Arr. D. Ellington

      2. Teil

      Entre Act Jam M. Ellington
      Ernie Royal, Trompete
      Charles Rouse, Tenor Sax
      Jimmy Hamilton, Clarinette
      Ted Kelly, Posaune

      Résumé Théatrical

      Chubby Kemp singt "The Blues"

      Violet Blue B. Strayhorn
      Johnny Hodges Alt Sax

      History of Jazz in 3 minutes Strayhorn und Ellington
      Russel Procope, Clarinette
      Hal Baker, Trompete
      Ray Nance, Pantomime

      Duke Ellington am Flügel
      • Source provided in DEMS 1997-3: Variety 1950-05-17 p.67
      • Concert programme
      .DEMSposter-adCAHjul11,djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-11
      2018-10-17
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 27
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.. Peripheral event
      The May 27, 1950 edition of The Daily Worker reported that Ellington had signed a communist-inspired Stockholm peace petition. The allegation was also printed in its August 25 and 27 editions. Ellington denied this, and threatened to sue. Several news reports in late October say the Daily Worker apologized to Duke to avoid the lawsuit.
      Blacklisting - Two Key Documents by Merle Miller and John Cogley...djpNew
      added
      2012-08-18
      1950 05 28
      Sunday
      .Hannover, GermanyNiedersachsenhalle...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 29
      Monday
      .Hamburg, GermanyMusikhalleAfternoon concert NWDR-broadcast on 26jun50
      BFN-broadcast later
      Source provided in DEMS 1997-3:
      Letter, Olaf Syman-DEMS 1992-05-15
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-11
      1950 05 29
      Monday
      .Hamburg, GermanyMusikhalleEvening concert.....Added
      2011
      1950 05 29
      Monday
      .Hamburg, GermanyBoccaccio ClubParty, Anglo-German Swing Club.New Desor
      DE5007
      DEMS.R.Schneider11/09Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 30
      Tuesday
      ...Activities not documented - possibly a travel day?..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 05 31
      Wednesday
      .Kobenhavn, DenmarkTrain stationEllington was greeted by a local costumed wedding bandPhoto in Stratemann, p.321...djpNew
      added 2013-04-12
      1950 05 31
      Wednesday
      .Kobenhavn, DenmarkKobenhavn HallenTwo concertsPERSONNEL listed in the
      Denmark concert programme: 17)
      • Harold Baker
      • Georges Ballard
      • Lawrence Brown
      • Harry Carney
      • Kay Davis
      • Duke Ellington
      • Sonny Greer
      • Jimmy Hamilton
      • Johnny Hodges
      • Quentin Jackson
      • Theodore Kelly
        (flew home April 17)
      • Al Killian
      • Wendell Marshall
      • Alva McCain Jr.
      • Ray Nance
      • Russel Procope
      • Don Byas
        (Byas lived in France)
      • Ernie Royal
      • Billy Strayhorn
      • Nelson Williams
      • Chubby Kemp
      Source provided in DEMS 1997-3: Erik Wiedemann, Musik & Forskning 87/88 #13...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-11
      2018-03-17
      1950 05 31
      Wednesday
      .Kobenhavn, DenmarkSt Thomas Restaurant.Photo, Stratemann p.321
      New Desor
      DE5005
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-11
      2020-05-07

      June 1950

      1950 06 01
      Thursday
      .Kobenhavn, DenmarkKobenhavn HallenTwo concertsSource provided in DEMS 1997-3: Erik Wiedemann, Musik & Forskning 87/88 #13.DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 02
      Friday
      .Malmö, SwedenStadsteaternConcert

      (According to Rolf Dahlgren, in DESS Bulletin 4, Nov. 2012, the Swedish concerts played to half-full houses due to very hot weather.)
      Documentation is likely to be found in SI NMAH DEC301, Series 2 Box 1, Folder 16 Sweden, June 2-4, 1950.DEMSVail363photo
    • Strat568photo
    • djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 03
      Saturday
      .Stockholm, SwedenKonserthuset.Documentation is likely to be found in SI NMAH DEC301, Series 2 Box 1, Folder 16 Sweden, June 2-4, 1950.DEMSVail 364 photos.Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-12-31
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 04
      Sunday
      .Stockholm, SwedenTennishallen...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 05
      Monday
      .Göteborg, SwedenCircus...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 06
      Tuesday
      .Aarhus, DenmarkAarhus-HallenTwo concerts
      Frits Schjøtt:

      'My parents were not sure that I was old enough to attend a jazzkoncert - and with NEGROES! But I held my stand and with money honestly earned by sundry con-tricks (+ garden work, house cleaning etc) I managed with my two best friends at the time to go by train (one hour) from Viborg to Aarhus, where the concert was given.

      Duke played two concerts that day, but we could only afford one, the first.

      In the interval between concerts we pushed our hearts high up and sneaked behind the curtain. Billy S. was doodling at the piano with Wendell Marshall accompanying him - we timidly asked for autographs and very kindly were obliged and even helped to send the programme backstage for further signatures.

      In the meantime SweePea played on, and we were in the eighth heaven. Finally the programme came back - with a lot of more signatures, although not EVERYone. Were we happy? - we flew out without touching the floor and spent the rest of our scarce money on a soft drink in the nearby restaurant, where, by chance, SVEND ASMUSSEN and his quintet were playing! THAT was the best day of my life until then. And I was 15 years and 91 days old, exactly. '

      Frits' copy of the programme is signed by H. Baker, Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, Wendell Marshall, C. Kemp (thus confirming her presence on the tour), Billy Strayhorn, Ernie Royal, Harry Carney and Al Killian.

      The programme shows Ellington played on a Hornung & Møller piano made by the prestige Danish piano maker of that name.
      I. BLICHER-HANSEN
      i samarbiede med Jules Borkon, Paris
      præsenterer:
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      PROGRAM:

      THE MOOCHE Ellington
      Clar. Russel Procope
      Tromb. Quentin Jackson
      SUDDENLY IT JUMPED Ellington
      Trpt. Harold Baker
      PARADISE Strayhorn
      Bar.Sax. Harry Carney
      Y'OUGHTA Ellington
      Trpt. Al Killian
      AIR CONDITIONED JUNGLE Strayhorn-Hamilton
      Clar. Jimmy Hamilton
      Bass. Wendell Marshall
      COTTONTAIL Ellington
      Sax. Don Byas
      CREOLE LOVE CALL Ellington
      Voice Kay Davis
      Trpt. Nelson Williams
      FRANKIE AND JOHNNY
      ROCKIN IN RHYTHM Ellington
      VIOLET BLUE Stayhorn
      Alto. Sax. Johnny Hodges
      HELLO LITTLE BOY Kemp-Ellington
      Vocalist Chubby Kemp
      ELLINGTON AT THE PIANO
      Ret til ændringer i programmet forbeholden
      Duke Ellington har bl. a. komponeret:
      Mood Indigo . Solitude Beginning to see the light
      Sophisticated Lady Black and tan fantasy
      Don't Get Around Any More I let a song go out of my heart
      Caravan . I got it bad In a sentimental mood

      Flygel: Hornung & Mi??ller
      • Email, Schjøtt-Palmquist, with concert programme
      • Stratemann pp.320-322
      • Vail I
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2015-07-02
      2020-05-07
      2024-06-08
      1950 06 06
      Tuesday
      (late night)
      .Aarhus, DenmarkHammerschmidts Optagelses-Studie
      (radio and photo shop)
      Recording session for Rundskue Kommite
      Duke Ellington and vocalist Ingvar Blicher-Hansen
      Titles recorded:
      • Sophisticated Lady (piano solo)
      • Mood Indigo (piano solo)
      • I'm Afraid (Ellington piano and vocal)
      • I Met A Little Miss (with vocal)
      The first two titles were made for a special recording, with only 10 copies made, autographed by Duke, for a lottery to be conducted for a benefit, Aarhus Rundskuedag.

      The third title has Ellington singing! and the fourth features Herr Blicher-Hansen
      • Stratemann pp.320-322
      • Vail I
      New Desor
      DE5006
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2012-12-09
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 07
      Wednesday
      ..Travel ?...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 08
      Thursday
      .Frankfurt, GermanyAlthoff Bau...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 09
      Friday
      ...activities not documented ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      1950 06 10
      Saturday
      ...Personnel change
      DEMS shows Al Killian left the band to return to the U.S. sometime between the June 8 and 10 concerts. This has not been confirmed; he travelled with the band on the S.S. De Grasse, departing France on June 21.
      ..DEMS 04,1-21.
      .djpNew
      added
      2013-04-12
      updated
      2015-06-26
      1950 06 10
      Saturday
      ...Personnel change
      Don Byas had been hired for the tour, so he left the band when it ended. He would record with it twice in later life.
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-11
      1950 06 10
      Saturday
      .Hamburg, GermanyAlu-PalastTwo concerts
      Stratemann shows the venue as Ernst Mercke Halle which did not exist in 1950.
      Source provided in DEMS 1997-3:
      Letter, Olaf Syman-DEMS 1992-05-15
      New Desor
      DE5007
      DEMSTimner corrections -4
      R.Schneider11/09Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2017-04-11
      1950 06 11
      Sunday
      .Hamburg, GermanyAlu-Palast2 Concerts - see 1950 06 10Source provided in DEMS 1997-3:
      Letter, Olaf Syman-DEMS 1992-05-15
      .DEMS.R.Schneider11/09Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-11
      1950 06 12
      Monday
      .Dortmund, GermanyCapitol...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 13
      Tuesday
      .Dusseldorf, GermanyApolloThis UP wirestory was published in many newspapers over the next few months:

      'Nazis' War on Jazz Failed, Duke Finds
        DUESSELDORF, Germany (UP) - " The best audience I ever played to," grinned the Duke. " Hitler's theories about jazz certainly didn't take with the Germans."
        That was Duke Ellington's reaction to a theater full of 6,000 stamping, yelling bobby soxers, all German and all raised under the Nazi law that jazz was verboten.
        The Duke, touring Germany for the first time since the war with his band, said it was the same every place.
        "While American swing was banned in Nazi Germany, I found that most of the young people I talked to listened secretly," he said. "They know my oldest records. Two told me that they had served concentration sentences for playing my jazz records.
        "Others said they used to take a gramophone out in a canoe in the lake for 'sneaking sessions.' There is nothing amateurish about their taste in popular music. They know as much about it as any American youngster."
        The youths who filled the Appolo [sic], Western Germany's only deluxe movie-variety theater, were poorly dressed and the four marks (about one dollar) they paid four admission was almost a fortune to most of them.
        Outside the theater some 2,000 without the price of admission, jitterbugged on the streets as the strains of "St. Louis Blues" filtered through the open doors.
        A newspaperman noticed a Communist youth who had helped break up a political rally the night before. He obviously was frightened and embarrassed at being caught listening to jazz, now as verboten to the Communists as it was to the Nazis.
        "I was over-curious," he said wistfully and melted into the crowd.'

      • Source cited in DEMS 1997-3:
        "Dusseldorf, Apollo Th. Programme 13Jun50"
      • UP Wirestory:
        • The Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill., 1950-07-05 p. 18
        • Tampa Sunday Tribune, Tampa Fla., 1950-07-09 p. 15-D
        • Lubbock Evening Journal, Lubbock, Tex, 1950-07-10 p. 3
        • The Waco News-Tribune, Waco, Tex, 1950-07-05 p. 7
        • Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Honolulu, Ha. 1950-07-12 p. 13
        • The Evening Republican, Columbus, Ind. 1950-07-13 p. 11
        • Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, Penn. 1950-07-14 p. 9
        • The Daily Republican, Mononghela, Penn. 1950-07-14 p. 2
        • The Austin Statesman, Austin, Texas 1950-07-20 p. 7-B
        • Miami Daily News, Miami, Fla. 1950-07-31 p. 8-A
        • Mansfield (Ohio) News-Journal, Mansfield, Ohio 1950-08-02 p. 3-D
        • The Coshocton, Ohio Tribune, Coshocton, Ohio 1950-08-13 p. 12
        • The Canyon News, Canyon, Texas, 1915-08-14 p. 5
        • The Bernardsville News, Bernardville, N.J. 1950-08-17 p. 15
        • Lansing State Journal, Lansing, Mich. 1950-08-17 p. 16
        • The Terre Haute Tribune-Star, Terra Haute, Ind. 1915-08-27 p. 39
        • The Anniston Star, Aniston, Ala. 1950-09-07 s.2 p. 9
        • Battle Creek Enquirer, Battle Creek, Mich. 1950-09-10 p. 2
        • Corvallis Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Ore. 1950-10-05 p. 11
        • The Milford Dispatch, Milford, Penn. 1950-11-09 p. 4
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-11
      2018-03-15
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 14
      Wednesday
      .Heidelberg, GermanyStadthalle2 concerts: 6:30 and 9 p.m.Concert poster, SI-NAMH DE301 .DEMSad:Age d'Or du Jazz.Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 15
      Thursday
      .Munich, GermanyDeutsches Theater im Deutschen MuseumFrank Grieshaber:

      'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra played on Thursday, June 15, 1950 at the "Deutsches Theater im Deutschen Museum" in Mi??nchen, Deutschland '

      Email, Grieshaber-Palqmuist 2018-03-14....New
      added
      2018-03-15
      1950 06 16
      Friday
      .Basel, SwitzerlandStadt-Casino(Unconfirmed)
      ..DEMSJPnov07.Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 17
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 06 18
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 06 19
      Monday
      .Paris, France.Sidemen's activities not documented
      An AP wirestory datelined Paris, June 19, said Ellington attended the Orson Welles play "The Unthinking Lobster" at King Edouard VII Theater
      AP wirestory, The Terre Haute Star, Terre Haute, Ind., 1950-06-20 p.2...djpNew
      added
      2018-03-15
      1950 06 20
      Tuesday
      .Paris, FranceSalle WagramConcert
      Ellington and his orchestra played two one-hour sets, with another group performing in between. Ellington accepted requests, and the audience insisting on rarer new numbers (DEMS 1998/2-22).
      ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-04-12
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 21
      Wednesday
      1950 06 30Cherbourg, FranceS.S. De GrasseThe Ellington entourage embarked for New York aboard the S.S. De Grasse, arriving in New York on June 30.

      The passenger lists included:
        First class:
        • Edward Ellington, age 52, married, first class, residence 935 S. Nicholas Av. New York.
        • Eve Ellington, age 35, married, first class, same address
      • Cabin class:
        • Harold Baker, age 36, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • Albert Killian, age 34, single, cabin class , 4112 Vincenzes, Chicago
        • Ernest Royal, age 29, married, 154-47th St., Los Angeles, Cal.
        • Nelson Williams, age 33, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • Lawrence Brown, age 43, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • Quentin Jackson, age 41, married, 3301 Michigan Bd, Chicago
        • Harry Carney, age 40, married, 450 W. 147th St.
        • Dorothy Carney, age 42, married, 450 W. 147th St.
        • James Hamilton, age 33, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • Cornelius Hodges, age 43, married, 555 Edgecomb Ave., New York
        • Edith Hodges, age 37, married, same address
        • Alva McCain, age 31, single, 555 W. 151 St., New York
        • Ruseel [sic] Procope, age 42, 850 Michlas Ave, New York
        • Wendell Marshall, age 30, married, 4411 Ferdinand Ave, St. Louis, Mo.
        • William Greer, age 48, married, 601 E. 64th St., Bronx.
        • George Ballard, age 32, single, 4130 Paul St, Philadelphia
        • Kathryn Davis, age 30, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • William Strayhorn, age 35, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • Albert Celley, age 41, married, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • Eve Celley, age 41, married, 1619 Broadway, New York
        • John Celley, age 49, single, 1619 Broadway, New York
      Flights:
      • Ray Nance flew home, departing Paris Orly airport for New York on June 21, Air France flight 009/176, the Lockheed Constellation registered as F-BAZO pictured here. The flight cleared U.S. Customs and Immigration at Gander, Newfoundand on June 22 before continuing on to New York. The manifest shows Time of Arrival 6:10 a.m. but it isn't clear if that's the time it arrived in Gander or New York. The journey would have taken about 20 hours.
      • Ted Kelly flew home on April 17. The Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc. (TWA) air passenger manifest for flight 969/17 that date, Paris-Shannon-New York, lists Theodore Kelly, 247 W.63rd St., New York. He flew without baggage.
      I was unable to find Ellington's assistant/valet Charles Brooks in any 1950 passenger lists, nor Chubby Kemp, who Stratemann has singing with Kay Davis.

      Trivia:
      • The ship carried 622 passengers and a crew of 441 on this voyage.
      • Launched in 1924, S.S. De Grasse had a chequered past, having been scuttled by the Germans in 1940, raised by them and in 1941 used for troop accommodation and as a U-boat depot ship.In 1942 France's Vichy government used her as a seamen's training ship but the Germans sunk her again in 1944. Refloated after the war, she spent 2 years being reconditioned, and in 1947 she was the first French liner to resume Atlantic service. Sold to Canadian Pacific in 1953, she was renamed Empress of Australia but she was resold in 1956, becoming the S.S. Venezuela. Her Italian owner gave her a new bow. She was stranded in 1962, towed back to Italy, and scrapped.
      • Nance's flight carried only 5 passengers but had 10 crew members - captain, co-pilot, navigator, 2 radio officers, 2 flight engineers, 1 hostess and 2 stewards
      • Passenger lists and manifests:
        • S.S. De Grasse, Southampton, Cherbourg, New York, June 21-30 1950
        • Air France flight 009/176 departing Orly 1951 04 21
        • TWA flight 969/17 1950 04 17
      • Stratemann, p.322
      ...djp2015-06-26
      1950 06 22
      Thursday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21

      Ray Nance arrived in New York by air - his activities are undocumented during the time the band was at sea.
      .....2015-06-26
      1950 06 23
      Friday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 24
      Saturday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 25
      Sunday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 26
      Monday
      .Bern, SwitzerlandCasinoIn DEMS 04,1-21 Horst Bergmeier wrote

      'I have info that the orchestra played at the Stadttheater in Basel on 16Jun and at the Casino in Berne [sic] on 26Jun.'

      Since the band was at sea, this engagement could not have taken place on this date.
      ..DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2015-06-26
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 26
      Monday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 27
      Tuesday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 28
      Wednesday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 29
      Thursday
      ..S.S. De GrasseEllington and most of the band were at sea - see 1950 06 21.....2015-06-26
      1950 06 30
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Pier 88Our intrepid voyageurs arrived in New York in mid-afternoon according to the times various pages of the passenger list were signed off...DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2015-06-26
      2020-05-07
      1950 06 30
      Friday
      ...Personnel change
      Singer Kay Davis left the band on its return to the U.S.A. - see details at 1920 12 05 above.

      George "Butch" Ballard, drums, was the temporary backup for Greer for the duration of the tour, and left when it returned to the States, He would rejoin in 1953.
      ....djpNew
      added 2012-10-10
      updated
      2017-04-22

      July 1950

      1950 07 00...Personnel changes
      • Singer June Norton joins the band, but will leave in August
      • Trumpeter Ernie Royal leaves the band
      • Trumpeter Andrew "Fats" Ford (aka Andres Marenguito), joins the band
      • New Desor says trumpeter Al Killian left the band sometime in July, but a source tells me he didn't quit, instead he took a vacation after the European tour. (DEMS has him returning home between June 8 and 10.) Killian was murdered in September and so he never returned to the band.
      • Patricia Willard reported in DEMS 05/3-4 that singer Barbara Winfield (1932-2005) joined Ellington's orchestra in Boston in July 1950. The band had 3 female singers at the time, June Norton, Chubby Kemp and Marian Cox. When they left, Ms. Winfield sang with Ellington until January, 1952, alternating occasionally with Yvonne (Lanauze). Note, as of 2017-10-08, TDWAW does not have Ellington in the Boston area in this month.
      New Desor vol.2.DEMS.djp; P.Willard email 2012-10-28New
      added 2012-10-23
      updated
      2012-10-28
      2017-10-08
      2020-05-07
      1950 07 01
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 02
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 03
      Monday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 04
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 05
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 06
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 07
      Friday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 08
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 09
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 10
      Monday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 11
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 12
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 13
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented - believed to be time off......
      1950 07 14
      Friday
      ...activities not documented

      Variety reported the band was out on the road on July 14.
      ......
      1950 07 15
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 16
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 17
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 18
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y..Dumont network "Cavalcade of Bands" telecast, 9 p.m.
      • "Cavalcade of Bands" featured a different band each week.
      • In this broadcast, Marion Cox replaced Kay Davis who left to marry, and June Norton was added.
      • Also appearing in this episode were Bobby ("Tables") Davis, Timmie Rogers, and Howell & Bowser according to the Brooklyn Eagle television schedule.
      • Stratemann shows Son & Sonny (Bunny Briggs and Honi Coles) as well.
      • IMBD lists Ted Steele as host, tappers the Clark Brothers, singing quartet The Mello-Larks and Marsha [sic] Van Dyke. The latter seems likely to have been violinist Marcia Van Dyke
      • Although "Cavalcade of Bands" was a Tuesday night show, and this episode is shown in the Tuesday t.v. schedules of many newspapers, a brief report in The Ohio Daily Express said it was Monday night. That report said this was Ellington's first TV appearance.

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      N. Williams, Merenguito (Fats Ford), Royal, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, McCain, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Ballard, Kemp, Norton, Cox, possibly one vocal by Timmie Rogers

      Titles recorded:
      • Take The "A" Train (theme)
      • Rockin' In Rhythm
      • Everybody's Doin' It
      • Take The "A" Train
      • Hello, Little Boy
      • Caravan
      • Medley: Creole Love Call, Jeep Is Jumpin,' Creole Love Call
      • On A Turquoise Cloud
      • Stomp, Look And Listen
      A 22-minute audio file of this show can be heard at or downloaded from https://pastdaily.com/. It is missing Everybody's Doin' It, Take The "A" Train, and Stomp, Look and Listen, but has St. Louis Blues, Trumpets No End. It also has a few bars each of Solitude, I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart, Sophisticated Lady and It Don't Mean A Thing, which appear to be the show's host playing and asking Duke to identify. The differences are not surprising since the audio file is only part of a one-hour program and the discographers may not have had access to recordings of the entire show.

      Gordon Skene in Past Daily Downbeat:

      '...About a week ago, my friend and colleague Jim Stephenson unveiled what was an important discovery, but also a herculean effort at pulling out salvageable sounds. A collection of discs came his way; all carefully notated and cared-for. Not normal transcription discs, and not the usual run-of-the-mill home-recording discs so often found at swap meets, but 5" discs that were recorded at 33 1/3 rpm, but cut in such a way as to enable a half-hour of recording per side (most of those small home-recording discs went from 3-5 minutes)...The end-result is astonishing. Jim was able to get a clean transfer, preserving the integrity of the music itself, without sacrificing the quality (notably the high-end). I added some de-clicking and de-crackling and what's on the above player represents early live-television at its best... '

      • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
        T.V. listing, 1950-07-18 p.19
      • The Ohio Daily Express, Dayton, Ohio
        1950-07-20 p.4
      • Stratemann p.323
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Timner and Timner corrections
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
        , p.108
      • https://pastdaily.com/?p=51339
      New Desor
      DE5008
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2018-10-24
      2020-05-07
      2020-06-14
      2022-11-14
      1950 07 19
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 20
      Thursday
      . Old Orchard Beach, Me.Old Orchard Beach PierDancing
      - see TDWAW supplementary Old Orchard Beach webpage
      ....NeegaardAdded
      2011
      updated
      2014-08-11
      2020-05-07
      2024-04-07
      1950 07 21
      Friday
      .Waterville, Me.Memorial Auditorium
      (this building is likely Grant Memorial Auditorium, which opened in 1949)

      The venue name varies from ad to ad: Memorial Auditorium, American Legion Memorial Auditorium, American Legion, Legion Hall, and Legion
      Dance, 9 to 1
      Tickets - advance $1.65; door $1.80 tax included
      • Waterville Morning Sentinel,
        Waterville, Me.
        • 1950-07-15 p.2
        • 1950-07-20 p.8
        • 1950-07-21 p.10
      • Lewiston Evening Journal,
        Lewiston-Auburn, Me.
        • 1950-07-17 p.7
        • 1950-07-18 p.7
        • 1950-07-19 p.9
      • The Lewiston Daily Sun,
        Lewiston-Auburn, Me.
        • 1950-07-18 p.9
        • 1950-07-19 p.11
        • 1950-07-20 p.21
      ...djpNew
      added
      2024-03-28
      1950 07 22
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 23
      Sunday
      .Narragansett, R.I.Casino Pier.
      • Stratemann p.323
      • Vail II
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2024-03-29
      1950 07 24
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 25
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 26
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 07 27
      Thursday
      .Mahoney City, Penn.Lakewood ParkDance

      Evening Herald, July 28:

      'Duke Ellington Positively Yummy
        The solid syncopated sending of the matchless Duke Ellington and his musicians at Lakewood Park last evening won the unstinted applause, set after set, of a large assortment of Hep Cats, Bebop addicts, Dixieland fans and even a scattering of Squares.
        As the Younger Set would express it, the Duke was really "cooking with gas,"...
        His own piano playing in Teen Age Argot, was positively yummy!...
        [mentions absence of Johnny Hodges who was sick]...The ... music ... time and again stopped virtually all movement on the dance floor. They massed around the bandstand, faces showing different degrees of ecstasy, and feet stomping to the musical output.
        ...the brasses were vigorous, the reed section in harmony at all times and the percussion, under Sonny Greer, the artiste, was continuously perfect. The remainder of the Bass section was top-flight and that includes divine ivory tickling by the Maestro, Ellington.
      Chubby Kemp Sock-o
        Vocals by Al Hibbler... were pleasing and Chubby Kemp...handled the blues songs with rare artistry.
        ...During a Press interview, the Duke disclosed as a piece of information to platter fans, that his next release is "Cowboy Rhumba," with Woody Herman doing the vocals.
        The Duke said he was glad to play Lakewood again and was pleased to meet up with old friends. Speaking of his European tour, he said there is a real fight raging in Paris between the Dixieland and Bebop Schools of Jazz...
      –JIM HAAS'

      • Evening Herald, Shenandoah, Penn.
        • 1950-07-19 p.9
        • 1950-07-28 p.3
        • 1950-08-04 p.2
      • Pottsville Republican, Pottsville, Penn.,
        1950-07-19 p.8
      • Standard-Sentinel, Hazelton, Penn,
        1950-07-19 p.22
      • The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, Penn,
        1950-07-19 p.18
      • Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, Penn.
        1950-07-25 p.16
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-18
      1950 07 28
      Friday
      .Geneva, N.Y.Civic CenterPersonal appearance at a teen dance arranged by Club 86 owner Jimmy Legott. Ellington, Carney and singer Chubby Dean [sic]appeared at a dance featuring a young sextet, the Moonlighters. The bandleader accompanied half a dozen saxophone solos and songs, and complimented the teen-aged musicians. The dance was to have been on the high school tennis courts, but was moved indoors due to rain.Geneva Daily Times, Geneva, N.Y.
      1950-07-29, p.9
      ...agpNew
      added
      2012-08-17
      updated
      2018-10-18
      1950 07 28
      Friday
      1950 07 30
      Sunday
      Geneva, N.Y.Club 86Restaurant engagement
      "THE GREATEST SHOW EVER AT CLUB 86"
      "DUKE"
      "ELLINGTON"

         HIS WORLD'S FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
      WITH A COMPANY OF 25 PEOPLE
      FEATURING
      Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Harry Carney
      Lawerence Brown, Marion Cox, Chubby Kemp
      Three Days Only . . . July 28-29-30
      GIGANTIC DINNER SHOW AT 8:30 P.M.:Special Sunday Afternoon Show and Concert
      Beginning at 2:30 until 5:30
      DON'T FAIL TO SEE THIS GREAT ATTRACTION
      For Reservations Phone Geneva 6280
      GENEVA'S "CLUB 86"
      COMPLETELY AIR CONDITIONED THROUGHOUT
      • The Evening Leader, Corning,N.Y.
        • 1950-07-27 p.6
        • 1950-07-28 p.6
      • The Daily Messenger, Canadaigua, N.Y.
        • 1950-07-26 p.3
        • 1950-07-27 p.3
        • 1950-07-28 p.3
      • The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, N.Y.
        1950-07-27 p.9
      • Chronicle-Express, PennYan, N.Y.
        1950-07-27 p.3
      • Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
        • 1950-07-27 p.14
        • 1950-07-29 p.7
      • Elmira Star-Gazette, Elmira, N.Y.
        1950-07-27 p.31
      • The Citizen-Advertiser, Auburn, N.Y.
        1950-07-27 p.2
      .DEMS.ArneAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-08-17
      2020-05-07
      1950 07 29
      Saturday
      .Geneva, N.Y.Club 86Restaurant engagement - see 1950 07 28.....Added
      2011
      1950 07 30
      Sunday
      .Geneva, N.Y.Club 86Restaurant engagement - see 1950 07 28.....Added
      2011
      1950 07 31
      Monday
      1950 08 05Hull, P.Q.Standishall Hotel
      Standish Hall
      or
      The new Standish Hall Hotel
      When Ellington returned in Sepember 1950, it was "The New Standishall"
      Main Street
      Dinner dance, 6 to 8 p.m. and Rainbow Dance from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
      The Ottawa Journal report of the opening night was primarily a regurgitation of publicity material, with glowing commentary on Ellington and his sidemen and no review of the show. The only information specifically related to the performance was:
      • Opening night played a capacity crowd
      • Ellington wore a navy suit with no lapels, light blue shirt and tie, dark blue buckled suede shoes.
      • personnel named:
        • Hodges
        • Strayhorn
        • Greer
        • Carney
        • Nance
        • Brown
      • The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont.
        • 1950-07-28 p.23
        • 1950-08-01 p.3
        • 1950-08-02 p.25
        • 1950-08-03 p.25
        • 1950-08-05 pp.3, 16
      • The Evening Citizen, Ottawa, Ont
        • 1950-07-28 p.31
        • 1950-08-01 pp. 9, 19
        • 1950-08-02 p.23
        • 1950-08-03 p. 25
        • 1950-08-04 p.25
        • 1950-08-05 p.20
      • Stratemann p.323
      • Vail II
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-13
      2018-10-18

      August 1950

      1950 08 00...Personnel change
      Alva "Bo" McCain leaves the band

      Paul Gonsalves, tenor sax giant, joined the band in August 1950 according to New Desor, in September according to Wallèn, or "by November" according to Cambridge Companion. The story of a jam session the night of August 4 names him, so it is likely that he joined by the beginning of the Hull gig, at the end of July.
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Göran Wallèn: Paul Gonsalves Complete Discography, 2013-09-24
      • Cambridge Companion, p.xvii
      ...djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      updated
      2015-06-04
      2018-10-18
      2020-07-09
      1950 08 01
      Tuesday
      .Hull, P.Q.Standishall Hotelsee 1950 07 31.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 02
      Wednesday
      .Hull, P.Q.Standishall Hotelsee 1950 07 31.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 03
      Thursday
      .Hull, P.Q.Standishall Hotelsee 1950 07 31.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 04
      Friday
      .Gatineau Hills, P.Q..The Ottawa Journal carried the story of an early morning jazz session at a cottage in the Gatineau Hills that ran into the morning.

      Ellington men named were Hodges, Greer, Carney, Strayhorn, Gonsalves, Ford, Baker, Hibbler, and Ellington.

      Local musicians participated, as well as Oscar Peterson, who was performing at the Gatineau Club.
      The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont.
        1950-08-05 p.3
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-19
      1950 08 04
      Friday
      .Hull, P.Q.Standishall Hotelsee 1950 07 31.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 05
      Saturday
      .Hull, P.Q.Standishall Hotelsee 1950 07 31.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 06
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 07
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 08
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 08...

      Reactivation of Tempo Music
      Formation of Mercer Records

      The Billboard, Aug.12:

      'Ellington's Tempo Music Reactivated
        NEW YORK, Aug. 5.– Tempo Music, Duke Ellington's own publishing house, is being reactivated following several years of virtual inactivity. The offices are under the management of Mildred Dixon. Duke's sister, Ruth Ellington James, and his son, Mercer, will take an active part in the operations. The Tempo catalog includes such standards as Flamingo, Take the A Train and Perdido. The last named, with a new set of lyrics by Harry Lenk and Ervin Drake, will be the first plug.
        Tempo is affiliated with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).'

      The Pittsburgh Courier ran a similar story, concluding

      'Officials [sic] have been established in the General Motors Building.'

      The New York Age gives the address as Room 431, General Motors Building 1775 Broadway, at 57th St.
      Variety 1950-09-13 p.44 reported Feather was named general manager of Mercer Records and would also be the manager of Tempo Music. It said he was also working with Duke on radio-TV show scripts. Similar reports were published in The Billboard 1950-09-23 p.20 and Down Beat 1950-10-20 p.18
      On Aug. 8, Leonard Feather and Mercer Ellington executed a partnership agreement forming Mercer Records. The business began as Kennedy Records. On Sept. 7, 1950, Mercer Ellington, Professional Manager, wrote to the Music Performance Trust Fund to advise it of the change from Kennedy Records to Mercer Records.

      Cohen describes the revival of Tempo Music in the summer of 1950 and the formation of the partnership as an attempt at vertical integration. Later, Mercer Records would be incorporated, with Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Feather and Mercer Ellington holding 30, 20, 25 and 25 shares respectively.

      The Mercer label was not a commercial success; only one record sold 12,000 copies, most sold 1,000 or less. The label folded in 1952.

      Feather:

      '...the [McPhail] masters, along with everything else we made for Mercer, were destroyed in a fire, though fortunately most survived because spare copies of the tapes had been sent overseas.
        It was not the fire that put a coda to Mercer Records, but rather our distribution through Prestige Records, which invariably gave precedence to the selling of its own product; aside from this, we were caught in the cracks between the demise of 78s and the onset of LPs. Some of our sessions did come out on ten-inch albums, but despite some great reviews the records simply did not recoup Duke's investment. Reluctantly I pulled out, and Mercer soon afterwards brought the short and happy life of our company to a close.'

      Feather sold his shares in Mercer Records Inc. to Mercer Ellington on May 28, 1957 for $100 plus 25% of the sales proceeds of certain recordings by Mercer Records Inc. to Coral Records Inc., net $300, and an earn-out of 25% of any additional money received from Coral Records in respect of those recordings.
      Cohen:

      'Both Tempo and Mercer were also probably designed to provide income for Ellington's family and closest associates, a chief concern and pattern throughout Ellington's career. Trade papers reported Mildred Dixon, Ellington's romantic partner during most of the Mills era, named as Tempo's manager, while Ruth Ellington James, Ellington's sister, remained president of the company despite her lack of expertise. While Ruth manned the Tempo office for decades, Dixon's name or contributions cannot be found*** in the Ellington business records housed at the Smithsonian. It is highly likely that Dixon and, to some degree, Ruth were employed on the books largely for tax purposes, to justify to the government the money paid them... '


        *** Cohen is mistaken about an absence of Dixon's name in the business records. Her name is on several documents in SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 3F Box 107:
      • Folder 4:
        Telegrams dated 1948 in which she solicits and accepts a booking,
      • Folder 6:
        Some 1950 letters in Folder 6 which she typed, as evidenced by the initals ME/md and LF/md in the bottom left corners
      • Folder 16:
        a 1951 letter in folder 16 she wrote and signed as secretary
      • Folder 12
        • a handwritten note she wrote on an incoming 1951 letter
        • a 1951 letter she typed for Feather (LF/md)
      • Folder 31:
        a 1956 letter addressed to her attention in 1956.
      Her signature is found as witness to a 1946 contract in box 101, folder 3 and the absence of additional evidence of her activity could be due to the fire mentioned by Feather.
      • SI-NMAH DEC301 boxes 101 and 107 as noted.
      • Stratemann pp 323-324, citing
        • The Billboard 1950-08-12 p.20
        • Metronome 1950-11, p.8
        • Variety
          • 1950-08-09
          • 1950-08-16 p.42
      • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1950-08-12 p.21
        • 1950-08-19 p.18
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y,
        1950-08-19 p.19
      • Leonard Feather,
        The Jazz Years: Earwitness to an Era,
        Da Capo Press 1987, pp.67-68
      • S. Lasker, Mercer Records discography
      • Harvey G. Cohen, Duke Ellington's America, University of Chicago Press, 2010 pp. 296-298
      • Email, LaskerPalmquist
      • 2022-11-01
      • 2023-10-23
      ...djpdjpNew
      added
      2013-04-14
      updated
      2017-02-08
      2017-02-12
      2018-10-19
      2023-11-28
      1950 08 09
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 10
      Thursday
      1950 08 16Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville

      'Duke Ellington and his orchestra with a full stage bill will appear beginning August 10 for a week.'

      The Aug. 10 ad named Hodges, Nance, Carney, Brown, Raglin, Davis, and Kemp. Other acts were Howell & Bowser, Bobby "Tables" Davis and The Co-Ops. Stage shows were at 1:00, 4:00, 6:45 and 9:25 p.m.
      • Stratemann p.323 citing
        • Variety 1950-09-08 p.41
        • The Billboard, 1950-08-26, p.11
      • The Indianapolis News,Indianapolis, Ind.
        • 1950-07-28 p.24
        • 1950-08-10 p.20
      ...sjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2018-10-18
      2018-10-19
      1950 08 11
      Friday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville -see 1950 08 10.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 12
      Saturday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville -see 1950 08 10.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 13
      Sunday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville -see 1950 08 10.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 14
      Monday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville -see 1950 08 10.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 15
      Tuesday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville -see 1950 08 10
      Backstage, Ellington was photograhed exchanging sheet music for his composition Cream, written for the upcoming 1950 International Dairy Exposition, with Lou Zekail, the exposition's publicity man, in exchange for a small bottle of cream.
      The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
      1950-08-16 p.26
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2018-10-19
      1950 08 16
      Wednesday
      .Indianapolis, Ind.Circle TheaterVaudeville -see 1950 08 10
      The Indianpolis News reported boxer Joe Louis, his trainer Freddy Wilson, Indianapolis hotelier George Ferguson visited Ellington and half a dozen sidemen in Duke's dressing room.
      The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
      1950-08-17 p,27
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2018-10-19
      1950 08 17
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 18
      Friday
      1950 08 24
      Thursday
      Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show, including Howell & Bowser, Bobby 'Tables' Davis and the Three Co-Ops.
      • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1950-08-17 pt.3 p.12
        • 1950-08-18 pt.1 p.15
        • 1950-08-19 pt.1 p.15
        • 1950-08-21 pt.3 p.5
        • 1950-08-22 pt.1, p.23
        • 1950-08-23 pt.2, p.6
        • 1950-08-24 pt.3,p.5
      • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        1950-08-20 pt.7, p.3 s.2
      • Stratemann p.323 citing Chicago Defender 1950-02-09 p.26
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-13
      2017-10-08
      1950 08 19
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show -see 1950 08 18.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 20
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show -see 1950 08 18.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 21
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show -see 1950 08 18.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 22
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show -see 1950 08 18.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 23
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show -see 1950 08 18.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 24
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show -see 1950 08 18.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 24
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Blue Heaven CaféEllington and Strayhorn with Mr. and Mrs. Billy Eckstine visited a local bandleader, George Dixon at his job at the Blue HeavenStratemann p.323 citing Chicago Defender p1950-09-02 p.26...djpNew
      added 2013-04-13
      1950 08 25
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 26
      Saturday
      1950 08 29
      Tuesday
      Buffalo, N.Y.Paramount TheaterStage show - Duke Ellington & famous Orchestra, Co-ops (dance team), Howell & Bowser and Bobby "Tables" Davis (dancer). Added extra attraction, Ella Fitzgerald, and the movie was the Republic crime melodrama Trial Without Jury

      5 shows Saturday: 12:50, 3:42, 6:34, 9:26, and 12:18
      • Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y.
        • 1950-08-23 p.8
        • 1950-08-25 pp.6,7
        • 1950-08-26 p,5
        • 1950-08-27 pp.11-C,19-A
        • 1950-08-29 p.19
      • Stratemann p.323
      .
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-13
      2018-10-19
      1950 08 27
      Sunday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Paramount TheaterStage show - see 1950 08 26.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 28
      Monday
      .Buffalo, N.Y.Paramount TheaterStage show - see 1950 08 26.....Added
      2011
      1950 08 29.Buffalo, N.Y.Paramount TheaterStage show - see 1950 08 26

      4 shows 1:05, 3:57, 6:49, 9:40,
      Buffalo Courier Express, Buffalo, N.Y.,
      1950-08-29 p.19
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2018-10-19
      1950 08 30
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 08 31
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......

      September 1950

      1950 09 00...Personnel changes
      Al Hibbler rejoins the band and Chubby Kemp leaves
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      1950 09 01
      Friday
      1950 09 03Detroit,, Mich.UnknownUnknownStratemann p.323 citing Variety 1950-08-09 p.41.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-13
      1950 09 02
      Saturday
      .Detroit,, Mich..Unknown - see 1950 09 01.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 03
      Sunday
      .Detroit,, Mich..Unknown - see 1950 09 01.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 04
      Monday
      1950 09 06
      Wednesday
      Toronto, Ont.Dance Pavilion
      Canadian National Exposition
      Presumably dances, since the venue was a tent-ballroom.Stratemann p.323 citing Variety 1950-09-20 p43....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-13
      1950 09 05
      Tuesday
      .Toronto, Ont.Dance Pavilion
      Canadian National Exposition
      Concert - see 1950 09 04......Added
      2011Added
      2011
      1950 09 05
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Calif.. Peripheral event
      Trumpeter Al Killian and his friend Vivian White are shot to death. The Afro-American reported he was killed by janitor Roy Parker, in an argument about a small debt Parker claimed Killian owed him.
      Baltimore Afro-American, 1950-09-23.djpNew
      added 2012-10-27
      1950 09 06
      Wednesday
      .Toronto, Ont.Dance Pavilion
      Canadian National Exposition
      Concert - see 1950 09 04......Added
      2011Added
      2011
      1950 09 07
      Thursday
      1950 09 09.Hull, P.Q.The New Standishall
      (Ottawa Journal ads)
      a.k.a.
      The New Standish Hall
      (Evening Citizen ads)
      Return engagement:
      Dinner dance, 7 to 9 p.m. and Rainbow Dance from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
      • The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont.
        • 1950-09-05 p.20
        • 1950-09-06 p.25
        • 1950-09-07 p.32
        • 1950-09-09 p.20
      • The Evening Citizen, Ottawa, Ont.
        • 1950-09-07 p.28
        • 1950-09-08 p.26
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-19
      1950 09 08
      Friday
      .Hull, P.Q.The New Standishall
      (Ottawa Journal ads)
      a.k.a.
      The New Standish Hall
      (Evening Citizen ads)
      Dinner dance, 7 to 9 p.m. and Rainbow Dance from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.....New
      2018-10-19
      1950 09 09
      Saturday
      .Hull, P.Q.The New Standishall
      (Ottawa Journal ads)
      a.k.a.
      The New Standish Hall
      (Evening Citizen ads)
      Dinner dance, 7 to 9 p.m. and Rainbow Dance from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.....New
      2018-10-19
      1950 09 10
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 09 11
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 09 12
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 09 13
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Apex Studio
      119 W. 57 St.
      Mercer recording session no. 1
      Oscar Pettiford, His Cello and Quartet
      Pettiford, Duke Ellington, Lloyd Trotman, Jo Jones, Strayhorn

      Titles recorded according to New Desor:
      • Perdido
      • Take the "A" Train
      • Oscalypso
      • Blues for Blanton
      • Twelve O'clock Jump
      • Blues No. 3 Untitled Blues
      Steven Lasker:

      ' [the title] "Blues No. 3" is copied from New Desor. ... The New Desor team, tasked with differentiating 22 different recordings by Ellington of untitled blues pieces, decided to number them from 1 to 22. Thus the title "Blues No. 3" originated not with Mercer Records, but with the New Desor team.'

        Twelve O'clock Jump is unissued.
      • The AFM Local 802 contract is dated the day of the session and the contract has Session No. 1 written at the top of the front and back. It calls for four musicians led by Pettiford, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
      • Feather signed the contract on behalf of Mercer Records, and Pettiford signed as leader.
      • The men were to be paid Union scale, and it was to be paid in advance to the union. Pettiford received $82.50 gross, Ellington, Jones and Trotman were each paid $41.25
      • Strayhorn is not listed on the payment schedule but played celeste on two numbers.
      • Jones and Trotman were each paid an additional $2 for cartage of the drums and bass.
      • In his autobiography, Leonard Feather wrote:

        'The Mercer sessions generally involved members or alumni of the orchestra. We got off to a fine start when Oscar Pettiford, who had been practicing jazz cello, taped our first session... Throughout the session Duke played piano and even acted at times like a sideman.'

      • Lambert:

        '... an untitled blues was recorded. Its existence would probably never have been known if one copy of Oscalypso had not been found on which this item was pressed in error. The indefatigable Jerry Valburn issued this recording on Up-To-Date; it contains some of Pettiuford's best solo work and a fine Ellington chorus.'

      New Desor
      DE5009
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2017-02-08
      2017-02-10
      2020-05-07
      1950 09 14
      Thursday
      1950 09 20
      Wednesday
      Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville

      Appearing with the Ellington orchestra:
      • The Three Co-Ops dance team
      • Bobby 'Tables' Davis whose schtick was picking up tables and chairs with his teeth
      • Chubby Kemp
      • Barbara Windfield (new singer in the band)
      • Dusty Fletcher, comedian
      • Al Hibbler


      Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows also names Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance and Lawrence Brown.
      Amateur night Wednesday, midnight show Saturday. Apollo's performer's card: 9/20/50 Gross 16,960.00, cash net $8,480.04 - Slo[[y performance. HIbbler deteriorated. Girl bad.
      • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.,
        1950-09-16
      • Stratemann, p.323
      • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
      • Performer cards 347 and 348
        Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
      ..
      Timner correctons 4/18, 4/21, 4/29djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2018-10-20
      2019-11-02
      2023-03-26
      1950 09 15
      Friday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1950 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 16
      Saturday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1950 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 17
      Sunday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1950 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 18
      Monday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1950 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 18
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..An agreement between Tempo Music Inc., publisher, and Duke Ellington and Chubby Kemp, writers was executed, transferring all copyrights in the title, words and music of "Hello Little Boy" to Tempo. Ruth E. James signed on behalf of Tempo, and Mildred Dixon witnessed Ellington's and Kemp's signatures. Kemp signed her name "Chubby" (in quotation marks). The contract makes no mention of consideration. Guernsey's Auction House "Forever Ellington" online , auction, May 18 2016....djpNew
      added
      2018-10-22
      1950 09 19
      Tuesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1950 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 20
      Wednesday
      .Harlem, Manhattan borough
      New York, N.Y.
      Apollo Theatre
      253 W. 125th St.
      Vaudeville - see 1950 09 14.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 21
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Apex Studios
      119 West 57th St.
      Mercer recording session 8 to 11 p.m.
      Session details per Steven Lasker's Mercer Records discography (this webpage does not show other details, i.e. - composer/arranger credits, label numbers and matrices):
      • The Ellingtonians
        • with Al Hibbler
        • with Chubby Kemp
      • Duke Ellington at the Mandolin Piano
      • Chubby Kemp & Her All Stars
      • Sara Forde
        • with Mercer Ellington & His Orch.
        • with Billy Strayhorn
      • (A mandolin piano looks like an upright piano, but its middle pedal mimics sounds of guitar, harpsichord, and other stringed instruments.)

      Collective personnel:
      • Red Rodney (mentioned on the contract, under his real name, Robert Roland Chudnick)
      • Hodges
      • Carney
      • Ellington (as "Edward Duke" on labels of M-1971)
      • Strayhorn
      • Pettiford
      • Marshall
      • Max Roach
      • Hibbler
      • Kemp
      • Forde

      Titles recorded:
      • Mean Old Choo Choo
      • White Christmas
      • Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
      • Me and My Wig
      • How Blue Can You Get
      • Juke Bop Boogie
      • Set 'Em Up (Rack 'Em Back)
      • The New Piano Roll Blues
      • The Man I Love
      Lasker:

      'The Mercer Records discography says the AF of M contract for this date includes "A Slip of the Lip" but omits "White Christmas" and "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." '

      These contract details are not in the Smithsonian folder referred to here.

      Neither discography shows Mercer Ellington, despite one mixture of these musicians being called Mercer Ellington and His Orchestra. New Desor omits Hibbler and Strayhorn, who recorded the two missing titles.
      There are two AFM contracts for this date, marked Session No. 2 and Session No. 3 but other than the colour of the paper, they are almost identical. The contract terms are:
      • Seven musicians under the leadership of Duke Ellington from 8 to 11 p.m.
      • Payment at Union scale, payable in advance to the union, with overtime at AF of M rates
      • Ellington's name is handwritten over another erased, illegible name on the face and back of both contracts. The list of musicians on the back of the each contract shows Wendell Marshall (typed), Sonny Greer (typed and crossed out) with Johnny Hodges handwritten above, and Max Roach, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford and Robert Chadwick, all handwritten. Rodney, Kemp, Forde, Hibbler and Mercer Ellington are not shown.
      • The pay schedule is $82.50 for Ellington, $41.25 for each of the others and $2.00 each extra for bass and drum cartage.
      • Employer:
        Mercer Records, 1775 Broadway, New York 19, N.Y., phone Circle 6-3530
      • Signed by
        Leonard Feather for the employer,
        Duke Ellington as orchestra leader, and
        an illegible signature of an employee representative.
      Lambert:

      'The eighth title ... is the only piece of musical substance from the session. There is no vocalist, and Duke is featured throughout on a "mandoline" piano. This was an instrument with hammers so treated as to give the sound of an old, tinny, honky-tonk piano; such instruments had a bried vogue at the time and continue to be used whenever an old-time, good-time atmosphere is required in popular music. The overall effect is of a second-rate player piano. Duke calls his improvisation The New Piano Roll Blues and characteristically uses the old-time piano as vehicle for one of his most modern performances of the period. This is a percussive, probing solo with jagges lines and unsettled harmonies...Rodney has a brief spot here, but little use is made of the soloists on this session.'


      Feather:

      'A week later we were back in the studio with three singers: Chubby Kemp,... Sarah Ford, who sang Mercer's "Set ;em Up', and Al Hibbler in a typically sonorous 'White Christmas;. All three vocalists were backed by the Ellingtonians: Duke or Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Wendell Marshall, Pettiford on cello, and two unlikely modernists, Red Rodney and Max Roach.
        The arrangements for occasions like this were usually by Swee'Pea and invariably were brought in at the last minute or even finished in the studio...'

      • S. Lasker,
        Mercer Records discography
      • Associated Musicians of Greater New York,
        Local 802 AF of M contracts dated 1950 09 21,
        marked as sessions 2 and 3, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries F, Box 106, Folder 26
      • Stratemann p.323
      • Timner corrections 4/29
      • Leonard Feather,
        The Jazz Years: Earwitness to an Era,
        Da Capo Press 1987, p. 67
      • Email, Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2017-02-09
        • 2024-04-04
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Dooji Collection record labels
      • Timner
      • E. Lambert:
        Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
        , pp. 152-153
      • Ole J. Nielsen,
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      New Desor
      DE5010
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2016-07-15
      2017-02-10
      2017-02-12
      2020-05-07
      2024-02-16
      2024-05-02
      1950 09 22
      Friday
      1950 09 28
      Thursday
      Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      .Stratemann, citing Variety 1950-08-09 p.41....Added
      2011
      1950 09 23
      Saturday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      see 1950 09 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 24
      Sunday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      see 1950 09 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 25
      Monday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      see 1950 09 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 26
      Tuesday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      see 1950 09 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 27
      Wednesday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      see 1950 09 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 28
      Thursday
      .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
      620 T St.
      see 1950 09 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 09 29
      Friday
      .Washington, D.C.White House
      DESCRIPTION
      Duke Ellington in the White House

      Click to Enlarge
      At 12:30 noon, Ellington visited President Truman at the White House and presented him with the score of his "Portrait of New York" suite, also known as "A Tone Parallel to Harlem" - see the extensive discussion of the composition at 1951 01 21 below.

      • The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine (David Appel):
        At present he is finishing part of a tone poem, Portrait of New York, which he and other outstanding contemporary U.S. composers have been invited to write for the NBC Symphony and Arturo Toscanini. Duke is doing the section on Harlem.
           Cognizant of this honor, Duke is not overwhelmed by it;...

           Oh yes, that's right, I did visit the White House recently. Had quite a session there. Expected to stay about 15 minutes bur remained for three-quarters of an hour.
           Mr. Truman told me to make myself at home. We talked about a lot of things like a couple fellows at the corner store. We talked about music, and the President told me something of his musical education. He is a kind of reassuring person. Sort of fellow I'd like to have for family doctor...

      • UP wirestory

        WASHINGTON (UP) – The Duke and the President compared notes. Musical notes. The occasion was Duke Ellington's visit with President Truman at the White House. The two piano players ran through the scale of discussing popular music to the classics.
             Afterward Ellington told reporters that he found in Mr. Truman "the kind of attitude you would like your doctor to have."
             This was no reflection on Mr. Truman's ability at the keyboard, but the Negro composer's appreciation of the way he was received by the Chief Executive.
             Ellington called on the President to give him the original score of parts of the "Portrait Of New York Suite" which he wrote under commission from Arturo Toscanini. The suite will be presented Christmas Night by the NBC Symphony Orchestra...

      • It isn't clear if Ellington presented the President with the score of the band version or the score for the band with symphony orchestra. suggests Ellington only wrote the band version and expected someone would orchestrate it for the NBC Symphony. The band version was first performed in January 1951 and the symphonic version, orchestrated by Luther Henderson, was first performed in 1955.
      • Daily Appointments of Harry S. Truman
      • The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine
        Philadelphis, Penn.
        1950-11-05 p.51
      • Wirephoto:
      • UP wire story
        The Berkshire Evening Eagle
        Pittsfield, Mass.
        1950-10-02 p.3
      • ANP wire story
        The Indianapolis Recorder,
        Indianapolis, Ind.
        1950-10-07 p.13
      • Morning Herald
        Uniontown, Penn. 1950-10-30
      • Daily News,
        New York, N.Y.
        1950-09-30 p.BL22
      • Down Beat
        1950-10-20 p.3
      • Stratemann, p.323
      • John Edward Hasse:
        Beyond Category, The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington p.296
      • Ruland p. 25
      • Jazz Lines Publicaitons Presents A Tone Parallel to Harlem - some extracted pages of score and parts, biographical notes (Duke and Billy), background to A Tone Parallel to Harlem, conducting notes, 1952 copyright notice, Truman's schedule, NAACP press release.
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-09-18
      2016-12-19
      2021-12-13
      2025-01-02
      2025-01-03
      1950 09 29
      Friday
      .Washington, D.C.National Press Club
      529 14th Street N.W.
      Earl Wilson, in his syndicated column "It Happened Last Night:"

      After Duke Ellington visited the President, he played piano for reporters at the National Press Club dinner for an hour.

      The time and location in the building have not yet been confirmed, but it was probably the early evening in the 13th floor ballroom:

      Jeffrey Schlosberg, National Press Club archivist:

      ...a search of our files (photos and newsletters) has not turned up any documentation of the Duke's visit... Appearances by top tier musical artists were common at NPC events in that era. I can state with near certainty that Ellington would have performed in the Club ballroom on the 13th floor of the National Press Building (where the NPC's public venue spaces are still located). The ballroom had a stage at one end for musical entertainers, skits, etc. Any social event that drew a substantial crowd was held in the ballroom.

      ...our NPC newsletter holdings prior to 1958 are sporadic, and we have no issues on file from 1949 thru 1957. Alas, newsletters are our only source for comprehensive documentation of the Club's internal social events. So I can't provide any internal (NPC) documentation that the dinner occurred, but I can reasonably affirm that Club dinners are always held in the evening. (Luncheon events are held at noon or shortly thereafter.)

      • Daily Press
        Newport News, Va.
        1950-10-05 p.12
      • San Francisco Examiner
        San Francisco, Cal.
        1950-10-05 p.25
      • Durham Morning Herald
        Durham, N.C.
        1950-10-06 s.IV p.8
      • Morning Herald
        Uniontown, Penn.
        1950-10-30
      • Daily News,
        New York, N.Y.
        1950-09-30 p.BL22
      • Email
        • Schlosberg-Palmquist
          2025-01-03 to 2025-01-10
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-09-18
      2016-12-19
      2021-12-13
      2025-01-02
      2025-01-03
      2025-01-10
      1950 09 30
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented

      - Stratemann p.323 says Variety 1950-08-19 p.41 stated a four-day stand in Albany would be filled in before the Paramount run. No confirmation has been found.
      ......

      October 1950

      1950 10 00...Personnel change
      Singer Yvonne Lanauze joins the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      1950 10 01
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented
      see 1950 09 30
      ......
      1950 10 02
      Monday
      ...activities not documented
      see 1950 09 30
      ......
      1950 10 03
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.RCA Victor
      156 E.24 St.
      Mercer Records recording session(s)
      2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
      Steven Lasker's Mercer Records discography shows:
      • Billy Strayhorn Trio
      • Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn on two pianos
      • Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall
      • Titles recorded:
        • Cotton Tail
        • C Jam Blues
        • Flamingo
        • Bang-Up Blues
      New Desor shows
      • Jimmy McPhail with the Billy Strayhorn Trio
        Jimmy McPhail with Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall and an unidentified clarinetist
      • Billy Strayhorn Trio
        Ellington, Strayhorn and Marshall.
      • Wax Works and New Desor show four titles sung by McPhail that were not issued:
        • I Wonder Why
        • I'll Remember April
        • No Smoking
        • Brown Suede
      • The AFM contract is marked Session No. 4 and lists only Ellington, Strayhorn and Marshall. There is no contract in the DEC301 folder for McPhail with the Strayhorn trio (the contract marked Session No. 5 is for 1950 10 21)
      • Feather:

        '...Duke insisted that we begin the first date by using the pianos to back ... Jimmy McPhail, in four songs. They were never released; the masters, along with everything else we made for Mercer, were destroyed in a fire, though fortunately most survived because spare copies of the tapes had been sent overseas.'

      • S. Lasker, Mercer Records discography
      • Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AF of M contract dated 1950 10 03, marked as Session No. 4, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries F, Box 106, Folder 26
      • Timner corrections 4/29
      • Leonard Feather, The Jazz Years: Earwitness to an Era, Da Capo Press 1987, p. 67
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
      • Timner
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      New Desor
      DE5011
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2017-02-12
      2020-05-07
      1950 10 04
      Wednesday
      1950 10 16
      Monday
      New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre60 minute stage show
      DEO, tap dancer Teddy Hale, comedian Timmie Rogers, and Sarah Vaughan.
      Mercer Ellington played with the band during this engagement, on E-flat horn (a picture shows it to be a mellophone).
      At some time during this engagement, Ellington and Vaughan were the subject of a publicity photo backstage for NAACP's Christmas Seal campaign; the caption says they were the first purchasers in the 1950 drive. The photo was widely reproduced as early as November 10, and a high resolution copy is in NAACP;s 1977 publication
      • NAACP photo:
        • NAACP: Celebrating a Century, 100 years in Pictures, p.165
        • The Plaindealer,Kansas City,Kansas
          1950-11-10 p.5
        • The Carolina Times, Durham, N.C.
          1950-11-11 p.6
        • The New Ttribune, Detroit,Mich,
          1950-11-11 p.16
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2018-10-19
      1950 10 05
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 06
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 07
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 08
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 09
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 10
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 11
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 12
      Thursday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 13
      Friday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 14
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 15
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 16
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 04.....Added
      2011
      1950 10 17
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 10 18
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 10 19
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 10 20
      Friday
      1950 10 21
      Saturday
      Englewood Cliffs, N.J.Rustic Cabin
      Rt. 9-W, 2 miles north of George Washington Bridge
      Duke Ellington and his Orchestra plus Arthur Godfrey talent winners "The Sensation [sic] Rhythm Rascals."The Jersey Journal, Jersey City, N.J.
      • 1950-10-19 p.31
      • 1950-10-20 p.20
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2018-10-22
      1950 10 21
      Saturday
      .New York, N.Y.Apex Recording Studios
      119 W. 57th St.
      Mercer Records recording session
      2 to 5 p.m.
      The Ellingtonians with Al Hibbler
      M. Ellington, Benny Carter, Carney, Strayhorn, Dave Barbour (guitar), Marshall, Charlie Smith (drums), Hibbler, Duke Ellington

      Titles recorded:
      • Stormy Weather
      • Cherry
      • Stardust
      • Honeysuckle Rose

      The AF of M contract, marked Session No. 5, was for seven musicians led by Duke Ellington, omitting Strayhorn and Hibbler. Both Ellingtons, Carter, Carney, Marshall, Smith and Barbour were paid for the session at scale - $82.50 for the leader and $41.25 for the sidemen.

      There is a question of the instrument Mercer used:
      • New Desor and at the time of writing, Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli, say flugelhorn;
      • Wax Works and Lasker say E-flat horn
      • Nielsen says trumpet
      • The Mercer Ellington discography published in the DESS Bulletin has him on mellophone for this session (it also incorrectly places this session in Los Angeles)
      • Feather says

        'On one date Mercer himself, who had been working in his father's brass section for a few months, played mellophone behind Hibbler.'

      • Webmaster comment: A flugelhorn resembles a cornet in appearance but has a longer bore so the lower tube is further from the upper tube. It is a B-flat instrument, not E-flat. The instrument known to me as E-flat horn is also known as an alto horn and resembles a tiny tuba or euphonium. It is played in an upright position. Feather tells us Mercer played a mellophone in this session. The older model mellophone resembles a French horn with less tubing and piston valves rather than butterfly valves. The bell is tucked under the left arm of the musician. The mellophone is an E-flat instrument. At least one photograph of the Ellington band from behind the bandstand shows Mercer playing this type of mellophone and it is the instrument identified in the DESS Mercer Ellington discography

      • Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 AF of M contract dated 1950 10 03, marked as Session No. 4, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries F, Box 106, Folder 26
      • S. Lasker, Mercer Records discography
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Duke Ellington Society of Sweden Bulletin No. 2, May 2014
      • Benny Aasland:
        The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
      • S. Lasker, Mercer Records discography
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Leonard Feather, The Jazz Years: Earwitness to an Era, Da Capo Press 1987, p. 67
      • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
      • Timner
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      New Desor
      DE5012
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2017-02-13
      1950 10 21
      Saturday
      .Englewood Cliffs, N.J.Rustic CabinDuke Ellington and his Orchestra and "The Sensation [sic] Rhythm Rascals." - see 1950 10 20....djpNew
      Added
      2018-10-22
      1950 10 21
      Saturday
      ... Peripheral event

      'Jazz maestro Duke Ellington has become a ballet student. The idea is to lose weight through pirouetting. '

      Dorothy Kilgallen syndicated column - see
      • Greenville Record-Argus 1950-10-21
      • The Charleston, Va. Gazette 1950-10-21 p.4
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-09-18
      1950 10 22
      Sunday
      .Holyoke, Mass.Holyoke's Valley Arena GardensVaudeville
      • 3 shows 2:30, 7 and 9
      • Matinee 60¢ evening 85¢

      Springfield Union, Oct. 21:

      ' DUKE ELLINGTON AND SARAH VAUGHN; ARENA
        Two star attractions will be offered at the Valley Arena Gardens tomorrow in Duke Ellington, occupying the bandstand with his world famous orchestra, and Sarah Vaughan [sic], recording artist and star of radio and television. The variety bill featurs Teddy Hale, protege of the late Bill Robinson, tap dancer. Other acts include Joe Chisholm, Dolly Pembrook, action acro-artist, and Earl Howell and Buddy Bowser, comedians.'

      The Springfield Union, Springfield, Mass.
      • 1950-10-21 p.24
      • 1950-10-22 p.9C
      .
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-22
      1950 10 23
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 10 24
      Tuesday
      1950 10 26
      Thursday
      Schenectady, N.Y.Proctor's TheatreTheatre appearance with Sarah Vaughan, comedy dance team Conway and Parks, and Dusty Fletcher
      Stage show 3 times daily, 3, 6 and 9 PM
      • Ad, Amsterdam ,N.Y. Evening Recorder,1950-10-20, p.6O
      • Schenectady Gazette,
        • 1950-10-21 p.14
        • 1950-10-23, p.9
        • Review by Phyllis W. Williams, Ellington Style Unchanged, Well Received at Proctors, 1950-10-25, p.18
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-08-19
      updated
      2018-10-19
      1950 10 25
      Wednesday
      .Schenectady, N.Y.Proctor's TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 24.....added 2012-08-19
      1950 10 26
      Thursday
      .Schenectady, N.Y.Proctor's TheatreStage show - see 1950 10 24.....added 2012-08-19
      1950 10 26
      Thursday
      .Schenectady, N.Y.?.Ellington and members of the orchestra appeared on the U.S. Savings Bond radio program, "Guest Star." This appears to have been a transcription recording aired at various times across the country, possibly made Oct. 26 at Proctor's.

      'Box 23, Item 105 Duke Ellington Guest Star, 10/26/50
      Music: In progress "Take the 'A' Train" by unidentified orchestra;
      "Solitude" vocal by Barbara Winfield with Lawrence Brown on trombone
      Commercial announcement by Duke Ellington
      Music: "You of All People" vocal by Al Hibbler; "Great Times" featuring Oscar Pettiford on cello and Paul Gonsalves on tenor saxophone '


      Ruth Ellington Collection Subseries 11.1: Sound Recordings, circa 1945-1970:

      'Subseries 11.1.4: Interviews (ca 1946-66) are five tapes that appear to be from radio programs. ... Tape three is the U.S. Savings Bond radio program, "Guest Star" in which Ellington was the guest in October 1950... '


      Broadcasting Telecasting:

      'TIME and talent devoted by radio and televison during the past fiscal your to savings bond promotion totaled more than $33 million, it was reported last week by Nathan B. Colwell, chief of radio-TV for Treasury's Savings Bond Division.
           ...Mr. Colwell pointed out Treasury expended $150,000...gaining a return of $220 for every dollar spent...
           Presently the four national networks donate 28 regular half-hour programs weekly to bond promotion...
           Treasury's quarter-hour Guest Star transcriptions ... are carried weekly by 2,843 AM and FM stations – "an industry record for penetration, approaching the 93% mark," Mr. Colwell explained. All programs were requested by the stations and 80% run the show in Class A time, he pointed out...'


      ....djpNew
      added
      2021-12-18
      1950 10 27
      Friday
      1950 10 29Three Rivers, N.Y.
      6 miles northeast of Liverpool, N.Y., north of Baldwinsville.
      Three Rivers Inn

      '3 days only
      Duke Ellington with his famous orchestra and new show

      Extra added attraction, Dusty Fletcher, comedian, composer of 'Open the Door, Richard'

      Friday and Sunday, no cover, no minimum, spend what you like
      Saturday $2.00 minimum '

      The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y..DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2012-08-18
      2018-10-19
      2020-05-07
      1950 10 28
      Saturday
      .Three Rivers, N.Y.Three Rivers InnStage show....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 10 29
      Sunday
      .Three Rivers, N.Y.Three Rivers InnStage show....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 10 30
      Monday
      ...Activities not documented

      It seems likely the band returned to New York and had the rest of the day off, with Ellington going to the CBS TV studio above the Stork Club to participate in the Faye Emerson Show (see 1950 10 31). There would also have been a technical rehearsal and possibly a dress rehearsal, but Duke may not have been required for those.
      ....djpAdded
      2024-10-14
      1950 10 31
      Tuesday
      Halloween
      .New York, N.Y.CBS studio
      6th floor
      Stork Club building
      3 East 53rd Street at Fifth Avenue
      Activities not documented.

      Peripheral event

      Ellington was one of five masked guests appearing in the "Halloween Party" episode of CBS Television's "Faye Emerson Show." The other guests were actresses Joan Blondell and Kitty Carlisle, and actors Billy Gilbert and Dane Clark.

      Ellington may have been paid $350 for appearing, the amount columnist Florabel Muir in The Mirror, Los Angeles, 1950-11-10 p.6 wrote the show paid its guest performaers.

      Duke played "Sophisticated Lady," "In A Sentimental Mood," "I'm Beginning To See The Light" (all identified by Brian Koller) and other background music throughout the show even while chatting with hostess Emerson. He also accompanied actress/singer Kitty Carlisle as she sang "Love in Bloom," a non-Ellington tune. After Duke removed his mask, Ms Carlisle said she was pleased to see Ellington again after so many years since they worked together in "Murder at the Vanities."

      See The Faye Emerson Show for a summary of the series and its predecessors.

      Given its theme, this episode probably aired in all markets on October 31, including California. If so, it was probably prerecorded October 30 in order to reach California in time to be telecast on Halloween.

      It could not have been retransmitted on the West Coast from a live signal received by coax cable or line-of-sight microwave transmissions since the transcontinental AT&T coax cable / microwave system was not complete until the following October, with the first transcontinental telecast originating in September 1951. In 1950 it would have taken at least 10 hours to fly the film from New York to Los Angeles in 1950, plus additional time getting it to and from the airports.

      The show is unlikely to have been filmed before October 30 because
      • (a) Ellington was away until October 29
      • (b) Faye said the New York Horse Show "opened today" (confirmed)
      • (c) Duke said he would be going to Bridgeport on Thursday (confirmed) without mentioning Schenectady and Three Rivers, his destinations the preceding week, and
      • (d) it seems unlikely to have been recorded before he left town October 22 since there would have been three upcoming episodes to produce before airing this "Halloween Party."
      Live early television shows were often not saved, but if they were, they were filmed with movie cameras or, more commonly in 1950, a Kinescope system recording camera. Videotape was not used until 1956. Kinescope seems to be most common way in 1950, and could be used either to prerecord a show or to capture it on film at the same time as it aired.

      ..djpNew
      added
      2024-08-12
      updated
      2024-08-19
      2024-10-20
      2024-11-08
      1950 10 00.New York, N.Y..Mercer recording session
      Wild Bill Davis and His Real Gone Organ
      Davis, Duke Ellington, John Collins, guitar, Jo Jones, drums

      Title recorded:

      Things Ain't What They Used To Be

      (The group also recorded Make No Mistake without Duke)
    • S. Lasker, Mercer Records discography
    • New Desor
      DE5013
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-14
      2017-02-13

      November 1950

      1950 11 00...Personnel change
      Cat Anderson, high note trumpet specialist, rejoins the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-10
      1950 11 01
      Wednesday
      .New York, N.Y.RCA Victor
      155 E. 24th St.
      Mercer Records recording session no. 6
      Billy Strayhorn Trio
      Strayhorn, Ellington, Joe Shulman

      Titles recorded:
      • Tonk
      • Johnny Come Lately
      • In A Blue Summer Garden
      • Great Times
      This session has been undated in the discographies, just shown as November 1950. The Local 802 contract shows the session was November 1, 1950, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., the men were paid union scale - Strayhorn as leader, $82.50; Ellington and Shulman, $41.25 each. Wendell Marshall's name was on the personnel list but crossed out; Joe Shulman's name was handwritten. Mercer Records was the Employer, and Feather signed as employer; Strayhorn signed as leader.

      Sidemen's activities are not documented
      New Desor
      DE5014
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2017-02-07
      2020-05-07
      1950 11 02
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 03
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 04
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 05
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 05
      Sunday
      .Near Baltimore, Md.Route 40 Peripheral event
      Three of The Orioles were in a car accident 3 miles north of Baltimore that killed guitarist Tommy Gaither and injured Johnny Reed and George Nelson. Sonny Til and Alexander Sharp, did not learn of the accident until they arrived home. For a short time, only Til and Sharp performed as the Orioles, but the Nov. 18 Courier reported the group opened at the Earle Theatre in Philadelphia "this week" with two new members. Nelson returned in a few days, and Reed a few weeks later.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-02-18
      1950 11 05
      Sunday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.. Peripheral event
      Philadelphia Inquirer ran a three column article about Ellington, in which author David Appel describes Ellington at 3:30 p.m. breakfast, date unknown, but after the Paramount Theater and before the Earle Theater. Ellington said he wanted to do a "slam-bang" Broadway, describing an elaborate opening, and described visiting President Truman at the White House "recently."
      The Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, Philadephia, Penn. 1950-11-05 p.51...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-19
      1950 11 06
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 07
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 08
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 09
      Thursday
      1950 11 15
      Wednesday
      Philadelphia, Penn.Earle Theater
      11th and Market

      Theatre information:
      Vaudeville
      Stage showtimes the last night: 12:10, 3:00. 5:20, 7:40, 10:00

      Included in the bill: The Orioles; Dusty Fletcher; and Joe Chisholm.
      While the Nov. 18 Courier reported The Orioles opened "this week" with 2 new members, further research might confirm whether or not they were there during the early part of the engagement, and whether or not George Nelson returned to the group in time to play here.-see 1950 11 05.
      Marion Kelley's Nov. 11 review:
      • Large house on hand (Nov. 10)
      • Acts, Duke Ellington and his orchestra, the Orioles, Dusty Fletcher and others
      • Stage show opened with a medley; dark background and flashes of light.
      • Solos by Carney, Brown, Hodges, and Nance
      • Named songs: Sunny Side of the Street, Blue Skies
      • '...There was Al Hibbler vocalizing along with Chubby Kemp, both of whom won deserved applause...'
      The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
      1950-11-11 p.15
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2017-02-18
      2018-10-08
      2018-10-20
      1950 11 10
      Friday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterStage show - see 150 11 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 11
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterStage show - see 150 11 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 12
      Sunday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterStage show - see 150 11 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 13
      Monday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterStage show - see 150 11 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 14
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterStage show - see 150 11 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 15
      Wednesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterStage show - see 150 11 09.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 16
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 17
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 18
      Saturday
      .Newark, N.J.Terrace Ballroom
      Mosque Theater building
      Dance, 9 pm - 2 am.Stratemann p.324 citing
      Amsterdam News 1950-11-11 p.23
      ....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      1950 11 19
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y..ABC television appearance, "Show Time USA"

      The band was on for 13 minutes

      While Stratemann says it played a medley and two of its own titles, New Desor's titles differ.
      Duke Ellington And His Orchestra
      N. Williams, Merenguito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Ballard, Bobby Davis

      Titles recorded:
      • The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
      • Oh! Lady Be Good
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Blue Skies
      Stratemann p.324 New Desor
      DE5015
      DEMSTimner corrections -4/18djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2020-05-07
      1950 11 20
      Monday
      .New York, N.Y..Columbia recording session
      Times unknown - sheets missing from ledger
      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      N. Williams, Merenguito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Greer, Ballard, Jo Jones, Hibbler, Lanauze

      Titles recorded:
      • Build That Railroad
      • Love You Madly
      • Great Times
      Steven Lasker:
      'There are two drummers on the date, shown in TDWAW as Greer and Ballard, however Ballard doesn't join the band until 1953, while the other drummer is Jo Jones according to Bob Rickles (DEMS Bulletin 99/1, comments on Timner, p22):

      'I heard Al Hibbler tell Phil Schaap that Jo Jones was the drummer on Build that Railroad. Sonny Greer could well have been the drummer on the other two numbers. I know that Hibbler was sightless, but he was there. '

      The late Claude Carriere (DEMS 00/4,14/5) offered a blow-by-blow analysis of the percussion heard on the three titles:
      Jo Jones in the 20Nov50 session?
      See Comments on Timner page 22, entry 118, 20Nov50. This page came with Bulletin 99/1.
           I have listened again to the session of 20Nov50. Jo Jones could be the drummer in all three selections.
           You have given me another item to doubt about. Somebody else seems to play a sort of "shaker" (or maracas) in Build That Railroad from 1:43 until 2:07, or is it just done with brushes? The drum sounds like Greer's drum kit (2:05-2:06 timpani).
           On the other hand the accents do resemble those of Jo Jones in Love You Madly at 1:09, from 1:35 until 1:40, at 2:05, 2:10, 2:15, 2:23 etc. and in Great Times in the intro — hi-hat — and at 0:20, 0:56 etc. Also the swing on the ride cymbal starting with Jimmy Hamilton at 1:17 sounds like Jo Jones.
           But my doubts remain: listen to Sonny Greer in Sultry Serenade from 10Nov47.
           Claude Carriere
      I repeat Bob Rickies' comment on Timner. As you will see, it only mentioned one selection, Build That Railroad, and it mentioned also all the people involved in what is evidently a matter of hearsay:
      Bob Rickles:

      'I heard A1 Hibbler tell ... [same as above].'


           Sjef Hoefsmit
      • Timner corrections 4/22 +4/29
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist
        • 2014-10-14 (session time)
        • 2022-06-23 (drummers)
        • 22-07-01 (Jones)
      New Desor
      DE5016
      DEMSdjpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2014-10-15
      2020-05-07
      2022-07-01
      1950 11 21
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 11 22
      Wednesday
      1950 11 28Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterVaudeville, with Howell & Bowser, Joe Chisholm and Tip, Tap and Toe.
      Four shows daily (12:00, 2:45, 5:35, 8:30) except Sunday, when there were three (2:45, 5:40, 8:30).
      The show was reviewed in three newspapers. Given the difference in the two opening day reviews, it is possible the critics attended different showings.

      • J.W.R., The Boston Daily Globe, Nov. 23:

        'STAGE SHOW
        Duke Ellington and His Band on Scollay Square Theatre Stage

          ...By tomorrow, no doubt, the Duke and his boys will be presenting a whizz-bang show, the kind for which they are famous. But yesterday's opening performance was the kind of occasion everybody would probably prefer to forget. The curtain was a half hour late, the lighting effects went awry, some of the variety acts seemed at a loss for things to do.
          The opening was unconventional, except for the uncertain lighting effects, with a medley of tunes featuring Ellington and the band. Joe Chisholm offered some ingenious patter and highly skillful baton twirling. Chubby Kemp sang a couple of blues numbers. Johnny Hodges and Lawrence Brown played choruses of "The Sunny Side of the Street" and once again proved that they are among today's great sax and trombone players, respectively.
          The Duke then called upon his trumpet section of five stalward lungs for some fast and loud choruses of "Blue Skies." Tip and Toe (of the team of Tip, Tap, and Toe) did some very snappy dancing – real dancing, not leg breaking exercises. Ray Nance clowned musically. The Duke gave us a couple of turns at the piano. Howell and Bowser played around with some nice old fashioned comedy and a brace of pleasant songs. Albert Hibbler sang and the show came to a close with the whole company in attendance...'

      • E.S.T, The Boston Herald, Nov.23:

        'SCOLLAY
        Duke Ellington
        Spotlights stabbed the gloom of the stage changing from one color to another. Dim figures edged into the glare accompanied by dissonant lietmotivs as they were introduced. Suddenly out of the shadows came the piano poisning a crescendo of blue notes in authoritative manner against the frantic orchestrasl canvas. In such a way, Duke Ellington served notice yesterday that he had reclaimed his Boston swing duchy at the Scollay Theater.
          Tehre is enough in the show, which will continue for the holiday week, to satisfy the most avid follower of popular music. For the "mouldy fygge," the classicist of jazz, there are such famous Ellington arrangements as "I'll Take a Train,: and for the real gone devotees of bebop there are many atonal effects. The band plays fortissimo with enough power to turn over turbines at faraway Grand Coulee while the elegant touch of the Duke's key board style provides a still, small voice in the middle of the whirlwind.
          Tap-dancers, vocalists, and a baton twirler round out the show, but the appeal of the performance will be most easily understood by the Duke's fans. His orchestra plays with a great deal of drive graced by a gutty trombone in the person of Lawrence Brown, and Johnny Hodge's plangent [sic] sax work. The main attraction fo rothers will be the distinguished, slightly satirical M.C. style of Mr. Ellington.'

      • Alta Maloney, Boston Traveler, Nov.24

        'Duke and Band At Scollay
          It's a good thing the Duke Ellington is playing his favorites, because that's what his fans are shouting at him to do as he prgresses from "Take the A Train" to "Sunny Side of the Street" to "Blue Skies" to "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me" at the Scollay Theater.
          The Duke may be a litle more portly than his more elderly admirers remember, but his music has the same intricate dissonance and relentless rhythm that makes them rock back and forth in involuntary accompaniment.
          With him are featured the finest musicians in his orchestra. There are solos by Lawrence Brown on the trombone and Johnny on the alto sax. Albert Hibbler sings. The blues are represented by Chubby Kemp with "Hello Little Boy."
          And of course, there is a solo number by Duke Ellington, leaning out of the spotlight into the shadows and playing with the casual ease that makes him interesting to watch as well as to hear.
          Also on the hour-long show are Joe Chisholm, ... Tip and Toe ... and Howell and Bowser... One of the biggest attractions is Cat Anderson, who can play a trumpet note highter than the human ear can stand... '

      • Stratemann p.324 citing
        Variety 1950-11-29 p.18
      • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
        • 1950-11-15 p.19
        • 1950-11-23 p.58
        • 1950-11-26 p.A-41
      • Boston Traveler, Boston,Mass.
        1950-11-24 p.18
      • The Boston Herald, Boston,Mass.
        1950-11-24 p.65
      • Showtimes:
        Boston Daily Globe
        • 1950-11-22 p.19
        • 1950-11-23 p.59
        • 1950-11-24 p.47
        • 1950-11-25 p.16
        • 1950-11-26 p.A-39
        • 1950-11-27 p.20
        • 1950-11-28 p.51
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2018-10-23
      2020-05-07
      1950 11 23
      Thursday
      .Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 24
      Friday
      .Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 25
      Saturday
      .Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 26
      Sunday
      .Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 27
      Monday
      .Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 28
      Tuesday
      .Boston, Mass.Scollay Square TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 22.....Added
      2011
      1950 11 29
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented

      It is possible the Ellington orchestra stopped in Dundas, Ontario en route to Detroit to play for the opening of the new Dundas arena, but this is just speculation as at 2021-05-24. See discussion at 1952 08 23
      ....djpNew
      2021-05-24
      1950 11 30
      Thursday
      1950 12 06
      Wednesday
      Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterVaudeville
      • Ellington showtimes:
        • Saturday 12:54 3:48 6:22 8:56 11:27
        • Tuesday 1:14 4:28 7:22 9:56
      • Appearing in the show:
        • Duke Ellington and His Band
        • The Orioles
        • Moke and Poke
        • Hammond's Birds
      • The film was The Killer That Stalked New York

      H.C.B. in Detroit Free Press

      'Ellington
      Show Sends
      Sweetly

          Good showman that he is, Duke Ellington employs lighting dramatically for the opening of his stage show at the Broadway Capitol Theater.
          The Duke still stands up at the little piano. Later he solos with "Happy Go Lucky."
          Johnny Hodges and Lawrence Brown are called out for sax solos. Chubby Kemp sings about her man. The blind baritone, Al Hibbler, has three numbers.
          Hammond's birds are cleverly trained cockatoos. One is a delightful "ham."
          FOR SWING the soloist is Ray Nance. A band quintet breaks out with "Blue Skies."
          Saved for the finale are the Orioles, sweet-singing quartet with their guitarist.
          Ellington's music is for those who like their tunes on the sweet side...'


      J. Theisen in Detroit Times

      'Duke Ellington Show
      At Capitol Impressive

      By JACK THEISEN
          THE DUKE ELLINGTON stage show which opened Thursday at the Broadway Capitol Theater is another of the type aimed at the devotees of ultra-modern tempos and blues style music.
          ...The Maestro...is a rather affable showman as well. His instrumentations are highlighted by his standing performance at a small piano in the center of the stage.
        The opening numbers on the show are particularly impressive – principally because of a unique lighting arrangement used. While Ellington's band plays a medley ... a single overhead spotlight on an otherwise dark stage singles out each member of the band as he takes a solo "break."
        Midway in the program, Ellingtn demonstrates his ability as a pianist with an original compostion, "Happy Go Lucky." It's a high spot in the show, as are the solo performances of saxophonist Johnny Hodges and trombonist Lawrence Brown, both of them "name" musicians.
      VOCAL OFFERINGS
          To those who appreciate the modern blues style of singing, the vocal offerings of Chubby Kemp and Al Hibbler probably rank among the best. This reviewers's personal taste is not for the sliding and frequently off-key tones produced in this type of singing.
          Hibbler gives voice to "Do Nuthin' [sic] Till You Hear From Me," "Lovr Come Back to Me" and "Danny Boy." Miss Kemp sings "Hey Little Boy" and "The Greatest There Is," which she recently recorded.
          The featured supporting members of the show are the Orioles, a singing group that has recently risen to popularity. While their opeing offerings were acceptable, the rendition of "The Lord's Prayer" was out of place in that kind of a show and consequently in bad taste. It might have been better, however, had not the lead tenor been flat in several instances.
      DANCE TEAM

          Comedy-making is provided by the slap-happy gag and dance team of Moke and Poke. Their routine has been scrubbed up considerably since their last Detroit appearance but still tends to go overboard.
          The stage presentation is rounded out by Hammond's Birds, an act that is sure to delight the younger members of the audience. Hammond has his feathered creatures do everything but talk. There's even a comedian in the group...'

      • Stratemann p.324 citing
        Variety 1950-12-06 p.55
      • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1950-11-27 p.27
        • 1950-11-28 p.21
        • 1950-12-02 p.15
        • 1950-12-03 s.E p.3
        • 1950-12-05 p.17
      • Detroit Times, Detroit, Mich.
        • 1950-11-27 p.20-C
        • 1950-12-02 p.18-C
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2018-10-24

      December 1950

      1950 12 00...Personnel change
      Tyree Glenn rejoins the band temporarily, leaving again the same month.
      • New Desor vol.2
      • California Eagle, 1949-01-27, p.16
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-10-12
      1950 12 01
      Friday
      .Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 30.....Added
      2011
      1950 12 02
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Art InstitutePersonal appearance
      Ellington appeared again (see 1950 01 21) as guest judge on the Free Press-WXYZ Quizdown television show at 11 a.m.

      A publicity photo showed Duke, sitting at a piano, cigarette and book in hand. The caption says:

      'IT'S TIME OFF from music for Duke Ellington, orchestra leader, as he crams for guest appearance on Free Press-WXYZ Quizdown at Art Institute at 11 a.m. Saturday.'

      The Dec.3 paper carried a report of the show, as well as a picture of Ellington handing a radio to 12-year-old winner Arthur Battle, Jr.
      Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
      • 1950-12-02 p.12
      • 1950-12-03 s.A p.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-23
      1950 12 02
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 30.....Added
      2011
      1950 12 03
      Sunday
      .Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 30.....Added
      2011
      1950 12 04
      Monday
      .Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 30.....Added
      2011
      1950 12 05
      Tuesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 30.....Added
      2011
      1950 12 06
      Wednesday
      .Detroit, Mich.Broadway Capitol TheaterStage show - see 1950 11 30.....Added
      2011
      1950 12 07
      Thursday
      .Battle Creek, Mich.W. K. Kellogg auditoriumThe Enquirer and News:

      'Duke Ellington Band Is Coming On December 7
        Duke Ellington is coming to town next week.
        Bob Montgomery, promoter..., said "the Duke" would play a two-hour concert at the W. K. Kellogg auditorium Thursday night, December 7.
        With the great jazz music figure will come Roy [sic] Nance, jazz violinist; Chubby Kemp, female vocalist; Al Hibbler, the great blind vocalist; Johnny Hodges, regarded by many as the greatest living saxophone artist; and the rest of the Ellington troupe.
        The concert will be under the auspices of the B.J.Bryant Elks lodge. '


      Review (missed quotation marks as in original):

      Even Without Bass Fiddler
      Duke Ellington Is Terrific

        Duke Ellington should have spent the evening playing Little Jack Frost, Get Lost."
        It was a shame that the cold, snow, and bad roads brought only half a house to the W. K. Kellogg auditorium, because the Duke, as ever, was great and put on a two-hour show to the enthusiastic response of the 1,200 or so persons who were assembled.

      Bass Gets Lost

        And Duke really worked hard. He was without a bass. Wendell Marshall, the fine, young bass fiddle player, stepped back on the train after his instrument and that was the last the boys in the band saw of him. They sent a search party to the station–which explains the half hour delay in starting the show–but no hide nor hair.
        So the show went on, with Duke working extra hard with his left hand and pounding the floor with his feet. Man, I played with both hands and both feet tonight," was the way Duke put it. And I was so worried about Wendell. He doesn't drink or smoke,: said Duke Cryptically [sic], probably meaning he hated to see such a young, unspoiled fellow lost in strange Michigan. Everybody figured he would stay right oh the train and go to Chicago, however.
        The band played everything – plain hot, Dixie, rhumbas, sentimental blues, all with Duke's brilliant arranging showing throughout. But when Duke sat down to play a medley, including Sophisticated Lady" and Solitude," of his own composition – that turned out to be one of the fine moments of the evening. Everyone knows that Duke would always be thought of as a great jazz pianist if people weren't so busy thinking of him as a great composer and orchestra leader. But it's great to hear him play.

      Other Highlights

        Other highlights included "Sonny Side of the Street" with Johnny Hodges coaxing the most from his alto sax; Harry Carney "doing everything on the saxophone but inventing it," as Duke said, in two baritone sax numbers, including "Paradise." William (Cat) Anderson's difficult trumpet rendition of "Coloratura;" Ray Nance's trumpet and added violin playing, singing and comedy capers; and "Mood Indigo" as played by Harry Carney, baritone, baritone, and Lawrence Brown and Clinton [sic] Jackson, trombones.
        Al Hibbler, the blind vocalist who can "see" a lot more in number than the vast majority of sighted singers, was called back time and again. His throaty singing of "Danny Boy" and "Trees" brought tears to the eyes of many.
        Chubby Kemp, Duke's bouncing chick soloist, also squeezed all the juice out of "Hello Little Boy, " "The Greatest There Is" and "Boogie Woogie."

      Dedicates Number

        Promoter Bob Montgomery asked Duke to dedicate a number to Miss Virginia (Gina) Bates and Danny Daniels. "Jinnah" heads the record department at Grinnell Bros. music store, and Danny, of course, is the "proprietor" of WELL's "Musical Reveille" heard daily except Sundays from 6 to 8 a.m.
        Mr. and Mrs. Bill Cavette of 86 Wilkes entertained Duke and some of the boys at a party after the show. Early this morning the band left for Chicago where they were scheduled to open with a stage show at the Chicago Theater at 10. After a week, the band will head for New York City by way of Toledo, Cleveland and Buffalo.
        Chubby Kemp headed the other way, for an engagement at Detroit's "The Flame." Sarah Vaughan will sing with the band in Chicago.

      J.F.S. '

      The Enquirer and News, Battle Creek, Mich.
      • 1950-11-29 p.6
      • 1950-12-03 pp.5,6
      • 1950-12-08 p.12
      ...djpNew
      Added
      2018-10-20
      updated
      2018-10-21
      1950 12 08
      Friday
      1950 12 14
      Thursday
      Chicago, Ill.Chicago Theatre
      State near Randolph
      Vaudeville, with movie The Killer That Stalked New York
      Stage
      In Person!
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      and his ORCHESTRA

      E
      X
      T
      R
      A

      SARAH
      VAUGHAN


      Joe CHISHOLM
      HOWELL &
      BOWSER

      '...first co-appearance at the Chicago of the Duke and Sarah.
        Interrupting a concert tour for the date, the Duke will bring with him his orchestra and his popular entertainers, including Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, Al Hibbler, and Chubby Kemp. And he will feature the acts of Howell and Bowser, and dancer Joe Chisholm.
        Sarah has ascended to the top ranks of the nation's vocalists in two short years. In that time she's turned out dozens of records, played the leading theaters, and made a movie short, the first of several for which she is signed.'

      • Chicago Daily Tribune and Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
          1950-12-11 pt.5 p.8
        • 1950-12-12 pt.2 p.5
        • 1950-12-13 pt.5 p.7
        • 1950-12-03 pt.2 p.5
        • 1950-12-03 pt.7 p.3 s.3
        • 1950-12-10 pt.7 p.17
      • Stratemann p.324 citing
        Variety 1950-12-13 p.32
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2018-10-24
      1950 12 09
      Saturday
      .Chicago, Ill.Chicago TheatreStage show - see 1950 12 08....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 12 10
      Sunday
      .Chicago, Ill.Chicago TheatreStage show - see 1950 12 08....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 12 11
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Chicago TheatreStage show - see 1950 12 08....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 12 12
      Tuesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Chicago TheatreStage show - see 1950 12 08....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 12 13
      Wednesday
      .Chicago, Ill.Chicago TheatreStage show - see 1950 12 08....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 12 14
      Thursday
      .Chicago, Ill.Chicago TheatreStage show - see 1950 12 08....djpAdded
      2011
      1950 12 15
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 16
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 17
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 18
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 19
      Tuesday
      1950 12 19New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioColumbia recording session. This session is dated Dec. 18 in New Desor. The session times is unknown (sheets missing from ledger). Mr. Lasker:

      'The date "December 19, 1950" was found on the AFM report which I did find in the files, also Columbia's artist's card for Ellington, also the back cover of the original issue, Columbia Masterworks ML 4188.'


      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      N. Williams, Merenguito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, M. Ellington, Brown, Jackson, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Greer, Ballard, Lanauze
      Titles recorded:
      • The Tattooed Bride
      • Mood Indigo
      • Sophisticated Lady
      • Solitude
      Notes:
      • This session recorded record Ellington's first long playing record, The Columbia LP "Masterpieces by Ellington in uncut concert arrangements"
      • In Mood Indigo, Ellington uses two muted trombones with Carney on bass clarinet.
      • Lambert writes that this recording began Procope's emergence as a clarinet soloist, where he takes the solo formerly belonging to Bigard. He also notes this is the last recording session before Hodges, Brown and Greer left.
      • This is the first commercial recording of Tattooed Bride, and it presents three Ellington standards in extended arrangements as might be performed in concert.
      Webmaster comment:
      While the album is panned by Stratemann and Lambert, I like it.
    • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 & 2014-11-03 re session time
    • New Desor
      DE5017
      DEMS
      • Timner corrections 4/18
      • Eddie Lambert: A Listener's Guide, Duke Ellington, p.154
      djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2014-11-03
      2020-05-07
      1950 12 20
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 21
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 22
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 23
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 24
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 25
      Monday
      Christmas
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 26
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.Dumont Studio?Dumont television network broadcast on WABD
      "Cavalcade Of Bands"

      Duke Ellington and Orchestra
      N. Williams, Merenguito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, M. Ellington, Brown, Jackson, Glenn, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Greer, Ballard, Lanauze

      Guest acts were
      • Three Poms or Three Palms
      • Tables Davis
      • Harris and Radcliffe
      • Harold King

      Titles recorded:
      • Take The "A" Train (theme)
      • Ko-Ko
      • Unidentified title (Ellington may have announced it as Co-Percussional Intricacies)
      • On The Alamo
      • The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
      • Tea For Two and I Know That You Know
      • Coloratura
      • Perdido
      • Love You Madly
      • Great Times
      • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
      • Mood Indigo
      • Oh! Lady Be Good and Stompy Jones
      While New Desor and Stratemann show this was an NBC broadcast, the Brooklyn Eagle television listing shows the broadcast on WABD, Channel 5, the Dumont network flagship station. It isn't clear if the studio was located at the Dumont Building on Madison Ave. in 1950 or if the station had already moved to its next location.
      The Courier:

      'From all sides, Duke Ellington was this week still receiving commendations onthe appearance of his band on the TV show "Cavalcade of Bands" on WABD. A one-hour show, it featured the famous maestro and his group of renowned soloists in many of the numbers that have made them a household word in American jazz...'

      • Brooklyn Eagle, 1950-12-26 p.19
      • The Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1951-01-06 p.11
      • Stratemann, p. 324
      New Desor
      DE5018
      DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-15
      2017-01-23
      2020-05-07
      1950 12 27
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 28
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 29
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 30
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1950 12 31
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Clifford homeSidemen's activities not documented

      Lucile Cromer column:

      'Grace Clifford's surprise party on New Year's Even in honor of Jay's 60th birthday replete with eggnog and other delicacies was really one of the most glamorous of the holiday season. Jay was truly surprised at this gathering of old friends in their beautifully appointed apartment... Helping him to celebrate were Mr. and Mrs. Lester Granger, Duke Ellington, Fanny Berryman, Ruth and Dan James, Lloyd Thomas, Jean Clifford...'

      Lucille Cromer's Conversation Piece About Smart People, New York Age, New York, N.Y., 1951-01-06 p.10....djpNew
      added
      2017-01-23



      Back to Navigation List

      1951


      Date of event Ending date
      (if different)
      City/
      Other place
      Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
      Desor
      reference
      DEMS
      reference
      Other
      references
      Contact
      person
      Date added
      / updated

      1951 general items

      1951 00 00
      .New York, N.Y..Ellington was on the board of directors of the National Association of Performing Artists. Fred Waring was the president, the vice-presidents were Bing Crosby, Meyer Davis and Paul Whiteman, treasurer Don Voorhees and general counsel Alfred Rice. Other board members were Fred Allen, Connie Boswell, Noel Coward, Richard Crooks, Mary Gordon, Benny Goodman, Jascha Heifetz, Lewis Jones, Andre Koselanetz, Arthur W. Levy, Guy Lombardo, Ray Noble, Walter O'Keefe, Ima Fatima [??], Dick Powell, Fritz Reiner, Fabian Sevitsky, Nathaniel Shildret, Lawrence Tibbett, Rudy Vallee, Victor Young, and Efrem Zimbalist. The stated purpose of the association was to protect the interpretive artist from exploitation of his recordings and transcriptions.Radio Annual Television Year Book, 1951...djpNew
      added
      2017-10-08

      January 1951

      1951 01 01
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 02
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y..Broadcast.New Desor
      DE5101
      DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07
      1951 01 02
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 03
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 04
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 05
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 06
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 07
      Sunday
      .New Orleans, La.Coliseum Arena
      401 N. Roman

      'DUKE ELLINGTON TO
      PLAY HERE TONIGHT
        Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will play for a concert and dance at 9 p.m. Sunday at the Collsum [sic] Arena, 401 N. Roman. A special section will be preserved for white patrons.
        Ellington is the celebrated Negro pianist and composer of such outstanding modern songs as "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo," "Caravan," "Black and Tan Fantasy" and many others. '

      The Times-Picayune, New Orleans States,
      1951-01-07, p.6,s.2
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-01-25
      1951 01 08
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 09
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 10
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 11
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 12
      Friday
      .Pensacola, Fla.Washington High School

      'Duke Ellington Will Play Here
        A performance by Duke Ellington and his orchestra is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Washington high school.
        Duke is on his first southern tour in several years. The last time he was in Pensacola he played at Sanders Beach.'

      The Pensacola Journal, Pensacola, Fla.
      1951-01-11 p.7.
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-26
      1951 01 13
      Saturday
      .Tallahassee, Fla.Florida A & M College

      WM. J. GUNN MEDICAL AUXILIARY
      FLORIDA A & M COLLEGE
      Presents
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      AND HIS
      Famous Orchestra
      IN CONCERT
      Saturday Evening
      Jan. 13, 8 p.m.

      Admission –$1.75 (main floor)
      (Tax Incl.) ... $1.25 (balcony)
      Tickets Available at Jenkins Music Shop and Johnson's Barber Shop,
      Macomb St., Western Union Office, Lee Hall, A&M Campus

      The Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Fla.
      • 1951-01-08 p.2
      • 1951-01-09 p.5
      • 1951-01-10 p.7
      • 1951-01-11 p.5
      • 1951-01-12 p.11
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-26
      1951 01 14
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 15
      Monday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 16
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 17
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 18
      Thursday
      1951 01 24
      Wednesday
      Philadelphia, Penn.The Click RestaurantOne week club residency

      Jimmy Hamilton claimed to write the music for Pretty and the Wolf while here, and it was premiered at the upcoming Metropolitan Opera House NAACP concert.
      The Philadelphia Inquirer (elipses as printed):

      'Duke Ellington, who has been a No. 1 man in modern American music for many years, has brought his excellent band to Click and is staging three shows each night, featuring his outstanding instrumentalists (Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, etc.), vocalists Al Hibbler and Yvonne, and a dance trio called the Co-Ops...The trio's conception of "The Blues" is unusual and distinctive....And the same goes for all of the Duke's music...It is strikingly arranged and effectively presented...Highlight of the current stand is his new "Controversial Suite," in which the band members wage a running battle between Dixieland-jazz and the more progressive music... '

      • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
        1951-01-22 p.15
      • Stratemann p.324, citing Variety
        • 1951-01-24
        • 1951-01-51 p.54
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-20
      2018-10-26
      2020-05-07
      1951 01 19
      Friday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Click Restaurantsee 1951 01 18.....Added
      2011
      1951 01 20
      Saturday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Click Restaurantsee 1951 01 18.....Added
      2011
      1951 01 21
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.Metropolitan Opera HouseNAACP benefit concert, recorded and broadcast by Voice of America.
      • The Smithsonian's Archives Center Ruth Ellington collection includes 10 "Sound discs (lacquer)" that can be listened to on site.
      • NAACP's 1951-01-25 news release said this was the first appearance of a Negro orchestra at the Metropolitan.
      • Touted as the premières of Harlem, Controversial Suite and Monologue (aka Pretty and The Wolf).
      • This swank occasion, the first jazz concert at the Met since 1944, had a full house of 3,600 including the mayor, the head of the NAACP, boxer Joe Louis, show business personalities such as Ethel Waters, W.C. Handy, Lena Horne, and other celebrities.
      • In December, The New Tribune reported approximately 100 career and society women gathered to form a sponsoring committee co-chaired by Congresswoman Ruth Bryan Rohde and contralto Marian Anderson; Ruth Ellington James, Roy Wilkins and Walter White also spoke. The wife of New York's mayor, Vincent Impellitteri, was to be the official hostess at the benefit.
      • Advertised ticket prices, tax included, were $7.50,$7.00,$6.00,$4.50,$4.00,$3.50,$3.00,$2.25 and $1.50 and Lucille Cromer in The New York Age mentions box office seats were $200.00. The Courier announcement said the entire proceeds would be donated to the NAACP. NAACP's 1951-01-25 news release estimated gross receipts exceeded $14,000, but expensese would need to be deducted.
      • Cromer's column reports Duke's brother-in-law Danny James was the master of ceremonies.

      Recordings vis-à-vis the performance:

      Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
      • N. Williams, F.Williams, C. Anderson, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Benjamin, Greer, B. Clark, Lanauze, Hibbler
      • The discographies show only one vocalist and two trombones, but Hibbler sang and the printed programme shows him and a third trombone, Claude Jones. It isn't clear why New Desor reports Jones returned to the band briefly on Jan. 23.
      Titles recorded:

      • The Mooche*
      • Ring Dem Bells*
      • Frustration*
      • Coloratura*
      • Rose Of The Rio Grande*
      • Love You Madly*
      • Take The "A" Train*
      • Harlem*
      • Controversial Suite*
        -Later*
        -Before My Time*
      • Violet Blue*
      • Monologue*
      • Duet*
      • "Threesome" (medley of V.I.P Boogie & Jam With Sam)*
      • Medley
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Blue Skies
      • Titles marked * were listed in the programme in slightly different order.

      • The medley was:
        • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
        • In A Sentimental Mood
        • Mood Indigo
        • I'm Beginning To See The Light
        • Sophisticated Lady
        • Caravan
        • Solitude
        • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Any More

      • These titles were performed but not listed in the discographies:
        • Build That Railroad (Sing That Song)
        • Jeep is Jumpin'
        • Lover Come Back To Me
        • fs
        • Danny Boy
        • S'posin'
        • Trees
      • The programme shows Hibbler singing Build That Railroad (Sing That Song) (Lambert has him doing a selection of popular songs)
      • In DEMS 98,3-20, Klaus Götting noted Leonard Feather's Jazz Hot review reported Violet Blue, Jeep is Jumpin' and St. Louis Blues. Sjef Hoefsmit explained the discographies list only what was broadcast.
      • The late Luciano Massagli, co-author of New Desor, wrote in DEMS 98,4:

        'In June 1951 I listened to the Italian Radio (R.A.I.) to hear the programme recorded by the Voice of America. The 1st part was broadcast on 26 and the 2nd part on 29 June. I include a copy of the programmes published by the "Radiocorriere" of the week 24-30 June 1951.
             As you can see there are 2 pieces (Violet Blue and Jeep Is Jumpin') never issued on records by V.o.A. although they were recorded and broadcast by the R.A.I. The parts of the concert omitted from the broadcasts were Build That Railroad, Lover Come Back To Me, Danny Boy, S'posin' and Trees, all done by Albert Hibbler and located between Threesome and Medley. Between Medley and Blue Skies was St. Louis Blues, done by Ray Nance.
          The selections, not included on the V.O.A. records 11/12, 13/14 and 15 ... are most probably lost and, in my opinion, a discography may include only the pieces that certainly exist so Giovanni and I prefer to include in our work only the pieces issued on the V.o.A. records. '

      Steven Lasker:
           ...there are two versions of the souvenir program that discusses Harlem. They differ in only one respect, the bottom line(s) on the cover. One version has "Metropolitan Opera House Concert Program Sunday January 21, 1951." The other has "Concert Program." Additionally, there is a four-page, one sheet (folded) handout that was given to each attendee of the Metroplitan Opera House concert. The first three pages contain Feather's notes on the programs, while the last page has four drawings showing exits from the hall. Claude Jones is listed among the personnel in all three sources.

      Harlem
      (a.k.a. A Tone Parallel to Harlem or The Harlem Suite)
      How did it come to be?

      • Stanley Slome:

        ...Harlem is one of what Duke Ellington called his 'larger forms.' ...
             Historically in Duke's output, Harlem holds a strange position. It was his first major extended work originally intended for performance by a symphony orchestra, but somehow it didn't make it to the concert hall - at first...

      • Jewell:

        ... [Harlem] proved that he could compose very effectively for a large-scale orchestra, although he once proclaimed to a questioner who wanted him to do more such writing: "Strings? Positively no! What could I do with strings that hasn't been done wonderfully for hundreds of years?

      • Slome (continuing):

        Around that revolves the mystery which begins with Music is My Mistress (1973) where Duke says that, returning from Europe on the Île de France [recte S.S. de Grasse] in summer 1950, he wrote Harlem. He said it had been commissioned by the NBC Symphony Orchestra during the time when Maestro Arturo Toscanini was its conductor'.
             ...Toscanini was arguably the greatest conductor of his time, and not particularly noted as a conductor of American music. So when did Toscanini conduct Harlem and how was it received? Duke is silent. As it turned out, Toscanini never did conduct the work...'
        (emphasis added)

      • As Mr. Slome noted, on page 188 of MIMM Ellington said he wrote Harlem on his return to New York from Europe in 1950. This seems to indicate the composition was commissioned during or before the European tour, but does not actually say Ellington worked on it while at sea or after he arrived in New York.
      • The minor third descending opening phrase in Harlem's introduction can be traced back to film music Ellington heard at the Howard Theatre in December 1932 (see a href=https://tdwaw.ellingtonweb.ca/TDWAW1.html>TDWAW1at 1932 12 03) and was also used in the introduction of the 1937 recording of Diga Diga Doo by Cootie Williams and his Rug Cutters.
      • Ellington was recorded playing part of Harlem on piano at a private party in March 1949 (see 1949 03 00 above). Musicologist Luca Bragalini played this recording at the 2015 Ellington mini-conference at Reed College, Portland, Ore., with a slide show showing where it corresponded to the full score. Professor Bragalini described the 1949 recording as 3 minutes from bar 9 of section A all the way to section B1. This suggests Duke developed the rest of the composition later, consistent with his statement in MIMM that he wrote it on his return from Europe in 1950.
      • Various sources indicate Toscanini commissioned Ellington to write Harlem, others suggest the NBC Symphony itself did, and other sources blend the two. It may instead have been commissioned by an NBC executive, Ted Cott or by Toscanini's NBC manager, Samuel B. Chotzinoff.
      • Toscanini may not have been a stranger to Ellington's music. In her syndicated Voice of Broadway column, Dorothy Kilgallen mentioned the maestro visited the Cotton Club "before the turn of this decade:"

        ...Even Toscanini sat there one night on one of his rare cafe visits. He had come to hear Duke Ellington...

      • The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington

        • P.56, Brian Priestley:

          ...it was an already existing commission from the NBC Symphony that enabled Duke to work on the extended composition Harlem during his return passage to New York.

          Email Priestley-Palmquist 2021-12-18:I had no other source than MIMM, and my assumption that Duke would not have begun working on such a project until it had been commissioned.
        • P.137, Anthony Brown:

          A Tone Parallel to Harlem... was commissioned by conductor Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony and was premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House by the two orchestras.

          The combined orchestras (Ellington's and members of the NBC Symphony) did not perform the composition together until the June 20 Lewisohn Stadium concert. Only the Ellington band version was performed at the Metropolitan Opera House concert.
        • P.253, David Berger:

          Harlem ... was commissioned by Maestro Arturo Toscanini for the NBC Symphony and composed for Ellington's band in January 1951 [sic] while he travelled by ship back to New York.

          Email Berger-Palmquist 2021-12-10:The orchestra may have commissioned it in AT's name.
      • Stanley Slome quotes Maurice Peress:

        I am sure that this idea of a New York Suite by different composers was an idea of Samuel B. Chotzinoff, manager of the NBC.

        In 1949, Charleston Gazette called Chotzinoff the music director at NBC who is jokingly referred to a 'vice president in charge of Toscanini'" and an Associated Press wirestory identified him as general music director of NBC, in charge of Red Seal Records for RCA Victor and Toscanini's intimate friend since 1925.
      • Lasker:
        The NBC Symphony organization consisted of many musicians supported by a well-funded staff. The contention that Harlem was personally commissioned by Toscanini himself is supported by only one statement that Stanley Slome was able to find, an entry in the White House logbook for 1950-09-29, and several press reports that David has found, none of which quote Ellington, Toscanini, or spokesmen for the NBC Symphony organization. I'm not confident that any of these sources are dispositive on the question of Toscanini's personal involvement, if any.
             *********
             NBC Symphony files may be found on microfilm at the Library of Congress, where Ken and Crystal found the NBC radio log reports.
      • Ted Cott of WNEW may have commissioned Ellington to write the piece. Cott became WNEW's vice-president in charge of programs when WNEW changed hands in 1949 (Radio Daily, 1949-11-18 p.4) and seems to have supported playing significant music to NBC's audiences. Broadcasting-Telecasting, The Newsweekly of Radio and Television 1950-02-06 p.118 said stations should contact him, then WNEW vice-president and NAB Unaffiliated Stations Committee chairman if they wished to use a series of recordings by leading European orchestras for free. An August 1950 AP Newsfeature wire story by Cynthia Lowry about Cott, after he became general manager of NBC's WNBC and WNBT said:

        '...When NBC hired him recently, it plunked him on a hot seat...In his first couple of months, his touch has already been felt. Heads are spinning and NBC personnel are guessing what he'll think of next...He has also hired five famous composers to write music about New York City. Sigmund Romberg drew Broadway and Duke Ellington, Harlem. The NBC Symphony, under Toscanini, will record the music. '

        (emphasis added)
      • Is it possible Toscanini personally commissioned the work? Ellington left New York for Europe March 29 1950 and was in Milan from May 5 to 9 and elsewhere in Italy until May 25. Toscanini was 83 when he left New York for Milan June 5 on M.S.Vulcania. Ellington returned to New York June 30, but Toscanini didn't get back until October 10.
      • While Toscanini was reportedly unhappy with NBC at the time, the reasons the NBC Symphony didn't record Harlem and why the maestro didn't conduct the Lewisohn concert may be simpler. An April 4, 1951 CTS wirestory reported he flew from New York to Italy "last Thursday." His wife died in Milan June 23 while he was with her, and he didn't return until September 17 (TWA flight 93716). (According to Wikipedia, Toscanini conducted the NBC Symphony until 1954, and it disbanded when he retired that year. He died in early 1957.)
      Stratemann explains two scores were prepared, one for the Ellington orchestra to perform and one for performance by the NBC symphony. The composition was to be part of a larger suite of works, Portrait of New York in which several composers wrote movements about different New York neighbourhoods. Toscanini, at odds with the symphony organization, failed to conduct the early concerts of the season, so the performance of the suite was postponed, with Ellington refusing to let anyone else conduct it. When NBC insisted on a performance under any circumstances, Ellington presented it with 65 strings as well as his own orchestra in June 1951 at Lewisohn Stadium. Bottom line: Harlem was not performed by the combined orchestras at this Metropolitan Opera House concert.
    • Comprehensive discussions of Harlem can be found in Stanley Slome's Blue Light articles, available online, and in Lambert's Listener's Guide.
    • The programme says:
      • Frustration was recorded by Carney with a small group that included five strings, then re-orchestrated by Ellington for the band.
      • Take the A Train at present is used as a feature number for Gonsalves!
      • Monolog and Threesome were both written by Ellington and Strayhorn.
      • As noted above, the programme includes trombonist Claude Jones Further research is warranted.
    • The New York Times review:

      '...Mayor Impellitteri introduced the event.
        ...The curtains parted the [sic] reveal the band seated behind its pink plastic musiv-racks [sic] and before a tapestry backdrop. Besides the usual ensemble there was an extra string bass and an extra set of drums. The amplification system was properly subdued, and changing lights reflected the mood of the music... '

    • New York Age:

      '...Days before the concert was due, all tickets were sold out in all sections of the Metropolitan Opera House, and on Sunday a mad scramble developed at the Box Office for standing room... The great success is due... but also to the outstanding work of the Manhattan Committee for the N.A.A.C.P. under the chairmanship of Mrs. Ruth Ellington James ... At the intermission a number of credits were accorded to those making the presentation possible, most particularly Mrs. Ruth Rhode, to whom a bouquet was presented by Miss Mildred Dixon and Mrs. Vicky Bourne-Vanneck on behalf of the committee and sponsors...'

    • In what appears to be a nationally syndicated column, Irving Kolodin's review was more an evaluation of Ellington than a review of the concert.
      • SI-NMAH AC 0415
        Guide to the Ruth Ellington Collection of Duke Ellington Materials
      • The Voice of Broadway
        Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, Penn.
        1950-11-04 p.4
      • The New Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
        1950-12-23 p.5
      • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        1951-01-04 p.4
      • The Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1951-01-06 p.11
        • 1951-02-03 p.7
      • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
        • 1951-01-13 p.6
        • 1951-01-20 p.7
        • 1951-01-27 pp. 3,5, 10
        • 1951-02-03 p.3
      • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
        • 1951-01-17, p.54
        • 1951-01-18, p.41
      • New York Times, New York, N.Y. 1951-01-22,p.13 (SI-NMAH DEC301 Sec. 2, Box 11, Folder 7)
      • Brief mention by James L. Hicks, "Big Town," Baltimore Afro-American, 1951-01-16, p.4
      • Concert programme, NAACP Benefit, Metropolitan Opera House, New York, N.Y., January 21, 1951, SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2, box 11, folder 7
      • Leonard Feather Scrapbook, July 1949 - May 1951:
        • p.161, Announcement, Down Beat 1951-01-26 p.1
        • p.158, Review (English), The Melody Maker and Rhythm 1951-02-17 p.3
        • p.171, Review (French),Jazz-Hot Magazine
        • p.163, Review (Swedish),Estrad 1951-03 p.7
      • Irving Kolodin, The Musical Digest, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 1951-02 02 Pt.II p.5
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      • Timner V
      • Ole J. Nielsen
        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
      • Anthony Brown, "Duke in the 1950s: renaissance man," Cambridge Companion, p.137
      • David Berger, "The land of suites: Ellington and extended form," Cambridge Companion, p.253
      • Stanley Slome, HARLEM: DUKE AND THE CLASSICAL CONNECTION, Blue Light, DESUK, March and June 1997
      • E. Lambert:
        Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
        , pp. 161, 165-168.
      • Stratemann, p.324
      • Vail II with several clippings, including the Down Beat review by Michael Levin.
      • Jazz Lines Publications Presents A Tone Parallel to Harlem - extracted pages of score and parts, Ellington and Strayhorn biographical notes, background to A Tone Parallel to Harlem, notes for conductor 1952 copyright notice, Truman's schedule, NAACP press release.
      • Sources saying Toscanini commissioned the work:
        • 1950 09 29 notation in the White House log book

          '12.30pm. Mr Duke Ellington (Mr Ellington personally gave to the President the original manuscript of his contribution towards the new musical suite commissioned by Toscanini, Portrait Of New York Suite...'

        • Photo caption,
          The Stars and Stripes, European Edition,
          Darmstadt, Germany 1950-10-04 p.6
        • The Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
          1951-02-03
        • Valley Times, North Hollywood, Cal.
          1951-06-19 p.5
        • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
          1951-06-21 p.6
        • Harvey S. Cohen,
          Duke Ellington's America, ibid. p.292:

          'Ruth Ellington was especially proud of the piece because even though Toscanini commissioned it...'

        • David Berger, "The land of suites: Ellington and extended form, The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington p.253.
      • Sources saying the NBC Symphony Orchestra commissioned the composition:
        • The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
          1951-06-21
        • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.
          1956-02-03
        • Moline Daily Dispatch, Moline, Ill.
          1956-03-02
        • Daily Collegian, Stillwater, Okla.
          1956-03-08
        • Palatine Enterprise, Palatine, Ill.
          1956-03-15 p.2
        • Brian Priestley, "Ellington abroad," The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington p.60
      • Sources saying they both commissioned it:
        • Anthony Brown, "Duke in the 1950s: renaissance man, The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington p.137
      New Desor
      DE5102
      NDCS1062
      DEMS .Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-01
      2015-02-16
      2015-05-25
      2016-01-24
      2017-01-22
      2017-01-23
      2017-10-08
      2018-10-29
      2018-11-06
      2020-05-07
      2021-03-17
      2025-01-02
      1951 01 21
      Sunday
      .New York, N.Y.James residence
      Riverside Drive
      New York Age:

      'Following the concert a reception was held for the artists and distinguished patrons at Mr. and Mrs. James residence...Reading like a Who's Who of New York social life...guests included Mr. & Mrs. Walter White (executive sec. of the NAACP), Mr. & Mrs. Ralph Bunche, Prof. Harold Taylor (Dean of Sarah Lawrence College), Miss Lena Horne, Mr. & Mrs. Esmond Van Raalte, Mr. & Mrs. Ted Poston, Mr. & Mrs. Henry Lee Moon, Mrs. Josuah [sic] DeCourcy Cooper, Mr. & Mrs. Edmund O'Connor and a host of other socialites.'

      The review carries on by saying there was a supper buffet and champagne toasts, then it mentions other celebrities, although it isn't clear if they were present or being honored in absentia.
      New York Age, New York, N.Y. 1951-01-27 pp. 5, 10...djpNew
      added
      2017-01-23
      1951 01 22
      Monday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Click Restaurantsee 1951 01 18.....Added
      2011
      1951 01 23
      Tuesday
      ...Personnel change
      Trombonist Claude B. Jones rejoins the band for a short stay
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      1951 01 23
      Tuesday
      .New York, N.Y.."Frank Brookhouser Show"
      Ellington performed on local television station WFIL-TV. The show featured visiting and local musicians. In this episode, the history of jazz piano was demonstrated by "Ragtime Smitty" (earlier styles) and Ellington (modern style).

      While New Desor dates this telecast as Jan. 23, Stratemann says that is consistent with a collector's tape, but also that The Billboard reported reviewing it on Feb 6, suggesting it may have been recorded then instead.
      .New Desor
      DE5103
      ..djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-20
      1951 01 23
      Tuesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Click Restaurantsee 1951 01 18.....Added
      2011
      1951 01 24
      Wednesday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.The Click Restaurantsee 1951 01 18.....Added
      2011
      1951 01 25
      Thursday
      .Philadelphia, Penn.Academy of MusicConcert

      The Afro-American carried a photo of Duke receiving a Pyramid Club certificate after the concert, so presumably it was sponsored by that club. Included in the picture were Dr. Voight Jones, head of the club, and Dr. Wilbur Strickland, club member and "life-time friend of the Duke."
      • The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md., 1951-02-10 p.7
      • Stratemann p.324 citing Variety 1951-01-31 p.54
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-24
      1951 01 26
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 27
      Saturday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 28
      Sunday
      .Richmond, Va..Cancelled concert
      The Feb. 1 1951 edition of the Barrier Miner, Broken Hill, Australia, carried a story "Boycott Hurts Negro Band" datelined New York, January 31.

      "Negro band leader, Duke Ellington, cancelled a concert at Richmond (Virginia) because of a segregation boycott asked by the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Promoter Leon Fields said Ellington called off the show because the boycott "hurt his feelings" as well at hurting all members of his orchestra."


      Stratemann, p.324, says the concert was scheduled for January 28.
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-12-22, updated 2013-04-10
      1951 01 28
      Sunday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 29
      Monday
      .Miami, Fla.Dinnerkey Municipal AuditoriumConcert (not confirmed)

      'Negro Community News
      By BETTY DeLOACH WILLIAMS
      AFFAIR PLANNED
        The King of Clubs is planning one of the biggest affairs of the season in Miami, Jan. 29 at the Dinnerkey municipal auditorium. A fashion show will be one of the main attractions...After the contest, a concert will be presented by Duke Ellington. Dr. J. L. Bass and George W. Benton, local businessmen, are members of the club. Judge Thomas is the chairman.'

      Ft. Lauderdale Daily News, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
      1951-01-05 p.11-A
      ...djpNew
      added
      2018-10-25
      1951 01 30
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 01 31
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......

      February 1951

      1951 02 00...Personnel changes
      • Yvonne Lanauze leaves the band
      • Charlie Smith, drums, joins the band in early February
      • Trombonist Claude B. Jones leaves the band in the middle of February
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-23
      1951 02 01
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 02 02
      Friday
      .Akron, OhioArmoryConcert 10 p.m. and dance 11 p.m.
      Advance tickets: $1.50, tax included

      'Duke Ellington will bring his band here for a concert and dance next Friday night at the Armory. The concert will begin at 10 and dancing at 11.
        The orchestra features Johnny Hodges on the alto sax, Ray Nance on the violin and trumpet. Vocals are by Nance, Al Hibbler and Kay Davis...'

      The Beacon Journal makes no further mention of this event between Jan. 27 and Feb. 4, so further research is warranted to confirm it went ahead.

      Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio,
      • 1951-01-27 p.7
      • 1951-02-28 p.10-C
      ...djp/TD>New
      added
      2017-01-23
      updated
      2018-10-26
      1951 02 03
      Saturday
      .Detroit, Mich.Music HallMidnight concert:

      'IN CONCERT
      DUKE ELLINGTON
      and his Orchestra
      AL HIBBLER – YVONNE – JOHNNY HODGES
      RAY NANCE – HARRY CARNEY – LAWRENCE BROWN
      Music Hall SATURDAY, FEB. 3rd Midnight
      TICKETS ON SALE AT GRINNELL's '

      Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
      • 1951-01-24 p.19
      • 1951-01-29 p.14
      • 1951-02-01 p.24
      • 1951-02-03 p.10
      ...djpNew
      added
      2017-01-23
      updated
      2018-10-26
      1951 02 04
      Sunday
      3 pm & 8:30 pm
      .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera HouseTwo concerts

      The Oak Parker:

      'Duke Ellington and His Orchestra in Concert at Opera House Sunday, February 4
        DUKE ELLINGTON,... and his world famous orchestra will appear at the Opera House in concert for two performances only on Sunday afternoon at 3:00 P.M. and evening at 8:30 P.M.
        ELLINGTON has played in ballrooms, tobacco warehouses, armories and all sorts of odd auditoriums all over the world where his product has been greeted with cries of "solid!" and "out of this world!" And, he has played concerts in Paris, at Carnegie Hall...
        ... Listen to DUKE ELLINGTON in a real full length concert where you can hear the full impact and versatility of his genius and where he does everything from his oldest compositions to the latest. All of his famous instrumentalists, many of them annual winners of national polls, will present their individual styles. Featured soloists and instrumentalists with ELLINGTON are Johnny Hodges, alto-sax; Ray Nance, violin, trumpet and vocal; Harry Carney, baritone sax; Lawrence Brown, trombone; Junior Raglan, bass; Al Hibbler and Kay Davis, vocal. Good seats on sale now at Box Office and by mail order. Prices: $3.71, 3.10, 2.50, 1.85, 1.25 (all tax included).'

      S. Raven, Chicago Daily Tribune:

      ' On one of those rare days when contemporary music fairly spilled over, the Art institute's Fullerton hall held a session of the International Society for Contemporary Music last night while the Civic Opera House offered matinee and evening concerts by Duke Ellington and his band. Let there be no nonsense about "Jazz vs. Serious Music," for the jazz band had its serious situations and the professorial conclave sang some blues and poked out some syncopations of its own. Each, moreover, could easily prove that the other has no monopoly on dull moments. In one respect Ellington's crew was the loser, insofar as larger considerations of musical form are still not well assimilated by the best of the jazz men. Evidence of this was "Harlem," which abounded in clever thematic ideas and instrumental colorings, but has all the structural integrity of a rope of sand. As the Duke's "large" package, it was of less consequence than the smaller bits, such as "The Mooche," "Ring Dem Bells" and "Rose of the Rio Grande." '

      Down Beat (after the fact)

      'Down Beat will sponsor Duke Ellington's first Chicago concert of the 1951 season at the Civic Opera House here on Sunday, Feb. 4. It will have no financial interest in the concert, however, as the booking is directly with Herb Carlin of the Civic Opera.
           Ellington will present the same program which had its premiere last Sunday, Jan. 21, at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York...
           Additional details about the Duke's 1951 concert plans were set forth in the Jan. 26 issue of the Beat.
           The concert troupe will continue west after the Chicago date, to be presented by Gene Norman on Feb. 9 at the Shrine auditorium in Los Angeles...'

      • Chicago Sunday Tribune
        • 1951-01-21 pt.7 p.10
        • 1951-01-28 pt.7 p.2 s.2
        • 1951-02-04 pt.7 p.2 s.2
      • The Oak Parker, Oak Park, Ill., 1951-01-26 p.4
      • Chicago Daily Tribune
        • 1951-02-05 pt.2 p.6
      • Stratemann, p.324, citing
        • Chicago Defender 1951-01-20 p.8
        • Down Beat 1951-02-09 (p.1)
      • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2021-10-31
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-10
      2017-01-23
      2021-11-01
      1951 02 05
      Monday
      .Chicago, Ill.Parkway Ballroom"A Night At The Mardi Gras"
      Charity event emceed by disc jockey Daddio Dailey
      Others invited to perform: Louis Jordan Tympani Five, The Ink Spots, dancer Teddy Hale, with dance music by the Walter Dyett orchestra.
      Stratemann, p.324, citing Chicago Defender 1951-02-03 p.32....Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-10
      1951 02 06
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented
      Probably en route to Los Angeles if using ground transportation
      .....2017-01-29
      1951 02 07
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented
      Probably en route to Los Angeles if using ground transportation.
      .....2017-01-29
      1951 02 08
      Thursday
      ...Sidemen's activities not documented
      Probable arrival in Los Angeles

      Ellington appeared on disc jockey Peter Potter's television show at 11:05 p.m. on station KTSL, Channel 2.
      Television listing, The Independent, Long Beach, Cal. 1951-02-08 p.32-A...djpNew
      added
      2017-01-29
      1951 02 09
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine AuditoriumRecorded concert
      DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
      Personnel according to New Desor session 9059:
      Nelson Williams, Meringuito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Brown, Jackson, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Benjamin, Smith; Barbara Winfield

      Note The Plaindealer says singers Yvonne Lanauze and Al Hibbler performed.
      Titles recorded:
      • Star Spangled Banner
      • The Mooche
      • Ring Dem Bells
      • Frustration
      • Coloratura
      • Rose Of The Rio Grande
      • Love You Madly
      • Take The "A" Train
      • HARLEM
      • CONTROVERSIAL SUITE
        • Later
        • Before My Time
      • Violet Blue
      • Jeep Is Jumpin'
      • Monologue

      The Plaindealer:

      'Members of the movie colony are still raving about the great concert given at the mammoth Shrine auditorium by Duke Ellington, Duke's lovely new feminine vocalist, Yvonne, and Ray Nance, Johnny Hodges, and Harry Carney, and Al Hibbler shook the house for the most applause.'

      • Citizen-News, Hollywood, Cal.
        1951-02-02 p.9
      • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kansas,
        1951-03-02 p.5
      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
        Ellingtonia.com
      New Desor
      DE9059
      DEMSNDCS 1080djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-10-08
      2020-05-07
      2021-08-18
      Circa
      1951 02 10
      Thursday
      Circa
      1951 02 27
      Tuesday
      ..Personnel change
      • Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown and Sonny Greer left Ellington's orchestra between February 9 and February 28, 1951. Further research is needed to fix the exact date they left; the most reliable source might be payroll records if they still exist and can be located.
      • New Desor has Johnny Hodges leaving Ellington January 22 to form his own band, taking Lawrence Brown and Sonny Greer with him. New Desor's date is the day after the last pre-departure recording listed by the discographer-authors at the time the discography was published, the January 21 NAACP benefit.
      • Hodges, Brown and Greer were, however, in the February 9 Shrine Auditorium recorded concert and Britt Woodman, who joined in time for the February 12 concert, said Brown didn't leave for a few days after he joined.
      • Variety's review of the February 15 Thunderbird opening mentions Lawrence Brown on drums [sic] but does not mention Hodges or Greer.
      • Variety's "Chatter" page said

        'Johnny Hodges with Duke Ellington for 22 years will leave after current Ellington stand at Thunderbird to form own combo.'

      • Stratemann has Hodges and his new band recording for Norman Granz's labels February 28 and and March 3. The ANP wire service said they would record for Granz February 26.
      • "Johnny Hodges and His All-Stars" opened at the Blue Note in Chicago on March 9 and Stratemann reports they played in Newark, N.J. the preceding weekend.
      • The split appears to have been amicable: the Hodges group had already recorded with Mercer Records (per Courier 1951-02-10)and Billy Rowe's Notebook, April 21, 1951, said

        'Billy Strayhorn ... has completed his chores with Johnny Hodges' new crew and is back to penways for Duke Ellington.'

      • The March 17 Courier reported Hodges would continue to record under the Mercer Record label and an ad in the Detroit Free Press for Johnny Hodges and His Award Winning All-Stars said "Direct from Duke Ellington's Band" in bold letter twice as large as "Johnny Hodges" and "All-Stars." (This March 23 ad named the sidemen as Al Sears, Sonny Greer, Leroy Lovett, Lawrenc Brown, Emmet Berry and Joe Benjamin.)
      • Hodges returned to Ellington in 1955, and Brown came back in 1960, both staying until 1970, when Hodges died and Brown retired.

      In a lengthy article reprinted in the Courier, Dave Dexter Jr. wrote

      'Most Ellington fans regard Duke's 1940 group as the finest edition of all Ellington ensembles... '

      He named that band as consisting of
      1940 band
      • Bigard
      • Blanton
      • Brown
      • Carney
      • Ellington
      • Greer
      • Guy
      • Hardwick
      • Hodges
      • Jones
      • Nanton
      • Stewart
      • Tizol
      • Webster
      • C. Williams
      (Ray Nance replaced Cootie in November 1940 and the 1940 band also included singers Ivie Anderson and Herb Jeffries.)

      Dexter wrote that Harry Carney was the only member of the 1940 band still remaining in the orchestra. This was almost true; Carney, Nance and Tizol can be consisered holdovers (although Tizol did quit in 1944 and returned in 1951).

      Ellington's personnel recorded in concert May 2 1951 were:
      1951 band
      • (Cat) Anderson
      • Baker
      • Carney
      • Ellington
      • Bellson
      • Carpenter
      • Gonsalves
      • Hamilton
      • Jackson
      • Long
      • Marshall
      • Meringuito
      • Nance
      • Procope
      • Smith
      • Tizol
      • (N.) Williams
      • Woodman
      • New Desor vol.2
      • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
        • 1951-02-10 p.17
        • 1951-03-17 p.17
        • 1951-04-14, p.17
        • Billy Rowe's Notebook, 1951-04-21 p.17
      • ANP wirestory, Indianapolis Recorder, Indiana, Ind., 1951-02-24 p.12
      • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
        • 1951-03-08 HR Pt.2 p.3/H Pt. 4 p.5
        • 1951-03-09 H Pt.3 p.10
        • 1951-03-10 F Pt.2 p.4
        • "Chatter," Variety, 1951-02-21 p.62
      • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich., 1951-03-23 p.27
      ...djpNew
      added 2012-10-11, updated 2013-04-08
      2018-11-06
      1951 02 10
      Saturday
      .Oakland, Cal.Auditorium......Added
      2011
      1951 02 11
      Sunday
      .Sacramento, Cal........Added
      2011
      1951 02 12
      Monday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Opera HousePersonnel changes
      • Trombonist Britt Woodman, born 1920, joined the band in time for the February 12 concert which was cancelled.
      • Lawrence Brown didn't leave for a few days.
      • D. Miller in DEMS:

        'Britt told me there was actually a period of several days after he joined before Brown left. He remembers this well because he was looking forward to playing with Lawrence Brown and was disappointed that he was able to do so for only a few days. He said he joined the band in San Francisco in 1951, but the promoters did not come up with the advance money so the concert was cancelled and they went to the Thunderbird in Las Vegas.'

      ..djpNew
      added
      2012-10-23
      updated
      2017-10-08
      2018-11-06
      2020-05-07
      1951 02 12
      Monday
      .San Francisco, Cal.Opera HouseThe AFM interceded because the promoter had not paid the required advance money. 40 minutes after the concert was to start, Ellington told the 1,500 member audience it was cancelled.

      The Oakland Tribune quoted Al Celley as saying a bank had attached $1500 in box office receipts to cover money owed it by Joe Reed, promoter of three Northern California Ellington concerts.
      • Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Cal. 1951-02-13 p.2
      • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal. 1951-02-13 p.25
      • Stratemann, p.325 citing
        • Down Beat 1951-03-23
        • Variety 1951-02-21 p.45
      .DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-10
      2017-10-08
      2020-05-07
      1951 02 13
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 02 14
      Wednesday
      Valentine's Day
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 02 15
      Thursday
      1951 03 01
      Thursday
      Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird Hotel80 minute floor show
      First all-black show to play Las Vegas.
      No cover charge and no minimum.
      • 18 piece Ellington orchestra
      • Timmie Rogers
      • The Three Co-Ops
      • Sammy Montgomery
      • Kathryn Duffy Dansations with Barney Rawlings
      Variety reviewed the show in some detail:
      • First all-sepia unit to perform in Las Vegas niteries "scores top returns with the Thunderbird racking in heavy grosses".
      • Two things stood out:- "the novelty of watching one of the topmost bandleader-composers deftly guide his coterie of virtuosi through solid scorings" and the "sock showmanship of the entire package."
      • Ellington opened with Duet (Hamilton's clarinet with Marshall's bass)
      • The chorus line (KDD) came on next, with "sexy Sherry Scott's bumps and grinds to Ellington's Black and Tan Fantasy."
      Dance music was performed by the reduced 7 piece house orchestra, led by Al Jahns.
      • Variety
        • 1951-02-07 p.46
        • 1951-02-14 p.47
        • 1951-02-28 p.54
      • Stratemann, p.325, citing Variety 1951-02-21 p.54
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-24
      2020-05-07
      1951 02 16
      Friday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 17
      Saturday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 18
      Sunday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 19
      Monday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 20
      Tuesday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 21
      Wednesday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 22
      Thursday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 23
      Friday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      Circa
      1951 02 24
      Saturday
      ...Business event
      Variety announced that Irving Mills, vice president of Mills Music, was wrapping up a deal to again become Ellington's personal manager. Factors to be dealt with included the renewal of copyrights for Ellington tunes which were soon to expire, and the possibility of Mills acquiring rights to Ellington's recent compositions published by Ellington's Tempo Music.

      The Billboard:

      'Hollywood, Feb. 24– Duke Ellington has set a personal management deal with Irving Mills, Mills Music topper, thus returning to the man who built the Ellington band. Ellington split with Mills in 1939. Mills leaves Monday (26) for New York to work out details with the orkster's attorneys. Ellington this week broke with Cress Courtney, who previously was the batoner's p.m.
        Prior to the Ellington-Mills break-up 12 years ago, Mills handled everything for Ellington, including the pubbings of the Duke's numerous cleffings.
        There has been no actual signing between the music pubber and orkster and no monetary terms were revealed. Associated Booking Corporation has booked Ellington and his 21-piece concert ensemble into the Oasis here for two weeks at $5,000 plus a hefty percentage. Ellington is not being exclusively booked. This is Mill's first p.m. property since his voluntary retirement 12 years ago, at which time he liquidated his entire stable.'

      • California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
        1949-01-27, p.16
      • Variety
        1951-02-28, p.43
      • The Jewish News, Detroit, Mich.
        1951-04-20 p.21
      • The Billboard
        1951-03-03 p.3
      ...djpNew
      added 2013-04-24
      updated
      2022-06-05
      1951 02 24
      Saturday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 25
      Sunday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 26
      Monday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 27
      Tuesday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 02 28
      Wednesday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011

      March 1951

      1951 03 07... Peripheral event
      Variety announced

      "On the heels of Duke Ellington's switch in personal managers from Cress Courtney back to Irving Mills, the Ellington band has been hit with the exit of several of its top sidemen, who have formed a new combo under Johnny Hodges. Going with Hodges are Lawrence Brown, Al Sears and Sonny Greer, all of whom have been with Ellington for over 10 years. Hodges was with Ellington 23 years.

      Hodges opens with his new band at the Blue Note, Chicago, March 9. He will continue to record under the Mercer Record label, which is operated by Duke Ellington's son Mercer. Initial releases will comprise 16 sides cut by Hodges on his European tour last year."
      Variety, 1951-03-07, p.43....djpNew
      added 2013-04-24
      1951 03 01
      Thursday
      .Las Vegas, Nev.Thunderbird HotelFloor show - see 1951 02 15.....Added
      2011
      1951 03 02...Personnel change
      Tommy Douglas, alto sax, joins the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-11
      1951 03 02
      Friday
      1951 03 16
      Friday

      1951 03 15
      Thursday
      Hollywood
      Los Angeles,
      Cal.
      Club Oasis
      3801 S. Western Ave.
      Contract for 7 nights a week for a guaranteed $5,000/week, the highest guarantee the club had ever given, and a 50-50 share of anything over $7,500.

      Seating only between 350 and 400, the club hiked its cover charge to $1.50 for this show

      The Billboard says this was the first time Ellington had taken his entire 21 piece "concert company" into a club; it included the band with its singer Barbara Winfield and a dance trio, Peter Green, Julian Swain and Ann Henry.
      • Bassist Red Callender may have subbed for Wendell Marshall during this gig.
      • Stratemann and Vail have the engagement ending March 16, but Ellington was booked at San Diego that evening. If the Oasis was a two-week engagement, ending Thursday is consistent with opening Friday.

      Stratemann placed the club in Hollywood, while Vail says Los Angeles. Patricia Willard clarifies this:

      '...the Oasis, at 3801 S. Western Avenue in Los Angeles was (a good?) five miles from what was and is considered Hollywood. The Oasis was located in a predominantly black community, just beginning to cautiously integrate. At that time, it was often referred to as "the westside," now it is identified as "South Central Los Angeles.'

      Stratemann took his information from The Billboard, whose articles about the club this month were datelined Hollywood and did not give its address.

      The city can be confirmed by searching 1950 and 1951 archives of the Los Angeles Times and the Pittsburgh Courier where some advertisements for other performers say Los Angeles.
      • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kans., 1951-03-16 p.5
      • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal., 1951-02-28 pt.1 p.20
      • Stratemann, p.325 citing The Billboard 1951-03-03 p.37
      • The Billboard 1951-03-03 pp.7, 36-37
      • Vail II with unidentified clipping
      • Email, Patricia Willard - Palmquist 2017-01-30
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-10
      2017-01-29
      2017-01-30
      2017-01-31
      1951 03 03.New York, N.Y..Some record liner notes say Monologue from the "Patti Page Show" was recorded in 1951. The show was taped 1959 03 06.....djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2016-06-23
      1951 03 03
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 03
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 04
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 05
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 06
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 07
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 08
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 09
      Friday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 10
      Saturday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 11
      Sunday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 12
      Monday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 13
      Tuesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 14
      Wednesday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 15
      Thursday
      .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisClub residency - see 1951 03 02...djpAdded
      2011
      1951 03 16
      Friday
      .San Diego, Cal.Mission Beach Ballroom
      (Mission Beach)
      Concert, 9 to 10 p.m.
      Dance
      Admission $1.75 including tax.

      San Diego Union:

      'DUKE ELLINGTON
      DUE TOMORROW
      AT BALLROOM
        Duke Ellington and his 21-member show will come to Mission Beach Ballroom tomorrow night for a concert and dance. The concert is being promoted by Al Ramsay, of San Diego.
        Members of the troupe include Ray Nance, trumpet; Harry Carney, sax; Al Hibbler, vocalist; Peter Green, Ann Henry and Julian Swain, dance team and Ellington, who will do many of the numbers he has helped make famous over a period of years.'

      San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal., 1951-03-15 pp.a-10, a-11...djpNew
      Added
      2017-01-29
      1951 03 17
      Saturday
      St. Patrick's Day
      .Balboa, Cal.Rendezvous BallroomPoster:

      RENDEZVOUS BALLROOM
      BALBOA
      ------------
      ST. PATRICKS DAY
      ONE NIGHT ONLY
      SAT. MARCH 17
      DUKE
      ELLINGTON
      ------------
      EASTER WEEK
      WED. - THUR. - FRI., - SAT.
      MARCH
      21 - 22 - 23 - 24
      FRANKIE LAINE
      WITH
      DICK PIERCE

      • Poster
      • The Whittier News, Whittier, Cal.
        1951-03-09 p.3
      • EMail, A.P.Gasco-Palmquist et al, 2015-11-22
      ...AGP, KG, DJP (emails 2014-04-03 & 04New
      added
      2014-04-04
      updated
      2021-08-18
      1951 03 17
      Saturday
      St. Patrick's Day
      ...Vail II reports road manager Al Celley was hit by a car driven by a drunk, in Los Angeles, breaking two ribs. ......
      1951 03 18
      Sunday
      .Oakland, Cal.Auditorium......Added
      2011
      1951 03 19
      Monday
      .Vallejo, Cal.El Camino GardensDance.....Added
      2011
      1951 03 20
      Tuesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 03 21
      Wednesday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 03 22
      Thursday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 03 23
      Friday
      1951 03 29
      Thursday
      Omaha, Neb.Orpheum TheatreSunday World-Herald:

      'Ellington Coming
      The old Maestro, Duke Ellington, and his band revue will come to the Orpheum Friday for a week's stand.'

      Various editions of the World-Herald announced Ellington's booking as early as the beginning of March. The Nonpareil listed Ellington's showtimes as 1:35, 4:10, 5:50 and 9:25 and the film as "Target Unknown."

      The March 29 ad announced that was the last day.
      • Stratemann, p.325, citing Down Beat 1951-04-20 p.1
      • Morning World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1951-03-29 p.16
      • Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1951-03-24 p.11
      • Sunday World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1951-03-25 p.5-F
      • Council Bluffs (Iowa) Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, Iowa
        • 1951-03-23 p.7
        • 1951-03-24 p.8
        • 1951-03-27 p.6
        • 1951-03-28 p.6
        • 1951-03-29 p.10
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-29
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 24...Personnel change
      Tommy Douglas leaves the band
      New Desor vol.2...djpNew
      added 2012-10-11
      1951 03 24
      Saturday
      .Omaha, Neb.Orpheum TheatreThe show times changed to 2:00 4:40 7:25 and 10:10 p.m.Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1951-03-24 p.11...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 25
      Sunday
      .Omaha, Neb.Orpheum TheatreShow times: 2:00 4:40 7:25 and 10:10 p.m......Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 26
      Monday
      .Omaha, Neb.Orpheum Theatre......Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 27.Omaha, Neb..Personnel change
      Juan Tizol, valve trombone, rejoined the band, bringing Willie Smith (alto) and Louis Bellson (born 1924 07 26) with him from Harry James' band in what became known as the Great James Robbery.

      Bellson had not been with James for long: On the Upbeat, Variety, 1951-02-14 p. 42, reported "Lou Bellson, former Tommy Dorsey drummer, joined Harry James band."


      Ellington would have kept drummer Charlie Smith except Tizol insisted on bringing Bellson.

      Mercer Ellington:

      'For about three weeks Pop had little Charlie Smith on drums. I'd met him in New Haven when he was playing with Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff. He had studied with one thought in mind: to be the drummer in the Duke Ellington band. He was doing well, but Pop needed Juan Tizol and Willie Smith very badly, and they refused to come unless they could bring Louis Bellson, too. So he had to let Charlie go, although he was potentially a great drummer. The decision really affected Charlie's whole life. He felt so completely frustrated and lost that he had nervous breakdowns...'

      Lambert:

      'Although a famous saxophone soloist, Willie Smith is perhaps even better remembered as one of the very finest lead altos in big band history, arguably the best of all. His contribution to the Ellington band during his rather short stay was felt more in the ensemble than through his solo efforts, good though these were. On joining the band, Smith rehearsed the saxophone section and disciplined it into a beautifully cohesive team. Previously it had been noted for expressive playing, individuality of timbre, and richness of overall sound, but Smith welded it into a tightly knit unit. His influence at this vital time in the band's history, when morale could have hit rock bottom, was wholly salutary, and desite the absence of solos of the first maginitude, Smith's contribution to the Ellington band was a very important one.'

      • New Desor vol.2
      • Stratemann p.325
      • Andrew Homzy, liner notes to "Duke Ellington and His Orchestra at The Crystal Gardens, Salem, Oregon, 1952," HEP CD 92/93
      • M. Ellington, DEIP, p.106
      • E. Lambert: Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide, p.187
      ...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-08
      2015-05-20
      2024-02-15
      1951 03 27
      Tuesday
      .Omaha, Neb.Orpheum TheatreShow times: 1:35, 4:20, 6:45, 9:25.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 28
      Wednesday
      .Omaha, Neb.Orpheum TheatreShow times: 1:35, 4:20, 6:45, 9:25.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 29
      Thursday
      .Omaha, Neb.Orpheum TheatreShow times: 1:35, 4:20, 6:45, 9:25.....Added
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      1951 03 30
      Friday
      ...activities not documented......
      1951 03 31
      Saturday
      .Austin, Minn.The Oasis...DEMS..Added
      2011
      updated
      2020-05-07

      April 1951

      1951 04 00.New York, N.Y..Mercer recording session
      Oscar Pettiford his 'cello and Orkette
      No Ellington or his sidemen involved. Included only since it is possible Feather, Mercer Ellington or Strayhorn were present.
    • S. Lasker, Mercer Records discography
    • New Desor
      DE5013
      ..djpNew
      added
      2017-02-13
      1951 04 00.Bloomington, Ind.Auditorium
      Indiana University
      Ellington and his orchestra may have played a concert in Bloomington in April. In describing the creative December 1951 dance, the 1951-12-12 edition of The Indiana Daily Student mentions:

      'When the Duke and his musical crew were here last April for an Auditorium concert, everything was normal... '


      Further research may turn this up.
      The Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., 1951-12-12 p.1, courtesy C.Lynn and E.M.Peters, Office of University Archives and Records Management, Herman B. Wells Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. (2015-11-18)...djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2013-04-22
      2015-11-18
      1951 04 01
      Sunday
      .Cedar Rapids, IowaArmar BallroomDancing

      Adm. Just $1.22 plus tax.
      Letter 1951-04-03 on The Cedar Rapids Gazette letterhead to Leonard Feather at Mercer Records from Les Zacheis (emphasis added):

      'Dear Mr. Feather:
        The writer is responsible for the popular record review column appearing in the Sunday issues of the CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE. Last Sun. Duke Ellington appeared at a local ballroom. It is my practice to make an effort to tie in with worth-while bands when they put in their all to frequent appearances around here. There was no current Columbia Ellington release available that I had not already covered so I borrowed a copy of the Mercer label Pettiford "A Train" from the radio stations for review... I do not receive this label for review but I would certainly like to as all Ellington and jazz in general sells pretty well in this town, the best by far in the state at least.
        Al Selley [sic]suggested that I communicate directly with you as you are in charge and would be in a position to have my name added to the mailing list for review copies. My wife is manager of the biggest record shop in town so would you also kindly advise the name of the nearest Mercer jobber...
        ...Incidently [sic], the Duke sold out like mad and the addition of Smith, Tizol & Bellson is a real lift.'

      • The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
        • 1951-03-25
        • 1951-04-01 p.9
      • Letter, 1951 04 03, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Box 107, Folder 10
      .DEMS.djpAdded
      2011
      updated
      2017-01-30
      2017-01-31
      2020-05-07
      1951 04 02
      Monday
      .Clinton, IowaModernistic Ball Room

      'THE DANCE
      OF THE SEASON
      --------
      Hear and Dance to
      Duke Ellington
      and his famous
      ORCHESTRA
      --------
      AMERICAN LEGION
      Modernistic
      Ball Room
      CLINTON, IOWA
      Monday, April 2
      Dancing – 9:00 to 1:00
      --------
      Admission $1.50 per person
      at door, tax included
      Advance sale, $1.25
      ...'

      Sterling Daily Gazette, Sterling-Rock Falls, Ill., 1951-03-23 p.3....djpNew
      added
      2017-01-30
      1951 04 03
      Tuesday
      .Champaign, Ill.Champaign Junior High SchoolConcert for the benefit of Burnham City Hospital, sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce.

      '...
        Last night the Duke proved to a small crowd of about 1,400 in Champaign junior high school auditorium why he is included among the royalty of jazz...As usual, both the ensemble and the solo work were standouts...'

      The review singled out Carney, Hamilton, Procope, Nance, Smith (misidentified as Willie (The Lion) Smith), Quentin Jackson and Louie Bellson for praise.
      The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
    • Ad, 1951-03-30 p.7
    • Publicity
      • 1951-03-30 pp.1
      • 1951-04-03 p.1
    • Review, 1951-04-04 p.1
      • ...djpNew
        added
        2015-07-05
        1951 04 03
        Tuesday
        .Champaign, Ill.Restaurant, 67 Main St.Two hours after the concert, Harry Carney and Britt Woodman were arrested for bringing beer into a restaurant. They were released on $25 bond.The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill. 1951-04-04 p.1
          ...djpNew
          added
          2015-07-05
          1951 04 03
          Tuesday
          .Washington, D.C.Hotel AstorPeripheral event:
          Newspaper Guild's Page One Ball
          Walter Winchell: "Duke Ellington...will be among those entertaining the President at the Guild's Page One ball (in Washington) April 3."

          The Brooklyn Eagle, 1951-04-06 p.8 names Eli Danzig as the one who organizes music for most of the balls in Washington; it mentions the Page One Ball at the Astor.
          Since the band performed in Illinois this evening, it could not have played in Washington.
          • Walter Winchell's syndicated column
            • The Glen Falls N.Y. Post-Star, 1951-03-30, p.11
            • Nevada State Journal, Reno, Nev. 1951-04-05 [sic] p.4
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-21
          2015-07-05
          2017-01-30
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 04
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 05
          Thursday
          .Jefferson City, Mo.Lincoln University Gymnasium
          Lincoln University

          'DUKE ELLINGTON
          America's Foremost Modern
          Composer
          and
          HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          –featuring Al Hibbler
          in Dance and Concert–
          400 Good Balcony Seats and Dance
          Space for 1,000 Persons
          Thurs. April 5th
          8 to 12 P.M.'

          The Sunday News and Tribune
          and/or Jefferson City Post-Tribune,
          Jefferson City, Mo.
          • 1951-04-01 p.1
          • 1951-04-05 p.6
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-01-30
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 06
          Friday
          .Iowa City, IowaIowa Memorial Union
          State Univerity of Iowa
          Two concerts, 7:30 and 10 p.m.

          Tickets: $1.25

          While tickets were still available for sale the day of the concerts, the caption to the photo published the next day says both houses were packed.
          A story about an exchange student said she met Ellington backstage after the concert, and hoped to take some of his records home. (Editorial comment: A dose of reality and a sense of history for those of us who live in modern Western countries: The story opens by saying she was surprised by the brightly lit homes in Iowa City, because it was necessary in Germany to conserve electricity since the power was only on for certain hours.)
          The Daily Iowan, Iowa City, Iowa
          • 1951-03-16 p.1
          • 1951-03-18 p.3
          • 1951-03-29 p.4
          • 1951-04-03 p.1
          • 1951-04-05 pp.2 (University Calendar), 8 (plug)
          • 1951-04-06 p.1
          • 1951-04-07 p.1 (captioned photo only)
          • 1951-04-11 p.4
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-01-30
          2017-01-31
          updated
          2018-10-26
          1951 04 07
          Saturday
          .Austin, Iowa Minn.Terp Ballroom

          'TERP Ballroom, Austin: ... Duke Ellington and his great orchestra. Adm. $1.80 Inc. Tax... '


          Apr. 14:

          'THERE HAS been no dearth in name bands at the Terp. Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington and tonight, Frankie Carle, all within less than a month.'

          Austin Daily Herald, Austin, Minn.
          • 1951-03-31 p.12
          • 1951-04-04 p.18
          • 1951-04-05 pp.22, 24
          • 1951-04-06 p.12
          • 1951-04-07 p.14
          • 1951-04-14 p.2
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2015-04-12
          2017-01-30
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 08
          Sunday
          .Clear Lake, IowaSurf Ballroom
          North Shore

          'SUN., APRIL 8, In Person
          Duke Ellington
          & His "St. Louis Blues"
          Adm. $1.47 plus tax'

          • Mason City Globe-Gazette, Mason City, Iowa
            • 1951-03-21 p.2
            • 1951-04-04 p.22
            • 1951-04-07 p.3
          • Kossuth County Advance, Algona, Iowa, 1951-03-27 p.5
          .
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-01-30
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 09
          Monday
          .Ames, IowaGreat Hall
          Memorial Union
          Concert, 7 p.m.
          Tickets were $1.00/person.
          The ISU Daily publicity describes this as part of an east to west concert tour that began with the Metropolitan Opera House in New York in January. It says Ellington will feature Nance, Carney and Hibbler, and says the band now featured five brass which begs the question of who was in the brass section at the time the publicity was received by the campus paper.

          Professor E. A. Goedeken, History Subject Specialist, ISU Library, advises there was no review or report of the concert in the ISU Daily afterwards, nor could he find anything about it in the Des Moines Register.
          • Iowa State University Daily, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
            • 1951-04-04
            • 1951-04-06
            • courtesy Professor Goedeken, 2017-02-02
          • Ames Daily Tribune, Ames, Iowa,
            1951-04-07 p.4
          .
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-01-30
          2017-02-02
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 10
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 11
          Wednesday
          .Lincoln, Neb.University of Nebraska Coliseum.

          University of Nebraska
          Student Union

          Presents
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          in an
          ALL MUSIC CONCERT
          Wed., April 11–8 P.M.
          University of
          Nebraska Coliseum

          A New and Different Seating
          Arrangement Being Used

          Tickets on Sale at the Door
          Prices: .85 Students
          1.20 Reserved Section
          (Prices Include Fed. Tax)

          Other ads name Harry Carney and Al Hibbler.
          • Sunday World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1951-04-08 p.7-F
          • Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, Neb. 1951-03-25 p.6-D
          • Lincoln Evening Journal and Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, Neb.
            • 1951-04-06 p.7
            • 1951-04-11 p.20
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-01-31
          1951 04 12
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 13
          Friday
          1951 04 14
          Saturday
          Detroit, Mich.Agricultural Building
          Adjacent to Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum
          First of two dances, third annual University of Detroit Spring Carnival, 8:30 p.m.
          Columnist Ed Sullivan was in town and agreed to emcee a 20 minute variety show. The Apr. 17 edition of Varsity News carried a photo of Sullivan crowning the Queen of the Spring Carnival at 9:30 p.m., with Ellington looking on.

          The Apr. 24 edition carried a letter to the editor signed by six male sophomores, complaining Ellington did not play enough dance music. The editor inserted a note:

          'You may recall unfortunate circumstances cancelled arrangements that had been made. By that time there was little choice left for a dance band.'


          Photos from this engagement are included in the 1952 yearbook Tower even though the dances were in the 1951 academic year.
          • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.1951-03-28 p.14
          • The Varsity News, University of Detroit, Detroit, Mich.
            • 1951-04-13 pp.1,2,4
            • 1951-04-17 pp.1,2
            • 1951-04-24 p.4
          • The Detroit Times, Detroit, Mich.
            1951-04-14 p.C-7
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2017-01-30
          updated
          2018-10-16
          2018-10-26
          1951 04 14
          Saturday
          .Detroit, Mich.Agricultural Building
          Adjacent to Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum
          Second dance of the University of Detroit Spring Carnival, 8:30 p.m. - see 1941-04-13....djpNew
          Added
          2017-01-30.
          1951 04 15
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 16
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 17
          Tuesday
          ...Peripheral event
          A Nashville store advertisement included a line saying Tune in WKDA Monday through Saturday at 5:15 for the music of Duke Ellington
          Pilsk ad, The Nashville Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn. 1941-04-17 p.19New Desor
          .
          ..djpNew
          added
          2017-10-08
          1951 04 17
          Tuesday
          .Detroit, Mich..Mercer Records recording session in Detroit.
          The Coronets
          Smith, Gonsalves, Anderson, Tizol, Ellington or Strayhorn, Marshall, Bellson

          Titles recorded:
          • Night Walk
          • Moonlight Fiesta
          • She
          • The Happening

          Lambert:

          'Although Gonsalves had been heard in solo on previous records by Basie and Ellington, The Happening served notice on the jazz community that a major new voice had arrived. The writers and the public seemed little impressed, but musicians were soon talking about the inventive and swinging solos of Duke's new tenor player.'


          Instead of She, the Vail clipping noted below uses the title Sensuous, which New Desor Vol.II says is the alternate title. The article says Senuous was a Bellson-Tizol original, but New Desor names Duke as the composer, as does the ASCAP "Record of the Works of Edward Kennedy Ellington." The ASCAP document which shows She was copyrighted with that title in 1955, with Ellington as composer and author and Tempo Music Inc. as publisher.

          In Blue Light, Roger Boyes tells us
          • She is a showcase for Tizol's skills at theme-statement;
          • it is included on a CD with the composer credit Ellington;
          • MIMM says Ellington copyrighted it in 1955;
          • Hajdu attributes it to Tizol;
          • Gammond credits it to Ellington and Anderson; and
          • Lambert refers to it as Bellson's.
          Steven Lasker:

          'The label of the original 78, Mercer M1967B, credits "Tizol-Bellson."'


          The pianist:
          • According to Wax Works, Lambert, and (in relation to The Happening) DEMS 2000/2 p.19 and DEMS 2000/3 p.26, the pianist is Ellington.
          • According to New Desor, Timner V, Nielsen, and Boyes, the pianist is Strayhorn.
          • In DEMS 2000/2 p.19 Jean Portier says

            'After the int4PG, the description must read: 4DE rather than 4BAND.'

            but Roger Boyes' detailed report on this session (Blue Light 6-4 p.19) attributes those four bars to the rhythm section, which would make it Duke.
          • Steven Lasker:

            'You show the pianist on this session as Billy Strayhorn or Duke Ellington. I hear only Strayhorn.'


          The Coronets:

          This was a small group within the Ellington band whose personnel changed from recording session to recording session. Whether or not Ellington was present, Timner justifies including the Coronet sessions in an Ellington discography because "the Coronets can be considered a genuine Ellington group."

          There were four Coronets sessions - April 17, May 18, June 1 and June 19.
          Location:
          • New Desor, Timner V and, at the time of writing, MacHare and Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli, show this session in New York, although Timner marks the location with a question mark.
          • Stratemann doesn't show the session.
          • Dr. Richard Bambach noted an article reproduced in Vail:

            'Mercer Waxes
            New Duke Stars
              New York – Duke Ellington's new stars cut their first small-band record session in Detroit recently when a group of Ellingtonians waxed four originals for the Mercer label.
              Horns on the date were Cat Anderson, Juan Tizol, Willie Smith and Paul Gonsalves. With the rhythm section, including Lou Bellson, they cut The Happening, featuring Gonsalves; Night Walk, featuring Cat, Sensuous, a Bellson-Tizol original, and a new version of Tizol's Moonlight Fiesta.'

          • The Vail article is unidentified and undated, but Richard notes its format resembles a clipping from a trade journal.
          • While it is datelined New York, it specifically locates the session in Detroit.
          • Vail II, p.16 (courtesy R. Bambach)
          • Lambert pp.164
          • Roger Boyes, Blue Light
            • Vol.6 No.4 Oct-Dec 1999 pp.17-21
            • Vol.7 No.1 Jan-Mar 2000 pp.12-15
            • citing
              • Duke Ellington (ed. Peter Gammond) 1958, p.109
              • Prestige CD PCD 24103-2
          • The Billboard 23 Jun 1951 p.33
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2017-01-31
          New Desor
          DE5104
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-21
          2017-01-31
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 18
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 19
          Thursday
          .Muncie, Ind.Field House
          Ball State College
          8 p.m. concert sponsored by the Student Executive Council and the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity of Ball State College. Half the proceeds were to go to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund and most of the remainder was to be contributed to the Student Center. The concert was reviewed by Catherine Maxwell in the Muncie Star:

          'Ellington Demonstrates
          Jazz Can Be Great Music

            Duke Ellington and his band demonstrated here last night that jazz can really be great music.
            No symphony orchestra employs musicians more brilliant than the members of the Ellington band. They are as much superior to the average popular performers as the Duke's compositions are to the average swing dance tune. They have rhythm in every line of their bodies and virtuoso perfection of the highest order by any standards.
            The music that they play is living music - alive with fast experiments in harmony, beat, pace, volume, tone, mood, and melodic changes.
            ... his work and the work of those in his band is not mere "entertainment." These performers are producing music of stature and emotional power whether they know it themselves or not...
            Whether it is crash and clatter or sweet and low, this music has meaning today. It is creative and original.
            There wasn't a very large audience last night, but those who were in the field house seemed to enjoy everything they heard...'

          Her review goes on to mention Harlem, Skin Deep, Ole Man River, Danny Boy, Lover Come Back to Me, and the medley which included Mood Indigo, Beginnin' to See the Light, It Don't Mean a Thing and Solitude. Personnel named were Louis Bellson, Al Hibbler and Ray Nance.

          Ruth Mauzy's column in the Muncie Evening Press:

          'At last night's Duke Ellington concert the audience was given a bit of a bad turn as Al Hibbler, the Duke's blind vocalist, stumbled when he left the stage. Ellington fans knew Hibbler was blind, but it was still an astonishing sensation to see a man stand in unpenetrable darkness and sing. It seemed actually weird that he could not see the faces of the spellbound audience. At the end of each selection he smiled vaguely and modestly as the fans wildly applauded him.'

          • Muncie Star, Muncie, Ind.
            • 1951-04-18 p.10
            • 1951-04-19 p.3
            • 1951-04-20 p.26
          • Muncie Evening Press, Muncie, Ind.
            • 1951-04-19 pp.8, 33
            • 1951-04-20 p.9
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-02-01
          updated
          2017-10-08
          1951 04 20
          Friday
          8:30 pm
          .Owensboro, Ky.SportscenterConcert, 8:30 p.m. followed by segregated dance

          'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play a concert followed by a colored dance at the Sportscenter at Owensboro, Ky., Friday night, April 20, from 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., it was announced today. ... Featured with his orchestra are Ray Nance, violin, trumpet, and vocal; Harry Carney, baritone and sax; and Al Hibbler, vocal.
            Ellington will present the same type of concert that he gives when appearing at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
            ...The advance admission price is $2 per person, including tax. Prices will be higher at the door the night of the concert and dance. '

          Evansville Courier:

          '...Coming to the Kentucky town directly from the Chicago Opera House, and scheduled to play Indianapolis Murat Theater Saturday, followed by an engagement at the Memorial auditorium in Nashville, Tenn,., this Sunday, the Duke and his boys are taking the famous "Duke's Mixture" on an extended tour. (Too bad Evansville couldnt' be on the list.)...
            THE CONCERT, WHICH will befollowed by a dance for Negroes, will be the same kind which the Duke has given in Carnegie Hall... '

          • The Daily Register, Harrisburg, Ill.,1951-03-30, p.2
          • Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind.,
            • 1951-04-14 p.5
            • 1951-04-15 p.11-D
            • 1951-04-17 p.14
            • 1951-04-18 p.23
            • 1951-04-19 p.26
            • 1951-04-20 p.28
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-15
          2017-01-30
          2020-05-07
          1951 04 21
          Saturday
          .Louisville, Ky.Jefferson County ArmoryDuke Ellington and his famous ORCHESTRA
          CONCERT and DANCE, 10 to 2, featuring Al Hibbler, Ray Nance, Willie Smith, Harry Carney.
          Admission $1.50 tax included
          The Courier Journal, Louisville, Ky.
          • 1951-04-15 s.5 p.3
          • 1951-04-20 s.2 p.6
          • 1951-04-21 s.1 p.9
          ....New
          Added
          2018-10-26.
          1951 04 22
          Sunday
          .Nashville, Tenn.War Memorial Auditorium.Two concerts, 3 p.m. and 8:15 p.m.:
        • Announcement, 1951-04-08:

          'Duke Ellington, one of the nation's best known jazz performers, will appear in Nashville April 22 with his 22 entertainers.
            The troupe will appear in War Memorial Auditorium at 3 p.m. and at 8:15 p.m. Special sections will be provided for both white people and Negroes.'

          • The April 15 plug said the 25-piece [sic] orchestra featured Harry Carney, saxophonist, Ray Nance, violinist, Willis Smith [sic], trombonist[!] and Al Hibbler, vocalist.
          • The Apr. 18 ad was for two 2-hour stage shows, prices $1.50 advance, $1.80 at door, and said "Special Section for WHITE."
          • The Apr. 20 announcement named Hibbler, Carney, Nance and Louis Belson [sic], drummer.
          • The announcement in the Sunday morning edition the day of the concert only mentions one concert, 8:30 p.m. It names Quentin Jackson and Nance.
          • Further research seems necessary to determine if the matinee concert was performed or cancelled.
        • The Nashville Tennessean
          • 1951-04-08 p.9-B
          • 1951-04-15 p.9-D
          • 1951-04-18 p.20
          • 1951-04-20 p.14
          • 1951-04-22 p.7-E
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-02-01
          1951 04 23
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 24
          Tuesday
          .Indianapolis, Ind.Murat Theater
          Murat Temple
          Concert, 8:30 p.m.
          • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
            • 1951-04-22 s.1 p.5
            • 1951-04-24 p.20
          • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind. 1951-04-20 p.28
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-02-01
          1951 04 25
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 26
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 27
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 28
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 29
          Sunday
          Ellington's birthday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 30
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 04 00
          .Chicago, Ill.Pershing BallroomConcert, reviewed in Down Beat. The date is not given, but Down Beat says it was a couple of weeks after a Woody Herman played Chicago.
          • Stratemann, p.327, citing Down Beat 1951-05-18
          • Vail II, p.15
          ....New
          added 2013-04-16

          May 1951

          1951 05 00...Personnel change
          Trumpeter Andrew "Fats" Ford (Andres Merenguito) leaves the band
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-23
          1951 05 01
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 02
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Presumably at ABC's TV studioABC network telecast: "Kreisler Bandstand" episode 7
          Several discographies incorrectly show the recordings from this television show were made May 3 and/or at Birdland and on the Mutual Broadcasting System radio network.

          Kreisler Bandstand was a half-hour American Broadcasting Corporation network television show featuring big bands, sponsored by Jacques Kreisler Mfg. Co., maker of wristwatch bands. It was telecast on the east coast at 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays from March 23 to June 6, 1951. Ross Reports says it was from WJZ-TV to 8 stations (presumably this means live feeds via telephone wires) plus 20 kinescopes (filming a show as it appears on a monitor in the studio).

          Episodes would be aired in remote markets as much as two or more weeks after the original telecast (May 2's episode aired as late as May 20).
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          N. Williams, Meringuito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, with vocalists Thelma Carpenter and Avon Long

          Titles recorded:
          • Take the "A" Train
          • Something to Live For
          • Caravan
          • I Got It Bad
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • V.I.P Boogie
          • Jam with Sam

          According to Wikipedia at the time of writing, the Mutual Broadcasting System was a radio network, without television, although a few affiliates had t.v. stations affiliated with other networks.

          Date and time - the evolution of an error

          • The Billboard, 1950-06-30, p.7

            '...The Kreisler Corporation, which recently dropped the Kreisler Bandstand Show and the 8:30 pm Wednesday time along with it,... '

          • UCLA Film and Television Archive:

            'This is a list of 1951 ABC shows that exist at the UCLA Film and Television Archive...Kreisler Bandstand (1951-03-21, 1951-04-04, 1951-04-18, 1951-05-02) (music series with guests like Benny Goodman, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, Thelma Carpenter and Duke Ellington.'

          • The Ellington episode is identified in television timetables for May 2, May 13, May 15, May 16, May 19 and May 20 in numerous newspapers.
          • Some discographies erroneously date this episode May 3 and some say it was from Birdland, where Ellington opened May 3.
          • DEMS 80/3-4 (H-U Hill) dates several of the recordings May 2.
          • DEMS 84/4-8 (Aasland) asserts Take The A Train, Something To Live For, Caravan, I Got It Bad and Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me were May 2.
          • DEMS 85/1-11 (Lambert and Aasland) agree Threesome was from this show too (New Desor identifies Threesome as V.I.P. Boogie and Jam With Sam).
          • 1987 - Nielsen was published, showing this episode as May 3 on ABC.
          • 1992 - Stratemann was published. At pp. 327 and 677 it mistakenly says this episode was broadcast May 3. At p.327 Stratemann puts it on ABC-TV in the 8 to 9:30 time slot but at p.677, has it on MBS. (The show was only a half hour, airing at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.)
          • 1996 - Timner IV dates the show May 3 on ABC-TV
          • DEMS 97/2-17 - Hoefsmit:

            'DESOR 475. This telecast has long been considered to be recorded on 2May51 until Klaus Stratemann (page 327) corrected that date into 3May51...In Something To Live For we hear Thelma Carpenter and not Betty Roche...'

          • 1999 - New Desor was published, showing May 3, Birdland, MBS network.
          • 1999 - Lambert's Duke Ellington A Listener's Guide was published posthumously, identifying the event as Birdland broadcast on May 2, omitting vocalists Carpenter and Long (Ellington did not open at Birdland until May 3).
          • 2002 - Vail's Duke's Diary, Part Two was published, correctly showing the episode on May 2 on ABC-TV.
          • DEMS 03/1-21/3 shows four of these titles in a new CD were taken from "The Kreisler Bandstand" from Birdland in NYC.
          • 2007- Timner V dates the show May 3 at ABC Studios.
          • The IMDB database shows Duke in the Season 1, Episode 7, on May 2, 1951

          Location
          • New Desor and MacHare say the show was broadcast from Birdland. Since the band opened at Birdland May 3, the telecast cannot have been filmed there.
          • Timner IV incorrectly says it was May 3, and Timner V repeats this, but has it emanating from ABC studios.
          Network or station
          • Stratemann, p. 327, says the show was on ABC-TV but on p.677, says MBS.


          • New Desor session DE5105 shows it as a MBS telecast from Birdland.
          • Timner shows it as ABC-TV.
          • MacHare says MBS.
          • The Billboard describes Kreisler Bandstand as an ABC network show:
            • 10 Mar 1951 - Page 9:

              'Perry Lafferty will stage and direct the new Kreisler "Bandstand Show" over ABC- TV. . . '

            • Mar 17, 1951 page 12:

              'ABC Boosts Bands on TV , New York, March 10. - Name bands, at this point still an inconsequential source of video talent, will get a new crack at the medium via a new American Broadcasting Company-TV show, the Chrysler [sic] Bandstand. The show kicks off March 21 for an initial 13-week run. The first band to play the half-hour TV show will be one led by Benny Goodman. Talent for the weekly seg will be bought thru the General Artists Corporation and the package is owned by George Foley and Dick Gordon. Chrysler Motors will sponsor. '

            • 24 Mar 1951 - Page 6:

              'The new American Broadcasting Company-TV weekly name band show will be sponsored by the Jacques Kreisler (wrist-watch bands) company and will be known as the Kreisler Bandstand. It was incorrectly reported in these columns last week that Chrylser Motors was scheduled to pick up the tab... '

        • The UCLA Library Television and Film Archive has a copy of the show; its index confirms the show was telecast May 2.
        • Ross Reports on Television Programming describes the show as:

          'KREISLER BAND STAND - from WJZ-TV to 8 ABC sta plus 20 kine; Wed 8:30-9pm; Fred Robbins MC with guest name bands and variety acts; SPONSOR - Kreisler Watchbands; ... '

          ["sta" = stations, "kine" = kinescope]
          • Ross Reports on Television Programming, 1951-05
          • Newspaper TV listings:
            • Evening Star, Washington D.C.
              1951-04-29 (weekly schedule)
            • Chillicothe Gazette, Chillicothe, Ohio
              1951-05-01 p.10
            • Chester Times, Chester, Penn.
              1951-05-02 p.18
            • Evening Star, Washington D.C.
              1951-05-02 p.A-23
            • Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.
              1951-05-02 p.29
            • Staten Island Advance, Staten Island, N.Y.
              1951-05-02 p.21
            • The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn.
              1951-05-02 p.16
            • The Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio
              1951-05-02 p.17
            • The Cincinnati Post, Cincinnati, Ohio
              1951-05-02 p.14
            • The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
              1951-05-02 p.B-15
            • The Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
              1951-05-02
            • The Detroit Times, Detroit, Mich.
              1951-05-02 p.C-35
            • The Herald-News, Passaic-Clifton, N.J.
              1951-05-02 p.30
            • The Morning News, Wilmington, Del.
              1951-05-02 p.10
            • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
              1951-05-02 p.34
            • San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, Cal.
              1951-05-13 p.6
            • The Atlanta Journal The Atlanta Constitution,
              Atlanta, Ga.
              1951-05-13 p.12-B
            • The Birmingham News, Birmingham, Ala.
              1951-05-15 p.12
            • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.
              1951-05-15 p.2
            • The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, Cal.
              1951-05-15 p.11
            • San Antonio Light, San Antonio, Tex.
              1951-05-16 p.8-C
            • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
              1951-05-16 p.19
            • The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Tex.
              1951-05-16 pt I p.12
            • The Independent, Long Beach, Cal.
              1951-05-16 p.38
            • The San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal.
              1951-05-16 p.21
            • Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Tex.
              1951-05-19 p.2
            • The Daily Oklahoman, Oklahoma City, Ok.
              1951-05-20 p.22
          • The Billboard, 1950-06-30, p.7
          • The UCLA Film and Television Archive
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
          • Timner IV and V
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          • Stratemann pp.327, 677
        • Lambert's Duke Ellington A Listener's Guide
        • Vail: Duke's Diary, Part Two.
        • The IMDB database
        • New Desor
          DE5105
          DEMS.djp / L.Crawford LYM message 2013-05-06Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-19
          2013-05-06
          2020-05-07
          2022-06-05
          1951 05 03
          Thursday
          1951 05 09New York, N.Y.BirdlandOne week night club residency, replacing Count Basie.

          • Stratemann mistakenly shows this as a three week residency, citing Billboard which said

            'Birdland nitery in New York last week bought Duke Ellington and his ork for a week's engagement, beginning May 3, to follow Count Basie's group into the spot...'

          • Vail II says the engagement was one week and supports that with an unidentified newspaper clipping.
          • The 'Cabaret Bills' listing in Variety 1951-05-02, p.66 shows Count Basie at Birdland on May 2.
          • The same Variety, probably page 56 says "Ella Fitzgerald into Birdland, N.Y., May 10 for two weeks."
          • Variety Cabaret Bills 1951-05-09 p.54, 1951-05-16 p.51 and 1951-05-23 p.55 show Ella at Birdland, the latter two editions with Slim Gaillard.
          • DEMS 08/3-9 (Neegaard) places the Ellington band in Salem on May 11 and Stratemann has it in Connecticut May 13 and Boston May 18.
          • Billy Rowe's May 12 review reported the unveiling of Duke Ellington's almost new band at Birdland "last Thursday night", which would be May 3.
          • Rowe's enthusiastic review names Willie Smith, Juan Tizol, Louis Bellson, Harry Carney, Cat Anderson, Quentin Jackson, Wendell Marshall, Ray Nance, Paul Gonsalves, Russell Procope andAl Hibbler.
          • The New York Age, Sat. May 12:

            '...ELLA FITZGERALD into BIRDLAND tonight (Thurs.).'


          Conclusion re the Birdland engagement - Ellington's run was from May 3 to May 9, 7 days inclusive, consistent with the week actually stated in The Billboard 1951-05-05 p.34.
          • The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
            1951-04-25 p.15
          • Daily News, New York, N.Y., 1951-05-04 p.69
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-19
          2018-10-26
          2018-10-29
          1951 05 03
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.."Kreisler Bandstand" telecast

          False date - see 1951-05-02 above
          .....Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-02-04
          2020-05-07
          2022-06-05
          1951 05 04
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandClub residency - see 1951 05 03

          In DEMS 00,2, Hoesfsmit suggests there was a WMCA broadcast on May 4 that is dated June 1951 in New Desor and may be listed on May 5 and sometime in June in Timner 4th edition. See pages 19 and 29-30 of DEMS 00,2
          .New Desor
          DE5121
          DEMSTimner corrections.Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2020-05-07
          1951 05 05
          Saturday
          ... Peripheral event
          The Billboard reported Ellington was one of the new officers of Negro Actors Guild. Other officers named were Noble Sissle, Leigh Whippe4, Georgette Harvey, Miriam Anderson, Louis Armstrong, Todd Duncan, Katherine Dunham J. Rosamond Johnson, Edna Thomas, Lester Walton, Ethel Waters, Dooley Williams and W. C. Handy.
          The Billboard 1951-05-05 p.44....New
          added 2013-05-05
          1951 05 05
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandClub residency - see 1951 05 03

          Possibly a broadcast on WMCA from the club - see entry for 1951 05 04
          .....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          1951 05 06
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandClub residency - see 1951 05 03.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 07
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandClub residency - see 1951 05 03.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 08
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandClub residency - see 1951 05 03.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 09
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandClub residency - see 1951 05 03.Vail II....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2018-10-26
          1951 05 10
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y..Columbia recording session
          14:00 start
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          N.Williams, Merenquito, Cat Anderson, Baker, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Smith, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellsen, Hibbler

          Titles recorded:
          • Fancy Dan
          • The Hawk Talks
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          • Monologue
          This was the first recording session by the reorganized band and includes the first commercial recording of The Hawk Talks.
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
          • Stratemann p.327
          New Desor
          DE5106
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-07
          1951 05 11
          Friday
          8:30-midnight
          .Salem, N.H.Canobie Lake Park BallroomGala opening
          Dance
          Admission $1.25 plus tax.
          • Nashua Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.
            • 1951-05-03 p.21
            • 1951-05-10 p.27
            • 1951-05-11 p.9
          • The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass.
            • 1951-05-09 p.22
            • 1951-05-10 p.42
          .DEMS
          • 08,3-9 (Similar, unidentified ad posted by A. Neegaard)
          .djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2017-02-01
          2020-05-07
          ..Peripheral Event
          The May 12 Billy Rowe's Notebook column said:

          'Prejudice took a major TV role last week and denied Duke Ellington the right to figure in the scheduled four weeks stint of orchestras on the "Cavalcade of Bands" summer series. Should there be somebody desiring to deny this please direct same to Duke who made the statement. At his Birdland openng the "Dook" also made it clear that he was cancelled out of Indianapolis, Ind. for official reasons. Somehow or other we got our cities mixed and Minneapolis fitting in where it shouldn't have.'

          [The latter relates to a short entry in Rowe's April 14 column.]
          The Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1951-05-12 p.17...djpNew
          added
          2018-10-26
          1951 05 12
          Saturday
          .Lewiston, Me.ArmoryOnly Maine appearance
          DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA.
          Tickets advance price $1.50
          Lewiston Evening Journal,
          Lewiston-Auburn, Me.
          • 1951-05-05 p.15
          • 1951-05-08 p.9
          • 1951-05-10 p.23
          • 1951-05-11 pp.17, 20
          The Lewiston Daily Sun,
          Lewiston-Auburn, Me.
          • 1951-05-07 p.15
          ...djpNew
          added
          2024-04-10
          1951 05 13
          Sunday
          .New London, Conn.Ocean Beach......Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          1951 05 14
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 15
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 16
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 17
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 18
          Friday
          .Boston, Mass..Mercer recording session
          The Coronets
          Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Smith, Ellington, Marshall, Bellsen

          Titles recorded:
          • Swamp Drum
          • Sultry Serenade
          • Indian Summer
          • Britt-And-Butter Blues
          Roger Boyes wrote at length about the 1951 'Coronets' sessions in 'Blue Light' 6/4 and 7/1 (1999-2000)
          Stratemann p.327New Desor
          DE5107
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2020-05-07
          1951 05 19
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y..Television guest appearance, CBS network Ken Murray Show, 8 p.m.
          Ellington appeared for about 20 minutes. He played a medley and "I Like the Wild Open Spaces," accompanied by the house orchestra under David Brockman. Ken Murray and an unnamed choir sang parts of the medley and "I Like the Wild Open Spaces."
          • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
            1951-05-19 p.13
          • Sunday Call-Chronicle, Allentown, Penn.
            1951-05-19 p.30
          • Stratemann p.327
          New Desor
          DE5108
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2022-06-04
          1951 05 20
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 21
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 22
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 23
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 05 24
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y..Columbia recording session

          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Williams, Meringuito, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson

          Titles recorded:
          • Ting-A-Ling
          • Eighth Veil
          • Brown Betty
          Stratemann p.327New Desor
          DE5109
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2020-05-07
          1951 05 25
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y..An agreement between Tempo Music Inc., publisher, and Louie Bellson was signed by Bellson this date, transferring all copyrights in the title, words and music of "The Hawk Talks" to Tempo. Bellson was to receive 100% of the royalties. The auctioned copy of this agreement is signed only by Bellson, in the space where someone would normally sign on behalf of Tempo.

          In his October 1995 Oral History interview with Anthony Brown, Bellson said he wrote The Hawk Talks for Harry James, who was known as the Hawk.
          • Guernsey's Auction House "Forever Ellington" online , auction, May 18 2016
          • Transcript,
            Louie Bellson interviewed October 2005 by Anthony Brown
            Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) Jazz Master interview, p.30
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-10-26
          updated
          2024-01-26
          1951 05 25
          Friday
          1951 05 31
          Thursday
          Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St./TD>
          Vaudeville
          The Ellington troupe included Joya Sherrill , Al Hibbler, Roll & Tap, Howell & Bowser, and tightrope walker Ala Ming.

          Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows also names 4 Kit Kats as well as sidemen Louis Bellson, Ray Nance, Juan Tizol, Cat Anderson, Willie Smith and Harry Carney.

          Opening night was a full house.

          Variety gave the first night a very favourable review.

          Joya Sherrill performed Love You Madly and St. Louis Blues and Al Hibbler "socks across" Ol' Man River and Trees for solid impact.

          Roll & Tap "scored" in their version of Apple Jack.

          Ala Ming's tightrope work, and her dancing, juggling, splits and somersaults drew a heavy mitt. Howell & Bowser win easily with sharp delivery. Their blending of songs and comedies are above par for this house.

          Apollo's performer card: 5-31-51 $6085.08
          • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
            1951-05-24 p.77
          • Stratemann p.327 citing
            • New York Age 1951-05-26 pp.17, 18
            • Variety 1951-05-30 p.53
          • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
          • Performer cards 347 and 348
            Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-21
          2018-10-29
          2019-11-02
          2023-03-26
          1951 05 26
          Saturday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1951 05 25.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 27
          Sunday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1951 05 25.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 28
          Monday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1951 05 25.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 29
          Tuesday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1951 05 25.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 30
          Wednesday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo TheatreVaudeville - see 1951 05 25.....Added
          2011
          1951 05 31
          Thursday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo TheatreVaudeville- see 1951 05 25.....Added
          2011

          June 1951

          1951 06 00...Personnel change
          Singer Norma Oldham joins the band, leaving again the next month.
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-23
          1951 06 01
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y..Mercer recording session
          The Coronets
          Tizol, Smith, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Bellson, Oldham

          Titles recorded:
          • The Nearness Of You
          • More Than You Know
          • Caravan
          .Stratemann p.327New Desor
          DE5110
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-21
          2020-05-07
          circa
          1951 06 02
          Saturday
          .Washington, D.C.S. S. Bear Mountain
          Potomac River
          Seventh St. dock
          The date of this boat cruise is a guess based on June 2 being the most recent unaccounted-for Saturday before the following story was published in a weekly newspaper.
          The Afro-American

          'WASHINGTON

            As much a part of the District's summer scene as the irritating torrid humidity, are the annual mid-year stories of discrimination practiced by the operators of the Potomac river boat cruises.
            The first story of such discrimination for 1951 comes from Roy Ward,..., a mail clerk in the U.S.Navy Dept.
          Relates Story
            Mr. Ward related to the AFRO last week how he was denied passage on the S.S.Bear Mountain last Saturday night to a river outing that featured the music of Duke Ellington's orchestra.
            Mr. Ward say [sic] that he is an avid Ellington fan, so when he heard that Duke's famed organization was to play for an outing last Saturday, he called the Potomac River lines to ascertain the racial policy for the event.
          Promised Reservations
            According to Mr. Ward, he was assured via phone that "all persons were welcomed" to the cruise and that there would be absolutely no discrimination.
            With this assurance he went to the Seventh Street dock on Saturday and sought to purchase a ticket. He noted that he was the only colored person in line and as he was about to reach the ticket window, a special policeman asked him out of the line.
            The policeman told him, Mr. said,[sic] that colored persons were not permitted to attend the ride, but suggested that he talk to the manager.
          Refused Ticket
            Mr. Ward, however, ignored the officer's advice and attempted to purchase a ticket, but the seller refused to sell him one of [sic] the same grounds, also suggesting that he speak with the manager.
            The manager, Steven Ray, informed Mr. Ward, he reports that Saturday's ride was for whites only and that later in the summer the company was going to sponsor a boat ride "for colored."
            Mr. Ward was able to chat with Mr. Ellington, who was about to go aboard the steamer for the evening's engagement.
          Duke "Regrets"
            "Duke" told him that he did not know for whom he was to play until about 5:15 that evening and regretted the incident.
            Mr. Ellington further told Mr. Ward that he had refused at a considerable loss to himself, to play several public segregated engagements in the past.
          Cancelled Virginia Date
            The band leader cancelled a scheduled concert at the Mosque, Richmond, Va., on June 28, in face of an NAACP boycott.
            However, Mr. Ward reported, the famed jazz composer told him that he had moved from Wasinton [sic] to escape the same sort in [sic] racial injustices and suggested that he should do the same.'

          [The missing word and the spelling and punctuation errors are as published, and the cancelled concert was January 28.]
          The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md., 1951-06-16 p.8...djpNew
          added
          2017-02-04
          1951 06 03
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 04
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 05
          Tuesday
          1951 06 11
          Monday
          Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomOne week club date with a MBS remote broadcast. New Desor lists eight broadcasts (one undated) from this seven night gig.

          Some broadcasts were recorded by VOA for its transcriptions to be used in its Program of Dance Music and Jazz Club USA series.
          .New Desor
          DE5111
          DEMSTimner corrections 4/22djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-21
          2020-05-08
          1951 06 06
          Wednesday
          .Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomClub date with MBS broadcast - see 1951 06 05.New Desor
          DE5112
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-07
          1951 06 07
          Thursday
          .Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomClub date with MBS broadcast - see 1951 06 05.New Desor
          DE5113
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-07
          1951 06 08
          Friday
          .Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomClub date with MBS broadcast - see 1951 06 05Audio file of broadcastNew Desor
          DE5114
          DEMS.M.Girvan LYM message 2016-01-15.Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-01-15
          2020-05-08
          1951 06 09
          Saturday
          .Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomClub date with MBS broadcast - see 1951 06 05.New Desor
          DE5115
          DEMSTimner corrections 4/?+29.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-07
          1951 06 10
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Radio City Studio 6-B, .Ellington appeared briefly (a walk-on appearance) on Milton Berle's NBC-TV Damon Runyon Cancer Fund Telethon

          The telethon began Saturday afternoon and ended Sunday morning. Exactly when Ellington appeared is not known.
          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-21
          1951 06 10
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y..This may have been the first Sunday in which Ellington subbed for Benny Goodman in the latter's afternoon record spinning show - see 1951 06 17 below.....djpAdded
          2011
          1951 06 10
          Sunday
          .Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomClub date with MBS broadcast - see 1951 06 05.New Desor
          DE5116
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-07
          1951-06 11
          Monday
          .Cedar Grove, N.J.Meadowbrook BallroomClub date with MBS broadcast - see 1951 06 05.New Desor
          DE5117
          DEMScorrTimner-4/22.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-07
          1951 06 12
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 13
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 14
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 15
          Friday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Southeast stage
          Municipal Stadium
          Seventh annuual Philadelphia Music Festival presented by The Philadelphia Inquirer Charities, Inc.
          Over 88,000 attended the festival the first day. Admission was $1., $2 and $3, tax included. A photo taken from high in the endzone shows a crowded football stadium, and apparently performances took place on stages at either end and on the field itself, depending on the nature of the performance.

          From the lengthy description, it seems the mayor and the m.c. (actor Walter Pidgeon) entered the stadium leading a Parade of Stars. Numerous music ensembles performed, including Twin Kent State University Bands, Washington Redskins Band, some Mummers, a symphony orchestra, the Suburban High School Chorus, Meredith Willson's orchestra, the Sexton Band, two young singers.

          Ellington is mentioned a few times, and apparently played an Indian ceremonial dance. Its set opened with St. Louis Blues:

          'It was Ellington at his best. The audience went for The Duke's "mood music all evening but you'd have to say W.C.Handy's classic was their favorite.'

          The initial announcement included Ellington, the 52 member Meredith Wilson, Perry Como, and Benny Goodman with his sextette and soloing with the Festival Symphony Orchestra.

          'Two Hazleton girls, showing typical teen-age ingenuity, came home with autographs of several famous personalities at last night's Philadelphia Music Festival...
            The girls just missed getting Duke Ellington's autograph. He was surrounded by a score of fans and finally called a halt before the girls reached him.'

          • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia,Penn.
            • 1951-04-15, pp.1,26
            • 1951-04-26 p.25
            • 1951-05-10 p.29
            • 1951-06-15 pp.1,32
            • 1951-06-16 pp.1,2, 24
          • The Plain Speaker, Hazleton, Penn. 1951-06-16 s.2 p.9
          • Additional documentation might be found in SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 8, "Seventh Annual Philadelphia Music Festival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 15, 1951"
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          2016-01-24
          2017-02-02
          2017-02-04
          1951 06 16
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 17
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          1951 09 02
          Sunday
          New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as disc jockey host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10
          During the summer of 1951, Ellington subbed for Benny Goodman as disc jockey on Goodman's Sunday afternoon classical music broadcasts. The show was produced by Dick Pack and the writers were Ellington and Bill Haland. Some sources have this beginning Sunday June 10, others suggest June 17.
          • Stratemann, p.327 and Vail II, with a clipping from an unidentified source, say June 10 was the first broadcast.
          • Variety's June 20 review indicates Ellington's first appearance was June 17.
          • The New York Times and Brooklyn Eagle radio logs for June 10 show Goodman.
          • The New York Times June 17 to September 2 Sunday radio logs show Duke as commentator.
          • Variety"

            'Orch leader Duke Ellington has taken over in fine style the longhair disk jockey spot held by Benny Goodman. The program scheduled to run through the summer, is devoted to spinning symphonic works interspersed with Ellington's commentary. If preem stanza (17) is any indication, show shapes up as top Sunday afternoon listening.
              Although Ellington's chatter is bright and lucid, he holds it to a minimum, preferring to spotlight the disks. Here too, Ellington displays clear showmanship values. His selections run the gamut from Rodgers to Beethoven and are aimed specifically at summer afternoon listening. Ellington displays plenty of charm in his brief narrations and although he chooses to be 'long on music and short on chatter,' he introduces the players with enough background info to satisfy the dialer. Script, which is sparked with wit and intelligence, hypos overall effect.'

          • Bridgeport Post June 14:

            ' Replacing the first hour of Benny Goodman's symphonic program on WNEW Sunday at 3 p.m. will be Duke Ellington presenting a weekly "Pops Concert," featuring a variety of numbers ranging from his own "American Lullabye" to Leroy Anderson's "Classical Jukebox" and a condensed version of Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor." '

          • Daily News, New York, N.Y. 1951-06-16 p.35 :

            'Duke Ellington joins WNEW as commentator of a new Summer series of symphonic pops concerts tomorrow afternoon at 3... '

          • The New York Age, 1951-06-23 p.14:

            'Duke Ellington joined Station WNEW last Sunday for the summer as commentator for a new series of symphonic pop works, to be knows as "WNEW Pops Concert." '

          • New York Times radio log for this day
          • The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
            1951-06-14 p.32
          • Variety 1951-06-20 p.34
          • Stratemann p.327, citing
            • Down Beat 1951-07-13
            • Variety 1951-05-30 p.36
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-04-21
          2018-10-27
          2024-04-28
          1951 06 18
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 06 19
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y..Mercer recording session
          The Coronets
          Tizol, Hamilton, W.Smith, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Bellson


          Titles recorded:
          • Alternate
          • Hoppin' John
          • Jumpin' With Symphony Sid

          Steven Lasker:

          '...according to my ears and contrary to all discographies, Ellington plays the final note (only) on the second title, and he's second pianist on the third title.'

          New Desor
          DE5119
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2019-09-02
          2020-05-08
          1951 06 20
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Lewisohn Stadium
          City College of New York
          Ellington and his orchestra and the NBC Symphony Orchestra played a benefit for the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund.
          Daily News, June 1:

          'TELEVIEWING AND LISTENING IN With Ben Gross
          The Duke's Concert . . Negotiations are proceeding for the telecasting over NBC of one of the most remarkable concerts of recent years. This is the musicale on the night of June 20, when Duke Ellington...conducts 63 members of the NBC Symphony combined witn his own band of 27 pieces at the Lewisohn Stadium, for the benefit of the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund for Cancer Research. The music to be presented will be Ellington's exclusively. For the occasion, he is creating two new suites and another composition. The concert will also be highlighted by the first NBC Symphony performance of Duke's "Harlem," which he was commissioned to write by Arturo Toscanini.
               This will he the first time that the network's world famous symphonic ensemble will have combined with a jazz band...
               Some 20,000 persons are expected to fill the Stadium for the concert. Every cent of the "take" will go to the cancer fund. Musicians, stage hands and others will be contributing their services and even critics will pay for their tickets.
               Indications are that it will be a great evening for a great cause – and the TV audience will be fortunate if it 's permitted to see as well as hear the memorable event.'

          Daily News, June 16:

          '...The concert will also introduce Ellington's new "Harlem," a suite commissioned by Arturo Toscanini and orgininally scheduled to be presented by Toscanini... '

          Sunday News, June 17:

          'Duke Ellington...will lead 70 members of the NBC Symphony Orchestra plus his own band, totalling more than 90...
               This marks the first time in 31 years that Stadium authorities will allow an outside organization other than the perrmanent orchestra to use its amphitheatre.
               ...The noted composer-conductor will premiere "Harlem," the piece he was commissioned to do for the NBC Symphony Orchestra and Arturo Toscanini. Originally, Toscanini and the NBC Symphony were scheduled to record the work for RCA-Victor, but the conductor was rushed to his wife's bedside in Italy when he learned that Mrs. Toscanini was seriously ailing...
               Notables selected to serve on the Sponsors' Committee...include Lauritz Melchior, Talullah Bankhead, Faye Emerson, Russel Crouse, Maurice Evans, Howard Lindsay, Oscar Hammerstein, Dick Rogers, Eddie Cantor, Milton Berle, Jackie Robinson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Marian Anderson and Dr. Wright, president of City College... '

          New York Times, June 21:

          '...It was the first concert of the season to take place in City College's Lewisohn Stadium.
               Mayor Impellitteri, boxer Joe Louis, President Harry Wright of the college, and Walter Winchell, treasurer of the fund, appeared as the event began...
                The first half was performed by the Ellington aggregation, and as soon as it started flash bulbs began to go off and photographers crept about the stage. The bandleader, suave and debonaire as ever...announced the program of familiar compositions: "Fancy Dan," "Frustration," "Selfish Serenade," "Take the A Train" and the humorous "Monologue, Duet Threesome."
               During the intermission the stage was reset and the symphony men assembled. Camera men grew more numerous. Mr. Ellington announced his own composition, "New World A-Comin'," and gave a forceful downbeat...
               "Harlem," the second Ellington composition, was commissioned by the N. B. C. Symphony. It was a more serious work, and showed (as it did when played by the jazz ensemble last winter in the Metropolitan Opera House) the composer's talent for melodic creation of atmospheric effects and enormous volumes of sound. It had its rhythmic moments that made even some of the symphony men tap their feet.
               The only distraction came when a flash bulb exploded and fell on the balding head of a string-bass player...
          C.H.'



          Variety reported the stadium was sold out but Stratemann reports the crowd of 9,000, the most to have ever attended an Ellington concert, only filled half the stadium.

          84-year-old NBCSO maestro Arturo Toscanini was away, having flown to Italy in late March or early April 1951. His wife died there June 23, and he didn't return to New York until mid-September.

          Stratemann reports all the performers were unpaid, thanks to a special dispensation from American Federation of Musicians, Local 802, and Earl Wilson, in his syndicated column, reported

          'Duke Ellington shelled out $2,000 of his own dough for copyists to work on his June 20 concert at Lewisohn Stadium for the Cancer Fund.'

          .
          • CTS wirestory datelined New York 1951-04-04
            Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Tex.
            1951-04-06 p.9
          • Daily News, New York, N.Y. and
            Sunday News, New York, N.Y.
            • 1951-06-01 p.48
            • 1951-06-16 p.23
            • 1951-06-17 s.2 p.5
          • The Leader-Observer, Forest Parkway, N.Y.
            1951-06-07 p.8
          • It Happened Last Night - The Midnight Earl,
            Delta Democrat-Times, Greenville, Miss.
            1951-06-18
          • Valley Times, North Hollywood, Cal.
            1951-06-19 p.5
          • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
            1951-06-21 p.5
          • The New York Times, New York, N.Y. 1951-06-21 p.25
          • TWA 93716 passenger list, 1951-09-17
          • Stratemann p.327 citing
            • Variety 1951-06-27 p.45
            • Down Beat 1951-06-29
            • Der Spiegel 1951-08-29 p.27
            • 1964 film "Jazz 625"
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-02-04
          2018-10-30
          2020-05-08
          2021-12-05
          1951 06 21
          Thursday
          ...Al Hibbler recording session..DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1951 06 21
          Thursday
          1951 06 30
          Saturday
          New York, N.Y.BirdlandTen day club residency, sharing the bill with Slim Gaillard. It seems likely the gig would be restricted to five days a week due to union rules, but until the contract is seen, I haven't shown days off.
          • The Brooklyn Eagle, New York, N.Y.
            • 1951-05-19 "Brooklyn and Broadway Night" Life column.
            • 1951-05-20 p.31
          .
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2018-10-29
          1951 06 22
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 23
          Saturday
          ...Peripheral event
          Ellington was a guest on the CBS network t.v. show The Show Goes On telecast at 9:30 p.m. local time, emceed by Robert Q. Lewis. Other guests were Harry Scheiner and Boyle Woolfolk. When the Ellington episode was filmed is unknown.
          • The Bridgeport Post:

            'Duke Ellington will be shopping for a new singer for his Birdland engagement when he appears on Robert Q. Lewis' CBS-TV program "The Show Goes On," Saturday night at 9:30.'

          • The Philadelphia Inquirer described the program as a professional talent sales program.
          • The show aired locally on WCBS channel 2 and according to Wikipedia, the sound was recorded for radio broadcast.
          • TV schedule,
            Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
            1951-06-23 p.15
          • Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
            1951-06-19 p.18
          • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.,
            1951-06-23 p.12
          • Ross Reports on Television Programming,
            1951-06-17 to 23,
            Talent Showsheet June 22-29 1951 p.1
            courtesy S. Lasker 2023-11-18
          .
          ...slNew
          added
          2023-11-20
          1951 06 23
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21

          WMCA broadcast from the club
          This broadcast cannot be identified in The Bridgeport Post June 23 program log.
          Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
          1951-06-23 p.15
          New Desor
          DE5120
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          Updated
          2018-10-30
          2020-05-08
          2023-11-20
          1951 06 24
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 06 24
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 25
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 26
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 27
          Wednesday
          ...Al Hibbler recording session..DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1951 06 27
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 28
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Gotham Recording Corporation
          Gotham Studio W1
          2 West 46th Street
          Gotham Recording Corporation recording session for a "Stars on Parade" U.S.Army Air Force Recruiting Service broadcast aired the week of August 19.

          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Anderson, Baker, Nance, Nelson Williams, Jackson, Woodman, Tizol, Hamilton, Smith, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Strayhorn, Hibbler
             ⚬ Fred Robbins (announcer / compere)
             ⚬ Nielsen mistakenly shows Dick Vance on trumpet.


          Titles recorded:
          • Take the "A" Train
            (intro and outro) ♢
          • Fancy Dan ♢
          • The Hawk Talks ♢
          • Ol' Man River ♢
          • C-Jam Blues ♢
          • Caravan
          • Mood Indigo
          • Ad Lib or Blues No. 04
          • Tea For Two
          • Monologue
          • Duet
          • Threesome
            (V.I.P. Boogie / Jam With Sam)
          • Primping for the Prom
          • [Moonlight] Fiesta
          • Sophisticated Lady
          ♢    included in the Stars on Parade 16-inch ET.
          • New Desor, NDCS, Timner V and Nielsen mistakenly date the session August 19, when it was scheduled to be aired.
          • None mention Robbins' narration.
          • New Desor shows this as a U.S.A.A.F.R.S. session, but in NDCS 1036 amends it to Gotham.
          • Gotham Recording Corporation's LP "Holiday Greetings from Gotham Recording Corporation" has two of these tracks, "Duet" and "Threesome." The album insert says "Threesome" was narrated by Robbins and Ellington and performed with Ellington's new 23-piece orchestra. As Steven Lasker points out, 23-pieces is just wrong.

          • Steven Lasker:
            • There were two Gotham Christmas LPs with Ellington tracks. The 1951 edition had the etched numbers "121251" on each side. The other bears no date except the insert notes two tracks were recorded on different dates in 1953, so it probably dates to 1953. Both show Gotham Recording Corporation at 2 West 46th Street, [which is at] the corner of 46th and Broadway. The insert refers to the company's "Broadway studios," [inferring] 2 West 46th St. was the studio's address.
            • Down Beat (1951 10 05, p.3) with session photo:

              'Duke, Benny, Herbie Fields Air Unrecorded Tunes Via 'Stars on Parade.'
              New York–Due to the swing back to swing music of late, the US army and air force recruiting program has recorded about 12 shows featuring the bands of Herbie Fields, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington. Most of the shows are made up of tunes NOT recorded by these artists, which make them of special interest. They will be heard on the Stars on Parade radio shows, aired over more than 2,000 stations.'

            • "Stars on Parade" was a 15-minute radio show produced by the Recruiting Publicity Bureau for U.S. Army and Air Force Recruiting Service and distributed to participating radio stations on 33 1/3 rpm, 16-inch ETs (electrical transcription discs) containing two shows, one on each side.
            • One such show with Ellington is known. The announcer/compere was the well-known disc jockey Fred Robbins.
            • According to its label,"Ellington Moods" was Stars on Parade program 575, "release week of August 19, 1951." The first and last track on Ellington's side of this disc are "Take the "A" Train" with commentary from Robbins. In between are four titles: "Fancy Dan," "The Hawk Talks," "Old Man River," and "C Jam Blues."
            • Ten other titles] survive from this date on a 12-inch LP, Gotham GRC-DE-1/GRC-DE-2, "Duke Ellington and his Orchestra with Fred Robbins," bearing the label of the Gotham Recording Corporation, 2 West 46th St. New York. This record was never offered for sale, and copies are extremely rare today.
            • Contents of DE-1 are "Fancy Dan," "The Hawk Talks," "Old Man River," "C Jam Blues," "Caravan," "Mood Indigo," "Ad-Lib" [an Ellington-Strayhorn piano duet/blues acc. by Marshall and Bellson]," and " Tea for Two."
            • Contents of DE-2: "Monologue" [Pretty and the Wolf]," "Duet," "Threesome," "Primping for the Prom," [Moonlight] "Fiesta, " "Sophisticated Lady."
            • The Gotham LP omits some material heard on the ET, including banter with incidental piano accompaniment between songs by Ellington and Robbins, a long Robbins intro to "Fancy Dan," and a 20-second commercial for Air Force recruitment.
            • Several tracks were reissued on two subsequent Gotham LPs:
              • "The Hawk Talks" and "Sophisticated Lady" on "Mastered Works of 1951,"
              • "Duet" and "Threesome" on the 1953 "Holiday Greetings from Gotham Recording Corporation."
              • A printed insert notes that Ellington's session was held at Gotham's New York studios on June 28, 1951.
            • Strayhorn and Hibbler are not in the Down Beat photo but both are heard on the session, Stayhorn on "Ad Lib" (a piano duet with Ellington) and Hibbler on "Old Man River." Nance is playing the third chorus of "Caravan" on violin as Tizol waits to play the fourth chorus. Robbins, holding a sheet of paper, stands facing Nance and Britt Woodman is crouched behind Procope. To Duke's left is an unidentified man wearing glasses and a tie.
            • Additional notes by Lasker:
              • Dick Vance is known to have been the sixth trumpet on Ellington's Columbia's session of 12/7/51 but he's on no other recording by Ellington I'm aware of. (He's named in the recording ledger for 12/7/51.) So Nielsen is mistaken about Vance being with the band on any other date.
              • The two Xmas discs are on red vinyl. GRC-DE-1/2 is on black vinyl. The address 2 West 46th St. is on all three, and other Gotham discs as late as 1963.
              • To best tell the story, I think it best to focus on the first LP, with all the titles except the two versions of A Train. It is labelled as "by DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA With Fred Robbins."
              • There are 14 songs on GRC-DE-1/2. The two versions of A Train bring the total number of songs recorded this date to 16, 17 if you count Threesome (V.I.P.'s Boogie/Jam with Sam) as two songs.
              • Fred Robbins narrates all 17. He ... talks over the music to identify the soloists on every track. That's why I call him a compere rather than an announcer.
              • "Ad Lib" is the title on the label. "Blues No. 04" is a title created not by Ellington or Strayhorn but by the New Desor team, to differentiate it from other untitled blues.
          • Stratemann p.328 citing Down Beat
            1951-10-05 p.3
          • Emails, Lasker-Palmquist
            • 2016-04-11
            • 2023-11-172023-11-22
          • DEMS photos
          NDCS 1036
          DE5124
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2016-04-11
          2020-05-08
          2023-11-18
          2023-11-22
          1951 06 28
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 29
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 30
          Saturday
          10 pm
          .New York, N.Y.."Songs For Sale" television and radio simulcast
          Duke appeared with Mitch Miller and composer Jules Styne on a show, hosted by Steve Allen, to judge tunes submitted by aspiring songwriters. Peggy Lee (subbing for Rosemary Clooney) and Johnny Desmond (who replaced Tony Bennett) would sing them so they could be judged by the panel. Winners received a cash prize of $100 and the winning tune would be published by BMI.
          • The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.,
            1951-06-30 p.5
          • Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc.
            1951-06-30 s.1 p.6
          • Stratemann p.328 (with photo)
          New Desor
          DE5122
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2018-10-30
          2020-05-08
          1951 06 30
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Birdlandsee 1951 06 21.....Added
          2011
          1951 06 00.New York, N.Y.BirdlandUndated broadcast from Birdland.New Desor
          DE5121
          DEMScorrTimner-4/22+29.Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2020-05-08

          July 1951

          1951 07 01
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10
          Sidemen's activities not documented
          New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 07 02
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 03
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 04
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 05
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 06
          Friday
          1951 07 12
          Thursday
          Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show
          Variety lists the bill as (names only) Duke Ellington Orc., John Mason Co., Teddy Hale, Ama Ming Al Hibler [sic] and Joya Sherrill. Hale was a tap dancer and Ming was a tightrope walker.
          • Variety 1951-06-06 p.47
          • Stratemann p.328 citing Variety 1951-07-04 p.54
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          1951 07 07
          Saturday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          see 1951 07 06....djpAdded
          2011
          1951 07 08
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10

          How this was done when Ellington was out of town needs to be determined. Did Duke return to New York for the day, did he pre-record the show, or did he appear live from a remote location?
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 07 08
          Sunday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          see 1951 07 06New York Times radio log for this day....Added
          2011
          1951 07 09
          Monday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          see 1951 07 06.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 10
          Tuesday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          see 1951 07 06.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 11...Date of contract between Triple Ell Corporation, Duke Ellington and Associated Booking Corporation (Joe Glaser, President) to provide 15 musicians led by Duke Ellington, for two 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week at the Blue Note Cafe beginning August 24, 1951, for $5,000/week.

          The contract says "It is specifically understood and agreed that unless otherwise specified herein, no part of the performance of the Orchestra shall be broadcast or reproduced by radio or other means."

          Stratemann, p.329, suggests the shorter, 5 day, 32 hour duration was due to a change in Musicians Union rules, and that days off were likely Mondays and Tuesdays.
          Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
          added 2012-11-03
          1951 07 11
          Wednesday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          see 1951 07 06.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 12
          Thursday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          see 1951 07 06.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 13
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 14
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 15
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 07 16
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 17
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 07 18
          Wednesday
          1951 07 31
          Tuesday
          New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre
          1501 Broadway at 43rd St.
          (Times Square)
          Paramount Marquee
          Stage show

          'It's another Great Paramount 2 for 1 Show!
          Peking Express...
          in Person
          Duke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra
          plus Peg Leg Bates,
          Howell & Bowser,
          Extra added attraction Toni Harper.
          Midnight feature every night '


          Variety devotes 6 paragraphs to reviewing this show. Stratemann says the show grossed $100,000 in its two weeks. The film was Peking Express.

          • Ellington orchestra with no vocalist: 5 reeds, 8 brass, 2 rhythm and Ellington, concentrates on jump tunes
          • Show includes comedy team Howell and Bowser, dancer Peg Leg Bates, and very young singer Toni Harper.
          • Band opens with Hawk Talks, then sidemen play various solos, then comes the monologue. Bellson closes with Skin Deep.
          • Ellington is master of ceremonies.
          • Tap dancer Peg Leg Bates' wooden leg is painted blue-grey to match his suit.
          • Singer Toni Harper, in her early teens, sings When You're Smilin' Rock-a-Bye Baby, Baby Blues and Lady Be Good.
          • The comedy team of Howell and Bowser wind up the show, with patter and gags, using an offstage voice, a violin and an ukelele as props.
          • Ads, New York Post, New York, N.Y.
            • 1951-07-17 p.27
            • 1951-07-29 p.13
          • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
            • 1951-07-21 p.7
            • Announcement "Stars Remain at Paramount, 'Peking Express' on Screen", 1951-07-28, p.13, referring to the second week starting July 25
            • Ad, 1951-07-28, p.13
          • Brooklyn Eagle, New York, N.Y.
            • 1951-07-27
            • 1951-07-28 p.14
            • 1951-07-30 p.4
            • 1951-07-31 p.5
          • The Daily Argus, Mount Vernon, N.Y., 1951-07-24
          • "House Reviews column, Variety 1951-07-25 p.46
          • Stratemann, p.328, citing the above Variety entry
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2018-10-31
          2018-11-02
          1951 07 19
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 20
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 21
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 22
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast
          - see 1951-06-10
          New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added
          2013-04-21
          1951 07 22
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 23
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 24
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 25
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 26
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 27
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 28
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 29
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 07 29
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 30
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011
          1951 07 31
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount Theatre

          Stage show - see 1951 07 18.....Added
          2011

          August 1951

          1951 08 01
          Wednesday
          ...Business event
          This was the effective date of a contract between Duke Ellington, Inc. and Joe Glaser's Associated Booking Corporation. ABC remained Ellington's booking agent for the rest of Duke's career, although the relationship was acrimonious.

          The Billboard, 1951 07 28 (courtesy S. Lasker):

          'Ellington, who hasn't been inked to an agency since he left the William Morris office two years ago, last week signed with Joe Glaser's Associated Booking Corporation [....] It is understood that Joe Glaser, ABC topper, gave the orkster a healthy cash advance against future commissions in return for his signature to a pact. Glaser's office will pick up the Ellington itinerary beginning August 1, but will not collect commissions on those dates already set for the maestro. Ellington is set to co-star on a giant arena tour which will run from late September to December. [...] It will be sold as The Biggest Show of 1951. The show was conceived and is being booked by Cress Courtney, veepee with the [Moe] Gale Agency.'


          Press manual cover, stage diagrams
          Cover and stage setups
          Associated Booking Corporation
          1951-1952 Ellington Press Manual

          Click to Enlarge
          Associated Booking Corporation issued a 32-page Press Manual for Duke Ellington (the blank back page is not reproduced here).

          Of particular interest are two pages showing the required stage setups for concert and theatre appearances.

          The manual must have been drafted over a period of some months, if its list of many "Outstanding Engagements" means engagements booked but still to be played. On the other hand, this list might simply name performances which were important.

          Dating the manual:
          The page listing Ellington's Columbia recordings shows Columbia album ML4418 and record 39545, released 1951-09-07 and 1951-09-14 respectively, but not Columbia 39670, 1952-02-29. This suggests the manual was produced sometime in late 1951 or early 1952.

          Guitar? Steven Lasker points out the diagrams show platforms for a guitarist, even though Ellington did not replace Fred Guy when he left in early 1949.

          Manual contents:
          • 1. Cover
          • 2. Foreward [sic]
          • 3. Punch Lines
          • 4. Billing Page of Duke Ellington
          • 5. List of Outstantding Engagements
            Recent Radio and Television Appearances
          • 6. Duke Ellington Columbia Recordings, Albums
          • 7. Concert Platform diagram
          • 8. Theatre stage diagram
          • 9. Duke Ellington in Profile
          • 11. Ellington Orchestra Now Top Concert Name
          • 12. Duke Ellington's Endless Parade of Hits Marches On
          • 14. Ellington Always Searching for New and Original Ideas
          • 15. Duke Ellington: Immortal of Music
          • 18. Ellington's Music an American Art Form
          • 19. Ellington's Unique Recording Methods
          • 20. Ellington a Favorite with both Adults and Kids
          • 21. Immortal Gershwin Pays Tribute to The Duke
          • 22. Interviews, Radio, Records, Sheet Music
          • 23. Autograph Stunts, Music Classes, Book Stores
          • 24. Duke Ellington - Stock Trailer Available at National Screen
          • 25. Duke Ellington Recent Reviews
          • 28. Personality: Duke Ellington
          • 30. Real Wild - Louis [sic] Bellson
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-07-02
          updated
          2016-07-02
          2023-11-28
          2024-04-28
          2024-05-03
          1951 08 01
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 02
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 03
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 04
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 05
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10
          The radio highlights column, Brooklyn Eagle, shows

          '3:00 0 Pop Concer, Duke Ellington, commentator, WNEW'

          Sidemen's activities not documented
          New York Times and Brooklyn Eagle radio logs for this date...djpNew
          added
          2013-04-21
          updated
          2018-10-30
          2021-12-02
          1951 08 06
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 07
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioColumbia recording session, 14:45-17:45
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Anderson, Baker, Nance, Nelson Williams, Jackson, Woodman, Tizol, Hamilton, Smith, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Strayhorn

          Titles recorded:
          • Deep Night
          • Please Be Kind
          • Smada
          • Rock Skippin' At The Blue Note
          • Don't Take My Love
          New Desor
          DE5123
          NDCS 1104
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2017-06-20
          2020-05-08
          1951 08 08
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioActivities not documented.
          Columbia recording session

          Stratemann reports a recording session at Columbia this day, without providing a reference, which may have been Nielsen.

          There is no Ellington session this date in Columbia's recording ledger, in Timner 4, Timner 5, New Desor, The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, nor even Vail II.

          All the takes listed this date in Nielsen are dated August 7 in New Desor correction sheet 1104. If it took place, it would have likely been a continuation of the previous day's session, but it probably didn't take place.

          Steven Lasker:

          'There's only one authoritative source for answering this question, and it's not a published discography, it's the relevant Columbia Records recording ledger, which shows Ellington and his orchestra recorded five titles on 1951 08 07 from 2:45 to 5:45 p.m. There is no mention of an Ellington session on 1951 08 08.'

          • Stratemann p.328
          • Email, Lasker-Palmquist, 2017-04-11
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-22
          2017-04-13
          2017-06-20
          1951 08 09
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 10
          Friday
          1951 08 16Detroit, Mich.Fox TheatreVaudeville

          The New Tribune:

          Edward McKinley [sic] Ellington, better known as Duke Ellington, brings his world famous orchestra to the Fox Theatre for one solid week beginning Friday.
            Co-starring with the Ellington aggregation will be ... Ella Fitzgerald...
            Also starring will be trumpet-tooting, violinist, comedian, Ray Nance, Al (Danny Boy) Hibbler, popular baritone, Harry Carney, saxophone and Howell and Bowser, No. 1 comedy team, and Bobby Ephriam...'

          On the same page:

          'Duke Ellington ... will arrive in Detroit this week to ascend the floating stage of the beautiful Fox Theatre comes [sic] Friday for a full week of entertainment... '

          From the Detroit Free Press review:
          • Instrumentation - 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, 5 reeds, piano, bass, drums
          • Nance named, doing "Sitting and Rocking" [sic]
          • Louis [sic] Bellson described as the show-stopper in the band.
          • Hibbler back, the reviewer menitoned his rendition of "Old Man River"
          • Ella Fitzgerald an added attraction, the reviewer sais she sang "Love You Madly," "Smooth Sailing" and "Come On-A My House."
          • Howell & Bowser - Howell is described as the straight man, using violin and ukelele, and Bowser as "the earnest deadpan."
          • Bobby Ephriam, tapper
          Stage show times Aug 11 were 1:20, 3:50, 6:10, 8:50 and 11:20

          The theatre grossed $42,000 for the week.
          • Ad and two plugs
            The New Tribune
            Detroit, Mich.
            • 1951-08-11 p.11
          • Review and ads
            Detroit Free Press
            Detroit, Mich.
            • 1951-08-11 p.12
            • 1951-08-12 p.12
            • 1951-08-13 p.15
            • 1951-08-14 p.4
            • 1951-08-15 p.5
            • 1951-08-16 p.23
          • Stratemann p.328 citing Variety
            • 1951-08-15 p.51
            • 1951-08-22 p.13
          • Variety
            • 1951-08-15 p.11
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          updated
          2018-10-30
          2025-01-07
          1951 08 11
          Saturday
          .Detroit, Mich.Fox Theatresee 1951 08 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 12
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10

          How this was done when Ellington was out of town needs to be determined. Did Duke return to New York for the day, did he pre-record the show, or did he appear live from a remote location?
          New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 08 12
          Sunday
          .Detroit, Mich.Fox Theatresee 1951 08 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 13
          Monday
          .Detroit, Mich.Fox Theatresee 1951 08 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 14
          Tuesday
          .Detroit, Mich.Fox Theatresee 1951 08 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 15
          Wednesday
          .Detroit, Mich.Fox Theatresee 1951 08 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 16
          Thursday
          .Detroit, Mich.Fox Theatresee 1951 08 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 17
          Friday
          .Lexington, Ky.Joyland Casino
          Joyland Park

          'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play Friday night at Joyland casino...
            Featured with Ellington will be Juan Tizol, Willie Smith and Louie Bellson, all new additions to the aggregation.'

          Tickets - advance $2.00; at door, $2.50
          • The Lexington Herald, Lexington, Ky.,
            1951-08-09 p.15
          • Sunday Herald-Leader, Lexington, Ky.,
            1951-08-12 p.38
          • Google Books: Peter Brackney, Lost Lexington, Kentucky, The History Press, Charleston, S.C., 2014. Page number not shown.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-10-31
          1951 08 18
          Saturday
          .Dayton, OhioCIO Auditorium
          313 S. Jefferson St.
          Dance

          The Ohio Daily Express:

          IN DAYTON APPEARANCE SATURDAY NIGHT: The fabulous Duke Ellington and his brilliant new 16-piece orchestra arrives in Dayton Saturday to play a one-night stand at CIO Auditorium, 313 S. Jefferson St., under the auspices of the Junior Economics Club. The famous Ellington aggregation will play for the dancing event, which begins at 9 P.M., open to public attendance.

          • Journal Herald
            Dayton, Ohio
            1951-08-16 p.9
          • The Ohio Daily Express
            Dayton, Ohio
            1951-08-17 p.1
          • The Dayton Daily News
            Dayton, Ohio
            1951-08-17 p.20
          ...djpNew
          added
          2025-01-07
          1951 08 19
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 08 19
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented
          Stars on Parade recordings were released for broadcast on this date or during this week - see 1951- 06 28
          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          1951 08 20
          Monday
          .Windsor, Ont.Prince Edward HotelAug. 18:

          'Duke Ellington, popular band leader, who is now fulfilling an engagement in Detroit, will appear as guest of the Windsor Rotary Club Monday at noon at the club's regular luncheon meeting in the Prince Edward Hotel. The guest of honor [sic] will take part in the annual Music Day.'

          Aug. 21:

          '...Duke Ellington (right) is shown being welcomed yesterday at the luncheon meeting ... Duke spoke briefly and played several of his own compositions on the piano.'

          The Windsor Daily Star, Windsor, Ont.
          • 1951-08-18 p.3
          • 1951-08-21 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-02-26
          1951 08 20
          Monday
          .Windsor, Ont.Showboat Ballroom,
          Oulette on the River
          (foot of Ouellette)
          DancingThe Windsor Daily Star, Windsor, Ont.
          • 1951-08-04 p.8
          • 1951-08-11 p.15
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-02-26
          1951 08 21
          Tuesday
          .Bright's Grove, Ont.Kenwick on the Lake

          'IN PERSON
          Duke Ellington
          and his Famous Orchestra
          Tuesday, Aug. 21st
          Kenwick
          on the
          Lake
          10 MILES NORTH OF SARNIA
          No Advance Sale       Admission Only $1.50
          '

          The Port Huron Times Herald, Port Huron, Ont.
          • 1951-08-14 p.7
          • 1951-08-15 p.4
          • 1951-08-17 p.4
          • 1951-08-19 s.2 p.14
          .
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2018-10-30
          1951 08 22
          Wednesday
          .Haslett, Mich.The Dells ballroom
          Lake Lansing
          Dancing, 9 p.m. - 1 a.m., sponsored by Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge No. 288. The paper reported several hundred persons gathered at the Dells ballroom at Lake Lansing.The Lansing State Journal, Lansing, Mich.
          • 1951-08-20 p.3
          • 1951-08-23, p.24
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-10-31
          1951 08 23
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 08 24
          Friday
          1951 09 06Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          56 W. Madison St.
          Club residency
          15 musicians led by Duke Ellington, for two 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week, for $5,000/week.

          Variety:

          "Duke to Chi Blue Note
            Duke Ellington has been signed for the Blue Note club, Chicago, Aug. 24 for two weeks. He'll follow with a series of one-nighters and concert dates through the west and midwest.
            Ellington, recently signed by Joe Glaser's Associated Booking Corp., has also been set for a tour of arenas and auditoriums with 'The Biggest Show of 1951' an all-Negro unit packaged for the Arena Managers Assn."

          • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
            1951-08-25 p.17
          • Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann
          • Variety 1951-08-15 p.42
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-22
          2018-10-31
          1951 08 25
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 26
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10

          How this was done when Ellington was out of town needs to be determined. Did Duke return to New York for the day, did he pre-record the show, or did he appear live from a remote location?
          New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 08 26
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 27
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill..see 1951 08 24 - believed to be a day off - no activities documented.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 28
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill..see 1951 08 24 - believed to be a day off - no activities documented.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 29
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 30
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 08 31
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011

          September 1951

          1951 09 01
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 02
          Sunday
          3 to 4 pm
          .New York, N.Y.WNEW Studios
          501 Madison Ave.
          Ellington subs for Benny Goodman as host of a Sunday broadcast - see 1951-06-10

          This appears to be Duke's last day on the job.

          How this was done when Ellington was out of town needs to be determined. Did Duke return to New York for the day, did he pre-record the show, or did he appear live from a remote location?
          New York Times radio log for this day...djpNew
          added 2013-04-21
          1951 09 02
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 03
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill..see 1951 08 24 - believed to be a day off - no activities documented.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 04
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill..see 1951 08 24 - believed to be a day off - no activities documented.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 05
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 06
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafesee 1951 08 24.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 07
          Friday
          7:45 pm
          .Milwaukee, Wisc.Wisconsin Avenue between N.Water and N.Broadway"Public street dance. Music by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra"
          Others named in the ad are Marilyn Maxwell and Johnny Desmond.

          Outdoor performance during a "Free Fun Festival" street party sponsored by The Downtown Association celebrating the opening of Milwaukee's Magnificent Mile. Crowds at the various entertainments were estimated to be 200,000 to 250,000.
          Stratemann:

          '... Ellington was to open Milwaukee's Wisconsin Street Club (or Theatre) with singer Marilyn Maxwell, according to Variety...but unless it was just a brief stand, the booking would have collided with... [the Sept 10 date]'

          Milwaukee Journal's review of Ellington's concert described a crowded street, with a shoulder to shoulder audience unable to move sideways, but instead bouncing up and down for 90 minutes. The weather was cool enough that the sidement wore coats and could see their breath. Soloists and songs named were:
          • Bellson:
            The Hawk Talks and later, Skin Deep (8 minutes, 2 bass drums, 3 snare drums and 5 cymbals)
          • Tizol:
            Caravan
          • Ray Nance:
            solo not identified, but at the end he tossed his horn into the air and caught it.
          • Harry Carney on bass clarinet:
            Sophisticated Lady
          • Bellson rolled up his pants legs and the band took off.
          • Half the bandstand lights went out because there was too much vibration.
          • Hibbler:
            Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, Lover Come Back To Me and Trees
          • Full band:
            How High the Moon, Mood Indigo and 14 minutes jamming on One O'clock Jump
          The performance ended 10 mintues after the scheduled 9:30 quitting time.
        • Stratemann p.329 citing Variety 1951-08-29 p.52
        • ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-27
          2015-12-27
          updated
          2018-10-31
          1951 09 08
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 09 09
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 09 10
          Monday
          1951 09 16
          Sunday

          1951 09 15
          Saturday
          Philadelphia, Penn.Club Harlem
          5530 Haverford Ave.
          Night club residency

          This was Ellington's first night club appearance in Philadelphia. This club sat 900.
          Club Harlem ad
          Club Harlem ad
          Click to Enlarge

          EDDIE JONES PRESENTS
          NOW! THIS WEEK ONLY!
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON

          AND HIS
          SENSATIONAL NEW BAND
          SAT. MAT.3.30
          AIR-CONDITIONED

          CLUB
          HARLEM
          5530 HAVERFORD AVE.
          Monday
          Buddy
          Johnson
          Band

          • The Billboard:

            ...Club policy calls for weekly change of bandstand attractions who give out for listening only and not for dancing in this large room...new season will get under way September 10, with Duke Ellington making his first nitery appearance in this town...

          • The Philadelphia Inquirer:

               Duke Ellington, the gracious guy who is the No. 1 figure in popular American music today, has brought his new band into the Club Harlem for a week–and it is naturally an occasion in the town. The band generates plenty of drive while offering those imaginative arrangements in the Ellington manner.
               A drummer named Louie Bellson has taken over Sonny Greer's spot and Willie Smith has replaced Johnny Hodges, but veterans Juan Tizol, Billy Strayhorn, and Ray Nance are familiar faces in the setup. The Duke is featuring his newest record tunes, "Monologue" and "The 8th Veil," along with the perennial favorites that have made him a byword.

          • The Philadelphia Inquirer:

            ...Club Harlem will have a Teen-Age Matinee Saturday so the younger element may hear Duke Ellington's exciting new band...

          • The Philadelphia Inquirer carried Club Harlem ads with Ellington on Sept. 5, 10 and 12. These ads don't mention a closing date, but the later two include "Sat. Mat. 3.30"
          • Stratemann and Vail II say the engagement ended Sunday, consistent with early announcements in Variety and The Philadelphia Inquirer which said the band would be here a week. The band must have finished here on Saturday, however, since
            • it played in Buffalo Sunday evening
            • State liquor laws prohibited night clubs from serving alcohol on Sundays.
          • The Billboard:

            PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 26–In an effort to hype the week's grosses in face of a midnight curfew on Saturday nights and a darkened Sunday, local nitery owners are making an all-out pitch to develop a matinee trade. While operating six nights a week, acts are being brought in for seven days, in order to allow a full show presentation at the matinee session which is set for Saturdays here,...Also making the daylight sessions important is the fall-off of Sunday night private business. In previous seasons, clubs would rent out the premises for Sunday nights to private parties, providing show and band and keeping the bar and kitchen open as well. However, last year the State Liquor Control Board ruled that, while clubs could operate for private parties on Sundays, there can be no selling of liquor...Rooms big and small are ballying Saturday matinees...Club Harlem, featuring the top Negro attractions, also offers a "Teen-Age Matinee" on Saturday...

          • Variety
            1951-08-15 p.53
          • The Billboard
            • 1951-08-18 p.33
            • 1951-11-03 pp.53, 59
          • Baltimore Afro-American
            Baltimore, Md.
            1951-09-08 p.16
          • The Philadelphia Inquirer
            Philadelphia, Penn.
            • 1951-09-05 p.49
            • 1951-09-10 p.28
            • 1951-09-11 p.25
            • 1951-09-12 p.51
            • 1951-09-13 p.25
          ...djp.Added
          2011
          updated
          2018-10-31
          2025-01-09
          1951 09 10
          Monday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Shibe Park arenaEllington may have attended a boxing match. A sports column reporting the outcome of a fight between Gil Turner and Ike Williams said

          Even The Duke of Ellington" was attracted by the magnetic pairing of the ex-champ versus the brilliant prospect.

          Bob Finucane, "Bob Tales"
          Chester Penn., Times
          Chester, Penn.
          1951-11-12, p.16
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-11-19
          updated
          2025-01-06
          1951 09 11
          Tuesday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Club Harlemsee 1951 09 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 12
          Wednesday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Club Harlemsee 1951 09 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 13
          Thursday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Club Harlemsee 1951 09 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 14
          Friday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Club Harlemsee 1951 09 10.....Added
          2011
          1951 09 15
          Saturday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Club Harlemsee 1951 09 10

          This appears to be the end of the engagement. There was a matinee, and the band likely played in the evening too. If so, it would have finished when the club had to stop serving booze at midnight.
          .....Added
          2011
          1951 09 16
          Sunday
          .Buffalo, N.Y.Kleinhans Music HallConcert
          While Buffalo Evening News said the concert would start at 8:30, the in Buffalo Courier-Express "What's Doing?" column listed it at 7:45. The programme doesn't show the time.

          Buffalo Evening News
          • Sept.15:...appearance in Kleinhans Music Hall tomorrow evening at 8:30...With Ellington's new orchestra will be such jazz "greats" as Billy Strayhorn, Juan Tizol, Harry Carney, Willi [sic] Smith, Cats [sic] Anderson and the new drummer, who has been a sensation at all the Ellington engagements, Louis [sic] Belson [sic]. Vocalists are Al Hibbler and Thelma Carpenter.
          • Sept.17:ELLINGTON'S FANS ROUSED TO FERVOR BY HIS ORCHESTRA
            By HEOLINDA C. BORIS
               DUKE ELLINGTON and his orchestra sent a large number of persons in Sunday evening's near capacity audience in Kleinhans Music Hall into a fine frenzy of appreciation. In fact, for a few moments the noisy commotion in the rear of the hall threatened to drown out Ellington's power-house volume on the stage.
               The greatest ovation was accorded to Louis [sic] Bellson, drummer extraordinary, who provided an exhibition of precision, rhythmic drive, volume and throbbing abandon that was stunning to watch and hear, if a little appalling.
               There was high enthusiasm, too, for such veterans of Ellington's group as Jimmy Hamilton, whose clarinet makes "sweet talk," and who is an exceptional technician; "Cats" [sic] Anderson, Harold Baker and Ray Nance, trumpeters; Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Russell Procope and Willie Smith, saxmen; Wendell Marshall, bassist, and others. And, of oourse, cheers for the "Duke" himself.
               THE PROGRAM followed the Ellington formula of combining some familar numbers with some new songs and including at least one of Ellington's major "tone poems" in jazz.
               On this occasion, the jazz study was "Harlem," a somewhat repetitious impression of life in that colorful area.
          Ticket stubs and programme
          Concert programme and ticket stubs
          Click to Enlarge
          • Buffalo Evening News
            Buffalo, N.Y.
            • 1951-09-15 p.5
            Buffalo Courier-Express
            Buffalo, N.Y.
            • 1951-09-16 p.17-A
            • 1951-09-17 p.15
          ....New
          Added
          2025-01-09
          1951 09 17
          Monday
          .Toronto, Ont.Massey Hall
          178 Victoria St.
          Concert.

          Toronto Daily Star:
          • Radio by Gordon Sinclair:

            '...Duke's appearance last night was something special even for him...and Ellington has long held a spat of special affection in Toronto.
              This time, Dick MacDougall, who probably knows more about jazz than anyone else in Ontario, was pitching, in advance, and when the Duke got here with his new group there was a chorus of Ellington stuff from every station in almost frenzied acclaim.
              I thought Durante had hit a high spot here...as he did...but Ellington topped him.
              For my money the best treatment in the welcome to the Duke came from Elwood Glover, who had a flock of Ellington music played by other bands.'

          • Hugh Thomson:

            '  Before curtain time in Massey Hall last night the question going the rounds was: "I wonder if the Duke's new orchestra will mean a change of style?"
              ... the large audience ran through all age groups
              ... the Duke has always written his music to exploit the boys in his orchestra who have been with him for years. This applied especially to his mood-invoking brand of composition which has been lauded by big composers for fresh originality. But just a short time ago Duke lost four of his key veterans...and now, the big question mark was: "Has Ellington re-vamped his style of music?"
              The chief work of the evening, Dukes' "Harlem," announced as a "tone picture and one of our most ambitious works of the year," summed up the answer. It's [sic] proper title should ahve [sic] been "Neurosis Unlimited," because during the course of this lusty opus, two climaxes were reached by the 15 players which made the riotous climaxes of a Tschaikowsky symphony performed by 90 men sound like chamber music by comparison. In between you had a glimpse of the old Ellington, who, with unerring sense of instrumental color, [sic] beat and harmony, could touch your imagination. But this interlude proved brief in the rampant noise.
              They say a fellow grows mellow with years; Ellington seems to be going through a second spring. He can still write subtle jazz and convey it to his virtuoso men, but his sublety is now jet-propelled.
              Sonny Greer, his drummer who used to play music with his percussion instruments in the old Ellington style, has been replaced by Louie Bellson, who pounds out the beat, hot and loud.'

          • Toronto Daily Star, Toronto, Ont.
            • 1951-09-15 p.14
            • 1951-09-17 p.13
            • 1951-09-18 pp.4, 48
          • Stratemann, p.329
          • Vail II, p.24
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-03-05
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2024-07-28
          1951 09 17
          Monday
          .Toronto, Ont.Rollie Merner's rooming house
          103 Pembrooke St.
          (Unconfirmed)
          Bob Green, writing in the Cambridge Reporter, recalled Ellington and his band played in the home of Rollie and Doris Merner in Toronto during a heat wave in the summer of 1951. Ellington is not known to have been in Toronto that summer until Sept. 17 and since he was only there for a day, this may not have occurred in September or perhaps not in this year. However, historical weather reports for Toronto show that 1951 was an extraordinarily hot summer.

          Mr. Green wrote that Merner was passionate about jazz, Ellington and civil rights. His rooming house was a hangout for the artistic and intellectual elite, as well as taxi drivers and prostitutes, and it was also the home of bassist Don McFadyen. Green:

          '...Duke Ellington was playing the grand piano.... his whole band was there. Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Ray Nance . . . 17 of them, like a dream.

          On a couch right beside the Duke, hypnotized by the keyboard, sat a member of the Ontario Supreme Court, Judge Unger and his wife... he and his wife had arranged the session ... when they learned the band was coming to town. They also arranged for catered food and drink in abundance.

          McFadyen, nicknamed "Junior" years earlier in honour of Ellington's bass player, Junior Raglin, sat spellbound on the floor and watched his namesake play. Raglin then asked Don to take over for awhile, which he did with tears on his cheeks.

          He had always said that the greatest musical thrill he could imagine would be to play with Duke Ellington. And so it happened. Cal Jackson got to play piano too.

          So there we were jammed together in the swelter and dim light, taking musical communion with this great jazz band,...'

          Bob Green, Top Musicians Mingle with Judges, Hookers; Duke Ellington and His Entire Band Was There, Just Like A Dream, Eavesdroppings, The Cambridge Reporter, 2002-12-27, p.A7 as reproduced in the online Canadian Reference Centre, available through the Fraser Valley Regional Library's website....djpNew
          added
          2015-06-05
          1951 09 18
          Tuesday
          ...Date of contract between Triple Ell Corporation, Duke Ellington and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington" for two 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week at the Blue Note Cafe beginning December 21, 1951, for $5,000/week.

          The contract says "It is specifically understood and agreed that unless otherwise specified herein, no part of the performance of the Orchestra shall be broadcast or reproduced by radio or other means."
          Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
          added 2012-11-03
          1951 09 18
          Tuesday
          ... Peripheral event
          Duke's chauffeur and valet since the early 1930s, Willie Manning, was arrested and Ellington's car was seized by New York police because Manning dealt drugs, using the car. Ellington was not implicated and the car was returned after $700 in storage fees were paid. Manning pled guilty and was sentenced to four years in jail for conspiracy to violate the marijuana laws. Testimony at the trial indicated he made 19 marijuana sales from 1950 to 1951 as a member of a gang.
            Daily News, New York, N.Y. 1951-09-29 p.8

            'Federal Judge Gregory F. Noonan yesterday opened a sealed indictment charging eight persons with conspiracy to sell marijuana in a $20,000-a-month traffic. The defendants, all Negroes, include Willie Manning, 48, described as the valet of band leader Duke Ellington. The Government stressed that Ellington was not involved. Horace Murphy, 30, of Houston, Tex., described as the ringleader, was held in $25,000 bail. Four defendants are still sought. '

          • Variety, 1951-10-03 p.49

            'i??In New York, Willie Manning, Duke Ellington's chauffeur and handyman for the past 20 years, was indicted in Federal Court for pushing narcotics among local musicians. Ellington was not involved in the charges, but his auto was seized for being the vehicle in which Manning allegedly made his deliveries.'

          • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1952-07-26 p.2

            'NEW YORK (ANP) - They sent Willie Manning to jail last week. Willie, 48, well-known in Harlem, and for the past nineteen years valet-secretary-chauffeur-man-about-the-place for Duke Ellington, pleaded guilty on June 23, interrupting his trial at which testimony had been produced showing he had made nineteen marijuana sales as a member of a gang between 1950 and his arrest last Sept. 18. '


          Evidence of Manning's time with Ellington:
          • The Pittsburgh Courier 1930-09-06 p.16 p.6 s.2

            'LOS ANGELES - Sept. 4 - (ANP) - In her elaborate suite of rooms at the Dunbar Hotel, Miss Michael (Mickey) Donaldson was the interesting, charming hostess i?? i??Sunshine Sammyi?? Morrison, Willie Manning, i??Freddie Jenkins,i?? and the famous Duke Ellington were among the men present. '

          • New York Age, Feb. 22 1941 p.4

            ' By the way, the Duek's (sic) lovely sister, Ruth is the object of all eyes, riding in her new maroon 41 Cadillac, with her chauffeur, Willie Manning at the wheeli??'

          • Pittsburgh Courier 1941-12-20 p.20 (Billy Rowe's Notebook)

            'Willie Manning for reasons best known to himself has given up his slave behind the steering wheel of Ruth Ellington's caddie to drive Count Basie about town.'

          • Payments to him in the 1944 first quarter accounting records (see 1944 01 01).
          • The Weekly Review, Birmingham, Alabama 1944-08-26 p.3

            'MRS. MARGARET M. PORTIS, R.N., left the city Sunday P.M., for New York City to be with her brother, Mr. Willie Manning, who is to undergo an operation there on Wednesday. Mr. Manning is formerly of this city and is now with Duke Ellington orchestra.'


          Steven Lasker:

          'Duke Ellington told Brooks Kerr--who told me--that he'd never smoked a cigarette that didn't have printing on it (i.e., store-bought tobacco).'

          • Stratemann, citing
            Variety 1951-10-03 p.49
          • California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
            1952-07-24 p.1
          • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
            1952-07-26, p.9
          • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2020-09-06
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-27
          updated
          2013-04-28
          2020-10-17
          1951 09 18
          Tuesday
          .Quebec City, P.Q., CanadaLa Tour......Added
          2011
          1951 09 19
          Wednesday
          .Ste Rose, P.Q., CanadaDomaine Ideal......Added
          2011
          1951 09 20
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 09 20...Personnel change
          Al Hibbler leaves the band
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-23
          1951 09 21
          Friday
          1951 11 29
          Thursday
          ..

          Overview of the Biggest Show of 1951 Tour


          The Biggest Show of '51
          The Biggest Show of 1951
          From September 21 until the end of November, 1951, Ellington and his orchestra, together with Sarah Vaughan and the Nat King Cole trio, headlined a touring vaudeville (variety) show called The Biggest Show of 1951.

          The show included a dance troupe led by Marie Bryant, tap dancer Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates, comedian Timothy Ancrum as Timmie Rogers, the team of James Cross and either Eddie Hartman or Harold Cromer as Stump_and_Stumpy, and the team of Patterson & Jackson.

          This tour was the last work Cress Courtney of the Moe Gale Agency organized for Ellington before Duke signed with Joe Glaser's American Booking Corp.

          The show, a big hit, was reported to have grossed nearly $1,000,000, against expenses of $24,000/week.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2011
          updated
          2022-04-10
          1951 09 21
          Friday
          1951 09 23Boston, Mass.Boston GardenVariety show "Biggest Show of 1951"
          First of three nights here
          Beginning of the "Biggest Show of 1951" tour. Headliners were Ellington and his orchestra, Sarah Vaughan and Nat King Cole's trio.

          Others were
          • Marie Bryant and her dance troupe
          • Stump and Stumpy
          • Patterson & Jackson
          • Peg Leg Bates
          • Timmie Rogers
          The Billboard carried a story dated Oct. 6 1951 saying the show, costing $24,000 a week, was initially set for three weeks with additional dates pencilled in that were subject to cancellation. The Oct. 6 story said, however, it was now a go-ahead to run until the end of November, and that it would probably run through the South and part of the Midwest, but not west of the Rockies.

          In contrast, Variety Oct. 3 said the unit was "booked solid until Dec. 5 when it will close in the Mid-West."

          Homzy's liner notes quote Bellson:

          After I was in the band for a couple of months, Duke said, "We're going to make a tour down South to do a show with Sarah Vaughan and the Nat 'King' Cole Trio."

          I said, "OK," and he said, "Do you know what that means?"

          I was puzzled, so Duke said, "I can't find another drummer who can do what you do, so I'm going to make you a Hiatian."

          And I said, "I'm ready to play music, no matter what." So I became a fair-skinned Haitian, and I stayed with the band wherever we went.

          The Billboard says the show was being sold for $4,000 to $5,000 a day, depending on house capacity and day of the week. This suggests the risk of profit or loss is to the venue owner, who would be entitled to the entire ticket revenue.

          The Billboard reports the Boston Garden revenue after tax was $18,000 over the three days.

          Nat King Cole commented on playing in arenas in The Billboard, 1951-12-22, p.44
          • Variety 1951-08-08 p.52
          • Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
            1951-09-22, p.11photo collage
          • Boston Sunday Herald, Boston, Mass.
            1951-09-23 s.IV p.17
          • Stratemann, p.329, citing Variety
            1951-10-03 p.51
          • The Billboard
          • Andrew Homzy, liner notes to "Duke Ellington and His Orchestra at The Crystal Gardens, Salem, Oregon, 1952," HEP CD 92/93
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-22
          2020-02-28
          2020-05-08
          1951 09 22
          Saturday
          .Boston, Mass.Boston GardenBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          .....Added
          2011
          1951 09 23
          Sunday
          .Boston, Mass.Boston GardenBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Two shows today, 2:30 matinee and 8:30 evening.
          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          2020-02-28
          1951 09 24
          Monday
          .Worcester, Mass.Memorial AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21 - played to audience of 4,200, ticket sales $8,460
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 09 25
          Tuesday
          .Providence, R.I.Rhode Island AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21 - 6,100 in audience, ticket sales $10,450
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 09 26
          Wednesday
          .Troy, N.Y.Troy ArmoryBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21 - 4,400 in audience, ticket sales $5,400

          Local promoter Ted Bayly had the drill shed set to hold 5,800 but Variety understood he made a profit anyway.

          Ticket prices per Variety were $1.75 to $2.75.

          Sarah Vaughan's car broke down so she didn't perform this night
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 09 27
          Thursday
          8:30 pm
          .Newark, N.J.Mosque Theatre
          1020 Broad St.
          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Gate $8,620, Tickets: $1.50, $1.80, $2.40, $3.00, $3.60, $4.20
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-10-13 p.51
          • The Billboard 1951-10-13 p.1
          • Westfield (N.J.) Leader, Westfield, New Jersey
            1951-09-20 p.23
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-01
          1951 09 28
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
          (Main Hall)
          7:45 and 11:00 p.m.Two sold-out performances of the Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          The fire department authorized 100 standees; the ticket price was $4.80, ticket revenue was $17,000 for the two shows

          Stratemann provides a short summary of the 8 paragraph favourable review by Variety.

          The Oct. 1 New York Times review reprinted in The Charleston Gazette says the band opened the festivities at about 7:45 and then became backdrop and accompaniment for The Marie Bryant Dancers, Patterson and Jackson, Peg Leg Bates, Nat King Cole and his trio, Stump and Stumpy and Timmie Rogers and Sarah Vaughan. The first show was over about 3 hours after it started; the lobby was already crowded with those waiting for the second show; while usherettes were clearing the house, the band was practicing a new finale and runners were out getting food for the performers. "At 11 P.M. the day's work was only half done."
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-11-19
          2015-12-03
          1951 09 29
          Saturday
          .Norfolk, Va. Municipal AuditoriumTwo performances of the Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $14,348
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-10-13 p.1...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 09 30
          Sunday
          .Richmond, Va. Mosque AuditoriumTwo sold-out performances of the Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $13,009 for the two shows
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          2013-09-07
          2020-02-28

          October 1951

          1951 10 01
          Monday
          .Baltimore, Md.ColosseumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $8,500

          The Oct.6 Baltimore Afro-American carried a picture of Ellington, Cole, local disc jockey Chuck Richards and NAACP membership campaign officials Gertrude Gorman and John Flamer, saying Ellington and Cole endorse the current membership campaign.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 02
          Tuesday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Gimbels Music Center
          Seventh Floor–Market

          'The incomparable "Duke', currently appearing in the "Biggest Show of 1951' at the Arena, will be on hand to autograph copies of his best-selling Columbia records! '

          The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
          1951-10-02 p.10
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-02-26
          1951 10 02
          Tuesday
          1951 10 03Philadelphia, Penn.ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21 - first of two nights
          Stratemann p.329 citing ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 03
          Wednesday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21 - second night

          Ticket sales for the two nights, $18,341
          The Billboard 1951-10-13 p.1...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 04
          Thursday
          8:30 pm
          .New Haven, Conn.New Haven ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $7,000
          Prices: $1.00 general admission
          $2.00 & $3.00, reserved
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-10-13 p.1
          • Ads:
            • Naugatuck (Conn.) News:
              • 1951-09-25, p.9
              • 1951-10-03 p.4
            • The Bridgeport (Conn.) Sunday Post:
              • 1951-09-23, p.B-8
              • 1951-09-30, p.B-9
          • The Bridgeport Telegram
            • 1951-09-23
            • 1951-09-30
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 05
          Friday
          .White Plains, N.Y.Westchester County CenterBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $9,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 06
          Saturday
          .Springfield, Mass.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $8,600
          • The Springfield Union, Springfield, Mass.
            1951-09-11 p.11
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          2020-02-26
          1951 10 07
          Sunday
          2:45 and 8:45 pm
          .Montréal, P.Q.Montreal ForumTwo performances in the 15,000 seat Forum
          The Biggest Show of '51
          Ellington's orchestra with the Nat King Cole Trio, Sarah Vaughan and a "collection of assorted comics and dancers" — Marie Bryant leading the dancers, vaudevillian Peg Leg Bates, comedian Timmie Rogers, comedians Stump and Stumpy and comedians Patterson and Jackson.

          Ticket sales $25,000
          • Announcement, The News and Eastern Townships Advocate, St. Johns, PQ, 1951-09-27, p.12
          • The Gazette, Montreal, Que.
            • 1951-09-15 p.24
            • 1951-10-08, p.10
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          2020-02-26
          1951 10 08
          Monday
          .Ottawa, Ont. AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $4,200 here.
          • Stratemann p.329 citing Variety 1951-10-10 p.62
          • The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 09
          Tuesday
          .Kingston, Ont. Community AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $7,500
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 10
          Wednesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Maple Leaf GardensBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $13,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 11
          Thursday
          .Kitchener, Ont.Memorial AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $9,800
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 12
          Friday
          .London, Ont. London ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $7,800
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 13
          Saturday
          .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $13,500
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 14
          Sunday
          8:30 pm
          .Syracuse, N.Y.Onondaga County War MemorialBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Presented by "Syracuse Nats"

          Ticket sales $12,500

          Prices $1.00, $1.50, $2.00, $2.50

          The War Memorial building was newly built, opening the previous month.
          • Announcements:
            • Syracuse Post-Standard, 1951-09-30, p.17
            • Syracuse Herald-American, 1951-11-14, p.29
          • Ads:
            • Syracuse Herald-American, 1951-09-30, p.33
            • Syracuse Post-Standard:
              • 1951-09-23, p.18
              • 1951-10-07, 9p.20, 28
              • 1951-10-09 p.16
              • 1951-09-30, p.16
          • "Dis and Dat" review, Marcellus N.Y. Observer 1951-10-19 p4
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-20
          1951 10 15
          Monday
          .Rochester, N.Y.Edgerton ParkBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $9,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 16
          Tuesday
          .Cleveland, OhioMain ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $15,000

          (Variety announced the package show was booked at the Public Auditorium.)
          • Variety 1951-09-05, p.59
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ..Joe MosbrookdjpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-22
          1951 10 17
          Wednesday
          .Cincinnati, OhioThe GardensBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $14,811 for an audience of 8,849
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 18
          Thursday
          8:30 pm
          .Charleston, W.Va.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $7,500

          Prices: Balcony: $2.50
          Mezzanine: $4.00
          Main floor: $3.00 $3.50 $4.00

          (The Gorby Music Shop ad shows Ellington and Vaughan's names and lists their records it carries, but does not mention Cole.)
          • Charleston Gazette ads:
            • 1951-09-23 p.22
            • 1951-09-26 p.7
            • 1951-09-30, p.37
            • 1951-10-12 p.5
            • 1951-10-16, p.7
            • 1951-10-17, p.7 (Galperin Music)
            • 1951-10-17 p.16 (Gorby's Music Shop)
          • Announcement, Charleston Gazette, 1951-10-18, p.19
          • Review, Emotional Jazz,Vaudeville Touch Delight Ellington, Cole Devotees, Charleston Gazette, 1951-10-19 p.15
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-01
          1951 10 19
          Friday
          .Pittsburgh, Penn.ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $16,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 20
          Saturday
          8:30 PM
          .Scranton, Penn.Sports ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          CYC (Scranton) Sat. nite
          The Greatest Show Ever

          Duke Ellington
          Nat King Cole
          Sarah Vaughan
          with 52 famous stars
          Prices: $1.80, $2.50, $3.50

          Ticket sales $6,000
          • Ad, Binghamton Press, 1951-10-18, p.26
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 21
          Sunday
          .Washington, D.C.National Guard Armory
          2001 East Capitol Street
          Biggest Show ticket
          The Biggest Show of '51 ticket
          Two performances
          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          "Net take" about $25,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing
          • The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          • Variety 1951-10-17 p.62
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist re ticket on eBay
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          2022-04-10
          1951 10 22
          Monday
          .Roanoke, Va.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $7,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 23
          Tuesday
          8:30 pm
          .Richmond, Va.Mosque AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Return engagement

          Ticket sales $6,000

          "RICHMOND, Va.-(ANP)-Nat King Cole and his trio, Duke Ellington and his orchestra, songstress Sarah Vaughan and other top performers in the musical world comprising the cast of the Biggest Show of '51" will appear in a return engagement at the Mosqu[illegible] Tuesday night, October 23. So popular was the group, on [illegible] original appearance here, September 30 for two shows-that the demand for tickets was greater than available seats in the large theatre. Thousands were tuned away. Only one show will be given Oct.23 a full three hours of entertainment, to begin at 8:30 P. M. All seats will be reserved."
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-31
          1951 10 24
          Wednesday
          .Raleigh, N.C..Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $12,000
          • The Rocky Mount Sunday Telegram, Rocky Mount, N.C.,
            • Short Notes 1951-10-28, p.3A
            • News About NEGROES,1951-10-21 p.10B
          • Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-01
          2020-01-06
          1951 10 25
          Thursday
          .Columbia, S.C.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ticket sales $8,000
          Stratemann p.329 citing The Billboard 1951-11-03 p.24...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          1951 10 26
          Friday
          .Atlanta, Ga.City AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          Racial matters
          Jim Crow reared his ugly head here.

          The Auditorium management enforced a long-unobserved state law requiring racially separated entrances for public meeting places, and police told "colored" people they had to use the back door. The Afro-American reported that about 1,000 patrons tore up their tickets in protest. The A-A reports "more than 4,000 crowded in to see and hear Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan and Nat (King) Cole" and "there were 1,500 white record fans with a great big section all to themselves."

          The local promoter is quoted as saying he had no advance knowledge of the door arrangements, which was new to Atlanta. The arena manager "readily admitted that he made the arrangement, but he was acting on the orders of the City Council Auditorium Committee."

          The article goes on to say the white members with Ellington and Cole were allowed to perform, contrasting with Birmingham, where the Police Commissioner told white musicians they could not play on a stage with colored musicians.
          ...N.Fernandez, djpNew
          added
          2013-04-10
          2022-04-10
          1951 10 27
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 10 28
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 10 29
          Monday
          8:30 pm
          .New Orleans, La.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          Segregated - tickets advertised as Choice Orchestra Seats for White Patrons ... $3.50, $2.75 including tax.

          The review describes the show fairly well, and mentions that Ellington changed clothes between almost every number.
          Times-Picayune, New Orleans:
          • Ad, 1951-10-21
          • Ad, 1951-10-23, p.12
          • Ad and publicity, 1951-10-25, p.30
          • Ad, 1951-10-28, p.10
          • Publicity, 1951-10-29 p.12
          • Ad, 1951-10-29 p.34
          • Review, 1951-10-30, p.10
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-09-06
          updated
          2020-01-05
          1951 10 30
          Tuesday
          .Houston, Texas.Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          'In Houston on Oct. 3, both will play the same night, so the box office figures should be something to watch on this date. '

          • Stratemann p.329 citing Down Beat 1951-11-02
          • Fairfax Nisbet, 'Chatterbox,' Dallas Morning News, 1951-10-13, p.6, pt.II
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-09-07
          1951 10 31
          Wednesday
          Halloween
          .San Antonio, TexasColiseumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          8 p.m.; admission pre-sale $2.25
          • San Antonio Light, San Antonio, Texas,
            • 1951-10-16 p.20
            • 1951-10-25 p.13-B
          • La Prensa, SAn Antonio, Texas
            1951-10-16 p.2
          ....New
          added
          2020-01-06
          1951 fall a.U.S.A..Telecast with Ray Block Orchestra.New Desor
          DE5125
          ...Added
          2011
          1951 fall b.U.S.A..Telecast "Benay Venuta Show".New Desor
          DE5126
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08

          November 1951

          1951 11 01
          Thursday
          .Austin, TexasCity ColiseumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Tickets: $3.60 $2.40 $1.80

          Newlyweds Roberta and Jack Weathers drove from San Marcos Air Force Base to attend the show.

          The Austin American review was positive. It mentions baseball player Roy Campanella was persuaded to talk briefly.
          • The Austin American, Austin, Texas
            • 1951-10-26 p.A26
            • 1951-10-30 p.A-11
            • 1951-10-31 pp.A-1, 21
            • 1951-11-01 pp.23, A-13
            • 1951-11-02 p.A-22
          • The Austin Statesman, Austin, Texas
            • 1951-10-26 p.22
            • 1951-10-29 p.14
            • 1951-10-31 Pt.A p.13
            • 1951-11-01 p9.21, A-17
          • Sunday American-Statesman, Austin, Texas
            1951-10-28 p.B-6
          • Emails, Drew Weathers - Palmquist
            2020-01-05
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-01-06.
          1951 11 02
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 03
          Saturday
          8 pm and 11 pm
          .Dallas, TexasState Fair AuditoriumBiggest Show of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          Two performances
          Initally planned to be two segregated concerts, whites first and then blacks, plans changed to allow separate seating in the white concert for blacks, and vice versa in the black concert.

          Prices - Lower Floor $3.60, $3.00; Balcony, $3.00, $2.40, $1.20, including tax. Box office to open at 9 a.m.

          The Dallas Morning News reported each show had about 3,000 in the audience. It commented

          'The first, starting at around 8:30 p.m. audience had a preponderance of white patrons with a smaller proportion of Negroes, and on the second show the ratio was reversed. '

          It reported Ellington played a small upright standing up when he did hit the keybaord, and only once sat at the grand, for "Caravan."
          Dallas Morning News
          • Chatterbox column by Fairfax Nisbet
            • 1951-10-13, p.6, pt.II
            • 1951-10-19 o.12 Pt.I
          • Ad and mention, 1951-10-26, Pt. I, p.17
          • Publicity - article and photos, 1951-10-28, Pt.IV, front page
          • Events of the Week, 1951-10-28, Pt.IV,p.2
          • Publicity, 1951-11-03, Pt.II, p.4
          • Review, 1951-11-04, Pt.I p.10
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-09-06
          updated
          2020-01-05
          1951 11 04
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 05
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 06
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 07
          Wednesday
          8:30 pm
          .Little Rock, Ark.Robinson Memorial Auditorium(Unconfirmed)

          Biggest Show of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          Arkansas State Press, Little Rock, Ark.
          • 1951-11-02 p 8
          • Observatory Comments by Earl Lee Davy, 1951-11-16, p.4
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-09-06
          1951 11 08
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 09
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 10
          Saturday
          .St. Louis, Mo.TaxiCourier:

          'Duke Ellington Escapes Death
            ST. LOUIS – Duke Ellington narrowly escaped with his life here on the night of Nov. 10 when a taxicab in which he was riding crashed into the rear of an auto which had stopped ahead.
            A woman in the front car died later of injuries, and Duke, thrown violently against the front seat of the taxi, suffered minor injuries. He was headed for Kiel Auditorium for the "Big Show of 1951" concert. His friend, William Bowie, of this city, was with him in the taxi.'

          Steven Bowie:

          ' "Another friend was Black Bowie. "Black" was not his real first name, but an adjective applied to show his position in the color strata. Most of the men my father went around with had light brown skins. Bowie was brown-skinned, but he was the darkest shade of light brown in the whole gang, so he was dubbed "Black." Depending on your perspective, you could call him a schemer, an idea man, a dreamer, or a hustler. In his various roles, he could figure out how to scratch out a living without going through the regular educational process. He came from a very good family, but he just decided he could live on his wits.
               So it was usually Bowie who engineered the schemes that would have Pop taking his father's Chandler out of the garage and going to Baltimore, where Bowie had arranged for him to play a couple of hours for a set fee. After the gig was over, and no matter who was in the group, he and Pop went off with the lion's share of the proceeds and split it between them."'

               – from the book "Duke Ellington in Person" by Mercer Ellington with Stanley Dance
               Of course, the name Black Bowie intrigued me, but he's only mentioned twice in the book and his first name is not disclosed.
               Bowie is not a very common surname in the US. The name appears most commonly in Maryland, Louisiana and Texas. Trumpeter Lester Bowie is from the Maryland group and I'm from the Louisiana Bowies. There doesn't appear to be any relation between the East Coast and Southern Bowies.
               ...The Pittsburgh Courier article mentions that Ellington was riding with a friend, William Bowie. Could this be "Black Bowie"? After a little digging, I found the following: ***
          • The man known as "Black Bowie" was born William Nicholas Bowie on 2 December 1895 in Washington, DC. His parents were William Ellis Bowie and the former Jane Rebecca Wills. (In later years, he would shave some years off his age.) His father made his living as a chauffer. The family also took in boarders for extra income. Bowie was inducted into the military on 13 December 1918, a little over a month after the World War Armistice had been declared.
          • In the 1920 census, he lived at 1800 11th Street NW. At the time, Duke lived at 2788 Sherman Avenue NW, less than a mile away. Both men were described as "mulatto" by the census taker. At this time, Bowie's occupation is listed as messenger. His marital state is single, but in 1921 he was granted a divorce from his wife of three years on the grounds of adultery (whose?).
          • Also in 1921, Bowie and an accomplice, Benjamin Grice, were arrested for assault and housebreaking. Bowie was given a ten year term to the prison in Leavenworth, Kansas.
          • He wound up serving 6 of the 10 years he was sentenced to.
          • Sometime before the 1930 census, he moved to Los Angeles. He was married again; his wife was named Leilia. He lists his profession as lawyer. He probably studied law while in prison, since school didn't seem to be a priority for him. Bowie was not an actual attorney in the eyes of the State of California – he didn't pass the bar until 1951!
          • He dodged a bullet in 1927 when he was found not guilty in a check forgery case.
          • Bowie couldn't stay clean and in 1933 was sent to San Quentin Prison for 1 to 15 year term for burglary in the 2nd degree. He only served a little over 3 years and [was] released in December of 1936.
          • It wasn't long before Bowie was back in prison, this time Folsom. In 1938, he was given a 1 to 14 year term for assault with intent to commit robbery. Interesting, his file notes that he's "not an Habitual Criminal." (!) (Listed as an identifying feature, the scar under his left eye, in his booking photo, is from a 1937 robbery attempt on him.)
          • Sometime after his parole in 1941, Bowie makes his way to the East St. Louis area. There he became the publisher and editor of the East St. Louis Beacon and The Tattler. Perhaps as a nod to a changed life, he's now known as W. Nicholas Bowie.
          • In July of 1962, he was found dead behind the wheel of his car, the victim of an apparent heart attack. Although the newspapers give his age as 61, he was really 66.
          • The Courier, National Edition, Pittsburgh, Penn.
            1951-11-24 p.47
          • Email, Bowie-Palmquist 2021-09-15 re his Facebook article
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-02-26
          updated
          2021-09-16
          1951 11 10
          Saturday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Convention HallBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Ellington was interviewed by a reporter for the Baltimore Afro-American. The published account of the interview created a public relations nightmare for Ellington.
          Stratemann, p.330 citing DESB...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-27
          1951 11 00...Personnel change
          Nelson "Cadillac" Williams leaves the band
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-25
          1951 11 11...Personnel change
          Clark Terry, trumpet and fluegelhorn, born 1920, joins the band. In this Youtube video, he talks about how he was recruited.
          ...djpNew
          added 2012-10-25
          1951 11 11
          Sunday
          .Kansas City, Mo.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          Clark Terry's autobiography describes his first night as a permanent band member, which he places in Kiel Auditorium, the new name for the St. Louis Municipal Auditorium, on Remembrance Day. While his book tells us Ellington recruited him from Basie, and paid him to wait in St. Louis until the band arrived on Nov.11, the Maryville Daily Forum has the band playing in Kansas City on November 11, and the St. Louis date seems pretty certain to have been Nov.10. Terry describes playing this night, describing the routines performed by the other acts. Terry's date seems to be wrong.
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-31
          2015-08-31
          1951 11 12
          Monday
          8:30 pm
          .Des Moines, IowaKRNT TheatreBiggest Show Of 1951 - see 1951 09 21Anouncements:
          • The Jefferson Herald, Jefferson, Iowa, 1951-10-25 p.6
          • The Jefferson Bee, 1951-10-30, p.2
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-01
          1951 11 13
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 14
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 15
          Thursday
          ...Personnel change
          Willie Cook, trumpet, joins the band
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-11
          1951 11 15
          Thursday
          .Ann Arbor, Mich.University of MichiganBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Part of this concert appears to have been recorded - three titles are listed in Timner - Love You Madly is on YouTube
          • Timner4, p.124
          .DEMScorr Timner-4/22.Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-28
          2020-05-08
          1951 11 16
          Friday
          .Troy, OhioHobart Arena
          255 Adams St.
          (Unconfirmed)

          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Tickets: $1.50, $2.00, $3.00
          The Lima News, Lima, Ohio
          • Announcement, 1951-11-06, p.12
          • Ad, 1951-11-13, p.16
          • Ad, 1951-11-14, p.20
          ....New
          added 2013-03-28
          1951 11 17
          Saturday
          7 pm and 9 pm
          .West Lafayette, Ind.Hall of Music
          Purdue University
          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Two performances in this 6,005 seat theatre
          • Announcement, Kokomo Tribune, 1951-11-12, p.9
          • Vail II
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-28
          1951 11 18
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera HouseBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Two performances

          Opera House manager Herb Carlin announced a package of four concerts, Stan Kenton on Nov. 10 and 11, Billy Eckstine and George Shearing on Nov. 13, and this show on the 18th. Tickets were to be sold as a package or as singles. Ticket price $3.00 "tops" except this show, $3.50. The sales pitch would be aimed at "the juves" who find it too expensive to go to the niteries.

          Variety reported the show racked up $21,000 for these performances, sold out several days in advance. House manager Herb Carlin had to sell pit seats for the overflow.
          • Poster or ad reproduced in Vail II.
          • Variety
            • 1951-09-12 p.46
            • 1951-11-21 p.40
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-23
          1951 11 19
          Monday
          .Davenport, IowaMasonic Auditorium(Unconfirmed)

          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          Vail II...djpNew
          added 2013-03-29
          1951 11 19
          Monday
          ... Peripheral event
          Variety announced Mercer Records had signed Billy Strayhorn to a recording contract as a bandleader. The first release would be an LP, with a group of Ellington sidemen.
          Variety 1951-09-19 p.53...djpNew
          added 2013-04-22
          1951 11 20
          Tuesday
          8:30 pm
          .Rochester, Minn.Mayo Civic Auditorium(Unconfirmed)

          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          Tickets: $1.80, $2.40, $3.00, $3.60
          Ads,
          • The LaCrosse Tribune, LaCrosse, Wisc.:
            • 1951-11-16, p.7
            • 1951-11-18, p.21
          • The Winona Republican-Herald, Winona, Minn.:
            • 1951-11-16, p.13
            • 1951-11-19, p.9
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-01
          1951 11 21
          Wednesday
          .Minneapolis, Minn.Municipal AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          • Vail II
          • Variety 1951-10-31 p.41
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-27
          1951 11 22
          Thursday
          .Milwaukee, Wisc.Milwaukee ArenaBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          This was American Thanksgiving Day, and the streets were icy. Attendance was only about 4,500. Ellington delayed the start for half an hour to allow the seats to fill; when that didn't happen, he invited the audience to move closer.
          • Short announcement, Milwaukee Sentinel, 1951-10-23
          • Ad, Milwaukee Journal, 1951-11-22, p.5
          • Review, Milwaukee Journal, 1951-11-23 p.25
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-01
          1951 11 23
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 24
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 11 25
          Sunday
          .Detroit, Mich.Olympia StadiumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          11,000 admissions, gross $26,490
          ...djp, n.f.New
          added 2013-03-31
          1951 11 26
          Monday
          8:30 pm
          .Canton, OhioCanton Memorial AuditoriumBiggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21
          4,000 in attendance
          Tickets, $1.80, $2.40, $3.00 and $3.60 including tax
          • Announcement, The Evening Independent, Massillon, Ohio, 1951-11-23 p.17
          • The Canton Repository, Canton, Ohio
            • Subdued ad, 1951-11-26, p.14
            • Several brief mentions in the week before the show
            • Review, 1951-11-27,p.26
          ....New
          added 2013-03-28
          Updated 2013-09-06
          1951 11 27
          Tuesday
          8:30 pm
          .Toledo, OhioToledo Sports Arena
          One Main St.
          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          The Billboard reports "turned 'em away," indicating a sold out house

          Variety reported an audience of 4,900 and revenue of $9,800
          • The Billboard 1952-01-12, p.50
          • Ads,
            • Toledo Blade, 1951-11-24
            • The Lima News, 1951-11-26 p.22
          • Variety 1951-12-05 p.53
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-23
          1951 11 28
          Wednesday
          7:30 & 10 PM
          .Columbus, OhioMemorial HallTwo performances
          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          In a report from Columbus dated Dec. 4, Variety said this was the second last show of the tour, and reported $8,500 for the double show with top tickets priced at $3.80. An ad in the Zanesville paper shows ticket prices, including tax, were $2.00, $2.50, $3.10 and $3.60
          • The Billboard 1951-11-17, p.50
          • Ad, The Marion Star, Marion, Ohio, 1951-11-20, p.17
          • Ad, Times-Recorder, Zanesville, Ohio 1951-11-21 p.11
          • Variety 1951-12-05 p.53
          • Plug, The Newark (O.) Advocate and American Tribune, 1951-11-21 p.7
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-23
          1951 11 29
          Thursday
          .Johnstown, Penn.Cambria County War Memorial Arena
          326 Napoleon St.
          (Unconfirmed)

          Biggest Show Of 1951
          - see 1951 09 21

          The Indiana Evening Gazette reported the War Memorial had been trying to book the show, but the troupe had such an heavy performance schedule that it was "only last week" they learned November 29 was available.
          • Announcements
            • Bedford Gazette 1951-11-26 p.6
            • Indiana Evening Gazette 1951-11-26 p.9
          • Ad, Bedford (Mass.) Gazette, 1951-11-28
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-28
          1951 11 30
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......

          December 1951

          1951 late.U.S.A..Broadcast.New Desor
          DE5129
          ...Added
          2011
          1951 12 00...Personnel change
          Singer Jimmy Grissom joins the band and trumpeter Harold "Shorty" Baker leaves
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-12
          1951 12 01
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Hotel TheresaPress conference

          The Baltimore Afro-American carried a story in which Ellington defended his comments about racial political action reported by reporter Otis Thompson, who interviewed him backstage when The Biggest Show of 1951 played in St. Louis on November 10. Ellington was subsequently attacked by a columnist, and there was controversy in the black press.
          Global wirestory:

          'Theatrically Yours
          By Ria Darley
          New York City–(Global)–Duke Ellington's Press Conference at the Hotel Theresa last Saturday was "perhaps" not for Global since this office did not receive any notice about it ... Six years as a Press Syndicate just doesn't register on some folk ... "me thinks" ... However, Duke Ellington, one of the top Orchestra Leaders did not seem to have impressed some of those who attended the Conference to listen to statements which denied some others that had been made concerning "Negroes Aren't Ready" – after the Joe Baker-Stork Club incident ... Don't know the outcome of the Duke Ellington Press Conference, and am really not too interested ... other than it's time that folk knew Global News Syndicate is around the Globe...'

          Jackson Advocate, Jackson, Miss.
          1951-12-15 p.3
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-02-23
          1951 12 02
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 03
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 04
          Tuesday
          ... Peripheral event
          Baltimore Afro-American 1951-12-04...djpNew
          added 2013-04-01
          1951 12 04
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 05
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 05
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y..On this date, Louie Bellson assigned his composition Skin Deep to Tempo Music. The contract is signed by Ruth James and Louie Bellson.Document auctioned May 18 2016 by Guernsey's Auction House, May 18, 2016...djpNew
          Added
          2019-05-07
          1951 12 06
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 07
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y..Columbia recording session
          Steven Lasker:

          'Harlem was recorded between 14:00 and 20:00.
          Bensonality was recorded between 20:00 and 23:30 '


          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Baker, Terry, F.Williams, Nance, Vance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson

          Titles recorded:
          • Harlem
          • Bensonality
          Lasker:
          'Down Beat, 1952 01 11 (p.1) notes that Cat Anderson is absent from the band, due to injuries from an auto accident, for a period that includes the 1951 12 07 recording date that produced Harlem.

          Klaus [Stratemann] references this and adds

          'Columbia file cards seem to contain conflicting information, as they list Anderson among those present on those date. '

          Klaus cites Up-to-Date 2005, which contains this note from Jerry Valburn:

          'Those of you who have volume three (UTD-2004) will notice a discrepancy in the personnel as shown for the dates of 7 and 11 December 1951. Our information comes from existing file cards. '

          Jerry was quite wrong on this point! I've reviewed the actual files, and noted that:
          • The personnel isn't found on cards, but rather on sheets in a ledger book, which lists six trumpets on Bensonality: Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Harold Baker, Ray Nance, Francis Williams and Dick Vance.
          • Vance was absent from Harlem, which was assigned master number CO 50717.
          • The number Valburn shows for Harlem, CO 47264, was actually assigned to a master by Jimmy Dorsey.
          • The New Desor and Timner's Fifth ed. have the correct master number for Harlem, which came from me.
          New Desor
          DE5127
          DEMS.SL djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-23
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-08
          2021-11-02
          1951 12 08
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 09
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented

          Ellington was telecast on the CBS network television show Star of the Family.
          • The New York Times listing says:

            '6:30-7–Star of the Family: With Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy; Duke Ellington, Andy and Della Russell, Gloria Le Roy – (2)'

          • Wikipedia says

            'The first season featured people who might be related to a celebrity, and the show contestants tried to guess the name of the celebrity. The celebrity was then brought out to entertain the audience. '

          • Whether Ellington was a guest constestant or one of the celebrities is unclear.
          • The opening credits of the show are on YouTube, but the show itself is not. It apparently can be viewed by visiting the Paley Centers in New York and Los Angeles.
          • It seems likely the show was filmed earlier in the week, since the half-hour episode was telecast nationally on the CBS network, appearing at 5:00 p.m. in Texas, 6:30 on the east coast and Ohio, 5:30 and 8:30 in Wisconsin, 9 p.m. in Los Angeles, and 10:30 in Nebraska, differences that cannot be accounted for by time zones.
          • It also wouldn't have been much of a contest if it were a live telecast since the names of the guests appeared in newspaper t.v. schedules both Saturday and Sunday.
          • Duke-LYM emails, B. Serrano, B.Koller
            2021-07-23, 2021-07-24
          • Cursory review of nationwide television logs, 1951-12-08 and 1951-12-09
          .
          ...BSNew
          added
          2021-07-24
          1951 12 10
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 11
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioColumbia recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Baker, Terry, F.Williams, Nance, Vance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Bellson, Lloyd Oldham
          Titles recorded:
          • Blues At Sundown
          • Duet
          • Controversial Suite 1. Before My Time
          • Controversial Suite 2. Later
          • Azalea
          • Vagabonds
          • Something To Live For (the ledger is noted reject per Ellington
          .New Desor
          DE5128
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-23
          2020-05-08
          2021-11-02
          1951 12 12
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 13
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 14
          Friday
          .Bloomington, Ind.Men's Quad Dining Hall
          Indiana University
          Dames Ball

          1951-12-12:

          '"Timply Serrific" Say Mixed-up Dames As Universal Reveral Draws Near

            ... the theme of the Dames Ball is the "Universal Reversal," – "timply serrific" it is.
            The one-evening reversal of the campus social structure will be Friday evening, from 9 pm. until 1 a.m., in the Men's Quad Dining Hall.
            Duke Ellington and his band will play while the ladies treat the gentlemen to an evening of entertainment. When the Duke and his musical crew were here last April for an Auditorium concert, everything was normal; but Friday he will see the women paying and escorting.
            Since everything will be turned around that evening, a king, rather than a queen, will be elected to reign over the ball.
            Mortar Board members selected Ken Shidler, Cole La Master and Dale Monroe, seniors; Ernie Olson, junior, and Bill Chambers, sophomore, to compete for the title of King of the Dames Ball.'


          "THE DUKE"
          (Ellington)
          will be there . . !
          WILL YOU??

          The
          DAMES BALL

          Sponsored by
          Mortar Board

          Friday, Dec. 14
          9-1 p.m.

          Men's Quad Dining Hall

          Tickets $3.90
          at I.U. Ticket Office


          1951-12-14:

          'EDS TO STRUT IN REVERSE TONIGHT
          mrofreP ot ekuD gniK kciP semaD sA

            !Ereh si "lasreveR lasrevinU" ehT!
            Or, to translate from Dames Ball language, which is naturally backwards - the "Universal Reversal" is here!
            Tonight's the night when each campus doll treats her guy to an evening's entertainment. Tonight's the night when fantastically-corsaged gentlemen will dance at their dates' expense to the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra.
            The Duke will perform this evening in the Men's Quad Dining Hall from 9 until 1 o'clock in front of a backdrop which was inspired by his own music. His blue and sparkling music suggested a motif of blue musical notes, sparkling with silver glitter, to the Mortar Board artists who planned and produced the decorations...'


          1951-12-15:

          'Ernie Olson King Royal At Dames Ball...

            The Mortar Board-sponsored "Universal Reversal" took over the Men's Quad Dining Hall last evening under the ruling scepter of Ernie Olson, junior, who was crowned King of the Dames Ball by Jan Nicely, senior and chairman of the dance...
          The Court Reigns
            The other four candidates, Dale Monroe, Ken Shidler, Coleman LaMasters, all seniors, and Bill Chambers, sophomore, formed a princely court for the new king.
            Duke Ellington and his band gave the dancers the good old Ellington music that they were expecting. The decorations added much to the spirit, since they were inspired by the Duke's musical style.
            Blue musical notes, glittering with silver, formed a backdrop for the Duke's band, well-known for its sparkling, blue music. The Bames Dall, the universal reversal of the Dames Ball, was emblazoned on the backdrop.
            Walking decorations in the form of typically fantastic Dames Ball "corsages," provided much of the interior decoration for the huge dance hall...'

          • Stratemann p.331 citing Variety 1951-10-17 p.48
          • The Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
            • 1951-12-12 p.1
            • 1951-12-14 p.1
            • 1951-12-15 p.1
            -courtesy C.Lynn and E.M.Peters, Office of University Archives and Records Management, Herman B. Wells Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. (2015-11-18)
          • Photograph, Ellington at the piano, Indiana University archives photo collection.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-22
          2015-11-18
          2021-04-04
          1951 12 15
          Saturday
          .Herrin, Ill.White City ParkDuke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Admission $2.20, tax included.
          Ads:
          • The Daily Register, Harrisburg, Ill.
            • 1951-12-06 p.2
            • 1951-12-11, p.3,s.3
          • The Register News, Mount Vernon, Ill.
            • 1951-12-07 p.6
            • 1951-12-14 p.12
          • Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, Ill.
            • 1951-12-07 p.10
            • 1951-12-11 p.12
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-09
          2020-05-08
          2021-04-04
          1951 12 16
          Sunday
          .Spring Valley, Ill.Les Buzz Ballroom

          LES BUZZ Spring Valley
          Brings You In Person
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          and His Famous Orchestra
          SUNDAY, DECEMBER 16th
          DANCING 9 TILL 1
          Adv.2.00 - Door 2.25 tax. incl.
          No other Illinois date except Chicago
          America's Finest Artist
          Featuring the World's 3rd
          Greatest White Drummer
          "LOUIE BELLSON""'

          Dance
          • The Peoria Journal, Peoria, Ill.
            • 1951-12-14, p.C-13
          • Vail II
          • Dixon Evening Telegraph, Dixon, Ill.
            • 1951-12-14 p.3
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-04-22
          updated
          2021-04-04
          1951 12 17
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 18
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 19
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1951 12 20
          Thursday
          .Bloomington, Ind.Indiana UniversityDance, announced by Variety:

          "Duke Ellington set for Dec. 14 date at University of Indiana, Bloomington, then jumps back for an RCA Victor dance there, Dec. 20"

          The university archivist advises the campus was already closed for the winter break by the 20th, so this event may have been somewhere else in the city. In any event, the Bedford paper reported:

          'SHIRLEY BROWN attended an RCA Christmas dance last Thursday in Bloomington with Roger Hensley, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Jones and Mr. and Mrs. Don Brinegar. DUKE ELLINGTON and his band played for the dance.'

          • Variety 1951-10-17, p. 48
          • Email, Schwier-Palmquist 2015-11-18
          • Bedford Daily Times-Mail, Bedford, Ind.
            1951-12-28 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-22
          updated
          2015-11-20
          2021-04-04
          1951 12 21
          Friday
          ...Personnel change
          Singer Betty Roché reportedly rejoined the band. Stratemann says she

          'was back in the band during this engagement, but just for the duration, it appears. After the January 3, 1952 exit from the Blue Note, there's no trace of her with Ellington for the next two months. '

          Stratemann shows her next with the band for its tour that began March 21, 1952.

          Barbara Wingate sang with the band during the Blue Note residency, but it isn't clear for how long.

          Lloyd Oldham also sang with the band at the Blue Note. It isn't clear when he was hired – he sang in the December 11 recording session – and he appears to have been replaced by Jimmy Grissom during the Blue Note run.
          • New Desor vol.2
          • Stratemann pp.331 ,345
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-25
          updated
          2015-06-04
          2021-04-05
          1951 12 21
          Friday
          1952 01 03
          Thursday
          Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          56 W. Madison St.
          Night club residency
          • The contract was for 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington" for two 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week at the Blue Note Cafe beginning December 21, 1951, for $5,000/week.
          • Unlike later contracts with the Blue Note, this one did not require a vocalist, so it is interesting Betty Roché apparently rejoined at this time, Jimmy Grissom joined, and two other singers – Barbara Wingate and Lloyd Oldham – reportedly sang with the band here as well.
          • While the Dec.20, 22, 26 and 31 ads say "Continuous Sundays from 4 p.m.," the Dec. 30 ad says "Sundays from 5 p.m."
          • Chicago Daily News
            • Dec.20

              'THE BLUE NOTE, only Loop night club having the sheer courage to close one night every week, will top its own achievement when it stays dark next Monday because it is the cousom of Frank Holzfiend, manager and a family man, to spend Christmas eve with his kids. But the same Holzfiend progeny will accoompany papa to te Madison st. cellar Sunday afternoon for a Christmas party at which Two Ton Baker will play Santa Claus and Duke Ellington's band will do some jazzy Yuletide caroling.'

            • Dec.29

              'ELLINGTON WHIMSICAL
              Duke's Mixture Satirizes Jazz Music at the Blue Note
                    More pixieland than Dixieland is Duke Ellington's whimsical piano rendition of "Before My Time" at the Blue Note.
                   This Duke's mixture of Dixieland, jazz, bop and blues satirizes all elements of modern music from the age of ragtime to the present.
                   Ellington's big force of fanfare, now numbering 17 musicians, welcomes two new soloists for the current engagement. One is Lloyd Oldham, whose cavernous voice has been compared to that of Bill Farrell–"only two fathoms deeper."
                   The other is beige Barbara Winfield, who tampers with torch ballads with enamoring results.
                   DRUMMER-MAN Louis [sic] Bellson has achieved the ultimate in the art of rhythmic percussion.
                   He produces what is termed a "melody on the drums:–a vibrant concoction of hot licks called "Ting-a-ling."
                   Another of Ellington's musickers, Juan Tizol, is the composer of "Perdido" and other warm-cadenced tunes. He navigates the slide trombone.
                             >G.M.'

          • Variety 1951-09-26 p.133
          • Chicago Daily News, Chicago, Ill.
            • 1951-12-20, p.41
            • 1951-12-22, p.12
            • 1951-12-26, p.18
            • 1951-12-29, p.8
            • 1951-12-31, p.7
          • ChicagoDailyTribune,Chicago,Ill
            • 1951-12-20, pt.1, p.17
          • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago,Ill,
            • 1951-12-30, pt.7, p.4, s.2
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-12
          2021-04-05
          1951 12 22
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1951 12 23
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21

          The ads indicate Ellington started at 4 p.m. Sundays.

          Club owner Frank Holzfiend held a Christmas party Sunday afternoon, hosted by Two Ton Baker with Ellington's orchestra proving music - see 1951 12 21.
          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-06
          1951 12 24
          Monday
          ...activities not documented - the Blue Note was closed Christmas Eve - see 1951 12 21.....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-06
          1951 12 25
          Tuesday
          Christmas
          ...activities not documented
          - probably a day off to comply with the contract
          ......
          1951 12 26
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1951 12 27
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1951 12 28
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1951 12 29
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1951 12 30
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1951 12 31
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21 - this should have been a night off according to the contract, but the Chicago Daily Tribune announced Ellington and his new 17 piece orchestra would help revelers greet the New Year in the Loop's Blue Note, and The Blue Note ran an ad in this day's Chicago Daily News.Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
          1931-12-30 p.F4,
          courtesy C. Windheuser, SI-NMAH Volunteer.
          ...CW.Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-05



          Back to Navigation List

          1952


          Date of event Ending date
          (if different)
          City/
          Other place
          Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
          Desor
          reference
          DEMS
          reference
          Other
          references
          Contact
          person
          Date added
          / updated

          January 1952

          1952 01 01
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21 - most likely a night off under the contract......Added
          2011
          1952 01 02
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1951-12-21.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 03
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeLast night of club residency - see 1951-12-21

          Vail reports some of the band members attended the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Papa. Mr. Papa was a friend of Ellington's road manager Al Celley, and the couple was at the club this evening.
          Vail II....Added
          2011
          1952 01 04
          Friday
          .Sauk City, Wisc.Riverview Ballroom

          DANCE
          FRIDAY NITE
          JANUARY 4th

          DUKE
          ELLINGTON

          and his 22-piece
          world-famous orchestra
          Adm. $2.00 Tax Incl.
          RIVERVIEW
          BALLROOM–Sauk City


          Palmquist note:

          As of April 2021, this event still needs to be confirmed. Sauk City is 170 miles northwest of Chicago and 970 miles west-northwest of New York. The band is not known to have travelled as a group by air yet, so playing Saturday morning in New York as reported in Stratemann would mean either a very long overnight bus ride or catching a train in Chicago before suppertime on Friday, ruling out the Sauk City gig.

          The Wisconsin State Journal and the Capital Times ads for this engagement included a same-day ad, suggesting the event was NOT cancelled. While I found no follow-up mentions in the papers, that's not surprising for one-nighters.

          It is possible, however, that the dance was cancelled or postponed, because the band was also advertised to play here May 24.

          • The Capital Times, Madison, Wisc.
            • 1951-12-14
            • 1952-01-02
            • 1952-01-03,p.8
            • 1952-05-15 p.4
            • 1952-05-16 p.4
            • 1952-05-16
            • 1952-05-24
          • Wisconsin State Journal
            • 1951-12-14 s.2 p.12
            • 1951-12-23
            • 1951-12-30 s.1 p.8
            • 1952-01-03 s.2 p.5
            • 1952-01-04 s2 p.9
            • 1952-05-16 s.2 p.3
            • 1952-05-18 s.2 p.5
            • 1952-05-24 s.1 p.5
          • DEMS 08/3-9
            Additions to Duke's Itinerary by Arne Neegaard
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          2021-03-26
          2021-04-04
          1952 01 05
          Saturday
          .South Bend, Ind.Palais Royale Ballroom

          IN PERSON
          DUKE ELLINGTON

          and his Orchestra
          One Night Only

          SAT., JAN.5th
          Admission $1.50 plus tax
          DANCING 9 to 12
          PALAIS
          ROYALE BALLROOM
          South Bend, Ind.


          Palmquist note:

          As of March 2021, this event conflicts with the January 5 New York Metropolitan House concerts reported in Stratemenn, Vail II, New Desor, Timner IV and V, Nielsen, etc.
          It may be, however, that this dance was cancelled or postponed, because the Tribune also carried an ad for Ellington to play a stage show at the Palace theatre, next door to this ballroom June 11. The theatre and the ballroom were both built by the Palace Theatre Corporation, and if they were under the same management in 1952, the June theatre date may have been to replace the January dance. On the other hand, since a vaudeville appearance is not the same as a dance, the June event might have been unrelated. Further research is needed.

          The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.
          • 1952-01-03 p.5
          • 1952-01-04 p.8
          • 1952-01-05 p.5
          .,.djpNew
          Added
          2021-04-04
          updated
          2021-04-17
          1952 01 05
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Metropolitan Opera House
          • Stratemann reports concerts at 11 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.
          • Vail II reports one concert here, a benefit for the NAACP, and lists the titles recorded.
          • The New Desor, Timner, Nielsen, Lord's and Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            discographies list the titles recorded at one of these concerts.
          • The Acrobat 3 CD set ACTRCD9033
            Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
            Rare Live Recordings 1952-3
            Metropolitan Opera House, New York, 5th January 1952... has 15 numbers said to have been recorded in concert here on this date.
          • Palmquist note:

            Based on the many factors discussed in this supplementary web page, not least of which is the conflict with the Sauk City and South Bend events on January 4 and 5, I believe this concert was more likely March 24 at the Civic Auditorium in Portland, Oregon than at the Metropolitan Opera House on January 5, 1952.Further research is needed and some enquiries are still under way.

          Supplementary web page re the Metropolitan Opera House concert..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-01
          2015-06-08
          2020-05-08
          2021-04-03
          2021-04-17
          1952 01 06
          Sunday
          .Minneapolis, Minn.Labor TemplePossible recording session and, less likely, a dance:
          • Stratemann:

            'Labor Temple, Minneapolis, Minn.'

          • Vail II:

            'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra play a one-niter at the Labor Temple in Minneapolis, Minnesota.'

          • Neither book provides source information, and a "one-niter" seems unlikely because an Ellington dance was advertised for January 23 at the Labor Temple (not reported in either chronology).
          • The standard discographies report a recording session here on this date.

          Dance?

          • No ads or announcements have been found for a January 6 dance at the Labor Temple in the newspaper archives available to the writer as of April 2021.
          • In 2021, GoogleMaps directions show it would take more than18 hours by road and more than 27 hours by train to travel the 1,200 miles from New York to Minneapolis. Assuming similar travel times in the winter of 1951/52, if the Ellington orchestra played at the Metropolitan Opera House the evening of January 5, it would have been difficult to reach Minneapolis in time for a recording session and a dance.
          • The Minneapolis newspaper ad and announcements for the January 23 dance here do not mention an appearance in Minneapolis on January 6, but they do refer to Ellington's appearance with The Biggest Show of 1951 in November 1951:
            • Minneapolis Morning Tribune Jan. 16:

              'DUKE ELLINGTON will play a dance date at Labor temple next Wednesday. Balcony seats will be held for people who just want to listen. Ellington, who played a concert in Minneapolis a few months back, will use a different repertoire for this trip.'

              (emphasis added)
            • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Jan.20:

              'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play a Minneapolis date at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Minneapolis Labor temple, responding to complaints that in his appearance here with a variety show last November the band was not heard in sufficient numbers.'

            • (emphasis added)

          Recording session?

          • Standard discographies report a recording session at the Labor Temple this day:

            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
            Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson

            Titles recorded:
            • Take The "A" Train
            • Eighth Veil
            • Duet
            • Mood Indigo
            • Rockin' In Rhythm
            • Take The "A" Train
          • DEMS Bulletin 99,1-9:
            • Jerry Valburn:

              'I am now including the following 16" disc (now at the Library of Congress):SISTER ELIZABETH KENNY FOUNDATION 1954 Fund Appeal ...'

            • Sjef Hoefsmit:

              'The titles you mention are not from the 1954 Fund Appeal of the Sister Kenny Foundation but from the 1952 Fund Appeal. They were recorded on 6Jan52 in Minneapolis for the broadcast "Guest Star Time" at the Labor Temple, by Kay Bank Studios...'

            • Valburn:

              '...The program was transcribed in Minneapolis on January 6th, 1952 at the Labor Temple (without an audience) but not used by the Kenny Foundation until they released their Fund Appeal for the year 1954. '

            • An announcement in the Sept. 11 1952 Keansburg News contradicts Mr. Valburn in that it says the record was to air Sept. 12:

              'Great entertainment - ranging from Eddie Cantor to Marguerite Piazza - are being heard over WNJR in the songs and jusic that made them famous during "Guest Star Time," a 26-program service of 15-minute recorded shows backing up the 1952 Fund Appeal of the Sister E. Kenny Foundation.
                   "Guest Star Time," which began Sept. 8, is being aired 1.45.2 P.M. monday-Friday, until October 13.
                   Future "Guest Star Time" shows will feature:
                   RUDY VALLEE-Sept.11...
                   DUKE ELLINGTON-Sept.12. Duke leads his orchestra in "Eighth Veil," "Duet," "Mood Indigo" "and Rockin' In Rhythm."
                   THE INK SPOTS-Sept.15...'

          • Steven Lasker has the 1952 and 1954 trascription discs. He writes:
            '...the 1952 disk pairs Duke Elllington with the Ink Spots. The 1954 disk pairs Ellington with Hugo Winterhalter. The labels of all four sides note Recorded by Kay Bank Studios Minneapolis, Minn. This is especially unbelievable given the contents of the 1954 disk:
            • Take the A Train intro (audience noise dubbed in)
            • Caravan (1937 Master version)
            • Satin Doll (Capitol)
            • Without a Song (Capitol with J. Grissom)
            • Solitude (1940 Columbia with Ivie)
            • Take the A Train (Paul Gonsalves prominent)
            The announcer notes that the program is "by special arrangement with the American Federation of Musicians"...
            The 1952 disk has
            • A Train (intro)
            • The Eighth Veil
            • Duet (Jimmy Hamilton and Wendell Marshall featured)
            • Mood Indigo
            • Rockin' in Rhythm (at the end, Duke shouts "Everybody look handsome")
            • A Train
            Duke gives no indication as to the origin of any of the songs or the location where they were recorded. He does mention Sister Elizabeth Kenny and polio as might be expected.'
          • For what it's worth, RadioGOLDINdex lists 19 Guest Star Time transcriptions that aired in 1952 (none included Ellington). The California Historical Radio Society website shows the labels of episodes 21 and 22 with Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra and Lawerence Welk and his Orchestra. Sound files of those transcription are available for download there.
          • Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
            1952-01-16 p.27
          • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
            1952-01-20 s.F p.3
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner (5th edition unless otherwise noted)
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography: Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          • The Keansburg News, Keansburg, N.J.
            1952-09-11 p.4
          • Email, Lasker-Palmquist
            2021-03-28
            2021-04-23
          New Desor
          DE5202
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          2021-03-20
          2021-04-06
          2021-04-17
          2021-04-23
          2021-04-24
          1952 01 07
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 01 08
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 01 09
          Wednesday
          .Caledonia, Minn.Caledonia City AuditoriumDance sponsored by the Houston County VFW Chapter. Admission $1.75 in advance, $2 at door.

          The event was advertised for the Auditorium, the Caledonia Auditorium and the Union Hall, and the review named it Caledonia City Auditorium.

          The Winona Republican-Herald:

          'CALEDONIA, Minn. (Special)–
          ... More than 1,000 persons jammed the Caledonia City Auditorium Wednesday night when Duke Ellington's internationally-famous orchestra played here.
            It was the second "dance experiment" the V. W.F. Post has tried in recent months and it proved so successful that an entire series is being booked.
            Last fall Claude Thornhill's name band was brought to Caledonia and more than 600 persons turned out. Attendance jumped with the appearance of Ellington this week... '

          LaCrosse Tribune:

          'CALEDONIA, Minn. (Special)–
          Jubilant over the success of the turnout for Duke Ellington, the Caledonia VFW post has announced...
            [Miles] Duxbury reports that more than 1,000 persons heard Duke Ellington's famous orchestra Jan. 9 in a sparkling program of dance music...'

          • The La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, Wisc.
            • 1951-12-05 s.2
            • 1951-12-28 p.9
            • 1952-01-03 p.13 (or s.2 p.1)
            • 1952-01-04 p.11
            • 1952-01-13 p.12
          • The Winona Republican-Herald
            • 1951-11-23 p.12
            • 1952-01-02 p.12
            • 1952-01-11 p.3
          ...djpNew
          added
          2015-06-09
          updated
          2017-08-17
          2021-04-04
          1952 01 10
          Thursday
          .Waterloo, IowaElks ClubDance for Elk members and their ladies only.

          'Duke Ellington, the great Negro band leader, did a fine turn for the polio drive at the Elks dance the other night. The Duke announced that every request played would cost a dollar, to go to the fund, and said he would match the dollar in case someone requested a tune he couldn't play. The Duke was stumped only once during the night, and the fund benefited by $123. '

          Waterloo Sunday Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
          • 1952-01-06 p.25 (or 22?)
          • 1952-01-13 s.2 p.1
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-17
          1952 01 11
          Friday
          .Iowa City, IowaIowa Memorial Union Lounge
          The State University of Iowa
          Autographed dance booklet
          Autographed Dance Booklet
          Click to Enlarge
          Interfraternity Ball 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

          'Iowa City–Miss Mary Susan Manbeck, Des Moines, was crowned Inter-Fraternity queen before more than 800 couples attending the inter-fraternity of the State University of Iowa Friday...
            Music for the inter-fraternity ball, traditional winter formal, was provided by Duke Ellington and his orchestra.'

          • Dance booklet, eBay,
            courtesy S. Lasker
          • Iowa City Press-Citizen, Iowa City, Iowa,
            1952-01-12 p.5
          • Des Moines Register, DesMoines, Iowa
            1952-01-12 p.3
          • Waterloo Sunday Courier, Waterloo, Iowa,
            1952-01-13 p.24
          • Stratemann, p.331 citing Variety 1951-10-31 p.44
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-18
          2018-11-27
          2021-04-12
          2022-05-07
          Circa
          1952 01 12
          Saturday
          Circa
          1952 01 19
          St. Louis, Mo..Personnel change
          • Bill Lane, Swinging Down the Lane:

            'It was heartwarming to learn last week that young Tommy Butler was leaving for St. Louis to join the Duke Ellington band as singer. It was revealed to me how Ellington had required the kid to observe 13 Ellington shows, be listened by Ella Fitzgerald and members of the Ellington band, and approved by all who heard him.'

          • Ann Arbor Sun:

            '...Tommy Butler ... comes from the Motor City. He ... was raised, along with seven brothers and sisters, by a strong mother...
                 "I declare Tommy could sing before he could talk," she tells reporters... When Tommy was 11 she called Duke Ellington, who was visiting Detroit with his band, and told him how good her son could sing–and Tommy actually sang with The Duke's histroy-making jazz organization on several occasions as a result.'

            The Ann Arbor story is about "Selma," a musical written by and starring Butler about Martin Luther King. It says he moved to the west coast when he grew up, married and had three kids, worked with Billy Eckstine, Ellington and Billy Williams, and achieved some success as a nightclub singer. Later newspaper stories refer to him as Rev. Tommy Butler so it appears he became a clergyman in the 1970s.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-06
          1952 01 12
          Saturday
          1952 01 19St. Louis, Mo.Club RivieraSt. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jan. 13:

          Jordan W. Chambers
          Club Riviera
          4460 Delmar Blvd.–JE.8888
          Now Thru Sat., Jan. 19
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON

          His Music–His Piano–
          His Orchestra
          ALL-STAR FLOOR SHOW
          WHERE ALL ARE WELCOME

          and:

          'CLUB RIVIERA–Duke Ellington's Band, plus Olivette Miller, harpist, and the Co-ops, dance team.'


          Variety, cited by Stratemann, has the engagement starting Jan. 12:
          • 1951-10-31 p.44:

            'Duke Ellington plays date at U. of Iowa Jan. 11, then moves into Riviera, St. Louis, for eight days.'

          • 1951-12-05 p.57:

            'Duke Ellington, along with the Co-ops and Olivette Miller, pacted for Riviera, St. Louis, Jan. 12. '

          . The opening date needs to be confirmed. The earliest mention in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is January 13.
          Jet Magazine:

          "One evening recently, unknown Thompson slipped backstage at St. Louis' Kiel Auditorium, caught maestro Duke Ellington on the run from dressing room to stage, came out to rush into print with a story destined to go the rounds of the nation. Ellington, Thompson wrote, had termed the fight against race bias 'silly' and observed acidly that Negroes 'ain't ready.'
          Overnight Thompson became a celebrity when his story was reprinted in Negro newspapers around the country.
          Undaunted by the fact that Ellington called a New York press conference to say that Thompson had written rather less than the truth, the St. Louis newsman basked in unaccustomed spotlight.
          St. Louis citizens this week were making plans to remember Thompson. They have scheduled a testimonial to take place January 12 at St. Louis' Riviera night club. The payoff: the testimonial would occur on the opening night at the Riviera of the engagement of a world-famed musician - Duke Ellington." [emphasis added]

          • Jet Magazine
            1952-01-10, p.26
          • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
            • 1951-01-13 p.8G
            • 1951-01-16 p.5D
          • St. Louis Globe-Democrat, St.Louis, Mo.
            1952-01-17 p.7C
          • Stratemann, p.331 citing Variety
            • 1951-10-31 p.44
            • 1951-12-05 p.57
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-01
          2018-11-27
          2021-04-12
          1952 01 13
          Sunday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 14
          Monday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 15
          Tuesday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 16
          Wednesday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 17
          Thursday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 18
          Friday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 19
          Saturday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Club Rivierasee 1952 01 12.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 20
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 01 21
          Monday
          .Omaha, Nebr.Dreamland Ballroom
          24th and Grant Streets
          DanceEvening World-Herald and Sunday World-Herald, Omaha, Nebr.
          • 1952-01-18 p.33
          • 1952-01-19 p.6
          • 1952-01-20 p.6F
          • 1952-01-21 p.11
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2017-08-19
          1952 01 22

          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 01 23
          Wednesday
          .Minneapolis, Minn.Minneapolis Labor Temple
          Central & 4th St. S.E.
          Dance, 8:30 p.m.
          • The Minnesota Daily:

            DANCE
            TO
            DUKE
            ELLINGTON
            and his 16-piece
            Columbia Recording Orch.
            Wed., Jan. 23, 8:30 p.m.
            Mpls. Labor Temple
            Central & 4th St. S.E.
            BALCONY SEATS
            RESERVED FOR SPECTATORS
            Adv. Tickets $1.80 at Door $2.40
            inc. tax
            Melodee Record Shop, Mpls.
            Field-Schlick, St. Paul

          • Minneapolis Morning Tribune Jan. 16:

            'DUKE ELLINGTON will play a dance date at Labor temple next Wednesday. Balcony seats will be held for people who just want to listen. Ellington, who played a concert in Minneapolis a few months back, will use a different repertoire for this trip.'

          • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, 1952-01-20:

            'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play a Minneapolis date at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Minneapolis Labor temple, responding to complaints that in his appearance here with a variety show last November the band was not heard in sufficient numbers.
              Featured with the Ellington band is drummer Louie Bellson, recruited from the Harry James band along with Juan Tizol, valve trombonist, and Willie Smith, saxophonist, when Ellington rebuilt the band some time ago...'

          • Variety:

            ' '

            Duke Ellington's dance-concert pulled packed house.
          • Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis,Minn.
            • 1952-01-16, p.27
          • Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Minneapolis,Minn.
            • 1952-01-20, s.F p.3
          • The Minnesota Daily, University of Minnesota
            • 1952-01-18, p.8
            • 1952-01-22, p.4
            • 1952-01-23, p.4
          • Variety 1952-01-30 p.62
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-18
          2021-03-20
          2021-04-06
          1952 01 24
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 01 25
          Friday
          1952 01 31
          Thursday
          Chicago, Ill.Regal Theatre
          4719 So. Parkway
          Stage show

          'Duke Ellington and His Big New 17-Man Orchestra featuring Louis Bellson - Juan Tizol - Harry Carney - Ray Nance - Willie Smith - Britt Woodman...Also the 3 Harlem Mania Rhythm Kings! Jesse, James & Cornell
          Extra added attraction! The Famous Recording Quintet! Smash Hit Songsters! "The Orioles" '

          Stratemann has the show ending Jan. 30 but the Jan. 31 editions of the Tribune and Daily News carried ads saying it was the last day.
          • Variety 1952-01-23 p.54
          • Chicago Defender, Chicago, Ill., 1952-01-26 p.14
          • Chicago Daily Tribune and Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago,Ill.
            • 1952-01-26 pt.2 p.4
            • 1952-01-27 pt.7 s.2 pp. 2,3
            • 1952-01-28 pt.3 p.6 & pt. 2 p.11
            • 1952-01-29 pt.2 p.5
            • 1952-01-30 Pt.2 p.5
            • 1952-01-31 Pt.2 pp.7,9
          • Chicago Daily News, Chicago, Ill.
            1952-01-31 p.39
          • Stratemann p.332
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2012-08-26
          2017-08-19
          2021-04-06
          1952 01 26
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show - see 1952 01 25.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 27
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show - see 1952 01 25.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 28
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show - see 1952 01 25.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 29
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show - see 1952 01 25.....Added
          2011
          1952 01 30
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show - see 1952 01 25

          'It was a real surprise to Duke Ellington when he was presented last night [Jan.30] with a silver cigaret case engraved with the names of donors: Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson, Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Nat Cole, Mahalia Jackson, Sarah Vaugha, Louis Jordan and ...'


          The Washington Afro-American carried a photo of Duke accepting a silver cigarette case from three Chicago disc jockeys, awarded to him by top theatrical and sports personalities for "outstanding contribution to world culture" and "significant worth to his race." The award was given at a press party honouring Duke when he set a box office mark at the Regal Theatre, although it is not certain that was the reason for the party. It does not show the date of the press party, but Will Leonard's column in the Chicago Defender makes it January 30.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-19
          1952 01 31
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatrePersonnel change
          Stratemann/i>:

          'The last night at the Regal Ellington tried another singer, Debbie Andrews, who was taken along on the subsequent dates, but who appears to have been dropped from the band before long.'

          Vail II reprints an clipping, from Down Beat:

          '"Best Since Ivie" Says Ellington Of New Singer
            Chicago -Duke Ellington has hired a new girl singer who, he says, "has the type of voice I've been searching for since Ivie Anderson retired from show business."
            She's Debbie Andrews, who has a release due shortly on Mercury and has been singing in Indianapolis and Detroit recently.
            Duke gave her a tryout the last day of his weeklong stay at the Regal here and she completely brought down the house and she sang, in order, an up-tempo Lover, Come Back To Me, I've Got It Bad and a blues.'

          • Miss Andrews, also known as Lucille Clay, was managed by Detroiter Tony Vance, whose letter to the Courier printed 1952-02-02, announced he was promoting her in a Courier subscription campaign. The Courier said she would join Ellington at the Regal Theatre and then tour the country with him.
          • While The Statesman Journal and the Albany Democrat announced she and Jimmy Grissom would appear with the orchestra in Salem March 22, she is not on the recordings of that dance.
          • The March 29 Courier announced she had had to leave the band in Los Angeles to return home to care for her seriously ill youngster. Since she also is not in the Snader Telescriptions, she likely left before March 14.
          • Betty Roché appears to have replaced Miss Andrews. She sang with the band at Seattle March 24 and subsequently. Miss Andrews does not seem to have returned to the band after Los Angeles. She recorded with the Mercury label before and after her sojourn with Ellington and appears to have recorded several sides at Universal Recording Corporation for Mercer Records on/about August 13, 1952.
          • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
            • 1952-02-02 p.17
            • 1952-02-16 p.17
            • 1952-03-29
            • 1952-05-03 p.23
            • 1952-05-10 p.23
          • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
            • 1952-02-17 p.20
            • 1952-02-23 p.2
            • 1952-02-24 "This World" p.10
            • 1952-02-29 p.6
          • Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
            • 1952-0-20 p.23
          • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
            • 1952-03-01 p.19
          • The Statesman,Salem, Ore.
            • 1952-03-11 p.7
          • Stratemann pp.331-345
          • Vail II with Down Beat clipping 1952-03-07
          • https://www.vocalgroupharmony.com/3ROWNEW/DontMake.htm
          • Email, J.C.Hornsby/Palmquist 2021-04-04
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-19
          2021-04-03
          2021-04-04
          1952 01 31
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage show - see 1952 01 25.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-19

          February 1952

          1952 02 01
          Friday
          ...activities not documented

          Stratemann shows a week at the Paradise Theatre in Detroit, based on Variety, 1951-11-21 p. 44, which says only "Paradise Theatre, Detroit, is plugging band shows and has Lionel Hampton for Dec. 28 week and Duke Ellington Feb. 1."

          Whether or not Ellington played at the Paradise this weekend is not known, but by Monday he and the orchestra were in the deep South.
          ....djp2017-08-18
          1952 02 02
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 03
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 04
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 05
          Tuesday
          2pm, 7pm, 9pm
          .Biloxi, Miss.Theater Two
          Keesler Air Force Base
          Three concerts
          1. "Duke Ellington, famed maestro and composer, will bring his orchestra to Keesler Air Force Base Tuesday for their initial appearance there. Three performances are scheduled..."

          2. "The Duke Ellington aggregation made its first appearance at Keesler before large and enthusiastic audiences. The three scheduled performances took place in Theater Two..."

          3. "Twenty-six members of the VA Center made a trip to Keesler AFB Tuesday afternoon to hear Duke Ellington's Orchestra. Mrs. C.J.Nichols, Red Cross Gray Lady, made the trip with the men."

          4. "Two of the top bands of the musical world played at Keesler Field recently and the Gulf Park girls were among the first to arrive for the performance. "His Basin Street Blues was marvelous" "Oh, no, Sophisticated Lady was best!" These comments were among those made by the girls after hearing Duke Ellington on February 5. About eighty-five girls attended the program and enjoyed every minute of the jazz and blues. On February 10..."


          • "Name Bands Set 1952 Music Pace," The Daily Herald,, Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi Coast, 1952-01-14 p.6
          • 1. "Duke Ellington at Keesler Tonight,"
            Daily Herald, Biloxi, Miss., Tues. afternoon 1952-02-05, p.1

          • 2. "Ellington Features Five Top Musicians In Keesler Program"
            Daily Herald, Biloxi, Miss. 1952-02-06, p.4

          • 3. "Hear Duke Ellington" Daily Herald, Biloxi, Miss. 1952-02-06, p.10

          • 4. "Trips To Keesler"
            Gulf Park College Tammy Howl, 1952-04, p.14
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-23
          updated
          2017-08-18
          1952 02 06
          Wednesday
          .Ville Platte, La.Evangeline ClubDance

          (No followup ads or reports were found)
          Alexandria Daily Town Talk, Alexandria, La.,
          1952-02-02 p.10
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-18
          1952 02 07
          Thursday
          .Lake Arthur, La.Lake Shore Club

          DUKE
          ELLINGTON And His
          NEW
          WORLD FAMOUS
          ORCHESTRA featuring Louis [sic] Bellson, Juan Tizol, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Willie Smith, Britt Woodman


          ONE NITE ONLY
          ADMISSION $3.00 Per Person

          • Abbeville Meridional, Abbeville, La.
            1952-01-31 p.2
          • The Crowley Daily Signal, Crowley, La.
            1952-01-31 p.7
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-12
          1952 02 08
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 09
          Saturday
          .Lake Worth, TexasNew Casino on Beautiful Lake Worth

          One nite only, Sat. Feb. 9
          Duke ELLINGTON
          nd HIS WORLD
          FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          featuring
          LOUIS BELLSON
          JUAN TIZOL
          $1.50 per person plus 30¢ tax
          Tickets Now on Sale
          Central Ticket Office
          Lobby Hotel Texas


          'DUKE ELLINGTON, on the band stand of the Lake Worth ballroom Saturday night, was greeted by a big crowd and obliged with an evening of Harlem hillbilly. '

          Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, Texas
          • 1952-02-01 p.8
          • 1952-02-03 s.2 p.12
          • 1952-02-07 p.15
          • 1952-02-08 p.8
          • 1952-02-12 p.13
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-11-27
          1952 02 10
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 11
          Monday
          .Dallas, TexasBob Wills Ranch House
          Industrial and Corinth.

          DUKE ELLINGTON
          —— IN PERSON ——

          And His New Internationally
          Famous Orchestra

          MONDAY NIGHT (Feb.11)

          Advance Tickets
          Bond Clothes, 1520 Main
          Bob Wills
          Ranch House

          Industrial and Corinth


          'DUKE ELLINGTON and his orchestra will be back in Dallas Monday a fairly quick return for the Duke, who last November appeared here in a big jazz stage show at the State Fair Auditorium. But this time Duke and his sidemen will be back on the bandstand, playing dance music, and the big event will take place at Bob Wills Ranch House, starting at 9 p. m.
            Of course, there will be sessions during the evening, in which Duke and his men will pause to put on one of the show interludes for which he is justly famous.
            But music for dancing will be the main course on the menu and Ellington followers will get plenty of it.
            There will be sections for both white and Negro patrons, and tickets are on sale at Bond's Clothing Store, though they can be obtained at the door.'

          Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
          • 1952-01-17 p.11 s.II
          • 1952-02-09 p.5, s.II
          • 1952-02-10 p.2,S.VI
          • 1952-02-11 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-18
          1952 02 12
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 13
          Wednesday
          .San Antonio, TexasSevenoaks Club
          or
          Club Sevenoaks
          1400 Austin Hwy.
          "Ellington and his band played a one-night stand Wednesday night at the exclusive Sevenoaks Club here"

          This event is incorrectly dated Feb. 14 in Stratemann and Vail II.
          The Light reported the cover charge was $5/couple.
          • San Antonio Express,. San Antonio, Tex.
            • 1952-02-12 p.6A
            • 1952-02-13, p.11
          • San Antonio Light, San Antonio, Tex.
            • 1952-02-10 p.19C
            • 1952-02-12, s.C p.1
          • Stratemann p.331 (misdated)
          • Vail II (misdated)
          • UP wirestory "Bandleader Duke Ellington, Manager of Globetrotters Jailed in San Antonio," Lubbock, Tx., Evening Journal, 1952-02-14, p.3
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-23
          2017-08-19
          2021-04-06
          1952 02 14
          Thursday
          Valentine's Day
          3:15 am
          .San Antonio, TexasSilver Slipper ClubA UP wirestory datelined San Antonio Feb. 14 reported Ellington, Harry Carney (described as his manager) and W.S.Welch, manager of the Harlem Globetrotters, were among 15 people arrested for violating state drinking laws, after police broke in the back door of the club at 3:15 am.

          Stratemann p.332 and Vail both report the arrests as taking place after the Sevenoaks club date, which they incorrectly place on Feb. 14.

          In CORPUS CHRISTI'S GALVAN BALLROOM: MUSIC AND MULTICULTURALISM IN THE 1950s in South Texas Historical Association's Spring 2007 edition of the Journal of South Texas, author David Louzon discusses a dance played by Ellington on "Valentine's eve" 1952. He mentions Ellington's brush with the law "in the early morning of the 14th."
          UP wirestory "Bandleader Duke Ellington, Manager of Globetrotters Jailed in San Antonio,"
          • Lubbock, Tx., Evening Journal, 1952-02-14, p.3
          • Mexia Daily News, 1952-02-14
          • Corpus Christi Caller, Corpus Christi, Texas 1952-02-15 p.15C
          • La Prensa, Diario Popular Independiente, San Antonio, Texas,
            1952-02-15 p.1
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-18
          2018-11-27
          1952 02 14
          Thursday
          Valentine's Day
          .Corpus Christi, TexasGalvan BallroomDance
          Advertisements: *

          In person!!! Duke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra
          Louzon: **
          • Ellington played to a 650 people, filling the house.
          • About 80% were white and the rest were Mexican-Americans.
          • The club owner recalled Ellington roomed in San Antonio because Corpus Christi lacked accommodations for blacks"


          Weaver ***
          • Ralph Galvan Jr. booked the band for $1,500 through Music Corporation of America
          • Tickets were $3.00 each
          • The house was sold out, with many turned away.
          • The band arrived by bus
          • Duke used a baby grand
          • The Galvan brothers described the tune-up routine - one started, another joined on the same chord, then another. The bass would join in, then the drummer followed by the guitarist. When everyone was tuned, Ellington walked on, and the band segued into Take the "A" Train.
          • The band did not use sheet music.
          • Many fans stood and watched the band.
          • The band was professional, no drinking on the stand, and precise 15 minute breaks
          • Galvan Jr. and Sr. visited with Ellington during breaks, found him to be professional and friendly.
          • Duke and some band members posed for photos after.
          • The band left for San Antonio where they were to play the next night (unconfirmed, likely in error).
          '
          • * Ads
            • Corpus Christi Times, Corpus Christi, Tex.
              • 1952-02-07, p.5B
            • Corpus Christi Caller-Times
              • 1952-01-27 p.8B
              • 1952-02-03, b.14C
              • 1952-02-13 p.7B

          • **David Louzon, Corpus Christi's Galvan Ballroom: Music and Multiculturalism in the 1950s, Journal of South Texas, Spring 2007
          • ***Jan Weaver, "The Day Duke Ellington Came to Town," South Texas Informer & Business Journal, August 1999
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-03-23
          1952 02 15
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 16
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 17
          Sunday
          .Amarillo, TexasClub AviatrixNight club engagement, 8 p.m. to midnight, admission $2.00 advance, $2.50 door

          Willie Smith, Bellson, Tizol, Carney, Nance and Woodman are named in ads.

          Amarillo Globe-Times:

          'The Duke has been here before but it's been years. Have never heard a complaint on Duke Ellington.'

          The Amarillo Globe-Times:

          'DUKE ELLINGTON
          DANCE, AVIATRIX
               Dr. and Mrs. Tom Duke * Mr. and Mrs. Pat Bourassa * Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Creamer * Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Burns * Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Forister * Mr. and Mrs. Dick Duke * Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Cooper * Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Melin * Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Gilbert * Mr. and Mrs. Chet Robertson * Mr. and Mrs. Colby Davies * Mr. and Mrs. Dan Boston * Nancy Coffee * Jimmy Wise * Gail Aikens * Charles Carter * Sara Kelly * Steve Curtis '

          • The Amarillo Globe-Times, Amarillo, Tex.
            • 1952-02-14 p.4
            • 1952-02-15 pp.15, 30
            • 1952-02-19 p.14
          • San Antonio Express. San Antonio, Tex.
            • 1952-02-12 p.6A
            • 1952-02-13, p.11
          • Lubbock (Tex.) Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, Tex.
            1952-02-17 s.VI p.8
          • The Amarillo Sunday News Globe, Amarillo, Tex. 1952-02-17 pp. 5C, 8C
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-19
          2021-04-06
          2021-04-12
          1952 02 18
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 19
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 02 20
          Wednesday
          .El Paso, TexasPalladium Ballroom

          '...Duke Ellington, one of the greatest names in jazz, will bring his band here on Feb. 20. Dancing hours ... will be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. '

          .
          The El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas,
          1952-02-10 p.39
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2018-12-13
          1952 02 21
          Thursday
          .Oakland, Cal..Stratemann and Vail II report an appearance in Oakland but don't identify the place or the information source. This is implausible given the distance from El Paso to Oakland, and the detour Oakland represents on a trip that otherwise would be directly from El Paso to San Diego. This may be simply the wrong Oakland (several states have places named Oakland) or it could be a dating error......Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-05-10
          1952 02 22
          Friday
          .San Diego, Cal.Trianon Ballroom
          1106 Broadway
          Dance?....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-16
          2021-04-06
          1952 02 23
          Saturday
          8:30 pm
          .Pomona, Cal.Bridges Auditorium
          a.k.a.
          Big Bridge Auditorium
          Pomona College Campus
          Claremont College
          Concert 8:30 p.m. to benefit Claremont's Men's College student union building fund

          Sponsored by the student body.
          Mothers' Club gossip column confirms the concert was performed by naming people who attended.
          • Daily News-Post, Monrovia, Cal.
            1952-01-30 p.3
          • San Marino Tribune and San Marino News, San Marino, Cal. 1952-01-31 p.5
          • The Mirror, Los Angeles, Cal.
            2021-04-12
          • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.,
            1952-01-31 Part III, p.1
          • The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.
            1952-01-31 p.a-11
          • Covina Argus-Citizen
            • 1952-02-15
            • 1952-02-29, p.13
          • Stratemann p.332
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-18
          2017-08-19
          2018-11-27
          2021-04-12
          1952 02 24
          Sunday
          ..Peripheral Event
          The San Francisco Chronicle carried an ad this date for Columbia Records, saying
          'Duke Ellington
          Appearing locally in person with his famous Orchestra
          HEAR A COMPLETE PANORAMA OF ELLINGTONIA
          ON
          COLUMBIA RECORDS
          Available at
          COLUMBIA MUSIC CO.
          ALBUMS78
          rpm
          45
          rpm
          33
          rpm
          Masterpieces by Ellington
          (Concert arrangements of Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Solitude, The Tattooed Bride)
          $8.45
          Mood Ellington (On A Turquoise Cloud, New York City Blues, Golden Cress, Three Cent Stomp, Hi Ya Sue, Lady of the Lavender Mist, The Clothed Women, Progressive Gavotte)$ 4.35$ 3.91$3.00
          Librarian [sic] Suite3.00
          The Ellington Special (T.T. on Toast, I Don't Know Why I Love You So, Tough Truckin', Indigo Echoes, Blue Mood, Delta Bound, Clouds in My Heart, Slippery Horn)4.35
          The Duke (Lazy Rhapsody, Blue Ramble, Baby, When You Ain't There, Lighnin', Best Wishes, Bundle of Blues, Drop Me Off at Harlem, Merry-Go-Round)4.35

          SINGLE RECORDS
          78
          rpm
          45
          rpm
          Solitude * Mood Indigo.89
          Stormy Weather * Sophisticated Lady
          The Gal From Joe's * I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart.89
          Showboat Shuffle * In a Sentimental Mood
          PIANO SOLO
          –Mood Indigo * Solitude * Sophisticated Lady * In a Sentimental Mood
          .89
          Air Conditioned Jungle * It's Monday Every Day.89
          It's Mad, Mad, Mad * Don't Be So Mean to Baby.89
          Sultry Serenade * Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me.89
          Singing in the Rain * Don't Get Around Much Anymore.89
          Creole Love Call * You of All People.89
          On the Sunny Side of the Street * Good Woman Blues.89
          The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise * Joog Joog.89
          Fancy Dan * The Hawk Talks.89.89
          Monologue * The Eighth Veil.89.89
          Deep Night * Please Be Kind.89.89
          Creole Love Song * St. Louis Blues – 12"
          (Bing Crosby Vocal)
          1.15
          Jeeps Blues * Rendezvous With Rythm.89
          On A Turquoise Cloud * Hya Sue.89.89
          Lady of the Lavender Mist * N.Y. City Blues.89.89
          The Clothed Woman * Golden Cross [sic].89
          Progressive Gavotte * Three Cent Stomp
          Love You Madly * Build That Railroad (Hibbler).89
          It's too new to have a number, but we're expecting it any minute–
          V.I.P.'S BOOGIE * JAM WITH SAM
          .89.89
          The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
          1952-02-24 p.11
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-11-27
          1952 02 24
          Sunday
          ..Peripheral Event
          The San Francisco Chronicle also carried a lengthy laudatory column by Ralph J. Gleason in which he discusses the recent personnel changes and the way Ellington has adapted.
          • Named as recently departed:
                 Hodges, Brown, Greer and Hibbler
          • Identified as long gone:
                 Stewart, Cootie Williams and Bigard.
          • New arrivals named:
                 Britt Woodman, Juan Tizol, Willie Smith, Louie Bellson, Debbie Andrews.
          • Veterans still with the band:
                 Nance, Hamilton, Cat Anderson, Gonsalves and Baker.
          The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
          1952-02-24 p.10
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-06
          1952 02 24
          Sunday
          1952 02 25San Diego, Cal.Naval Operating Base.Undated photo
          Rocky Mountain Evening Telegram, Rocky Mountain N.C.
          1952-03-19.
          ..CAH photo
          djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-23
          1952 02 25
          Monday
          1952 02 25San Diego, Cal.Naval Operating Basesee 1952 02 24.....Added
          2011
          1952 02 26
          Tuesday
          .Merced, Cal........Added
          2011
          1952 02 27
          Wednesday
          1952 03 03.

          OVERVIEW


          Undated, unattributed clipping printed in Vail II (emphasis added):

          'The Duke Ellington concert dates in the Bay area for the end of February in the beginning of March, off to a great start completely snafued. Promoter Ben Watkins, who was sold Duke has an exclusive in the bay area by ABC's Bobby Phillips, was all set to begin its advertising for the March 2 Sunday afternoon date at the Berkeley High school auditorium when he discovered Phillips had sold Duke to San Francisco promoter and hotel operator John Sullivan for a Feb. 27 appearance at the Frisco Opera house! The date had never been offered Watkins, he says.
            Watkins had taken the band for three dates: Berkeley, Richmond (evening of March 2), and Sweet's (March 3) with the understanding that there would be no Frisco concert. Duke's last appearance at the opera house there was canceled the night of the date because the promoter, Joe Reed, failed to come up with the loot and some 2,000 people were left facing an empty stage.
            Ready For War
            At presstime, both Watkins and Sullivan were girding for a promotional war with a different ticket scale for each house to further complicate matters, although both halls are approximately the same capacity. In addition, Duke is booked for a Standard Oil radio show the afternoon of Feb. 27 and doesn't even need the concert to keep working.'

          San Francisco Chronicle:

          'There's been a switch in the plans on the Duke Ellington appearances here. Duke will play an additional concert in the Bay Area. He will be at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House February 27 and return to Berkely Sunday afternoon March 2. These are the two concert appearances. He will play dances in Richmond and Oakland on the evenings of March 2 and 3.'

          • Vail II
          • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
            1952-02-03 p.11
          .
          ....added
          2017-08-20
          updated
          2021-04-06
          1952 02 27
          Wednesday
          afternoon
          .San Francisco, Cal.Standard Oil BroadcastUndated and unattributed clipping printed in Vail II.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-18
          2017-08-20
          1952 02 27
          Wednesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.War Memorial Opera HouseEvening concert - see overview above
          8:45 p.m.
          Tickets $1.50 to $3.60
          The programme doesn't list the tunes to be played, but includes a lengthy narrative outlining Ellington's career and the changes in the band since Hodges, Brown and Greer left.
          Ralph J. Gleason:

          'Duke Ellington brought what is possibly his best band in years,...It is too bad so few people were there to enjoy it... As an ensemble unit, this orchestra is far superior to anything Duke has had in recent years. It is sparked and driven by the drummer, Louie Bellson... He is more than ably assisted by Wendell Marshall on bass. There are three soloists of outstanding talents; Britt Woodman, a lyric trombonist; Jimmy Hamilton, whose clarinet playing is a joy to hear, and Harry Carney, who will probably never be equaled on the baritone saxophone...Two new Ellington vocalists, Debbie Andrews and Jimmy Grissom, were introduced and featured on several songs.'

          Gleason names the following titles from the concert:
          • The Tattooed Bride
          • Harlem
          • The Hawk Talks
          • Skin Deep
          • Medley
          • Monologue
          A Steve Jackson, Jr. photo captioned "Duke Ellington and friends in the Manor Plaza Hotel, late February 1952 when Duke was playing a concert at the War Memorial Opea House." shows Ellington sitting between four ladies on a couch, everyone smiling, with 18 men and women standing behind them.
          • The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
            • 1952-02-03 p.11
            • 1952-02-19 p.10
            • 1952-02-23 p.2
            • 1952-02-24 p.17
            • 1952-02-26 pp.10,11
            • 1952-02-27 p.10
            • 1952-02-29 p.6
            • 1952-03-01 p.2
          • Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 9, "War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California, February 27, 1952"
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-18
          2016-01-24
          2017-08-20
          2018-11-27
          2021-03-29
          2021-04-06
          2021-04-12
          1952 02 28
          Thursday
          .Fresno, Cal.Rainbow BallroomConcert/dance.
          The evening was recorded by a Bert Porter using Ampex equipment.
          P.Willard, book to Columbia Legacy compact disc CK 87066, Duke Ellington, Ellington Uptown, p.7.DEMSTDES 2/05-2.Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-11-04
          2020-05-08
          1952 02 28
          Thursday
          .Fresno, Cal.Home of Emil "Dutch" LeonardDinner party for Ellington and his musicians.

          Bert Porter played the evening's recordings, during which Ellington decided to record Skin Deep the next day.
          P.Willard, book to Columbia Legacy CD CK 87066, Duke Ellington, Ellington Uptown, p.7..TDES 2/05-2.Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-11-04
          1952 02 29
          Friday
          .Fresno, Cal.Believed to be the Rainbow BallroomMercer Records recording session

          Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
          C.Anderson, Cook, Terry, Nance, Jackson, Woodman, Tizol, W. Smith, Procope, Hamilton, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, with recording engineer Bert Porter.

          Title recorded: Skin Deep.
          Steven Lasker:
          Patricia Willard, liner notes to Columbia/Legacy CK 87066, a 2004 reissue of "Ellington Uptown":

          '   After a February 28, 1952 concert/dance at a ballroom in the inland central California city of Fresno, the musicians were dinner guests at the home of Duke's close friend, famed Boston Red Sox/Chicago Cubs "knuckleball" pitcher Emil "Dutch" Leonard. For background at the party, another Ellington cohort, Bert Porter, known to the band as "the hi-fi man," played that evening's performance which he had taped on his Ampex equipment.
             'This is the man and the place for Skin Deep!,' Duke exclaimed. The next afternoon Bert and the band went back and recorded, Bellson recounts. The venue, knowledgeable Fresno music lovers believe today, had to have been the downtown Rainbow Ballroom.
             We would have gone with that first take but one of the beaters on the [bass drum] pedal flew off during the solo, Louie explains. Right after that little thing Max Roach always played--diddly-bit-dit...dit...bop bop--I repeated it and then clapped hands. For years, drummers would ask me how I put the sticks down and did that so fast. Finally I admitted that that's the band clapping.

          On Dec. 8, Columbia Records bought the recording and assigned its next available master number, leading discographers to assume it was recorded later in the year. Columbia's files incorrectly show it was recorded 1952 10 08.
          S. Lasker:
          'The Columbia ledger shows: Purchased master. Date recorded -- 10/8/52 [sic]. Dec 8, 1952 is the agreement date.
          Modern Drummer

          'MD: Do you recall recording "Skin Deep"?
          Louie Bellson: "Skin Deep" was very different. In those days it was difficult to record fast drum and cymbal parts. When that record came out, Buddy Rich called me and said, "Where did you record that"? I told him we did it live in Fresno, California in an old ballroom. The quality of the recording turned out so good that when we took it to Columbia, they said they couldn't do a better job than that. When Duke heard it in a playback the night we did it, he said, "that's how we''re going to do "Skin Deep." [The track can be found on Ellington Uptown.] "The Hawk Talks" was done at a studio in New York.'

          • P. Willard, book to Columbia Legacy CD CK 87066, Duke Ellington, Ellington Uptown, p.7
          • Modern Drummer 2004/05/louie-bellson/courtesy S. Lasker
          • Emails Lasker-Palmquist
            • 2014-10-14
            • 2014-11-03
            • 2016-05-06
            • 2016-05-07
            • 2016-10-05
            • 2017-04-12
            • 2023-11-15
          New Desor
          DE9044
          DEMS TDES 2/05-2.Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-11-04
          2016-05-07
          2017-04-13
          2019-09-01
          2020-05-08
          2023-02-26
          2023-11-15
          2023-11-17
          1952 02 29
          Friday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine AuditoriumConcert

          The California Eagle carried a small ad for "Duke Ellington and his Famous Orch." for "Fri. Night - Feb. 29 -Shrine Aud." It also carried a photo of Duke with a caption saying

          'AT THE SHRINE – Duke Ellington will bring his entire troupe to the Shrine Auditorium for a concert Friday night.'

          Patricia Willard, who lived in California at the time, researched the Fresno recording session and advised it was possible to get from the session to the venue in time for the concert.
          The Daily News announced this as another in Gene Normans's "Just Jazz" series. Its review said:

          '...[Ellington] presented three new personalities to local jazz fans...vocalists Debbie Andrews and Jimmy Grissom and drummer Louis Bellson...
               ...Miss Andrews can hit a hot note nicely or project a throb in her voice in the sweetest style. This she demonstrated so effectively in her rendition of "Deep Purple," with arranger Billy Strayhorn at the piano for accompaniment...
               Jimmy Grissom also possesses an exceedingly pleasing voice, but he needs to utilize just a bit more salesmanship to sell himself vocally...As for Louie Bellson–well, he's just about the hottest and most frenzied drummer to hit town in many a moon.
               Space does not permit more than a general run down of some of Ellington's musical highlights in programming. Once again, however, his "Harlem," descriptively set to music, is pointed out as a significant work for Americans.
               Ellington, as usual, focused attention on his instrumentalists and they all turned in musically-sound solo turns. As a unit the boys particularly warmed up to "How High the Moon," the arresting "Caravan" and the salty and peppery "Pretty Doll." The Duke's irresistable interpretation of "Monolog–Duet and Threesome" brought the usual grins from his fans... '

        • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
          • 1952-02-23 p.19
          • 1952-03-01 p.19
        • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
          • 1952-02-28 p.9
        • Email, Willard-Palmquist 2017-08-20
        • ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-21
          updated
          2021-04-06

          March 1952

          Circa
          1952 03 00
          .Detroit, Mich.Institute of ArtsPeripheral event
          Alabama Tribune, Montgomery:

          'DUKE ELLINGTON
          GIVEN AWARD
               DETROIT, Mich. – Before a capacity crowd of 1500 people who crammed this city's Art Institute to attend the Delta Jabberwock Friday night, Mercer Ellington accepted an award honoring his distinguished father, Duke Ellington.
               The award, a bronze plaque, given in appreciation of Duke Ellington's "contribution to the field of music," was presented by Ruth Anderson, Chairman of the Jabberwock Committee. The annual affair, the twenty-second in a series, was sponsored by the 250-member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Alpha Pi Sigma and Tau Chapter.'

          Tribune, Detroit:

          '...There's a lot of grateful young women in Detroit who will benefit from the proceeds of Alpha Pi Gama and Tau Chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's annual Jabberwock which was presented last Friday night in the auditorium of the Detroit Institute of Arts. "A portrait of the Duke" was the theme. Mercer Ellington, son of the internationally famous composer received the plaque honoring his Dad. Speaking of the Duke when you read his article in the April Ebony entitled "The Most Exciting Women I've Known" you'll feel cheated. The great Duke doesn't give the gals any idea on how to be exciting it simply boils down to "pretty is as pretty does." '

          Jet:

          'The Delta Sigma Theta sorority awarded a plaque to Mercer Ellington for his father, Duke Ellington, in recognition of the musician's contributions to "music and to America." The presentation was made at the Delta Jabberwock, where shapely Carrie Lou Wilson, 16-year-old high school student, shared top prize honors in a musical skit directed by Mrs. Le Claire Knox.'

          Since these were not daily newspapers, the event most likely was at least a week before the earliest publication date.
          • Alabama Tribune, Montgomery, Ala.
            1952-03-14 p.8
          • Tribune, Detroit, Mich.
            1952-03-15 p.5
          • Jet, 1952-03-20 p.46
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-13
          1952 03 00.U.S.A..Dance Date.New Desor
          DE5204
          DEMScorrTimner-4/34.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 03 01
          Saturday
          .Sacramento, Cal.Sacramento Memorial Auditorium"Dance and Listen to Duke's Great Compositions"The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Cal.
          • 1952-02-28 p.16
          • 1952-03-01 p.8
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-06
          1952 03 01
          Saturday
          .Sacramento, Cal.Mo-Mo Club
          6th and Capitol
          Peripheral Event

          'NOW PLAYING
          BETTY ROCHE

          Vocalist, "formerly ap-
          peared with Duke El-
          lington and Earl Hines
          Orchestras.

          LATANYA
          Beautiful Exotic Dancer

          Jimmy Peterson
          Dancer, Tops in Tap
          and Acrobatic Dances
          Sunny Jay
          and His Great Band

          MO-MO
          CLUB

          6th and Capitol
          Don and Alex Moore–Your Hosts'

          The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Cal.
          1952-03-01 p.8
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-06
          1952 03 02
          Sunday
          2:30 pm
          .Berkeley, Cal.Berkeley Community Theater
          Berkeley High School Campus Auditorium
          The New and Exciting Orchestra of Duke Ellington
          Special Matinee Concert
          2:30 p.m.

          'Duke Ellington will introduce new compositions of Louis Bellson, his new drummer, in his matinee concert at Berkeley Community Theater.'


          The Oakland Tribune announced this as "today" in its concert calendar, 1952-02-24 p.C-3 but further down the page, the caption to a photo of Ellington says "next Sunday afternoon" and a further announcement says March 2.
          Clifford Gessler's review (a couple of lines appear to have been lost by the printer):

          'Duke Ellington's band, playing yesterday afternoon in Berke- [sic] Community Theater, sounded louder and jazzier than in past years. To put it another way, there was more contrast for some of the dreamy, luscious music we used to associate with Ellington was played, too, notably in the blue-lighted clarinet solo part of "The Tattooed Bride" and the slow movement of "Harlem."
            Ellington has a superlative group of musicians this season. No use singling them out; everybody soloed and did exciting things with their instruments, and there were two new vocalists, Jimmy Grissom and Debbie Andrews. The ensembles were full of fascinating blends of tone color and inciting [sic] rhythms.'

          • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
            • 1952-01-20 p.21
            • 1952-02-03 p.11
            • 1952-02-10 p.24
            • 1952-02-24 p.
            • 1952-02-26 p.11
            • 1952-03-01 p.5
          • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
            • 1952-02-17, p. 2-B
            • 1952-03-02 p.2-B
            • 1952-02-24, p.C3
            • 1952-02-28, p.D49
            • Review, 1952-03-03, p.31D
          • Stratemann p.332
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-23
          2017-08-19
          2018-11-27
          2021-04-06
          1952 03 02
          Sunday
          .Berkeley, Cal.Richmond AuditoriumDanceSan Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
          • 1952-01-20 p.21
          • 1952-02-03 p.11
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2018-11-27
          2021-04-06
          1952 03 03
          Monday
          .Oakland, Cal.Sweet's Ballroom
          Franklin at 14th
          Dance 8 p.m.
          • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
            • 1952-01-20 p.21
            • 1952-02-03 p.11
          • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
            • 1952-02-17, p. 2-B
            • 1952-03-02 p.2-B
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-19
          2018-11-27
          2021-04-06
          2022-07-02
          1952 03 04
          Tuesday
          .Portland, Ore.AuditoriumWithout providing source information, Stratemann and Vail II report Ellington and his orchestra were in Portland. This appears to be in error - they came here on March 24. .....Added
          2011
          1952 03 05
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 03 06
          Thursday
          .Bakersfield, Cal.Harvey AuditoriumConcert 8 p.m.
          The Bakersfield Californian ad, 19520305
          Advertisement
          Bakersfield Californian
          1952-03-05

          Click to Enlarge

          'HITS MARCH ON–Creative ingenuity on a musical idea is what makes the difference between a banal tune and an everlasting hit. Music whose infinite variety age cannot wither nor custom stale is the peculiar talent of Duke Ellington, who brings his orchestra to Harvey auditorium for a one-night engagement tomorrow.'

          Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, Cal.
          • 1952-02-29 p.21
          • 1952-03-05 pp.26, 27
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-19
          2021-04-12
          1952 03 00.Hollywood, Cal.Capitol Records
          5505 Melrose Ave.
          Steven Lasker:
          Sometime during this month, the "Just Jazz All Stars Featuring Louis Bellson" recorded eight titles at Capitol Records for Gene Norman, a Los Angeles impresario and disc jockey. Downbeat (1952-04-18, p.12) reported:

          Hollywood – Gene Norman bankrolled a set of sides recorded here by a handpicked unit out of the Duke Ellington band (with Ellington's blessing) to be billed as the Louie Bellson All-Stars.
            Only non-Ellingtonian in the group was tenor man Wardell Gray [also John Graas on French horn]. Others were Bellson, drums; Clark Terry, trumpet; Juan Tizol, [valve] trombone; Willie Smith, alto; Wendell Marshall, bass, and Billy Strayhorn, piano.
            Presence of Capitol's Dave Dexter in the booth for the session in a supervisory capacity hints that Capitol is on the inside track for the masters.

          The session resulted in eight sides, all issued by Capitol in 1952 on a 10-inch LP (H-348) and 7-inch EP (EBF-348; also I-348) https://www.discogs.com. Six of the sides (Shadows and Johnny Come Lately were omitted) were also released on a 78-rpm album (CCN-348) and a 45-rpm album (CCF-348).

          Ellington doesn't play on the session, but he was present. According to the album notes, Ellington himself set the mood and tempo [of The Jeep Is Jumpin'] from the booth.

          The session has incorrectly been dated to 1952 05 23 in some discographies, but Ellington and his band were in Minnesota on that date.
          Email Lasker-Palmquist
          • 2024-04-04
          • 2024-05-03
          ....New
          added
          2024-05-02
          Updated
          2024-05-03
          1952 03 07
          Friday
          1952 03 20
          Thursday
          Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasis
          39th and Western
          • Stratemann shows Ellington playing at Club Oasis from March 7 to 20 (two weeks, Friday to Thursday). Vail II adopts these dates. Variety 1952-02-13 p.54 suggests four weeks.
          • It isn't clear if Ellington completed the whole two weeks. The club only advertised his orchestra until March 15, another act started Monday (March 17), and Ellington played other engagements on March 17, 18 and 19.
          • The Los Angeles Times carried no ads for the club on March 16 through 18, and the March 19 and 20 ads are only for the other act.
          • According to Stratemann and Vail II, Ellington's orchestra was booked for two weeks beginning March 7 (although Variety 1952-02-13 says four weeks).
          • In any event, the Stan Kenton orchestra had been booked for two weeks ending March 9, so there was a three day overlap in bookings.
          • An unattributed, undated clipping reproduced in Vail II says:

            'The club managers planned to have Kenton play in Long Beach on the day Ellington opened (Friday), use Kenton Saturday while Ellington played elsewhere, then have a battle of the bandstand Sunday from 2 p.m. to midnight.'

            Vail II probably relied on this clipping when showing Ellington playing at an unnamed location in Long Beach rather than Club Oasis on March 8.
          • There is no mention of Ellington in the Long Beach Press-Telegram in February or March until March 11, when the March 17 concert was advertised and announced. Similarly, the Long Beach Independent doesn't mention Ellington in this period until March 16, when it too announced the March 17 concert.
          • Palmquist comment: Despite exhaustive searches of the newspaper archive services available to me, as at 2017-08-21 I've found no evidence of Ellington playing in Long Beach on March 8.
          • Stratemann:

            'The "Battle Of Bands" anticipated by Down Beat failed to materialize, however, because the management had Ellington play in the afternoon and Kenton at night.'

          • Los Angeles Times
            • March 5 announced Last 2 Days for Kenton and Opening March 7 for Ellington.
            • The March 7 ad has Ellington OPENING TONIGHT! This ad is reproduced in Vail II.
            • March 8 shows
                              FIRST TIME ANYWHERE!
              STAN DUKE
              KENTON ELLINGTON

              Gigantic Jam Session & Battle Of Music

              ALL SUNDAY AFTERNOON & EVENING - OPEN 2 P.M. TO 2 A.M.
              This ad is also reprinted in Vail II.
            • March 9 again carries both names and announces the Gigantic Jam Session and Battle of Music (which never took place).
            • The March 10, 11, 12,13 and 14 ads only mention Ellington.
            • The March 15 ad has Ellington and OPENING MONDAY! 4 BITS OF RHYTHM & BABY DAVIS
            • No ads for Club Oasis appear from March 16 to 19. The March 20 ad only shows 4 BITS OF RHYTHM featuring Baby Davis.
          • Variety:

            'Inside Orchestras – Music
             ... Stan Kenton has refused to be drawn into the booking mixup at the Oasis, Southside Los Angeles nitery, where he's scheduled to start two-weeker Feb. 25. Operator Jerry Orne asked the batoneer to play only the initial seven nights, deferring the remaining week until a later date so Duke Ellington can open March 4 [sic] for four weeks [sic]. Understood Ellington already has a firm contract for that time. Kenton, who'll get a flat $6,000 weekly, contends the same pitch was made when he played the Oasis last year, at $5,000 per frame, and his compliance caused considerable inconvenience in juggled bookings.

          • '
          • Los Angeles Times,Los Angeles,Cal.:
            • 1952-03-05 pt.I p.12
            • 1952-03-07 pt.I p.24
            • 1952-03-08 pt.I p.6
            • 1952-03-09 pt.I p.26
            • 1952-03-10 pt.I p.6
            • 1952-03-11 pt.IV p.2
            • 1952-03-13 pt.IV p.2
            • 1952-03-14 pt.I p.12
            • 1952-03-15 pt.I p.5
            • 1952-03-16 pt.II p.2
          • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
            • 1952-03-05 p.20
            • 1952-03-06 p.11
            • 1952-03-07 p.47
            • 1952-03-08 p.17
            • 1952-03-10 p.11
            • 1952-03-11-p.23
            • 1952-03-12 p.49
            • 1952-03-13 p.38
            • 1952-03-14 p.26
          • Stratemann p.332 citing Variety 1952-02-13 p.54
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-21
          2021-04-12
          1952 03 08
          Saturday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisIt isn't clear if Ellington played at the Club Oasis this evening or if it played an alternate booking somewhere in Long Beach - see discussion at 1952 03 07 above......Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-21
          1952 03 09
          Sunday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07

          This was the Kenton band closing night. Stratemann reports Ellington played in the afternoon and Kenton at night, and there was no battle of the bands as planned by club management. Vail II has Kenton in the afternoon and Ellington in the evening, based on an undated, unidentified clipping:

          'It seems Oasis operators Jerry Horn and Les Shear thought Duke Ellington was only bluffing when Duke said he would positively have no part of a " Battle of Bands" there with Stan Kenton. Despite advance advertising placed in local papers, Duke stuck to his guns. So Kenton finished his Oasis stand with the Sunday afternoon session and Duke appeared as usual, but only if the evening. Said Duke: " I had no objection to a " Battle of Bands" with Kenton, but I felt it should have been staged, if at all, in a large auditorium."'

          Vail II with unidentified clipping..DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2017-08-20
          2020-05-08
          1952 03 10
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07.....Added
          2011
          1952 03 11
          Tuesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07.....Added
          2011
          1952 03 12
          Wednesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07.....Added
          2011
          1952 03 13
          Thursday
          ...Peripheral event
          Daily News publishcd a two-column article by Marie Mesmer about Harry Carney.
          Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
          1952-03-13 p.29
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-08
          1952 03 13
          Thursday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07.....Added
          2011
          circa
          1952 03 13
          Thursday
          .Los Angeles, Cal. .Personnel change
          Departure of Debbie Andrews. While The Statesman Journal and the Albany Democrat announced she and Jimmy Grissom would appear with the orchestra in Salem March 22, the March 29 Courier announced she left the band in Los Angeles to return to Indianapolis to care for her child. She would appear in the Courier Carnegie Hall concert later this spring, but does not seem to have returned to Ellington.

          Betty Roché went with on the Pacific Northwest tour with the band.
          • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1952-03-29 p.16
            • The Statesman,Salem, Ore, 1952-03-11 p.7
          • Stratemann pp.331-345
          • Vail II
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-19
          1952 03 14
          Friday
          12:30–7:30 pm
          .Balboa Beach (Stratemann) or Hollywood, Cal.
          California Studios
          650 N. Bronson Ave


          The location in the contract is "California Studios for Snader Telescriptions Corp."
          This may have been General Service Studios

          Lasker:

          Where were the Snaders filmed?
          There are two candidates, one in Hollywood, the other in Balboa Beach.

          Between 12:30pm and 7:30pm on March 14, the band recorded and sidelined seven selections for Snader, which according to the AFM contract took place at the "California Studios." The address of California Studios (per Billboard,
          1952-06-14 p.32 and1952-09-06 p.28 was 650 N. Bronson Ave, Hollywood.

          Then, possibly after a break for dinner, the band reported to the Club Oasis, 3801 S. Western Avenue, L.A., for their evening engagement. (I haven't seen the ads, so don't know exactly what time they started playing.)

          The distance between 650 N. Bronson Avenue and 3801 S. Western Avenue is about five miles.

          According to Stratemann, "The majority of Snader's films were made at the General Service Studios in Balboa Beach." According to Google Maps, the Balboa Beach nearest to Los Angeles was a community near Newport Beach in Orange County, some 50 miles south of the Club Oasis, which in those pre-freeway days was at least an hour's drive away.

          Conclusion: The band's work for Snader took place in Hollywood, not Balboa Beach.'

          Snader Telescription recording session
          The telescriptons were short films for television, approximately three and a half minutes each

          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Grissom

          Seven films were recorded:
          • Caravan
          • V.I.P Boogie (with Jam With Sam)
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Mood Indigo
          • The Hawk Talks
          • The Mooche
          • Solitude
          The engagement paid Ellington $1,000 and the sidemen received scale.
          Variety:

          'Snader revealed that his Telescriptions production hit a new high on the Coast last Friday (14), when the Ralph Flanagan and Duke Ellington orchs were working simultaneously. Seven numbers were lensed around each, Snader said, for a total production budget on the day's work of the vote $48,000. According to the Telescriptions producer, stations in 58 of the 63 markets bell operating are using the musical shorts.'

          • Stratemann pp.333-344 (with photos)
          • American Federation of Musicians Local 47 contract, 1952-03-14, between Snader Telescriptions Corp. 177 So. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, Calif. and Duke Ellington, orchestra leader
          • Variety 1952-03-19 p.38
          New Desor
          DE5203
          DEMSTimner corrections –4/22+30+34djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2014-09-23
          2017-08-26
          2020-05-08
          1952 03 14
          Friday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07.....Added
          2011
          1952 03 15
          Saturday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club Oasissee 1952 03 07

          This is the date of the last Los Angeles Times advertisement for Ellington at Club Oasis.
          .....Added
          2011
          1952 03 15
          Saturday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Silver Spurs Riding ClubThe Mirror:

          'Duke Ellington will be guest of honor at the Silver Spurs Riding club brawl come Saturday night.'

          The Mirror, Los Angeles, Cal.
          1952-03-13 p.8.
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2021-04-12
          1952 03 16
          Sunday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Club OasisUnconfirmed but see 1952 03 07
          This seems likely to have been Ellington's last night at the Club Oasis, but further research is needed to confirm it.
          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-21
          1952 03 17
          Monday
          St. Patrick's Day
          .Long Beach, Cal.Municipal AuditoriumConcert
          The starting time was not given in the ad or announcement, but the review says it was in the evening.
          "The Duke will bring his orchestra, featuring Louis Bellson on drums, Juan Tizol, trombone and Harry Carney, baritone sax."

          Long Beach Press-Telegram reviewer George Weeks described the audience as scant and the performance as smooth, rather than exciting.
          • Long Beach Press-Telegram, 1952-03-12 p.B-7
          • Announcment, Long Beach Independent, 1952-03-16, p.35-A
          • Long Beach Press-Telegram 1952-03-18 p.B-5
          • Stratemann, p.332
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2017-08-21
          1952 03 17
          Monday
          St. Patrick's Day
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Greater Los Angeles Press Club

          'St. Patrick's Day Observance Planned Here

          Fete at Press Club
            The Greater Los Angeles Press Club will celebrate St. Patrick's Day with an entertainment program and a buffet supper to be given by American, TWA, United, Pan-American and Western Air Lines.
            The program will include Stan Kenton and his orchestra, Vocalist Jerri Winters, Fox and White, comedians, and Duke Ellington and some of the members of his band.'


          The Daily News announcement said Ellington and some of his boys, time permitting, were scheduled to make an appearance following the Long Beach Municipal auditorium concert.
          • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
            1952-03-16 Pt.II p.2
          • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
            1952-03-17 p.26
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-21
          2021-04-07
          1952 03 18
          Tuesday
          8:30 pm
          .San Bernardino, Cal.California TheatreConcert, 8:30 p.m.

          Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will be presented tonight in the California Theatre, San Bernardino, as a King-Wiggett attraction.

          Prices: $3.63, $3.03, $2.42, $1.82 and $1.21 including taxes.
          • Stratemann p.332
          • Redlands Daily Facts, Redlands, Cal.
            • 1952 03 07 p.3
            • 1952-03-11 p.4
            • 1952-03-14 p.4
            • 1952-03-17, p.4
            • 1952-03-18, pp.3, 4
          • Riverside Daily Press, Riverside, Cal.
            • 1952-03-07 p.15
            • 1952-03-10 p.11
            • 1952-03-12 p.7
            • 1952-03-15 p.3
            • 1952-03-17 p.14
            • 1952-03-18 p.15
          • Riverside Enterprise, Riverside, Cal.
            • 1952-03-08 p.19
            • 1952-03-11 p.12
            • 1952-03-13 p.7
            • 1952-03-16 p.7
            • 1952-03-17 p.4
            • 1952-03-18 p.14
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-23
          2017-08-21
          2018-11-28
          2021-04-11
          1952 03 19
          Wednesday
          .Pismo Beach, Cal.Rose Garden BallroomDuke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          admission $1.47 plus tax.
          • Santa Maria Times, Santa Maria, Cal.
            1952-03-17 p.4
          • Telegram-Tribune,San Luis Obispo County,Cal.
            1952-03-17 p.10
          • Stratemann p.332
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-23
          2021-04-12
          1952 03 20
          Thursday
          ..Activities not documented. According to Stratemann and Vail II, this should have been the last night at Club Oasis (see 1952 03 07), but another act was advertised for this date.....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2017-08-21
          1952 03 21
          Friday
          ...

          The 1952 Marathon

          The Ellington orchestra made a marathon jaunt through the northwestern states and southern British Columbia from March 21 to June 10.

          DEMS says there were 18 consecutive one-night stands up to the arrival in Trail, B.C., a week in Vancouver, and then 35 more one-nighters, ending in Chicago on June 10.
          Debbie Andrews left the band before the tour began, and was replaced by Betty Roché who may have missed the first couple of days - she isn't on the Salem recordings, but she sang in the Seattle concert March 25.
          Stratemann p.345.DEMS.added
          2017-08-21
          2017-08-23
          2020-05-08
          1952 03 21
          Friday
          .Eureka, Cal.Ivan Hickman's Sportsman's ClubEllington and his orchestra stopped "for a bite" on its way to Coquille. Since Eureka and Coquille are coastal towns, this suggests the band travelled up the coast instead of inland.

          The Humboldt Times ran a photo of Carney and Ellington with locals Milton Pellegrini and Donald Cave, Eureka friends of the artist.
          • "Mr. Gadabout" column, Humboldt Standard, Eugene, Ore.
            1952-03-22
          • The Humboldt Times, Eureka, Cal.
            1952-03-22 p.1
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-03-23
          updated
          2017-08-22
          2021-04-13
          1952 03 21
          Friday
          .Coquille, Ore.Coquille Community BuildingStage show and dance, sponsored by Ameican Legion Post No. 36, Coquille

          The Coos Bay Times reported Mr. and Mrs. Lester Wold and Mr. and Mrs. Dick Bernetz attended.
          • Coos Bay Times, Coos Bay-North Bend, Ore.
            • 1952-03-20 p.3
            • 1952-03-21 pp.2 5, 8
            • 1952-03-28 p.9
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2021-04-09
          2021-04-13
          ...Personnel change?
          The Valley Times:

          'The pain of Duke Ellington's more recent existence has been his failure to retain capable musicians within the band. Trumpeter Hal Baker, 10 years with the Ellington crew, has become the thirteenth sideman to leave the Duke within the past year. '

          Valley Times, North Hollywood, Cal., 1952-03-22 p.8...djpNew
          added

          2021-04-16
          1952 03 22
          Saturday
          .Salem, Ore.Crystal Gardens

          (Crystal Inn in New Desor and Stratemann.)
          Concert-Dance 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

          Part of the performance was recorded and is on CD.
          Albany Democrat-Herald:

          'Ellington at Salem
            SALEM, March 22–Appearance of Duke Ellington is scheduled for tonight from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Crystal Garden ballrom [sic] in Salem. Ellington will play at a concert dance featuring not only himself but Louie Bellson on the drums; Harry Carney and Willie Smith on saxophones; Ray Nance and Clark Terry, trumpeters and Jual [sic] Ticol [sic] on the trombone, with Debbie Andrews and Jimmy Grissom doing the vocals.'


          The Statesman:

          'Duke Ellington Draws Crowd
            A capacity crowd turned out at Crystal Gardens Saturday night to hear a concert-dance put on by famed bandleader Duke Ellington.
            In a combination program, Ellington played dance music during part of the evening, and then treated his audience the concert which featured many of his own works, including " Stormy Weather." '


          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Grissom.
          Titles recorded:
          • Solitude
          • Blues At Sundown
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • It Don't Mean A Thing
          • Fancy Dan
          • The Hawk Talks
          • Tenderly
          • Frustration
          • Tea For Two
          • Deep Purple
          • Caravan
          • Warm Valley
          • Medley: I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart/Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Don't Worry 'Bout Me
          • Perdido
          • Jeep Is Jumpin'
          • Mood Indigo
          • How High The Moon
          • Monologue
          • Duet
          • Skin Deep
          • Black Beauty
          • Dancers In Love
          • The Tattoooed Bride
          • Flamingo
          • Blue Skies
          • Gazette-Times, Corvallis, Ore.:
            • 1952-03-10 p.3
            • 1952-03-12 p.6
            • 1952-03-15 p.8-
            • 1952-03-19 p.8
            • 1952-03-21 p.8
          • The Statesman, Salem, Ore.:
            • 1952-03-09 p.16
            • 1952-03-11, p.7
            • 1952-03-12, p.2
            • 1952-03-16, pp.5, 14
            • 1952-03-17, p.2
            • 1952-03-16 p.5
            • 1952-03-20 p.5
            • 1952-03-21, p.6
            • 1952-03-23 p.2
          • Capital Journal, Salem,Ore.:
            • 1952-03-13 p.3
            • 1952-03-18 pp. 2, 14
            • 1952-03-21 pp.2, 3
            • 1952-03-24 p.5
          • Albany Democrat-Herald, Albany, Ore., 1952-03-22 p.12
          • "10 Years Ago," The Oregon Statesman, Salem, Ore. 1962-03-12 p.4
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II with copies of two ads.
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner and Timner Corrections:
            • 4/22
            • 4/30
            • 4/34
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.164
          • Compact disc:
            DUKE ELLINGTON CRYSTAL GARDEN SALEM
          New Desor
          DE5205
          Correction Sheets
          1032
          1038
          DEMS.Venue name per Homzy -Palmquist 2013-03-19Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-20
          2016-08-13
          2017-08-22
          2020-05-08
          2021-04-08
          1952 03 23
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 03 24
          Monday
          .Portland, Ore.Civic AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m.

          Tickets: $1.50 $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.75 tax included
          The Oregonian's review:

          'Fans Pleased By Ellington
          BY JAMES STUART
          Staff Writer, The Oregonian
            Duke Ellington, revered in the foot-stomping circles as the dean of modern American music, brought his crew of all-star instrumentalists into the auditorium Monday night for what his press book says to call a concert – "NOT a jazz concert."
            Okeh -it was a concert, the music was jazz, circa March 24, 1952.
            Duke and the boys are at their best on an imaginative three-part turn known somewhat informally as "The Tattooed Bride." Here we had expounded musically the romance of a young lady who forgot to tell her intended of her tattoo decorations.
           Oldtimers Win Favor
            As the Duke explained it, the third movement was to be interpreted thusly:
            "This is the scene where the tattooed bride is discovered to be tattooed on the occasion of her honeymoon in Aberdeen, S.D."
            With that provocative thought adrift, the ducal crew moved on to such finer oldtimers as "Caravan" and "Sophisticated Lady," both written by Ellington.
            Harry Carney, saxophone player par excellence, displayed his versatility and the technique that is made him famous on "Frustoration [sic]."
            The whole crew got into the act on "VIPs Boogie," with Jimmy Hamilton shining on clarinet.
          Jimmy Grissom Vocalist
            On a long programmer called "Harlem," the individuality was lost in a sea of harsh, portentous meanderings. This selection, Ellington explained, was written for the NBC symphony orchestra, and was meant as sort of a montage of life, love and sadness on the few square miles of Manhattan island that is Harlem.
            If the Duke meant this seriously, I will cast a negative vote.
            Featured on the vocals was Jimmy Grissom, who got off to a topper with "Blues at Sundown" and went on to a solid "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me."
            Other stars sharing the platform with the Duke were Louis [sic] Bellson, drums; Willie Smith, also [sic] saxophone; Juan Tizol, trombone, and Cat Anderson, trumpet.'


          A derogatory review in Down Beat by critic Ted Hallock created controversy, with many letters written to the magazine in Ellington's defence.
          • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
            • 1952-03-05 p.11
            • 1952-03-08 p.19
            • 1952-03-09 p.19
            • 1952-03-12 p.16
            • 1952-03-16 pp.14, 15
            • 1952-03-18 p.8
            • 1952-03-20 p.7
            • 1952-03-22 p.5
            • 1952-03-23 pp.26, 28
            • 1952-03-24 p.10
            • 1952-03-25 p.13
          • Stratemann, p.345, citing Down Beat
            • 1952-05-21
            • 1952-06-18
          • Vail II with Hallock's review
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-20
          2017-08-23
          2021-04-08
          2021-04-12
          1952 03 25
          Tuesday
          .Seattle, Wash.Civic AuditoriumConcert 8:30 p.m.

          The Seattle Times advertisements were for both this concert and the dance the next night at the the Trianon.
          The concert was recorded by Jack Lewis, but only part has been issued:
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Betty Roché
          Titles recorded:
          • Caravan
          • The Mooche
          • Medley
          • HARLEM
          • Take The "A" Train
          • THE TATTOOOED BRIDE
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Frustration
          • Sultry Serenade
          • How High The Moon
          • Perdido
          • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
          • The Hawk Talks
          • Blue Skies
          • Skin Deep
          • Jam With Sam
          The medley consisted of:
          • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • In A Sentimental Mood
          • Mood Indigo
          • I'm Beginning To See The Light
          • Prelude To A Kiss
          • It Don't Mean A Thing
          • Solitude
          • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          Lambert:

          '... an RCA record of part of a concert given in Seattle in March 1952. Harlem... and a performance of the Medley of Popular Hits take up a good deal of the LP. For the rest, a rather commonplace selection from the current band repertoire is heard–Skin Deep and The Hawk Talks are not cases of which alternative versions provide the listener with many new pleasures, although Ellington's oral and pianistic introduction to the latter is diverting. There is a pleasant version of Sultry Serenade featuring Woodman, Smith is heard in Sophisticated Lady, and Terry goes through his Perdido routine. Tizol, Hamilton, and Nance (on violin) are soloists in the standard arrangement of Caravan, which has some effective Anderson trumpet in the ensembles. Anderson also closes Jam With Sam with an exciting foray into his highest register. The music is played with great spirit, and the LP is considerably more pleasure than its repertoire might suggest. Even so, it is unfortunate that the selection was not a little more imaginative.'

          An LP was initially pressed for private distribution in 1952 and in 1954 RCA Victor released an LP of the concert (see the correspondence between K.G.Dutton and Goldmine contributing editor F. Daniels at Goldmine The Music Collector's Magazine It was released on CD in 1995.
          The Seattle Times:

          '1,000 Faithful Applaud 'Duke' At Concert
          By PAT DUNBAR

            Ellington, the musician who is so debonair they call him "The Duke," took his band to the Civic Auditorium last night. It's been so long since the "Duke's" last Seattle appearance that only a handful of the faithful turned out to greet him.
            The less than 1,000 persons who heard the concert applauded like 5,000. There was little question that they, as the Duke says, "loved him madly."
            Memory of the swank, sophisticated Ellington may have dimmed for some people, but the Negro bandleader's music is as great and as vital as ever. As presented at the concert, his new composition, "Harlem," is one of the most dynamic and meaningful in the modern jazz field.
            Ellington didn't seem a bit perturbed by the lack of a large audience. At intermission he changed from a tuxedo, light blue shirt and black string tie to a tan suit, white shirt and pink string tie." The way I look at it," said Ellington, " I don't care if there are only two people in the audience - as long as they like music."
            "Some bands might be real down," admitted Louis [sic] Bellson, drummer, "but not this one. These boys don't care who listens. They just like to play."
            Play they did. Ellington's "new" band, which he reorganized a year ago, put a special quality of discipline in the music that had been absent for some time. Soloists that made a special mark were Jimmy Hamilton, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance and Willie Smith.
            The band plays a dance engagement from 9 until 2 tonight at The Trianon.
            The size of the audience was unfortunate in more ways than one. Western Amusements, Inc., which booked Ellington, now has serious doubts about continuing plans to bring more " popular" groups to Seattle.
            "If Seattle wants this kind of music," said Terry Garner, representative of the company, "They've got to turn out for it. We're ready to bring it, but not if the demand is really as low as this." '

          • Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.:
            • 1952-02-20 pp.12, 13
            • 52-03-11 p.21
            • 1952-03-16 p. 51
            • 1952-03-18 p.23
            • 1952-03-21 p. 32
            • 1952-03-23 p. 50
            • 1952-03-24 p.21
            • 1952-03-25 p. 23
            • 1953-03-26 p.29
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Benny Aasland:
            The Wax Works of Duke Ellington, 1954
          • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner
          • E. Lambert:
            Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
            , p.168
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , pp.163-164
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2025-04-26
          New Desor
          DE5206
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-20
          2017-08-19
          2017-08-23
          2017-08-24
          2018-11-29
          2020-05-08
          2021-04-06
          2021-04-12
          2025-04-27
          1952 03 26
          Wednesday
          .Seattle, Wash.Trianon BallroomDance - see details at 1952 03 25.
          • Seattle Daily Times, Seattle, Wash.
            • 1952-02-20 p.12
            • 1952-03-11 p.21
            • 1952-03-16 p. 51
            • 1952-03-21 p. 32
            • 1952-03-23 p. 50
            • 1952-03-25 p. 23
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-19
          2017-08-23
          2021-04-12
          1952 03 00.Seattle, Wash.Seattle StudiosPrivate recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Smith, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Roché

          One title recorded:
          I Love My Lovin' Lover (vocal Roché)
          Stratemann p.New Desor
          DE5207
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 03 00...Personnel change
          Willie Smith left the band shortly after the Seattle engagement, to join Billy May's new band in Los Angeles. Peter Kilbert replaced him temporarily.
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added 2012-10-25
          1952 03 27
          Thursday
          .The Dalles, Ore...Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 03 28
          Friday
          .Tacoma, Wash.Century Ballroom.
          • The Tacoma News-Tribune, Tacoma, Wash., 1952-03-21 p.C-11
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-23
          1952 03 29
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 03 30
          Sunday
          .The Dalles, Ore..Stratemann, p.345Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 03 31
          Monday
          .Walla Walla, Wash.Walla Walla National Guard Armory

          When Walla Walla, Washington, Went Wild

          Duke Ellington Day
          Dance and concert
          8 'Til 12
          Duke Ellington and his famous Orchestra
          Tickets $1.50 tax included.

          'Ellington Dance Draws Big Crowd At State Armory

            The largest crowd to attend a Walla Walla dance in a good many years, more than 1,300 paid admissions, jammed the Armory Monday evening to hear Duke Ellington and his orchestra in a top-flight exhibition of modern jazz.
            ...Comments by long-time followers of the band indicated a general belief that Ellington at present has the finest group he has ever assembled. The performance was clean, spirited and superbly executed, with a precision of ensemble work that has seldom been matched by any dance orchestra appearing here.

          Original compositions

            Particularly outstanding were the original compositions which dominated the program, written by Ellington himself, Billy Strayhorn, the bands arranger, and by Louie Bellson, the spectacular young drummer.
            Many of the Duke's old favorites were played, including "Mood Indigo" and other tunes that have become standbys in the popular music field. A new composition, "The Tattooed Bride" was performed in its full concert version and proved to be an exciting work replete with ultra-modern harmonies and interesting rhythmical ideas.
            Bellson, whose original work "The Hawk Talks" was another highlight of the evening, was starred in one selection and put on a dazzling exhibition of percussive pyrotechnics which left the audience damp and gasping at the intricate effects produced by the operation of both hands and both feet simultaneously–and apparently in different directions, but always in beautiful coordination.

          Duke In Fine Form

            Ellington himself was in excellent form at the keyboard, and added greatly to the enjoyment of the listeners with his subtle and sophisticated introductions and comments.
            Among the faithful listeners, many of whom did no dancing but spent the evening congregated around the bandstand, were hundreds from nearby communities.
            The armory was tastefully decorated in a spring motif by members of the sponsoring Beta Sigma Phi organization, who transformed the barn-like building into an orchard of small trees and flowery bowers.
            And to get back to the music: Well, it was terrific. Simply terrific. -R.M.'


            It's easy to assume the orchestra would hit town, play a concert or dance as a matter of routine, hop back on the bus and move on, not realizing how much its performance meant to the communities in which it performed.
            One such community is Walla Walla, a small city in eastern Washington, near its border with Oregon.
            The Chamber of Commerce and the local Beta Sigma Phi sorority collaborated to make Ellington's night a huge event.
            Duke Ellington Day was the end of the city's Swing into Spring campaign, which began March 12 with a parade.

            The community was so into Ellington's concert and dance that the city postponed a public hearing scheduled for this evening, and city commission relaxed its rule against teenagers being allowed to attend public dances.

            The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin carried more than 25 plugs, ads, announcements and third party advertisements from March 2 to March 31, as well as its review April 1.
            On March 2, the Union-Bulletin reported a Mrs. Margaret Chadek was appointed project chairman to direct the Beta Sigma Phi participation in the program, and a Mr. Howard Michels would handle the Chamber of Commerce Retailer's part with the assistance of Elizabeth Koch, W.G. Brown and Melva Eskelsen.
            The March 12 edition carried news of the Chamber of Commerce's Earlybird breakfast at the Red Apple Cafe. There, they planned a St. Patrick's Day special sales event, called Green Tag Day, and under the chairmanship of L. G. Pederson, made plans "for activities in connection with Duke Ellington Day." These plans included special window displays on the day of the dance and the weekend preceding it. The article said Green Tag Day and Duke Ellington Day were part of the city's Salute to Spring program.
            On March 16, the paper ran a column announcing

          'Walla Walla area people will have an opportunity to decide what has kept the Duke popular for the past 30-odd years when he visits the city Duke Ellington Day March 31. He's scheduled to present dance music and a concert at the Easter Parade in the Armory.
            His appearance is part of Salute to Spring acitivites and is under the directon of Beta Sigma Phi, non-academic sorority. '

           The March 23 publicity focused on Louie Bellson, and quoted him as saying he and Strayhorn were working on something special:

          'The saxophone players are going to hold rosewood plates in their left hands and hit them with bamboo sticks.'

            Another page reports there was a meeting of the Xi Eta chapter of Beta Sigma Phi where new officers elected.

          'Mrs. Chadek, general chairman of the Duke Ellington dance in the Armory March 31, reported on the progress of the dance plans. The affair is being sponsored jointly by retail merchants of the city and Lambda and Xi Eta chapters of the sorority...Following business, the evening was spent making decorations for the dance....'

           At last, on March 26, the paper ran an ad that says

          'Meet The Duke - Hear The Band In Person... '

          and

          'Featuring Louis Bellson, drums, Wilie Smith, alto, Harry Carney, barition sax, Ray Nance and Cat Anderson, trumpets, Juan Tizol, trombone, and the award-winning compositon of THE LEADER! '

            On page 7, this edition reported the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce praised the Salute to Spring program, and on page 10 we learn Sweet Music for Shoppers, the Song of Spring contest, and Duke Ellington Day were discussed at the Chamber of Commerce Early Bird Retailers breakfast meeting at the Red Apple.

          'Sweet Music for Shoppers is a special sale to be held Saturday and Monday in connection with Duke Ellington Day. On the Saturday, Sunday and Monday, 25 to 30 firms will feature a decorated window in their establishments with a popular song as the theme for the Song of Spring contest. Shoppers will be given entry blanks and will compete for $50 cash and $500 in giveaway merchandise by listing the song titles portrayed in the various window displays. '


            The winner was announced Monday at the Ellington dance/concert. Peggy James won first prize. She was one of ten who had all the answers right, but she won the tie-breaker, guessing a number closest to the number drawn by Ellington. Since the Ellington events conflicted with a public hearing about relocating a highway, the public hearing was postponed.
          • Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Walla Walla, Wash.
            • 1952-02-27 p.1
            • 1952-03-02 p.3
            • 1952-03-05 p.6
            • 1952-03-12 p.5
            • 1952-03-16 p.25
            • 1952-03-18 p.5
            • 1952-03-19 pp.1,5
            • 1952-03-23 pp.6, 22
            • 1952-03-26 pp.5, 7, 10
            • 1952-03-27 pp.1,5
            • 1952-03-28 pp.1, 5, 6, 7, 13
            • 1952-03-30 p.1, 3, 5, 20, 23
            • 1952-03-31,p.5
            • 1952-04-01 p.5
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II
          • The free souvenir programme can be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 10 Salute To Spring, Armory, Walla Walla, Washington, March 31, 1952
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-20
          2016-01-24
          2017-08-23

          April 1952

          1952 04 01
          Tuesday
          ...Personnel Change
          Hilton Jefferson, alto sax, joins the band
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-23
          1952 04 00
          Tuesday
          ...Peripheral Event
          The April 1952 edition of EBONY magazine carried an article by Ellington, THE MOST EXCITING WOMEN I'VE KNOWN, in which he gave his definition of what makes a woman exciting and names the most exciting women he has known. In this article, Duke writes of Marian Anderson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Poppy Cannon, Josephine Baker, Katherine Dunham, Ivie Anderson, Mary McLeod Bethune, Hazel Scott Powell and Lena Horne. This edition is currently available in the Internet Archive and includes several photos of Duke alone, Duke with his unnamed valet, with an unnamed lady and with Lena Horne.
          Ebony, April 1952, pp.23-30
          (courtesy S.Lasker 2021-10-07)
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-10-08
          1952 04 01
          Tuesday
          .Spokane, Wash.161st Infantry Armory
          202 W.2nd
          Dance for a capacity crowd.
          DUKE ELLINGTON and His World Famous Orchestra (16) Pieces
          Price $1.60 Plus Tax
          No Advance Ticket Sales
          Impresario Leonard Russell is reported to have said the band had eight of its original members.
          Acoustics were bad - a reviewer quotes an Ellingtonia lover as saying "Hearing the Duke's music in here is like drinking champagne out of a tin cup."
          • Spokane Daily Chronicle, Spokane, Wash.
            • 1952-03-14 p.18
            • 1952-03-31 p.11
            • 1952-04-01 p.5
            • 1952-04-02
          • The Spokesman Review, Spokane, Wash.
            • 1952-03-23 p.3
            • 1952-03-28 p.2
            • 1952-03-30 p.8
            • 1951-04-01 p.2
            • 1951-04-02
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-02
          2021-04-13
          1952 04 02
          Wednesday
          .Spokane, Wash.Spokane HotelDaily Chronicle reporter Bob Emahiser interviewed Ellington in his hotel room before noon. The topic of conversation appears to be travel. The report mentions a trip coming up from the coast to Missoula and back, quoting Duke as saying "It requires a bit of backtracking, but it happens every season." It should be noted the tour did some backtracking over the next few days, but not as described. Spokane Daily Chronicle, Spokane, Wash.
          1951-04-02 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-02
          1952 04 02
          Wednesday
          .Kalispell, Mont..There is no mention of this appearance in the Kalispell Inter Lake from March 25 to April 4, although the April 4 edition announces the Missoula concert/dance.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          1952 04 03
          Thursday
          .Spokane, Wash.Elk's Club or Elk's TempleDance

          While it seems odd the band would trek from Spokane to Kalispell and then backtrack, the second visit to Spokane is confirmed in Spokane newspaper reports from 1952-04-02.
          • Spokane Daily Chronicle, Spokane, Wash.
            • 1952-04-01 p.5
            • 1952-04-02
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-02
          2021-04-13
          1952 04 04
          Friday
          .Missoula, Mont.Student Union Building
          Montana State University
          • Concert in the auditorium 8 p.m.
          • Dance in the Gold room
          • $1.50 per person
          • 'Ellington Orchestra To Play Friday At State University

            MISSOULA – Duke Ellington and his 16-piece orchestra are coming to the Montana State university campus Friday night. The four-hour program consists of a two-hour concert in the Student Union auditorium and two hours of dancing...
              Ray Hoffman, Helena, main contact man, states that "Ellington finds his favor not only in lovers of le jazz hot, but is popular to the general public, ranging from bobby-soxers to middle-aged folks." Hoffman is a music major and has his own small dance ensemble.'
          • '...When Ellington... was booked to appear, he was scheduled for the concert and dance combination. Then contract difficulties arose, and it was thought for a time that he would be able to play the concert only. Ellington intervened with his agents and secured permission for the combination concert and dance program...'
          • A capacity crowd heard a concert Friday night of Duke Ellington and his orchestra in the student union building... The concert was given in the auditorium and was followed by a dance in the Gold room...
          • A Miss Mary Jane Kurth attended
          • The Daily Missoulian, Missoula, Mont.
            • 1952-03-23 pp.5, 16
            • 1952-03-24 p.8
            • 1952-03-26 p.10
            • 1952-03-30 p.2
            • 1952-03-31 p.10
            • 1952-04-04 pp.3, 5
            • 1952-04-05
          • Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls, Mont.
            • 1952-03-30 p.15
          • Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.
            • Announcement 1952-04-04 p.3
            • Society note 1952-04-11, p.7
          • The Flathead Courier, Polson, Mont.
            • 1952-04-10 p.9
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2017-08-25
          2021-04-13
          1952 04 05
          Saturday
          .Bozeman, Mont.Montana State College

          'Jim Hoiness, Billings, president of the Associated Students of Montana State college, has announced that Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be in Bozeman April 5. He will present a concert and dance in the college gym. MSC students who are serving on a committee for promotion of this concert and dance are Dave Parker, chairman, Don Elwell, Jack Griffith, Janis Kampscror, Sana Green, Naida Korslund, Bob Gaines, and Jim Hoiness.'

          The Montana State University 1952 yearbook has a photo of Duke at the piano
          • Great Falls Tribune, Great Falls, Mont. 1952-03-16 p.12
          • Montana State University 1952 yearbook, p.34
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-25
          2018-10-16
          1952 04 06
          Sunday
          .Havre, Mont.Elk's BallroomElks Club Dance
          March 21:

          'Havre Elks who plan to attend the Duke Ellington dance on Sunday, April 6 are urged to puchase their tickets at the lodge as soon as possible. Secretary Tom Troy said a loarge number of tickets have been sold to out-of-town members of Havre Lodge No. 1201.
               No persons under the age of 21 will be permitted to attend the dance even if they are the sons and daughters of Elks.
               Those who make application for tickets are requested to state who will use the tickets. This is to avoid tickets getting into the hands on non-Elks... '

          April 1:

          'Manager Phil Curry of the Elks Country club announced today that the country club will be open from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, closing earlier than usual because of the Duke Ellington dance and concert Sunday evening at the club. Curry said dinner will be served from 2 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday. He also announced that there would be square dancing from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.'

          April 7:

          'Duke Ellington And Orchestra Wows Jazz Fans
               Probably the largest, loudest and most talented orchestra to ever play in the Elks ballroom here was heard Sunday evening when Duke Ellington, modern American composer and his 16-piece orchestra, presented a concert. Filling a specially-constructed platform, the Ellington organization "wowed" the audience with a show which included the playing of a number of melodies which have made Ellington famous.
               The Duke was an engaging personality, radiating enthusiasm throughout the evening. The Ellington bandsmen showed great informality too as they visited or wandered about during various selections each coming in right on the note when needed. This required a great knowledge of music and the stage was studded with instrumental talent headed by stars such as "Cat" Anderson, Jimmy Griffin [sic], Louis [sic] Bellson and Ray Nance. The latter just about stole the show with his showmanship on trumpet and violin selections and his scat singing. Bellson's drumming brought great rounds of applause.
               For Havre's modern jazz fans Ellington night was a real treat.'

          • The Havre Daily News, Havre, Mont.
            • 1952-03-04 p.4
            • 1952-03-21 p.4
            • 1952-03-25 p.4
            • 1952-04-01 p.4
            • 1952-04-02 p.4
            • 1952-04-07 p.3
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-12
          1952 04 07
          Monday
          .Williston, N.DStateline.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 04 08
          Tuesday
          8:15 pm
          .Billings, Mont.Shrine AuditoriumConcert and dance. 8:15 p.m., attended by approximately 2,500

          The ads are interesting. Ticket prices advertised March 23 were $2.60, $1.80, $1.50 (main floor), $1.80 and $1.50 for side seats and $1.50 for rear seats and "dancing privilege at no additional cost." Dance tickets alone were $1.20. On Apr. 3, there were two ticket prices, $1.80 and $1.50 but on Apr. 6 there were three $2.40, $1.80 and $1.50, with the first two crossed out, suggesting the higher priced seats were sold out, but that ad says "more than 1,000 good reserved seats still available. The Apr. 6 ad also offered tickets for the dance only at $1.20.

          An ad by Lindamood Music Co. on Mar.30 announced Duke would be featured on a Baldwin Concert Grand Piano.
          March 16 plug:

          'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will present a concert and dance April 8 in the Billings Shrine auditorium, it was announced Saturday.
            The presentation, which will be sponsored by the uniformed bodies of Al Bedoo Shrine temple, will mark the first appearance of the composer and band leader in this city.
            A form [sic] concert from the auditorium stage will open the program with the dance following immediately...'

          The Billings Gazette, Billings, Mont.:
          • 1952-03-16, p.8
          • 1952-03-23, p.14
          • 1952-03-30, p.8
          • 1952-04-03,p.9
          • 1952-04-06 pp. 19, 21
          • Report, 1952-04-09, p.6
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-03-22
          updated
          2017-08-23
          1952 04 09
          Wednesday
          .Mountain Home, IdahoMountain Home Air Force BaseA review of a Gene Krupa, Charlie Ventura and Teddy Napolean concert at Mountain Home Air Froce base theater said Ellington was scheduled to appear April 9.
          • The Idaho Daily Statesman, Boise, Idaho
            1952-04-04 p.7
          • Stratemann, p.345
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-25
          2020-05-08
          1952 04 10
          Thursday
          .Trail, B.C.Cominco Arena"dance-cum-concert"..DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 04 11
          Friday
          Good Friday
          1952 04 19Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Club
          Burrard and Alberni St.
          Night club date
          "Duke Ellington and his famous ORCHESTRA"
          "In Person with his 20 people revue"
          Mat. Sat.April 12, 2:30, 2-Hour Concert- Tickets at Palomar
          Personnel per the Province review were five saxes, three trombones, four trumpets, rhythm.

          The unidentified Province reviewer mentioned Bellson, Anderson, Tizol, Jimmy Grissom, Dan Grissom, Betty Roche and Ray Nance by name.

          Song titles mentioned:
          Take the A-Train, How High the Moon, Moonlight Fiesta, Happy-Go-Lucky Loco [sic]
          Members of the band stayed in the Devonshire Hotel, and Ellington stayed in the Hotel Georgia next door. Both hotels were first rate, about 2 short blocks east of the club, opposite Vancouver's courthouse.
          (According to an online Grissom biography, Dan Grissom was a vocalist with the Jimmy Lunceford orchestra and Jimmy Grissom's uncle.)
          • The News-Herald, Vancouver, B.C.
            • 1952-04-04 p.5
            • 1952-04-05 p.5
            • 1952-04-10 p.14
          • The Vancouver Province
            • 1952-04-10 p.5
            • 1952-04-15 p.8
            • 1952-04-17 pp.10, 17
            • The Vancouver Sun and The Sunday Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
              • 1952-04-16 p.15
              • 1952-04-19 p.25
          • Stratemann p.345
          • Jimmy Grissom biography
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-20
          2019-10-16
          2019-11-03
          2020-05-08
          2021-04-13
          1952 04 12
          Saturday
          ...Peripheral event
          The Billboard announced:

          'Duke Ellington has penned an original composition for Sam Evans, WGN, Chicago to uses his theme. New tune is tagged "Jam With Sam" name of Evans'deejay show.'

          This must be taken with a grain of salt:
          • Lambert says "Jam With Sam" is part of Threesome, divided into "V.I.P.'s Boogie" and "Jam With Sam."
          • Aasland in DEMS:

            '...And for THREESOME we can add some light: This number, consisting of two parts, was, as far as we know, for the first time featured at the famous Metropolitan Opera House concert, January 21, 1951. The purpose was to provide background for a dancer group. The dancers were two men and a girl and the subject of their dance was, as Duke put it, "the old triangle, danced by a threesome". Later, when recorded for Columbia the first part was named VIP'S BOOGIE and the second JAM WITH SAM. From then on they were variously refered to as THREESOME and/or VIP'S BOOGIE and JAM WITH SAM.'

          • Note also the recordings listed above establish it was written well over a year before The Billboard's announcement:
            • 1951 01 21
            • 1951 05 02
            • 1951 05 10
            • 1951 06 28
            • 1952 03 14
              (Snader Transcriptions)
          .DEMS.djpNew
          added
          2017-08-25
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 04 12
          Saturday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11
          Matinee, 2 hour concert at 2:30 p.m.
          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2019-10-16
          1952 04 13
          Sunday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11.....Added
          2011
          1952 04 14
          Monday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11.....Added
          2011
          1952 04 15
          Tuesday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11

          The Province:

          '...
               Currently appearing in a Vancouver night club with a company of 16 persons, Mr. Ellington told a reporter:
               "I have the good fortune to be doing something for a living I would do as a hobby if I was a cabdriver, waiter, clerk or what have you.
               "I don't like my band being referred to as a business. It's not. It's more than that. I like to compose–with my own band I can write music tonight and hear it played tomorrow. That's important to me."
               The composer-pianist is now working on a musical he hopes to have produced on Broadway. "Got any money you want to invest?" he asked the reporter.
               He says his present band satisfies him completely. "Every one of my men is a soloist, I'm finished with the days when my band was plagued by too much tradition and not enough performance."
               Featured drummer with the Ellington unit currently is Louis [sic] Bellson, an unbelievably fast percussionist, age 28, who has gained control of his leg muscles to the point where he can play almost the same beats with his two bass, pedal-operated drums that he can do with his hands. Timed by a university student recently, Bellson was found to be able to hit the drumhead with a stick 1140 times per minute.
               For Ellington fans, the show at the Palomar this week is a carnival of joy. The band (five saxes, three trombones, four trumpets, and rhythm) has punch, technique and ability. The music is pure Ellingtonia–there is no concession to commercialism.
                Tuesday night the band hurtled through a program aimed to please old fans. Opening with the popular theme "Take the A-Train," the group went on to pierce ears with a quicker-than-quick version of "How High the Moon." In the latter, the trumpet section excelled, with high notes being plucked off easily by Cap [sic] "Bill" Anderson.
               Juan Tizol, valve trombonist, was featured in a self-composition, Moonlight Fiesta.
               The contagious rhythm of "Happy-Go-Lucky Loco [sic]," urged on by the sturdy piano background of Ellington, was a program standout.
               Vocals were by Jimmy Grissom, nephew of Jimmie Lunceford, vocalist Dan Grissom, and Betty Roche.
               As far as the showmanship in the program was concerned, the burden was carried ably by comedian-trumpeter-violinist-vocalist Ray Nance, a completely funny man, and drummer Bellson, who rather calmly waded through a percussion number titled Skin Deep.'

          The Vancouver Province, Vancouver, B.C.
          1952-04-17 p.21.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-09
          1952 04 16
          Wednesday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11.....Added
          2011
          1952 04 17
          Thursday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11.....Added
          2011
          1952 04 18
          Friday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Shaughnessy HospitalThe Sunday Sun photo caption:

          'MUSICAL KNIGHT, "The Duke of Ellington" lightened hours for patients at Shaughnessy Hospital Friday night with famous orchestra, Here Duke chats with Joy Wiseman of 602 Van Horne Street, Penticton. New Veteran's Branch, Canadian Legion, arranged the show.'

          The Sunday Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
          1952-04-19 p.25.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2019-10-16
          1952 04 18
          Friday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11.....Added
          2011
          1952 04 19
          Saturday
          .Vancouver, B.C.Palomar Supper ClubClub date - see 1952 04 11.....Added
          2011
          1952 04 20
          Sunday
          .Tacoma, Wash.Ft Lewis.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 04 21
          Monday
          .Portland, Ore.McElroy's Ballroom
          S.W. 4th & Main
          Club date

          'JOHNNY TANAKA
          Presents
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          AND HIS ORCHESTRA
          MANDAY, APRIL 21, 9-1
          McELROY'S BALLROOM
          W. 4TH & MAIN AT 5780'


          Variety:

          'Duke Ellington orch did only fair in one-nighter at McElroy's.'

          • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
            • 1952-04-19 p.4
            • 1952-04-21 p.13
          • Variety 1952-05-07 p.62
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-25
          2017-08-26
          1952 04 22
          Tuesday
          .San Francisco, Cal..activities not documented

          Stratemann and Vail II report a one-nighter at an unnamed location in San Francisco on this date. I was unable to find any mention of an Ellington performance in San Francisco on this date the California newspaper archives I use.

          While it is possible to travel the 600+ miles from Portland to San Francisco (10 hours by car in 2020, nearly 19 hours by train) it seems more likely that an event was initially planned for San Francisco and cancelled. Further research is needed..
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-02-25
          1952 04 23
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 04 24
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 04 25
          Friday
          .Bellingham, Wash.Armory

          Duke Ellington and his World-Famous Orchestra (16 pieces). Dancing from 9:00 to 1:00
          ARMORY–Admission $1.60 plus tax

          • The Bellingham Herald, Bellingham, Wash.
            • 1952-04-18 p.10
            • 1952-04-20 p.16
            • 1952-04-24 p.28
            • 1952-04-25 p.10
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2018-11-29
          2021-04-09
          1952 04 26
          Saturday
          .Everett, Wash.Armory.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 04 27
          Sunday
          .Longview, Wash.Auditorium
          • This event is shown in Stratemann and Vail II but neither names a source.
          • It conflicts with the advertised night club date in Portland.
          • Bill Watson, Collections Curator, Cowlitz County Historical Museum in Kelso wrote:

            'I have found no evidence in the newspapers (either Longview Daily News or Kelsonian Tribune) for a Duke Ellington concert in Longview in April (or March) of 1952. I looked through most of the April papers, and checked March, too (I looked online, as you likely did, and saw he played some dates in Salem, OR in mid-March that year). If he did have a concert here that spring, it was not advertised or remarked upon in the local press...'

          Conclusion: This event may have been planned, but if so, it was most likely cancelled, with the band playing in Portland instead. Since Ellington played both in Longview and Portland on the same day in 1954, we cannot rule out the possibility of an afternoon performance in Longview, but Mr. Watson's research suggests otherwise.,
          • Bill Watson, Cowlitz County Historical Museum, as noted.
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-26
          2017-08-31
          1952 04 27
          Sunday
          .Portland, Ore.Spot-Lite Club
          1402 S.W. 2nd Ave.
          (cor.Columbia)
          Last Chance
          to See
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          and His Orchestra
          TONIGHT
          (Sun., April 27)
          9 P.M. - 2 A.M.
          SPOT-LITE
          CLUB
          1402 S.W. 2nd Ave.
          (cor.Columbia)
          The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.:
          • 1952-04-26 p.4
          • 1952-04-27 p.12
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2017-08-26
          1952 04 28
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 04 29
          Tuesday
          Ellington's birthday
          .Yakima, Wash.Armory.Stratemann, p.345New Desor
          DE5208
          DEMS
          corrTimner-4/22+30+34+35
          .Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 04 30
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented

          Stratemann and Vail II report the orchestra at the Memorial Arena in Victoria B.C. but this is doubtful. It is a 7 or 8 hour trip by road and ferry from Yakima, and is not on the way to Boise. There were no ads for the event in the Victoria Times during April nor any report in April or May.
          • Stratemann, p.345
          • Vail II
          ....
          update
          2020-02-25
          1952 spring.U.S.A..Broadcast.New Desor
          DE5209
          ...Added
          2011

          May 1952

          1952 05 01
          Thursday
          ...Date of contract between Triple Ell Corporation, Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington, Inc., presents Duke Ellington" for three 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week at the Blue Note Cafe beginning July 25, 1952, for $5,000/week.

          This contract specifies the weekly fee is $5,000, less 10% to Associated Booking Corp.

          The contract says "It is specifically understood and agreed that unless otherwise specified herein, no part of the performance of the Orchestra shall be broadcast or reproduced by radio or other means."
          Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
          added 2012-11-03
          1952 05 01
          Thursday
          .Boise, Idaho.Miramar Ballroomone nighter
          • The Idaho Daily Statesman and The Idaho Daily Sunday Statesman
            • 1952-04-25 p.20
            • 1952-04-26 p.7
            • 1952-04-27 p.10
            • 1952-05-01 p.23
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-25
          1952 05 02
          Friday
          .Salt Lake City, UtahRainbowOther than this brief note in The Daily Utah Chronicle, I have been unable to locate any mention of this appearance in the Salt Lake City papers availabe to me:

          'Duke Ellington will be in Salt Lake on May 2nd.'


          The Jackson's Hole Courier:

          'H. L. Jensen, Lew Clark and Houston Simson went to Salt Lake Saturday [sic] to hear Duke Ellington and his band. They returned Sunday.'

          • The Daily Utah Chronicle, University of Utah, 1952-04-15 p.2
          • Jackson's Hole Courier, Jackson, Wyoming, 1952-05-08 p.2
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-26
          2017-08-27
          1952 05 03
          Saturday
          .Boulder, Col.University of Colorado.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 05 04
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 05 05
          Monday
          .Boise, Idaho. Birdland.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 05 06
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 05 07
          Wednesday
          .Sidney, Nebr.City AuditoriumDance, 9 p.m., sponsored by the Sidney American Legion Post No. 17.
          • The Sidney Telegraph, Sidney, Nebr.
            • 1952-03-28 s.2 p.3
            • 1952-05-02 s.1 p.5
            • 1952-05-06 p.1
          • Stratemann, p.345
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-13
          1952 05 08
          Thursday
          1952 05 09Manitou Springs, Col.Hiawatha Gardens
          10 Old Man's Trail
          .Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          updated
          2018-10-16
          1952 05 09
          Friday
          .Manitou Springs, Col.Hiawatha GardensSee 1952 05 08......
          1952 05 10
          Saturday
          .Cheyenne, Wy.Frontier.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 05 11
          Sunday
          .Cheyenne, Wy.Warren Air Force Base.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 05 12
          Monday
          .Denver, Col.Rainbow Ballroom.Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          1952 05 13
          Tuesday
          .Kearney, Neb.Nebraska State Teachers College
          later known as Kearney State College and in 1991, University of Nebraska at Kearney
          (Unconfirmed)
          Stratemann names the venue without sources, and does not say if it was a concert or a dance. This may be the same gig shown by Vail or it may conflict with the one shown by Vail.
          Stratemann, p.345....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-21
          1952 05 13
          Tuesday
          .Kearney, Neb.1733 Ballroom
          Hwy 30
          (Unconfirmed)
          Prom for the University of Nebraska
          This entry is Vail II, with no source shown.
          Vail II (unsourced)....added 2013-03-21
          1952 05 14
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 05 15
          Thursday
          7:30 pm - concert
          9:00 pm - dance
          1952 05 17
          Saturday
          Ames, IowaIowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts
          ("Iowa State College")
          • Concert:
            Clyde Williams Field
          • Dance:
            Memorial Union building
          Open air concert and the first of three dances performed for the college's annual "Vaishea" weekend.

          Governor William Beardsley and film maker Cecil B. deMille presided over the opening ceremonies, followed by horse shows at 2:30 and 7:30.

          Program details, courtesy Iowa State University archives:
          • May 15:
            •  -7:30 concert at Clyde Williams Field
               -9:00 dance at Memorial Union
            • May 16: 9:00 dance at Memorial Union
            • May 17:8:30 dance at Memorial Union

          • The program pages for Ellington include a photo of him, and one of a dance in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

          • Concert:
            The Duke himself – the man with the warm smile and the warm music. This year's concert Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Clyde Williams Field will feature Duke Ellington and his orchestra.

            The program will be composed of a group of yesterday and today's classes [sic]. Ellington is well known for his compositionsi??"Mood Indigo," "In my Solitude," and "Caravan." These and many others in the famed Duke's repertoire will be on the program.

            Following the concert, the silvery flames and the bright smoke of the annual fireworks display will fill the sky...a fitting close to one of the best VEISHEA concerts in recent years.

          • Dances
            "The combined ballrooms of the Memorial Union will again ring with the music of a good orchestra and reflect the images of dancing couples as Duke Ellington plays for the Veishea dances of 1952.

            A specializer in everything from the smoothest dancing rhythm to the hottest jump tune, Ellington is one of the best known of the modern orchestra leaders.

            The dramatic backdrop will portray a gold, three-dimensional Veishea torch against a black background.

            The dances will be held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings of Veishea. The Veishea Queen of Queens will be presented during intermission. Saturday night, the trophies for Veishea open house and the parade winners will also be awarded.

          'Mr. and Mrs. O. J. Murphy were guests Thursday and a reception and luncheon for Cecil Demille [sic]...
            Mr. and Mrs. Murphy's son, Stanley, as a member of the committee and chairman of vaudeville. In the evening Stanley had his parents as guests at Duke Ellington's concert '

          • Ames Daily Tribune, Ames, Iowa 1952-05-07 p.1
          • Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, 1952-05-14, p.12
          • Morning World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1952-05-15 p.10
          • Daily Times Herald, Carroll, Iowa, 1952-05-17 p.8
          • Photos, The 1953 Bomb yearbook, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, p.22
          • Stratemann p.346
          • Vail II
          ...Email to Palmquist 2013-03-26 from Becky S. Jordan, Reference Specialist, Special Collections/University Archives, Iowa State University
          djp
          Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-21
          2017-08-26
          2018-12-13
          1952 05 16
          Friday
          9 pm
          .Ames, IowaMemorial Union building
          "Iowa State College"
          Vaishea dance - see 1952 05 05....djpAdded
          2011
          1952 05 17
          Saturday
          8:30 pm
          .Ames, IowaMemorial Union building
          "Iowa State College"
          Vaishea dance - see 1952 05 05....djpAdded
          2011
          1952 05 18
          Sunday
          . Fairmont, Minn.Interlaken BallroomDance

          Duke Ellington's 16 Piece Recording Orchestra
          • Estherville Daily News, Estherville, Iowa, 1952-05-14 p.6
          • Stratemann p.346
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-03-21
          updated
          2017-08-26
          1952 05 19
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 05 20
          Tuesday
          .Fargo, N.D.Bentson-Bunker Field House
          North Dakota Agricultural College
          Junior-Senior Prom
          9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

          Open to the public
          Tickets $1.50 with all profit to go to the Easter Seals campaign.
          Free admission to graduating students.
          The Prom Publicity Chairman wrote a letter to the editor of the Spectrum explaining the dance was Tuesday because that was the only day they could book Ellington.

          Stratemann didn't identify the campus but NDSU confirms it was Fargo.
          • Stratemann p.346
          • Email T. Raezer (NDSU archives) to Palmquist 2013-03-25, citing an ad in The Spectrum, 1952-05-09
          • The Spectrum, Fargo, N.D.
            1952-04-25 p.2
          • 1952-05-02 pp.4, 6
          • 1952-05-09 p.1
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-03-21
          updated
          2021-04-13
          1952 05 21
          Wednesday
          .Montevideo, Minn.Gladys' Ballroom.Stratemann p.346....Added
          2011
          1952 05 22
          Thursday
          .Breckenridge, Minn.Legion Pavilion Ballroom.Stratemann p.346....Added
          2011
          1952 05 23
          Friday
          .Duluth, Minn.National Guard ArmoryUniversity of Minnesota prom, 9 tp 1

          'Duke Ellington to Play at UMD Prom Tonight
          'Tropicana' Theme Provides Exotic Setting Four World Famous Sixteen-piece Orchestra
            Duke Ellington, guest artist, and his sixteen-piece world famous orchestra will begin playing their mellow music for your dancing pleasure at 9 p. m. tonight at the National Guard armory, dancing will continue to 1 a.m.
            The armory will be transformed into a riot of color to carry out the "Tropicana" theme. A false ceiling of blue tissue paper will waft overhead and the wall will glisten with basketwoven mats of many hues, with large life-like three dimensional flowers attached.
            The "Duke,"... will bring such notables as Louis [sic] Bellson, Juan Tizol, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Willie Smith and Britt Woodman, with him... '

          • UMD Statesman, University of Minnesota, Duluth Campus
            • 1952-05-02 p.3
            • 1952-05-23 p.1
            courtesy of Aimee Brown, Archivist & Curator of Special Collections, Kathryn A. Martin Library, University of Minnesota Duluth
          • Stratemann p.346
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-26
          1952 05 24
          Saturday
          .Appleton, Wisc.Hotel AppletonPeripheral Event

          'Collectors of Jazz Records Convening
            The first jazz record collectors convention ever to be held will take place at the Hotel Appleton in Appleton Sunday.
            Purpose of the meet is to "meet fellow collectors, talk records, buy, sell, auction and trade records," according to Al Starck, co-chairman of the event with Les Lerche.
            Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be the guest speaker at the 6:30 dinner Sunday evening and will provide music for a dance at the Nightingale [sic] later in the evening. Master of ceremonies will be Tom Mercein, of the "Music With Mercein" WTMJ program.
            Collectors are urged to bring along their five favorite records and display them at the meeting. A public show will be held Sunday afternoon.
            A $1 registration fee is being charged, with banquet reservations priced at $2. The general registration fee also will serve as admission to the Sunday evening dance.'

          • Green Bay Press-Gazette, Green Bay, Wisc., 1952-05-24 p.5
          • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.
            1952-05-22 p.11
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-26
          1952 05 24
          Saturday
          .Sauk City, Wisc.Riverview BallroomDance
          Admission $2,00 including tax
          • Wisconsin State Journal
            • Announcement 1952-02-28 s.2 p.5
            • Ads
              • 1952-05-16 S.2 p.3
              • 1952-05-18 s.2 p.5
              • 1952-05-24 s,1 p.5
          • The Capital Times, Madison, Wisc.
            • 1952-05-15 p.4
            • 1952-05-16 p.4
            • 1952-05-24
          • Stratemann p.346
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-19
          2017-08-19
          2017-08-26
          1952 05 25
          Sunday
          .Appleton, Wisc.Hotel AppletonEllington was to speak at the dinner for record collectors - see 1952 05 24
          This does not conflict with the Kaukana engagement - the cities are about 9 miles apart.
            Green Bay Press-Gazette, Green Bay, Wisc., 1952-05-24 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-26
          updated
          2018-12-13
          1952 05 25
          Sunday
          .Kaukauna, Wisc.Nitingale
          ("Nightingale Ballroom" per Stratemann)
          U.S. Highway 41, north of Kaukauna
          .
          • Green Bay Press-Gazette, Green Bay, Wisc.
            • 1952-05-02 p.11
            • 1952-05-09 p.16
          • Appleton Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wisc.
            • 1952-03-28 p.13
          • Stratemann p.346
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-26
          2021-04-13
          1952 05 26
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 05 27
          Tuesday
          .Escanaba, Mich.The Terrace
          "Michigan's Wonder Nite Spot"
          Between Escanaba and Gladstone on US 2-41
          Dine and dance? Admission was $1.50 per person plus tax, but the venue advertised dining. The next-day report of the event quoted Ellington in what he usually told the press but didn't say anything about the event itself.Escanaba Daily Press, Escanaba, Mich.
          • 1952-04-18 p.12
          • 1952-05-06 p.2
          • 1952-05-09 p.2
          • 1952-05-16 p.2
          • 1952-05-23 p.16
          • 1952-05-26 p.6
          • 1952-05-28 p.3
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-17
          1952 05 28
          Wednesday
          .Milwaukee, Wisc.Milwaukee AuditoriumThe Biggest May Ball and Music Battle of the 20th Century!

          Five - bands - Five

          ...Jazz music versus Old-Time music

          A 5 hour continous bombardment of polkas, schottisches, laendlers, two steps and plenty of jazz.

          ...5 bands
          • Duke Ellington the Jazz King
          • Frank Yankovic, Nation's Polka King
          • Bernie Roberts
          • Romy Gosz, trumpet
          • Sammy Madden Milwaukee's No.1


          Promoted as Pop versus Bop, Ellington lost the battle of bands to the Yankovic polka band.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-24
          2017-08-26
          2018-10-11
          2018-12-13
          1952 05 29
          Thursday
          .Glencoe, Ill.Lake Shore Country Club.Stratemann p.346....Added
          2011
          1952 05 30
          Friday
          .Ft. Wayne, Ind.Terrace Ballroom.Stratemann p.346....Added
          2011
          1952 05 31
          Saturday
          .Cincinnati, OhioCastle Farms
          Summit & Reading Rds.
          Dance

          Admission $1.50 tax included
          • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio,
            • 1952-05-18 s.3 p.13
            • 1952-05-25 p.9
            • 1952-05-30 p.6
            • 1952-05-31 p.22
          • The Hamilton Journal The Daily News, Hamilton, Ohio
            • 1952-05-23 p.22
            • 1952-05-30 p.14
            • Stratemann p.346
          • The Middletown, Ohio, Journal, Middletown, Ohio
            • 1952-05-23 p.17
            • 1952-05-25 p/18
            • 1952-05-30 p.16
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-23
          2017-08-26
          2017-08-27
          2021-04-16

          June 1952

          1952 06 01
          Sunday
          .Cincinnati, OhioCotton ClubPalmquist note:

          Neither Stratemann nor Vail provide source information. It may be the Duke Ellington scrapbooks. While there was a Cotton Club in Cincinnati, I am unable to locate any advertisements for it in the newspaper archives accessible to me.

          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-16
          1952 06 02
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 03
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 04
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 06
          Friday
          .Louisville, Ky.ArmoryDance

          Tickets $1.50, tables 50¢ extra per person
          Stratemann and Vail II mistakenly reported this as the date of the June 7 Evansville concert and dance.
          The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky,
          • 1952-06-04 s.1 p.10
          • 1952-06-06 s.1 p.25
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-02-26
          1952 06 07
          Saturday
          .Evansville, Ind.Coliseum"Concert and Colored Dance"
          The Courier, May 30:

          ' Duke Ellington Band To Play for Dance.
            Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play a concert and dance Saturday, June 7, at the Coliseum, Promoter Lorin Kiely announced yesterday [May 29].
            The dance will be for Negroes only, but white spectators will be admitted to the balcony.
            Tickets are on sale at 415 Lincoln avenue and will be sold at the Coliseum the day of the dance.'

          The ads showed a starting time of 9:30 but the plugs said 9 p.m.. The dance was to end at 2 a.m.

          The Evansville Press said the concert would be at 9 p.m., that white spectators of the dance would be allowed in the balcony for half fare.
          Emmy S. in The Evansville Press:

          'Duke Ellington Show
          Points Many Moods
          At Local Concert

            The Duke Ellington Concert Saturday night in the Coliseum can be described in one word- Wow!
            It was a concert. Not the stage show where the band goes through the latest pop tunes. It was good music.
            It was an expression of moods. Almost every number featured many variations and tempos.
            Some of the songs played were "Blues at Sundown," "Do Nothin' Tell [sic] You Hear From Me," Part IV of the "Perfume Suite," and "Blue Theme."
            "Please Send That Lady's Husband Back to Me, a novelty tune, was sung by Betty Roche. Jimmie Grisham [sic] was the other singer.
            "Caravan" was another of the highly styled numbers. Jimmie Hamilton and his clarinet really gave this the works. Duke did his famous monologue "Pretty and the Wolf."
            The concluding number was Duke's composition and arrangement of "Harlem." You have to hear it with all its moods and undercurrents to appreciate it.
            Louie Bellson, the drummer, is a Gene Krupa Junior.
            The balcony was filled with only about two-hundred spectators. But they were music lovers and they got what they came for. Duke is a great showman and artist. His concert could have been the latest tunes on the jukebox, but he chose real honest-to-goodness music. And it was well received. The audience was enthused by every number.'

          • The Evansville Courier and The Sunday Courier and Press, Evansville, Ind.
            • 1952-05-30 p.25
            • 1952-06-01 p.14-B
            • 1952-06-03 p.14
            • 1952-06-05 p.24
            • 1952-06-06 p.46
            • 1952-06-07 p.8
            • 1952-06-07 p.11 (courtesy Harry Morgan)
          • The Evansville Press, Evansville, Ind.
            • 1952-06-02 p.16
            • 1952-06-04 p.20
            • 1952-06-07 p.8
            • 1952-06-09 p.17
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          updated
          2018-12-13
          1952 06 08
          Sunday
          .Indianapolis, Ind.Murat Theater

          'ROSS CHRISTENA Presents
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          and His World-Famous Orch.
          IN CONCERT
          SUN., JUNE 8
          8:30 P.M.
          MURAT THEATER
          Tickets Now at Ross and Bab-
          cock Travel Bureau,
          Claypool Hotel Lobby.
          $3.60,$3, 2.40, 1.80 tax incl. '

          Review by Charlie Davis

          '  The heat of yesterday plus the appearance of the Brooklyn baseball team in Cincinnati ganged up on the promoters of the Duke Ellington band concert at Murat Theater last night and nicked them for $800.
            It's too bad that not more than the 700 Ellington fans attended the concert, because it was one of the finest the Duke has presented here. Realizing that Indianapolis music lovers go for the Ellington music, Duke and the boys cooked up a neat show. It featured everything from the jazz of today down to a bit of Dixieland offered by Ray Nance and his "Tail Gate Seven."
            Those who missed it would have appreciated the old Ellington style on such numbers as "The Mooch," "Tattooed Bride" and "Harlem." It was enjoyable to hear the blues theme from "Black, Brown and Beige" as sung by Betty Roshay [sic] and a couple of blues numbers by the up and coming young singer, Jimmy Grissom.
          30 YEARS HASN'T DIMMED DUKE'S STYLE
            The Duke's keen eye for the unusual in jazz music has not been dimmed by his more than 30 years in the show business...
          JAZZ GIANTS ARE ON PARADE
            Ellington presented a parade of jazz giants in the show last night. Featured were such greats as Harry Carney, sax; Brit [sic] Whitman [sic], trombone; Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet; Juan Tito [sic], trombone; Ray Nance, violin, specialty and singer, and finally Louie Bellton [sic] on drums. Using duplicate basses and snares, Bellton gave off with a solo with a double beat and it was something to hear... '

          The Baltimore Afro-American headline announced this was Ellington's 50th Indianapolis show. It named Betty Roche, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonsalves, Louis [sic] Bellson, Ray Nance, Ken [sic] Anderson, Clark Terry, Juan Tizon [sic]. The June 28 New York Age said Ellington played to capacity crowds in an Indianapolis concert "last week" and the performance was marked by the return of singer Betty Roche.
          • The Indianapolis Star,Indianapolis, Ind.
            • 1952-05-25 s.6 p.3
            • 1952-05-26 p.10
            • 1952-06-01 s.6 pp.14, 15
            • 1952-06-04 p.12
            • 1952-06-06 p.14
            • 1952-06-07 p.10
            • 1952-06-08 s.6 pp.16, 17 s.6
          • The Indianapolis News,,Indianapolis, Ind.
            • 1952-05-26 p.10
            • 1952-06-05 p.25
            • 1952-06-06 p.28
            • 1952-06-07 p.20
            • 1952-06-09 p.10
          • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
            • 1952-06-28 p.22
          • The New York Age, New York, N.Y.,
            • 1952-06-28 p.21
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          2021-04-16
          1952 06 08
          Sunday
          .Indianapolis, Ind.3300 block of North Capitol

          'Upcoming edition of the Fun Dial, Indianapolis amusement magazine, will have pictures of a recent jam session that began at midnight Sunday and ended at 5 a.m. Monday, when neighbors in the 2300 block of North Capitol complained. Participants were Duke Ellington, his band members and Indianapolis musicians.

          The Indianapolis News,Indianapolis, Ind. 1952-06-18 p.21...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          1952 06 09
          Monday
          .Fort Wayne, Ind.Prom TerraceTri-State College Senior Prom, 9 to 1.

          300 tickets were made available to the public, priced at $3 per couple. There were to be no tickets sold at the door and no complimentary tickets.
          A long same-day announcement in the Tri-Angle primarily focused on Louie Bellson.
          • The Angola Herald, Angola, Ind.
            • 1952-05-21 pt.2 p.1
            • 1952-06-04 pp.1,4
          • Steuben Republican, Angola, Ind., 1952-06-04 p.4
          • The Tri-Angle, Tri-State College, Angola, Ind. 1952-06-09 p.1
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-26
          1952 06 10
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Sheraton Hotel...DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 06 11
          Wednesday
          .South Bend, Ind.Palace TheaterVaudeville, stages shows at 2:20, 4:45, 7:10 and 9:25 in the June 11 ad, or 2:28, 4:51, 7:14 and 9:30 in the Theater Guide on the same page.
          • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra Musical Stage Revue, 4 shows.
          • Also advertised as DUKE Ellington and his famous ORCHESTRA and HIS ALL-NEW Springtime Musical STAGE REVUE and DUKE Ellington and HIS GREAT NEW WORLD-FAMOUS ORCHESTRA and show A ROCKIN' RHTYM-FILLED STAGE SHOW.
          • Bellson, Roche, Carney, Tizol and Woodman are named in the ads.
          The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.
          • 1952-06-01 p.6
          • 1952-06-04 p.4
          • 1952-06-08 p.9
          • 1952-06-09 p.12
          • 1952-06-10 p.4
          • 1952-06-11 p.8
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2020-02-26
          2021-04-15
          1952 06 12
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 13
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 14
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 15
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 16
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 17
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 18
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 19
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 20
          Friday
          .Salem, N.H.Canobie Lake Park BallroomAd in The Lowell Sun, 1952-06-20:
          Canobie
          Lake Park
          Ballroom
          Salem, N.H.
          *   *   *
          TONITE
          Duke Ellington
          *   *   *
          June 21
          FREDDIE SATERIALE
          *   *   *
          June 27
          MEL TORME and
          Duke Ellington
          *   *   *
          July 4
          STAN KENTON
          *   *   *
          July 9
          BILLY MAY
          *   *   *
          July 11
          Woody Herman
          *   *   *
          July 19
          Guy Lombardo* * *Aug 8
          PATTI PAGE '
          The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass. 1952-06-20 p.20...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          1952 06 21
          Saturday
          .Old Orchard Beach, Me.Old Orchard Beach PierDancing
          - see TDWAW supplementary Old Orchard Beach webpage
          .....New
          Added
          2024-04-04
          1952 06 22
          Sunday
          .New London, Conn.Ocean Beach ParkThe Springfield Union

          'SUNDAY ONLY
          IN PERSON
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          and his CELEBRATED ORCHESTRA '

          • The Springfield Union, Springfield, Mass.
            1952-06-18 p.27
          • The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
            1952-06-18 p.18
          • Email, Saxonis-Palmquist 2018-12-16
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-12-13
          updated
          2018-12-16
          2020-02-26
          1952 06 23
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 24
          Tuesday
          .Providence, R.I.Palladium Ballroom
          Rocky Point Park
          TUESDAY
          JUNE 24
          Palladium
          Ballroom

          Rocky Point Park
          with these stars: LOU BELLSON
          Juan Tizol, Harry Carney, Cat
          Anderson, Ray Nance, Paul Gon-
          salves, Terry Clark
             ADVANCE
          TICKETS
          $1.25 at
          Central
          Radio Store
          Weybusset St.
          Musical
          Thrill of
          A Lifetime
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          The Providence Sunday Journal, Providence, R.I.
          1952-06-22 p.2
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-12-13
          1952 06 25
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 26
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 27
          Friday
          .Salem, N.H.Canobie Lake Park BallroomAdvertised appearance with Mel Torme. Atypically for Ellington, Torme has top billing in the ad.

          See 1952 06 20
          ....djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          1952 06 28
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 06 29
          Sunday
          .New London, Conn.Ocean Beach......Added
          2011
          1952 06 30
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioRecording session
          14:30 - 17:30
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
          New Desor
          DE5210
          DEMScorrTimner-4/23.Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-08

          July 1952

          1952 07 01
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioRecording session
          14:30 - 17:30
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
          New Desor
          DE5211
          DEMS corrTimner-4/23.Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-08
          1952 07 02
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 03
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 04
          Friday
          1952 07 10
          Thurday
          Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          70-minute vaudeville show
          Supporting acts:
          • tappers Roll & Tap
          • comedienne 'Moms' Mabley
          • acrobatic dancers Estelle and Alphonse
          • comedian Pigmeat Markham
          • "The Nevadan"
          Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows also names Jimmy Grissom, Ray Nance, Louis Bellson, Betty Roche, Harry Carney, Juan Tizol, Cat Anderson and Paul Gonsalves.

          Review by Gros in Variety:

          ' Duke Ellington Orch (15) with Betty Roche, Jimmy Grissom; Roll & Tapp, Pigmeat & Co. (3), Estelle & Alphonso, Jackie Mabley; "The Nevadan" (Col).Variety:>  With Duke Ellington heading up the bill at the Apollo this sesh, house has a slick revue format that's excellently pegged for the holiday trade. Ellington hits this Harlem flagship about once a year and in each trip purveys his class showmanship and expert musicianship for clicko results. Although the orch dominates the proceedings, the supporting acts get plenty of opportunity to show their wares for a well-rounded vaude display.
            Ellington wins the house from the opening number, a driving instrumental tagged "The Hawk Talks," and holds solidly throughout the 70-minute layout. As usual, Ellington gives his sidemen ample solo show casing and each belts out his assignment for top reaction. Best are a hard-hitting drum solo by Louie Bellson titled "Skin Deep" and Ray Nance's excellent fiddling on "Bakiff," an exotic Spanish-flavored number. On "VIP's Boogie" and "Jam Sam," [sic] saxman Harry Carney, clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton and trumpeter Cat Anderson get some top solo licks across. Only flaw in the instrumental offerings is the minimum of keyboarding supplied by the maestro.
            Band's recently acquired male vocalist, Jimmy Grissom acquits himself adequately on a moody ballad, "Come On Home." Thrush Betty Roche offers a bluesy "Please Send That Lady's Husband Back To Me" and a scat item for a big mitt.
            Tapsters Roll & Trapp score easily in the teeoff slot. Duo work with precision and speed, getting top response for their "Bebop in Taps" and applejack routines. Pigmeat follows with his guy and gal aides in a lengthy sketch sparsely filled with yocks. Latino-styled acroterp team, Estelle & Alphonso, are reviewed in New Acts.
            Comedian Jackie Mabley nabs yocks in a monolog stint. She appeals to the clientele in a pseudo-campaign speech that centers on most of the Harlem foibles. Class delivery helps the average material.
            Ellington emcees the show with finesse and the orch supplies a top backing job.'

          Apollo performer card:

          '7/4/52 $6348.53 Jackie Mabley, Pigmeat Markham, John Bunn Edna Mae Harris, Roll & Tapp, Estella & Alphone, Jimmy Grissom and Betty Roche. Band was very good. Louis Bellson drum specialty was excellent.'

          • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
            1952-07-02 p.36
          • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
            1952-07-05 pp.20, 21, 26
          • Stratemann, p.346, citing
            Variety 1952-07-09 pp.48-49
          • Vail II
          • Apollo Theatre Shows by Marv Goldberg
          • Performer cards 347 and 348
            Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          2017-08-27
          2019-11-02
          2021-04-17
          2023-03-26
          1952 07 05
          Saturday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville - see 1952 07 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 07 06
          Sunday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville - see 1952 07 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 07 07
          Monday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville - see 1952 07 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 07 08
          Tuesday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville - see 1952 07 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 07 09
          Wednesday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville - see 1952 07 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 07 10
          Thursday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville - see 1952 07 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 07 11
          Friday
          .Revere Beach, Mass.Roll Away (aka Rollerdrome)
          • Ellington orchestra "pitted against" the Stan Kenton orchestra.
          • "A whiz-bang battle of music..."
          • Boston Evening American ad:

            ROLLAWAY
            REVERE
            TONIGHT (FRI 9-3)
            ...
            Attraction of the Year!
            First and Only Greater Boston Appearance in 3 Years:
            DUKE
            ELLINGTON

            And His Fabulous Band

            —VS—

            STAN
            KENTON
            AND HIS "MIRACLE
            BAND OF 1952"

          • Steve Voce in DEMS 03,1-9:

            'I think the only "Battle of the Bands" between the two [Ellington & Kenton] took place on 11Jul53 {sic} at the Roll Away Ballroom in Revere Beach, Mass. The two bands had been double booked at the Club Oasis in LA on 9Mar52 and this was announced to be a "cutting contest", but in fact it was sorted out by the Kenton band playing in the afternoon and Ellington following in the evening.'

          • Jane Vollmer in DEMS 03,2-9:

            'I doubt if there has been an Ellington/Kenton battle of the bands on 11Jul53 at Roll Away Ballroom in Revere Beach, Mass. Duke was playing at the Bank [sic] Box in NYC from 7Jul to 19Jul53; there was a so-called battle of the bands between Basie and Duke during this period (See Klaus Stratemann p350). On 23Jul53, Kenton and Ellington shared a one-nighter in Taunton, Mass. There is no mention of a battle of the band on this date. Could some of the dates be mixed up?'

          • Tony Agostinelli, jazz historian, LYM member, and editor of The Network, a newsletter about "all things Kenton", recalls this:

            'There was a battle of the bands at Roseland, in Taunton, Mass. at around the time mentioned. I have not seen the gig on anyone's itinerary. Each played charts from each other's book, as I remember.
                  It was a night not to forget - ...- what I also remember was that the Ellington fans and the Kenton fans were not intertwined at the bandstand - one group was on one side, and the other group was on the other side - oh, there was some mixing of fans - but not to a great extent. I have it in my list of dates on which I've seen Kenton - wherever that is now - I cannot remember a clear winner - I do remember the bands joined on Intermission Riff and another Ellington-inspired blues piece. '

          • Kenton researcher Pete Venudor in DEMS 03,2-9:

            '12Jul52 is the correct date for the Revere Beach date "battle" '

            .
          • Ed Bride in DEMS 03,2-9:
                 23Jul53, Taunton is correct.
          • Boston Evening American, Boston, Mass.
            1952-07-11 p.14
          • Stratemann p.346, citing The Billboard
            1952-07-19 p.20
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          updated
          2017-08-27
          2020-05-08
          2020-06-22
          1952 07 12
          Saturday
          .Bangor, Me.Bangor Auditorium

          'COMING!! FIRST BANGOR
          APPEARANCE!
          AUDITORIUM
          NEXT SAT., JULY 12
          THE GREATEST ALL-STAR
          BAND IN AMERICA
          IN PERSON
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          And His Famous Orch.
          Featuring Lou Bellsom{Sic}, America's
          Greatest Drummer, Harry Carney,
          Downbeat Sax winner,"Cat" Ander-
          son and the Greatest Band You Will
          Ever Hear.'

          Tickets; $1.50 advance, door $1.80
          The Bangor Daily News, Bangor, Me.
          • 1952-07-08 p.4
          • 1952-07-09 p.4
          • 1952-07-10 p.4
          ...djpNew
          added
          2024-04-08
          1952 07 13
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 14
          Monday
          .Moncton, N.B.High School......Added
          2011
          1952 07 14
          Monday
          .Moncton, N.B.Memorial Hall......Added
          2011
          1952 07 15
          Tuesday
          .St John, N.B.Forum......Added
          2011
          1952 07 16
          Wednesday
          .Halifax, N.S.ForumRCAF Station Greenwood dance....CAHclip Added
          2011
          1952 07 17
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 18
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 19
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 20
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 21
          Monday
          .Burlington, Vt.Bayside Pavilion

          'New Ellington Band Called Nation's Best
               The famous Duke, Edward Kennedy Ellington, displaying his greatest band ever, kept several hundred jazz enthusiasts jumping, bopping and shouting last night at Bayside Pavilion.
               In town for a one-night stand, the Ellington organization driven by new, modern arrangements, lived up to critics' acclaim as "the band to beat" for top honors in the nation.
               In dispensing with most of the well-worn arrangements which have been associated with his outfit for two decades, the Duke's crew blew jump numbers and popular tunes with a strong feeling for the latest jazz style, which the crowd went all out for.
               The band showpieced a tremendous drummer in Louie Bellson, late of the Harry James unit, and when we reminded the Ellington that he now has the nation's best drummer, he replied "You know I have good taste."
               And good taste he does have, featuring a petite, attractive vocalist in Betty Roche, who worked with the band ten years ago, went out as a single and recently rejoined.
               Some of the old stalwarts still hold their chairs - top rate jazzmen like Harry Carney and Jimmy Hamilton on reeds and Juan Tizol, also a James alumnus and Cat Anderson in the brass section.
               The power, depth drive and modern style of this excellent band was a refreshing change from many of the stale outfits which have taken over in the nations [sic] dance-band field.
                (J.P.C.) '

          The Daily News, Burlington, Vt.
          1952-07-22 p.3
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-19
          1952 07 22
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 23
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 07 24
          Thursday
          .Chatham, Ont.Pyranon BallroomDuke Ellington And His New World Famous Orchestra
          Tickets $1.75
          The Windsor Daily Star, Windsor, Ont.
          1952-07-19 p.17
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-03-03
          1952 07 25
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
          Corporation studios
          "Rehearsal" recording session:
          • Duke Ellington and Jimmy Grissom
            Titles recorded:
            • She
            • Weatherman
            • She Didn't Have Much To Say
          • Duke Ellington with Jimmy Grissom and Wendell Marshall
            Title recorded:
            • Happy Go Lucky Local

          • At the 1998 Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference, the late Phil Schaap suggested this was the first of Ellington's "stockpile" recording sessions (DEMS 9,2-6).
          • New Desor and Timner V instead say it was a rehearsal session
          • Timner V explains the music is from Ellington's play "The Man With Four Sides."
          • In DEMS 00,1-25, Jean Poirier suggested Ozzie Bailey sang one of the "She" takes; Sjef Hoefsmit disagreed. In DEMS 00/4-23 Klaus Götting suggested it is Bailey but in DEMS 01,1-28 the New Desor authors stuck with Grissom.

            DEC301, Series 3F, Boxes 106, 107 or 108 are the business records of Mercer Records at the Smithsonian, including Universal Recording Corporation's Pre-Production Reports for the August 13 and 14, 1952 sessions. These show the names of the singers in those sessions. If a similar report exists for July 25, this issue would be resolved. Query to SI-NMAH AC outstanding.
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          • W.E. Timner
            Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His SidemenFifth edition
            with any corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-08-10


          New Desor
          DE5212
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2015-11-27
          2020-05-08
          2024-08-11
          1952 07 25
          Friday
          1952 08 14Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          56 W. Madison St.
          Club date - see the booking details in the entry for 1952 05 01
          Will Leonard, The Chicago Sunday Tribune:

          '...The Duke crowds the little stage of the Blue Note with what looks like a mighty horde of instrumentalists. He wheels in a band that looks big enough to play for a college prom, rather than like something assembled for the fabrication of jazz. His orchestrations and careful arrangements have seemingly little to do with the the jazz man's pride and joy -improvisation.
            But Ellington's orchestra, as it has since the 20s, speaks a clear, clean language of its own. They talk about music being an international language. Here is one of the very few bands touring America today which can gain and hold the ere of the sofomore [sic] and the symphonygoer alike.'

          The August 14 ad names the venue "The Blue Note" and says "Sundays from 5 p.m."
          • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill., 1952-08-03 pt.7 p.14
          • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill., 1952-08-14 pt.3 p.6
          • Stratemann, p.346 citing
            • The Billboard 1952-06-17 p.20
            • Down Beat 1952-06-18
          • Bluenote contract - see 1952 05 01 above
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          2017-08-27
          2017-08-28
          1952 07 26
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 07 27
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 07 28
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 07 29
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 07 30
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25
          New Desor
          DE5213
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          2020-05-08
          1952 07 31
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 07 30.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          56 W. Madison St.
          ..

          August 1952

          1952 08 01
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25..corrTimner-4/30.Added
          2011
          1952 08 02
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25New Desor
          DE5214
          ...Added
          2011
          1952 08 03
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 04
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 05
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 06
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill..Peripheral event
          Tower Ticker, by Will Leonard, published in this day's Chicago Daily Tribune, was about Ellington's sleep habits.
          Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
          1952-08-06 pt.1 p.18
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 06
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25New Desor
          DE5215
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 08 07
          Thursday
          ...Peripheral event
          The California Eagle reported

          'People and Places
               Johnny Hodges, Mr. Sax, just returned to the Duke Ellington ork., seems to think he'll be greater with the master than heading his own unit. Al Hibbler said he also would return if a loot figure could be agreed upon.'

          Neither returned to the band.
          The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
          1952-08-07 p.12
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 07
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 08
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 09
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 10
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 10...See 30jun52..DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 08 11
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 12
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 13
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
          Corporation studios
          Peripheral event
          Mercer Records recording session
          Letter dated July 2, 1963 from Universal Recording Corporation to Duke Ellington:

          'Dear Mr. Ellington:
          Below you will find a list of material recorded for Mercer Records on Aug. 13, 1952:

          #6110 Deacon Blues - Cat Anderson 2:41
           6111 You Made A Fool of Me - Cat Anderson Vocal - Jimmy Gissom [sic] 2:36
           6112 Deep Purple - Debbie Andrews
           6113 Don't You Know I Care - Debbie Andrews
           6114 Love Of Mine - Les Strand
           6115 Fast Bop - Les Strand
           6116 How Deep Is The Ocean - Les Strand
           6117 Pennies From Heaven - Les Strand
           6118 Love For Sale - Les Strand
           6119 I'll Remember You - Les Strand
           6120 Solitude - Les Strand
           6121 Londontown - Les Strand
           6122 A Train - Les Strand
           6123 Stranded with Blues - Les Strand
           6124 Magic - Les Strand - Debbie Andrews
           6125 Moon Mist - Les Strand - Debbie Andrews
           6126 Sentimental Mood - Les Strand - Debbie Andrews
           6127 Supposin' - Vocal-Jimmy Gissom [sic]
           6128 Solitude - Vocal-Jimmy Gissom [sic]
           6129 If I Loved You - Vocal-Jimmy Gissom [sic]
           6130 Mood Indigo - Les Strand
           6131 Someone to Watch over Me - Vocal-Jimmy Gissom [sic]

          If we can be of further help, please let us know...
          '

          While it seems unlikely that all 21 recordings would have been made the same day, the pre-production report for masters 6110 to 6113 is dated August 13, 1952 and the pre-production report for masters 6124 to 6127 is dated 8-14-52 3:30 a.m.

          Les Strand was an organist who, according to Organisimo Jazz Forums, sometimes played with Ellington at the Blue Note. His LP "Les Strand Plays Duke Ellington (On the Hammond Organ)" was issued in 1958 (Fantasy 3256)
          SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 3F
          • Box 107 Folder 28
          • Box 108 Folder 30
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-03
          2024-06-08
          1952 08 13
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25New Desor
          DE5216
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 08 14
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1952 07 25....Added
          2011
          1952 08 15
          Friday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel Auditorium
          Air-Conditioned
          Opera House
          Concert 8 p.m., an Amigos Sport Attraction (sponsored by Amigos Sports Club)

          DUKE ELLINGTON and his 15-piece WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA

          The Globe-Democrat ad names Anderson Carney, Belson, Grissom and Roche. Tickets Box $3.00, Mez, Orch. $2.50, Lower Bal. $2.00, Upper Bal. $1.50 tax included
          • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
            1952-08-10 p.2H
          • St.Louis Globe-Democrat, St. Louis, Mo.
            1952-08-10 p.2C
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-12-13
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 16
          Saturday
          .Rochester, Ind.Colonial Hotel
          Lake Manitou
          Dance
          Admission: $2 before 9 p.m., $2.40 thereafter1
          Press release 2

          'The Indiana League of Home Dailies annual summer meeting at the Colonial Hotel on Lake Manitou in Rochester this Friday and Saturday, Aug. 15 and 16...
            Saturday night the newspaper folks will be guests of the hotel management, Dave Shafer and Mory Coplen, at the dance that will feature Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra.'

          Society item:3

          'Ms. Carroll Mitchell and Bob Mitchell entertained the following in the Mitchell home last week: Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Duncan and Barbara Kreiger of Marion; Jay Collins, Bloomington; Don Goelever, Indianapolis, and Libby McClure, North Manchester. They attended the Duke Ellington dance at the Colonial Hotel Saturday evening...'

          • The Logansport Press, Logansport, Ind.
            1952-08-06 p.5
            11952-08-13 p.8
          • 2The Commercial Mail, Columbia City, Ind.
            1952-08-11 p.3
          • 2The Elwood Call-Leader, Elwood Ind.
            1952-08-02 p.1
          • 3Pharos-Tribune, Logansport, Ind.
            1952-08-19 p.8
          • The Dubois County Daily Herald, Jasper, Ind.
            1952-08-12 p.4
          • The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Ind.
            1952-08-14 p.16
          • The Linton Daily Citizen, Linton, Ind.
            1952-08-11 p.5
          • The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.
            1952-08-08 p.5
          • Kokomo (Ind.) Tribune, Kokomo, Ind.
            1952-08-08 p.10 (for the wrong date)
            1952-08-11 p.7 (for the wrong date)
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 17
          Sunday
          .Celina, OhioEdgewater ParkDancing 9 until 1. Admission $1.67 plus tax.
          • Delphos Herald, Delphos, Ohio
            • 1952-08-15 p.4
          • Times-Bulletin, Van Wert, Ohio
            • 1952-08-08 p.2
            • 1952-08-13 p.7
            • 1952-08-15 p.2
          • The Lima News, Lima, Ohio
            • 1952-08-15 p.23
          • The Greenville Daily Advocate, Greenville, Ohio
            • 1952-08-08 p.7
            • 1952-08-15 p.9
          ...djpUpdated
          2021-04-17
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 18
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 08 19
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 08 20
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 08 21
          Thursday
          ...Non-event
          Variety:

          'Duke Ellington does a theatre stand at the Seville, Montreal, Aug. 21 and follows with another one at the Casino, Toronto.'

          This appears to have been rescheduled to follow the Casino run - see 1952-09-04. August 21 conflicts with the Bala, Ont. gig and there are no Seville ads or Ellington plugs in the Montreal Gazette 1952-08-18, 1952-08-19 or 1952-08-21.
        • Variety 1952-07-02 p.46
        • ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-27
          1952 08 21
          Thursday
          .Bala, Ont.Dunn's Pavilion
          GERRY DUNN Presents

          THE GREATEST MUSICAL ATTRACTION EVER
          TO COME TO MUSKOKA

          DUKE ELLINGTONAND HIS NEW WORLD
          FAMOUS ORCHESTRA

          THURSDAY, AUGUST 21st

          Featuring these famous artists:
          LOUIS BELLSON, JUAN TIZOL, HARRY CARNEY
          RAY NANCE, PORTER KILBERT, BRITT WOOD-
          MAN, JIMMY GRISSON, BETTY ROCHE, AND A
          HOST OF OTHERS.

          Admission $2.50 each

          America's Genius of Modern Music brings his world-
          famous Orchestra to the Beautiful Bala Pavilion for
          one night only . Plan an evening of dancing to Music
          No Other Band Can Play.

          Dunn's Pavilion   —   Bala
          WHERE ALL MUSKOKA DANCES
          The Bracebridge Gazette:

          'Duke Ellington and his lively orchestra were at Dunns Pavillion on Thursday evening... It was a grand night of music and dancing. A large crowd attended and all report a wonderful evening.'

          • The Huntsville Forester, Huntsville, Ont.,
          • The Bracebridge Gazette, Bracebridge, Ont.
            • 1952-08-14 p.2
            • 1952-08-28 p.6
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-27
          1952 08 22
          Friday
          .Port Stanley, Ont.Stork Club......Added
          2011
          1952 08 23
          Saturday
          .Dundas, Ont.Dundas Arena
          DESCRIPTION
          Arena circa 1952-1953
          Click to Enlarge
          Dance
          • The weekly schedule for the arena, published in the Dundas Star, shows this was a dance, starting at 9 p.m.
          • M. Macleod:

            '...Duke Ellington also played the Dundas Arena. [Promoter Harold] Kudlets says he couldn't find a decent piano for the jazz great. He could only dig up an old upright with "at least half the keys missing." Ellington never said a word about it and put on a great show.'

          • In a 2017 blog about promoter Kudlets, Paul Panchezak wrote:

            '…he [Kudlets] brought many of the greatest stars of the big band era to Hamilton – Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Gene Krupa and many more. In 1951 Duke Ellington opened the Dundas Arena for him.'

            A 1951 appearance here has not been confirmed. The Globe & Mail 1950-11-03 carried a photo of the Dundas Arena nearing completion, with a headline saying "New Arena at Dundas to Be Opened in Three Weeks." A photo in the same edition showed two men admiring a plaque on the arena wall, below which is another plaque saying simply "1950." This would seem to indicate the arena opened in late November 1950. Ellington might have been available one date that month.
          • The Hamilton Public Library Local History & Archives Department located articles showing the arena opened in late 1950. Those articles do not mention Ellington, nor could it locate card catalogue references to Duke Ellington at the arena other than 1952.
          • Stratemann p.346
          • Vail II
          • Meredith Macleod, MAKING MUSIC ONE ACT AT A TIME; DUKE ELLINGTON DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND PLAYING ON A BATTERED UPRIGHT WITH HALF ITS KEYS MISSING, Hamilton Spectator, 2006-06-10 HAMILTON MEMORY PROJECT, Pg. MP43
          • P. Panchezak blog Hamilton's 'Colonel' of Music Bookers: Harold Kudlets
          • The Dundas Star, Dundas, Ont. 1952-08-20, courtesy of Hamilton Public Library, Local History & Archives Department (2021-05-20)
          • Hamilton Spectator, Hamilton, Ont. 1952-08-23, courtesy of Hamilton Public Library as above
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2015-06-05
          2021-05-25
          2021-06-01
          1952 08 24
          Sunday
          .Jackson, Mich..Undocumented one-nighter, as per Dick Allgire's columns quoted in the next entryThe Petosky Evening News,
          Petoskey, Mich.
          1952-08-26 pp.1, 4
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 25
          Monday
          .Bay Shore, Mich..Pit stop.
          Dick Allgire, Aug. 26:

          'Duke Ellington paused in Bay Shore yesterday on his way to Sault Ste. Marie and Cheboygan engagements to visit his old friend, Zack White, and to catch a little "restin' time."...
               For those who will hear him play at Cheboygan tonight, Duke says to listen to his drummer, Louie Bellson. In a band filled with the kind of men Ellington has, it really amounts to something to be pointed out...
               Ellington's Bay Shore friend, incidentally, gets mention in Ulanov's book. Zack White was a piano player and band leader in jazz big league in the 30's. He quit playing in 1940 and now operates his place at Bay Shore, occasion ally sitting down at the piano for a jam session.
               ... '

          The author names Harry Carney, Jimmy Hamilton, Paul Gonzalves [sic], Russell Procope, Hilton Jefferson, Cat Anderson, Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Quinton [sic] Jackson, Juan Tizol, Britt Woodman, Wendell Marshall, Betty Roche, Jimmy Grissom. Then:

          '...The Duke, who has passed his 50th birthday, shows no signs of slowing down. He came to Bay Shore from Jackson, riding all night and arriving at Zack's place at 8 o'clock yesterday morning... '

          On page 6, Allgire wrote:

          '...Ellington came here from a one-night stand in Jackson. He went on to Sault Ste. Marie, plays in Cheboygen tonight and then goes on to Toronto for a week and on to Montreal for a theater engagement. After that he said he will prepare for a New York concert...'

          The Petosky Evening News,
          Petoskey, Mich.
          1952-08-26 pp.1, 4
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 25
          Monday
          .Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.Memorial Gardens8 p.m. (Sault, Mich. Time) Wonderful Music in the Ellington style

          DUKE Ellington and his famous ORCHESTRA With Vocalists JIMMY GRISSAM [sic] and BETTY ROCHE
          Advance reservations
          $1.25 each
          resserved table for 4 – $3

          • The Evening News, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
            • 1956-08-20 p.5
            • 1956-08-23 p.5
          • The Petosky Evening News,
            Petoskey, Mich.
            1952-08-26 p. 4
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-19
          updated
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 26
          Tuesday
          .Cheboygan, Mich.
          Sheboygan, Wisc.
          Gai-ety

          This is probably Gai-ety Lanes and Nightclub
          See 1952 08 25 supra

          This engagement is placed in Sheboygan, north of Milwaukee on the west shore of Lake Michigan by Stratemann but Cheboygan, near the northern tip of the Michigan peninsula by Vail and a contemporary report in The Petosky Evening News.
          The Petosky Evening News,
          Petoskey, Mich.
          1952-08-26 pp.1, 4
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-04-21
          1952 08 27
          Wednesday
          .Sault Ste Marie, Mich..activities not documented.....Added
          2011
          1952 08 28
          Thursday
          1952 09 03Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville show
          Five shows a day

          Other acts: Howell & Bowser, Roll & Tap. Dance music by Archie Stone's house orchestra.1
          Don Brown writes:

            'I remember chatting with Wendell Marshall in August of 1952 when Duke's band played the Casino Theatre here in Toronto. I happened to mention that I'd read somewhere that he was Jimmie Blanton's cousin. He confirmed that he was and that it was Blanton's bass he was playing. Someone in Blanton's immediate family, I think it was his mother, gave Marshall the instrument when he became a professional bass player.
            The Casino Theatre featured live shows and movies. The live show was the main attraction and the films were mostly second-rate B pictures. The live policy varied at the whim of the owners. The theatre's staple had long been burlesque: strippers with pretty bad comics. But every once in a while the management would drop the strippers and hire singers and/or bands. They had everyone from Frankie Laine to Johnny Ray, Eartha Kitt, and Art Tatum. I remember seeing Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, Ellington, Louis, and Pearl Bailey (backed by Louie Bellson). The bands and singers would be part of a stage show with jugglers, comics, impersonators, tap dancers and, yes, even dancing dogs.
            As a twenty-year old at the time, and an annoying jazz purist, I was appalled by the idea of these great musicians having to share the stage with vaudeville performers. Little did I know that this was the norm for them back in the States. And thinking back, some of those performers were really good. I saw Peg Leg Bates, the one-legged tap dancer, several times, including once with Ellington. Needless to say Duke backed Bates' routine with I'm Tapping Seventh Avenue With the Sole of My Shoe.'

          2
          • (1) Stratemann p.346, citing Variety 1952 09 03,p.16
          • (2) Don Brown, Duke-LYM emails, 2012-10-26
          ...Don Brown in LYMAdded
          2011
          updated
          2012-10-27
          1952 08 29
          Friday
          .Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 08 28
          Variety:

          'Casino, Toronto
          Toronto, Aug.28
            Duke Ellington Orch (16), Howell & Bowser, Betty Roche, Roll & Tap, Louie Bellson, Jim Grissom; Archie Stone's House Orch; "Cuban Fireball" (Rep.)
            Duke Ellington and his band are packing the customers into the Casino for a five-a-day sked rich in diversity. There's lots of earsplitting brass for the jazz cats' eardrums, but the Duke himself at the piano is what the more adult patrons are waiting for; his sultry, slow-tempo styling of "Mood Indigo," with a muted and tricky orchestral background, plus "Solitude," complete with keyboard meanderings in the trebles; and a smash finale of "Caravan," with Ellington still at the 88.
            Throughout the lusty show, Ellington is generous to his cohorts; Cat Anderson on the high trumpet; Harry Carney on teh [sic] baritone sax (with Ellington for 25 years); and Juan Tizoll [sic] on the valve trombone (he wrote "Caravan" with Ellington); Louie Bellson, drummer; Ray Nance and a neat stage tribute to Billy Staryhorn [sic], arranger.
            Apart from the triple-tiered band and its smasho coordination and solo stepouts in "St. Louis Blues" and "Skin Deep," it's still the Duke at the keyboard for his trademark slow piano breaks the customers want. For surrounding bill, he has Howell & Bowser for patter, plus Calypso singing a bit lewd but good; Betty Roche as vocalist and over well; Roll & Tap for their nonchalant eccentric dancing; and Jim Grissom in his songs, notably "Once There Lived a Fool." Neat packet warrants that five-a-day sked, with the customers getting their money's worth from Ellington and his very talented henchmen. McStay '

          Variety 1952-09-03 p.16...dupAdded
          2011
          updated
          2012-10-27
          2017-08-28
          1952 08 30
          Saturday
          .Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 08 28.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-10-27
          1952 08 31
          Sunday
          .Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 08 28.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-10-27

          September 1952

          1952 09 01
          Monday
          .Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 08 28.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-10-27
          1952 09 02
          Tuesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 08 28.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-10-27
          1952 09 03
          Wednesday
          ...Date of contract between Triple Ell Corporation, Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington, Inc., presents Duke Ellington" for two 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week at the Blue Note Cafe beginning December 19, 1952, for $5,000/week.

          This contract says the contract price is to cover a six-day week in the event the AFM rescinds the five-day week.

          This contract again says the weekly fee is $5,000, less 10% to Associated Booking Corp.

          The contract says "It is specifically understood and agreed that unless otherwise specified herein, no part of the performance of the Orchestra shall be broadcast or reproduced by radio or other means."
          Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann...djpNew
          added 2012-11-03
          1952 09 03
          Wednesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Casino TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 08 28.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-10-27
          1952 09 04
          Thursday
          1952 09 10Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreDuke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra and Revue
          Also on the bill:
          • Film "Roaring City"
          • Howell and Bowser
          • Roll and Tapp
          • Chester Calhoun (ventriloquist)
          • Stratemann p.346
          • Ads (barely legible): Montreal Gazette
            • 1952-09-03 p.9
            • 1952-09-04 pp.10, 11
            • 1952-09-05
            • 1952-09-06
            • 1952-09-08
            • 1952-09-09 p.10
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          2021-04-23
          1952 09 05
          Friday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 09 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 06
          Saturday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 09 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 07
          Sunday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 09 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 08
          Monday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 09 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 09
          Tuesday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 09 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 09
          Tuesday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Her Majesty's Theatre
          1425 Rue Guy
          Personal appearance:

          'One of the greatest all-star variety shows ever seen in Montreal will play a one-night stand at Her Majesty's Theatre tonight, when the 1952 Red Feather Rally is presented to 3,000 canvassers and officials of the Red Feather Campaign soon to open.
                Coming from New York especially for the rally is Eileen Baron, the girl whose recording of If I'd Known You Were Coming I'd Of Baked a Cake, sold in the millions. With her at the piano is Win Lassner.
               Co-starring is that jack of all musical trades, singers [sic], dancer, pianist, composer and orchestra leader, Duke Ellington, who will bring Minnie The Moocher over from the Seville Theatre where he is currently starring.
               Len Wheatley, who has produced and compresstd [sic] all the successful Red Feather Rallies, has also secured the services of comedian Eric Christmas, radio and stage star from Toronto.
               Local night clubs have rallied to the rally by sending their top talent among whom are the Dornan Brothers from Ruby Foo's, juggler Ben Berri from the Bellevue Casino, and mimic Len Maxwell from Chez Paree. Other guests are yet to be confirmed.
               Doug Smith, radio sportscaster, will interview sports personalities, while others in the cast include Wally Overland, cartoonist, and the Barber Shop Quartet. Len Howard and his orchestra will play for the show.
               Admission is by ticket only and canvassers are advised to be in their places at least 15 minutes before the 8:30 curtain time.'

          The Gazette, Montreal, P.Q.
          • 1952-09-09 p.10
          • 1952-09-10 p.3
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-23
          1952 09 10
          Wednesday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Seville TheatreVaudeville - see 1952 09 04.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 11
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 09 12
          Friday
          1952 09 18Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency

          Cleveland Plain Dealer 1952-09-07 plug:

          'Instead of going on a jazz concert tour this winter, Duke Ellington is taking a swing up the circuit of dine-and-dance clubs. His 20-piece orchestra will arrive at the East Side's Towne Casino Friday... '

          The accompanying ad says

          OPENS FRIDAY - 7 BIG DAYS
          MATINEE SUN., SEPT. 14 — 2:30 P.M.
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          & HIS BIG NEW 20 PIECE ORCHESTRA
          A WORLD-FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          20 OF THE WORLD'S TOP MUSICIANS
          THE EVENT OF THE YEAR!
          IN OUR BEAUTIFUL COCOANUT GROVE

          On the Sunday:

          MATINEE TODAY–3:30 P.M.
          HEAR DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ENTIRE ORCH.
          NOW 5 MORE DAYS!!
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          & HIS BIG NEW 20 PIECE ORCHESTRA
          IN OUR BEAUTIFUL COCOANUT GROVE

          On the same page:

          'Duke Ellington and his troupe are threatening to break the Towne Casino's attendance records with their high geared musical frolics this week.'


          Stratemann dated this as Sept. 19 to 25 based on an ambiguous statement in Variety 1952-09-17. Vail II just adopted the dates in Stratemann

          Variety was all over the map with this:
          • 1952-08-20 announced this was scheduled for Sept. 21
          • 1952-08-27 announced it would begin Sept.12
          • 1952-09-17 edition:

            'Duke Ellington orch currently teeing off fall season for Towne Casino on a one-weeker. '

          • Cleveland Plain Dealer:
            • 1952-09-07 p.45-D
            • 1952-09-14 p.51-D
          • Stratemann p.346 citing
            Variety 1952-09-17 p.74
          • Vail II
          ...djp2014-12-23
          2017-08-27
          1952 09 13
          Saturday
          .Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency - see 1952 09 12.....2014-12-23
          1952 09 14
          Sunday
          .Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency - see 1952 09 12.....2014-12-23
          1952 09 15
          Monday
          .Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency - see 1952 09 12.....2014-12-23
          1952 09 16
          Tuesday
          .Cleveland, OhioProscenium Theater
          Karamu Theater
          2355 E.89th St.
          Cleveland Plain Dealer
          • Sept.14:

            'Lysistrata, one of the funniest comedies of all times, opens the Karamu Theater seasson with a special preview Tuesday in Proscenium Theater.'

          • Sept.18:

            'KARAMU KWICKIES
            ...Duke Ellington, a guest at the preview opening Tuesday, was amazed and delighted at the extent and scope of Karamu House. Never saw anything like it in his travels around the world...'

          The Proscenium was one of three theaters in the Karamu Theater site.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2014-12-24
          1952 09 16
          Tuesday
          .Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency - see 1952 09 12.....2014-12-23
          1952 09 17
          Wednesday
          .Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency - see 1952 09 12
          The Library of Congress holds a 25 minute digital sound cassette catalogued as RGA 2393 and described as

          'Duplicated from an NBC radio program broadcast of Sept. 17, 1952; time unknown.

          'Summary
          Duke Ellington orchestra live fron Cleveland. Duke and the Orchestra play Mood Indigo, Caravan and Ellington favorites.'

          At the time of writing, the broadcast can be heard on the Past Daily website. It is introduced as "The Duke Is On The Air," and the announcer is Joe Mulvihill.

          Although Towne Casino ads said the band would be twenty pieces, during the broadcast only 13 instumentalists and 2 vocalists were named as they soloed:
          • Ellington
          • Grissom
          • Roché
          • Anderson
          • Cook
          • Nance
          • Terry
          • Jackson
          • Woodman
          • Carney
          • Gonsalves
          • Hamilton
          • Procope
          • Marshall
          • Bellson

          Dated Sept. 17 by NBC, the broadcast date may have been either the Tuesday or Wednesday night depending on NBC's dating policy for post-midnight shows from other time zones:
          • The Sept. 16 Cleveland Plain Dealer, p. 26, lists Duke Ellington at 12 midnight ("News-Duke Ellington") and 12:15 ("Duke Ellington") and at 12:30 it lists Joe Mulvihill
          • Ellington is not mentioned in the Cleveland Plain Dealer Sept. 17 radio listing, but it shows "Joe Mulvihill" at 11:15, 11:30 and 11:45 p.m. on WBEM, an NBC station.
          • The Washington D.C., Evening Star Sept. 17 shows "Duke Ellington" at 11:30 p.m. on WOL 1450. It shows no Sept. 16 listing but cuts off at midnight.
          • The New York Times shows ambiguous listings both nights: "12:00 WNBC News; Symphonic Music" followed by "News; Dance Music" on the next line.
          • The Washington Post's Sept. 17 midnight listing for WRC (NBC) says "News: Cocoanut Grove Orchestra." There's no discernable Ellington or Coacoanut Grove listing in its Sept. 16 log.

          The broadcast began with the Take the "A" Train theme under the announcement, segueing to KoKo, Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me, Just a Settin' and a Rockin', Mood Indigo, All of Me, VIP Boogie, Jam With Sam and closed with Caravan under a short announcement.

          While New Desor has no listing dated Sept. 17, it does list four titles, KoKo, Mood Indigo, VIP Boogie and Jam With Sam in session DE5217 which were issued by the Voice of America on its 16-inch 33 rpm mono record YDP-77. Anders Asplund writes:

          'I have compared the broadcast in question with DE5217 VOA session and have found the four tunes on the latter to be different. So I believe we have a totally "fresh" find.'


          In DEMS 01/2, DEMS editor Sjef Hoefsmit said the Library of Congress catalog entry date of Sept. 17 could not be right, since Ellington was not in Cleveland that week, but he was relying on Stratemann, who was out by a week.
          New Desor
          DE5217
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-06
          2014-12-24
          2014-12-26
          2020-05-08
          1952 09 18
          Thursday
          ...Peripheral event

          '...Al Duckett leaves as associate editor of Jet and Ebony to promote Duke Ellington, Mahalia Jackson, Red Saunders, and other musicians.'

          • Will Leonard, Tower Ticker
            Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
            1952-09-18 (p.94?)
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-23
          1952 09 18
          Thursday
          .Cleveland, OhioCocoanut Grove
          Towne Casino
          10613 Euclid Ave.
          Night club residency - see 1952 09 12 - last night.....2014-12-23
          1952 09 19
          Friday
          ...Activities not documented - this was incorrectly reported by Stratemann and Vail to be the beginning of a week at the Towne Casino in Cleveland - see 1952 09 12
          • Stratemann p.346 citing Variety 1952-09-17 p.74
          • Vail II
          New Desor
          DE5217
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-08
          2014-12-24
          2020-05-08
          1952 09 20
          Saturday
          ...Activities not documented......
          1952 09 21
          Sunday
          .Stamford
          Bridgeport, Conn.
          Ritz BallroomDuke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra

          Meriden Record:

          'Duke Ellington will bring his orchestra to the Ritz Ballroom in Bridgeport Sunday...'

          • Meriden Record, Meriden, Conn.
            1952-09-19 p.7
          • Meriden Daily Journal, Meriden, Conn.
            1952-09-19 p.12
          • Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.
            1952-09-19 p.14
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2018-12-13
          updated
          2021-04-23
          1952 09 22
          Monday
          ...Activities not documented......
          1952 09 23
          Tuesday
          7:45
          .Los Angeles, Cal.
          New York, N.Y.
          .Sidemen's activities not documented
          Ellington appeared on Patti Page's Music Hall television show broadcast
          • on the east coast Sept. 23 (WHEN, WNET, WNAC and WCBS)
          • in the midwest Sept. 23 (WXYZ and WJBK)
          • on the west coast Sept. 30 (KNXT)
          It seems likely to have been live television, since the show debuted July 1 and Miss Page had to miss her first two episodes because she was performing in Atlantic City. An earlier news item in the The Independent referred to the show as a kinescope, so it will have been filmed for rebroadcast on the west coast a week later. The 15 minute show was twice a week, but while it seems to have been on CBS, one report suggests it was NBC:
          • Daily News:

            'Songbird Patti Page, whose "Music Hall" bows in via CBS-TV July 1 at 7:45 P.M., will miss the first two shows due to previous commitments.

          • Radio-TV Mirror:

            'Frank Fontaine was really in a frenzy the day he was notified by his agent he had been signed to co-star with Patti Page on the NBC Music Hall television show. Frank had bought a new home in Hollywood just the day before – and, inasmuch as the program originates from New York, he had to turn right around and sell it and prepare to move his family East... '

          • 'Lever Bros. (Chlorodent tooth paste) starts Patti Page July 1 on CBS-TV, Tues. & Thur. 7:45-8 thru J. Walter Thompson.'

          • Variety:

            '...Scott is represented by an investment in TV exceeding $3,000,000, with a stake in three network attractions. These include the alterneate-week sponsorship of the Patti Pge-Frank Fontaine "Scott Music Hall" on NBC-TV... '

          • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
            1952-06-01 p.26
          • Television Digest With Electronics Reports,
              Washington, D.C. 1952-06-14 p.7
          • The Independent, Long Beach, Cal.
            1952-07-15 p.28
          • Television logs in many cities - sample:
            • Syracuse Herald-Journal, Syracuse, N.Y.,
              1952-09-23 p.29
            • Plainfield Courier-News, Plainfield, N.J.
              1952-09-23 p.12
            • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
              1952-09-23 p.17
          • Radio-TV Mirror, New York/Chicago
            1952-12-00
          • Variety, 1953-01-28 p.24
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-04-06
          2017-09-02
          2021-04-27
          2021-05-27
          1952 09 24
          Wednesday
          ...Activities not documented......
          1952 09 25
          Thursday
          ...Ellington was scheduled to be a guest on ABC television's "Chance of a Lifetime" talent show, hosted by Dennis James.

          Sidemen's activities not documented
          • The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
            1952-09-25 p.29
          • Nashua Telegraph, Nashua, N.H.
            1952-09-25 p.31
          • The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, Ill.
            1952-09-25 p.27
          • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
            1952-09-25 p.33
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-23.
          1952 09 26
          Friday
          1952 10 02Philadelphia, Penn.Earle Theater
          11th and Market

          Theatre information:
          Vaudeville show - four performances Monday, Tuesday, Thursday; the number of shows the other days isn't yet documented. The theatre was closed Sunday and on Monday, Ellington was to play a special afternoon programme for 250 underprivileged children.
          This was Ellington's last appearance at the Earle, which would be demolished in 1953.
          On the bill with Ellington and his band were Moreland & Harris, comedians, Roll & Tap, dancers, local singer Marian Caruso.
          Barbara L. Wilson review:

          '... Duke Ellington and his "new world-famous orchestra" opened the new stage show season at the Earle yesterday while the building rocked with blaring trumpets, beating drums and dissonant notes.
            The new Ellington band is a far cry from the smooth orchestra of 10 years ago which formerly offered such haunting melodies as "Mood Indigo," "Solitude" and "Sophisticated Lady." The Duke of today is more of an emcee than a top pianist whose talented fingers coaxed mood music from the ivories.

          TAP-DANCING TEAM
            After the opening number, "Hawk Talks" which screeched as much as the bird cries, Roll and Tapp, a dance duo, came on stage and to the accompaniment of "How High's the Moon" showed how two men can get the maximum number of taps out of the minimum number of movements.
            Ellington introduced Betty Roche, who sang "All of Me." Then employing the bop-like scat singing which sounds more like a foreign language but seemed to be understood by most of the audience, Miss Roche gave her rendition of the Duke's theme song, "Take the A Train."

          ORCHESTRA TAKES OVER
            The orchestra broke forth with a combination of "Jam With Sam" and "Of Thee I Sing Boogie" which gave the clarinets, trumpets, saxophones and trombones an opportunity to grow their brains out.
            Ray Nance, the most versatile and one of the oldest members of the Ellington combine, put aside his trumpet and picked up his violin to play "Bach-iff [sic]." Then he sang and acted out "St. Louis Blues."
            With a trio of background clarinet music, Ellington narrated a story called "Pretty and the Wolf," a take-off on the Little Red Riding Hood theme, but in this case the wolf was very human.
            Comedy was provided by Mantan Moreland and Bud Harris,...
            Jimmy Grissom, male vocalist with Ellington, sang "Once There Lived A Fool," "Come On Home" and "She Moved."

          MARION CARUSO SINGS
            Philadelphia's own Marion Caruso offered "This Can't Be Love" and the ballad she has made famous and vice-versa, "My Favorite Song."
            The finale was a percussion pounding number, "Skin Deep," featuring Louis [sic] Bellsom [sic] on the drums...'

          • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.:
            • 1952-09-14 p.29
            • 1952-09-26 p.15
            • 1952-09-27 p.18 (Wilson review)
            • 1952-09-28 pp.17,18
            • 1952-09-29 p.10
            • 1952-09-30 p.20
            • 1952-10-01 p.42
            • 1952-10-02 p.10
          • Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md., 1952-10-04 p.7
          • Stratemann, p.346 citing Variety 1952-10-01 p.25 and 1953-02-25 ,p.49
          • Announcement, The Billboard 1952-09-27 pp.40-41
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-23
          2014-12-23
          2017-08-28
          2018-10-08
          1952 09 27
          Saturday
          ... Peripheral event
          The Billboard:

          'NEW YORK, Sept. 27 – Mills Music is scheduling a Silver Jubilee celebration for Duke Ellington during the two weeks starting Oct. 24. It is just about 25 years since Ellington opened at the Cotton Club in New York. Diskeries are co-operating. The career of the great maestro and composer has been closely associated with Mills Music. The publishing firm holds the great Ellington copyrights...
            Sidney Mills, publishing exec, is now lining up a flock of Ellington programs over the network and local stations...Mills has already set special programs to be aired on the Skitch Henderson show on the National Broadcasting Company; Bobby Sherwood, American Broadcasting Company, and the Dave Garroway show, NBC. Special Ellington programs will also be carried by Irving Fields on WOR, New York; Marion [recte Marian] McParland, WOR; Art Ford, WNEW, New York; Art Ford, WNEW, New York; Phil Napoleon, WOR, etc.

          Only beginning
           This is only the beginning. Mills is now on a trek to key cities including Chicago, Cleveland, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. Programs will be set in all cities.
            Diskery promotion to deejays and personal appearances are part of the bally. Six hundred Decca LP's, including Brunswick label Volumes 1 and 2 recorded by Ellington and "Woolf Philips' Plays Ellington," will be given to jockeys. Columbia is sending out 300 Ellington LP "Masterpieces by Ellington," Victor is sending out 300 LP's of Ellington music recorded by Charley Ventura, and 300 LP's recorded by Ellington.
            Tying in with the Mills-Ellington bally will be a bevy of personal appearances, including television, now being set by the Joe Glaser office. Ellington goes into the New York Paramount the last week in October.'

          The Billboard, 1952-10-04 p.23....New
          added
          2015-09-17
          updated
          2016-04-21
          2022-10-16
          1952 09 27
          Saturday
          8:30 pm
          .New York, N.Y..ABC telecast
          "Chance of a Lifetime"

          According to Stratemann, Ellington, Carney, Marshall and a drummer, presumably Bellson, made a quick trip to New York to appear on this half-hour show, in which Ellington played Mood Indigo and a medley, joined by the show's house band led by Bernie Leighton. Stratemann does not say if they returned to Philadelphia that night or not. It's less than 100 miles. The appearance was announced in the television schedules of too many newspapers to begin listing.
          Stratemann pp.346, 678New Desor
          DE5218
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-23
          2017-08-28
          2020-05-08
          1952 09 27
          Saturday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 09 30 - presumably Ellington, Marshall and Bellson played some of the sessions either before or after their trip to New York......Added
          2011
          1952 09 28
          Sunday
          .Camden, N.J.Stanley
          Broadway & Market

          SUNDAY ONLY
          * ON STAGE * IN PERSON *
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          AND HIS 1953 MUSICAL REVUE


          Although Ellington was in the middle of the Earle Theater run, the Earle was closed this Sunday, according to its ad in the Philadelphia Inquirer of same date.
          Courier-Post, Camden, N.J.
          • 1952-09-26 p.18
          • 1952-09-27 p.5
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-08-28
          1952 09 29
          Monday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 09 30
          The Philadelphia Inquirer:

          'Charlie Kushner, of the Crime Prevention Association, had an idea. Bandleader and composer Duke Ellington liked it. Result: The Duke and his band will play host to 250 underprivileged children at the Earle Monday afternoon under sponsorship of the Board of Education and Juvenile Aid Bureau.'

          ....djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2017-08-28
          1952 09 30
          Tuesday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 09 30.....Added
          2011
          1952 09 30
          Tuesday
          6:45 local time
          ...Peripheral event
          The September 23 Patti Page Music Hall episode with Ellington was rebroadcast on the west coast on KNXT and KPIX. This was likely a West Coast rebroadcast of the episode played in the east on 1952 09 23 and it isn't clear when it was filmed.
          • Long Beach Press-Telegram, 1952-09-30 p.A-6
          • San Mateo Times, 1952-09-30, p.15
          • The Ventura (Calif.) County Star-Free Press, Ventura, Cal.
            1952-09-30 p.12
          • The Independent, Long Beach, Cal.
            1956-09-26 p.4-B
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-04-06
          updated
          2017-09-02
          2021-04-27
          2021-05-26

          October 1952

          1952 10 01
          Wednesday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 09 30.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 02
          Thursday
          .Philadelphia, Penn.Earle TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 09 30.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 03
          Friday
          1952 10 09Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 04
          Saturday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          ......Added
          2011
          1952 10 05
          Sunday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show - see 1952 10 03.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 06
          Monday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show - see 1952 10 03.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 07
          Tuesday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show - see 1952 10 03.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 08
          Wednesday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show - see 1952 10 03.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 09
          Thursday
          ...(Unconfirmed)

          The Long Beach Independent reported Ellington would appear on the Chance of a Lifetime television show.
          Long Beach Independent 1952-10-09, p.20....New
          added 2013-06-26
          1952 10 09
          Thursday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Stage show - see 1952 10 03.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 10
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 11
          Saturday
          .Woonsocket, R.I.Joyland Ballroom

          "JOYLAND Presents"
          SATURDAY NITE
          DUKE ELLINGTON and his WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          with LOUIS [sic] BELLSON, Jimmy Grisson [sic], Betty Roche and others
          JOYLAND BALLROOM
          WOONSOCKET, R.I.

          The Providence Journal, Providence, R.I.
          • 1952-10-03 p.15
          • 1952-10-09 p.7
          • 1952-10-10 p.7
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-12-14
          2021-04-23
          1952 10 12
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 13
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 14
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 15
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 16
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 17
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 18
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 19
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 20
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 21
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 10 22
          Wednesday
          1952 11 04New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville

          Ellington and orchestra, Howell & Bates, The Ravens, film Springfield Rifle. Grossed $67,000 for the first week with Ellington; compared to the October weekly average of $64,000
          Amsterdam News:

          '...The creator of the sensuous jazz style that has had America rhythmically toe tapping and romantically mooning for a quarter of a century literally has them dancing for joy in the aisles down at the Paramount on Broadway where he's headlining a corking two-in-one show.
            Apparently the management at the Parry feels the Duke plus the smart show around him is solid box office since it wasn't felt necessary to put in one of those super duper flicks to attract the people. Naturally, Gary Cooper... does a creditable job in "Springfield Rifle"... But the combination of the hilarities of Howell and Bowser; the dancing artistry of little Bunny Briggs; the harmonies of the Ravens gives the customers a jolt that sends 'em merrily out into the crisp autumn air whistling and humming to themselves satisfied they've had a rare treat. And throughout it all there runs the smooth, cohesive, staple of the Ellington music...'

          Brooklyn Eagle:

          'DUKE ELLINGTON IS CELEBRATING HIS 25TH YEAR AS TOP COMPOSER
            The New York Paramount Theater is currently the scene of special festivities as Duke Ellington celebrates the 25th anniversary of his designation as one of American's foremost composers of modern music.
            Ellington, long popular with the patrons of the Paramount, heads the current stage show with his world-famous orchestra. For his silver jubilee appearance Ellington himself plays a medley of his most popular compositions, songs which have been accepted by the public as "standard."
            In addition, the Paramount's in person show includes the Ravens, a new outstanding fine male harmony quartet; Howell and Bowser, and Bunny Briggs.'

          Variety:

          'The Paramount Theatre, which books all-Negro bills from time to time, again has such a layout for its current session. Headed by Duke Ellington, the one-hour the show adds up to tasty entertainment seasoned with ample song, comedy and hoofing.
            Ellington's combo, comprising three rhythm, six Brass and five reed [sic], gets things away to a lively start with a hot instrumental. Songstress Betty Roche follows with a plaintive "All of Me." But the vet batoner-composer, who's observing his 25th year in show biz, really moves into the groove with a sock medley of his hits of yesteryear.
            Group of Ellington's standards includes such numbers as "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," "Caravan" and "Solitude." Arrangements are sharp and serve to blend the medley into a pleasant and melodic theme. Various sidemen are also worked in for individual solos. Perhaps as a change of pace, drummer Louie Bellson later contribs a noisy though expert bit on his gear tagged "Skin Deep."
            The Ravens, a male harmony quartet... do five tunes to score handily with an enthusiastic audience...
            Howell & Bowser hold up well in the comedy slot despite reliance on old material...
            Bill is rounded out by hoofer Bunny Briggs... An extra fillip is the piano accomp by Ellington himself.
                                                                Gilb.'

          • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
            • 1952-10-25 p.26
            • 1952-11-01 p.32
          • Brooklyn Eagle, New York, N.Y.
            • 1952-10-25 p.14
            • 1952-11-03 p.12
          • Variety 1952-10-29 p.60
          • The Billboard, 1952-11-08 p.16
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-03-30
          2017-09-012017-09-02
          1952 10 23
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 24
          Friday
          ... Peripheral event
          Beginning of Ellington Silver Jubilee celebrations - see 1952 09 27
          The Billboard, 1952-10-04 p.23....New
          added
          2015-09-17
          1952 10 24
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2015-09-17
          2017-09-02
          1952 10 25.New York, N.Y..Television appearance on the "Steve Allen Show".....Added
          2011
          1952 10 25
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 26
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 27
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.."Recording session" broadcast.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 27
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 28
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 29
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 30
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 10 31
          Friday
          Halloween
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011

          November 1952

          1952 fall.BridgeportRitz Ballroom..New Desor
          DE5219
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 11 01
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 02
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 03
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 03
          Monday
          ...Peripheral event
          Time magazine article on Ellington:
          Music
          The Duke's Anniversary
             The biweekly Down Beat takes its jazz seriously and is not given to tossing off thoughtless accolades. But last week four-fifths of the magazine was devoted to one man, Edward Kennedy Ellington–the Duke. One tribute: "The first American composer to catch in his music the true jazz spirit."
             The magazine had its eye on an anniversary coming up next month; it will be a quarter century since Duke Ellington moved into Harlem's high-kicking Cotton Club with a ten-man band and began to beat out jungle-style rhythms. Those were the days when Paul Whiteman's "symphonic jazz" was the rage and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue had just staggered Manhattan's old Aeolian Hall, but the Duke stuck to his own style and rapidly built up a following. By 1935, most of the U.S. was humming such Ellington compositions as Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady and Solitude.
             Down Beat's issue is packed with dozens of tributes from every quarter of the music compass, from Composer Deems Taylor and Songwriter Cole Porter to Bopster Billy Eckstine and Weeper Johnnie Ray. Learned articles trace his musical history and speculate on his future.
             But the Duke goes his own way, now primitive, now sophisticated; even, in the past decade, "progressive." Still the bandleader-composer insists he has not switched styles, but has only "grown naturally, from the inside out."
             Since the Ellington method of making an arrangement consists of trying things out with the band by ear–a kind of group composition–his music strongly reflects the styles and strong points of his players at any given time. The Duke has had a phenomenal record for keeping his men with him (Harry Carney, the baritone sax, since the Cotton Club opening), but changes were bound to occur. New men have brought new musical styles, and the band has developed accordingly. "We haven't eliminated anything," the Duke says. "We just kept piling more sounds on top."
             This week, with a driving white drummer and a trumpeter whose favorite range is up with the piccolos, the Duke is raising the roof at Manhattan's Paramount Theater, and later this month he will display his latest style at Carnegie Hall. He no longer has a musical home like the Cotton Club; when the anniversary date rolls around, he will be barnstorming in Iowa. As for all the anniversary excitement among his fans, the Duke, a reserved fellow, smiles and says, "Well, yes, I guess I have been taking a few extra bows lately."
          Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2024-04-21 referencing an eBay auction for a copy of this edition of
          Time Magazine 1952-11-03 pp,32,33
          ...djpNew
          added
          2024-04-22
          1952 11 04
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheaterVaudeville - see 1952 10 22.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 05
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 05
          Wednesday
          ...Peripheral event
          This is the cover date of a Down Beat special edition, "Ellington Special," commemorating the 25th anniversary of the start of Ellington's Cotton Club engagement see 1952 11 03 above), and included articles by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Irving Mills and others.

          Strayhorn's essay (p.4) introduced a concept that has been discussed widely in the years since: "The Ellington Effect."
          Down Beat Editor-in-Chief Hal Webman:

          '...scattered throughout this Silver jubilee of Duke Ellington issue of Down Beat, you will read dozens of brief articles under dozens of honest-to-goodness bylines of dozens of the most illustrious names in show business and the music world.'

          This edition includes articles, shorter tributes and favourite recording lists from
          • Milton Berle
          • Ralph Burns
          • Les Brown
          • James B. Conkling
          • Rob Darrell
          • Joe Delaney
          • Billy Eckstine
          • Duke Ellington
          • Charles Emge
          • Percy Faith
          • Leonard Feather
          • Arthur Fiedler
          • Ralph Flanagan
          • Erroll Garner
          • Dave Garroway
          • Ralph J. Gleason
          • Norman Granz
          • John Hammond
          • Lionel Hampton
          • Ted Heath
          • Nat Hentoff
          • Woody Herman
          • George Hoefer
          • Lena Horne
          • Gordon Jenkins
          • Sammy Kaye
          • Andre Kostelanetz
          • Peggy Lee
          • Hal McIntyre
          • Lizzie Miles
          • Mitch Miller
          • Irving Mills
          • Russ Morgan
          • Buddy Morrow
          • Mike Nevard
          • Cole Porter
          • Johnny Ray
          • PeeWee Russell
          • Frank Sinatra
          • Billy Strayhorn
          • Jack Tracy
          • Lennie Tristano
          • Hal Webman
          • Henry F. Whiston
          • Ned E. Williams
          This edition also has
          • a page of photos featuring the sidemen
          • a blindfold test of Morton Gould by Feather critiquing six Ellington records and covers by other groups of three other Ellington titles
          • a discography of Ellington's 1945 to 1951 recordings
          • Down Beat, 1952-11-05
          • Mark S. Tucker,
            The Duke Ellington Reader, pp.265 et subs
          • Email Lasker/Palmqust 2022-10-04
          ...SLNew
          added
          2022-10-16
          Updated
          2024-03-06
          Restored
          2024-07-25
          1952 11 06
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 07
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 08
          Saturday
          1952 11 09
          Sunday
          Hartford, Conn.State Theatre
          LATE STAGE SHOW SAT & SUN 9 pm
          STATE
          HARTFORD
          The Year's BIG SHOW!
          IN PERSON
          America's Foremost Modern Composer
          the
          ONE AND
          ONLY
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS BAND
          AND HIS Great ANNIVERSARY SHOW
          EXTRA!
          RECORDING STARS OF THE SMASH HIT
          "ROCK ME ALL NIGHT LONG"
          THE RAVENS
          RAY NANCE - BETTY ROCHE - LOUIS [SIC] BELLSON
          Harry Carney - Jimmy Gissen [xic] - Others
          HOWELL & BOWSER and BIG ANNIVERSARY BILL

          '... Performances are continuous with late stage shows Saturday and Sunday nights starting at 9:45 p.m.'

          • The Springfield Union,
            Springfield, Mass.
            1952-11-07 p.22
          • The Springfield Sunday Republican,
            Springfield, Mass.
            1952-11-09 p.6C
          • Naugatuck New (Conn.), Naugatuck, Conn.
            1952-11-06 p.9
          • The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
            • 1952-11-06 p.13
            • 1952-11-08 p.10
            • 1952-11-09 Pt.V p.14
          • The Meriden Record, Meriden, Conn.
            1952-11-07 p.13
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2018-12-14
          1952 11 08
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Columbia studiosMercer Records recording session

          Duke Ellington and his orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Hilton Jefferson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Betty Roché, Grissom.

          Titles recorded:
          • Ballin' The Blues
          • Body And Soul
          • C-Jam Blues
        • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
          Ellingtonia.com
        • Timner
            (fifth edition unless otherwise noted)
        • V p.
          New Desor
          DE5220
          DEMScorrTimner-4/22+23.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          2021-04-28
          1952 11 08
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y..Variety:

          'Duke Ellington gabs on his 25 years in show biz on WWRL Saturday (8) at 10:30 p.m.'

          Variety 1952-11-05 p.24...djpNew
          added
          2017-09-02
          1952 11 09
          Sunday
          .Hartford, Conn.State TheatreSee 1952 11 08.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2018-12-14
          1952 11 10
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 11
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 12
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 13
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y..
          • Sidemen's activities are not documented
          • Ellington was a guest on a CBS sustaining radio network broadcast, the Mindy Carson Show.

            Variety:

            'Mindy Carson...is sparking a crackerjack song session on the CBS net in a twice-weekly spot...Miss Carson's show has a straightforward format, featuring her vocals and also showcasing guest artists. On last Thursday's show (13), Duke Ellington appeared on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as a top bandleader and dished up a tasteful medley of his hit compositions... '

            Singer/recording artist Mindy Carson would begin her own television show in December, but in November she replaced Peggy Lee on network radio. Her broadcast aired at 7:30 p.m. on the east coast.
          • Ellington and many celebrities attended a dinner in the Starlight Roof of the Waldorf Astoria in honour of W.C. Handy, celebrating Handy's 79th birthday. According to Ed Sullivan's column, all proceeds went to the W.C. Handy Foundation for the Blind.
          • Variety
            • 1952-10-15 p.22 re the start of Mindy's show
            • 1952-11-19 p.31 re Ellington
          • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
            • 1952-11-13 p.ML80
            • 1952-11-14 p.46
          • Alabama Tribune, Montgomery, Ala.
            1952-11-14 pp.1, 8
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-09-02
          updated
          2021-04-28
          1952 11 14
          Friday
          8:15 and 11:45 PM
          .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
          (Main Hall)
          8:30 p.m. and midnight, two concerts
          Patricia Music presents A Concert to Celebrate The 25th Anniversary of Duke Ellington in Show Business featuring Duke Ellington and Orchestra, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker and Strings, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz and the Ahmad Jamal trio.
          2 performances...Tickets: $4.80 $3.60 $2.40 tax included
          The two concerts were co-sponsored by Birdland. Stratemann reports Gillespie, booked into the Apollo, sat in for one number, but the Carnegie Hall history database shows him playing three. Variety reported the Ellington band was in top form but Holiday was called the most impressive performer of the night.

          The Billboard reported the first concert nearly sold out and the second concert had the Standing Room Only sign out early.

          One concert was broadcast nationally on NBC.

          See the summary of The Billboard's report at 1952 11 27
          • Stratemann p.347 citing
            • Variety 1952-11-19 p.45
            • The Billboard 1952-11-22 p.44
          • Ad, Amsterdam News, 1952-11-01, p.33
          • Concert poster, Carnegie Hall website
          New Desor
          DE5221
          DEMS corrTimner-4/23+30.Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-23
          2015-12-03
          2020-05-08
          1952 11 15
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 16
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 16
          Sunday
          .London, England. Peripheral event
          The Amsterdam, N.Y., Evening Recorder, 1952-11-17, p. 11, carried an AP wirestory datelined London, announcing 29 year old drummer Louis Bellson Jr., flew in from New York the previous day and would marry Pearl Bailey "tomorrow or the day after, despite his father's objections to the mixed match."

          The Cedar Rapids Gazette 1952-11-16 and The Salina Journal 1952-11-16 carried an AP wirestory datelined New York about the father's opposition to the marriage, that he had phoned the son several times to ask him to call it off and saying he would have nothing to do with his son if he married Miss Bailey. He had even cabled Miss Bailey in London to ask her to call the marriage off.

          The story said BOAC disclosed that a young man whose passport listed him as Louis Bellasoni Bellson, Jr. age 28, was a passenger on a plane leaving Idlewild at 5.10 pm EST, due in London Sunday morning, 10 am.

          The story also said the drummer had booked five engagements in England.

          The Chicago Defender reported Bellson would join Ellington at the Blue Note in Chicago on December 19, and after that engagement, the couple would go to California for a brief honeymoon with Juan Tizol and his wife.
          • AP wirestory:
            • Cedar Rapids Gazette 1952-11-16
            • The Salina Journal 1952-11-16
          • Captioned AP wirephoto, Pacific Stars & Stripes 1952-11-26 p.5
          • Chicago Defender 1952-12-06 p.16
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-08-18
          updated
          2013-06-26
          2017-09-02
          1952 11 17
          Monday
          .Cranston, R.I.Rhodes-On-The-Pawtuxet

          'DUKE ELLINGTON, who is about to celebrate 25 years in the front rank of the world's jazzmen, will play a concert at Rhodes-On-The-Pawtuxet tomorrow night at 8:30 o'clock.
            On the program with him will be the great jazz pianist George Shearing, Count Basie and his orchestra, and Billy Eckstine, leading vocalist.
            The program is being presented by Ray Belaire, who has added Ellington and his orchestra to the "package show" as part of the Duke's current silver-jubilee celebration...
            ...the Duke hit the big time when he moved into the Cotton Club, and since that event marked the actual beginning of his tremendous reputation as an orchestra leader and composer, it has been chosen as the date for commemoration.
            For the local concert, the personnel of the Ellington orchestra will be Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Willie Cook and Ray Nance, trumpets; Juan Tizol, Quentin Jackson and Britt Woodman, trombones; Hilton Jefferson and Russell Procope, alto saxophones; Paul Gonsalves, tenor sax; Jimmy Hamilton, tenor sax and clarinet; Harry Carney (who has been with the band since jUne, 1927), baritone sax; Wendell Marshall, bass; Louie Bellson, drums; Jimmy Grissom and Betty Roach [sic], vocalists; and Billy Strayhorn, arranger.
            Shearing will have his quintet with him for the Providence concert. '

          • The Providence Sunday Journal, Providence, R.I.
            1952-11-16 p.4
          • Boston Evening American, Boston, Mass.,
            1952-11-14 p.48
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2018-12-13
          2018-12-14
          1952 11 18
          Tuesday
          .Stamford, Conn.Ritz Ballroom

          'Ritz Ballroom
          TOMORROW NITE
          The BIGGEST Attraction
          of the Year
          NEVER BEFORE!
          NEVER AGAIN!
          Billy ECKSTINE
          George SHEARING
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          COUNT BASIE

          8:30 to 1
          MAMMOTH CONCERT AND DANCE '

          • Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.
            • 1952-11-07 p.16
            • 1952-11-17 p.16
          • The Meriden Record, Meriden, Conn.
            1952-11-07 p.13
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-12-13
          2021-04-27
          1952 11 19
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 11 20
          Thursday
          1952 11 26New York, N.Y.Birdland
          "The Jazz Corner of the World"
          Broadway at 52nd St.
          Night club residency
          • Ellington's New York Silver Jubilee Celebrations.
          • A banner ad in the Amsterdam News read

            'One Week Only, Nov. 20th to 26th, celebrating his 25th anniversary Duke Ellington and his 17-piece band, Slim Galliard and his All-Stars '

          • Broadcasts on NBC during this engagement were called "Silver Jubilee Program, in honour of Ellington's silver jubilee. The show was broadcast as "Stars in Jazz" and "Silver Jubilee Show" from 12:05 to 12:55 a.m.
          • Opening night:
            • Film star Marlon Brando caused a sensation when he attended Ellington's opening night.
            • Courier:

              'Duke Ellington opened for a week's stay at Birdland here last week with an opening night crowd of the nation's top piano artists on hand.
                   During the course of the evening the ivory geniuses contributed their various styles. Skitch Henderson, on hand with his wife Faye Emerson, Count Basie, Woody [sic] Herman, Noro Morales, Steve Allan, Sid Silbert and Hazel Scott were among the top guests.
                   "Be My Guest," with a musical score by Duke Ellington, will come to Broadway in late April... '

          • March of Dimes campaign
            • At some time during this residency, Ellington was photographed by the New York Age, standing in front of a March of Dimes poster. David Rose, March of Dimes archivist, confirms the child in the poster is Randy Donoho of Detroit, Mich., a national poster child for the 1953 March of Dimes, and that the picture on the poster was taken in 1952.
            • This confirms The New York Age photo of Duke was taken during the 1952 Birdland run, rather than being a stock photo from his 1951 residencies there.
            • In mid-January, The Baltimore Afro-American said

              'The nations's outstanding musicians are taking time out to make special pleas for the March of Dimes Campaign...Duke Ellington took time out between stints at Birdland to put in a special plea for help in fighting infantile paralysis. Other musicians and entertainers are doing likewise.'

          • Recording
          • Stratemann p.347
          • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
            1952-11-15, p.25
          • Dorothy Kilgallen,
            The Voice of Broadway, Pottstown Mercury
            1952-11-25
          • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
            1952-12-06 p.17
          • Photo with caption,
            New York Age, New York, N.Y.
            1953-01-10 p.8
          • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
            1953-01-13 p.7
          • Email, D.Rose-Palmquist 2015-07-15
          New Desor
          DE5223
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-23
          2014-01-13
          2015-07-15
          2020-05-08
          2021-05-25
          1952 11 21
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1952 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 22
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1952 11 20
          "Stars in Jazz" and "Silver Jubilee Show" broadcast, 23:30-24:00
          .New Desor
          DE5224
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 11 23
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1952 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 24
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1952 11 20
          "Stars in Jazz" and "Silver Jubilee Show" broadcast, 12:30-12:55 AM
          .New Desor
          DE5225
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 11 25
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1952 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 26
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandLast night of night club residency - see 1952 11 20

          The Kingston, N.Y. Daily Freeman, Nov. 21 and Nov. 25 advertised "Sixteenth Annual Stage Show and Ball..." at Kingston Municipal Auditorium on Thanksgiving Eve, November 26, 1952. One of the acts was "No. 5 is Sepian Dancers The Tapateers with Duke Ellington Band, Astor, Waldorf-Astoria, Palace."

          While this suggests Ellington provided the music for the act, the engagement at Birdland precludes this. As well, the Nov. 28 review in the same paper mentioned the Tapateers but not Ellington. It seems most likely that the reference in the ads was to show the trio's credentials rather than to suggest the Ellington orchestra would be providing their music.
          .New Desor
          DE5226
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-22
          2020-05-08
          1952 11 00.New York, N.Y.Birdland..New Desor
          DE5227
          ...Added
          2011
          1952 11 00.New York, N.Y.BirdlandBroadcast "Jam And Jive".New Desor
          DE5228
          ...Added
          2011
          1952 11 27
          Thursday
          Evening and late night
          .Pittsburgh, Penn..(Unconfirmed)

          Two concerts

          Both Stratemann and Vail II report these concerts to have been in Philadelphia, but Vail's source is likely Stratemann, and Stratemann refers to The Billboard, 1952-11-22 p.44. The Billboard says Pittsburgh..

          In a story datelined New York, Nov. 15., The Billboard reported The Duke Ellington Jazz Concert at Carnegie on Nov. 14, sponsored by Patricia Music, grossed $21,000 for the evening and midnight shows, with the first show almost sold out and standing room only for the late show. Ellington, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker and Ahwad Jamal were on the bill.
          The Billboard went on to say Patricia Music had set two 'Duke Ellington Jazz Concerts' in Pittsburgh Nov. 27, with Ellington, Getz, Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and others. This would gauge whether or not Patricia Music would send the group out nationally as 'Jazz at the Birdland.' I have been unable to find any evidence to date that these two concerts were performed.
          Stratemann p.347 citing The Billboard 1952-11-22 p.44....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-23
          1952 11 28
          Friday
          1952 11 29Burlington, Ont.Brant Inn......Added
          2011
          1952 11 29
          Saturday
          .Burlington, Ont.Brant Innsee 1952 11 28.....Added
          2011
          1952 11 30
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......

          December 1952

          1952 12 early.Coldwater Lake, Mich.....DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1952 12 01
          Monday
          .Lima, OhioHart Jewelers
          126 W. High Street
          Record signing
          Hart Jewelers advertised "MEET DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON MONDAY 4:30 to 4:30" at Hart's record department, on the second floor.
        • The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 1952-11-30 p.4-C
        • ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-29
          1952 12 01
          Monday
          .Lima, OhioMemorial HallConcert, 8:30 p.m. sponsored by The Alumni Association of Ohio
          Ad:

          'Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra in 3 hour Carnegie Hall concert. Featured with Duke will be Louie Bellson...Admission $2.00 tax included, no reservations.'


          The Lima News:

          "Bright in Lima
          Among the Duke Ellington concert-goers here Tuesday [recte Monday] night was Johnny Bright..."

          The Republican-Courier announcement mistakenly said this was to be Ellington's last public appearance in the United States before leaving for Europe.
          • The Republican-Courier, Findlay, Ohio
            • 1952 11 22 p.11
            • 1952-11-28 p.24
            • 1952-11-29 p.8
          • The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 1952-12-04 p.21
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-06-27
          updated
          2017-09-02
          2021-04-29
          1952 12 02
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 03
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 04
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 05
          Friday
          .Iowa City, IowaIowa Memorial Union
          State University of Iowa
          All-university "Winter Fantasy" semi-formal dance.

          'Duke Ellington will be presented with a cake commemorating the 25th anniversary of the formation of his first band, during the intermission of the "Winter Fantasy" dance Friday.
            "Winter Fantasy,"... is SUI's big semi-formal winter affair.
            The dance will last from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and will carry an automatic late leave for co-eds. Tickets are $3,60 per couple and can be purchased at the Union. A corsage is not necessary.
            The Central Party committee, which is sponsoring the dance, will present the cake to Ellington.
            In charge of the arrangements is John Robertson, A3, Waterloo. Pat Caldwell, A2, Iowa City, will assist.'


          620 couples attended, and the presentation of the cake was made during a half hour broadcast over WSUI. Four social fraternities presented a Christmas skit during intermission.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2017-09-02
          updated
          2021-05-06
          1952 12 06
          Saturday
          .Decatur, Ill.Chap's Roller Rink
          Chap's Amusement Park
          Breakfast dance (I've dated this Saturday since it was Saturday night/Sunday morning)
          • Decatur Herald, Dec.2:

            'Duke Ellington's band will appear at Chap's Amusement Park for a breakfast dance Sunday from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. Louie Bellson, drummer with the Ellington band who recently married Pearl Bailey, will appear with Ellington's 15-piece band for this engagement. The group is enroute to an engagement at the Riviera Club in St. Louis. Tickets are on sale at the A & W Tavern and at Rambo's Drug Store. Single admission is $1.75.'

          • Decatur had recently expanded by annexing property by extending its boundary in straight line north. As a result, about one-third of the roller rink, including the entrance, was within city limits but most of the building remained outside.
          • Decatur Herald, Dec.4:

            'Sheriff David M. Peters and Police Chief W. Glenn Kerwin are doing some head-scratching on a law-enforcement problem.
                 It seems that Chip's Amusement Park roller rink, scene of a "breakfast dance" Sunday, is divided by new city limits.
                 Peters said the dividing line puts 51.7 feet of the building inside the city and 118.7 feet outside the city.
                 The entrance, he said, is in city jurisdiction but most of the dance floor is in county law enforcement territory...'

          • The Decatur Review, Dec.5:

            'Law enforcement ... will be up to the county, although a recent city annexation brought one-third of the building into the city, Police Chief W. Glenn Kerwin said today.
                 And ... corporation counsel has advised to J. W. Loftus, city clerk, not to assess for city licenses, because most of the building is outside the city.
                 ...If the building were in the city, the breakfast dance Sunday would not be allowed by ordinance. City ordinance does not allow public dances on Sunday nor after midnight.'

          • While the county sheriff said a patrol car crew would check on activities at the breakfast dance, no deputies would be assigned duty there. In case of an emergency, deputies and Decatur police would answer a call.
          • Decatur Herald Dec.8

            'Lawrence Johnson... was charged with assault with a deadly weapon early yesterday. He was arrested at 4:15 a.m. at Chap's Amusement Park on complaint of Luster Hite of Champaign.
                 Johnson pleaded innocent...
                 Hite accused Johnson of hitting him with a half-filled soft drink bottle. Several stitches were required to close wounds on Hite's head.
                 Duke Ellington and his band played at Chap's Roller Rink from 1 to 5 a.m.'

          • Decatur Herald, Decatur, Ill.
            • 1952-12-02 p.3
            • 1952-12-04 p.3
            • 1952-12-08 p.3
          • The Decatur Review, Decatur, Ill.
            • 1952-12-02 p.24
            • 1952-12-05 p.28
            • 1952-12-06 p.10
            • 1952-12-08 p.7
          ....New
          added
          2021-05-06
          1952 12 07
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 08
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 08
          Monday
          ...Date Of Purchase Skin Deep (recorded 1952 02 29
          Good Woman Blues and Body and Soul are shown as purchased masters from Mercer Records, 1775 Broadway, per letter of agreement dated 1952 12 08. No recording date is shown.
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re purchases
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-08
          1952 12 09
          Tuesday
          .Wichita, Kan..Mambo Club......Added
          2011
          1952 12 10
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 11
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 12
          Friday
          .Harlem
          Manhattan
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Amsterdam News Fifteenth Annual Midnight Benefit Show.

          Ellington and 19 other named acts, including Milton Berle and the George Shearing Quintet, were listed in a same-day ad for this benefit show, and the ad also refers to 75 other performers.
          • Publicity, Amsterdam News 1952-11-27, p.23
          • Ad, Amsterdam News 1952-12-13, p.7
          • Stratemann p.347 citing The Billboard, 1952-12-13 p.52
          • .
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-08-22
          1952 12 13
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 14
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 15
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 16
          Tuesday
          .Chillicothe, Mo.Airlane BallroomDance sponsored by the Chillicothe Lions Club, price $2.50 per personChillicothe Constitution-Tribune
          • 1952-12-03 p.2
          • 1952-12-10, p.3
          • 1952-12-13 p.3
          • 1952-12-15 p.3
          • 1952-12-16 p.1
          ..djpNew
          added
          2013-08-22
          updated
          2017-09-02
          2021-05-07
          1952 12 17
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 18
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1952 12 19
          Friday
          1953 01 01Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          56 W. Madison St.
          Beginning of two week, 5 day a week residency not to exceed 32 hours a week.

          Bellson was supposed to be back for this date.
          • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
            • 1952-12-21 pt.7, s.2 p.2
          .
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021
          1952 12 20
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 21
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          • Afternoon Christmas party:

            'This afternoon the Duke will play at the annual Blue Note Christmas party with Dick (Two Ton) Baker appearing as Santa Claus to distribute favors to juvenile jazz fans.'

          • Evening: night club residency - see 1952 12 19 - advertised as "Sundays from 5 p.m."
          Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
          1952-12-21 pt.7, s.2 p.2
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-07
          1952 12 22
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill..Columbia recording session
          This was the final session with Columbia during 1947-1952 (see 1947 07 30 above).

          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Terry, Cook, John Carroll, John Hunt, Nance, Jackson, Woodman, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Jefferson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Grissom.

          Titles recorded
          • Primping at the Prom / Primping for the Prom
          • The Vulture Song
          • Follow Me
          "Primping at the Prom" is also known as "Primpin' for the Prom." see Timner, Nielsen, Dooji Record Club DE2 and CBS 462988 2. DEMS 07/3-40 says the title listed by ASCAP is the former.

          Steven Lasker:
          • First recorded and released 1951 on Gotham GRC-DE-2 as Primping for the Prom.
          • First recorded for Columbia 12/22/52 (ledger sheet missing) and released August 1954 on Priceless Editions PE 7 (33 1/3rpm single) and 4-PE 7 (45rpm single) as Primping for the Prom.
          • Copyrighted 7/12/54 as Primping at the Prom.
          • ASCAP's "Record of the Works of Ellington, Edward Kennedy (Duke)" as Primping at the Prom. As far as I know, this title was never published as sheet music.
          • Timner
          • Nielsen
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist
            • 2014-10-14
            • 2022-10-14
            • 2023-10-20
            • 2023-11-27
          New Desor
          DE5229
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          2023-11-27
          2023-11-28
          1952 12 22
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 23
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Metropolitan Theater
          • Chicago Daily Tribune, Dec.24:

            'Santa Claus was hard at work in the Chicago area yesterday providing pre-Christmas fun for thousands of underprivileged children at parties sponsored y charitable organizations and kind hearted citizens...
                 More than 1,000 other youngsters, residents of the 3d ward, were guests of honor at a party given in the Metropolitan theater... bay Ald. Carey [3d]. Duke Ellington, the orchestra leader, was on hand to welcome the children and help Carey and Santa Claus hand out popcorn and candy to all. The three hour party was the sixth annual affair given for 3d ward kids by the alderman. '

          • Night off from Blue Note according to Stratemann.
          • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
            1952-12-24 pt.1 p.7
          • Stratemann p.347
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2021-05-07
          1952 12 23
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Paris ClubJubilee party for Duke.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 24
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight off from Blue Note per Stratemann p.347.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 24
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Johnson Publishing Co.The publishers of Jet, Ebony and Tan magazines hosted a luncheon for Duke in celebration of his Silver Jubilee and presented him with 25 year subscriptions to each magazine.

          The December 25 edition of Jet summarized the Ellington history of fourteen girl singers, with photos of several. Named were Ivie Anderson, Wini Johnson, Joya Sherrill, Betty Roché, Kay Davis, Marie Ellington, Rosita Davis, Jean Eldridge, Dolores Parker, Lu Eliot, Bobby Caston, Marion Cox, Debbie Andrews and Chubby Kemp. Yvonne Lanauze is not mentioned.
          Jet, 1952-12-25 pp.57-61.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-08-22
          2017-01-26
          1952 12 25
          Thursday
          Christmas
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 26
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 27
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 28
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 29
          Monday
          .Winnetka, Ill.
          (village north of Chicago)
          LOUIS' La Rue
          1130 Laurel
          Private party "Laurel Canyon Extravaganza"
          Ellington small group
          New Desor shows personnel as Nance, Hamilton, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Grissom (vocal and drums). Note Timner 4 and Nielsen 6 show Bellson as the possible drummer. Timner omits Grissom and Nielsen omits Marshall and Grissom.

          Titles recorded:
          • How High The Moon
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • Follow Me
          • Solitude
          • Monologue
          • Basin Street Blues
          • Pitter Panther Patter
          • New York City Blues
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Tangerine
          • Tea For Two
          • Tenderly
          • Without You
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • W.E. Timner
            Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His Sidemen
            • Fourth edition
            • Fifth edition
              with any corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          • Stratemann
          • Vail II
          • Email Chiarelli/Dyson/Palmquist 2024-11-30
          New Desor
          DE5230
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-08-23
          2020-05-08
          2024-12-03
          1952 12 29
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19.....Added
          2011
          1952 12 30
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19
          Chicago Sunday Tribune:

          'At the Blue Note, where Tuesday traditionally is the night off, Duke Ellington and his band will be working for the second successive evening, for this coming Tuesday will be an exception to the rule, with jazz business as usual...'

          Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
          1952-12-28 Pt.7 s.2 p.2
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-07
          1952 12 31
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Riccardo's ClubChicago Sunday Tribune:

          '... Duke also will make a noontime luncheon appearance at Riccardo's on Wednesday to accept honorary chairmanship of the Great Names Scholarships foundation of the south side's National University of Music.'

          Stratemann reports the National University of Music was to award Ellington a scroll of merit.
          • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
            1952-12-28 Pt.7 s.2 p.2
          • The Gastonia (N.C.) Gazette, Gastonia, N.C.
            1953-01-17 p.12
          • Stratemann citing Down Beat, 1953-01-14
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-08-22
          2021-05-08
          1952 12 31
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Jefferson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Louis Bellson
          Titles broadcast and recorded
          • Take The "A" Train (theme)
          • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart and Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • Rock Skippin' At The Blue Note
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          New Desor
          DE5231
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-08-23



          Back to Navigation List

          1953


          Date of event Ending date
          (if different)
          City/
          Other place
          Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
          Desor
          reference
          DEMS
          reference
          Other
          references
          Contact
          person
          Date added
          / updated

          1953 - undetermined dates

          1953 00 00.Washington, D.C.. Peripheral event
          Purported formation of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society, which eventually became The Duke Ellington Society, Inc. Steven Lasker says this society was formed after the Duke Ellington Jazz Society founded in 1958 in Los Angeles. Additional research is needed.
          The Duke Ellington Society, Inc. website...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-03
          updated
          2023-09-30
          1952/53 --.U.S.A.. "March Of Dimes" broadcast.New Desor
          DE5232
          NDCS 1078
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 Autumn.Madison, Wisc.Fraternity HouseNew Desor reports piano recordings made by Ellington "prob. Fall 1953" at a private party, and says Strayhorn played as well.
          Titles recorded:
          • Deep Purple
          • Deep Purple - Falling Like A Raindrop
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Mood Indigo
          • Falling Like A Raindrop
          • Janet
          • The Clothed Woman
          • What More Can I Say?
          Ellingtonia.com New Desor
          DE5331
          ...Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22
          1953 Autumn.Talahassee, Fla.Sauls-Bridges American Legion Post 13Recorded concert, date uncertain
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • Star Spangled Banner
          • The Mooche
          • How High The Moon
          • Satin Doll
          • The Tattooed Bride
          • Frustration
          • Theme For Trambean
          • Monologue
          • Blue Jean Beguine
          • Take The "A" Train
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Flamingo
          • Teach Me Tonight
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • Blue Moon
          • Gonna Tan Your Hide
          • Medley
          • Just Squeeze Me
          • Twelfth Street Rag

          The medley was
          • 1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • 2. In A Sentimental Mood
          • 3. Mood Indigo
          • 4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
          • 5. Caravan
          • 6. It Don't Mean A Thing
          • 7. Solitude
          • 8. C-Jam Blues
          • 9. I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much
          New Desor
          DE5332
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22

          January 1953

          1953 01 01
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeNight club residency - see 1952 12 19
          Broadcast:
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Hilton Jefferson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Betty Roché, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
            • Take The "A" Train
            • Fancy Dan
            • My Little Brown Book
            • Bensonality
            • The Hawk Talks
            • Creole Love Call
            • All Of Me
            • Smada
            • How High The Moon
          Ellingtonia.comNew Desor
          DE5301
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-17
          1953 01 02
          Friday
          ...activities not documented
          (Stratemann says "series of one-nighters in the Midwest")
          ......
          1953 01 03
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented
          (Stratemann says "series of one-nighters in the Midwest")
          ......
          1953 01 04
          Sunday
          .Detroit, Mich.Madison Ballroom
          Woodward at Forest
          Concert and dance, Duke Ellington and His Internationally FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          (Stratemann says "series of one-nighters in the Midwest")
          Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
          • 1952-12-18 p.26
          • 1952-12-19 p.22
          • 1952-12-20 p.17
          • 1952-12-21 s.B p.12
          • 1952-12-31 p.5
          • 1953-01-01 p.5
          • 1953-01-04 s.A p.10
          .....
          1953 01 05
          Monday
          ...activities not documented
          (Stratemann says "series of one-nighters in the Midwest")
          ......
          1953 01 06
          Tuesday
          .Indianapolis, Ind.Butler Fieldhouse
          Butler University
          510 West 49th St.
          (Unconfirmed)

          The Indianapolis Olympians basketball team hired Ellington to play at its league game against "the Philadelphia NBL entry" (Philadelphia Warriors). Ellington's orchestra played a 30 minute concert at 8 pm, played again at half-time, and performed a 45 minute concert after the game.

          Bob Stranahan in The Indianapolis Star:

          'Duke Ellington probably played the most expensive Star Spangled Banner on record last night at the Butler Fieldhouse as the Philadelphia Warriors grabbed a 76-71 National Basketball Association verdict from the Olympians.
            Icy streets and roads cut attendance to a mere 2,743 of basketball (and music) lovers, so the $1,100 chunk the management paid the Duke and his boys really was a dear one. They'd hoped - Andy served - better...'

          • The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.1952-12-24 p.8
          • The Franklin (Indiana) Evening-Star, Franklin, Ind. 1952-12-30 p.5
          • Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Ind. 1953-01-05. p.12
          • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
            • 1953-01-06 p.22
            • 1953-01-01 p.20
            • 1953-01-07 p.20
          • www.basketball-reference.com1951-52 season
          ..Michael Graff 2013-08-23.New
          added
          2013-08-25
          updated
          2017-09-02
          1953 01 07
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented
          (Stratemann says "series of one-nighters in the Midwest")
          ......
          1953 01 08
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented
          (Stratemann says "series of one-nighters in the Midwest")
          ......
          1953 01 09
          Friday
          1953 01 15Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreStage Show
          Duke Ellington and his Renowned Orchestra
          Louis Bellson
          Famus Durmmer
          Pearl Bailey
          Dancing, Clowning
          Bill Bailey
          Juan Tizol
          James Hamiton
          Cat Anderson
          Harry Carney
          Jimmy Grissom
          Ray Nance
          Paul Gonsalves
          Izzy Rowe's Notebook:

          'The Pearl Bailey-Duke Ellington bill smashed all records at the Regal in Chicago for the past eight years. Seems that Windy City women were particularly anxious to see bridegroom Louis Bellson . . . And the Bandbox management hopes that N.Y. females are equally as curious when the Ellington aggregation opens at the B'way spot this Friday.'

          Variety:

          'Chicago, Jan.20.
               Combination bill of Pearl Bailey and Duke Ellington at the Regal Theatre, Balaban & Katz leading Negro house, last week smashed all records for the past eight years. Layout, which featured Miss Bailey's drummer husband, Louis [sic] Bellson, rang up a tremendous $31,000, exceeded only by Louie [sic] Jordan in 1944 at the Regal. '

          • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
            • 1953-01-09 pt.2 p.12
            • 1953-01-10 pt.2 p.4
          • Courier, Pittsbugh, Penn.
            1953-01-31 p.17
          • Variety 1953-01-21 p.47
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-01-03
          2021-05-25
          1953 01 10
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreTheatre show - see 1953 01 09.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 11
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreTheatre show - see 1953 01 09.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 12
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 01 13
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Club DeLisaJackson Advocate:

          'Red Saunders now at the Delisa in Chicago, will observe his 15th anniversary in that spot January 13.'

          Courier:

          'Chi Salutes Red Saunders
          CHICAGO–One thousand Chicago well-wishers saluted Red (Hambone) Saunders last Tuesday at Club DeLisa, where Red celebrated his fifteenth year as drummer and orchestra leader.
            Headlining the long list of celebrities who attended the affair were Duke Ellington, Bill Bailey, Jimmy Grissom, Debbie Andrews, Al Benson, Daddie-O Dallie, Sid McCoy and Vivian Carter, Dan Burley, Joe Williams and Freddie Gordon.
            Duke Ellington, who was honorary chairman of the affair, presented Saunders with an award which was followed up by a $1,000 check from club owner Mike DeLisa, ...
            Red received 200 telegrams from friends and fans, one of which was sent by newlyweds Pearl Bailey and Louis Bellson. From Musicians Union, Local 208, came a huge basket of flowers.'



          Palmquist note:
          • Ellington and his orchestra were in Chicago Tuesday Jan. 13 but not on the other Tuesdays in January.
          • This event demonstrates the lag in reports in the Afro-American weekly press.
          • While the January 31 Courier indicated it took place January 27 ("last Tuesday"), the Jackson paper set the date two weeks earlier, on January 13.
          • Even the Jackson paper was behind, though, since was dated January 17 but announced the January 13 event in the future tense.
          • The lag appears to be due to two factors:
            • Stories distributed through the Associated Negro Press (ANP) news service were sent out twice a week, so a story reaching ANP by the end of Week 1 would be distributed in Week 2. Depending on the member newspaper's press deadline, it would then be published either in Week 2 or Week 3 (and sometimes later).
            • Afro-American weeklies were often dated Saturdays but were published earlier in the week, often hitting the streets on Tuesdays.
          • The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
            1953-01-13 p.7
          • Jackson Advocate, Jackson, Miss.
            1953-01-17 p.5
          • The Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.,
            1953-01-31 p.N17
          ...djpNew
          added
          2018-10-10
          updated
          2021-05-26
          1953 01 14
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreTheatre show - see 1953 01 09.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 15
          Thursday
          .Detroit, Mich..Jimmy Hamilton recording session..DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 01 15
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreTheatre show - see 1953 01 09.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 16
          Friday
          .Milwaukee, Wisc.Ron-De-Voo BallroomLikely dancingThe Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.
          • 1952-12-19 p.7
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2018-12-14
          1953 01 17
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 01 18
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 01 19
          Monday
          1953 01 25
          Sunday
          Boston, Mass.Storyville
          Hotel Buckminster
          Kenmore Square
          Club date

          OPENS
          TONITE
          !
          FOR ONE WEEK
          The World
          Famous

          Duke
          ELLINGTON

          & HIS ENTIRE BAND – 16 MEN
          featuring LOUIE BELLSON
          ALSO SUNDAY at 3 P.M.

          The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
          • 1953-01-19 p.4
          • 1953-01-20 p.18
          • 1953-01-21 p.4
          • 1953-01-22 p.13
          • 1953-01-23 p.6
          • 1953-01-26 p.4
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2024-04-29
          1953 01 20
          Tuesday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleClub date - see 1953 01 19.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 21
          Wednesday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleClub date - see 1953 01 19
          Frank Sinatra was at Storyville between shows to see Ellington and Bellson "and the Duke's magnificent new orchestra."
          Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass. 1953-01-22 p.2...djpadded
          2011
          updated
          2017-09-02
          1953 01 22
          Thursday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleClub date - see 1953 01 19.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 23
          Friday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleClub date - see 1953 01 19.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 24
          Saturday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleClub date - see 1953 01 19.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 25
          Sunday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleClub date - see 1953 01 19.....Added
          2011
          1953 01 00
          .Boston, Mass..Personnel change
          At some time in late January, Wendell Marshall, bass, was temporarily replaced by Charles Mingus

          • Marshall left to marry; he and his bride are pictured in the St. Louis Amerivan [sic] cutting a cake at a Feb. 22 reception in the Bailey Tea Room , having returned from their honeymoon. The caption says they were married Jan. 31. The Courier printed the photo as well, without the detail
          • New Desor dates Wendell's departure January 29 but the Hentoff-Ellington January 26 interview below suggests Mingus had already replaced him by January 26.
          • St. Louis American, St. Louis, Mo.
            1953-03-05 p.2
          • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
            1953-03-21 p.8
          • Stratemann p.348
          • Vail II
          • New Desor vol.2
          • C. Carrière / D. Marks liner notes
            La Maison du Duke CD MDD 010
            Duke Ellington, "Mingus chez Duke." Bandbox, New York 1953
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-23
          updated
          2022-06-16
          1953 01 26
          Monday
          .Boston, Mass..Sidemen's activities are not documented
            Ellington was interviewed by Down Beat's "Boston and environs" correspondent Nat Hentoff for his Le Jazz Hot show on FM radio station WLAW. Handwriting on the label of a possibly dubbed acetate recording of the interview, now owned by Steven Lasker, shows Ellington Interview 1-26-52,.
          • Ellington was not in Boston 1952 01 26 but did play Storyville 1953 01 19-25. Since Hentoff remarked to Ellington that he had just finished an engagement at Storyville the day before, the interview can be dated 1953 01 26 or possibly 1953 01 27.
          • Both refer to something Duke previously said, so it seems reasonable to infer they spoke off the air some time earlier, leading to the radio interview.
          • Ellington talks around Hentoff's question about what changes had taken place in jazz in the past 25 years, and speaks about Fletcher Henderson and Louis Armstrong.
          • Hentoff:

            '...I don't know a modern bass player any bassist including...and Charlie Mingus who's with you now, who hasn't expressed tremendous admiration for the late Jimmie Blanton... '

            Duke's mention of

            'Wendell Marshall, who is away from us right now, temporarily, is Jimmie's cousin and still plays Jimmie's bass... '

            establishes Mingus was with the band earlier than previously known and that Marshall was away.
          • Ellington speaks about Louie Bellson's abilities, and of writing for individuals, using Brown, Nanton and Tizol as an example; while they all played trombone, their personalities are very different so you'd write differently for each of them. He mentioned Nanton could play the full range of his horn but when he had a plunger and mute inside, there were only five or six notes that could be used. In speaking about working with Rex Stewart to compose Boy Meets Horn, the cocked valve on the trumpet E gave a certain sound, and it was fun to write for the note, since none of the other notes have the same timbre.
          • Duke says when he had a six piece band, he went almost every day to the big movie houses on Broadway where they had symphony orchestras to listen to the lush music, and then go back to his six piece orchestra and try to make them sound like that.
          • Jazz historian Dr. Lewis Porter discusses the interview in detail in his blog Ellington: An Unknown Audio Interview with Nat Hentoff, 1953.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-04-19
          updated
          2016-11-30
          2019-08-04
          2024-04-29
          2024-05-01
          2024-05-03
          1953 01 27
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 01 28
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 01 29
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 01 30
          Friday
          1953 02 12
          Thursday
          or
          1953 02 13
          Friday
          New York, N.Y.Bill Levine's
          Band Box
          Broadway,
          between 52 & 53 St.
          Night club residency
          • The Ellington band appeared with the Art Tatum trio, bringing "solid business." Others on the bill: Charlie Shavers, Joe Loco Quintet
          • Stratemann describes the Band Box as an "oversized 1,100 seater" and says the dance music was provided by the Joe Loco mambo orchestra.
          • While Stratemann and Vail have the residency ending February 15, Ellington was advertised to appear at the Ritz Ballroom in Connecticut that date and on February 13, the Daily News announced Machito's Latin band and the jazz combinations of Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Chubby Jackson would open at the Band Box that night.
          • Radio feeds:
            • Remote broadcast over FM radio station WMGM - "Almost daily" broadcasts on WMGM from the Bandbox included Mingus , then Pettiford.
            • The Brooklyn Eagle January 30 radio schedule shows Jazz Caravan at 10:30 p.m.
            • Variety (Feb.4) reported WOR and WMGM were currently airing on-the-spot pickups from the Band Box, Snooky's and Le Downbeat.
            • Daily News (Feb.12)

              'TELEVIEWING - LISTENING IN with Ben Gross
                   A New Jazz Age? . . . Before you know it, the boys ...may be referring to the 1950's as the "new jazz age." For if you tune in your radio, you'll realize that the kind of music which made the 1920's and 1930's so memorable is staging a come-back.
                   This time it's not merely the primitive Dixieland style but also the brand that is called "modern" which is on tap over your loud-speaker. Disk jockeys and live broadcasts are rediscovering the rhythms which are so distinctly American.
                   An Attraction . . . For example, on WMGM every Sunday night from 12 midnight to 2 :30 A.M., you'll find the "Jazz Caravan." Presided over by that leading archivist of jazz, Leonard Feather, this show picks up the hot bands from such notable citadels of torrid music as the Band Box, Downbeat and Snoookie's.
                   "A few years ago such a program would have been impossible," says Leonard, "because there just weren't enough clubs around Manhattan featuring modern jazz. Now , however, this has changed. The number of such places has increased from one (Bop City) to more than a half a dozen. And they all seem to be doing well. They have discovered that good jazz is in itself a great attraction and as a result of their increased patronage, they are fighting for talent which until recently was not in demand,"
                    ... It 's World-Wide . . . Modern jazz, Feather tells me, is taking a new hold not only in Europe but all over the world, although it is forbidden in the Iron Curtain countries. For the last two years, he has been doing a half-hour weekly program, "Jazz Club, U.S.A.," for the Voice of America, taping music at the clubs which are now featured on "Jazz Caravan" (by permission of union chief Petrillo, of course).
                   These programs are then transferred to 16-inch disks and shipped to transmitters in Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America...'

          • WMGM remote broadcast
            Duke Ellington and his orchestra
            Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Jefferson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Mingus, Bellson; Betty Roché, Grissom

            Titles recorded:
            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
            • Summertime
            • Come On Home
            • The Hawk Talks
            • Bakiff
            • Take The "A" Train
            • Monologue
            • Rockin' In Rhythm
            • Smada
            • Take The "A" Train
          • Variety reported WOR broadcasts from 2 to 5 a.m. 7 nights a week. The WOR deejay was initially Slim Gaillard but he was replaced by Willie Bryant and Ray Carfoll.
          • Ed Sullivan:

            'Duke Ellington's kid sister, Ruth her husband and Duke's son, Mercer, at the Bandbox ringside for his opening. '

          • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
            1953-01-30 p.22
          • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
            1953-01-30 p.43
          • Amsterdam News, New York, 1953-01-31 p.26
          • Courier, Pittsbugh, Penn.
            1953-01-31 p.17
          • Sunday News, New York, N.Y.
            1953-02-01 s.2
          • Yale Daily News, New Haven, Conn.,
            • 1953-02-06, p.5
            • 1953-02-13, p.5
          • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
            • 1953-01-28 p.61
            • 1953-02-03 p.29
            • 1953-02-05 p.25
            • 1953-02-10 p.40
          • Ed Sullivan, "Little Old New York,"
            Daily News, New York, N.Y.
            1953-01-31 p.16
          • Review, Variety 1953-02-04 p.55
          New Desor
          DE5302
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-01-03
          2017-09-02
          2018-10-10
          2021-05-08
          2021-05-12
          2021-05-29
          2022-06-18
          2022-06-21
          1953 01 31
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30.....Added
          2011

          February 1953

          1953 02 01
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          • Stratemann, Vail and the discographies report Ellington, Carney, Hamilton and Procope were televised from the club, but don't identify the t.v. station. It might be channel 11 (WPIX)(Brooklyn Eagle lists "Bandbox Revue" at 11 p.m.)
          • These sources report an audio tape exists, but provide no supporting information. The tape might be related to the "Jazz Caravan" (WMGM at 11:45 and midnight) or "Jazz Nocturne" (WOR at 9 p.m.) radio shows listed in the Brooklyn Eagle that day.
          • Titles recorded:
            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
            • Monologue
            • Mood Indigo
          • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
            1953-02-01 p.28
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-04-30
          New Desor
          DE5303
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-01-03
          2022-06-17
          2022-06-21
          2024-05-03
          1953 02 02
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          WMGM "Jazz Caravan" broadcast remote broadcast
          • The A Train theme and Caravan are listed twice in the discographies, suggesting the broadcast was in two segments.
          • If this was Leonard Feather's "Jazz Caravan" it was likely after midnight Sunday night rather than Monday.

          Duke Ellington and his orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Jefferson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Mingus, Bellson; Roche, Grissom

          Titles recorded:
          • Take The "A" Train (theme)
          • Caravan
          • Smada
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • The Mooche
          • How High The Moon
          • Love You Madly
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          • St. Louis Blues
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          • Variety 1953-02-04 p.41
          • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
            1953-02-12 p.66
          • Stratemann p.348
          • New Desor vol.2
          New Desor
          DE5304
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2012-10-27
          & 2013-01-03
          2022-06-17
          1953 02 03
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          Personnel change
          • Paul Gonsalves leaves the band to join the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, where he stayed two weeks.
          • He was replaced by Tony Scott, who doubled on flute.
          • New Desor has Gonsalves returning March 1, Wallèn has him leaving in March.
          • Wendy Lawrence, in a paper captioned Norwich Jazz Club, has him leaving in September and returning in October.
          • New Desor vol. II
          • Göran Wallèn: Paul Gonsalves Complete Discography, 2013-09-24
          • Wendy Lawrence, 'Mex' - A Tribute To Paul Gonsalves, Norwich Jazz Record Club paper 1997-09-11 (heading), or 2002-10-20 (signature)
          ..corrTimner-4/23+31
          New Desor vol.2
          djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-05-31
          2022-06-17
          Circa
          1953 02 04
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.NBC TV studioEllington was a guest on the Wednesday evening NBC network Scott Music Hall television show, sponsored by Scott Paper, possibly on February 4 (not confirmed).

          During the show its musical director Carl Hoff and a studio orchestra accompanied Duke in a medley consisting of
          • In A Sentimental Mood
          • Mood Indigo
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • Solitude
          • It Don't Mean A Thing
          • Sophisticated Lady
          and Ellington accompanied hostess and recording star Patti Page in Don't Get Around Much Anymore.

          Dating Ellington's appearance is problematic:Nielsen reports Ellington appeared February 5 (Thursday) on the show, New Desor, Timner V and Vail II date the appearance February 15 (Sunday), and Stratemann gives both February 5 (p.678) and February 15 (p.348). A search of online newspaper archive television schedules for January and February and of online trade publications turned up nothing to indicate he appeared in any Scott Music Hall episode. Assuming the recordings exist, they may be from a kinescope telecast.
        • The discographies and Stratemann say Scott Music Hall was also known as "The Patti Page Show," but this seems to have been the name of her radio show in early 1953.
        • Scott Music Hall debuted Oct. 8, 1952, airing at 8:30 p.m. EST on alternate Wednesday evenings through June 1953, and it became weekly for the summer.
        • Ross Reports on Television Production, Programming, Talent 1952-10-05:

          'Wed(8)
               NBC - 8:30-9pm alt weeks; DEBUT; Scott Music Hall; from WNBT(NY) to the net; Sponsor - Scott Paper Co thru J Walter Thompson; ... Patti Page, Frank Fontaine and Mary Ellen Terry will be regular members of new half-hour musical revue...'

        • Bob Lanigan, Brooklyn Eagle, writing about the producer, said the show was seen on Channel 4 on alternate Wednesdays.
        • Dave Blackmer, Capital Journal:

          'Patti Page, the singing rage of NBC-TV's Scott Music Hall, set up housekeeping for herself for the first time when she signed to star in the Music Hall alternate Wednesday night series...'

          (emphasis added)
        • The January and February Radio TV Mirror TV program highlights confirm the show was on alternating Wednesdays.
        • By June 1953, Ross said it aired live on 22 stations and by kinescope on 18 more.
        • Palmquist conclusion:

          'Based on Ross, the show was telecast live on alternate Wednesday evenings. Any other airings will have been by kinescope. The show did not air between Duke's return to New York in January and February 4, nor again until February 18, so it seems most likely Ellington's appearance was February 4. Further research is warranted both to confirm the episode Ellington was in and to determine if the episode aired live or was pre-recorded.

          .New Desor
          DE5308
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-01-03
          2022-06-19
          1953 02 04
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          WMGM remote broadcast, likely "Jazz Caravan"
          Duke Ellington and his orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Jefferson, Tony Scott, Carney, Ellington, Pettiford Mingus, Bellson, Roche, Grissom.

          Titles recorded:
          • Take The "A" Train (theme)
          • Bensonality
          • September Song
          • In A Mellow Tone
          • In A Mellow Tone (Baby, You And Me)
          • Blue Skies
          • Mood Indigo
          • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
          • Smada
          While discographies show Pettiford, Mingus appears to have been with the orchestra until the Apollo engagement.
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner  (fifth edition unless otherwise noted)
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          • C. Carrière / D. Marks liner notes
            La Maison du Duke CD MDD 010
            Duke Ellington, "Mingus chez Duke." Bandbox, New York 1953
          New Desor
          DE5305
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updatd
          2022-06-19
          1953 02 05
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          .....Added
          2011
          1953 02 06
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 07
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 08
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          Unidentified remote television broadcast (see comments at 1953 02 01)

          Duke Ellington trio
          Nance, Ellington, and probably Mingus

          Title recorded
          • I Can't Get Started
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner  (fifth edition unless otherwise noted)
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          New Desor
          DE5306
          ..Added
          2011
          updated
          2022-06-19
          1953 02 09
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          WMGM remote "Jazz Caravan" broadcast
          If this was the Leonard Feather "Jazz Caravan" it was likely after midnight Sunday night rather than Monday.

          Duke Ellington and his orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Jefferson, Scott, Carney, Ellington, Pettiford Mingus, Bellson, Roche, Grissom, Stan Getz

          Titles recorded:
          • Caravan
          • Happy Go Lucky Local
          • Harlem Air-Shaft
          • Frustration
          • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
          • All Of Me
          • I Can't Get Started
          • Sultry Serenade
          • Cotton Tail
          • Jam With Sam
          • Vagabonds
          • The Hawk Talks
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner  (fifth edition unless otherwise noted)
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          New Desor
          DE5307
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2022-06-19
          1953 02 10
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 11
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 12
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 13
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxNight club residency - see 1953 01 30

          It isn't clear if Ellington played here this night or not. The previous night, Thursday, would have ended a two week engagement beginning Friday Jan. 30, and the Daily News announced Machito's Latin band and the jazz combinations of Buddy Rich, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Chubby Jackson were to open here this night.
          Daily News, New York, N.Y.
          1953-02-13 p.43
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-08
          2022-06-19
          1953 02 14
          Saturday
          Valentine's Day
          .New York, N.Y.Band Box ?Activities not documented

          See 1953 01 30 and 1953 02 12 - Ellington seems to have closed at the Bandbox either Feb. 12 or 13.
          .....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-08
          2021-05-30
          1953 02 15
          Sunday
          .Bridgeport, Conn.
          New York, N.Y.
          Ritz Ballroom
          Band Box
          Although Stratemann and Vail II have Ellington closing at the Bandbox this date, several newspapers carried ads showing "Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra featuring Louis [sic] Bellson on the Drums" at the Ritz Ballroom Sunday.
          • Westporter Herald, Westport, Conn.
            • 1953-02-12 p.6
          • Meriden Record, Meriden, Conn.
            • 1953-02-06 p.10
            • 1953-02-13 p.22
          • The Meriden Daily Journal, Meriden, Conn.
            • 1953-02-06 p.10
            • 1953-02-13 p.10
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2021-05-08
          1953 02 16
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 02 17
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 02 18
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 02 19
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          Circa
          1953 02 20
          Friday
          Circa
          1953 02 26
          Thursday
          New York, N.Y..Personnel changes
          These personnel changes took place during or immediately after the Apollo week:
            BASS:
            • When Juan Tizol asked Charles Mingus to play a part he'd written for bass, they disagreed about which octave Mingus would use. The argument became heated and continued from the rehearsal room to Tizol's dressing room, then to the stage just before show time. Tizol may have flashed a knife, and Mingus apparently wielded a piece of iron and a fire axe. While differing in those details, Mingus and Tizol's descriptions of the event confirm it happened.
            • According to Mingus, Ellington told him

              '...I've never fired anybody–you'll have to quit my band. I don't need any new problems. Juan's an old problem. I can cope with that, but you seem to have a whole bag of new tricks. I must ask you to be kind enough to give me your notice... '

              According to Tizol, Mingus followed him to his dressing room after the show, road manager Al Celley held him back, and Ellington told Celley to throw Mingus out, give him two weeks notice and pay him off.
            • Tizol's and Mingus' accounts of the incident can be read in Serrano, Nicholson and Vail II (quoting from Beneath the Underdog by Mingus and Richard Williams.
            • Nicholson dates Mingus' departure February 2 at the Band Box, Stratemann says it was at the Band Box and New Desor supports this by showing Pettiford on the February 4 broadcast.
            • Mingus said this happened at the Apollo. Vail II places it at the Apollo, as does Claude Carrière in his liner notes to Maison du Duke's CD, as translated by David Marks:

              'A photograph taken at The Apollo between the 20th and 26th February...shows Mingus on bass and Tony Scott sitting in the chair of Paul Gonsalves who had ... left to join Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra between 3rd Febrary and 1st March. This in turn suggests that Mingus had left the Ellington Orchestra in late February, being immediately replaced by Oscar Pettiford...'

            • This photo is printed in Vail II, with the caption

              'The band at the Apollo, before the fight between Tizol and Mingus. Louis Bellson, at the drums, is in his last week with the band and Tony Scott can be seen behind Duke.'

            • If the band photo was indeed taken at the Apollo that would confirm the later departure. Tony Scott's presence does not decide the matter, since he replaced Gonsalves while the band was still at the Band Box.
            • While New Desor has Marshall returning in March, Stratemann says he was back when the band opened at the Apollo February 20.
          • Wendell Marshall, bass, rejoins the band. New Desor Vol.2 shows this as March, but Stratemann has him back in the band by the Apollo gig.New Desor's entry is based on his presence on recordings, but there were no band recordings from Feb 10 to 24 inclusive.
          • John Sanders, valve trombone, subbed for Juan Tizol for several months, having worked in Mercer's band:

            'One night Duke needed a substitute trombonist and Mercer recommended me. It was like a dream come true. I always thought he was beyond my reach and never met him until I went backstage at the Apollo. He loaned me a jacket, handed me some music and told me I'd be OK. They were closing that night with Pearl Bailey. I played the second show. Duke suggested I come out on the road with them for a few nights. He didn't say where we were going or for how long. We went to the South and out through Texas. Four months went by. We wound up in San Diego and I didn't get home until April.'

          • New Desor vol.2
          • "Band Member Turned In Trombone for Pulpit", 1990-01-14 Associated Press article by Hugh A. Mulligan, Los Angeles Times archives.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-01-03
          updated
          2019-01-07
          1953 02 20
          Friday
          1953 02 26Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre engagement (stage show - 40 performances)
          • Singer Pearl Bailey and her brother Bill, tap dancer and a pastor in Harlem, were on the bill.
          • Strateman says Bellson's farewell week with the band provided the biggest week in the Apollo's history, grossing $37,000.
          • The Apollo's performer card says:

            '2/20/53 This engagement with Pearl Bailey percentage, band earned approximately $10,000.'

          • Apollo handbills, weeks of February 6 and 20
            courtesy Nou Dadoun
          • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
          • Performer cards 347 and 348
            Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
          • Stratemann p.348, citing
            • Variety 1953-03-04 p.55
            • Variety 1953-03-18 p.42
            • New York Age 1953-02-21 p.20
            • Down Beat 1953-04-08
            • Down Beat 1953-03-11
          • Variety 1953-02-25 p.53
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-01-03
          2019-11-02
          2021-04-29
          2023-03-26
          1953 02 21
          Saturday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre show - see 1953 02 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 22
          Sunday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre show - see 1953 02 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 23
          Monday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre show - see 1953 02 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 24...Date of contract between Triple Ell Corporation, Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington, Inc., presents Duke Ellington" for three 5-day weeks, not to exceed 32 hours per week at the Blue Note Cafe beginning June 12, 1953, for $5,000/week.

          The contract price is again to cover a six-day week if the AFM rescinds the five-day week.

          This contract again specifies the weekly fee is $5,000, less 10% to Associated Booking Corp.

          It says "It is specifically understood and agreed that unless otherwise specified herein, no part of the performance of the Orchestra shall be broadcast or reproduced by radio or other means."
          Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
          added 2012-11-03
          1953 02 24
          Tuesday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre show - see 1953 02 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 25
          Wednesday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre show - see 1953 02 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 26
          Thursday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Theatre show - see 1953 02 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 02 26...Personnel change
          Louie Bellson, drums, leaves the band.

          Hilton Jefferson, alto sax, leaves the band
          New Desor vol.2...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-23
          1953 02 27
          Friday
          .Morgantown, W.Va.Mountainlair Student Union building
          West Virginia University
          Moonlight Prom, sponsored by Mountainlair and the Newman Club, a Catholic student organization.
          • Raleigh Register, Beckley, W.Va.
            1953-03-02, p.6
          • The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, W.Va.
            1953-02-22 p.27
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-12-22
          updated
          2021-05-08
          1953 02 28
          Saturday
          .Durham, N.C.Durham ArmoryDance, doors 7 p.m., Tickets - advance $1.50, at door $2.00
          DUKE ELLINGTON and HIS WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA featuring Bettie [sic] Roche and Jimmie Grissom.
          The Carolina Times, Durham, N.C.
          1953-02-28 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-04-29

          March 1953

          1953 03 00...Personnel changes
          March 1953:
          • George "Butch" Ballard, drums, rejoined the band, replacing Louie Bellson.
            Izzy Rowe's Notebook, March 7:

            'Louis Bellson left Duke Ellington's aggregation after the Apollo Theatre engagement to form his own combo which will probably travel with Pearl Bailey as "extra added attraction" '

          • Singer Betty Roché leaves the band
            Izzy Rowe's Notebook, March 7:

            'Betty Roche has left the Ellington wing to branch out on her own as a single, opening at the Baby Grand in Brooklyn...'

          • Rick Henderson, alto sax, replaced Hilton Jefferson
          • Paul Gonsalves, rejoined the band, replacing Tony Scott who had taken his chair in February (see 1952 02 15).
          • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
            1953-03-07 p.18
          • New Desor vol.2
          • Stratemann, p.348
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-25
          updated
          2013-01-03
          2021-04-29
          2021-05-02
          1953 03 00.U.S.A..New Desor suggests Ellington recorded Nothin,' Nothin' Baby, piano and vocal, sometime in March 1953, without accompaniment. The recording was released on the TOM label..New Desor
          DE5310
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-11-04
          2020-05-08
          1953 03 01
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 02
          Monday
          1953 03 08Hillside, Pa. Hilltop Restaurant......Added
          2011
          1953 03 03
          Tuesday
          .Hillside, Pa. Hilltop RestaurantSee 1953 03 02.....Added
          2011
          1953 03 04
          Wednesday
          .Hillside, Pa. Hilltop RestaurantSee 1953 03 02.....Added
          2011
          1953 03 05
          Thursday
          .Hillside, Pa. Hilltop RestaurantSee 1953 03 02.....Added
          2011
          1953 03 06
          Friday
          .Hillside, Pa. Hilltop RestaurantSee 1953 03 02.....Added
          2011
          1953 03 07
          Saturday
          .Hillside, Pa. Hilltop RestaurantSee 1953 03 02.....Added
          2011
          1953 03 08
          Sunday
          .Hillside, Pa. Hilltop RestaurantSee 1953 03 02.....Added
          2011
          1953 03 09
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 10
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 11
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 12
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 13
          Friday
          .Tuskegee, Ala.Radio station WTUSEllington was interviewed over the radio by Lt. Albert Murry. Vivienne Rowell:

          '...Early Friday evening when he was on J.J.'s radio program over WTUS, being interviewed by Lt. Albert Murry, I was there also and he impressed me as being almost as afraid of the mike as I was. He has arrived but is still the sincere, enthusiastic and eager to please his public, person. I first met when he wasn't so far up the ladder of fame...'

          • The Tuskegee Herald, Tuskegee, Ala.
            • 1953-03-17 p.2
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-05-02
          1953 03 13
          Friday
          .Tuskegee, Ala..Dance

          Vivienne Rowell:

          'Numerous visitors invaded our city over the week-end. And they had good reasons for doing so, with the Duke Ellington dance on Friday night and the basketball tournament on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Many people from Georgia, Florida and Tennessee came for the tournament and most of them went to the dance. So all in all this town was literally flooded with out-of-town people.
               Those who missed the Duke Ellington dance really missed a treat. Duke was in rare form and played all the favourite tunes his public was waiting for. Although the crowd was tremendous, the order was good and everyone seemed to be having fun. Duke's music is like no other music I ever heard, with its beat of the drums and thumping of the bass fiddle sounding like jungle rhythm, moaning of the saxophones, blasting forth of the trumpets, and muted sound of the trombones: these mixed with Duke's excellent piano playing or without it, will move you right out of this world. Duke is one of the nicest gentlemen I've ever known, and I've known him personally for a number of years. He is so humble, appreciative and modest, one would never believe that he has been in the show business for 25 years. He told me that they would celebrate their 25th anniversary sometime this year but he didn't know just when it would be.
               ...I was fortunate enough to be seated near the stage and his piano and he kept asking me to tell him what the people in Tuskegee would like to hear. I told him they would like anything he played. But as I sat there and watched his fingers move over the piano keys, I found myself wondering, how great can one get? And now I salute the Duke of Ellington again, who is also a Prince.'

          Ms Rowell's review then names dozens of people who had reserved tables at the dance.
          • The Tuskegee Herald, Tuskegee, Ala.
            • 1953-03-10 p.2
            • 1953-03-17 p.2
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-05-02
          1953 03 14
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 15
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 16
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 17
          Tuesday
          St. Patrick's Day
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 17
          Tuesday
          St. Patrick's Day
          .Albuquerque, N.M.Ice ArenaDUKE ELLINGTON and his famous orchestra Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, N.M.
          • 1953-03-15 p.40
          • 1953-03-16 p.13
          • 1953-03-17 p.21
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-05-02
          1953 03 18
          Wednesday
          .San Bernardino, Cal.California Theatre, 8:30 p.m.

          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          and his
          Famous Orchestra
          IN CONCERT

          Admission: $3.63 $3.03 $2.42 $1.82 $1.21, incl. taxes

          Enterprise, Riverside, Cal.
          1953-03-13 p.7
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-05-01
          1953 03 19
          Thursday
          .Hobbs, N.M.VFW Hall.Stratemann, p.348....Added
          2011
          1953 03 20
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 21
          Saturday
          .El Paso, TexasPalladium

          'Duke Ellington, one of America's foremost modern composers who created a new vogue in music, will bring his band to the Palladium March 21...'

          • El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas
            1953-03-15 s.IV p.4
          • Stratemann, p.348
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-03
          1953 03 22
          Sunday
          .Albuquerque, N.M..Dance dateStratemann, p.348New Desor
          DE5311
          .corrTimner-4/23+31.Added
          2011
          1953 03 23
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 24
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 03 25
          Wednesday
          .Tucson, Ariz.El Casino Ballroom.
          • Stratemann, p.348
          • Vail II
          • Tucson Daily Citizen, Tucson, Ariz.
            1953-03-25 p.30
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-28
          1953 03 26
          Thursday
          .Phoenix, Ariz..In reporting Thursday's ball game between the St. Louis Browns and the New York Giants in Phoenix, The Arizona Republic said:

          '...DELL WEBB, co-owner of the Yankees, sat in a box for a while with Bill Veeck of the Browns...Duke Ellington and members of his band also checked in to see the game... '

          The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz.
          1953-03-27 p.41
          ...djpNew
          added
          2021-05-02
          1953 03 26
          Thursday
          .Phoenix, Ariz.Riverside ParkDancing, 9 - 1 Admission $1.50/person, tax included.
          • Arizona Sun, Phoenix, Ariz.
            • 1953-03-06 p.8
            • 1953-03-13 pp.5, 8
          • Stratemann, p.348
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-04
          1953 03 27
          Friday
          .Pomona, Cal.Rainbow Ballroom
          or
          Rainbow Gardens
          Presumably a dance, originally advertised for Sunday but changed to Friday. Ballroom management announced minors would be admitted if accompanied by adults.
          • The Progress-Bulletin, Pomona , Cal.
            • 1953-03-26 s.3 p.6
            • 1953-03-25 s.3 p.7
          • Stratemann, p.348
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-04
          1953 03 28
          Saturday
          1953 03 29San Diego, Cal.Trianon Ballroom
          1106 Broadway
          • San Diego Union, March 25, carried an ad for the Downtown Trianon, Broadway at 11th, announcing "Sat.-Duke Ellington"
          • San Diego Union, March 28:

            'DUKE ELLLINGTON
            world famous composer, who has given American many of its hit songs, brings his orchestra and entertainers to the Trianon Ballroom tonight for a single engagement. Dancing will be from 9 until 1 a.m., with the Duke playing many of his requests. Jimmy Grissom, Betty Roche, Paul Gonsalves and Cat Anderson are featured with the Ellington band.'

          • Stratemann

            'San Diego, Cal. (two days) '

          • Vail II

            'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra play the first of a two-night engagement in San Diego, California.'

          • Neither Stratemann or Vail name their sources. Given that the San Diego Union only mentions Saturday or March 28, and given that the orchestra played in San Diego on the 29th, it seems they may have been mistaken.,.
          • The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.
            • 1953-03-25 p.a-10
            • 1953-03-28 p.a-10
          • Stratemann p.348
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-02
          1953 03 29
          Sunday
          3:30 to 6:30 pm
          .San Diego, Cal.Commissioned Officer's Mess
          North Island
          Dance and concert, 3:30 too 6:30 p.m.
          • The January 31 edition of the Union announced Ellington would play a late afternoon dance on March 29 and "any service juniors home that Sunday are invited to the Duke Ellington dance." The March 25 edition confirmed this date, saying it was a dance and concert at the North Island Officer's Club on Sunday from 3:30 to 6:30 pm.
          • The Coronado Journal announced tickets were going fast, suggesting the event may have been open to the public, but that is not confirmed.
          • San Diego Union
            • 1953-01-31, p.a-11
            • 1953-03-25, p.b-1
            • 1953-03-26 p.b-1
          • Coronado Journal, Coronado, Cal.
          • 1953-02-05 p.3
          • 1953-03-26 p.4
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-16
          2021-05-02
          2021-05-08
          1953 03 30
          Monday
          .Pasadena, Cal.Civic AuditoriumGene Norman "Just Jazz" concert, also referred to in later publicity as "An Ellington Festival". The Ellington orchestra shared the bill with the Herman McCoy Swing Choir and the Gerry Mulligan quartet. Oscar Pettiford sat in for one Ellington number. Advance publicity named Carney, Tizol, Anderson and Nance and said Herb Jeffries, Barney Bigard and Louis [sic] Bellson would make guest appearances.
          Marie Mesmer's review:

          'Duke concert a sell-out
               The Duke brought his repertoire of Ellingtonia to Pasadena last night under another of the Gene Norman's "Just Jazz" banners.
               SOME OF THE Duke's Numbers were more stimulating than others, but the famous maestro's creative hand was identified with all of his works...
               His longer works, such as "The Tattoo [sic] Bride" with its earthy innuendoes, were especially satisfying. "Frustration," featuring Harry Carney on saxophone, was another exhilarating [sic] rendition in the programming.
               On the lighter side, Duke's musical dedication to disc-jockey Joe Adams just slipped right by me. Gene Norman got a better reaction with "Beguine With Gene."
               FROM THE PEN of arranger Juan Tizol the Duke's boys gave a right peppery treatment to "Perdido" with the brass section–shall we say–whooping it up a bit. "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue" also may be singled out as other impressive works. All of Ellington's instrumentalists rated a special hand for the solo contributions.
               Ray Nance, as usual, provided his dance capers–and the audience returned his cavorting with chuckles.
               Ellington introduced the Herman Swing Choir as an added feature on the jazz program. They are a well-disciplined group of young singers and sang effectively among their many numbers the Duke's beautifully haunting "Solitiude. [sic]"
               THE GERRY Mulligan Quartet...won approval...
               Herb Jeffries, former Ellington vocalist, graciously appeared as guest artist, and cellist Oscar Pettiford, another Duke man, flew in from the east for this special occasion.'

          • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
            • 1953-03-13 p.34
            • 1953-03-18 p.30
            • 1953-03-31 p.14
          • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
            • 1953-03-12 p.9
            • 1953-03-19 p.10
          • Valley Times, North Hollywood, Cal.
            • 1953-03-14 p.8
            • 1953-03-23 p.8
            • 1953-03-26 p.10
          • Citizen-News, Hollywood, Cal.
            • 1953-03-14 p.4
            • 1953-03-27 p.14
            • 1953-03-28 p.12
          • Sunday News, Los Angeles, CAl.
              1953-03-29 p9.37, 39
          • The Occidental, Occidental College, Los Angeles, Cal.
            1953-04-10 p.6
          • Stratemann, p.348
          New Desor
          DE5312
          DEMS corr Timner-4/23+31djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-28
          2020-05-08
          2021-05-02
          2021-05-04
          1953 03 31
          Tuesday
          .San Diego, Cal.Marine Recruit Depot.
          • Stratemann, p.348
          • Vail II
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-16

          April 1953

          1953 04 01
          Wednesday
          ... Peripheral event
          Date of amalgamation of Los Angeles American Federation of Musicians locals 47 (white) and 767 (black)The AFM International Executive Board ratified the merger on June 23. Previously,

          '... all the contracts for employment of musicians in the broadcast and motion picture studios were negotiated by the then all-white union, Local 47. The black union, Local 767, merely adopted the scales negotiated by Local 47, if and when a black musician got a studio call.
            ...On April 1, 1953, Local 47 started accepting Local 767 members as part of the membership of Local 47 and segregation was forever banished from the Musicians Union structure in the Los Angeles area. '

          Steven Lasker:

          The Los Angeles locals were the first to amalgamate, although locals in New York and Detroit had been integrated since their inception.

          Email Lasker-Palmquist ...slNew
          added
          2014-10-15
          updated
          2020-02-17
          2024-10-31
          1953 04 01
          Wednesday
          1953 04 04
          Saturday
          Balboa Beach, Cal.Rendezvous Ballroom.The Occidental, Occidental College, Los Angeles, Cal.
          1953-03-27 p.3
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-04
          1953 04 02
          Thursday
          .Balboa Beach, Cal.Rendezvous Ballroomsee 1953 04 01.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 03
          Friday
          .Balboa Beach, Cal.Rendezvous Ballroomsee 1953 04 01.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 04
          Saturday
          .Balboa Beach, Cal.Rendezvous Ballroomsee 1953 04 01.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 05
          Sunday
          .San Diego, Cal........Added
          2011
          1953 04 06
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Studios
          5515 Melrose Ave.
          Hollywood 28, Cal.
          Capitol recording session for the album "Premiered by Ellington," Capitol H-440
          • 14:00 - 17:00
          • 17:00 - 17:55
          (All of Duke's Capitol sessions in L.A. were held here.)
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Wendell Marshall, Ballard, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • Satin Doll
          • Without A Song
          • Cocktails For Two
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time, location
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          New Desor
          DE5313
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-17
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-08
          1953 04 07
          Tuesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Studios
          5515 Melrose Ave.
          Hollywood 28, Cal.
          Capitol recording session for the album "Premiered by Ellington," Capitol H-440
          • 14:00 to 17:00
          • 17:00 to 17:25
          • 20:20 to 23:20

          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Wendell Marshall, Ballard, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • My Old Flame
          • I Can't Give You Anything But Love
          • Nothin', Nothin', Baby
          • Stormy Weather
          • Stardust
          • Three Little Words
          • Orson
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          New Desor
          DE5314
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-17
          2020-05-08
          1953 04 08
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 04 09
          Thursday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Studios
          5515 Melrose Ave.
          Hollywood 28, Cal.
          Capitol recording session
          • 7:10 to 10:40
          • 11:00 to 2:00
          • Mr. Lasker: You couldn't possibly get DE to a place of work at 7:10 am unless you kept him up all night. 19:10 to 02:00 hrs. strikes me as most likely in this instance.

          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Strayhorn, Ellington, Marshall, Ballard, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • Boo-Dah
          • Blossom
          • Ballin' The Blues
          • Warm Valley
          • Flamingo
          • Blue Jean Beguine
          • Liza
          • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session times
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          New Desor
          DE5315
          DEMScorrTimner-4.Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-17
          2014-10-15
          2020-05-08
          1953 04 10
          Friday
          1953 04 21
          Tuesday
          Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatre
          • Ellington and his orchestra and Pearl Bailey began a one-week residency.
          • Ms Bailey received top billing.
          • The April 10 ad named Louis [sic] Bellson ("Pearl Bailey's Dynamic Husband"), Bill Bailey (her brother), plus an all-star gigantic stage revue featuring Ray Nance, Paul Gonzales [sic], Cat Anderson, James Hamilton, Jimmy Grissom, Harry Carney.
          • There were 5 shows the first day:
            12:15 - 3:00 - 5:45 - 8:45 - 11:30
          • A report of one of the Friday afternoon shows says Ellington's band had 14 musicians, but offered one set of tunes on its own, otherwise being limited to accompaniments for the spotlighted entertainers.
          Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles,Cal.
          • 1953-04-10 Pt.III p.8
          • 1953-04-11 pt.I p.11
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-04
          1953 04 11
          Saturday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 12
          Sunday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 12
          Sunday
          .San Diego, Cal.Russ AuditoriumThe San Diego Union, Jan. 7 1953, page b-3:

          Janssen to Conduct
          Glad tidings of the San Diego Philharmonic are that Werner Janssen, internationally known conductor, will direct the orchestra in its third season opening Jan. 25, and that Duke Ellington will be here to play in the world premiere of his new "Concerto for Modern Dance and Symphony Orchestra" in the San Diego Philharmonic's fourth concert, April 12, in Russ Auditorium. The premiere of the Ellington concerto will be big news all over the world. Ellington will of course be at the piano, and his band will join the musicians of the local orchestra in the performance of this important new work, commissioned by the San Diego Philharmonic's enterprising board.

          The Union carried further such announcements in its January 11, January 18 and January 25, 1953 (pp c-6 and c-8) editions, available at http://genealogybank.com.

          It seems this did not pan out, for the April 5 edition describes the Philharmonic's next three concerts, Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday evening (April 10, 11 and 12 respectively), without any mention of Ellington. The two-week run at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles that began April 10 would also seem to rule out April 12 in San Diego.
          ....djp(New)
          2014-02-16
          1953 04 13
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 13
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Studios
          5515 Melrose Ave.
          Hollywood 28, Cal.
          The Capitol recording session shown on this date in New Desor, Timner, Nielsen, Jepsen and Vail II seems more likely to have been part of an extended session early the next morning - see Steven Lasker's discussion in the entry for 1953 04 14
          • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session times
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          New Desor
          DE5316
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-17
          2014-10-15
          2014-11-11
          2018-10-16
          1953 04 14
          Tuesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol studio
          5515 Melrose Ave.
          Hollywood 28, Cal.
          Capitol recording session for the album "The Duke Plays Ellington"

          (Capitol LPs T-477 (12-inch, 12 titles), H-477 (10-inch, 8 titles) and 45 rpm extended play discs EAP 1-477 and 2-477 (7-inch with 2 titles/side), with the same liner notes on all.

          Steven Lasker:

          ': H-477 is a 10-inch LP with eight tracks. T-477 is a 12-inch LP with twelve tracks. The four bonus tracks: Melancholia, All too Soon, Dancers in Love and Retrospection.'


          Session times:
          • 12:30 - 3:30
          • 4:00 - 7:00
          • 7:30 to 10:30
          • see discussion

          Duke Ellington, Wendell Marshall and Butch Ballard
          Titles recorded:
          • Who Knows?(1)
          • Retrospection(1)
          • B-Sharp Blues(1)
          • Passion Flower(1)
          • Dancers In Love(1)
          • Reflections In D(1)
          • Melancholia(1)
          • Prelude To A Kiss(1)
          • In A Sentimental Mood
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          • All Too Soon
          • Janet
          Note (1):Vail II and the discographies noted above show these titles were recorded the previous day, but if the sessions were Monday afternoon and evening, they would have conflicted with the theatre job.
          Lasker:
          'Now that I review the original contract and other paperwork filed with local 47 relating to this session, I see that the twelve trio titles were recorded as Capitol Recording sessions no. 3009, 3010 and 3011. In documents prepared by Capitol's Supervisor of Artists and Publishers Payable Group, the first two sessions are shown as recorded on 4-13, and the last session on 4-14. The three sessions were covered under a single AF of M contract, which shows session times of 12:30 to 3:30; 4:00 to 7:00; 7:30 to 10:30 but just a single date: 4/14.

          According to the album notes of The Duke Plays Ellington,

          'These [selections] were recorded long after midnight at Capitol's Melrose Avenue Studio in Hollywood without any sort of rehearsal or plan. They just happened.'

          and

          'Reflections in D, Who Knows?, B Sharp Blues, and Janet are spontaneous ad libbed compositions by Ellington, created in the privacy of the dimly lighted studio at the time this album was recorded.'

          From this I gather that the twelve titles were recorded between 0:30 hrs and 10:30 hrs on 4-14, and that no titles were actually recorded on the 13th.'
          Webmaster's comment:
          Mr. Lasker's conclusion is consistent with the Capitol supervisor showing the first two sessions on the 13th, as in the night of the 13th. An all-night recording session starting after midnight would not conflict with the theatre job, fits Duke's habit, and seems more reasonable than having the sidemen come to the studio two days in a row.

          Steven Lasker:
          'Per jerryjazzmusician.com:

          'At the end of the recording session [Dave] Dexter informed the Duke that the record was just a few minutes short. Did Duke have an extra song to add? Duke sat down to play what he called a "little ditty that he had in his head" that he hadn't gotten around to performing or finessing. Thinking it a perfect fit, Dave asked for the title. It had none yet, so Dave asked Duke, Would you mind if I name this song after my daughter who was born just this past week? Duke readily agreed and Dave's newborn daughter Janet was immortalized in song.'

          New Desor
          DE5316
          DE5317
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-17
          2014-11-24
          2018-10-16
          2020-05-08
          2021-05-30
          2023-11-27
          1953 04 14
          Tuesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 15
          Wednesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 16
          Thursday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 17
          Friday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 18
          Saturday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 19
          Sunday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 20
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 21
          Tuesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Paramount Theatresee 1953 04 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 04 22
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 04 23
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 04 24
          Friday
          .Stockton, Cal.Civic Auditorium......Added
          2011
          1953 04 25
          Saturday
          .Sacramento, Cal.Auditorium..
          Saturday
          ....Added
          2011
          1953 04 26
          Sunday
          .San Jose, Cal.Auditorium......Added
          2011
          1953 04 27
          Monday
          .Sacramento, Cal.Governor's H......Added
          2011
          1953 04 28
          Tuesday
          .Klamath Falls, Ore.Armory
          "BALDY" EVANS PROUDLY PRESENTS
          AMERICA'S GENIUS OF MODERN MUSIC
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS
          ORCHESTRA
          featuring
          JIMMY GRISSOM, VOCALIST–JUAN TIZOL–RAY
          NANCE–HARRY CARNEY–BRITT WOODMAN–
          CAT ANDERSON–PAUL GONSALVES–RUSSELL
          PROCOPE–QUENTON [sic] JACKSON–WENDELL
          MARSHALL–JAMES HAMILTON–CLARK TERRY
          WILLY COOK–RICK HENDERSON–BUTCH BALER [sic]
          ARMORY
          TONIGHT

          $1.80
          Per Person
          (Inc.Tax)
          Broadcast Over
          KFLW –9:30 to 10:00
          • Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Ore.
            • 1953-03-30 p.5
            • 1953-03-31 p.15
            • 1953-04-14 p.2
            • 1953-04-25 p.2
            • 1953-04-27 p.9
            • 1953-04-28 p.9
          • Medford (Oregon) Mail Tribune, Medford, Ore.
            • 1953-04-24 p.12
            • 1953-04-26 p.13
            • 1953-04-27 p.9
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-04
          1953 04 29
          Wednesday
          Ellington's birthday
          .Redmond, Ore.
          Portland, Ore.
          Redmond Air Base
          VFW Hall
          Dance, Floor Show

          See, Hear, Dance to the Music of
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
          Wed., April 29
          Redmond Air Base

          Vail II and Stratemann without providing references place this event at the VFW Hall in Portland. This may have been from the Igo/Ewing/Pilkington itinerary, see DEMS1992-4. In any event, while the first ad says tickets could be ordered by mail from VFW, Box 422, Redmond, the location was Redmond Air Base, near Bend, Ore., approximately 160 miles southeast of Portland. Redmond Air Base is now Roberts Field.
          K. Steiner in DEMS 03,2-13:
          'Here's what the Wednesday, 29Apr53 issue of "The Oregonian" said:

          'When the famed Duke Ellington brings his equally famed orchestra to Portland for a one-night stand at McElroy's ballroom Thursday night he will also celebrate his birthday. Invitations are out for the Duke's birthday fete. It will be held Thursday evening at McClendon's Rhythm Room on N. Williams Avenue with distributors from Columbia Records as hosts. When Ellington brings his talented musicians into McElroy's Thursday night, he will have such well- known band men as Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, James Hamilton, Harry Carney, and Juan Tizol in the line-up. Sounds like a sell-out from here.'

          There was no mention of a 29Apr appearance by Duke in the Portland newspaper. Stratemann listed Duke as being at the VFW Auditorium in Portland.
          The Bend Bulletin, Bend, Ore.
          • 1953-04-15 p.2
          • 1953-04-17 p.3
          • 1953-04-18 p.3
          • 1953-04-21 p.2
          • 1953-04-24 p.2
          .
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 04 30
          Thursday
          .Portland, Ore.McElroy's BallroomClub date

          The event was recorded and is on the Laserlight 5 CD set "Happy Birthday Duke"
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson,Tizol, Hamilton,Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Ballard, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • Primping At The Prom
          • Smada
          • Maybe I Should Change My Ways
          • All Day Long
          • Don't Worry 'Bout Me
          • Lullabye Of Birdland
          • Time On My Hands
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Liza
          • Creole Love Call
          • Boo-Dah
          • Stomp, Look And Listen
          • Happy Go Lucky Local
          • Summertime
          • Warm Valley
          • Sultry Serenade
          • Hi'ya Sue
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Medley: I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart / Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • Just Squeeze Me
          • Caravan
          • Perdido
          • Without A Song
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • Come On Home
          • Vagabonds
          • Things Ain't What They Used to Be
          • The Hawk Talks
          • C-Jam Blues
          • Tenderly
          • All The Things You Are
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          • Once There Lived A Fool
          • Flamingo
          • Solitude
          • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
          • Without A Song
          • Ballin' The Blues
          • Please Be Kind
          • Happy Birthday To You
          • Mood Indigo
          • Blue Skies
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner IV p.
          • Nielsen 6, p.
          • Stratemann p.
          • Vail I
          • Vail II
          New Desor
          DE5318
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-02-13
          2020-05-08

          May 1953

          1953 05 01
          Friday
          .Olympia, Wash.Evergreen Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 02
          Saturday
          .Seattle, Wash.Trianon Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 03
          Sunday
          .Spokane, Wash.Fairchild Air Force Base......Added
          2011
          1953 05 04
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 05
          Tuesday
          .Moscow, Idaho........Added
          2011
          1953 05 06
          Wednesday
          .Boise, Idaho.Miramar Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 07
          Thursday
          .BurleyIdyll Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 08
          Friday
          1953 05 09Salt Lake City, UtahRainbow RandevuBrigham Young University Military Ball

          'PROVO – Duke Ellington and his famous band will provide the music for the Air Force ROTC Military Ball to be held at the Rainbow Randevu [sic] in Salt Lake City on May 8. It's military formal.'

          .
        • Ogden Standard Examiner, Ogden Utah
          1953-04-11 p.12
        • Daily Herald, Utah County, Utah
          1953-04-13 p.14
        • ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2021-05-04
          1953 05 09
          Saturday
          .Salt Lake City, UtahRainbowsee 1953 05 08.....Added
          2011
          1953 05 10
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 11
          Monday
          .Denver, Col.Rainbow Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 12
          Tuesday
          .Holdredge, Nebr.Auditorium......Added
          2011
          1953 05 13
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 14
          Thursday
          .Burlington, Iowa.The band arrived in Burlington early Thursday, en route to the dance in West Point, Iowa, about 25 miles west.

          The band would return to Burlington for the night, leaving for Normal the next morning.
          Burlington, Iowa Hawk-Eye Gazette, 1952-05-14, p.19...djpNew
          added 2013-03-20
          1953 05 14
          Thursday
          .West Point, IowaLegion Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 15
          Friday
          .Normal, IowaMcCormick Gymnasium
          Illinois State Normal University.
          Dance
          Helen Rorobach:

          '[Ellington] captivated a large crowd at McCormick Gym Friday night...
           Calling the affair at ISNU a dance is a misnomer. Not that the Duke didn't play danceable music but the dancers were lost in a fog of complete admiration for the performance. The bandstand was circled with listening couples and a fringe of jitterbuggers frolicked in the background.
            Ellingtonia was played throughout the evening. As one young being complimented the 54 year old bandleader "You didn't play one piece of corn." From Mood Indigo to Satin Doll the Duke's original music was played with only two brief intermissions. The whole band seemed reluctant to leave the bandstand and wandered back one by one to take up their instruments and join the Duke as he ad libbed at the piano.
            ... The tall be-mustached band leader has Billy Strayhorn as his arranger. After the last fan had gone home and the Duke had changed his clothes he and Straynor [sic] worked out on the piano in the large silent gym. The Duke hummed, Strayhorn corded [sic] and the night watchman looked disgusted.
            Strayhorn played Satin Doll while the Duke proceeded to improvise words – it was recorded without a vocal...
            It was 1:30 a.m. when the bus driver leaned on the horn again for the Duke to board the bus for St. Louis, Missouri. The band appeared at the Masonic Temple in Benld, Ill., Saturday night... '

          • Helen Rorobach, The Duke Makes a Hit at ISNU, The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill., 1953-05-18 p.7
          • Stratemann p.349
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-06-15
          1953 05 16
          Saturday
          .Benid, Ill.Coliseum Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 17
          Sunday
          .St. Louis, Mo.Masonic Hall......Added
          2011
          1953 05 18
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 19
          Tuesday
          .CarrollStarline Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 20
          Wednesday
          .New UlmNew Ulm Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 21
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 22
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 23
          Saturday
          .MadisonFraternity Hall..New Desor
          DE5331
          DEMS TDESjun03 corrTimner-4/22.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 05 24
          Sunday>
          .WaupacaIndian Crossing......Added
          2011
          1953 05 25
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 26
          Tuesday
          .La CrosseAvalon Ballroom......Added
          2011
          1953 05 27
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 28
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 05 29
          Friday
          .GlencoeCountry Club......Added
          2011
          1953 05 30
          Saturday
          .Gary, Ind.Armory......Added
          2011
          1953 05 31
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Parkway Ballroom......Added
          2011

          June 1953

          1953 06 --a.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
          Night Club
          "All Star Parade" Re-broadcast 17jul.New Desor
          DE5320
          ...Added
          2011
          1953 06 --b.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
          Night Club
          "All Star Parade" Re-broadcast 24jul.New Desor
          DE5321
          ...Added
          2011
          1953 06 --c.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
          Night Club
          "All Star Parade" Re-broadcast 01aug.New Desor
          DE5322
          ...Added
          2011
          1953 06 --d.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
          Night Club
          ...DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 06 01
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 02
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 03
          Wednesday
          1953 06 04
          Thursday
          McClure, Ind.Colony Club......Added
          2011
          1953 06 04
          Thursday
          .McClure, Ind.Colony ClubSee 1953 06 03.....Added
          2011
          1953 06 05
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 06
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 07
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 08
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 09
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 10
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 11
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 06 12
          Friday
          1953 07 02Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Cafe
          56 W. Madison St.
          Club date with NBC network feed
          3 Five night weeks

          Some NBC broadcasts from here were issued on the AFRS "One Night Stand" transcription series and released on LP.

          Later in the year, the club shut down, but owner Frank Holzfeind reopened nearby in 1954.
          Stratemann p.349 New Desor
          DE5319
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-11-20
          2020-05-08
          1953 06 13
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 14
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 15
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeDay off from club date? - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 16
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeDay off from club date? - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 17
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 18
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 19
          Friday
          ... Peripheral event
          The copyright for Satin Doll was registered with the United States Copyright Office with a handwritten lead sheet of the melody only. This was given copyright registration number Eu320603 on June 19, 1953. Around the same time, a version with harmony and a revised melody was released on Capitol's record 2458. A derivative work, a handwritten piano-vocal score was registered for copyright under No. Eu 549089 on November 4, 1958. A fourth version, a piano-vocal score with an introduction, harmony, the revised melody and lyrics has copyright registration NO. Ep 144736, May 20, 1960. Litigation arose between the heirs of Strayhorn and Ellington, long after they died, over who was entitled to royalties from the song, and from which version.
          Steven Lasker:

          'The song was originally recorded for Capitol in Hollywood on 1953 04 06. It went without lyrics for years. Ella liked the song and recorded in for the Verve Ellington Songbook album on 1956 09 04 backed by, among others, Ben Webster, Stuff Smith and Barney Kessel. Ella's lyrics went something like this: "La-dee-dee-doody, dee-doody [...] Satin Doll"...
          The Verve songbook albums were embraced warmly by the music community. They were commonly found in classier households in Hollywood and Beverly Hills, even among the non-music types. It's easy to speculate that Johnny Mercer had a copy, heard Ella's scat, and thought he could do better...

          The copyright date was 1958 11 04 -- nothing for the tune earlier than that.

          In 1955, Ellington hadn't even bothered to copyright the tune; by 1960, it was among Ellington's most well-known songs. '

          ...djpNew
          added
          2014-11-27
          2023-02-26
          1953 06 19
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 20
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 21
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 22
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeDay off from club date? - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 23
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeDay off from club date?- see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 24
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.New Desor
          DE5323
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-11-20
          2020-05-08
          1953 06 25
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 26
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CaféClub date - see 1953 06 12

          "Music For Moderns"
          ..DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-11-20
          2020-05-08
          1953 06 27
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.New Desor
          DE5324
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-11-20
          2020-05-08
          1953 06 28
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeClub date - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 29
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeDay off from club date? - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 30
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CafeDay off from club date? - see 1953 06 12.....Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 06 30.Chicago, Ill.Universal Studio..New Desor
          DE5325
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08

          July 1953

          1953 07 01
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note`Club date - see 1953 06 12.New Desor
          DE5326
          DE5327
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-11-20
          2020-05-08
          1953 07 02
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
          Night Club
          Club date - see 1953 06 12.....2Added
          2011
          updated 2012-11-20
          1953 07 03
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 04
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 05
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 06
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 07
          Tuesday
          1953 07 19New York, N.Y.Band BoxThe Ellington and Basie bands played opposite each other. Mondays off...DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 07 08
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 09
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 10
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 11
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 12
          Sunday
          20:30-21:00
          .New York, N.Y.CBS Studio 59
          Mansfield Theatre
          256 W. 47th St.
          Ellington appeared as the mystery guest in episode 163 of the late Sunday evening "What's My Line" CBS TV network panel show.
          • The show was hosted by John Charles Daly with panelists Dorothy Kilgallen, Arlene Francis, Bennett Cerf and Steve Allen.
          • While filmed using Kinescope, the show aired in real time (see Fates, pp.31, 40)
          • Miss Kilgallen was a syndicated gossip columnist who occasionally wrote about Ellington.
          • The show was sponsored by the makers of Stopette deodorant.
          • YouTube video
          • Gil Fates
            What's My Line? The Inside History of TV's Most Famous Panel Show
            Prentice-Hall, Inc.
            Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1978. pp.31, 40, 219
          ...M.Palmer in DukeLYM/djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-10-28
          2024-11-02
          2024-11-06
          1953 07 12
          Sunday
          .Revere Beach, Mass.Roll Away BallroomA report in DEMS had a battle of the bands here on July 12, 1953. It was a year earlier on July 11, 1953 - see 1953 07 11...DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-10-28
          2020-05-08
          2020-06-22
          1953 07 12
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 13
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y..Acitivities not documented (day off from Band Box).....Added
          2011
          1953 07 14
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 15
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 16
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 17
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 17
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y..An AP wirestory said Ellington would sub for George Frazier on the Platterbrains ABC show. Unless further evidence comes to light, this entry is quite doubtful.Clearfield Progress,1953-07-10 p.5...djpNew
          added 2013-06-28
          1953 07 17.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
          Night Club
          "All Star Parade" broadcast


          Hoefsmit:

          I suspect that the "All Star Parade of Bands" broadcast of 25Jul53 is the same as the Jun53 broadcast with the same title as 5320 in DESOR and issued on DETS LP # 48. This broadcast was earlier claimed to be from 17Jul53. See Jerry Valburn's article in DEMS 93/4-6

          .New Desor
          DE5320
          DEMScorrTimner-4/23.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 07 18
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 19
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Band BoxSee 1953 07 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 07 20
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 21
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 22
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 23
          Thursday
          .Taunton, Mass.Roseland...DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          1953 07 24
          Friday
          ...Peripheral Event
          There seems to have been a broadcast this date of music aired during Ellington's residency at the Bluenote -see Bluenote 1953 06 00 above
          ..DEMScorrTimner-4/23.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          2020-06-22
          1953 07 24
          Friday
          .Salem, N.H.Canobie Lake Park Ballroom.Dancing 8:30 to 12:30The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass.
          • 1953-07-16 p.26
          • 1953-07-17 p.16
          • 1953-07-24 p.16
          • courtesy Wayne Clutton, Scott MacNeil
          ...djpNew
          added
          2020-06-22
          1953 07 25
          Saturday
          ...Peripheral Event
          "All Star Parade" broadcast
          .New Desor
          DE5320 ?
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-08
          2020-06-22
          1953 07 25
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 26
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 27
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 28
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 29
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 30
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 07 31
          Friday
          .Pittsburgh, Penn.Vogue Terrace......Added
          2011

          August 1953

          1953 08 01
          Saturday
          ... Peripheral event
          In a story dated August 1, The Billboard reported an agreement reached between Columbia and RCA Victor concerning who had the right to issue records of non-studio recordings, under which Columbia ceded the March 25, 1952 concert rights to RCA Victor. The matter arose from the successful Benny Goodman albums Columbia released in 1950 (Carnegie Hall concert) and 1952 (1937-38 recordings).

          The agreement granted RCA Victor the right to produce the recording made of Ellington's March 25, 1952 concert in Seattle.

          At least one musician had complained to the AFM, and Columbia reportedly paid them scale for each 3 minutes, disbursing about $10,000 through the union.

          The Billboard summarized the agreement as strengthening the principle that recorded non-studio performances would be issued by the company that had the musician under contract at the time the tapes were made.
          The Billboard ...djpNew
          added 2013-04-25
          1953 08 01
          Saturday
          .Pittsburgh, Penn.Vogue Terracesee 1953 07 31......Added
          2011
          1953 08 02
          Sunday
          .Pittsburgh, Penn.Vogue Terracesee 1953 07 31.....Added
          2011
          1953 08 03
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 04
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 05
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 06
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 07
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 08
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 09
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 10
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 11
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 12
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 13
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 14
          Friday
          1953 08 20Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - Ellington and Billie Holiday were the headline acts, others included impressionist Margie McGlory and comedy team Moke and Poke.

          Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows also names sidemen Jimmy Grissom, Ray Nance and Cat Anderson

          The Apollo's performer card says:

          '8/14/53 $8221.67 Good performance. Still lacks drawing card power. Band is certainly worth playing twice a year.'

          • Stratemann p.350 citing
            Variety 1953-08-19 p.53
          • Fine and Mellow p.138
          • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
          • Performer cards 347 and 348
            Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          2019-11-02
          2023-03-26
          1953 08 15
          Saturday
          ,Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1953 08 14....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 08 16
          Sunday
          ,Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1953 08 14....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 08 17
          Monday
          ,Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1953 08 14....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 08 18
          Tuesday
          ,Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1953 08 14....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 08 19
          Wednesday
          ,Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1953 08 14.New Desor
          DE5328
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          1953 08 20
          Thursday
          ,Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1953 08 14....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 08 21
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 22
          Saturday
          .Farrell, Penn.Twin City Elks(Unconfirmed)

          Dance - open to the public, everyone welcome
          New Castle News, 1953-08-19 p16...djpNew
          added 2013-06-27
          1953 08 23
          Sunday
          7 pm
          .Reading, Penn.Ephrata Legion ParkLikely an outdoor danceAd, Chester, Pa., Times, 1953-08-18New Desor
          DE5329
          ...Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-06-27
          1953 08 24
          Monday
          1 PM
          1953 08 25
          Tuesday
          Sampson Air Force Base, N.Y.Allen Auditorium(Unconfirmed)

          Concert
          Geneva Daily Times, Aug. 20, 1953....Agustin Perez GascoNew
          added 2012-05-04
          1953 08 24
          Monday
          8:30 PM
          .Sampson Air Force Base, N.Y.Non-commissioned Officers Mess(Unconfirmed)
          Dance
          Geneva Daily Times, Aug. 20, 1953....Agustin Perez GascoNew
          added 2012-05-04
          1953 08 25
          Tuesday
          1 PM
          .Sampson Air Force Base, N.Y.Allen Auditorium(Unconfirmed)

          Concert 1 pm
          Geneva Daily Times, Aug. 20, 1953....Agustin Perez GascoNew
          added 2012-05-04
          1953 08 25
          Tuesday
          8:30 PM
          .Sampson Air Force Base, N.Y.Officers Mess(Unconfirmed)
          Dance
          Geneva Daily Times, Aug. 20, 1953....Agustin Perez GascoNew
          added 2012-05-04
          1953 08 26.Montréal, P.Q.Show MartDuke Ellington and his orchestra
          Tickets: at the door $2.00;
          Advance sales $1.50.
          The Gazette, Montreal, P.Q.
          • 1953-08-21 p.14
          • 1953-09-22 p.18
          • 1953-08-24 p.12
          • 1953-08-25 p.10
          • 1953-08-26 p.10
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2019-10-16
          1953 08 27.Quebec City, P.Q.Colisee......Added
          2011
          1953 08 28
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 29.Sherbrooke, P.Q.Sherbrooke Arena.
          • Stratemann p.350
          • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 18 USA and Canada, September, 1953, April-May, 1954
          .
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2015-12-31
          1953 08 30
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 08 31.Hamilton, Ont.Palace Theatre.Stratemann p.350....Added
          2011

          September 1953

          1953 09 01
          Tuesday
          .Hamilton, Ont.Palace Theatresee 1953 08 31.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 02
          Wednesday
          .Hamilton, Ont.Palace Theatresee 1953 08 31.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 03
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 04
          Friday
          .Syracuse, N.Y.War Memorial Building......Added
          2011
          1953 09 05
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 06
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 07
          Monday
          1953 09 12Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavern......Added
          2011
          1953 09 08
          Tuesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1953 09 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 09
          Wednesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1953 09 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 10
          Thursday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1953 09 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 11
          Friday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1953 09 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 12
          Saturday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1953 09 07.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 13
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 14
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 15
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 16
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 17
          Thursday
          .Cedar Falls, IowaIowa State Teachers College......Added
          2011
          1953 09 18
          Friday
          .Buffalo, N.Y.Kleinhans Music Hall......Added
          2011
          1953 09 19
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 20
          Sunday
          1953 09 26Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnival......Added
          2011
          1953 09 21
          Monday
          .Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnivalsee 1953 09 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 22
          Tuesday
          .Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnivalsee 1953 09 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 23
          Wednesday
          .Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnivalsee 1953 09 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 24
          Thursday
          .Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnivalsee 1953 09 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 25
          Friday
          .Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnivalsee 1953 09 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 26
          Saturday
          .Mitchell, S.D.Cotton Corn Carnivalsee 1953 09 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 09 27
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 28
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 29
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 09 30
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......

          October 1953

          1953 10 01
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 02
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 03
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 04
          Sunday
          .Coeur D'Alene, IdahoNIJC AuditoriumThis appears to be the beginning of a tour with accompanying acts The Gaylords, a male vocal trio, and The Harmonicats, a harmonica trio. Stratemann says The Billboard reported The Gaylords were contracted to play 30 one-nighters with Ellington.Stratemann p.350 citing The Billboard 1953-10-10,p.20New Desor
          DE5330
          ...Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22
          2019-10-17
          1953 10 05
          Monday
          .Calgary, Alta.Stampede Corral
          You Wanted It!
          You Waited For It!


          Now It's Here!

          THE
          GREATEST VAUDEVILLE
          SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF
          CANADIAN SHOW
          BUSINESS

          IN PERSON

          [publicity photo here]

          DUKE ELLINGTON

          And His World Famous 16
          Piece Orchestra
          PLUS
          THE GAYLORDS

          PLUS
          Jerry Murad's
          HARMONICATS
          ONE NITE ONLY!

          AT THE
          STAMPEDE CORRAL
          Two Performances

          7:00 P.M. AND 9:30 P.M.
          MONDAY, OCT. 5TH

          Tickets are now available at
          Hudson's Bay Co. and Evening
          at Corral Office $1.50 and up.
          Let's Give Duke a Royal
          Calgary Reception!
          Promoted by Peter Scott
          • The Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alta.
            • 1953-09-30 p.34
            • 1953-10-01 p.28
            • 1953-10-05 p.15
          • Stratemann p.350
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2019-10-17
          1953 10 06
          Tuesday
          .Medicine Hat, Alta.Arena GardensGross was only $1,600, the lowest of the tour.
          Medicine Hat News:

          'HARMONICATS 'STEAL' SHOW FROM DUKE IN HIGH CALIBER MUSIC TREAT VIRTUALLY LOST ON MAD HATTERS
          by "Chuck" Hogal
            Duke Ellington and his famous 16 piece orchestra played to two very receptive Medicine Hat audiences at Arena Gardens last night; gave them a musical"hep" treat of outstanding merit, despite poor attendances.
            "I guess we'll have to stick to hillbilly music after this, commented a disappointed Bill Hunter, arena manager...
            Jerry Murad and his Harmonicats really stole the show from the Duke for local music lovers, with their rendition of Sabre Dance Boogie, Ruby and Harmonica Boogie. For encores they played the tune [sic] that "made" them five years ago, Peg O' My Heart and 12th Street Rag. The latter number featured Al Foire and the wold's largest harmonica.
            The Gaylords were favorites with the crowd too, giving out with Side by Side, Ramona, Momma and Poppa Polka...
            Duke opened the show with ... VIP's Boogie, featuring Harry Carney...
            Cat anderson and his screeching trumpet ... Jam With Sam. Along with Anderson were horn men Ray Nance and Juan Tizol.
            Juan Tiol [sic] too the solo spotlight next with Carvan [sic], complete with Latin American background which Butch Ballard backed up very nicely on the tubs.
            Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney and Britt Woodman did some nice back up music for the Duke's only vocal of the evening, Pretty as a Rose. Wendell Marshall, bass deluxe and Jimmy Hamilton on bass clarinet [!!??!!] worked very nicely on a number called Duet.
            Duke's featured male vocal, Jimmy Grissom, did a few numbers for the crowd, donering {sic] such favorites as Give Me the Right, and Without a Song. The crowd wanted Grissom back for some more, but the Duke wouldn't have anything to do with it. Stealing too much applause I guess.
            Scat man Ray Nance ... did song and dance of St. Louis Blues, that brought the house down. REal solid.
            A medley of old favorites followed with the band doing up Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Mood Indigo, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Sophisticated Lady and There Are Such Things. Nice memory joggers for the adult audience. Very effective spotlights on this production.
            Butch Ballard took over on the drums fro a so-called solo after the intermission on a tune called The Hawk Talks. Teens will remember this tune was written by...Bellson. Maybe Ballard was trying to con the people, but we weren't conned. Should have left that song out, Duke!
            We liked the way the Duke introduced the boys in the band, letting each of them take a solo effect. But the maestro should have stuck to his piano, instead of trying so hard as Emcee.
            Those in attendance, around 200 to 250 for each of the two performances, were more than pleased with the show. It was an outstanding attraction, but a word of warning for those who failed to turn up. Don't ask "Red" Hunter to bring another event of this high calibre to Medicine Hat again! It won't wash!'

          • Lethbridge Herald 1953-09-25 pp.4, 7
          • Medicine Hat News 1953-10-07 p.3
          • Stratemann p.350
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2015-09-17
          2019-10-17
          1953 10 07
          Wednesday
          .Regina, Sask.Exhibition Stadium
          • Two concerts 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
          • 16-man Ellington aggregation supported by Jerry Murad's Harmonicats and The Gaylords.
          • Promoter Peter Scott
          • Admission $1.50 and up.
          • The Leader-Post, 1953-10-08:
            • 4,500 fans in two concerts
            • Personnel mentioned:
              Tizol, Carney, Nance, Hamilton, Marshall, Ballard, Grissom.
            • Titles named:
              • Take the A Train
              • Caravan
              • St. Louis Blues
              • Duet
              • Medley including Mood Indigo, C Jam Blues, I Let a Song go Out of My Heart, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Without a Song, Give Me the Right, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me.
          The Leader-Post, Regina, Sask.:
          • 1953-09-01 p.3
          • 1953-09-12 p.4
          • 1953-09-19 p.4
          • 1953-09-21 p.4
          • 1953-09-22 p.4
          • 1953-09-25 p.4
          • 1953-09-28 p.4
          • 1953-10-01 p.10
          • 1953-10-02 p.10
          • 1953-10-05 p.4
          • 1953-10-07 p.3
          • 1853-10-08 p.12
          • 1953-10-13 p.17
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2019-10-17
          1953 10 08
          Thursday
          7 pm
          9:30 pm
          .Winnipeg, Man.Winnipeg AuditoriumTwo performances, sharing the bill with The Gaylords and The Harmonicats. The Winnipeg Free Press gave a ho-hum review, estimating attendance for the two shows at 4,000Winnipeg Free Press
          • Ad 1953-09-14,p.5
          • Review 1953-10-09.p.6
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2012-10-10
          2013-05-27
          1953 10 09
          Friday
          .Brandon, Man.Wheat City Arena......Added
          2011
          1953 10 10
          Saturday
          .Fort Frances, Ont.Community Memorial Arena......Added
          2011
          1953 10 11
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 12
          Monday
          .Port Arthur, Ont.ArenaPort Arthur is now Thunder Bay, on the western shore of Lake Superior near the U.S. border. The tour may have continued north, around the lake, playing smaller towns in Northern Ontario and perhaps ending up in Toronto, or it might have headed south into Minnesota.......Added
          2011
          1953 10 13
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 14
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 15
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 16
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 17
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 18
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 19
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 10 20
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          Circa
          1953 10 21
          Wednesday
          ...Personnel change
          George "Butch" Ballard leaves the band, to be replaced by Dave Black. In his Cadence magazine interview, Black said he opened at the Paramount.
          • New Desor vol.2
          • Cadence 1997-06-00 p.7
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-10
          2024-01-28
          1953 10 21
          Wednesday
          1953 11 03New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreTwo week engagement:
          Four sixty minute shows daily

          Sharing the bill with Ellington's orchestra were
          • Stuffy Bryant, dancer
          • Stump and Stumpy, comedians
          • Golden Gate Quartet
          'Duke Ellington and his concert orchestra headline the stage show at the N.Y. Paramount. 'So Big' is on the screen.'
          • Stratemann p.350 citing
            • Variety 1953-10-28,p.55
            • The Billboard 1953-10-31 p.12
          • New York Age, 1953-10-24 p.7
          ..Brooklyn Eagle 1953-10-27djpAdded
          2011 updated
          2012-04-23
          2015-09-17
          1953 10 22
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 23
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 24
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 25
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 26
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 27
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 28
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 29
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 30
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 10 31
          Saturday
          Halloween
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011

          November 1953

          1953 11 01
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 11 02
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 11 03
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Paramount TheatreFour variety shows daily - see 1953 10 21....djpAdded
          2011
          1953 11 04
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 05
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 06
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 07
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 08
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 09
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 10
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 11
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 12
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 13
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 14
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 15
          Sunday
          .Naugatuck, Conn.Ritz BallroomDancePlug, Naugatuck News, Naugatuck, Conn., 1953-11-13 p.6...djpNew
          added
          2015-09-17
          1953 11 16
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 17
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 18
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 19
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 20
          Friday
          1953 11 28Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagementStratemann p.350....Added
          2011
          1953 11 21
          Saturday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 22
          Sunday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 23
          Monday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 24
          Tuesday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 25
          Wednesday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 26
          Thursday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 27
          Friday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 28
          Saturday
          .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club engagement - see 1953 11 20.....Added
          2011
          1953 11 29
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 30
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 11 00 ...Personnel change
          According to Stratemann, Juan Tizol left the band when it returned to New York, returning to the west coast to rejoin Harry James' orchestra. He was replaced by trombonist George Jean, who would stay until early 1954.
          Despite Stratemann and New Desor, Tizol appears to have returned to the band, perhaps temporarily, in early 1954. He is shown in the New York Age ad for the Apollo Theatre job in February and is named as one of the band members in the publicity for the Miami University job in March, 1954.

          Jean did not play the session of 1953 12 21. On that occasion Alfred Cobbs sat in. Dietrich could not say if he played with the band at any other time.
          • New Desor vol.2
          • Stratemann p.350
          • Kurt Dietrich, Duke's 'Bones, Ellington's Great Trombonists, p.215
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-25
          updated
          2016-03-10
          2016-04-03

          December 1953

          1953 12 01
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 12 02
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 12 03
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Capitol Studios
          151 W.46th St.
          Capitol recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Rhythm
          Ellington, Marshall, Black, Grissom and Ralph Collier (conga)
          Titles recorded:
          • Kinda Dukish
          • Montevideo
          • December Blue
          • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
          • It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner IV p.138
          • Nielsen 6, p.140
          • Stratemann p.350
          • Vail II
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist
            2022-02-04
            2023-02-23
            2023-09-28
          New Desor
          DE5333
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22
          2020-05-09
          2021-03-31
          2023-09-29
          1953 12 04
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.Capitol Studios
          Stratemann p.350 and Nielsen 6 show a recording session this date, but it is the same session shown in New Desor DE5334, Timner p.138 and the liner notes for Definitive Records CD spine no. DRCD11361 as being on Dec. 5. If the session was on the 5th, the band's activities on the 4th are undocumented. .....Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22
          2021-03-31
          1953 12 05
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.Capitol Studios
          151 W.46th St.
          Capitol recording session

          (some sources date this session one day earlier- see 1953 12 04 - if that is correct, the band's actities for the 5th are undocumented.)
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Jean, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Black, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • What More Can I Say
          • Rockin' In Rhythm
          • Ultra De Luxe
          • Flying Home
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner IV p.138
          • Nielsen 6, p.140
          • Stratemann p.350
          • Vail II
          • CD booklet notes, "Duke Ellington The Capitol Sessions 1953-1955, Definitive Records DRCD11361
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist
            2022-02-04
            2023-02-23
            2023-09-28
          New Desor
          DE5334
          DEMSTimner corrections 4.Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22
          2020-05-09
          2021-03-31
          2023-09-29
          1953 12 06
          Sunday
          .Hartford, Conn.State Theatre......Added
          2011
          1953 12 07
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 12 08
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 12 09
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 12 10
          Thursday
          1953 12 23New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency along with the Bud Powell Trio. Since Betty Roché was not mentioned in the Variety review, Stratemann suggests she may not have been on the date. She did not sing in the broadcast from the club, but Jimmy Grissom did, so this may be correct. .
          • Stratemann p.351 citing Variety
            • 1953-12-09,p.51
            • 1953-12-16 p.53
          • Ad, New York Amsterdam News, 1953-12-19. p.27
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          1953 12 00.New York, N.Y.BirdlandRecorded broadcast.New Desor
          DE5335
          ...Added
          2011
          1953 12 11
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y..Dumont telecast
          "Life Begins at Eighty"
          .New Desor
          DE5336
          DEMScorrTimner-4/23.Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-09
          1953 12 11
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 12
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 13
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.."Jerry Lester Show".New Desor
          DE5337
          ...Added
          2011
          1953 12 13
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 14
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 15
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.Capitol Studios
          151 W.46th St.
          .Email Lasker-Palmquist
          2022-02-04
          2023-02-23
          2023-09-28
          New Desor
          DE5338
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-09
          2021-03-31
          2023-09-29
          1953 12 15
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 16
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.."Steve Allen Show".New Desor
          DE5339
          ...Added
          2011
          1953 12 16
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 17
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 18
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 19
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 20
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 21
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.Capitol Studios
          151 W.46th St.
          Capitol recording sessionEmail Lasker-Palmquist
          2022-02-04
          2023-02-23
          2023-09-28.
          New Desor
          DE5340
          DEMScorrTimner-4.Added

          updated
          2020-05-09
          2021-03-31
          2023-09-29
          1953 12 21
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 22
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 23
          Wednesday
          New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1953 12 10.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 24
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1953 12 25
          Friday
          Christmas
          1953 12 31Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show with film actors Huntz Hall and Gabe Dell, vocal group The 5 Flamingos, and local singer Patty Ann.Stratemann p.351 citing Chicago Defender 1953-12-26 p.12.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          1953 12 26
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show - see 1953 12 25.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 27
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show - see 1953 12 25.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 28.Chicago, Ill.Universal Studios..New Desor
          DE5341
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-09
          1953 12 28
          Monday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show - see 1953 12 25.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 29.Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
          Corporation studios
          ..New Desor
          DE5342
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2020-05-09
          2024-06-08
          1953 12 29
          Tuesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show - see 1953 12 25.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 30
          Wednesday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show - see 1953 12 25.....Added
          2011
          1953 12 31
          Thursday
          .Chicago, Ill.Regal TheatreVaudeville show - see 1953 12 25.....Added
          2011



          Back to Navigation List

          1954


          Date of event Ending date
          (if different)
          City/
          Other place
          Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
          Desor
          reference
          DEMS
          reference
          Other
          references
          Contact
          person
          Date added
          / updated

          January 1954

          1954 01 01
          Friday
          .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioDuke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Jean, Hamilton, Procope, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Frivolous Banta
          • In The Mood
          New Desor
          DE5401
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-03
          2020-05-09
          1954 01 02
          Saturday
          .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioCapitol recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Jean, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • One O'Clock Jump
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          New Desor
          DE5402
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-03
          2020-05-09
          1954 01 03
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 04
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 05
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 06
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 07
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 08
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 09
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 10
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 11
          Monday
          .Des Moines, IowaHotel Fort Des MoinesDance for the 50th annual convention of the Iowa Retail Clothiers Association.
          • The Sheldon Mail, Sheldon, Iowa 1954-01-06 s.3 p.1
          • Des Moines Sunday Register, Des MOines, Iowa 1954-01-410 p.6-M
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-04-26
          1954 01 12
          Tuesday
          .St. Paul, Minn.Auditorium......Added
          2011
          1954 01 13
          Wednesday
          .Mankato, Minn.TC main gym
          Mankato State Teachers College
          • ELLINGTON TO REPLACE MORGAN
              Duke Ellington will replace Russ Morgan as the ACA attraction for their dance on Wednesday, January 13, 1954.
              Late word from Morgan finds him sick in bed and the Morganmen disbanded for four months.
              John Gruenfelder, who is in charge of arrangements, announces that dancing will be from 8:30 till 12:30 at a site not yet arranged...'
          • JAZZ WILL REIGN AS KING; DUKE ELLINGTON HERE WED.
            by Mary Clare Hogan
              Duke Ellington and his world famous orchestra will appear in TC's main gym on Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 8:30 till 12:30...
              The social affairs committee invites every student and staff member to attend whether stag or in couples. The Ellington band puts on a good floor show in addition to providing good dance music.
              Ellington is the first name band to appear at MSTC since Ross Morgan appeared several years ago...
              The band comes to Mankato straight from a four hour concert at the Minneapolis auditorium...
          • Ellington Thrills College Crowd
              TC students had a real thrill Wednesday night, Jan.13, when they danced to the music of Duke Ellington.
              Although the Duke's individual styling proved very danceable, his floor show attracted as much attention. Students were amazed by the trumpet of "Cat" Anderson, whose playing explained the origin of his nickname. Vocalist Jimmy Grissom wore everyone out with his song and dance routines. Also excellent were the drum and baritone saxophone solos.
              It was a dance long to be remembered by the large numbers that attended. ACA can be proud of their fine efforts to make it such a success.
          • Ellington was interviewed during an intermission by a columnist for the college newspaper.
          The College Reporter, Mankato State Teachers College, Mankato, Minn.:
          • 1953-12-17 p.1
          • 1954-01-07 pp.1,2
          • 1954-01-21 pp.1,4
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-07
          1954 01 13
          Wednesday
          1954 01 23
          Saturday
          Philadelphia, Penn.Locust Theatre Peripheral event
          Scheduled opening night of "Mardi Gras," a Norman Rosten play with background music by Ellington.

          Franceschina reports that in late 1953 Broadway producer Anthony Parella asked Ellington to provide a background score for the play, which was to begin its pre-Broadway run in January. Ellington wrote 7 "cues" for the play for flute, clarinet, cello, trombone and bass and two movements begin in 3-4 time and end in 4-4.

          The Brooklyn Eagle reported the play permanently closed January 23.
          • John Franceschina, Duke Ellington's Music for the Theatre, pp.124-127, with illustrations from the scores.
          • News of the Theater, Brooklyn Eagle 1954-01-26 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-18
          1954 01 14
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 15
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 16
          Saturday
          9 PM to midnight
          .Chicago, Ill.Rainbo
          Clark at Lawrence

          DUKE ELLINGTON
          And His Great Band
          Plus Another Exciting
          Jam Session


          Admission: $1.25 and $2.50 including tax, all seats reserved.
          • Stratemann p.351 citing
            • The Billboard 1954-02-06 p.18
            • Chicago Defender 1954-01-16 p,14
          • The Daily Herald, Chicago, Ill.,
            1954-01-14 p.7
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          2016-03-12
          1954 01 17
          Sunday
          .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioCapitol recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Jean, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Happy Go Lucky Local
          • Rockin' In Rhythm
          • Falling Like A Raindrop
          Lambert says
          • Happy-Go-Lucky Local was brought back into the repertoire because of the success of Jimmy Forrest's Night Train, which is one of its themes with an interlude.
          • 'When the 1954 band set the old engine in motion again it had become even more rickety, and it protests vigorously at the slightly faster ride it is given here. The brakes are more rusty, and Anderson's trumpet shrieks a loud protest as the train draws to a halt. This is fine, rugged blues music, and the band plays with uninhibited verve and obvious enjoyment.'
          • this is the first time since 1931 that Rockin' In Rhythm was recorded for public release, although it had always been performed. He describes the transformation from the 1931 version and the impact on the listener.
          • While Timner notes RIR was a remake, Lambert says:
            'The version... selected for issue ... was a rehearsal run-through, considered more exciting than the final, more carefully played take.
          The two DEMS bulletins to the right have discographer Benny Aasland's complete list of Ellington's Capitol recordings.
          New Desor
          DE5403
          DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-03
          2020-05-09
          1954 01 18
          Monday
          ..activities not documented......
          1954 01 19
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 20
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 21
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 22
          Friday
          .Pittsburgh, Penn.Syria MosqueConcert
          Ellington and his orchestra, plus Louis Armstron, Billie Holiday and Billy Eckstine..
          Stratemann p.351 citing Variety 1953-12-09 p.60....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          1954 01 23
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 24
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 25
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 26
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 27
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.Savoy Ballroom
          Stratemann:

          In a brief return to New York, Ellington and his band were schedueld to particiapte in a week-long 'festival' of broadcast specials and live events held by WLIB, a station catering especially to New York's black population, on the occason of the start of its new transmitter in Astoria, N.Y. A subsequent review of the week's events fails to menton any specific performers for the night in question, the finale, but it is assumed that all scheduled acts were present


          The Ellington band particpated in a three and a quarter hour 'jam session' with the Lionel Hampton orcestra and Ella Fitzgerald.
          Stratemann pp.351-352....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          1954 01 28
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 29
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 30
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 01 31
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......

          February 1954

          Circa
          1954 02 00
          .Toronto, Ont.Personnel change
          Sometime in the last part of January trombonist George Jean, who had been temporarily filling the Tizol chair, left the band.

          John Sanders, trombone, born 1925, joined as a permanent member the first week of February, in Toronto, having subbed for Tizol from February to June/July the previous year.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-25
          updated
          2016-03-30
          2019-01-07
          1954 02 01
          Monday
          1954 02 06Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavern.Stratemann, p.352....Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-11
          1954 02 02
          Tuesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1954 02 01.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 03
          Wednesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1954 02 01.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 04
          Thursday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1954 02 01.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 05
          Friday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1954 02 01.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 06
          Saturday
          .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1954 02 01.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 07
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 02 08
          Monday
          .Hamilton, Ont.The ForumRecorded concert
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Take The "A" Train (theme)
          • The Mooche
          • How High The Moon
          • Serious Serenade
          • Theme For Trambeam
          • Skin Deep
          • Tenderly
          • Perdido
          • Monologue (Pretty And The Wolf)
          • Medley
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          • Satin Doll
          • Stompin' At The Savoy
          • Medley
          • Caravan
          • Bunny Hop Mambo
          • Isle Of Capri
          • The Hawk Talks
          • All The Things You Are
          • Duet
          • Blue Jean Beguine
          • Warm Valley
          • Jam With Sam
          • God Save The Queen

          First medley:
          • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • In A Sentimental Mood
          • Mood Indigo
          • I'm Beginning To See The Light
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Caravan
          • It Don't Mean A Thing
          • Solitude
          • C-Jam Blues
          • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          Second medley:
          • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
          • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          New Desor
          DE5404
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          2020-05-09
          1954 02 09
          Tuesday
          .Warren, Penn.Library Theatre"A Concert in Jazz" 8:30 p.m., sponsored by Warren Junior Chamber of Commerce.

          The Observer reported the band played to a nearly full house.
          The Jaycees did not expect to make money, they hoped enough people would attend to cover the tab.
          • The Observer, Warren, Penn.
            • 1954-01-21 p.10
            • 1954-01-28 p.9
            • 1954-02-11 p.2
          • Programme, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 14, folder 32
          .
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2016-03-07
          updated
          2021-08-04
          1954 02 10
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 02 11
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 02 12
          Friday
          1954 02 18Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville showStratemann p.352 ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-26
          1954 02 13
          Saturday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 12.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 14
          Sunday
          Valentine's Day
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 12.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 15
          Monday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 12.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 16
          Tuesday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 12.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 17
          Wednesday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 12.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 18
          Thursday
          .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
          620 T St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 12.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 19
          Friday
          1954 02 25Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.

          HOLIDAY WEEK BEG. FRI. Feb. 19th
          AMERICA'S MUSICAL MAESTRO
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          all star band and revue
          RAY NANCE - "CAT" ANDERSON - JIMMY GRISSOM
          JUAN TIZOL - HARRY CARNEY
          THE FLAMINGOS     DUSTY FLETCHER
          COLAN FARLEY
          WED.NITE AMATEURS     SAT. MIDNITE SHOW


          • Variety's lukewarm review of one show identified Dave Black on drums, Ray Nance on violin and Jimmie [sic] Grissom. Song titles mentioned: Blue Moon, Without a Song. The interesting part of this review:

            'Evening highspot is work done by comic Dusty Fletcher, who for 22 minutes provokes a steady stream of laughter. The few lines he uses are vintage Noah, but the crowd takes to him readily. Ellington works with him, doing most of the chatter, but Fletcher gets the yocks just by the way he stands listeneing to the Duke.'

            (emphasis added)
          • Apollo's performer card says:

            '2/19/54 $6,727.16 Unchanged pattern. Fine personality.. Good Band. Mediocre draw. Cast: The Flamingos, Dusty Fletcher, Oolan Farley.'

          • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
          • Performer cards 347 and 348
            Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
          • Stratemann p.352 citing ad,
            New York Age,1954-02-20 p.9
          • Variety 1954-02-24 p.63
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-27
          2019-10-20
          2019-11-02
          2023-03-26
          1954 02 20
          Saturday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 19.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 21
          Sunday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 19.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 22
          Monday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 19.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 23
          Tuesday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 19.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 24
          Wednesday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 19.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 25
          Thursday
          .Harlem, Manhattan borough
          New York, N.Y.
          Apollo Theatre
          253 W. 125th St.
          Vaudeville show - see 1954 02 19.....Added
          2011
          1954 02 26
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 02 27
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 02 28
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......

          March 1954

          1954 03 01
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 02
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 03
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 04
          Thursday
          .Madison, Wisc.University Stock Pavilion
          University of Wisconsin

          TICKETS NOW! AT THE UNION BOX OFFICE
          $2, $1.50, $1.25* $1.00*
          *STUDENTS
          The Wisconsin Union Music Committee
          presents
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          AND HIS ORCHESTRA
          with the
          DAVE BRUBECK
          INSTRUMENTAL QUARTET

          March 4 — 7:30 P.M.
          UNIVERSITY PAVILION

          Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc.,
          • 1954-02-28 s.2 p.15
          • 1954-03-04 s.3 p.3
          .DEMS.NeegaardAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-06-27
          2016-03-07
          2016-03-19
          2020-05-09
          1954 03 05
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 06
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 07
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 08
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 09
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 10
          Wednesday
          .New Castle, Ind.New Castle ArmoryPoliceman's Ball 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
          $4.80 per couple including tax, Dress Optional.
          In DEMS 08/3-9 Arne Neegaard reported Dorothy Kilgallen's nationally syndicated column, printed by various newspapers between March 17 and 22:

          "Ellington, the Gourmet, had been travelling all around the world and eaten at the best restaurants but never had tasted a really good ice cream. This prompted M.K. Davis, president of North Star Ice Cream Co., Muncie, Ind., to drive the 15 miles to Newcastle [sic] and present Duke and his men with 5 gallons of fresh pear ice cream."

          The Reference Librarian at New Castle-Henry County Public Library located an ad, publicity and the report in the local newspaper:

          'Duke Ellington Plays Tonight At Policeman's Ball
            Duke Ellington and his orchestra will arrive in New Castle this evening at 8:00 o'clock to play one of the outstanding dance events of the year.
            The dance, a St. Patrick's affair, is being sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police [and] will be held at the New Castle Armory with dancing from 9:00 o'clock until 2:00 o'clock.
            Special guests will be Don Smith of Gary, state president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Mayor and Mrs. Paul McCormack, Mr. and Mrs.Robert S. Hunter Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hayes, and Mr. and Mrs. Herman List.
            The ticket sales has [sic] been excellent and only 100 more tickets are available, since the Police have limited the number to be sold, in order that everyone may see and hear the marvelous music of Duke Ellington.
            St. Patrick's decorations have transformed the armory into a large ballroom and the stage has been arranged for the orchestra. Tables have been set cabaret style around the dance floor.
            Dress is optional. No stags will be admitted to the dance.'

          The ice cream story was reported locally as:

          'Duke Ellington Is Presented With Ice Cream
            The Duke likes icecream [sic] and he carried ten gallons of delicious pair icecream away from New Castle after the Policeman's ball on Wednesday evening.
            A Mr. Davis of the North Star Drivein at Muncie read in Dorothy Kilgallen's column that Duke Ellington has the hobby of tasting different kinds of icecream. Mr. Davis makes a unique pear delicacy and he brought enough for everyone at the dance. It proved extremely popular with the dancers as well as the musician, who made traveling room for ten gallons packed in dry ice.'

          • Dorothy Kilgallen's column,
            • Greensboro Record, 1954-03-17
            • The Daily Reporter, Dover, Ohio, 1954-03-18 p.4
            • many other newspapers
            .
          • The Courier-Times, New Castle, Ind.:
            • 1954-03-06 p.7
            • 1954-03-10 p.4
            • 1954-03-12 p.4
          .DEMS.AN/djp/Email Janet Twigg 2016-03-10,11 (doesn't want to be named)Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-21
          2016-03-10
          2020-05-09
          1954 03 11
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 12
          Friday
          .Indianapolis, Ind.Indiana Roof Ballroom
          140 W. Washington St.
          Butler University Junior Prom
          The Drift:

          'Diddy Keeling and Duke Ellington provided most of the thrills and excitement of the Junior Prom. Diddy was crowned Queen of the Prom by Chairman Stan Voltz, while Bev Brantner, Marge McDowell, Nancy Roberts, Carolyn Aldrich, Joan Leslie, and Peggy Cox formed her court.
            Duke Ellington banged out strictly "listening" music on his piano as well as conducting smooth waltzes and jivey jazz for the pleasure of those who came to dance. The comfortably crowded Indiana Roof proved once more that the Juniors have the know-how to stage a dance successfully.'

          According to a current YouTube publicity video, the ballroom is 8,700 square feet and has a 40-foot high domed ceiling.
          • Captioned photo, The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind., 1954-03-10 p.19
          • The Drift, Butler University 1954 yearbook, p.27, courtesy of J.Lloyd of Information Commons, Academic Technology, Research and Library Assistance, Butler University, 2016-04-27
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-04-27
          1954 03 12
          Friday
          ..Vail II and DEMS 08/3-9 reported Duke attended Louis Armstrong's opening night at Basin Street in New York. Neither named a source and they were mistaken. Ellington and his orchestra played the Butler University junior prom this evening - see the preceding entry.
          • Vail printed an unattributed photograph of Duke with Armstrong on its page for March 1954, but it looks remarkably like the photo printed in Jet magazine when it reported Armstrong's 1961 opening at Basin Street East.
          • Ricky Riccardi, Director of Research Collections, Louis Armstrong House Museum, commented:
            'the two photos are definitely from the same event and I have that as Basin Street East, 1961, so any attribution of that first photo to 1954 is incorrect. (Louis was much heavier in '54 for one thing.) And in addition to the articles you mentioned, we have multiple articles on Louis's March 1954 run at Basin Street and none of them mention Duke being present at the open[ing].
              ...we have an unpublished manuscript Louis wrote about celebrating his 55th birthday at Basin Street on July 4, 1955 and he mentions Ellington being there and joining him on stage for that one'
          • Dorothy Kilgallen's review of Armstrong's opening night mentioned ringsiders Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole but not Ellington.
          • The Pittsburgh Courier ran a photo of Armstrong and two others at a microphone. Its caption named 13 celebrities who were present, but does not mention Ellington.
          • Since the date of the New Castle event was not known until 2016, there was nothing to trigger a question when Vail and the DEMS Bulletin were written.
          • Armstrong researcher Hâkan Forsberg wrote:
            '...I have gathered information on the whereabouts of Louis Armstrong through the years. Carl A. Hällström asked me if I could assist you with information regarding Ellington at Armstrong's opening at Basin Street in 1954. I'm sorry I haven't found anything about such a meeting.
              ...Armstrong opened at Basin Street twice in 1954. He was there March 13 to April 9 and also August 10 to September 5...The two Swedish jazz magazines OJ and Estrad both had reports from Armstrong's engagement at Basin Street. In Estrad Leonard Feather reported from the premiere and here is an excerpt from his article:
              "...Premiere night was a big event for all concerned. For Satchmo it was the first engagement in a New York night club in many years. For the club it was a premiere after many weeks of "lull" during which period the destiny of the club had been more than uncertain. However, with an Armstrong contract in the pocket, owner Ralph Watkins felt certain enough to beat out the walls that had separated the main hall from the smaller club in the back. His optimism proved to be fully justified: at eleven premiere night the combined space was packed with the kind of celebrities that among jazz artists only Louis can attract. Well-known names from radio and television as e.g. Steve Allen, Skitch Henderson and Dave Garroway were there in thousands along with representatives for popular music, classical music, the Broadway scene and Hollywood."
              Feather also mentions Allan Morison from Ebony magazine and disc jockey Al "Jazzbo" Collins as visitors in Louis dressing room after the show.
              So Duke isn't mentioned which he ought to have been if he had been there. But Gene Krupa and Cozy Cole are not mentioned either which is somewhat strange if they sat in for a number or perhaps two?
              OJ also covered the event but I believe their reporter Claes Dahlgren didn't attend the premiere. Anyway, he gives no names in attendance at Basin Street.
              Regarding the photo in Jet ... Louis performed at Basin Street May 22 to June 3, 1961 so Duke and Louis may have met at that club in that period and maybe the Jet photo was taken there and then? Anyway, I believe the picture was taken much later than 1954..."
          It seems fairly certain Duke did not attend this March opening.
          • Photos,
            • Vail II p.68
            • Jet, 1961-06-15 p.58
            • Pittsburgh Courier, 1954-04-03 p.18
          • Dorothy Kilgallen, "On Broadway:"
            • Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, Penn., 1954-03-19 p.4
            • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Daily Magazine, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1954-03-19 p.1
          • Emails, Palmquist-Neegaard and replies, March 2016.
          • Email, Riccardi - Palmquist 2016-04-05
          • Emails, Forsberg - Palmquist , March 2016
          .DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-10
          2016-03-28
          2016-04-18
          2016-04-27
          2020-05-09
          1954 03 13
          Saturday
          .Oxford, OhioWithrow Court
          Miami University
          Military Ball, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., sponsored annually by the Navy and Air Force ROTC units. The theme of the dance was "Four Winds and The Seven Seas. Admission was by uniform only, and women attending the ball would "be given 1:30 late permission."
          Band members named in the March 9 announcement were Carney, Anderson, Nance, Terry, Cook, Tizol, Jacson [sic], Woodman, Jefferson, Procope, Gonsalves, Hailton [sic}, Marshall, Bellson, Grisson [sic] and Roché and Ellington.
          Beverly Vinez and Nancy Anderson, the Navy and Air Force Queens, respectively, were to reign over the Ball and be escorted to the bandstand by an honour guard at the 11 p.m. intermission. Organizers were:
          • General chairman Robert Cottrell, assisted by Barry Erickson.
          • Committee chairmen and their assistants
            • Donald McCarthy, Theodore Hardy, decorations
            • Thomas Pagna, Lawrence Day, band selection
            • John Bentley, Ronald Helman, programs
            • Marquis Witt, Lowell Greenwood, invitations
            • David Williams, Don Bauman, publicity
            • David Welday, Ted Jordan, clean-up
            • William Yates, John Kelley, hospitality
            • Robert Rice, Howard Merriman, finance
            • David Ellis, Theodore Schurman, intermission
            • Arthur Bailey, William Shardelow, bandstand
            • Richard Christman, James Poth, general affairs
            • Carl Boyer, historian
          • Hamilton Journal the Daily News, Hamilton, Ohio, 1954-03-09 p.10
          • The Miami Student, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio:
            • 1954-02-23 p.1
            • 1954-03-02 p.1
            • 1954-03-05 p.1
            • 1954-03-09 p.1
            • 1954-03-12 p.1
          ...CAHdec07, djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-09
          1954 03 14
          Sunday
          .Celina, OhioEdgewater ParkDance 9 to 1. Admission $1.67 plus tax.
          • Ad, Times-Bulletin,Van Wert,Oh., 1954-03-12,p.2
          • Ad, The Delphos Herald,
            • 1954-03-09 p.4
            • 1954-03-12
          .DEMS..Added
          2011
          updated
          2013-10-22
          2016-04-26
          2020-05-09
          1954 03 15
          Monday
          .Detroit, Mich.Graystone Ballroom

          GRAYSTONE BALLROOM, MON., MAR. 15, 8:30 UNTIL 1:00 A.M. * 2 BANDS
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          *CHARLIE (Yardbird) PARKER*

          Adv. Tickets at Grinnell's and the Graystone, Adv., $2.00 Door $2.50

          Ads, Detroit Free Press
          • 1954-03-10 p.18
          • 1954-03-15 p.30
          .
          ...djpNew
          2016-03-24
          1954 03 16
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 17
          Wednesday
          St. Patrick's Day
          .Rochester, N.Y.The Auditorium
          875 Main St. E.
          THE
          AUDITORIUM

          875 Main St. E. Rochester
          IN PERSON

          One
          Performance
          Only
          WED.
          March
          17th
          8:30 P.M.

          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          CONCERT

          DUKE ELLINGTON AND
          HIS NEW WORLD FAMOUS

          ORCHESTRA

          ...featuring Ray Nance, Jimmy Grissom, Cat Anderson, Britt Woodman, Paul Gonsalves and many other great artists.

          All Seats Reserved — One Performance Only. Price (Incl. tax) $1.20, $1.80, $2.50

          TICKETS ON SALE AT
          COLUMBIA MUSIC & APPLIANCE
          77 Clinton Ave. S. Rochester, N.Y.

          MAIL ORDERS; Send check or money
          order and stamped self-addressed en-
          velope to Columbia Music & Appliance

          'Fans Frantic over Blues In Ellington Session

          Some said it was a night for the wearing of the green, but the accent was all on the blues last night at the Auditorium, where piano-playing Duke Ellington and his band whipped up a good number of jazz fans into a state of frenzy.
            It was a young crowd, and a "hep" crowd and Duke delivered what they went to hear in such numbers has "Mood Indigo," "Take the "A" Train," "Sentimental Lady," I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart," of you more of the Ellington fans' favorites. Those he played in his old blues style, and then later on a more modern touch for his new numbers, "VIP Bogey " and "Jam With Sam."
            Dave Black, drummer, fairly tore off the roof with his number,"Skin Deep." As a matter of fact, Duke's sidemen took a good share of the bows, with Jimmy Hamilton on the clarinet; Cat Anderson on the trumpet, Willie Cook on the trumpet and Harry Carney on the baritone sax. There were 13 players in the aggregation.'

          Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
          • 1954-03-07 p.3F
          • 1954-03-17 p.10
          • 1954-03-18 p.18
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2016-04-01
          1954 03 18
          Thursday
          3:45 pm
          7 pm
          and 9:15 pm
          .State College, Penn.State TheaterThree performances,sponsored by the State College JayCees to raise funds for a youth centre, but the venture lost $600, a record that stood at least until 2003.

          The Women's Student Government Association of Pennsylvania State College granted permission to women students to attend the 9:15 performance of Duke Ellington tonight if they return directly to the dormitories and present their ticket stubs to their hostesses...

          Correspondent Bob Roberts recalls attending one of the concerts, and thinks the ticket price was $1.
          • The Daily Collegian, State College, Penn., Thurs, 1954-03-18, p.1
          • "History of the Local Chapter," Newsletter, Jaycees State College Area, Oct.-Dec.2003, p.4
          • Email 2013-10-21, Roberts-Palmquist
          ...Bob Roberts, email 2013-10-21New
          added 2013-10-21
          1954 03 19
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 20
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 21
          Sunday
          ........
          1954 03 22
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 23
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 24
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 25
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 26
          Friday
          .Baton Rouge, La.University Auditorium-Gymnasium
          Southern University
          Concert, 8 p.m., sponsored by The Southern Student Association of Southern University
          Personnel listed in the programme:
          Nance, Grissom, C.Anderson, Woodman, Procope, Marshall, Terry, Henderson, Carney, Gonsalves, Jackson, Hamilton, Cook, Clark.
          Booking agent Associated Booking Corporation.

          Song titles in the programme:
          • National anthem
          • The Mooch (sic)
          • How High the Moon
          • Serious Serenade
          • Sultry Serenade
          • The Tattooed Bride
          • Monologue (Pretty and The Wolf)
          • The Blue Gene (sic) Beguine
          • Take the "A" Train
          • Satin Doll
          • The V.I.P.'s Boggie (sic) and Jam With Sam
          • All the Things
          • Duet (Mareshall-Hamilton)
          • Perdido
          • Skin Deep
          • Jimmy Grissom Sings
          • Ellington at the piano
          The concert programme includes an inaccurate history of Ellington's musical career.
          Programme, SI-NMAH DEC301 Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 11...djpNew
          added
          2016-01-24
          2021-08-04
          1954 03 27
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 28
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 29
          Monday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 30
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 03 31
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......

          April 1954

          circa
          1954 04 00
          .Houston, Texas.Stratemann reports Ellington played two concerts at the City Auditorium, Houston, during a swing through Texas on the way to the west coast. No details are given.
          .
          Stratemann p.352 citing "Var: 14.4.45 p.44."...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-11
          circa
          1954 04 00
          .San Antonio, TexasMunicipal AuditoriumStratemann reports Ellington made an appearance here during a swing through Texas on the way to the west coast. No details are given.
          .
          Stratemann p.352...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-11
          1954 04 01
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 04 02
          Friday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 04 03
          Saturday
          .Galveston, TexasCity auditoriumGalveston News, 1954-03-12:

          'Use of the city auditorium was granted as follows: ... Norman Clark, April 3 for dance and show by Duke Ellington '

          The Beachcomber column:

          'We are going to be on hand at the city auditorium next Saturday night to hear some of the greatest jazz music in the land and to watch a great deal of fancy jitterbugging, B-Bop and swing ... Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play for a dance and a reserved section has been set aside for whites.'

          The Galveston News, Galveston, Texas
          • Contract; Park Bids Taken, 1954-03-12, p.3
          • Christi Mitchell, The Beachcomber, 1954-03-28 p.22
          ...djpNew
          added
          2013-10-22
          updated
          2016-03-11
          1954 04 04
          Sunday
          .Waco, TexasScenic WonderlandGala Dance 9 p.m.
          Presale 2.00  At Door 2,40
          (Reserved Section for White)
          • Waco Tribune-Herald,Waco,Texas
            • 1954-03-28 p.12,s.III
            • 1954-04-04 s.III,p.17
          • Waco News-Tribune,Waco,Texas
            • 1954-03-31 p.11
            • 1954-04-03 p.15
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-07
          1954 04 05
          Monday
          .Dallas, TexasPlantationNightclub appearance
          Specifically named by the reviewer were Duke, Henderson, Woodman, Black, Anderson, Carney.
          Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas:
          • William Taylor, At the Night Spots, 1954-04-04 pt.VII, p.3
          • William Taylor, Night Spots, 1954-04-06 Pt.I, p.18
          .
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-11
          1954 04 06
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 04 07
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented......
          1954 04 08
          Thursday
          .Roswell, N.M...Stratemann p.352....Added
          2011
          1954 04 09
          Friday
          .Ft. Worth, TexasCarswell Air Force Base.Stratemann p.352....Added
          2011
          1954 04 10
          Saturday
          .El Paso, TexasBiggs Air Force Base.Stratemann p.352....Added
          2011
          1954 04 11
          Sunday
          .Phoenix, Ariz.Riverside Park Ballroom
          1975 S. Central
          It isn't clear from the review if this evening appearance was a concert or a dance.The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz.
          • Announcement, 1954-04-09 p.26
          • Review, 1954-04-18 p.6, s.2
          ...djpNew
          Added
          2016-03-12
          1954 04 12
          Monday
          .Long Beach, Cal.Convention Hall,
          Long Beach Municipal Auditorium
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra in concert plus THE ORIOLES, 8:30 p.m.
          Independent Press-Telegram:

          'First Calif. Appearance This Year
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          and His Famous Orchestra in
          Concert Plus THE ORIOLES
          MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM
          Tomorrow, Mon., 8:30 p.m.
          Advance tickets on sale at Humphreys
          130 Pine Ave. ($1.20, $1.80, $2.40) '

          Long Beach Independent:

          'Better than ever, even though late in starting, Duke Ellington and his rhythmic retinue received a royal welcome from the enthused audience in Convention Hall, Long Beach Municipal Auditorium Monday night.'

          • Stratemann p.352
          • Independent Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Cal.
            • 1954-03-28 pp.A-22, A-23
            • 1954-04-04 p.A-23
            • 1954-04-11 p.B-3
          • Long Beach Independent, Long Beach, Cal.
            • 1954-03-28 p.A-23
            • 1954-04-13, p.4
            • 1954-04-12 p.24
          • Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Cal.
            • 1954-04-07 p.B-9
            • 1954-04-09 p.B-7
          • California Eagle, 1954-04-08 p.12
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2012-09-02
          2016-03-15
          1954 04 12
          Monday
          .Long Beach, Cal..

          "27TH ANNIVERSARIES OF ELLINGTON, WELK...
          Veteran maestros Duke Ellington and Lawrence Welk celebrate their 27th anniversaries in the music business Monday (12) at a gathering of musical greats following Ellington's concert at Long Beach Municipal Auditorium. Guests at the fete will include David Rose, Harry James, Spike Jones, Peggy Lee, Kay Starr, Phil Harris, Stan Kenton, Earl (Fatha) Hines, Jack Teagarden, Jess Stacey, Ben Pollack, Red Nichols and Donald O'Connor."

          The caption of a photo of Lawrence Welk with Ellington reads

          'In big time 27 years
            Duke Ellington, who Monday observes his 27th anniversary in big-time show business by presenting a concert in Long Beach, receives a bottle of champagne from Lawrence Welk. The bottle is a tiny one on the pencil. Disk jockeys throughout the Southland will feature Duke Ellington music all Monday. Long Beach concert will be in the auditorium and there still are many tickets available. Welk and other top orchestra leaders are expected to attend.'

          • Stratemann p.352 citing The Billboard 1954-04-17 p.16
          • Long Beach Independent, Long Beach, Cal. 1954-04-11 p.B-2
          • California Eagle, 1954-04-15 p.9
          ...djpNew
          added 2013-10-22
          updated
          2016-03-15
          1954 04 13
          Tuesday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Embassy Auditorium
          Ninth and Grand
          Recorded concert
          Duke Ellington and his orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Smada
          • Black And Tan Fantasy
          • How High The Moon
          • Serious Serenade
          • Theme For Trambeam
          • Skin Deep
          • Mood Indigo
          • Blue Jean Beguine
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Satin Doll
          • Stompin' At The Savoy

          'Gene Norman Presents...

          -IN CONCERT-
          DUKE ELLINGTON
          and His Crew
          Tues., Night April 13, 8:00 P.M.
          -featuring-
          Ray Nance Jimmy Grissom Cat Anderson
          EMBASSY AUDITORIUM, Ninth & Grand
          ADMISSION $2.00 AND $2.50'

          Jet printed a photo of Ellington standing beside a seated Doris Duke, heiress. The photo location appears to be a dressing room or cloakroom, since there is a clothes hanger hanging from an otherwise empty rod behind them. Duke appears to be playing a violin for her.

          The California Eagle says the concert was a Gene Norman presentation.
          • The California Eagle, 1954-04-08 pp. 9, 12
          • Jet, 1954-08-12 p.17
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
          • Timner
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , pp.142-143
          New Desor
          DE5405
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-11
          2016-04-03
          2019-10-18
          2020-05-09
          1954 04 14
          Wednesday
          1954 04 26
          Monday
          San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club engagement
          • Stratemann dates the engagement as April 13 to 27, citing Variety.
          • Vail has it from April 14 to 27
          • The Oakland Tribune ads before the opening say April 14 and Wednesday.
          • The Oakland Tribune ad in the Saturday, April 24 edition says "HURRY! CLOSES MONDAY NIGHT!"
          • Stratemann p.352 citing Variety 1954-03-17, p.46
          • Vail II
          • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
            • 1954-04-03 p.6
            • 1954-04-10 p.8
            • 1954-04-14 p.39
            • 1954-04-17 p.9
            • 1954-04-24 p.8
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-15
          1954 04 14
          Wednesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 15
          Thursday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 16
          Friday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 17
          Saturday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 18
          Sunday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 19
          Monday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 20
          Tuesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 21
          Wednesday
          .Berkeley, Cal.Wheeler Hall
          University of California
          Ellington and U.C. student and local band leader Charlie Stern were to emcee a 4 p.m. benefit concert by the Dave Brubeck Jazz Quartet and a college group led by Cal Tjader. The concert was to raise money for the World University Student Fund.Oakland Tribune, 1954-04-20 p.32 E...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-15
          1954 04 21
          Wednesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat Club
          90 Market St.
          Night club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 22
          Thursday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 23
          Friday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 24
          Saturday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 25
          Sunday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14.....Added
          2011
          1954 04 26
          Monday
          .San Francisco, Cal..Capitol recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black, Ralph Collier, congas, Gerald Wilson, trumpet.
          Titles recorded:
          • All Day Long
          • Bunny Hop Mambo
          • Isle of Capri
          • C-Jam Blues
          • Band Call

          • Lambert says Bunny Hop Mambo and Isle of Capri were attempts at juke box hits.
          • The English Capitol label, bearing the name The Decca Record Co. Ltd. has upside down matrix numbers.
          New Desor
          DE5406
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-03
          2019-08-04
          2020-05-09
          1954 04 26
          Monday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 04 14 - last night.Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal., 1954-04-24 p.8....Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-15
          1954 04 27
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          .....Added
          2011
          1954 04 28
          Wednesday
          .Albany, Ore.Elk's ClubDance, 9 to 1, in the lodge and banquet room on the second floor of the new Elks temple.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Captioned photo, Albany Democrat-Herald, Albany, Ore. 1954-04-21 p.6
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-12
          1954 04 29
          Thursday
          Ellington's 55th birthday
          .Portland, Ore.McElroy's BallroomClub date
          This is the second of two recorded dance dates issued on the Laserlight 5 CD box set Happy Birthday! Duke, although not all of the music recorded is included in that box.
          THE DUKE OF ELLINGTON AND HIS 17-PC. ORCHESTRA
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black, Grissom (Note this is only 16 men; the ad said 17).
          Titles recorded:
          • Smada
          • Cobb's Tune
          • Coffee And Kisses
          • Easy To Love
          • Johnny Come Lately
          • Maybe I Should Change My Ways
          • Primping At The Prom
          • Stomp, Look And Listen
          • Cocktails For Two
          • Liza
          • Band Call
          • Stompin' At The Savoy
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Satin Doll
          • All The Things You Are
          • Blue Jean Beguine
          • Tulip Or Turnip
          • Honeysuckle Rose
          • Theme For Trambeam
          • Mood Indigo
          • Without A Song
          • Nothin', Nothin', Baby
          • Solitude
          • Blue Moon
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          • Caravan
          • Bunny Hop Mambo
          • Isle Of Capri
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Skin Deep
          • Moon Mist
          • C-Jam Blues
          • Medley: I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart, Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • Flamingo
          • Medley: I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good, I'm Just A Lucky So And So
          • Ballin The Blues
          • Satin Doll
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • Ads, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
            • 1954-04-21 p.18
            • 1954-04-25 pp.12,13
            • 1954-04-27 p.10
            • 1954-04-28 p.17
            • 1954-04-29 pp.12, 13
        • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
          Ellingtonia.com
        • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
        • Timner
        • Ole J. Nielsen
          Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
          Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
          , pp. 143-144
        • New Desor
          DE5407
          DEMScorrTimner-4/24+31djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-11
          2016-04-03
          2019-10-18
          2020-05-09
          1954 04 30
          Friday
          .Victoria, B.C.Memorial ArenaConcert and dance, 8:30 p.m.
          Tickets $1.50
          Proceeds to Cosmopolitan Club Charities
          Denny Boyd, Victoria Daily Times:
          • March 9:

            'Twenty-year-old Harland Wittick is a young man [Palmquist's note: Boyd was only 24 when he wrote this] who is not afraid to take a chance.
              Wittick, probably the most ardent Duke Ellington fan in the city, is endeavoring to bring his idol to Victoria for a one-night concert and dance at Memorial Arena, April 30.
              Vice-president of the thriving New Victoria Jazz Society, Wittick is stepping in where others have burnt their feet.
              During the last few years, other promoters have brought big name bands to Victoria and their efforts were marked by a singular lack of financial success.
              However, Wittick, fully realizing the risk involved...says:
              "The Duke is very close to my heart. He has quoted me an extremely fair figure for a dance and concert by his 18-piece band and I think the venture can be put over. If it turns out to be successful, it may pave the way for other bands and big-name performers to come here every month or so. I think the interest is here. Previous bookings were unsuccessful because the guarantees to the bands were so high."
            FOUR-HOUR SHOW
              The show will be held on a Friday night from 9 till 1, and will be divided between a sit-down concert of Ellington's more progressive numbers and a dance in Ellington's inimitable style. A local group will play during the intermission.
              Wittick, who owns over 600 Ellington records, first got the idea of bringing the great band here several months ago when he noted the increased popularity of local jazz sessions, promoted by the NVJS. He contacted Ellington's booking agent in New York and came to terms.
              Ellington's 18-piece band features five trumpets, four trombones, five reeds, three rhythms and vocalist Jimmy Grissom.
              Old-time Ellington fans will be pleased to note that several of the band's original members are still with the outfit and will appear here. They are baritone saxist Harry Carney, trumpet players Cat Anderson and Ray Nance and trombonist-arranger Juan Tizol, who wrote such outstanding jazz classics, and Caravan and Perdido...'

          • April 30:

            'The Great Man arrived today.
              Duke Ellington, whose name heads the list of modern music greats, brought his new and glittering 18-piece band into Victoria for a one-night concert and dance at Memorial Arena tonight, starting at 8:30. ...
              Immaculate in his appearance as in his music, Ellington expressed great pleasure in being back in Victoria as he stepped off the boat today. He brought his war-time band to Bay Street Armouries in 1947 and fans have hungered since that time for another helping of the tasty musical meals served by his well-trained orchestra.
              Early ticket sales indicate a heavy tutnout for tonight's presentation, which will be evenly divided between a concert of Ellington's more futuristic compositions and a dance featuring his inimitable stylings.
              Gordon King's Victoria All-Star orchestra will play at intermission.'

          • Victoria Daily Times, Victoria, B.C.
            • 1954-03-09 p.10
            • 1954-04-24 p.7
            • 1954-04-28 p.29
            • 1954-04-30 pp.12, 19, 27
          • The Nanaimo Daily Free Press, Nanaimo, B.C.
            1954-04-28 p.2
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2015-12-31
          2019-10-18

          May 1954

          1954 05 01
          Saturday
          .Seattle, Wash. Trianon BallroomRecorded dance, 9 to 1.
          • Stratemann has the band either here or, with a question mark, at the Jantzen Beach Ballroom in Portland. This is apparently because the Nielsen discography has a playlist of the first 14 titles shown here as being at the Olympia Theatre on May 2, and the remaining titles at Jantzen Beach on May 1.
          • Vail shows Trianon.
          • The Seattle Times advertises Ellington and his orchestra at the Trianon on Saturday.

          Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra featuring Jimmy Grissom
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton,Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black, Grissom
          Titles recorded:
          • Smada
          • Cobb's Tune
          • Coffee And Kisses
          • My Own
          • Johnny Come Lately
          • Upper Manhattan Medical Group
          • In The Mood
          • Ultra De Luxe
          • All The Things You Are
          • Theme For Trambeam
          • Satin Doll
          • Serious Serenade
          • Honeysuckle Rose
          • Blue Jean Beguine
          • Take The "A" Train
          • One O'Clock Jump
          • Mood Indigo
          • Stompin' At The Savoy
          • Stardust
          • Jump For Joy
          • Without A Song
          • Give Me The Right
          • Nothin', Nothin', Baby
          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
          • Love You Madly
          • Solitude
          • Blue Moon
          • Skin Deep
          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
          • Caravan
          • Bunny Hop Mambo
          • Isle Of Capri
          • Is It A Sin
          • What More Can I Say?
          • Jack The Bear
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Perdido
          • The Mooche
          • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
          • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
          • Satin Doll
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
            • 1954-04-29 p.53
            • 1954-04-30 p.22
            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
              Ellingtonia.com
            • Timner V. p.155
            • Ole J. Nielsen
              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
              , p.144
          New Desor
          DE5408
          .corrTimner-4/24djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-11
          1954 05 02
          Sunday
          .Possibly:
          Seattle
          or
          Olympia, Wash.
          Possibly:
          Olympia Theatre
          or
          Evergreen Ballroom.
          • Stratemann shows Olympia Theatre, Seattle, Wash. (or Evergreen Ballroom, Olympia, Wash.?)
          • Vail II shows a recorded dance at the Evergreen in Olympia, without naming a source. Vail lists the titles found in Nielsen for this date; those are the first 14 titles shown in New Desor for the previous day.
          • As noted above, the Nielsen discography shows 14 titles recorded at the Olympia Theatre, Seattle, which are the same as the beginning of the May 1 list in New Desor.
          Webmaster comment:
          I am unable to find any trace of this engagement in three newspaper archives. It may be that Stratemann's and Vail's entries originate with an entry in the Nielsen discography. More research is required to confirm this gig.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.144
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-11
          2016-04-04
          1954 05 03
          Monday
          .Vancouver, B.C..Vancouver Sun night life columnist Jack Wasserman, March 26 1954 wrote:

          'Duke Ellington finally found a gambler to book him into Vancouver. Date is May 3.'

          On March 27, The Vancover Province ran a captioned photo of Ellington saying he and his band would play May 3 at Exhibition Gardens.

          This did not happen.:

          In his May 5 column, Wasserman wrote:

          '...Despite all reports to the contrary Duke Ellington was never officially booked into Vancouver for Monday's "cancelled" date. Union rules say only one outside band can play a dance within a 30-day period. The Duke could have played a concert if anyone had put up the loot. Incidentally, the rule was originally thought up by the dance hall operators' association, which claimed that "name" band dances were tuning local business...'

          • Jack Wasserman, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
            • 1954-03-26
            • 1954-05-05 p.5
          ...djpNew
          added 2014-07-12
          updated
          2015-12-31
          2016-03-06
          2019-10-14
          2019-10-18
          1954 05 03
          Monday
          .Morton, Wash..

          'Ellington Out
          MORTON–A scheduled May 3 appearance here of Duke Ellington and his orchestra has been canceled due to financial differences between the jazz man's booking agent and the Cootie Tent of the Morton VFW, a VFW spokesman said Wednesday.'

          The Daily Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.
          • Announcement 1954-04-22 p.3
          • Cancellation 1954-04-30 p.11
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-07
          2016-03-12
          1954 05 03
          Monday
          .Pullman, Wash.Bohler Gymnasium
          Washington State College
          Concert, 8 to 10 p.m., sponsored by the Junior Class. Tickets 75 cents. The first announcement said it would be a 17-piece band, and specifically named Black, Grissom, Anderson, Nance, Carney and Ellington.
          • The band was expected to arrive around noon by bus from Olympia and would stay in CUB [Compton Union Building].
          • Ellington was to be a dinner guest at Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.
          • Alpha Tau Omega was in charge of publicity and entertainment for Ellington and his group
          • Pi Beta Phi was handling tickets and programs. Janet McNair was chairman of ticket sales and Barbara Berry was chairman of program arrangements.
          • Ellington was interviewed in his hotel room by Tom Heuterman, who commented that his room had a good view of Roger's field, so Duke had a vantage point for a football game, and quoted Duke as saying the trip over the Cascade mountains was beautiful, although he guessed he missed the "dryer" portions of the state.
          • A copy of the program is held by the Smithsonian Institution.
          • Another copy of the programme was offered for sale on eBay in April 2020. Ellington autographed it on the back, with a pen that ran out of ink in the middle of his signature. The program shows the setlist to be:
            • NATIONAL ANTHEM
            • THE MOOCH
            • HOW HIGH THE MOON
            • SATIN DOLL
            • TATTOOED BRIDE
            • FRUSTRATION
            • SULTRY SERENADE
            • DUET
            • BLUE JEAN BEGUINE
            • TAKE THE A TRAIN
            • MONOLOGUE (Pretty and the Wolfe [sic])
            • V.I.T. [sic] BOOGIE AND JAM WITH SAM
            • Intermission
            • HAPPY GO LUCKY LOCAL
            • PERDIDO
            • SKIN DEEP
          • Vail II
          • WSC Daily Evergreen, Washington State College,Pullman,Wash.:
            • 1954-04-28 p.1
            • 1954-04-29
            • 1954-04-30, p.1
            • 1954-05-04 p.1
          • Chinook 1954, Washington State College yearbook, pp.130,211
          • Program, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Box 11, Folder 12, identified by C. Windheuser, Smithsonian Reference Services volunteer Feb/Mar 2016
          • Autographed program, eBay, courtesy Ian Bradley.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-07
          2020-04-04
          2021-08-04
          1954 05 04
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 05
          Wednesday
          .Spokane, Wash...
        • Stratemann p.352
        • Vail II
        • ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-11
          1954 05 06
          Thursday
          8 pm
          .Helena, Mont.Helena Civic CenterCarroll College spring formal
          • "Students and alumni will enjoy dancing from 8pm to midnight. Dancers have been limited to students and alumni, but the general public is invited to hear a concert from 9 to 10 o'clock. Balcony seats will be available for anyone who wants to hear the 'Duke.'"
          • Miss Joan Panyon was crowned campus queen immediately after the special concert.
          • Announcement, The Prospect, Carroll College, March 1954 p.3
          • Announcement, Montana Standard, Butte, Mont., 1954-05-02 p.34
          • Advance publicity, The Independent Record, Helena, Mont.
            • 1954-04-30
            • 1954-05-02 p.3
            • 1954-05-04
            • 1954-05-05
            • 1954-05-06
          • Campus Queen announcements,
            • Montana Standard, Butte, Mont. 1954-05-07
            • The Independent Record, 1954-05-09
          • The Prospector, Carroll College
            • 1956-03-23
            • 1956-04-00. p.3
          ...djpNew
          added
          2012-10-30
          updated
          2016-03-11
          1954 05 07
          Friday
          .Lovell, Wy.LDS Stake House.DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous ORCHESTRA

          Concert, 8:30 p.m. and Dance 10:00 p.m.
          Tickets - reserve seats $2.50, general admission $2.00

          The concert was discovered by Brian Koller in a Twitter posted by David Taggart, who wrote:

          'My Grandpa got Duke Ellington and his band to come to Lovell, Wyoming for a concert to raise money to build a new chapel.

          Concert poster
          courtesy Brian Koller, Duke-LYM 2021-08-04
          ...Brian KollerNeww
          added
          2021-08-04
          1954 05 08
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 09
          Sunday
          .Dickinson, N.D..(Unconfirmed)

          Two Oil Jubilee concerts

          'Performances at Dickinson by the famous Duke Ellington band at 4 and 7:30 pm Sunday will wind up the two day celebration.'


          Part of two days of festivities celebrating the opening of the new Queen City Oil Refinery.

          The announcement on Saturday was brief, and while the Tribune covered the festivities in its May 10 edition, there was no mention of Ellington.
          The Bismark Tribune, 1954 05 08 pp.1, 3, 6...djpNew
          added 2012-10-30
          2016-03-12
          1954 05 10
          Monday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 11
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 12
          Wednesday
          1954 05 13Chanute Air Force Base, Ill..
          • Decatur Sunday Herald and Review:

            'USO Visits Chanute
              Decatur Girls Service Organization hostesses will attend a dance Wednesday at the Chanute Air Force Base. Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play for this dance...'

          • Daily Illini March 11:

            'Ellington is also scheduled to play at Chanute Air Force Base May 12 and 13...'

          • Daily Illini May 13:

            'Ellington is currently playing at Chanute Air Base.'

          • Decatur Sunday Herald and Review 1954-05-09 p.16
          • The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.,
            • 1954-03-11 p.5
            • 1954-05-13 p.2
          .
          ...djpNew
          added
          2015-07-05
          updated
          2016-03-12
          2019-10-19
          1954 05 13
          Thursday
          .Champaign, Ill..An ad in The Decatur Review, May 19 for a television show called Foote Notes With Dick says:

          'Our Thanks to Duke Ellington and the Vocalettes Who Were Guest Stars Last Thursday.'

          • Foote Notes With Dick featured t.v. and radio personality Bruce Foote and pianist/orchestra leader Dick Cisne. The show aired on WCIA, Channel 3, Champaign on Thursdays from 7 to 7:30 p.m.
          • Chanute AFB was about 15 miles north of Champaign and Decatur is 50 miles east-southeast of Champaign.
          The Decatur Review, Decatur, Ill.
          1954-05-19 p.4
          ...New
          added
          2019-10-18
          1954 05 13
          Thursday
          .Chanute Air Force Base, Ill..see 1954 05 12
          ....djpNew
          added
          2015-07-05
          2019-10-19
          1954 05 13
          Thursday
          ...Peripheral event:
          Jet Magazine reported Ellington, fearing air travel, refused to accept fall bookings in Europe because they included flights between one-night stands. Jet attributed the information to London booking agent Harold Davison. Similar stories were printed in various contemporary newspapers.
          Jet Magazine, May 13, 1954, page 57...djpAdded
          2011-12-20
          2016-03-12
          1954 05 14
          Friday
          .Urbana-Champaign, Ill.Huff GymnasiumSenior Ball, open to all students, faculty and staff, price $3. Originally planned to be held at the Womens' Gym Tennis Courts, the dance was moved indoors due to weather.

          Dave Buswell reviewed the performance in the Illini:

          '...Crowds of students were constantly pushing against the bandstand seeking Ellington's autograph...
            The first of Ellington's two dance sets consisted of standard dance numbers played in a suprisingly conservative manner. "Stardust" and "Stomping at the Savoy" were among the favorites.
            The second set, titled "Notation Second to the Dance," took on the concert-type manner for which Ellington is so famous. Dancing was at a minimum and concentrated listening was evident among the audience. Ellington brought out some old favorites such as "Jam with Sam," an extended play version of his theme "Take the "A" Train" and a high powered number taken from a recent album titled "Skin Deep" featuring Dave Black on the drums.
            Ellington expressed his admiration for college audiences. "College students are intelligent and sensitive," Ellington said.'

          .
          The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.,
          • announcement 1954-03-11 p.5
          • announcement and ads 1954-04-27 pp.1,2,5
          • lengthy announcement 1954-05-13 p.2
          • report with photo 1954-05-15 p.1
          ...djpNew
          added
          2015-07-05
          1954 05 15
          Saturday
          .Effingham, Ill.Parish hall
          St. Anthony Catholic Church
          Centennial Ball or Coronation Ball
          Press announcements regarding Effingham's 3 day centennial celebration showed there were two dances held at 9 p.m., with Ellington's band playing one and Wayne King and His Orchestra performing the other one.
          • Souvenir program for Effingham Centennial, sold on eBay in 2008
          • Rockford Register-Republic,Rockford,Ill., 1954-05-05 p.4A
          • Announcement & ad, Register-News, Mount Vernon, Ill. 1954-05-06
          • The Daily Journal Gazette and Commercial Star, Mattoon, Ill., 1954-05-07 ,p.16
          • Ad, Register-News, Mount Vernon, Ill. 1954-05-11
          • Announcement, Edwardsville Intelligencer, 1954-05-11
          • The Terre Haute Tribune, Terra Haute, Ind. 1954-05-07 p.23
          • Report, Illinois State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill., 1954-05-16 p.8
          • Decatur Sunday Herald and Review, Decatur, Ill.
            • 1954-05-09 p.20
            • 1954-05-16 p.10
          ...djpNew
          added 2012-11-01
          Updated
          2016-03-12
          2016-04-27
          2016-04-27
          1954 05 16
          Sunday
          .Cincinnati, OhioTaft Theatre
          5th and Sycamore
          Vaudeville

          'Duke Ellington brings his band and entertainment unit of 50 to the Taft tomorrow night for three shows at 4, 7 and 9:30 p.m.'

          'All Records Will Be Broken!
          THE GREAT DUKE ELLINGTON
          his internationally famous orchestra and BROADWAY SHOW
          50 - ARTISTS - 50
          Special Added: THE ORIOLES and Hampton Sisters
          TAFT THEATRE ONE DAY ONLY SUN., MAY 16
          3 - SHOWS -3
          4 - 7 - 9:30
          All tickets for the 4 o'clock matinee are $1.25
          All tickets for the 7 and 9:30 shows are $1.50'

          Later ads showed Monton Moreland of Charlie Chan Pictures and Bud Harris of the Beulah Show also were to perform. The last ad mentions features, presumably film showings, at 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
            • 1954-05-08 p.5
            • 1954-05-09 s.3 p.7
            • 1954-05-12 p.14
            • 1954-05-11 p.22
            • 1954-05-15 p.5
            • 1954-05-16 s.3 p.16
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-12
          1954 05 17
          Monday
          .Bloomington, Ill.Scottish Rite [sic] Temple"Closed concert" for State Farm Insurance Companies, associates and guests.
          • Organizers expected people employed at State Farm would easily fill the 1,400 seat house.
          • The lengthy review was accompanied by photos of happy patrons and it singled out Nance, Anderson and Black, who soloed for 15 minutes using 2 bass drums, playing three rhythms at one time. Anderson did Summertime, Nance did Basin Street Blues.
          • Other sidemen named: Grissom, Hamilton, Cook, Gonsalves (who spent most of the evening leaning on his tenor sax between cues).
          • [Ellington's] advice to musical teenagers "who swamped him backstage" was "Play what you feel. Be sincere with your emotions."
          • The band arrived late from Cincinnati, thinking Bloomington was on standard time. The rugged schedule carried them back to Columbus, Ohio, where they next play.
          • 'It took until midnight to get the "show on the road." It's almost a sure bet that the State Farm Employee's Activities group, sponsors for the evening, will bring Ellington and his jazz giants back next year.'
            The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.:
            • Announcements,
              • 1954-04-18 p.18
              • 1954-04-26 p.10
            • Review, 1954-05-18 p.7
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-12
          1954 05 18
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 19
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 20
          Thursday
          .Delaware, OhioGray Chapel
          Ohio Wesleyan University
          Journal-Tribune:

          'Ellington At Delaware
            DELAWARE . . Duke Ellington, the old pro of the musical world, will bring his world-famous orchestra to the Ohio Wesleyan University campus next Friday for a concert in Gray Chapel. The concert, which beings at 8:15 p.m., is being sponsored by the campus student radio station, WSLN. Proceeds will go to charity.'

          The Journal-Tribune had the date wrong. The three Ohio Wesleyan Transcript editions indicate the concert was Thursday, May 20

          Tickets for the 2-hour concert were $1.25.
          • Ohio Wesleyan Transcript, Delaware, Ohio
            • 1954-04-14 p.1
            • 1954-05-12 p.1
            • 1954-05-19 p.1
            • The Journal-Tribune, Marysville, Ohio, 1954-05-18 p.2
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-12
          1954 05 21
          Friday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 22
          Saturday
          .Port Stanley, Ont.Stork Club.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          ....Added
          2011
          1954 05 23
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 24
          Monday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 25
          Tuesday
          .Toronto, Ont.Eaton Auditorium.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          ....Added
          2011
          1954 05 26
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 27
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 05 28
          Friday
          .Sherbrooke, P.Q.Sherbrooke Arena.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • Some documentation is likely to be found in the Smithsonian's Ellington collection, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 19 Quebec, Canada, 1954
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2015-12-31
          1954 05 29
          Saturday
          .Montréal, P.Q.Show Mart.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Some documentation is likely to be found in the Smithsonian's Ellington collection, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 19 Quebec, Canada, 1954
          ....Added
          2011
          updated
          2015-12-31
          1954 05 30
          Sunday
          .Taunton, Mass.Roseland Ballroom

          'ROSELAND - TAUNTON
          SUN., MAY 20 2 GREAT BANDS
          Direct from his Montreal Engagement
          The Great DUKE ELLINGTON
          in a sensational battle of music with
          RUSS MORGAN
          AND HIS "MUSIC IN THE MORGAN MANNER"
          Concert 11 to 12 - Dancing 12 to 4 A.M. '


          'On Monday,Russ Morgan keeps a date at Salem Willows, then joins with Duke Ellington at Taunton's Roseland for a holiday battle of music on the 30th. Either band is a stand-out. Together they make a MUST.'

          • Ad, Boston Evening American, 1954-05-29 p.14
          • Eddie Rugg, Let's Go Dancing, Boston Evening American, 1954-05-21 p.37
          • Eddie Rugg, Let's Go Dancing, Boston Daily Record, 1954-05-29 p.14
          ....New
          added
          2016-03-13.
          1954 05 31
          Monday
          ...activities not documented
          ......

          June 1954

          1954 06 01
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 02
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 03
          Thursday
          1954 06 04
          Friday.
          Lexington, Va.Washington and Lee University
          1. Front campus
          2. Doremus Gymnasium
          3. Footbridge
          1. Ellington and his orchestra played a concert outdoors in front of the colonnade from 6:30- 8:15 p.m., facing Washington Hall in front of Lee Chapel, with spectators sitting on the lawn in "conventional dress."
          2. After the seniors attended a reception, Ellington and his orchestra played a ball for the seniors in Doremus Gymnasium from 11:30 p.m. to 4 a.m.
            Formal dress was required until 1:30 a.m., after which men were encouraged to change into conventional attire (suits) for the last part of the dance.
          3. After the dance ended at 4 a.m., Ellington and his sidemen led a procession to the footbridge and played a concert.

          Brian Shanley, who led a Dixieland band on campus, wrote:

          '...I believe we heard the greatest orchestra in the country in the person of Duke Ellington. From the first note of "The Mooche" in front of Lee Chapel, to the last strains of "Mood Indigo" on the footbridge the Ellington orchestra represented the greatest combination of musical talent and arrangement that I've ever seen. That band proves beyond the shadow of a doubt to me what I have been saying for years -that a band can play modern and still swing.
            Go back in your mind, if you will, to the evening of June 3. I remember sitting on the lawn in front of Lee Chapel waiting for the band to make its initial appearance of the evening? And remember what you saw when they set up and were ready to start the first number? ...it was a group of top drawer musicians, happy and enjoying their work. Sure they had just gotten off the bus which brought them nonstop from New York, but that did not prevent them from appearing on the bandstand in freshly pressed dinner jackets looking wide awake and ready to go to work.
            They were professional musicians who had a job to do. True there were the old timers such as Russel [sic] Procope who handled the clarinet parts, Quentin Jackson and that wonderful trombone of his. Harry Carney grounding the sax section with his A-1 baritone, Ray Nance and his "Blue Moon" violin, and "The Duke"; but there were just as many younger men such as Paul Gonzales [sic]-tenor and that drummer Dave Black. All knew HOW to be musicians.
            Contrast this with the men in the so-called "big name" bands ... Very punchy gents with wardrobes containing so many wrinkles they looked like a new bebop weave.
            Getting back to Mr. Ellington, I think everyone will agree that this concert was the most exciting W&L has seen since Benny Goodman appeared on the campus... in 1939. The Duke's dance music was interesting for listening but unlike many dance bands of today, you could dance to it....'

          • Daily News-Record, Harrisonburg, Virginia, 1954-06-04 p.2
          • The Ring-tum Phi, Washington and Lee Semi-Weekly Newspaper, Lexington, Va.:
            • 1954-05-07 p.1
            • 1954-05-11 p.1
            • 1954-05-18 p.1
            • 1954-06-02 pp.1,4
            • 1954-09-21 p.2 (Shanley review)
          ...djpAdded
          2016-03-14
          1954 06 04
          Friday
          ...Activities after the 4 a.m. concert noted above are not documented.....djpAdded
          2016-03-14
          1954 06 05
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 06
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 07
          Monday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 08
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 09
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 06 10
          Thursday
          1954 06 23
          Wednesday
          New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency
          The Terry Gibbs quartet complemented the bill.
          .Stratemann p.352 citing Variety 1954-06-16 p.53...Added
          2011
          updated
          2015-07-07
          1954 06 00.New York, N.Y.BirdlandAt some time during the Birdland week, Armed Forces Radio Service recorded an undated Ellington remote broadcast:

          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Take The "A" Train (theme)
          • Three Little Words
          • Stompin' At The Savoy
          • Stardust
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          These recordings were released on U.S. Treasury Department's "All Star Parade of Bands #25.
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.145
          New Desor
          DE5409
          ...Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-29
          1954 06 00
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandWhile at Birdland, Ellington met with an unidentified reporter from Down Beat. The magazine ran a story saying Ellington was working on plans for a pro- [illegible...] history of the Negro. The article quotes Ellington as saying, during his recent stay at Birdland,

          'The musical foundation will be Black, Brown and Beige. I've added, however, a chorus and dancers. The sound part of the work will be done in oratorio fashion wiht the troupe of dancers pantomiming and dancing the developement of the music...

            I originally thought I would do it this fall, but since I'm doing the tour with Dave Brubeck and Gerry Mulligan, it'll have to be after that, and possibly that's when I'll be able to undertake it – right after the tour.

            Actually, I am such an optimist, I keep my fingers going in so many things – call me Tentacles, for short.'


          Down Beat, 1954-07-28...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-29
          1954 06 11
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 12
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 13
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 14
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 15
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10
          Remote 10-minute local WNBT (NBC) telecast on the "Steve Allen Show"

          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Marshall, Black

          Titles recorded:
          • Take the "A" Train (theme)
          • Blue Moon
          • C-Jam Blues
          • Isle Of Capri
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.145
          New Desor
          DE5410
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-04
          1954 06 16
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 17
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.Capitol Studios
          151 W.46th St.
          Capitol recording session
          Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Gonna Tan Your Hide
          • It Don't Mean A Thing
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
          • Timner
          • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol.3 1947-59
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.145
          • Email Lasker-Palmquist
            2022-02-04
            2023-02-23
            2023-09-28
          New Desor
          DE5411
          DEMS.djpAdded
          2011

          updated 2014-07-12
          2016-04-04
          2020-05-09
          2023-09-29
          1954 06 17
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 17
          Thursday
          .New York, N.Y.James home
          Riverside Drive
          This may have been the night Ellington and Strayhorn entertained guests at Ruth (Ellington) James' birthday party. The N.Y.Age Defender reported:

          'Winding up a party celebrating sister, Ruth's birthday, Thursday night, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn entertained the remaining guests with the musical numbers that have made them famous from coast to coast and all over the world.
            Enthralled by the proceedings in the James' (Ruth and Danny) duplex on Riverside dr. were Alta Douglas, Spinky and Myra Alston, Florence and Diggy Dixon, Marie and Ted Poston, Caroline Carruthers, the Ralph Ellisons (the author), Benjamin Carruthers and Judge and Mrs. Hubert Delany.'


          The date is not clear. Ruth's birthday was July 2, a Friday, when Ellington was in Saskatoon. Thursday, July 1, Ellington was in Calgary and Edmonton. Thursday June 24 was the night after Ellington closed at Birdland but it was the day before the Minneapolis concert, so if they travelled by train or car, Ellington and Strayhorn would have had to be en route already, since Minneapolis was 1,200 miles away.
          N.Y. Age Defender, New York, N.Y.
          1954-07-10 p.14.
          ...djpNew
          added
          2019-10-21
          1954 06 18
          Friday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 19
          Saturday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 20
          Sunday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 21
          Monday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 22
          Tuesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 23
          Wednesday
          .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1954 06 10.....Added
          2011
          1954 06 24
          Thursday
          ...Sidemen's activities not documented

          Stratemann has the band on a week of one-nighters in the midwest. If they travelled by road or train, they would have been en route this day.
          N.Y. Age Defender, New York, N.Y. 1954-07-10 p.14...djpNew
          added
          2019-10-21.
          1954 06 25
          Friday
          .Minneapolis, Minn.Lyceum TheaterConcert
          • The Billboard announced the M.C. was to be Steve Cannon of WMIN St. Paul, Minn.
          The Billboard, 1954-06-26 p.34...djpNew
          added
          2019-10-20
          1954 06 26
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented
          Stratemann says the band was on a week of one-nighters in the midwest
          ......
          1954 06 27
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented

          Stratemann says the band was on a week of one-nighters in the midwest
          ......
          1954 06 00.Mentor, Minn..Recorded dance
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • Easy To Love
          • Cobb's Tune
          • Coffee And Kisses
          • Chelsea Bridge
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Satin Doll
          • Cocktails For Two
          • Liza
          • In The Mood
          • Stormy Weather
          • Mood Indigo
          • All The Things You Are
          • Frivolous Banta
          • Stompin' At The Savoy
          • Stardust
          • Caravan
          Mentor is in north-eastern Minnesota, east-southeast of Grand Forks, N.D. and north-northeast of Fargo, .
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.145
          New Desor
          DE5412
          ..djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-23
          1954 06 28
          Monday
          .Winnipeg, Man.Roseland Dance Dine
          1. Matinee concert 4:30- 6:00 pm, $1.00 admission.
          2. Dancing, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Duke Ellington and his World Famous 16 pc. orchestra, $2.00/person.
          • Winnipeg Free Press ads:
            • 1954-06-19 p.5
            • 1954-06-21 p.5
            • 1954-06-23 p.4
            • 1954-06-24 p.4
            • 1954-06-25 p.12
            • 1954-06-26 p.4
            • 1964-06-28 p.5
          • Stratemann p.352
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-14
          1954 06 29
          Tuesday
          .Regina, Sask.TrianonPeter Scott Presents Duke Ellington And His World Famous 16 Piece Orchestra
          Concert 8:30 to 10:30, $1.25 Person
          Dance 10:30 to 1:00, $1.95 Person
          • The Leader-Post, Regina, Sask.
            • 1954-06-22 p.4
            • 1954-06-23 p.4
            • 1954-06-24 p.4
            • 1954-06-25 p.4
            • 1954-06-29 p.4
          • Stratemann p.352
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2019-10-20
          1954 06 30
          Wednesday
          .Calgary, Alta.Stampede CorralMammoth Football Rally sponsored by the Stampeder Football Quarterback Club featuring a concert and dance of Duke Ellington and his 16 piece band.
          8:30 p.m.
          Admission $1.50
          • The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alta.,
            1954-05-22 p.7
          • The Calgary Herald, Calgary, Alta.
            • 1954-06-19 p.34
            • 1954-06-25 p.32
            • 1954-06-26 p.34
            • 1954-06-28 p.14
            • 1954-06-29 p.22
            • 1954-06-30 p.24
          • The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, Ont.
            1954-06-23 p.23
          • 1954 Stampede poster
          • Stratemann p.352
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-13
          2019-10-20

          July 1954

          1954 07 00... Peripheral event
        • In early July, the Courier printed a one-liner saying Joe Glaser was setting up an Ellington - Mulligan - Brubeck package show.
        • The Billboard 1954-07-24 announced four, and possibly a fifth, one-nighter jazz tour packages were expected to tour that fall.
          • Granz's 1954 version of "Jazz at the Philharmonic" would start 1954 09 17 in Hartford and tour 6 weeks across the U.S., ending with 2 weeks in Japan in November. It included Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Eldridge, Bill Harris, Buddy De Franco, Flip Philips, the Oscar Peterson trio and Ella Fitzgerald.
          • Granz would also sponsor the Duke Ellington - Gerry Mulligan - Dave Brubeck unit which would be handled by Associated Booking Corporation. It was to start 1954 10 15 in Philadelphia. The Waterloo Daily Courier named this tour as "Modern Jazz Concert" and said it was to play 16 cities.
          • Stan Kenton's "Festival of Modern American Jazz", handled by Gale Agency, would begin 1954 09 17 in San Diego and work eastward for 10 weeks. It would include Kenton's orchestra, Art Tatum's trio, Shorty Rogers and His Giants (Shelley Manne, Charlie Ventura, Mary Ann McCall, Johnny Smith and Candido).
          • Details of the Eckstine package,which was expected to tour the South, were not given, other than it usually was booked by the Shaw Agency for the Morris Agency which handled Eckstine and in previous years had included Ruth Browan and Count Basie.
          • The fifth, a possibility only, was Gale Agency's "Biggest Show."
          • The Buffalo Courier Express reported Stan Getz might be added to the Ellington tour, either playing with Mulligan or soloing with Ellington.
          • In late October the Courier (Pittsburgh) announced few West Coast promoters could afford the price of the big jazz shows, so the Ellington - Mulligan - Brubeck package would break up into single acts. It was due back in Hollywood 1954 11 08, and then Ellington would play a one-nighter 1954 11 09 in Fresno to launch a long series of such engagements. Brubeck would play Pomona College, and Mulligan would play an extended stand at the Haig.
          • The Billboard, 1954-07-24 p.13
          • The Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
            • 1954-07-03 p.12
            • 1954-10-30 p.15
          • Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y., 1954-09-19 p.42-C
          • Waterloo Courier, Waterloo, Iowa 1954-10-13 p.25
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-19
          1954 07 01
          Thursday
          Dominion Day
          .Wetaskiwin, Alta.Stan Reynolds Auto Sales
          • The band was expected to stop at a car dealership on the way from Calgary to Edmonton.
          • Wetaskiwin is about 40 miles south of Edmonton.
          • Then 27-year-old Roland "Rollie" Miles was an Edmonton Eskimos football player who promoted this evening's Edmonton concert and dance.


          THE"DUKE"
          ARRIVES AT
          STAN'S
          TOMORROW

          DUKE ELLINGTON SAYS–
          I'm looking forward to my visit with that famous personality Dan Reynolds of Wetaskiwin. All us great musicians listen to the Sam Reynolds Programme and we hope to see you all out to Wetaskiwin when we visit with Mr. Reynolds in Person. We'll be arriving at Cam Reynold's Auto Sales sometime between twelve noon and two p.m., Tomorrow.

          STAN REYNOLDS SAYS–
          Oh boy – at last I'm going to talk with royalty. "The Duke" himself coming to see little old me and my little old 500 unit car lot. Hang the expense – I'll treat ALL the boys in the band to coffee and ice cream cones, and because it'a holiday I'll knock a few more dollars off the prices on all my cars and trucks if anyone is crazy enough to come shopping for a car when they could be out at the lake fishing.

          ROLLIE MILES SAYS–
          I'll be there, too, folks! Stan phoned to say he wanted my autograph. Mailed me a bill of sale and showed me the place he wanted my name signed. Hope you'll all drive down to Wetaskiwin tomorrow and meet the "Duke" and the boys in the band. We'll do our best to keep Stan and his salesmen out of the way where they won't bother you. Come about noon and stay all day – no charge for admission (I have Stan's word).

          HENRY SINGER SAYS–
          Sure I'll go along with the gag. I'll travel 40 miles over those roads to see Duke Ellington for nothing. I'll drink Stan's coffee and eat his ice cream. I'll look at his cars if it makes him happy – BUT if you think I'm going to sit there, looking at that ill fitting moth-eaten sack he calls a suit and listen to his two hour speech of welcome your crazy.

          YOU'LL SAY–
          that Stan's First of July Sale of cars and trucks will make your trip to Wetaskiwin worthwile even if you don't get near Duke Ellington, or Rollie Miles, or Stan Reynolds. It's all free – the only thing you have to pay for are the cars you buy. Stan's open all day tomorrow rain or shine!
          First of July Specials!
          Big shipment of factory fresh 1954 cars with New Car Warranties up to $500 discount on thse units....[Webmaster note
          -I omitted a list of cars for sale in this part of the ad]


          Meet "Duke" Ellington, Rollie Miles and Stan Reynolds, Thursday, July 1st, and look over Stan's complete selection of cars, trucks and trailers, all selling at HOLIDAY PRICES!

          P.S. — Stan was a little hurt when he found out that the "Duke" in addition to travelling 2,000 miles to meet him is also going up to Edmonton to put on a concert and dance at The Gardens the same night.
          STAN
          REYNOLDS
          AUTO SALES LTD
          WETASKIWIN

          (Palmquist's note:
          While this is the layout of the printed ad, perfect letter sizing and spacing was beyond my coding skills)

          The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta.
          1954-06-30 p.33
          ...djpNew
          added
          2019-10-19
          1954 07 01
          Thursday
          Dominion Day
          .Edmonton, Alta.Edmonton Gardens
          118 Ave. & 73 St.
          Concert and dance, 8:30 p.m.
          • Promoted by Emonton Eskimos player Rollie Miles.
          • A unique advertisement said

            'ROLLIE MILES SAYS..."IT'S GOING TO BE A BALL;
              Just before coming back I heard the Duke of Ellington ... He's got a great band and I know the people of Edmonton are really in for one big evening July 1st at the Gardens ...
              Man, wait till you hear this new kid he's got on drums ... He's tremendous ... He plays drums like Billy Vessels runs ... he just drives and drives that band ... had a letter from Billy and when he heard I was booking the Duke into town he said he sure wished he could make it ... maybe he can? ...
              Then there's Jimmy Grissom the vocalist ... wait till the gals see and hear him ... boy he is the mostest ... not to mention Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Britt Woodman, and The Duke himself. I sure hope this one goes over, cuz I'd like to bring in Hampton, James, Krupa, and the rest of these fine bands that are available ...
              Lots of people want to know if it's going to be a straight concert ...
              Well folks, let me tell you it's going to be everything ... First there's a concert ... And if it's anything like the one he played in Carnegie Hall in New York ... watch out ...
              Then there's going to be an intermission while we clear the floor for dancing ... The kids from the Edmonton Jazz Society have volunteered to help us clear the floor so it shouldn't take too long ...
              Then comes the dance ... during the dance the Delmar School of Dancing is going amongst the dancers and pick out the best jitterbugs ... those that are picked are going to dance it out for some gorgeous prizes ... like a diamond to set watch from Irving Kline's ... a beautiful LamLaine fall coat from MacArthur's ... A sports jacket and slacks from Henry Singer, and that's not all ...
              McBain Camera Shop are running a camera contest and giving away $150 in prizes for the best picture of the night, whether it's of the band, the audience or the kids dancing ...
              Oh yes, before I forget, special acoustics so that everybody can hear every single note. Fred Miller of the Exhibition Board assures me that the Gardens will be nice and cool and here's the best part ... instead of charging $7.60 a couple like Winnipeg, or $3.40 a couple like Victoria ... the price is going to be just $1.50 a person, plus tax.
              Tickets on sale at Bernies Record Shop ... Heintzmans, McBain Camera, McArthur Ladies Wear, Henry Singer, Robinsons Music, National Music, Empress Pipe Shop, Delmar dancing Studios and if you see me just stop me, I've got tickets on me!'


          • Edmonton Journal, June 19:
            'Natural Giant of Music
            Ellington Comes To City

            BY DON RUST
              Many Edmonton young people will have their first opportunity July 1 of seeing one of the most popular and colorful figures in jazzdom, the peerless Duke Ellington, who brings his orchestra to the Gardens for a concert and dance. Sponsored by popular Eskimos halfback Rollie Miles, the appearance of the Duke will be the first in a series of "Jazz at the Gardens" presentations.
              The Duke...has made two previous appearances in Edmonton, both around 1947...
              Although much of the music that the Ellington band will play will cater to the older patrons...a good portion of the program will be reserved for present day jazz favorites. The Duke has never been too closely associated with the bop or progressive school of music but nevertheless this type of expression will be found in many of the solos by the Duke's leading sidemen–Ray Nance, Clark Terry, Britt Woodman and others.
              The concert portion of the program will start at 8:30 p.m. and will last for about 1-1/2 hours. Following this the band will play for dancing...
              ...the Duke will make a tour of major prairie cities including Winnipeg, Calgary and Saskatoon. He will be playing for RCAF audiences on several occasions...
              A jitterbug contest and a camera contest will also be featured. Camera enthusiasts will be allowed to photograph the Duke and the band in action.'

          • MacBain Camera Specialty Ltd. offered merchandise prices worth $100, $25 and $25 respectively for the best pictures of the band, of the evening and of the jitter bug contest. Its ad said the tickets reserved for the first five rows were available only at the camera store.
          • Rollie Miles advertised an advance student special sale of tickets to high school students June 25, 4 to 6 p.m. at the Henry Singer's store, at $1.25 each.
          • Henry Singer Ltd. advertised a $25 reward for the best picture of Stan Reynolds Jitterbugging at the Duke Ellington Dance.
          • 'As if that solid beat isn't enought, Rollie says Eagle Keys has promised to enter the jitterbug conterst...Rollie himself will be cutting up old touches with Rick Henderson, who spells the Duke off on piano and plays clarinet. Rick played guard for Armstrong High in Washington, D.C. in opposition to Rolie and Cardozo High...'

            (emphasis added)
          The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton, Alta.
          • 1954-06-14 p.11
          • 1954-06-17 p.39
          • 1954-06-18 p.19
          • 1954-06-19 p.22
          • 1954-06-21 p.7
          • 1954-06-23 p.15
          • 1954-06-29 p.17
          • 1954-06-30 pp.16, 33
          ...djpNew
          added
          2019-10-20
          1954 07 02
          Friday
          .Saskatoon, Sask.Drill Hall
          R.C.A.F. Station
          Band Concert and Dance
          • Hours 9-1
          • Open to the public, admission $2.00 per person
          • Sponsored by the local RCAF station's entertainment committee
          • Special bus service from 23rd St. and 2nd Ave. at 8:05,
            8:30, 9:00, 9:05, and 9:30 "and returning buses will also be running for your convenience."
          • In the July 2 plug, the paper said

            'At press time the famed musician and his orchestra had just arrived in Saskatoon after slugging it over wet roads from Edmonton by bus.'

          • Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, Saskatoon, Sask.
            • 1954-06-23 p.3
            • 1954-06-25 p.4
            • 1954-06-30 p.5
            • 1954-07-02 p.3
            ,
          • Stratemann p.352
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2019-10-20
          1954 07 03
          Saturday
          .Macdonald, Man.R.C.A.F. Station Macdonald

          'Saturday night, July 3 will be the night at the R.C.A.F. Station, Macdonald. Duke Ellington and his world famous band will be playing a one night stand there. To give an opportunity to the people who might otherwise not be able to afford to go anywhere else to hear this superb orchestra, the powers that be will open the word to civilians for the evening. For $1.00 a real evening is open to you. Admission by ticket only. Tickets are on sale at a local drugstore. The time - 8:30 to 12:30. Refreshments available.'

          • The MacGregor Herald, MacGregor, Man.,
            1954-06-24 p.1
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-14
          1954 07 04
          Sunday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 07 05
          Monday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 07 06
          Tuesday
          .Denver, Col.Civic AuditoriumConcert, with remote broadcast over KTLM
          Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
          Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black
          Titles recorded:
          • The Mooche
          • How High The Moon
          • The Tattooed Bride
          • Frustration
          • Theme For Trambean
          • Happy Go Lucky Local
          • Summertime
          • Monologue
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Satin Doll
          • V.I.P. Boogie
          • Jam With Sam
          Nielsen says Gonsalves arrived late, in time for the last 2 numbers so Henderson took his solo on How High the Moon.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , pp.145-146
          New Desor
          DE5413
          ...Added
          2011
          updated
          2016-04-24
          1954 07 07
          Wednesday
          ... Peripheral event

          ''D.E.Day' Observed
           SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Bay and Reno, Nev. areas saluted Duke Ellington with a fabulous DE day celebration on occassion [sic] of his opening at the State Line Club in Lake Tahoe last week.
            Disk jockeys, civic figures and show business personalities joined in a variety of tributes to the great musician who is celebrating his twenty-seventh year in the business... '

          Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1954-07-24 P.11 s.2...djpNew
          added
          2016-04-24
          1954 07 07
          Wednesday
          1954 07 22
          Thursday
          Stateline, Nev. Stateline Country Club and Casino
          Highway 50
          South end of Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency

          Duke Ellington And His World Famous Orchestra and Nicholas Bros.
          Two shows nightly, at 9 and 12.
          Stratemann and Vail II incorrectly describe the venue as Harrah's Stateline Club, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Nev.

          Stateline, Nev. is about 60 miles southwest of Reno, at the south end of Lake Tahoe, right at the Nevada/California border.
          Bill Harrah had been involved with casinos in Reno for 17 or 18 years by 1954. He seems to have bought his first casino in Stateline in 1955 and to have bought the Stateline Casino the following year.
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Vail II
          • Nevada State Journal, Reno, Nev.
            • 1954-07-17 p.2
            • 1954-07-20 p.2
            • 1954-07-22 p.2
          • Ad, Reno Evening Gazette, Reno, Nev.1954-07-21
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-14
          1954 07 08
          Thursday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 09
          Friday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 10
          Saturday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 11
          Sunday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 12
          Monday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 13
          Tuesday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 14
          Wednesday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 15
          Thursday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 16
          Friday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 17
          Saturday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 18
          Sunday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 19
          Monday
          .Stateline, Nev.Sage Room
          Wagon Wheel Saloon
          Ellington, his entire band and the Nicholas Brothers were among the guests at a wedding celebration for Herman Flintall, pianist and arranger for the Ink Spots, and his bride, night club singer Mildred Harrison. The Ink Spots were playing in Stateline. Reno Evening Gazette, Reno, Nev. 1954-07-24 p.2...djpNew
          added
          2016-04-24
          1954 07 19
          Monday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 20
          Tuesday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 21
          Wednesday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 22
          Thursday
          .Stateline, Nev. Harrah's Stateline Club
          Lake Tahoe
          Casino residency - see 1954 07 07......
          1954 07 23
          Friday
          .San Bernardino, Cal.Orange Show CafeteriaDuke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra
          Dance and Show - Orange Show Cafeteria

          'One of Tin Pan Alley's elite, Duke Ellington, will bring his band to the Orange Show Cafeteria Friday for a dance and show, beginning at 9 p.m.
            ... Ellington will stage a four-hour show.
            Ellington's appearance is sponsored by the Rialto Veterans of Foreign Wars...'

          • The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, Cal.
            • 1954-07-17 p.5
            • 1954-07-20 p.4
            • 1954-07-22 p.4
            • 1954-07-23 p.17
          • Enterprise, Riverside,Cal.
            1954-07-22 p.11
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-14
          2021-01-21
          1954 07 24
          Saturday
          ...activities not documented
          .....
          1954 07 25
          Sunday
          .San Diego, Cal.Mission Beach Ball Room
          A Pac. Square Attraction
          MISSION BEACH BALL ROOM
          A PAC. SQUARE attraction
          Direction Walter Stutz
          DANCE! 9 TO 1
          Sun.-July 25

          DUKE ELLINGTON
          HIS ORCHESTRA
          PLUS ARRAY OF DUKE'S ALL STARS
          • Stratemann, based on Variety, and Vail date this 1954 07 24 but it appears plans changed.
          • At the bottom of the July 9 ad for the Harry James orchestra at this location was an announcement that Ellington would make his only coast appearance [here] on Saturday, July 24th.
          • The July 21 and 22 ads specifically for Ellington's appearance say Sunday July 25.
          • The July 23 TV-Radio page plug for Ellington's July 25 appearance on the Art Linkletter show says:

            'Duke Ellington, whose great band comes to San Diego Sunday, will guest with Art Linkletter the following day.'

            (emphasis added)
          • Stratemann p.352 citing Variety 1954-06-23 p.49
          • Vail II
          • San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.
            • 1954-07-09 p.a-18
            • 1954-07-21 p.a-8
            • 1954-07-22 p.10
            • 1954-07-23 p.a-10
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2016-03-14
          1954 07 26
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal..Duke appeared on Art Linkletter's House Party daytime television show, 11:30 a.m. local time, playing a medley accompanied by two members of the house band.
          The medley was
          • Take The "A" Train
          • Mood Indigo
          • Sophisticated Lady
          • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
          • Stratemann p.352
          • Televues, The Independent, Long Beach, Cal. p.16.
          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
            Ellingtonia.com
          • Timner
          • Ole J. Nielsen
            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
            , p.146
          New Desor
          DE5414
          DEMS
          91,2-6
          .djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-04-24
          2020-05-09
          1954 07 26
          Monday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.Embassy AuditoriumTwo concerts?

          Jet Magazine's caption to a photo of Duke showing a violin to heiress Doris Duke said Duke displayed a brassy, new 'modern sound' in 'double concert.'
          Vail describes the event as "Jazz A La Carte," which also featured theDave Brubeck Quartet and Chet Baker's group.
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2013-04-16
          2016-03-14
          1954 07 27
          Tuesday
          1954 08 09San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat Club
          90 Market St.
          Night club residency

          While working here, Duke was 'making the disc jockey route,' flogging his latest record, Ellington '55, to disc jockeys.
          • Stratemann p.353 citing a review in Variety 1954-08-04 p.53
          • Vail II with an unattributed clipping.
          • The Daily Review, Hayward, Cal., 1954-07-31 p.12
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-15
          1954 07 28
          Wednesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27Stratemann p.353....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          1954 07 29
          Thursday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 07 30
          Friday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 07 31
          Saturday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency- see 1954 07 27

          Stratemann reports Ellington drew 1,100 this night, setting a new Saturday night attendance record. Vail shows an unidentified clipping saying the same thing and saying that the second week began with a Tuesday night that took in $500 over the opening night.
          The July 31 ad in the Oakland Tribune curiously says:

          'DOWNBEAT
          90 MARKET ST.
          DUKE
          ELLINGTON
          TOMORROW NITE
          PEE-WEE HUNT
          TONITE
          DOWNBEAT
          SAN FRANCISCO '

          Stratemann p.353 citing
          • Downbeat 1954-09-04
          • Variety
            • 1954-08-04 p.53
            • 1954-08-11 p.54
            • 1954-08-18 p.70
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-15

          August 1954

          1954 08 01
          Sunday
          .San Leandro, Cal.(?)Pioneer Village
          1945 MacArthur Blvd.
          Ellington was expected to be a guest on a location radio broadcast around mid-day:

          The Starlighter:

          'The Duke is the invited guest for the Sunday morning show at Jo Johansen's Pioneer Village, which Jerry Morton and Joe Luke KLX your way 12 noon to 1 p.m.'

          The Oakland Tribune referred to the program as Keneral [sic] Joe Johanson's brunchcast.
          The location is unconfirmed but there was a General Joe Johansen's Pioneer Village in San Leandro, which is immediately south of Oakland, across the bay from San Francisco.

          Hayward, in turn, is immediately south of San Leandro.
          • The Starlighter by Lloyd Johnson, The Daily Review, Hayward, Cal. 1954-07-31 p.12
          • Going Places, Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal. 1954-07-31 p.E11
          ...djpNew
          added
          2016-03-15
          updated
          2016-04-24
          1954 08 01
          Sunday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 02
          Monday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 03
          Tuesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 04
          Wednesday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 05
          Thursday
          ...Date of contract between The Blue Note, Duke Ellington and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington" for two 5-day 30-hour weeks, with Sunday matinee at the Blue Note Cafe, 3 North Clark St. beginning September 29, 1954 for $5,000/week.

          "Contract price $5,000 per week less 10% to ABC."

          It says "It is specifically understood and agreed that unless otherwise specified herein, no part of the performance of the Orchestra shall be broadcast or reproduced by radio or other means."
          Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
          added 2012-11-03
          1954 08 05
          Thursday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 06
          Friday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 07
          Saturday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubUnconfirmed
          Night club residency
          Stratemann p.353....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          1954 08 07
          Saturday
          .La Jolla, Cal.Beach ClubUnconfirmed
          As Stratemann notes, a one-nighter here would require a night away from the Downbeat Club. This seems unlikely if the band drew a record crowd the previous Saturday; also, the Oakland Tribune ran an ad on this date for the Downbeat showing Ellington and his orchestra.
          • Stratemann p.353 citing The Billboard 1954-07-17 p.14
          • Oakland Tribune 1954-08-07 p.E 11
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-16
          1954 08 08
          Sunday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 09
          Monday
          .San Francisco, Cal.Downbeat ClubNight club residency - see 1954 07 27.....Added
          2011

          1954 08 10
          Tuesday
          ...activities not documented
          .....Added
          2011
          1954 08 11
          Wednesday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 08 12
          Thursday
          ...activities not documented
          ......
          1954 08 13
          Friday
          1954 09 05Los Angeles, Cal.Crescendo
          8572 Sunset
          Night club residency, Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra
          The Aug.26 California Eagle reported .

          ' Handsome Jimmie Grissom, 24-year-old vocalist with the great Duke Ellington, is currently wowing them at Hollywood's famous Crescendo on Sunset Strip. A jammed house every night is customary.
            Smash business during the Duke's engagement has required the Crescendo to "put up the rope" and reservations for the last two weeks of Ellington's date have become a "must."'

          The Courier Aug.28:

          'Duke Ellington, rouinding out his three-week stay at the glamorous Crescendo Club here, has provent that his long-germ dates on the Far West Coast are too infrequent.
            Following a celebrity-dotted opening night, Ellington fans have lined the fabled Sunset Strip to listen to the equally fabled Duke's music... '

          The Sept. 2 ad says "last 4 days, thus confirming the end of the run as Sept. 5.
          • Stratemann p.353 citing The Billboard 1954-08-21 p.22
          • California Eagle
            • 1954-08-12 p.10
            • 1954-08-19 p.10
            • 1954-08-26 p.10
            • 1954-09-02
          • Courier, Pittsburgh,Penn.
            • 1954-08-21 p.5
            • 1954-08-28 p.14
          • The Plaindealer, Kansas City, Kans. 1954-09-10 p.8
          ...djpAdded
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          2016-03-18
          1954 08 14
          Saturday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          1954 08 15
          Sunday
          .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
          2011
          updated
          2014-07-12
          1954 08 16
          Monday
          .Hollywood, Cal.Tiffany ClubEllington, Anderson and Procope were guests at a surprise birthday party for Elihu McGee that began at 10:30 p.m.

          '...Duke Ellington was there and gave out with his favorite masterpieces...

          Those attending the affair included...Duke Ellington, Dinah Washington,... Mr. and Mrs. Russell Procope, Mr. and Mrs. "Cat" Anderson,... '

          The story includes a lengthy list of guests and is accompanied by photos, including a group photo including Miss Washington and Duke at the cake table.
          California Eagle 1954-08-19 p.7
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 08 16
            Monday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 17
            Tuesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 18
            Wednesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 19
            Thursday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 20
            Friday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 21
            Saturday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 22
            Sunday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.Private residence
            Virginia Road.
            25th anniversary party for Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Ross.

            '...Mrs.A.C.Bilbrew and Mrs. Ruby Barbee Wilson rendered musical selections and Mrs. Wilson was accompanied by the master of the keyboard, Duke Ellington... '

            California Eagle 1954-08-26...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 08 22
            Sunday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 23
            Monday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 24
            Tuesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 25
            Wednesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 26
            Thursday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 27
            Friday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 28
            Saturday
            .Los Angeles, Cal..Ellington was to make a guest appearance on Harry Kaplan's 2:30 p.m. KNX radio show "Meet the Music."Radio Highlights and radio log, San Diego Union, 1954-08-28 p.a-12....djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 08 28
            Saturday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 28
            Saturday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.KNXT Television StudioEllington was one of many celebrities named as expected to appear in a 17-hour Multiple Sclerosis Give-a-Thon television fundraising show that was to start Saturday at midnight. Whether he did in fact appear and if so, when, is not yet documented.
            • Give-a-Thon ad, San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal. 1954-08-28 p.a-12
            • The Bakersfield Californian, Bakersfield, Cal.,
              • 1954-08-28 p.47
              • 1954-08-29 p.21
            • San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, Cal, 1954-08-29 p.47
            .
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 08 29
            Sunday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 29
            Sunday
            .Los Angeles, Cal..Ellington was to be one of several guests appearing on Larry Finley's "Strictly Informal" television show on Channel 2 at 10:30 p.m.
            • San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, San Bernardino, Cal, 1954-08-29 p.47
            • Independent-Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Cal. 1954-08-29 p.B-8
            ...djpNew

            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 08 30
            Monday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 08 30
            Monday
            .San Diego, Cal.Russ AuditoriumNote this conflicts with the Crescendo job.

            'GENE NORMAN &
            DON HOWARD
            Present
            Duke Ellington
            Orchestra
            Gene Krupa
            Jazz Trio
            Zoot Sims
            All Stars
            with

            Buddy RICH
            Barney KESSELL
            Art PEPPER
            plus
            MAX ROACH
            RUSS
            Auditorium
            Mon. Aug. 30 - 8:30
            Ticket Reservation
            Ratner Electric
            (8th & Bdw'y.)
            $1.51 - $2.01 - $2.51 - $3.51'


            'TONITE!
            JAZZ AT THE RUSS!

            Gene Norman and Don Howard present one of the greatest assembly of musicians in th ebusiness! Such names as: DUKE ELLINGTON'S orchestra, GENE KRUPA jazz trio, featuring EDDIE SHU, ZOOT SIMMS and the all-stars, a-n-d that's not all. There will be entertainers like: ART PEPPER, BUDDY RICH, BARNEY KESSELL, plus MAX ROACH. Do not miss this great show! RUSS Auditorium tonite, Aug. 30, 8:30 p.m. ticket reservation Ratner Electric (8th & Bdw'y.) $1.51, $2.01, $2.51, $3.51'

            The San Diego Union
            • 1954-08-20 p.a-20
            • 1954-08-28 p.9
            • 1954-08-29 p.22
            • 1954-08-30 pp.19, b-3
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 08 31
            Tuesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12

            September 1954

            1954 09 00...New Desor lists an undated broadcast of an interview of Duke by an unidentified male, and suggests it was from Los Angeles. No other details are provided..New Desor
            DE5416
            ...Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 09 01
            Wednesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.Capitol Studios
            5515 Melrose Ave.
            Hollywood 28, Cal.
            Capitol Records recording session
            • 14:30-17:30
            • 17:45-20:00

            Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
            Cook, Anderson, Gerald Wilson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Black, and on congas, Bob Collier.
            Titles recorded:
            • Smile
            • Echo Tango
            • If I Give My Heart To You
            • Chili Bowl
            • Bakiff
            New Desor
            DE5415
            DEMSVAR 12photosdjpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2014-10-15
            2016-04-24
            2020-05-09
            1954 09 01
            Wednesday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 09 02
            Thursday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 09 03
            Friday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 09 04
            Saturday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 09 05
            Sunday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club residency - see 1954 08 13.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            1954 09 06
            Monday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 07
            Tuesday
            1954 09 10Sacramento, Cal.Outdoor Theatre
            State fairgrounds
            Stockton Blvd.
            State Fair, 2:30 p.m., first of 4 free afternoon concerts

            'Duke Ellington At State Fair
              SACRAMENTO–The composer of "Mood Indigo," "Solitude," and a score of other top tunes, will appear in free concerts with his 13-piece band at the California State Fair and Exposition's Outdoor theatre, September 7-10 at 2:30 p.m.
              Duke Ellington, a top popular composer, orchestra leader and musician since the late 1920s, will play at the Fair's Outdoor theatre... '

            Note the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News says Ellington would play Sept. 8 to 10, but the other papers noted to the right say Sept. 7 to 10.
            • Stratemann p.353
            • San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal.
              • 1954-08-05 p.22
              • 1954-09-10
            • Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Santa Cruz,Cal., p8
            • Daily Independent Journal, San Rafael, Cal., 1954-08-31 p.18
            • Mountain Democrat, Placerville, Cal., p.8
            • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal., 1954-09-10 p.44 E
            • Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Cal. 1954-05-10 p.A-3
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2016-03-16
            1954 09 08
            Wednesday
            .Sacramento, Cal.Outdoor Theatre
            State fairgrounds
            Concert, 2:30 p.m. - see 1954 09 07.....Added
            2011
            1954 09 09
            Thursday
            .Sacramento, Cal.Outdoor Theatre
            State fairgrounds
            Concert, 2:30 p.m. - see 1954 09 07.....Added
            2011
            1954 09 10
            Friday
            .Sacramento, Cal.Outdoor Theatre
            State fairgrounds
            Concert, 2:30 p.m. - see 1954 09 07.....Added
            2011
            1954 09 11
            Saturday
            1954 09 12Los Angeles, Cal.Five-Four Ballroom
            Southwest corner
            54th and Broadway
            California Eagle:

            Duke Ellington At The Five-Four
              Determined to afford the lovers of fine music and ballroom entertainment at its very best, Billy Berg, popular proprietor of the Five-Four Ballroom, 54th and Broadway, is sparing no expense in presenting the one and only Duke Ellington Orchestra and Revue Saturday and Sunday evening September 11 and 12.
            Internationally Famous  Fresh from a record-breaking engagement on the famed Sunstet Strip, Duke will be making his initial appearance of the season on Broadway. All of the great composer's works will be presented along with beautiful ballds by our own local favorite, Jimmy Grissom...'

            The plug ends with a paragraph about Billy Berg's radio show, 2 hours nightly Tuesday to Saturday on KFOX but doesn't say if these were location or studio broadcasts. If the former, it is possible Ellington would have been aired if his contract allowed it.
            • Stratemann p.353 citing Variety 1954-08-11 p.48
            • California Eagle 1954-05-09 p.9
            .
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2014-07-12
            2016-03-18
            1954 09 12
            Sunday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.Five-Four Ballroom
            54th and Broadway
            See 1954 09 11......Added
            2011
            1954 09 13
            Monday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 14
            Tuesday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 15
            Wednesday
            .San Diego, Cal.Officers Mess
            Marine Corps Recruit Depot
            Entertaining Civilian Group
              Maj. Gen. John McQueen, USMC, and Mrs. McQueen have asked a party of 12 civilian friends to join them at cocktail hour in their quarters Sept. 15, preceding dinner at the Commissioned Officers Mess. Duke Ellington's all-star revue and band will be featured during dinner hour at the mess that night.

            Palmquist's note:
            I have assumed the venue is the MCRD, since Maj. Gen. McQueen became its commanding general in April 1954.
            San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal., p.a-20...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 09 16
            Thursday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 17
            Friday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 18
            Saturday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 19
            Sunday
            .Clovis Air Force Base, N.M..Maintenance and Supply Hangar8 p.m. - benefit dance sponsored by the base's Special Services to raise funds for the Service Club. Tickets $1.50 for civilians, who were admitted to the base by showing their tickets at the Main Gate.

            A 20-year-old lady was arrested by the Air Police and turned over to a deputy sheriff who locked her up in the county jail around 3:30 a.m.

            The review said 1,100 attended and mentioned the names of three band members: James [sic] Black, Jimmy Grissom, and Cat Anderson.
            Clovis News-Journal, Clovis, N.M.
            • 1954-09-16 p.10
            • 1954-09-17 p.7
            • 1954-09-20 p.8
            • 1954-09-24 p.2
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-28
            1954 09 20
            Monday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 21
            Tuesday
            .Shamrock, TexasNational Guard ArmoryDance sponsored by the Shamrock American Legion Post.

            Admission: $2.00 for individuals, $3.50 for couples.
            The Childress Index, Childress, Texas, 1954-09-19 p.8...djpNew
            Added
            2016-03-18
            1954 09 22
            Wednesday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 23
            Thursday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 24
            Friday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 25
            Saturday
            .Spring Valley, Ill.Les Buzz Ballroom
            Rts. 6 and 89
            Dancing, 8:30 to 1:30 DST
            Admission: Adv. $1.75, Door $2.00 tax included.
            • Rockford Register-Republic, Rockford, Ill.
              1954-09-23 p.12-B
            • The Daily Register Mail, Galesburg, Ill.,
              1954-09-23 p.5
            • The De Kalb Daily Chronicle, De Kalb, Ill.,
              1954-09-23 p.2
            • The Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.,
              1954-09-23 p.2
            ...djpNew
            Added
            2016-03-18
            updated
            2016-03-28
            1954 09 26
            Sunday
            .Dubuque, IowaMelody Mill
            ("Dubuqueland's Finest Ballroom"}

            DUKE ELLINGTON
            And His World Famous Orchestra
            ALL THE STARS IN PERSON
            MELODY MILL-SUN., SEPT. 26
            Admission Only $1.50 per Person Tax Paid
            Phone 2-9091 for Table Reservations
            Note: Due to Time Change - This Dance Will Be Back on Standard
            Time - Dancing 9 to 1 a.m.

            The Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, Iowa
            • 1954-09-23 p.23
            • 1954-09-26 p.24
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-18
            1954 09 27
            Monday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 28
            Tuesday
            ...activities not documented
            ......
            1954 09 29
            Wednesday
            1954 10 10
            Sunday
            Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
            Night Club
            New premises
            2nd flr, 3 North Clark St.
            Club residency pursuant to contract signed Aug. 8, 1954

            15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington" for two 5-day 30-hour weeks, including Sunday matinees, for $5,000/week, less 10% paid directly to ABC."

            Variety reported Ellington's 2 hour set had 3 parts - first was plugging new arrangements featured on recent Capitol records, the second segment was Ellington soloing accompanied by the rhythm section, and finally the band played the more familiar repertoire. Note this description only accounts for 10 of the contracted 30 hours a week.
            Stratemann, p.353 citing Variety 1954-10-06 p.65....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            circa
            1954 09 00
            circa
            1954 10 00
            Chicago, Ill.Mahalia Jackson's homeIn 1954, Mahalia Jackson switched from Apollo Records to Columbia and Columbia undertook a publicity campaign. In November Life magazine printed an undated photo of her serving dinner to Ellington and two unidentified men. The photo caption:

            'GUEST OF HONOR for dinner at singer's was Duke Ellington, who later played some jazz piano. "I can't sing those things, Duke, Mahalia told him."'

            This photo seems likely to have been taken while Ellington was playing the Blue Note in September and October rather than when Duke was next in town for a one-nighter later in October.
            • Life, 1954-11-29 p.65
            • Anthony Heilbut, The Gospel Sound: Good News and Bad Times, Hal Leonard Corporation, 1975, p.68
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-04-03
            1954 09 30
            Thursday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011

            October 1954

            1954 10 01
            Friday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 02
            Saturday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 03
            Sunday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29

            Matinee and evening performances per terms of the contract.
            .....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            1954 10 04
            Monday
            .Chicago, Ill.Likely a day off from the Blue Note - see 1954 09 29 - Having Monday and Tuesday off allows for 2 five day work weeks during the contract, broken by two days off in the middle......Added
            2011
            1954 10 04
            Monday
            .Rockford, Ill.. Peripheral event
            Rockford Register-Republic:

            'Ellington Jazz Program Set
              Duke Ellington will be the featured artist on John Carden's popular Classics in Jazz tonight at 9:30 o'clock over WROK. Examples of Duke's later work will be heard on this evening's broadcast, including such numbers as "Stompin' At the Savoy" and "Black and Tan Fantasy."
              Carden's guest tonight will be Merv Sorenson of Loves Park, well known jazz record collector, who will fill in details of Ellington's background, and tell about the newly-formed local collectors club.'


            Palmquist comment:
            I've categorized this as a peripheral event because, while Rockford is only about 90 miles from Chicago, there is no known nearby gig. It seems unlikely Duke would have made a personal appearance on the program if he wasn't in the area already.
            Rockford Register-Republic, Rockford, Ill.,
            1954-10-05 p.2B
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 05
            Tuesday
            .Chicago, Ill..Likely a day off from the Blue Note - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 06
            Wednesday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 07
            Thursday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 08
            Friday
            ..Universal StudioCapitol recording session
            Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
            Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Pettiford (subbing for Wendell Marshall), Frank Rollo (bongos), Black, Grissom

            Titles recorded:
            • Twelfth Street Rag
            • September Song
            • Caravan

            Down Beat:
            '      When [Bill] Putnam is asked what magic he puts on tape, he shrugs and says: "I try to get what we call a live sound. What you hear should not sound like it's coming off a record."
                 Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington, two men who are more difficult to please–and whose bands are most difficult to record–try to arrange all their record dates at Universal.
                 The Duke used to scare Putnam. He always arrives before any of his musicians. He messes with the piano keys, hums a theme and asks a reaction from anybody, so it quickly becomes apparent to Putnam that Ellington has come to the session with no plans at all.
                 When Ellington recorded Ellington '55, after some puttering at the piano, he announced to Bill, "We ought to do a mambo on one of the old things. What do you think of Twelfth Street Rag?"
                 This turned into Twelfth Street Mambo, one of the high spots of the album. With the whole band assembled, Duke worked out the main ideas on the keyboard. Then he'd tell Cat Anderson for the brass section, or Harry Carney for saxes, "When I do this, you come in with something like this." Anderson and Carney would slice up and portion out the idea to their respective men.
                 Somehow, within minutes, a complex and scintillating Ellington arrangement emerged. Now Putnam has learned to relax at Ellington's sessions, knowing that they start with nothing, but end up as wild, creative things.
            • Vail II
            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
              Ellingtonia.com
            • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
            • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59
            • Ole J. Nielsen
              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
              , p.146
            • Down Beat 1955-06-09 p.21
            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2021-11-07
            New Desor
            DE5417
            DEMS.djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            2016-03-29
            2020-05-09
            2021-11-07
            1954 10 08
            Friday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 09
            Saturday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub residency - see 1954 09 29.....Added
            2011
            1954 10 10
            Sunday
            .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteResidency ends - see 1954 09 29

            Matinee and evening performances per terms of the contract.
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            1954 10 11
            Monday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 10 12
            Tuesday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 10 13
            Wednesday
            .New York, N.Y.Hudson Theatre
            139-141 West 44th Street
            Ellington and his orchestra appeared on Steve Allen's "Tonight" national television talk show, which began at 11:15 p.m. (the first 15 minutes were carried by only a few stations, the last 90 minutes were carried by the full NBC network).Radio log, Brooklyn Eagle, New York, N.Y. 1954-10-13 p.20...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 14
            Thursday
            ...activities not documented


            Peripheral event
            Letter 1954-10-14 from American Booking Corp.:

            'Mr. David Booker
            2203 Park Avenue
            Kansas City, Missouri

            Dear Mr. Booker:

            DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS CAPITOL RECORDING ORCHESTRA are available for you at this time November 23, 24 and 25. The dates of 24 and 25 should be quite interesting as they are Thankgiving Eve and Thanksgiving night.

            Hope that I may hear from you expressing your interest in the great DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA.

            I remain,
            Sincerely yours,
            Paul Bannister
            ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP.'

            (nothing came of it)
            .....New
            added
            2019-10-22
            1954 10 15
            Friday
            .Philadelphia, Penn.Grand Opera
            or
            Civic Grand Opera
            Two "Modern Jazz Concerts", 8 and 10 p.m.
            • First concerts of the Ellington-Mulligan-Brubeck-Getz three week coast-to-coast tour package organized by Norman Granz as the "Modern Jazz Concert" (see 1954 07 00 above).
            • The show included the Dave Brubeck quartet, the Stan Getz quintet, and the Gerry Mulligan quartet as well as the Ellington orchestra.
            • Stratemann tells us Ellington emceed the entire show, with the small units playing the first half and Ellington's orchestra having the second half to itself.
            • Stratemann says the show did quite well, despite competition from the other shows touring at the same time.
            • On the other hand, The Billboard quotes Granz as saying the show lost money, averaging $4,000 night against a 'nut' of $6,000.
            • The Swarthmore College announcement said the event was "at the Academy."
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            updated
            2016-03-19
            2019-10-22
            1954 10 16
            Saturday
            ... Peripheral event
            Hurricane Hazel caused widespread loss of life, flooding and destruction in South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, and Canada.
            St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo, 1954-10-16 p.1.
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 16
            Saturday
            8:30 pm
            .Newark, N.J.Mosque TheatreModern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15
            The concert here was at 8:30 p.m., after which the concert was played at Carnegie Hall at midnight.
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            • New York Times, New York, N.Y., 1954-10-10 p.54
            • New York Age, New York, N.Y., 1954-10-16 p.17
            • N.Y.Age Defender, New York, N.Y., 1954-10-16 p.8
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 17
            Sunday
            .Boston, Mass.Symphony HallTwo Modern Jazz Concerts 7 and 10 p.m.
            • Ellington, Mulligan, Brubeck and Getz on the bill - see 1954 10 15
            • Tickets $2.50, $3.50 and $4.50 including tax
            • Note Stratemann and Vail don't say there were two concerts.
            • Captioned publicity photo and ad, Boston Sunday Advertiser, Boston, Mass., 1954-10-10 p.25
            • The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
              1954-10-15 p.55
            • Boston Evening American, Boston, Mass.
              1954-10-06 p.42
            • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
              1954-10-08 p.46
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-19
            2019-10-22
            1954 10 18
            Monday
            .Detroit, Mich.Broadway-Capital Theater Jackie Gleason headed a list of stars who were to start off Detroit's 1954 Torch Drive. The entertainers were to meet City officials and drive workers at 8 p.m. in front of City Hall, where the City Hall torch would be lit by a 4-year-old Torch patient. The party then paraded to the Broadway-Capital Theater for a 2-hour stage show, during which Gleason, the Master of Ceremonies, introduced Miss America, Ellington and others. In the post-event report, Ellington is named as one of the entertainers who volunteered a few moments of entertainment and a friendly word of encouragement. The outdoor event was to be televised. Detroit Free Press
            • 1954-10-14 p.15
            • 1954-11-12 p.1
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-28
            1954 10 18
            Monday
            .Detroit, Mich..Sidemen's activities are not documented
            Stratemann shows an entry for Detroit this date, with no detail and Vail reports

            'The Norman Granz package play [sic] in Detroit, Michigan.'

            . They appear to be mistaken. The Modern Jazz Concert was 1954 10 23 at the Schubert. There are two ads for the Oct. 23 and none for Oct. 19 in the Detroit Free Press for the month of October.
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            1954 10 19
            Tuesday
            .Columbus, OhioMemorial Hall8:30 p.m. Modern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15 and 1954 07 00
            Tickets: $2.50, $3 and $3.50
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            • Wilmington Daily News-Journal, Wilmington, Ohio,1954-10-14 p.4
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 20
            Wednesday
            .Cincinnati, OhioTaft TheatreModern Jazz Concert 8:30 p.m. - see 1954 10 15
            Tickets: $2.50 $3.30 $3.80
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            • The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati, Ohio
              • 1954-10-17 s.3 p.9
              • 1954-10-19 p.29
              • 1954-10-21 p.16 (review)
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-29
            1954 10 21
            Thursday
            .Pittsburgh, Penn.Syria MosqueModern Jazz Concert 8:30 p.m.
            - see 1954 10 15 and 1954 07 00
            Tickets $2.00 $2.50 $3.00 $3.50

            (The Biggest Show of 1954 played in Pittsburgh the same night.)*
              • Stratemann p.353
              • Vail II
              • The Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                • 1954-10-20 p.29
                • 1954-10-21 p.24
                • The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                  • 1954-10-20 p.7
                  • 1954-10-21 p.15
              • * The Billboard 1954-10-30, p.22
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 22
            Friday
            .Cleveland, OhioPublic Music HallModern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15
            Cleveland Plain Dealer 1954-08-08:

            '[Dave] Dorn will also handle the Duke Ellington concert when it brings Dave Brubeck's trio and Jerry {sic} Mulligan's quartet to Music Hall Oct. 22.'

            • Vail II
            • Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
              • 1954-08-08 p.45-D
              • 1954-10-01 p.9
              • 1954-10-17 p.65-D
              • 1954-10-22 p.14
            .
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 23
            Saturday
            .Detroit, Mich.Schubert TheatreTwo Modern Jazz Concerts, 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. - see 1954 10 15 and 1954 07 00
            • Detroit Free Press
              • 1954-10-20 p.26
              • 1954-10-23 p.12
            • The Windsor Daily Star, Windsor, Ont.
              1954-10-15 p.25
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-29
            2021-01-21
            1954 10 24
            Sunday
            .Chicago, Ill.Civic Opera HouseModern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15
            Swinging the News:

            'WHEN DUKE ELLINGTON appeared on concert stage in Chicago Sunday night few knew story behind his ill fitting (most unusual for the Duke) evening dress. WHAT HAPPENED his trunk was late arriving from Detroit, where the package played night before and the ONLY ALTERNATIVE was a rented one.'

            • Stratemann, p.353 citing The Billboard 1954-10-30 p.24
            • Vail II
            • Al Monroe, Swinging the News, New York Age Defender, New York, N.Y., 1954-10-30, p.18
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            1954 10 25
            Monday
            .Minneapolis, Minn.AuditoriumModern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            1954 10 26
            Tuesday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 10 27
            Wednesday
            .Beloit, Wisc.Field House
            Beloit College
            Modern Jazz Concert - see 1954 07 00 and 1947-10-15
            The Freeport Journal-Standard

            'Beloit College has announced four field house attractions this year.
              Tickets may be obtained by writing to the ticket office, Beloit College...Season ticket orders are honored before orders for individual events.
              The Duke Ellington Show is booked for Wednesday, Oct. 27. Dave Brubeck will be with the show... '

            The show played to a full house, 3,500 in the audience.
            • Stratemann p.353 citing The Billboard 1954-11-06 p.46
            • Vail II
            • The Freeport Journal Standard, Freeport, Ill., 1954-09-25 p.9
            • The Crusader, Rockford, Ill.
              • 1954-10-01 p.6
              • 1954-10-22 p.3
              • 1954-11-05 p.1 (review)
            • Rockford Register-Republic, Rockford, Ill.
              • 1954-10-11 p.B7
              • 1954-11-25 p.2B
              • 1954-10-28 p.D1 (review)
            • Janesville Daily Gazette, Janesville, Wisc.
              • 1954-10-12 p.5
              • 1954-10-26 p.5
              • 1954-10-28 p.21 (review)
            • Rockford Morning Star, Rockford, Ill.
              • 1954-10-10 p.05
              • 1954-10-24 p.11C
              • 1954-10-31 p.18A (2 reviews)
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            2016-03-18
            1954 10 28
            Thursday
            .Indianapolis, Ind.Murat Theatre
            502 N. New Jersey St.
            Modern Jazz Concert 8:30 p.m.
            The Oct. 21 ad announced there would be one concert at 8:30 p.m. instead of two originally scheduled
            - see 1954 07 00 and 1947-10-15

            'Stan Getz, tenor sax man, and his quartet will be featured in the Modern Jazz Concert at the Murat Thursday night, along with Duke Ellington, Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck.'


            'Pianist Dave Brubeck and his quartet will be featured in the Duke Ellington Modern Jazz Concert tonight at the Murat at 8:30 o'clock. The Brubeck Quartet, with Paul Desmond on alto saxophone, will play compostions from their "Jazz Goes to College"record album.
              In addition to Ellington's orchestra and Brubeck, the concert will star the quartets of Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan.'

            The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
            • 1954-10-21 p.38
            • 1954-10-24 s.6 p.17
            • 1954-10-25 p.12
            • 1954-10-26 p.24
            • 1954-10-27 p.24
            • 1954-10-28 p.34
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-19
            updated
            2016-04-01
            1954 10 29
            Friday
            .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel Opera House8:30 p.m. Modern Jazz Concert - see 1954 07 00 and 1947-10-15

            All seats reserved:
            • Boxes, Mezzanine and Orchestra $3.50
            • Lower Balcony $3.00
            • Upper Balcony $2.50
            St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
          • 1954-10-17 Pt.9 p.6H
          • 1954-10-28 Pt.4 p.8D
          • 1954-10-29 Pt.4 p.5D
          • ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-19
            1954 10 30
            Saturday
            ...activities not documented
            The Defender carried an ANP report that Norman Granz had announced he would bring his Jazz At The Philharmonic back to Carnegie hall Oct.30. It said the Duke Ellington-Dave Brubeck-Gerry Mulligan-Stan Getz unit would be a feature of the Carnegie show.

            While no other Ellington activity is documented this night, it seems unlikely the Ellington package would or could have traveled halfway across the country for a one-nighter on the east coast, particularly when the Ellington package was not part of JATP package.

            Stage Notes, Defender, New York, N.Y. p.18...djpAdded
            2016-04-01
            1954 10 31
            Sunday
            Halloween
            .Kansas City, Mo.Music Hall
            or
            Municipal Auditoreum Arena
            8:30 p.m. Modern Jazz Concert
            - see 1954-10-15 and 1954 07 00
            All seats reserved, tickets $2.00 $2.75 $3.50
            The "This Week in Kansas" column in the Kansas City Times had the Ellington concert in the Music Hall and the Biggest Show of '54, featuring Peggy Lee and Billly [sic] Eckstine at the Arena. The "What To See In Kansas City" column in the Atchison and Ft. Madison papers had the Eckstine/Lee concert in the Music Hall and the Ellington group in the Municipal Auditorium Arena.

            Kansas City Times:

            'SUMMED UP IN FINALE
            PROGRESSION OF JAZZ IS SHOWN AT CONCERT IN MUSIC HALL
            Duke Ellington's Band Is One of Those at Event Which Is Closed With "The St. Louis Blues, Mambo Style."
                 Jazz started with the blues, went to college and ended up as pianoless chamber music in a concert before about 2,000 persons last night at the Music Hall.
                 This came about by virtue of the collectio nof artists, including Duke Ellingotn and his orchestra...
                 Ellington played blues and mean swing.
                 Others Are Cool
                 The other groups which performed were made up of followers of the cool school. They were the Gerry Mulligan quartet and the Stan Getz quintet...
                 The Ellington band featured Oscar Pettiford on bass, Harry CArney on baritone sax, Ray Nance, Clark Terry and Cat Anderson on trumpets and Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet. The audience warmly received a medley of songs written by Ellington which have become favorites. It included "Sophisticated Lady", "Solitude", "Mood Indigo", "Caravan" and "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good."
                 The audience liked the whole show. A measure of the changes in jazz portrayed was the closing number. It was a mambo version of "The Twelfth Street Rag."'

            • Vail II
            • "This Week in Kansas," The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Kans. 1954-10-19 p.4
            • "What To See In Kansas City", Atchison Daily Globe, Atchison, Kans. 1954-10-28 p.2
            • "What To See In Kansas City"
              Ft. Madison, Ia., Democrat, Ft. Madison, Iowa
              1954-10-28 p.7
            • The Kansas City Star, Kansas City, Kans.:
              • 1954-10-25 p.15
              • 1954-10-26 p.23
            • The Kansas City Times, Kansas City, Mo.:
              • 1954-10-27 p.18
              • 1954-10-29 p.33
              • 1954-11-01 p.5
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-19
            2021-01-21

            November 1954

            1954 11 00... Peripheral event
            The New York Times News Service carried an article by Luther A. Huston saying the Supreme Court had rejected the American Federation of Musicians' appeal of a Federal Court of Appeals decision requiring it to remove Abe Stein, a Nashville agent, from its Unfair list. He had been placed on the list when he sued for damages after Ellington failed to appear for a performance Stein had booked.
            Corpus Christi Times, 1954-11-09 p.12.New
            added 2013-04-14
            1954 11 01
            Monday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 02
            Tuesday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 03
            Wednesday
            .Aurora, ColoradoKFG Studio
            Fitzimons Army Hospital
            (Unconfirmed)

            The DefenseImagery.mil displays two photographs dated 11/3/1954 of Duke in the studio of the radio station at the hospital. The site gives no detail about the appearance; while it is possible Ellington came alone to the hospital, it is also possible the band played.

            It is more likely than not that the Modern Jazz Concert was performed nearby, since Aurora is very close to Denver.
            ...djpNew
            added 2013-04-14
            1954 11 04
            Thursday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 05
            Friday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 06
            Saturday
            .San Francisco, Cal.San Francisco Civic AuditoriumModern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15
            • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
              • Announcements and ads
              • 1954-11-04, p.D25
              • 1954-11-05 p.E39
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            1954 11 07
            Sunday
            .Berkeley, Cal.Berkeley Community TheaterModern Jazz Concert - see 1954 10 15

            "The chamber jazz of the Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz ensembles, plus the larger sonorities of Duke Ellington's band."
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
              • Announcements and ads
                • 1954-10-31 p.14-S
                • 1954-11-04, p.D25
                • 1954-11-05, p.E39
                • 194-11-07 p.B-1
              • Review, 1954-11-08 p.24D
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-15
            2016-04-01
            2021-01-22
            1954 11 08
            Monday
            .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine AuditoriumFinal performance of the Modern Jazz Concert series - see 1954 10 15 and 1954 07 00
            Tickets: $2.00 $2.75 $3.50 $4.00 (tax included)
            Part of this concert appears to have been recorded. The Billboard announced Granz's Clef Records would be issuing "the first concert jazz package by Stan Getz on March 1, 1955, titled Stan Getz at the Shrine

            The Mirror said Ellington emceed the show and was the climax of the show.
            • The Mirror, Los Angeles, Cal.
              • 1954-11-02 Pt,III p.4
              • 1954-11-06 Pt,II p.8
              • 1954-11-09 Pt.III p.6
            • Daily News, Los Angeles, Cal.
              • 1954-11-04 p.49
            • The Billboard, 1955-02-12, p.19
            • Stratemann p.353
            • Vail II
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2013-04-16
            1954 11 09
            Tuesday
            .Fresno, Cal...
            • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1954-10-30 p.15
            • Stratemann p.354
            • Vail II
            ....Added
            2011
            updated
            2016-04-03
            1954 11 10
            Wednesday
            .Dunsmuir, Cal.Corral.
            • Stratemann p.354
            • Vail II
            ....Added
            2011
            1954 11 11
            Thursday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 12
            Friday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 13
            Saturday
            .Longview, Wash.
            Olympia, Wash.
            Crystal Ballroom
            Hotel Monticello
            Tea dance, 4 to 7 p.m.

            The Daily Chronicle:

            'Progressive dinner plans were completed at the Friday meeting of the Elizabeth Kenny Orthopedic...
              The Longview Orthopedic is giving a Tea Dance Nov. 13 with music furnished by Duke Ellington and his band.'

            Longview Daily News:

            'More Than 300 Couples At Dance
              Always one of the gayest affairs of the winter, this year's Holiday Dance sponsored by the Longview Orthopedic Guild was no exception. Approximately 300 couples attended the dance Saturday from 4 to 7 p. m. in the Crystal Ballroom of Hotel Monticello, to hear the music of Duke Ellington and his 15-piece orchestra...
              An "Under the Sea" fantasy theme was carried out in decorations by Mrs. Ted Korten and other members of the decorating committee...
              Proceeds from the annual dance will again go to the Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Seattle to aid sick and crippled children from all over the state. Last year 45 children from Cowlitz County were among those who received special care at the hospital.'

            • A tea dance is an afternoon or early evening social, often preceded by a garden party.
            • Sister Elizabeth Kenny was an Australian nurse who pioneered a treatment for polio victims. She spent some years in the U.S.A.
            • Elizabeth Kenny Orthopedic is referred to in other editions of the Centralia paper as Elizabeth Kenny Orthopedic Auxiliary. It seems likely to have been associated in some way with Longview Orthopedic.
            • Longview is about 40 miles north of Portland, so the tea dance, which ended at 7 o'clock would not have conflicted with the Jantzen Beach dance, which seems likely to have started at 9 or 9:30.
            • A photograph of Ellington, Procope and an unidentified sideman on stage behind four dancing couples was printed in the Longview Daily News and in the Longview Orthopedic scrapbook. It also appears on page 109 of I'm Just Nuts About Longview Washington by Dennis P. Weber, Karen Dennis and Sue Maxey. It is captioned "One active philanthropy involved support for the Children's Orthopedic Hospital in Seattle. The Lake Guild sponsored annual dances, and in 1954, Duke Ellington was the band director."
            • Bill Watson:

              '...two pages from a Longview Orthopedic scrapbook, with newspaper clippings from the Longview Daily News about the dance Duke Ellington played at, and a photo from the event (the one used in the book) for the Nov. 13, 1954 event. The articles make it clear it was at the Hotel Monticello in Longview.'

            • One page from the Longview Orthopedic scrapbook has a handwritten note below Ellington's publicity photo saying "Best Music We Ever Had!"
            • The Daily Chronicle, Centralia, Wash.,
              1954-10-19 p.2
            • Longview Daily News, Longview, Wash.
              • 1954-11-06 p.7
              • 1954-11-15 p.11
            • Longview Orthopedic scrapbook pages, with two undated newspaper clippings from the Longview Daily News, courtesy of Bill Watson, Collections Curator, Cowlitz County Historical Museum,Kelso, Wash.
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-03-29
            updated
            2017-08-31
            2021-01-22
            2024-01-28
            1954 11 13
            Saturday
            .Portland, Ore..Personnel change
            • Drummer Dave Black was hospitalized in Portland, Ore.
            • New Desor has him leaving the band Nov. 12, which seems to be a day early. New Desor and Timner V have Fred Butler playing Nov. 13 at Jantzen Beach. Nielsen has Black playing Jantzen Beach that night. Stratemann and Vail say Black left Nov. 13.
            • Down Beat 1955-01-12 p.3:

              When Dave Black had to remain in a Portland, Ore., hospital because of a virus ailment, Louie Bellson agreed to fill in with Duke Ellington's band at Basin Street for five weeks.

            • Bellson received star billing on the ads for the Basin Street residency
            • In 1997, Black told interviewer Bob Rusch:

              I got very sick. We worked a country club in Portand, Oregon and I got a virus. Got sick as a dog and I got sicker by the night. Oscar Pettiford carried me to the drassing room. Duke said, "Let's stop at a hospital," and they stopped and I went in and stayed in. And the band did all one-nighters back to New York, came back again and I was still in the hospital. I'd developed some kind of polio to my face and leg. So Louie filled in for me and then I rejoined the band back in New York at a place called The Band Box, I believe...I was out, I believe, about 14 weeks.

            • Black may have meant he got very sick during the tea dance, in which case he may have been taken to the hospital before the band went to Jantzen Beach.
            • Although his interview indicates otherwise, it appears Black returned to the band after about 9 weeks. Bellson subbed from November 30 until January 2. There is evidence Black was with the band during the next few months, until it returned to Portland in June.
            • Fred Butler is discussed in DEMS 98-1 p.15:
              • Göran Wallén:

                'Frank Butler played drums in the band when they left California at the end of November 1954 and went back to New York... Bellson took over when the Band came back to New York. The trip took about 10 to 14 days and Mr. Butler played the drums.'

              • J. Kent Williams:

                ...Butler, Frank. (born in Kansas City, MO, 18Feb28, died in Ventura,CA, 24Jul84).
                  Drummer...
                ...a superb timekeeper, a sympathetic accompanist, and an imaginative soloist; he was perhaps hte only durrmer on the West Coast in the 1950s who played in the hard-bop tradiditon of Maz Roach, Philly Jo Jones, and Art Blakey.'

            • Further research needed:
              1. When did Black return to the band after Basin Street?
              2. If not Black, who drummed between Jan. 3 and 7?
              3. Is it possible Black picked up a fast-acting polio virus from a carrier at the afternoon tea dance?
            • Dave Black interviewed by Bob Rusch,
              Cadence magazine 1996-06-00 pp.5-10 Interview
            • New Desor vol.2
            • Stratemann p.354
            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-04-19
            .DEMS
            98,1/15
            .djpNew
            added
            2012-10-11
            updated
            2016-03-29
            2017-08-31
            2024-01-25
            2024-01-28
            2024-04-19
            1954 11 13
            Saturday
            .Portland, Ore.Jantzen Beach Ballroom
            Jantzen Beach Amusement Park
            Hayden Island
            Recorded dance date
            The ads and publicity in The Oregonian do not show a starting time. Based on another dance advertised at this venue in October, it was likely 9:00 or 9:30 p.m., which would not conflict with the tea dance in Olympia if it ended in the very early evening.
            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
            Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Peck Morrison, bass, Fred Butler, drums, Grissom.
            Titles recorded:
            • Stompin' At The Savoy
            • Maybe I Should Change My Ways
            • Smile
            • Cocktails For Two
            • Time On My Hands
            • Summertime
            • Take The "A" Train
            • Smada
            • In The Mood
            • If I Give My Heart To You
            • Sophisticated Lady
            • Serious Serenade
            • Perdido
            • Caravan
            • Chili Bowl
            • Just Squeeze Me
            • Medley:
              I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart - Don't Get Around Much Anymore
            • All The Things You Are
            • Theme For Trambean
            • Satin Doll
            • Jam With Sam
            • Medley:
              Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me - Prelude To A Kiss - Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
            • Honeysuckle Rose
            • Isle Of Capri
            • Give Me The Right
            • September Song
            • Love You Madly
            • Creole Love Call
            • Monologue
            • Mood Indigo
            • Stratemann p.354 citing Variety 1954-11-17 p.78
            • Vail II
            • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
              • 1954-10-28
              • 1954-10-29 p.12
              • 1954-10-30 p.10
              • 1954-10-31 p.13
              • 1954-11-05 p.6
              • 1954-11-07 p.15
              • 1954-11-08 p.7
              • 1954-11-10 p.18
              • 1954-11-11 p.7
              • 1954-11-13 p.7
            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
              Ellingtonia.com
            • Timner
            • Ole J. Nielsen
              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
              , p.147
            New Desor
            DE5418
            ..djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            2016-04-02
            2019-10-22
            1954 11 14
            Sunday
            .Fairchild Air Force Base
            near Spokane, Wash.
            Noncommissioned officers' messSpokane Daily Chronicle:

            'An overflow crowd of 600 to 700 attended the Duke Ellington orchestra show at Fairchild air force base last night, the base reported today.
                 The orchestra played at the noncommissioned [sic] officers' mess. Many airmen were turned away at the door because of the size of the crowd, Fairchild officials said.'

            Spokane Daily Chronicle,Spokane, Wash.
            1954-11-15 p.5
            ...djpNew
            added
            2021-01-22
            1954 11 14
            Sunday
            .Spokane, Wash..Spokane Daily Chronicle:

            'Duke Ellington, famous band leader and composer, here a few nights ago for an engagement at Fairchild air force base, visited with Mr. and Mrs. Erick Bax van Werald, both active in local music circles, following the program.
                 Among other things, Ellington said he recently completed a musical play, "The Blues," which has been warmly praised by such entertainment world figures as Eddie Bracken and Jose Ferrer.
                 The Duke is taking his 18-piece band across the Atlantic next April for a tour of western Europe.'

            Spokane Daily Chronicle,Spokane, Wash.
            1954-11-22 p.10
            ...djpNew
            added
            2021-01-22
            updated
            2021-02-04
            1954 11 15
            Monday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 16
            Tuesday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 17
            Wednesday
            .Twin Falls, IdahoHigh school gymnasiumOne-hour floor show (8 p.m.) and dance (9 to 11 p.m.)

            'Complete Collection of Duke Ellington Records Available
              All the phonographs records ever made by Duke Ellington and his orchestra have been made available to publicize the local appearance of the orchestra here November 17, reports Howard Moffatt, manager of the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce.
              The records will be played over local radio stations to thoroughly aquaint valley residents with the quality of music produced by Ellington and his band.
              Ray Crowell, Buhl, a personal friend of Ellington's, is making the records available to promote interest in the band's appearance here. Crowell and Ellington have been close friends for many years.
              Duke Ellington and his orchestra will give an hour-long show beginning at 8 p.m. at the high school gymnasium. After the show, the gymnasium will be cleared and dance tickets sold for dancing from nine until 11 p.m. .. '

            Roper's Twin Falls store offered a free ticket to the show for every $10 spent or paid on account, and a free ticket to the dance for every $20 spent or paid.

            Times-News:

            'A large crowd turned out Wendesday night to listen and dance to the music of Duke Ellington and his 15-piece orchestra appearing at the high school gymnasium under the auspices of the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce.
                 Ellington and his musicians presented an hour-long program of varied music selections of ad-lib solos by featured musicians and modernistic music stylings and interprestions.
                 Attenddance at the dance later was good.'

            Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho:
            • 1954-11-05
            • 1954-11-07 pp.2, 11
            • 1954-11-08
            • 1954-11-09 p.1
            • 1954-11-12
            • 1954-11-15 p.5
            • 1954-11-16 pp.2, 5
            • 1954-11-17 p.1
            ...djpNew
            added 2013-04-23
            2016-04-02
            2021-01-22
            1954 11 18
            Thursday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 19
            Friday
            .Salt Lake City, UtahRainbow Randevu
            464 South Main St.
            Gala anniversary party, 191st Fighter-Bomber Squadron of the Utah Air National Guard. Military program and dancing to the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra, starting at 8 p.m. The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah
            • 1954-11-17 p.4B
            • 1954-11-19 p.A15
            .
            ...djpNew
            added
            2021-01-22
            1954 11 20
            Saturday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 21
            Sunday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 22
            Monday
            .Terrytown
            Scottsbluff County
            Nebr.
            Terry's ArenaOne nighterChadron (Neb.) Record, Chadron, Nebr.
            • 1954-11-11 p.4
            • 1954-11-18 p.4
            ...djpNew
            added
            2021-01-22
            1954 11 23
            Tuesday
            .Martin, Nebr..The Gordon Journal:

            'Miss Margaret Talcott, Mr. Parks, Mr. and Mrs. Kirby Jackson and Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Hockenbary went to Martin Tuesday evening to hear Duke Ellington's dance band.'

            Presumably this was a one-nighter along the band's route from Terrytown to Chicago.

            Martin is along the route from Salt Lake City through Terrytown to Chicago. Martin lies near the southern border of Nebraska, and Gordon is northwest, near the northern border. May 2024 Google driving directions show it takes about five hours to reach Martin from Gordon.
            The Gordon Journal
            Gordon, Nebr.
            1954-12-01, p.11
            Mao, Salt Lake City to Chicago via Terrytown and Martin, Nebraska
            Salt Lake City–Chicago
            via
            southern Nebraska

            Click to Enlarge
            ...djpNew
            added
            2024-05-22
            1954 11 24
            Wednesday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 25
            Thursday
            American Thanksgiving Day
            .Chicago, Ill.Trianon BallroomSwinging the News

            'The arrival of Count Basie at Chicago's Trianon ballroom to be followed by Duke Ellington (Thanksgiving night) means the Windy City is getting the pick of the dish, musically for its Turkey menu.—THE COUNT plays three — Ellington will be here for one engagement on Thursday the 25th... '

            Al Monroe, Swinging the News, New York Age Defender, 1954-11-18 p.18....New
            Added
            2016-04-03
            1954 11 26
            Friday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 27
            Saturday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 28
            Sunday
            .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz BallroomDance
            • Meriden Record, Meriden, Conn.
              • 1954-11-18 p.24
              • 1954-11-19 pp.19, 24
            • Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn.
              • 1954-11-18, p.12
              • 1954-11-20 p.14
              • 1954-11-27 p.12
            • Bridgeport Post / Bridgeport Sunday Post,
              Bridgeport, Conn.
              • 1954-11-18 p.38
              • 1954-11-22 p.30
              • 1954-11-23 p.26
              • 1954-11-27 p.11
              • 1954-11-28, pp.B-12, B-13
            • Meriden Journal, Meriden, Conn.
              • 1954-11-19 p.12
            • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
              • 1954-11-28 p.4
            ...djpNew
            added
            2012-08-06
            updated
            2021-01-22
            1954 11 29
            Monday
            ...activities not documented......
            1954 11 30...Personnel change
            Louie Bellson, drummer, begins 5 weeks of subbing for Dave Black.
            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
            added 2012-10-10
            1954 11 30
            Tuesday
            1955 01 02
            Sunday
            New York, N.Y.Basin Street
            51st St. off Broadway
            APPEARING NITELY EXCEPT MON. DUKE ELLINGTON HIS ORCH. and SHOW featuring LOUIS [sic] BELLSON.
            5 weeks, Mondays off.
            Also on the bill, pianist Alec Templeton and the Don Shirley Duo.
            An ad in the Dec. 17 edition of Yale Daily News had Duke Ellington, his Orchestra & Show and Roy Hamilton The Newest.
            Immediately above their names was:Residing at BASIN STREET beginning Dec. 21. Presumably this means Hamilton was added to the bill on that date. The accomanying story:

            'Basin Street... is offering a rollicking holiday show starring the one and only Duke Ellington and his orchestra and featuring on the same bill the new singing sensation of the rhythm and blues field, Roy Hamilton, who is making his New York night club debut at Basin Street. Rounding out the show is the imaginative piano wizardry of Don Shirley and his duo.
              ...The Duke aided by such talented sidemen as Ray Nance, Harry Carney, Oscar Pettiford and the incomparable master the drums, Louis [recte Louie] Bellson have the audiences crying for more...'

            • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
              • 1954-10-11 p.22
              • 1954-12-25 p.19
            • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
              • 1954-11-27 p.19
              • 1954-11-30 p.15C
            • Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1954-12-04 p.14
            • "Metropolitan Weekend," Yale Daily News,
              Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
              1954-12-17 p.5
            • Stratemann p.354
            • Vail II
            ...djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            2016-04-03
            2016-04-27
            2021-01-22

            December 1954

            1954 12 01
            Wednesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 02
            Thursday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 03
            Friday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 04
            Saturday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 05
            Sunday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 06
            Monday
            ...day off ......
            1954 12 07
            Tuesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 08
            Wednesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 09
            Thursday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 10
            Friday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 11
            Saturday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 12
            Sunday
            .New York, N.Y.Hunter College Auditorium
            69th St. between Park & Lexington

            DUKE ELLINGTON
            And His World Famous Orchestra
            FRANK SINATRA             JOHN RAITT
            Radio, Hollywood, Records        'Pajama Game'
            JUANITA HALL
            'South Pacific'
            TEX & JINX McCRARY
            Radio & Television
            STAR NIGHT BENEFIT
            for the
            MORNINGSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER
            Mental Hygiene Service
            Admission: $2.00 and $3.00 may be purchased at door
            Or Telephone: MOnument 6-7190 - Circle 6-8716
            MORNINGSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER
            360 West 122nd Street     New York 27 N
            Teen-Age Special - 200 Subsidized Tickets at $1.00

            • N.Y. Age Defender, New York, N.Y.
              1954-11-27 p.2
            • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
              1954-12-04 p.17
            • Vail I
            • Stratemann p.354
            ...djpNew
            added
            2016-04-03
            1954 12 12
            Sunday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 13
            Monday
            ...day off ......
            1954 12 14
            Tuesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 15
            Wednesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 16
            Thursday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 17
            Friday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 18
            Saturday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 19
            Sunday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 20
            Monday
            .Washington, D.C.Howard TheatreSidemen's activities are not documented. They had the night off from Basin Street.

            Ellington, Cab Calloway, Willie Bryant, Leonard Reed, Nipsy Russell and others were scheduled to appear in a "Giant N.A.A.C.P. Benefit Show" starting at 8:30 p.m.
            • The event was mentioned in the 1954-12-11, The Washington Afro-American, saying it was to be December 19, but the 1954-12-18 plug said Monday and the ad that day said Monday, December 20.
            • The 1955-01-01 edition reported the District branch of the NAACP would net about $1,000 from the recent benefit which starred Ellington, Bryant, Reed, Ray Sneed and Jacque Taylor's band.
            • The Washington Afro-American
              • 1954-12-11 p.2
              • 1954-12-18 pp.1, 19, 21
              • 1955-01-01 p.2
            • Vail II
            • Email, Jean-François Pitet- Palmquist 2024-05-20
            ....New
            added
            2024-05-23
            1954 12 21
            Tuesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 22
            Wednesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 23
            Thursday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 24
            Friday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 25
            Saturday
            Christmas
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 26
            Sunday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 27
            Monday
            ...day off ......
            1954 12 28
            Tuesday
            .New York, N.Y.Probably
            Hudson Theatre
            139-141 West 44th St.
            Live 18-minute appearance on the late night NBC network television show "Tonight!"
            Duke Ellington with an unidentified rhythm section, Steve Allen, Skitch Henderson's house orchestra and either Doc Severinsen or Rex Stewart
            Titles telecast:
            • I'm Beginning To See The Light
            • In A Sentimental Mood
            • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
            • Mood Indigo
            • Caravan
            • It Don't Mean A Thing
            • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
            • Boy Meets Horn
            • Medley: Sophisticated Lady - C-Jam Blues

            • Ellington soloed with a rhythm section and played with Allen and the rhythm section, and played with the house band.
            • New Desor, Vail II, Timnner V and Nielsen have Doc Severinson soloing in Boy Meets Horn; Stratemann says Rex Stewart joined the group as a special guest to play this number. Further research is needed to resolve the difference.
            • New Desor gives the title of the show as "Tonight - Steve Allen Show." While Allen was the host, the proper title appears simply to have been "Tonight!"
            • Stratemann p.354
            • Vail II p.77
            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
              Ellingtonia.com
            • Timner
            • Ole J. Nielsen
              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
              , p.147
            New Desor
            DE5419
            ..djpAdded
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            2016-04-03
            1954 12 28
            Tuesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 29
            Wednesday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 30
            Thursday
            .New York, N.Y.Alvin TheaterEllington was one of several celebrities photographed at the opening night performance of the Harold Arlen - Truman Capote musical, "House of Flowers," starring Pearl Bailey. Carmen De Lavallade, Alvin Ailey and Diahann Carroll were listed among its principals.
            • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
              1954-12-31 p.21
            • Greene County Democrat, Eutaw, Ala.
              1955-02-10 p.12
            ...djpNew
            added
            2024-02-12
            1954 12 30
            Thursday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
            2011
            updated
            2012-11-12
            1954 12 31
            Friday
            8:30 pm
            .New York, N.Y.WRCA radioAppearance on, or guest-hosting of, broadcaster Dave Garroway's radio show "Friday with Garroway"
            • Radio listing, Brooklyn Eagle, 1954-12-31
            • Yonkers Herald-Statesman 1954-12-31, p.14
            ...djpNew
            added 2012-11-12
            1954 12 31
            Friday
            .New York, N.Y.Basin Street Eastsee 1954 11 30

            Ellington's orchestra remote radio broadcasts on the NBC, CBS, ABC and Mutual networks:
            • CBS at 10:35 -
              • The Pittsburgh Press:

                  New Year's Eve Dancing Party - Three and a half hours of music by some of the country's best bands including Guy Lombardo, Duke Ellington, the Dorsey Brothers.

                • Yonkers Herald-Statesman

                  NEW YORK - ANP - Duke Ellington's orchestra will usher in the New Year here on the CBS New Year's Eve Dancing Pary. Duke's orchestra will be broadcast across the nation, as part of a program in which 20 name bands will participate in an around-the-clock presentation of the nation's leading musical aggregations.

            • ABC at 12:30 on WABC
              • Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, N.Y.:

                New Year's Eve Dancing Party Duke Ellington, Henry Jerome, Ralph Marterie and Oscar Dumont Orchestras WCBS

              • WCBS was the former call sign of ABC network station WABC. The station's complicated history is explored in the Wikipedia articles at the links to the right.(3)
            • NBC:
              • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Marshall, Bellson, Grissom

                Titles broadcast:
                • Chili Bowl
                  (Lasker: The 1954 Capitol record shows this as Chile Bowl. Per the copyright registration: CHILE BOWL. "Chili Bowl"; music by Duke Ellington. Registered in the name of Tempo Music, under EU 346590, Feb. 5. 1954.)
                • Twelfth Street Rag - Mambo
                • Coquette
                • Mood Indigo
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • Lullaby of Birdland
                • Satin Doll
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Chili Bowl
              • NBC's New Year's Eve show ran from 11:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. Its lineup is shown in the trade release linked to the right(4). NBC scheduled the orchestras of Guy Lombardo, The Dorseys, Ellington (12:30 to 1:00), Woody Herman, Sauter-Finegan, Ralph Marterie, Erroll Garner, Les Brown, George Shearing Quintet, and from England, Ted Heath.
              • The Pittsburgh Press:
                • All-Star Parade of Bands—Dance music from across the nation, plus the Times Square celebration.

            • Mutual:
              • The Vicksburg Evening Post said the Mutual station WQBC's new year's eve dancing party would have 10 top bands beginning at 9:30 local time {1 hour behind the east coast]. Participating bands were to be Dorsey Brothers, Duke Ellington, Billy May, Gene Krupa, Nat Brandwynn, Stan Kenton, Vincent Lopez, Perez Prado, Artie Shaw and Ray Anthony. The radio log itself assigns a quarter hour to each in that order, except Dorsey, which isn't listed but was probably first at 9:30. Ellington gets 15 minutes at 9:45. The May and Krupa sets follow news headlines and the weather report respectively. The station signs off after the news and weather at midnight.
            .(1) DE5420.
              Nick Fernandes, Carl Hällström, djpAdded
              2011
              updated
              2012-11-12
              2016-04-24
              2023-11-20
              2023-12-24
              2023-12-25



              Back to Navigation List

              1955


              Date of event Ending date
              (if different)
              City/
              Other place
              Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
              Desor
              reference
              DEMS
              reference
              Other
              references
              Contact
              person
              Date added
              / updated

              January 1955

              1955 00 00.U.S.A.Leonard Feather interview
              Unknown time and place
              .New Desor
              DE9037
              DEMSNDCS 1058.Added
              2011
              updated
              2012-11-12
              2020-05-09
              1955 01 01
              Saturday
              8 pm
              .New York, N.Y.."Stage Show"
              CBS-TV broadcast featuring the Dorsey Brothers orchestra - Ellington performed with them without his band on this CBS television show broadcast nationally by WCBS-TV at 8 pm.
              • Stratemann p.354 and pp.674-675
              • Long Island Star-Journal, 1954-12-31, p.16
              New Desor
              DE5501
              DEMSNielsen, Jazz Records, 1942-80, vol. 6 Ellington..Added
              2011
              updated
              2012-11-13
              2020-05-09
              1955 01 01
              Saturday
              .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30.....Added
              2011
              updated
              2012-11-12
              1955 01 02
              Sunday
              .New York, N.Y.Basin Streetsee 1954 11 30
              end of run
              .....Added
              2011
              updated
              2012-11-12
              1955 01 02
              Sunday
              ...Personnel change
              Wendell Marshall, bass, left the band after the Basin Street engagement and was replaced by Jimmy Woode, born 1916.
              DownBeat 1955 03 09, p.26 reported "JAZZ: Junior Raglin has replaced Wendell Marshall as bassist with Duke Ellington. Junior was with the band before some years ago... but Woode is shown in the February 17 session in New Desor and Nielsen and is introduced by Ellington in the April Washington Armory concert. It may be that Raglin returned temporarily while Ellington was seeking a permanent replacement.
              • New Desor vol.2
              • Email, S.Lasker-Palmquist, quoting DownBeat 1955-03-23, p.6
              ...djpNew
              added 2012-10-23
              updated
              2014-06-29
              2016-10-03
              1955 01 03
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 04
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 05
              Wednesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 06
              Thursday
              .Fulton, N.Y.State Theatre"3 hour concert of stellar musicians"

              "For this top-notch musical attraction scarcely 250 tickets were sold..."
              • Ad, Palladium Times, Oswego, N.Y., 1955-01-05 p.9
              • Fulton Patriot
                • Announcement 1954-12-16
                • Review 1955-01-13
              ...agpNew
              added 2012-08-20
              1955 01 07
              Friday
              8:30 P.M.
              .Ithaca, N.Y.Bailey Hall
              Cornell University
              Concert sponsored by the Junior Class Council.
              Tickets were $1.80, the gross take was $3,413.21, expenses were $2.000 paid for the Ellington band and $404.45 for other things, leaving the Council with a profit of $1,000.76
              The Syracuse paper reported "Cazenovians" who attended were Richard Ryan, Johnathon Thompson, Robert Wilkins and Philip Glassey
              Forrest Sanders review, The Ithaca Journal:

              'The house was packed and everybody had a good time...
                ...Clark Terry was especially fine in "Perdido," and the classic "Take the 'A' Train" with Ray Nance as "romantic (yet) baritone" was great fun.
                Like Smetana's famed "battered" bride, the "tattooed" one should reach new heights of fame after the program listing given her.
                Dan [sic] Black was marvelously frantic in "Tan Your Hide," the drum solo being an innovation claimed by Ellington. If anyone can blow a trumpet, or anything else for that matter, higher than Cat Anderson does, he ought first to thoughtfully ponder the consequences.
                Harry Carney, who has been with the band since the '20s, was excellent in "Serious Serenade," while Jimmy Grissom, Russel [sic] Procope, Paul Gonsalves, Britt Woodman, Rich [sic] Henderson and all the others were just real cool, in a red-hot sort of way.
                The magic of the Duke himself ... was as sure and as refreshing as a blast of fresh air, "Mood Indigo," "In My Solitude," "Don't Get Around Much," their terrific "Basin Street and all.'

              • The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. 1955-01-16 p.17
              • The Cornell Daily Sun, Cornell University:
                • Announcement, 1954-12-07, p.3
                • Ad and announcement, 1955-01-07 pp.2-3
                • Report, 1955-01-14 p.8
              • The Ithaca Journal, Ithaca, N.Y.
                1955-01-08 p.5
              ...djpNew
              added
              2014-06-30
              updated
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 08
              Saturday
              .Baltimore, Md.Polytechnic Institute AuditoriumProgramme front:

              EPSILON OMEGA CHAPTER
              OF
              ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY

              PRESENTS

              DUKE ELLINGTON
              and
              His World Famous Orchestra

              IN CONCERT

              SATURDAY EVENING, JANUARY 8, 1955
              EIGHT-FIFTEEN O'CLOCK
              *
              POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AUDITORIUM
              NORTH AND GUILFORD AVENUES
              BALTIMORE, MARYLAND


              Programme - left inside page:

              DUKE ELLINGTON
              and His World Famous Orchestra
              Featuring
              RAY NANCE and JIMMY GRISSOM
              with
              Cat Anderson
              Harry Carney
              Britt Woodman
              Paul Gonsalves
              Russell Procope
              Quentin Jackson
              Oscar Pettiford
              *
              James Hamilton
              Clark Terry
              Willie Cook
              Rick Henderson
              John Sanders
              Dave Black
              ---------------------
              Exclusive Capitol Recording Artist


              Programme - right inside page:

                     PROGRAM

              1. Stompin' at the Savoy
              2. Black and Tan Fantasy
              3. Tatooed Bride
              4. Honeysuckle Rose
              5. Serious Serenade
              6. Theme for Trombone
              7. Summertime
              8. Take the "A" Train
              9. Monologue
              10. V.I.P. Boogy
              11. Check with Sam

              - Intermission -

              12. Hawk Talks
              13. All the Things You Are
              14. Period
              15. Tan Your Hide
              16. Ellington on Piano

              Programme, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 13 "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, January 8, 1955"...djpNew
              added
              2016-01-24
              updated
              2019-03-27
              2019-05-02
              1955 01 09
              Sunday
              .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz Ballroom.DanceBridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport:
              • 1955-01-08 p.12
              • 1955-01-09 p.B-11
              ...djpNew
              added 2014-06-30
              1955 01 10
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 11
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 12
              Wednesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 13
              Thursday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 14
              Friday
              1955 01 15
              Saturday
              Reading, Penn. Rajah TheatreTwo day theatre bookingStratemann, p.354, citing Vairiety 1955-01-12 p58.....Added
              2011
              updated
              2012-11-12
              1955 01 15
              Saturday
              .ReadingRajah Theatresee 1955 01 14.....Added
              2011
              1955 01 15
              Saturday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 16
              Sunday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 17
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 18
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 19
              Wednesday
              1955 01 22
              Saturday
              Plainville, Conn.Wright's Steak House
              Wright's Theater Restaurant
              College Highway
              New Policy * Star Attraction
              Wed Thurs Fri Sat
              Jan. 19 20 21 22
              The Great
              DUKE
              ELLINGTON
              AND HIS WORLD FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
              2 shows nightly, 8 & 11 PM
              Dancing 8 to 1 am.
              Wed.Thurs.Fri.$1.25 plus tax
              Sat. $1.50 plus tax
              TEENAGER MATINEE
              SAT dancing from at 3 to 6 p.m.
              show at 4 p.m.
              $1.00 cover.
              Harfford Courant 1955-01-22:

              'Joe Navickas who runs Wright's in Plainville, was delighted with the turn out for Duke Ellington. It was terrific.'


              Stratemann relied on The Billboard, which only said Jan.19-20, for the dates. Vail II also without the 21st and 22nd, doesn't name its source.
              • Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
                • 1955-01-17 p.11
                • 1955-01-18 p.10
                • 1955-01-19 p.8
                • 1955-01-20 p.20
                • 1955-01-22 p.10
                • 1955-01-25 p.6
                • 1955-01-30 Parade of Youth section, p.5
              • Stratemann p.354 citing
                The Billboard 1955-01-29 p.22
              • Vail II
              ...djpAdded
              2011
              updated
              2014-06-29
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 20
              Thursday
              .Plainville, Conn.Wright's Steak House
              Wright's Theater Restaurant
              College Highway
              Dancing and 2 evening shows - see 1955 01 19....djpAdded
              2011
              updated
              2014-06-29
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 21
              Friday
              .Plainville, Conn.Wright's Theater Restaurant
              College Highway
              Dancing and 2 evening shows - see 1955 01 19....djpAdded
              2011
              updated
              2014-06-29
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 21
              Friday
              ... Ellington was scheduled to be one of three guest hosts on an evening network radio show, although if it wasn't prerecorded or if it required being in New York, Duke would have had to absent himself from the band that evening.
              This announcement was carried in several newspapers in the east and the midwest. The show was to be at 8:30 p.m. in the east, 7:30 p.m. in the midwest and 6:30 p.m. in San Diego and 9 p.m. in San Francisco, meaning some rebroadcasting occurred.

              'Faye Emerson, Duke Ellington and Jose Ferrer will take over for vacationing Dave Garroway on NBC radio's "Friday with Garrowy" program tonight at 8:30 o'clock. Garroway's friends will share emcee honors on the program, with Miss Emerson spotlighted on the first half hour, Ellington on the second, and Ferrer on the third. Guest stars for the "vacation hosts" will be Tony Curtis and Leonard Feather.'

                The Miami Daily News Mianai, Fla.
                1955-01-21 p.9-B
              • The La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse, Wisc.
                1955-01-21 p.8
              • Minneapolis Morning Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
                1955-01-21 p.33
              • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
                1955-01-21 p.20
              • Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
                1955-01-21 p.8
              • San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
                1955-01-21 p.18
              • The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal.
                1955-01-21 p.a-12
              • The Battle Creek Enquirer and News, Battle Creek, Mich.
                1955-01-21 p.16
              ...djpNew
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 21
              Friday
              ...Personnel change
              Louie Bellson leaves the band but will record with it in October 1956 and August 1963
              New Desor vol.2...djpNew
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 22
              Saturday
              .Plainville, Conn.Wright's Theater Restaurant
              College Highway
              See 1955 01 19
              2 shows, 8 and 11 p.m.
              admission $1.25 Weds.-Fri., Sat. $1.50
              Dancing 8 till 1 a.m.
              Teenager matinee, Sat/ at 4 p.m. with dancing at 3 p.m., $1.00 plus tax
              Barbara Rackliffe

              'Parade of Youth:

              ': "Plainville High Band Entertains Mass. Group,"
                Plainville High School recently entertained the band, orchestra and double quartet of Fairhaven High School, in Massachussetts.
                A dance was held Friday evening, with the Fairhaven band as guests...On Saturday morning rehearsals were held, and then a dinner was given by the Band Mothers. In the afternoon, all the members of the bands and choruses went to Wright's Restaurant to hear Duke Ellington's orchestra. Everyone got a chance to talk to the famous band leader, and then Miss Grace Jersey, director of the Plainville High Band, interviewed him and asked questions pertaining to the training of the members of his orchestra...'

              Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
              1955-01-30 Parade of Youth section, p.5
              ...djpNew
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 22
              Saturday
              ...Personnel change
              Dave Black, drummer, rejoins the band
              New Desor vol.2...djpNew
              added 2012-10-11
              1955 01 23
              Sunday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 01 24
              Monday
              1955 01 29
              Saturday
              Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernVail II reports Ellington and his orchestra had a one-week engagement here, from Jan.24 to Jan.29, without providing references. Further research is needed.
              Vail II....New
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 25
              Tuesday
              .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1955 01 24
              .....New
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 26
              Wednesday
              .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1955 01 24
              .....New
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 26
              Wednesday
              .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound Studio Peripheral event
              Lawrence Brown recording session - no apparent Ellington involvement.
              .00,1-20...Added
              2011
              updated
              2014-06-29
              1955 01 27
              Thursday
              .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1955 01 24
              .....New
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 28
              Friday
              .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1955 01 24
              .....New
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 29
              Saturday
              .Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavernsee 1955 01 24
              .....New
              added
              2019-03-27
              1955 01 30
              Sunday
              1955 02 01
              Tuesday.
              Detroit, Mich.Colonial Theater
              Woodward at Adelaide
              On Stage in person
              Duke Ellington and his Gala Musical Revue
              • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
                • 1955-01-28 pp.16, 17
                • 1955-01-30 p.E-7
                • 1955-01-31 p.27
                • 1951-02-01 p.25
              • Vail II
              ...djpNew
              added
              2019-03-29
              1955 01 31
              Monday
              .Detroit, Mich.Colonial Theater
              Woodward at Adelaide
              Duke Ellington and his Gala Musical Revue
              -see 1955 01 31
              .....2019-03-29

              February 1955

              1955 02 01
              Tuesday
              .Detroit, Mich.Colonial Theater
              Woodward at Adelaide
              Duke Ellington and his Gala Musical Revue
              -see 1955 01 31
              .....2019-03-29
              1955 02 02
              Wednesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 03
              Thursday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 04
              Friday
              1955 02 05
              Saturday
              McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.Air Freight Terminal buildingShow and dance, 9 to 1
              Asbury Park Evening Press:

              'Doors of the huge Air Freight Terminal building will swing open tomorrow [Friday]...beginning the two-day annual United Charity and Welfare Drive Mardi Gras...
                Each night there will be a dance and show featuring the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra...'

              Courier-Post

              '...Duke Ellington will play for dancing each night from 9 to 1 at the Air Freight Terminal Building...'

              Paterson Evening News

              '...To top off the two days of fun, there will be a dance and show, both nights from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m., featuring the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra...
                McGuire Air Force Base is located adjacent to Fort Dix and Wrightstown, New Jersey... '

              • Courier-Post, Camden, N.J.
                • 1955-02-03 p.30
                • 1955-02-05 p.3
              • Asbury Park Evening Press, Asbury Park, N.J.
                • 1955-02-03 p.20
              • Paterson Evening News, Paterson, N.J.
                • 1955-02-03 p.3
              ...djpNew
              Added
              2019-03-25
              1955 02 05
              Saturday
              .McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.Air Freight Terminal buildingShow and dance, 9 to 1 - see 1955 02 04
              ....djpNew
              Added
              2019-03-25
              1955 02 06
              Sunday
              .Long Beach, N.Y..

              "Duke Ellington's musicrew set to rock Long Beach Feb.6 for a charity shindig chairmanned by another famed maestro's frau, Mrs. Cab Calloway."

              ...djpNew
              2014-07-08
              updated
              2019-03-25
              1955 02 07
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 08
              Tuesday
              1955 02 15Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club engagement at i?? La Porte St.-JeanProgramme or menu cover
              "En vedette a La Porte St.-Jean, Duke Ellington et son orchestre au complet du 8 au 15 Fevrier inclus,"
              autographed by Ellington, the first Queen of Carnaval and two Carnaval duchesses.
              ...CAH, KG, DJP2012-07-06
              1955 02 09
              Wednesday
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 10
              Thursday
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 11
              Friday
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 12
              Saturday
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 13
              Sunday
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 14
              Monday
              Valentine's Day
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 15
              Tuesday
              .Québec, P.Q.En Vedette i?? La Porte St.-JeanRestaurant/club residency - see 1955 02 08.....2012
              1955 02 16
              Wednesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 17
              Thursday
              .Burlington, Ont.Brant InnDown Beat:

              'Strictly Ad Lib"; "TORONTO--The Deep River Boys played a weekend at the Brant Inn in Burlington, and Duke Ellington's band was scheduled to follow them...'

              • Stratemann p.354
              • Down Beat 1955-03-09 p.26
                Courtesy S.Lasker 2016-03-10
              .
              New Desor
              DE5502
              ...Added
              2011
              updated
              2021-08-21
              1955 02 18
              Friday
              .London, Ont.Thomas Hall Gym
              University of Western Ontario
              The University College Ball.

              'The A.S.C. [Arts and Science Council] receives a constitutional grant each year from the U.S.C. to carry out its projects. Some of these projects are as follows:...
                Sponsoring each year the U.C.Ball, held this year on February 18, and featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra. This is the major social event of the year undertaken by the A.S.C. for the students of University College. '

              Occidentalia, University of Western Ontario 1955 yearbook,
              • Captioned photo p.36
              • Brief commentary, p.41
              ...djpNew
              added
              2016-06-17
              1955 02 19
              Saturday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 20
              Sunday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 21
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 22
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 23
              Wednesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 02 24
              Thursday
              .Newport, R.I.Enlisted Men's Club
              Navy Base
              Concert and dance.
              Stratemann had this single day engagement running from Feb. 24 to Mar.6, relying on Down Beat "Band Routes:

              'Ellington, Duke (Enlisted Men's Club), Newport, R.I., 2/24-3/6'

              Vail II gave the same dates without citing a source.

              The engagement was a concert and dance Thursday night, and the band left for Boston that night:
              The News, Newport, Feb.25 (emphasis added):

              " 'Jazz is growing up,'...The famed pianist composer ... issued this pronouncement before mounting the podium at the Naval Station Enlisted Men's Club where his 15-piece and [sic] played for a concert and dance attended by more than 500 sailors and guests.

              ...After last night's performance, he and the band boarded their bus for Boston, where he will hold forth for 10 days at Storyville the jazz center run by George Wein, Jazz Festival production director...

              The Navy audience appeared to like the solid sound coming from the Duke's newest band, which has been ranked among the nation's best. It numbers such players as Paul Gonsalves of Pawtucket and Russell Procope on saxophones, Ray Nance on trumpet, Quinton [sic] Jackson on trombone and Dave Black at the drums.

              Club Manager Frank Aspin said he expected to bring here some of the other artists who will later play at the Jazz Festival..."

              • The News, Newport, R.I.,
                • 1955-02-22 p.11
                • 1955-02-25, p.4
              • Stratemann p.354, citing
                Down Beat 1955-03-09, p.26
              • Vail II
              • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2016-03-10
              ...djp/sl 2016-10-03.Added
              2011
              updated
              2014-06-28
              2016-10-03
              2019-03-28
              2021-08-21
              1955 02 25
              Friday
              1955 03 06
              Sunday
              Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
              Copley Square Hotel
              Night club residency - "Duke Ellington and His Entire Orchestra"
              Every night plus Sunday afternoons at 3 P.M.
              During at least part of this engagement, Johnny Hodges and his Award-Winning All-Stars were in Boston at the Hi Hat.
              Palmquist's notes:
              • Other than ads and plugs in the Feb. 28 to Mar.4 that say Ellington would be at Storyville "thru Sunday" and mention the Sunday matinee, the ending date of this Storyville is undocumented as yet.
              • My search of the Amusements pages of the Boston newspapers in the archives I use turned up no Storyville ads on Mar. 5 or 6. I may have missed some, given they are small and often amid other club ads. Storyville used at least three different designs for its ads in 1955, using fancy and sloped fonts which are not reliably detected by the archive services' OCR-based search engines.
              • While I believe the band played until the Sunday, Ellington was away in Washington D.C. on the Saturday.
              • The unidentified ad reprinted on page 79 of Vail II supporting a purported appearance at Storyville from March 25 to 31 is unidentified as usual, but is identical to the ads appearing in The Boston Daily Globe March 3 and 4.
              • Boston American and Boston Evening American, Boston, Mass.
                • 1955-02-21, pp.18,19
                • 1955-02-23, p.40
                • 1955-02-25, p.18
                • 1955-02-28, pp.42, 43
              • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                • 1955-02-28, p.22
              • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                • 1955-02-25, p.47
                • 1955-02-28, pp.35, 36
                • 1955-03-02, p.25
              • The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
                • 1955-02-23 p.8
              • The Boston Sunday Globe and The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
                • 1955-02-27 p.41
                • 1955-02-28 p.16
                • 1955-03-01 p.7
                • 1955-03-03 p.9
                • 1955-03-04 p.10
              • Storyville ads for other entertainers:
                • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1955-03-08 p.24
                  • 1955-03-10 p.13
                  • 1955-03-18 p.24
                  • 1955-03-23 p.22
                  • 1955-03-24 p.30
                  • 1955-03-25 p.23
                • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1955-03-30 p.40
              ...djpNew
              added 2014-06-29
              updated
              2019-03-25
              1955 02 26
              Saturday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 02 27
              Sunday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - Sunday afternoon and evening performances - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 02 28
              Monday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29

              March 1955

              1955 03 01
              Tuesday
              noon
              .Cambridge, Mass.Harvard Law School
              Harkness Commons
              (now Casperson Student Center)

              "DUKE ELLINGTON GUEST AT HARVARD TUESDAY

               Duke Ellington, composer and orchestra leader, will be guest of honor Tuesday noon at a luncheon tendered him by the Harvard Law School Coffee Hour in Harkness Commons.
               An announcement of national interest concerning Ellington will be made at the luncheon, according to Ray King, chairman."

            • Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
              1955-02-27 p.50
            • The Boston Sunday Globe, Boston, Mass.
              1955-02-27 p.41
            • ...djpadded
              2014-06-29
              updated
              2019-03-25
              1955 03 01
              Tuesday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 03 02
              Wednesday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 03 03
              Thursday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 03 04
              Friday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 03 05
              Saturday
              .Washington, D.C.Statler HotelEllington attended and played at the White House Correspondents dinner, with 900 journalists attending. President Eisenhower was the guest of honour; other guests included members of the Cabinet, Supreme Court justices, senators and representatives, and Dr. Milton Eisenhower, president of Pennsylvania State University.

              Peter Lind Hayes was master of ceremonies for the after-dinner entertainment, which featured Ellington and other members of ASCAP: Jimmy McHugh, Darla Hood, Judy Collins, Peter Lind, Mary Healy, Tennessee Ernie Ford.
              Izzy Rowe's Notebook:

              "The White House Correspondents have selected Duke Ellington to supply the music for their March shindig."

              UPI wirestory:

              "Duke Ellington, the noted pianist and an entertainer at the White House Correspondents' dinner last Saturday for the President, arrived at the show rehearsal with no music. Some of the rehearsal personnel seemed surprised.

              'What do I need with the music?' the Duke chuckled. 'I wrote it.' "

              Alene (Peg) Phillips, "From Peg in Washington"

              'Washington D.C. March 7
                The annual dinner of the White House Correspondents association was an entertaining event which Secretary McKay enjoyed Saturday evening. President Eisenower was the honored guest ... with Duke Ellington providing the music... '

              Ed Koterba, "A bit of Washington"

              'WASHINGTON – The newsmen kept the president up two hours beyond his usual bedtime this past Saturday night.
                He had dinner with us at the Statler Hotel...The affair was with the White House Correspondents association...
                Well, 1,000 of us paid $12 a plate ($15 for guests) to eat fillet [sic] mignon bercy... We also got to watch Ike watching some first class entertainment like th eformer White House stableman's grandson playing Mood Inigo on the piano. The grandson was Duke Ellington...'

              • Izzy Rowe's Notebook, Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                1955-02-19 p.14 (national edition)
              • Names in the News, Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah,
                1955-03-10, p.1
              • Duke Ellington, MIMM, pp.431-432
              • Louella O. Parsons, "Louella's Movie-Go-Round,, Albuquerque Journal,
                1955-03-01 p.19
              • Alene (Peg) Phillips, "From Peg in Washington," The Capital Journal, Salem, Ore.
                1955-03-12 p.4
              • Ed Koterba, "A bit of Washington," The Valley Times-Star, Newsville, Penn.
                1955-03-09 p.4
              • UPI wire story, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
                1955-03-06 p.2A
              ...djpadded
              2014-06-29
              updated
              2017-01-16
              2019-03-25
              1955 03 05
              Saturday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1955 02 25

              The band may have performed without Ellington who appears to have been in Washington this date.
              ....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 03 06
              Sunday
              .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNight club residency - Sunday afternoon and evening performances - see 1955 02 25....djpadded 2014-06-29
              1955 03 07
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 08
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 09
              Wednesday
              .New York, N.Y.."Masquerade Party" television show
              The California Eagle reported:

              'Duke Ellington, disguised as the Sheik of Araby because of his "Caravan" composition, just about stymied the Masquearade Party panel quiz on Tee Vee last week. Someone asked if he were a famous golfer. He said no, but that he knew how to swing. And when another panelist inquired if he were someone pretty "hot" at the time, the Duke replied that he rather suspected that he was someone rather "cool." '

              Soundrack with 'Chazz' Crawford,
              The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
              1955-03-31 p.9
              ...djpAdded
              2011
              updated
              2019-04-06
              1955 03 10
              Thursday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 11
              Friday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 12
              Saturday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 13
              Sunday
              .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz BallroomDancing
              Admission including tax and wardrobe, $1.75
              A dance team, Ray DeFelice and Jean Fickett, grabbed the spotlight. Ellington asked them to dance another tango, and gave each an autographed photo of himself.
              • Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn.
                1955-03-12 p.23
              • Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
                • 1955-03-11 p.16
                • 1955-03-13 p.B12
              • Stamford Advocate, Stamford, Conn.,
                • 1955-03-04 p.16
                • 1955-03-17 p.7
              ...djpNew
              Added
              2014-07-07
              updated
              2019-03-22
              1955 03 14
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 15
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 16
              Wednesday
              .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
              (Main Hall)
              Recorded rehearsal
              Duke Ellington and His Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air orchestra
              Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Don Shirley (piano), Woode, Black and the Symphony of the Air orchestra led by Don Gillis
              Title recorded:
              • New World A-Comin'
              • Howland cites Shirley as telling of Ellington, Strayhorn and Luther Henderson maniacally searching through all the orchestral parts, hunting for one wrong note heard in a rehearsal. They did not have a full score and were still "busily trying to correct, polish, and even write areas of the orchestration during rehearsals with the orchestra..."
              • Announcement, Down Beat, 1955-03-23
              • John Howland: Ellington Uptown: Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and the Birth of Concert Jazz, 2009, pp.177-178
              New Desor
              DE5503
              ..djpAdded
              2014-06-29
              Updated
              2016-03-29
              2019-05-04
              2021-11-07
              1955 03 16
              Wednesday
              8:30 p.m.
              .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
              (Main Hall)

              The Symphony Foundation of America, Inc.
              presents
              THE
              SYMPHONY
              OF THE AIR
              in
              "EXCURSIONS IN JAZZ"
              Featuring the Music of DUKE ELLINGTON and DON GILLIS
              (including the world prmiere of "Night Creature"
              Conducted by the Composers
              DUKE ELLINGTON and his BAND, Guest Artists
              DON SHIRLEY, Pianist


              The printed programme lists:
              • Bing Bang Bong (A Fantasy on a Trademark) - Gillis
              • Boogie in Brass/Lullaby Tango/Bobby Sox - Gillis
              • A Dance Symphony (No. 8) - Gillis
                a.Jukebox Jive
                b. Deep Blues
                c.Waltz (of sorts)
                d.Lowdown Hoedown
              • intermission
              • Harlem - Ellington
              • New World a 'Comin' - Ellington
                Don Shirley, soloist
              • Night Creature (a tone parallel for piano, Jazz band, and symphony orchestra - Ellington
              When Luther Henderson checked the programme and noticed he was not credited for his arrangments, he had inserts printed to correct the oversight.

              The Daily News reported the hall was about half full and said after Shirley got a big hand he played an "artful piano improvisation" encore of "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart" as the main theme, with "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" as a counter-melody, opening and closing with "an extremely effective usage of 'Jump for Joy'."Howland re New World A-Comin':

              'Ellington conducted the symnphony with the concert pianist Don Shirley performing as the soloist. Thanks to Carnegie Hall's regular practice of recording performances, this event actually marks the first known recording of Ellington's growing symphonic repertory and of the Ellington orchestra performing with a symphony, though these recordings were commercially released only in 1984.'


              The existence of the Carnegie Hall recording has not been reconciled with Down Beat, which said part of the concert was transcribed (recorded) for Voice of America and The Armed Forces Radio Service for future broadcast:
              Duke Ellington and His Band with the
              Symphony of the Air orchestra conducted by Don Gillis

              Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington (piano and conductor), Woode, Black, piano soloist Don Shirley, the Symphony of the Air Orchestra
              Titles recorded:
              • New World A-Comin'
              • Night Creature
                1. Blind Bug
                2. Stalking Monster
                3. Dazzling Creature
              • Harlem

              Palmquist's note:

              'It does not appear the concert was aired live; I was unable to find it in a brief survey of contemporary radio logs.'


              Carnegie Hall - Wed. Eve., March 16 at 8:30
              SYMPHONY OF THE AIR
              - presents -
              'EXCURSIONS IN JAZZ'
              featuring music of
              DUKE ELLINGTON & DON GILLIS
              with the Composers Conducting
              DUKE ELLINGTON'S BAND
              AND DON SHIRLEY
              GREAT ARTISTS
              Seats Now at Box Office: $6.00, $5.00, $4.00, $3.00


              "Duke Ellington and Symphony of the Air will present a joint concert in Carnegie Hall on March 16. The Duke will play and conduct, introducing a work especially written for the occasion, 'Night Creature.' The work is sub-titled 'A Tone Parallel for Piano, Jazz-Band and Symphony.' Don Gillis will also lead the orchestra in several of his compositions...."

              • Smithsonian Institution Ellington collection, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Box 11, folder 16 (courtesy of C. Windheuser, Smithsonian Reference Services volunteer):
                • Program from Carnegie Hall "Symphony of the Air" - Duke and his band listed as guest artists
                • Congratulatory telegram from a Dr. Kenneth Williams
              • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
                • 1955-03-02 p.58
                • 1955-03-15 p.61BL
                • 1955-03-18 p.17C (review)
              • Henry S. Wootton Jr., "Music Notes,"
                Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, N.C.,
                1955-03-07 p.5
              • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
                • 1955-03-13 p.32
                • 1955-03-16 p.70
                • 1955-3-17 p.38 (review)
              • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
                1955-03-06 s.6 p.16
              • Announcement, Down Beat, 1955-03-23
              • Stratemann p.355 with poster reprint and citing Variety 1955-03-23
              • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli

                Ellingtonia.com
              • Timner
              • Nielsen 6, p.149
              • Vail II
              • John Howland: Ellington Uptown: Duke Ellington, James P. Johnson, and the Birth of Concert Jazz, University of Michigan Press, 2009; pp.255-256, 265-277, and two photos
              New Desor
              DE5504
              DEMS.djpAdded
              2011
              updated
              2014-06-29
              2016-03-29
              2016-04-27
              2016-06-18
              2019-05-05
              2019-10-23
              2020-05-09
              1955 03 17
              Thursday
              St. Patrick's Day
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 18
              Friday
              ...activities not documented

              ......
              1955 03 18
              Friday
              ..Peripheral Event
              Harold Manson, "Music-Mania" column

              'Another Ellington bandsman has left the old master to start an aggregation of his own. He is Harry Carney, one of the leading factors in the Ellington orchestra for many years. Carney plays baritone sax and bass clarinet.
                Carney will have many familiar Ellington faces in his group in the person of Ray Nance, Jimmie Hamilton, Wendell Marshall and Louis Bellson. He has also added 11 strings to the group to help make their renditions of the favourite Ellington sides smooth and moody a la Carney.
                They have already recorded TAKE THE A-TRAIN, IT HAD TO BE YOU and a few others... '


              Palmquist comment:
              Carney did not leave Ellington. The columnist may (just possibly, not certainly) have heard that the band would be reconfigured for the Aquacade gig in June, but that is pure speculation on my part. But if he'd heard of that, and then learned of the newly released Clef LP Harry Carney with Strings, he may have come to the wrong conclusion. The album is discussed in many newspapers. Examples (emphasis added):
              • Indianapolis News:

                'Harry Carney Swings on Sax
                  Although he has been a mainstay of the Duke Ellington band, Harry Carney just now is being featured on a record by himself.
                  Norman Granz got Carney together with a group of outstanding musicians, many of them from the Ellington band, too, for "Harry Carney with String," [sic] a Clef Record.
                  Carney's beautiful baritone sax never sounded better backed by a lush string section featuring Ray Nance.
                  Selections in the album include "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You," "Take the A Train," We're in Love Again," "Moonlight on the Ganges," "It Had To Be You," "My Fantasy," "I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and "Chalmeu."
                  This should open the door to recording fame for Carney – it's been closed too long already.'

              • The Hammond Times:

                'Norm Granz continues to send us from the coast fabulous discs of outstanding jazz recitals by the best artists in the field. Typical is a new Clef 12-incher called "Harry Carney with Strings," which marks the lp debut of the great baritone sax artist who was one of the stars of the Duke Ellington aggregation. He is also a crack composer – to witness his "Chalmeau" and the tricky-rhythmed "We're in Love Again" – and arranger, as his way with "Moonlight on the Ganges" and "My Fantasy" demonstrates irrefutably. Wonderful, lifelike sound, as on all Norm Granz lps!'

              • Music-Mania, The Lincoln Clarion,
                Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Mo.
                1955-03-18 p.4
              • The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
                • 1955-09-11 p.17
                • 1955-09-22 p.18
              • The Hammond Times,
                Hammond-East Chicago, Ill.,
                1955-03-17 p.17
              ...djpNew
              added
              2019-04-02
              updated
              2019-04-05
              2019-04-28
              1955 03 20
              Sunday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 21
              Monday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 22
              Tuesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 23
              Wednesday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 24
              Thursday
              ...activities not documented
              ......
              1955 03 25
              Friday
              1955 03 31Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleStratemann:

              'March 25 Storyville, Boston, Mass. (one week: DB 23.3.55)'

              Vail II:

              'Friday 24 March 1955
              Duke Ellington and his Orchestra open a one-week engagement at Storyville in Boston, Massachusetts.
              Thursday 31 March 1955
              Duke Ellington and his Orchestra close at Storyville in Boston, Massachusetts.'


              Neither is correct; Count Basie and Erroll Garner played the club during that period.
              • The unsourced Storyville ad on page 79 of Vail II is the same as the ones that appeared in The Boston Daily Globe on March 3 and 4. Not to flog a dead horse, those ads were for the February 25-March 6 residency.
              • On March 18, Boston Globe columnist Jack Hamilton reported Count Basie and his orchestra were thrilling patrons at Storyville and would be there all the next week, with a special jazz matinee Sunday. This would seem to mean Basie's run at the club ended March 27.
              • Storyville advertised "Count Basie and his entire orchestra" "Nightly & Sunday at 3 p.m." on March 23, 24 and 25.
              • On March 30 it advertised the opening night for "Erroll Garner and his Trio."
              • Ellington and his orchestra played a concert and dance at the Enlisted Men's Club at the Navy Base in Newport, R.I. on February 24, 1955.
              • The News, Newport, R.I., February 25, reported Ellington and his orchestra left Newport "last night" for Boston, where they would play Storyville for 10 days.
              • Storyville advertised Ellington "opening tonight" in the February 25, Boston Daily Record.
              • While the 1955 02 25 to 1955 03 06 engagement was well publicized and advertised, nothing is to be found in the Boston Globe, Boston Traveler, Boston Daily Record, or the Boston American for a residency at the end of March.
              • All Florida Magazine had Ellington playing in Daytona Beach, Florida on March 31.
                • Stratemann p.355 citing Down Beat 1955-03-23
                • Vail II, p.79
                ...djp and Michael Graff (email 2014-06-29)Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-29
                2016-09-20
                1955 03 25
                Friday
                1955 03 26
                Saturday
                Clemson, S.C.Dining hall
                Clemson College.
                Formal dance (Military Ball)
                First evening of a two day engagement
                The Tiger printed a financial statement showing Ellington was paid $3,000. Ticket sales came to $3,035, with 212 block tickets (both nights), 122 Friday tickets and 231 Saturday tickets sold. Expenditures exceeded receipts, resulting in a loss of $127.
                • The Greenville News, Greenville, S.C.
                  1955-02-27 p.6
                • The Tiger, Clemson College, Clemson, S.C.
                  • 1955-03-10 p.6
                  • 1955-03-17 pp.1,2
                  • 1955-03-24 p.1
                  • 1955-04-21 p.1
                • The State, Columbia, S.C.
                  1955-03-25 p.8-C
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-03-24
                1955 03 26
                Friday
                .Clemson, S.C.Dining hall
                Clemson College.
                Concert Saturday afternoon
                Informal dance Saturday evening.
                -see 1955 03 25
                ...djpNew
                added2019-03-24
                1955 03 26
                Saturday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyvilleactivities not documented.....
                1955 03 27
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyvilleactivities not documented.....
                1955 03 28
                Monday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyvilleactivities not documented.....
                1955 03 29
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyvilleactivities not documented.....
                1955 03 30
                Wednesday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyvilleactivities not documented.....
                1955 03 31
                Thursday
                .Boston, Mass.Daytona Beach, Fla.George Wein's StoryvillePeabody AuditoriumThe "All Florida Magazine," distributed as a Sunday supplement in Florida newspapers, listed this engagement (without details), in its "You should see" column. It is consistent with the appearance the next day in Tallahassee, about 250 miles northwest.All Florida Magazine, The Palm Beach Post, West Palm Beach, Fla.,1955-03-27 p.5...djpNew
                added
                2016-09-21

                April 1955

                1955 04 01
                Friday
                4 P.M.
                .Tallahassee, Fla.Westcott Auditorium
                Florida State University
                4-6 p.m. free afternoon concert including the IFC Beauty Queen contest - the winner was to be announced during the dance in the evening.
                Pittsburgh Courier:

                "There is some truth to the rumor that 'top brass' at Florida State University, all-white institution in Tallahassee, objected at first to students scheduling Duke Ellington's band for a campus appearance on April 1. Somebody bigger than the university's 'top brass' gave the students the OK sign."

                Jerome Bernstein, The Florida Flambeau:

                "Last Wednesday a precedent was established on the Florida State Campus when the administration gave its okay to the Inter-Fraternity Council hiring of Duke Ellington and his band for the forthcoming IFC dance.
                ...The acquiring of Duke Ellington by the Inter-Fraternity Council came about because of the close cooperation given by IFC and AM in getting together and solving the dilemma of raising enough money to pay Ellington. The result was that a Graduate Fraternity at A&M and the IFC decided to split the cost on a two night stand. It was also arranged for the 'Duke' and his band to be housed on the A&M campus..."

                David Dreis, The Florida Flambeau:

                "...Ellington is the first negro orchestra leader to appear [at] the Florida state universities...The IFC...has opened the concert to all students...The dance is a closed affair for fraternity men and their dates..."

                Jeri Bradfield, The Florida Flambeau:

                "LOOK 'Men' Liven Ellington Concert"
                  During the IFC Capers this past weekend at FSU, the University was host to photographer Charlotte Brooks and feature writer George Leonard from LOOK magazine, who were here to cover the Duke Ellington appearances. Both were travelling with the Ellington Band in order to get a realistic outlook for a feature in their magazine.
                  The two have been traveling with the band for several days and pictures were taken at several appearances, including Jacksonville, Daytona Beach, Gainesville and Tallahassee.
                  ...An interesting sidelight of the bus trip is the fact that Duke Ellington has a ham radio set on the bus and by means of this, he keeps in constant contact with his New York office and agents. In this way messages can be relayed to the bus at any time.
                  Miss Brooks said that the Duke was completely thrilled with the student response which he received at FSU during his short stay here. The long and prolonged applaus which the students gave to the band at the afternoon concert and the formal dance was overwhelming, according to Duke.

                In her second article, Ms Bradfield writes that Duke had financed six annual scholarships at Juilliard for 15 years, and describes briefly his meetings with President Truman in 1950 and President Eisenhower in 1955, a "pre-dinner reception" in the privacy of the Statler Hotel.
                • Pittsburgh Courier, 1955-01-22, s.2,p.11
                • The Florida Flambeau, Florida State University student newspaper, Talahassee, Fla.:
                  • Jerome Bernstein, "Better Relations," 1955-01-14 p.2
                  • David Dreis, "Duke Ellington Will Play Free Concert This Friday," 1955-03-29, p.1
                  • Jeri Bradfield, 2 articles under a banner headline, "Duke Ellington's Concert Arouses Student Interest," 1955-04-05, p.4
                • Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Fla.
                  • 1955-04-01 p.9
                  • 1955-04-04 p.4
                • The Tampa Daily Times, Tampa, Fla.
                  1955-04-01 p.11
                ...djp(new)
                2014-07-07
                1955 04 01
                Friday
                9 P.M.-1 A.M.
                .Tallahassee, Fla.Suwannee Room
                Florida State University
                Florida State University Inter-Fraternity Council formal dance - see 1955 04 01 4 P.M. for details

                Miss Jean Hayden, the former Miss Jacksonville of 1954, was crowned IFC Queen of 1955 during the dance.
                • Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Fla.
                  • 1955-03-27 p.8
                  • 1955-04-01 p.9
                  • 1955-04-04 p.4
                • The Tampa Daily Times, Tampa, Fla.
                  • 1955-04-01 p.11
                  • 1955-04-08 p.8
                ...djp(new)
                2014-07-07
                2019-03-27
                2019-03-30
                1955 04 02
                Saturday
                .Tallahassee, Fla.Lee Auditorium
                Florida A. and M. University.
                Two concerts, 4 and 8 p.m. sponsored by Chi Omega Chapter, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
                The afternoon concert was a special student matinee, admission $1.00
                Admission to the evening concert was $1,75 advance or $2.00 at the door.
                Pittsburgh Courier:

                "Duke Ellington will be presented in a pair of concerts at Florida A. and M. University on April 2 under the auspices of Chi Omega Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity."

                Tallahassee Democrat March 4:

                'Tickets went on sale today for the Duke Ellington benefit scholarship concerts scheduled for April 2 at Florida A and M University...
                  The concerts are being sponsored by Chi Omega chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity for the benefit of the organization's scholarship fund.
                  The first concert, for students only , will be at 4 p.m. The second concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. Both will be held in Lee auditorium on the A and M campus.'

                Tallahassee Democrat March 27:

                'Look magazine is planning to send a writer and photographer here next weekend to cover the scheduled appearance of Duke Ellington and his orchestra at Florida A & M University... '

                • Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Fla.
                  • 1955-03-04 p.3
                  • 1955-03-26 p.4
                  • 1955-03-27 s.2 p.1
                  • 1955-03-31 p.10
                  • 1955-04-01 p.9
                • "College Roundup," The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                  1955-03-05 p.3
                ...djp(new)
                2014-07-07
                updated
                2019-03-21
                2019-03-22
                2019-03-30
                1955 04 02
                Saturday
                .Tallahassee, Fla..Ellington reportedly was a guest at a cocktail party given by Mr. and Mrs. J. R. E. Lee Jr. on the eve of a Palm Sunday wedding reception for Dr. and Mrs. Martin R. Silas Sr. The column does not say whether or not he played during the party, the address of the host and hostess, nor does it say what time of day the party took place.Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, Fla.
                1955-04-16 p.4
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-03-30
                1955 04 03
                Sunday
                Palm Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 04
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 05
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 06
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 07
                Thursday
                .St. Petersburg, Fla.St. Petersburg ColiseumDance, 9 to 1, admission $2.00
                The ads in the St. Petersburg Times were unusual in that they spanned the full width of the page at the bottom,
                St. Petersburg Times quoted Coliseum officials as saying there was a sell out crowd.

                More than 40 students and graduates of Sarasota High School attended. Many of them were named by The News.
                • St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
                  • 1955-03-27 p.12-C
                  • 1955-03-29 p.20
                  • 1955-03-30 p.15
                  • 1955-04-01 p.16
                  • 1955-04-03, s.D p.1
                  • 1955-04-05 p.23
                  • 1955-04-04 p.33
                  • 1955-04-06 pp.14, 15
                  • 1955-04-07 p.36
                  • 1955-04-08 p.27
                • The News, Sarasota, Fla.
                  • 1955-04-08 p.9
                  • 1955-04-09 p.6
                ...djpNew
                added 2013-02-08
                updated
                2014-07-07
                2019-03-22
                2019-03-30
                1955 04 08
                Friday
                Good Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 09
                Saturday
                .Tampa, Fla..Loyal Knights Patio
                Columbus Drive And 20th St.
                Dancing
                Ladies 75¢ Gentlemen $1.25

                HEAR
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                ANDHIS ORCHESTRA
                SATURDAY NITE, APRIL 9TH
                ATTHELOYAL KNIGHTS PATIO
                COLUMBUS DRIVE AND 20TH ST. – TAMPA
                10:30 TO 2:30 A.M.
                For Table Reservation Phone 44-5611 After 7 P.M.

                The Tampa Daily Times, Tampa, Fla.
                • 1955-04-02 p.10
                • 1955-04-08 p.18
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-03-30.
                1955 04 10
                Sunday
                Easter Sunday
                .Fort Lauderdale, Fla.National Guard Armory
                SW 24th St. and Fourth Ave.
                Concert for Whites and Negroes, 3:30 p.m.
                Fort Lauderdale Daily News and Sentinel:

                'Despite efforts of church groups to bar Negro orchestra leader Duke Ellington from presenting a Pops Concert here on Easter Sunday, the show will be staged on that day at the National Guard Armory, it was announced today.
                  The concert had been booked for the War Memorial Auditorium on a verbal contract when the Ft. Lauderdale Ministerial Association protested. Voiding of the auditorium contract was approved by the City Commission last week with a recommendation that the promoter be reimbursed for expenses incurred in preparation for the stage show.
                  Ellington will have with him his entire 18-piece band, and will feature as soloist "Cat" Anderson, cornetist...'


                • Personnel named in the publicity:
                  • Anderson
                  • Black
                  • Carney
                  • Cook
                  • Ellington
                  • Gonsalves
                  • Grissom
                  • Henderson
                  • Jackson
                  • Pettiford
                  • Procope
                  • Sanders
                  • Terry
                  • Woodman
                • Carney, featured in one of the publicity articles, was identified as the only member remaining from Ellington's Cotton Club opening.

                The Daily News review:
                • Relatively small audience
                • First half:
                  • Serious jazz including Harlem
                  • Soloists:
                    • Clark Perry [sic] of the shuddering tromnbone [sic]
                    • Harry Connie [sic] with his baritone sax
                    • Cat Anderson on the trumpet featured in the highly stylized version of Carmen
                  • Second half:
                    • Medley of Ellington's own popular songs
                    • Black played a new arrangement for drums
                • Fort Lauderdale Daily News and Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
                  • 1955-03-21 pp.1, 2A
                  • 1955-03-24 p.14-A
                • Fort Lauderdale Daily News and Fort Lauderdale Sunday News, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
                  • 1955-02-27 p.12-E
                  • 1955-04-08 p.4-B
                  • 1955-04-10 p.10-E
                  • 1955-04-11 p.13-A
                • Miami Daily News, Miami, Fla.
                  1955-04-10 p.8-B
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-03-22
                updated
                2019-03-29
                1955 04 10
                Sunday
                Easter Sunday
                .Miami, Fla.Dance
                Miami Negro policeman's ball.
                Miami Daily News, Miami, Fla.
                1955-04-10 p.8-B
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-03-21
                1955 04 11
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 12
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 13
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 14
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 15
                Friday
                1955 04 16
                Saturday
                Blacksburg, Va.War Memorial Gymnasium
                or
                War Memorial Hall
                Virginia Polytechnic Institute
                Cotillion Club Spring Formals
                The Roanoke Times:

                'BLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech's two dance clubs this week were winding up preparations for their last dance sets of the 1954-55 academic year. The clubs will have their spring formals Friday and Saturday nights April 15-16.
                  Playing for the Cotillion Club at Memorial Hall the two nights will be Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Ellington will also play at an outdoor concert, weather permitting, in the Tech amphitheater.
                  Sponsors for the cotillion will be Miss Iva Helen Harter, Salem, with Carroll Keeter, Franklin and Mrs. David Chapman with David Chapman, Richmond...'


                • Friday dance: 10 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
                • Saturday concert "down by the duck pond" 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.; in the gym if it rains
                • Saturday dance: 8 p.m. to midnight
                  In case of rain, the concert was to be held in the gymnasium.
                • The Virginia Tech, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va.,
                  courtesy Special Collections, University Libraries, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University:
                  • 1955-03-11
                  • 1955-04-01
                  • 1955-04-08
                  • 1955-04-15
                  • 1955-04-22
                • Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Va.
                  1955-04-14 p.10
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-06
                updated
                2019-04-08
                1955 04 16
                Saturday
                .Blacksburg, Va."Down by the duck pond"
                Amphitheater
                Virginia Polytechnic Institute
                Afternoon concert 3 to 5 p.m. - outdoors unless raining, then in the gym.
                - See 1955 04 15
                ....djpNew
                added
                2019-04-06
                1955 04 16
                Saturday
                .Blacksburg, Va.War Memorial Gymnasium
                or
                War Memorial Hall
                Virginia Polytechnic Institute
                Dance 8 - 12 p.m.
                -See 1955 04 15
                ....djpNew
                added
                2019-04-05
                1955 04 17
                Sunday
                .Richmond, Va.WRVA Theatre2 shows, 4 P.M. and 8:30 P.M.
                Orchestra $2.95, Mezz. $2.30, Balc.$1.50, all seats reserved
                Seats in all locations for colored and white patrons.

                The April 17 plug mentions this is at the end of a 42 day tour of the south. While that may just be bumpf, it may also lead to discovering more engagments during this sparsely documented period.
                Ads and plugs, Richmond Times-Dispatch
                • 1955-04-03, p.L-2
                • 1955-04-10 p.L-3
                • 1955-04-14, p.13
                • 1955-04-17 p.L-3
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-06-29
                1955 04 18
                Monday
                .Roanoke, Va.American Legion Auditorium

                DANCE
                IN PERSON
                The One – The Only
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON
                and his world famous
                ORCHESTRA
                Featuring Ray Nance and Jimmy Grissom

                American Legion Aud.
                Mon. Nite April 18th
                9:00 'til 1:00
                Special advance
                $1.50 Per Person
                $2.00 At Door.
                ...Entire Balcony Reserved for White Spectators $1.00


                Palmquist's note:
                I have assumed the auditorium is in Roanoke because the ads were in a Roanoke newspaper. Further research might show otherwise.
                The Roanoke Times, Roanoke, Va.
                • 1955-04-07 p.26
                • 1955-04-13 p.24
                • 1955-04-17 p.D-12
                .
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2019-03-30
                1955 04 19
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 20
                Wednesday
                .Washington, D.C.National Guard ArmoryBenefit concert
                The United States National Guard held its first nationwide emergency mobilization exercise, Operation Minuteman, this afternoon and evening, reportedly mobilizing 320,000 men reportedly within two hours, as well as 1,000 Air National Guard aircraft. See the initial reports in The Evening Star for details.

                The Evening Star reported:

                'The ground troops actually didn't line up in the Armory. Duke Ellington and his orchestra had the floor with a full crowd of bepop addicts in the stands.'


                The concert was recorded:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Black(d), Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Satin Doll
                • Harlem
                • Perdido
                • All The Things You Are
                • Monologue
                • Take The A Train
                • Flamingo
                • Teach Me Tonight
                • Gonna Tan Your Hide
                • Happy Go Lucky Local
                • Medley
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • Twelfth Street Rag
                The medley consisted of
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • C-Jam Blues
                • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore

                Steven Lasker:

                'The Armory Concert was issued on Jazz Guild 1002. Despite its claim to be a product of Canada, with a Quebec address prominent, it was actually distributed out of Long Island by Jerry Valburn, who got the recording date of the Armory concert wrong (it's April 20, not April 30).'

                New Desor
                DE5505
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2013-02-14
                2016-10-03
                2019-04-05
                2020-05-09
                2023-02-26
                1955 04 21
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 22
                Friday
                1955 04 23
                Saturday
                Lexington, Va.Virginia Military InstituteDance
                Announcement

                'Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra will play for Easter Hops Friday April 22 and Saturday the 23rd. On Saturday there will also be Duke Ellington concert at 3 o'clock...'

                Report:

                'Praise For A Master's Music
                  Duke Ellington played for Easters, and they all danced. He gave a Saturday afternoon concert; there was rapt listening, and then applause.
                  Having the Ellington band for a hop weekend was different for VMI. The leader was a Duke in the field of jazz, but jazz is not an ingredient of the usual cadet hop. Still, Ellington made musc [sic] and fun was had. This writer of "Jam with Sam" has also written "Mood Indigo," and therein lies the key to the weekend's success...
                  People who don't like swing music ordinarily, came to hear the concert, and they were happy they came. When "Cat" Anderson would start reaching for C above high C on his trumpet the audience began to realize that this band had instrumentalists unmatched by the others. The dance orchestra usually has a passive role, but for the first time here, people were wanting the names of the soloists...'

                The V.M.I. Cadet,
                Virginia Military Institute,
                Lexington, Va.
                • 1955-03-07 pp.1, 7, 8
                • 1955-04-18 p.1
                • 1955-04-25 pp.1,5
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-18
                1955 04 23
                Saturday
                .Lexington, Va.Virginia Military Institute3 p.m. concert
                -see 1955 04 22
                ....djp2016-06-18
                1955 04 23
                Saturday
                .Lexington, Va.Virginia Military InstituteEvening - dance
                -see 1955 04 22
                ....djp2016-06-18
                1955 04 24
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 25
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 26
                Tuesday
                8:30 p.m.
                .Greensboro, N.C.Charles Moore Gymnasium
                A & T College
                Concert
                Admission $1.75 advance, $2.00 at door
                • Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro,N.C.,
                  • Ad, 1955-04-22, Features section, p.8
                  • Announcement, 1955-04-23 s.1 p.9
                • Ad, The Greensboro Record, Greensboro,N.C. 1955-04-23 p.A-13
                • NMAH Duke Ellington Collection, 1927-1988, #301, Container List Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Domestic Tours, 1937-1974, Box 11, Folder 1
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-07-20
                1955 04 27
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 04 28
                Thursday
                .Bluefield, W.Va.Bluefield State CollegeFraternity dance
                Pittsburgh Courier:

                "When Duke Ellington reaches Bluefield, W.Va., to play for the Alphas formal (April 28) we'll bet he'll be greeted by two of the top-flight hostesses of that hospitable town...Gwendolyn Higginbotham and Bernice Martin and their mates, Dr. Higgie and Dr. Ernie."

                Pittsburgh Courier:

                "The great Duke Ellington was taken back abit when he raised his baton for his orchestra to play the "A Train" and the bandsmen blared away with "Happy Birthday to You." It was the maestro's birthday the night he played the Alpha's spring formal at Bluefield State College."

                Washington Afro-American:

                "This city was all agog with pleasurable excitement last Thursday when the area graduate chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha presented the highlighting social event of the last decade.

                Alpha Zeta Lambda chapter brought to the Mountain City Duke Ellington and his famous band to entertain their 500 guests.

                To make it a double barreled event, it was the Duke's birthday! Imagine the great band leader's surprise as he raised his baton for the band to swing into the 'A Train' - only to hear the strains of 'Happy Birthday to You.' Simultaneously, Dr. Ernie Martin rolled in a huge birthday cake with an array of lighted candles and Joseph Turner, secretary of Alpha Zeta Lambda, made the presentation to Maestro Ellington. There was enough cake for the entire band and many of the guests...
                Cocktail parties galore were in evidence at the homes of many of the Alpha brethren and wives. Hosts and hostesses included the Ernie Martins, P.R.Higginbothams,... "

                The article goes on to name several other cocktail parties, the organizers, and a long list of guests from out of town and out of state.
                • Pittsburgh Courier
                  • 1955-04-23, p.10
                  • 1955-05-21, S2,p.13
                • Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, W.Va.,
                  1955-05-08 p.7
                • Washington Afro-American, Washington, D.C.
                  1955-05-10 p.7
                .
                ...djpnew
                2014-07-07
                updated
                2016-06-18
                1955 04 29
                Friday
                Ellington's birthday
                .Morgantown, W. Va.West Virginia University

                "WVU Campus Highlights
                Weekend Activity Features Miami Triad Dance, Concert.
                By Mary Lee Grimmett
                Duke Ellington, called one of the greats in the field of music for the last 20 years, played for the Miami Triad dance and concert on the West Virginia University campus Friday night. In honor of an alliance formed at Miami University several years ago, three fraternities - Sigma Chi, Phi Delta Theta and Beta Theta Pi - conduct the Triad each year. The fraternities entertained with dinners, picnics and parties to celebrate the weekend... "

                The Charleston Gazette 1955-05-01 p.33...djpNew
                added 2014-07-09
                1955 04 30
                Saturday
                .Durham, N.C.Men's Gymnasium
                North Carolina College at Durham

                'Duke Ellington To Give Concert At N.C. College
                  Durham, April 14- Duke Ellington, famed jazz musician, will play a scholarship benefit concert at North Carolina College in the Men's Gymnasium on Monday, April 30 at 8 p.m.
                The Ellington concert is being sponsored by the North Carolina Law School Scholarship Committee for the benefit of its scholarship fund.'

                • Announcement, Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro,N.C. 1955-04-15, Features section, p.5
                • Stratemann p.363
                • Vail II
                ....Added
                2011
                updated 2014-07-20

                May 1955

                1955 05 01
                Sunday
                .Hampton, Va.Sports ArenaConcert, all seats reserved, admission $2.50
                Daily Press, Apr.24:

                'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will present a concert at 4 next Sunday afternoon, May 1, at the Sports Arena in Hampton. Ellington's Peninsula appearance is being sponsored by Zeta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. The concert will benefit the fraternity's scholarship and citizenship fund.'

                (Wikipedia lists Ellington as a member of Alpha Zeta Lambda; it appears he became an honorary member the previous month)
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-06
                1955 05 02
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 03
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 04
                Wednesday
                .Columbia, S.C.Township AuditoriumThe Columbia Record, May 2:

                'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play a concert and Negro dance at Township auditorium on Wednesday.
                  The concert, to which white listeners have been invited, begins at 9 p.m., with the Negro dance following for three hours.
                  Tickets are on sale at Bradford's Record Shop and Wilson's Record Shop, and will be available at the door on Wednesday night at the auditorium... '

                The announcement was followed by a 7-paragraph Ellington biography by Dorothy D. Wilson of Columbia.

                The State, May 4:

                'Duke Ellington and his 15-piece concert and dance orchestra will appear at the Columbia Township Auditorium tonight from 9 until 1 in a one-hour concert and a three-hour dance. The dance is for Negroes. White spectators will have the dress circle reserved for the concert and dance.'

                • The Columbia Record, Columbia, S.C.
                  • 1955-05-02p.14-A
                  • 1955-05-03 p.6-A
                • The State, Columbia,S.C.,
                  1955-05-04 p.7-B
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-08
                1955 05 05
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 06
                Friday
                1955 05 07
                Saturday
                Atlanta, Ga.Gymnasium
                Emory University
                9 p.m. semi-formal dance for the annual Dooley's Frolics weekend.

                This was the first of three dances Ellington's orchestra played here. Ticket prices were $3.50 for the evening dances and $2.00 for the afternoon performance. A book of tickets for all three was $7.00.
                The Atlanta Constitution, Apr.28:

                '"Goodrich C. Dooley, the uninhibited spirit of Emory University's annual spring frolics, will rise from his tomb Tuesday evening. The skeleton-clad figure will rule over Dooley's Frolics May 6 and 7 at Emory,...
                  Activities during the frolics will include competitive skits and decorations among fraternity houses, three dances, and the crowning of the frolics beauty queen.
                  Duke Ellington and his band will play for the dances.'

                The Agnes Scott News, May 4:

                '"The Emory Wheel" announces Dooley's Frolics next weekend! The theme is "Manhattan in Transition" with decorations ranging from Chinatown to jazz scenes. Duke Ellington will play for the dances.'

                Page 196 of Emory University's 1996 yearbook "The 1956 Campus," titled Dooley's Frolics 1955, has a photograph of the band performing for a large standing audience and another of Duke at a piano surrounded by formally dressed students.
                • The Emory Wheel, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
                  courtesy of K. Shoemaker, Reference Coordinator, Research Services, Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, & Rare Book Library, Emory University:
                  • 1955-01-06 p.1
                  • 1955-04-21 p.9
                  • 1955-05-05 p.1
                • The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.
                  1955-04-28 p.19
                • The Agnes Scott News,
                  Agnes Scott College, Atlanta, Ga.
                  1955-05-04 p.2
                • Emory University 1956 yearbook
                  "The 1956 Campus," p.196
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-06
                1955 05 07
                Saturday
                .Atlanta, Ga.Gymnasium
                Emory University
                Dooley's Frolics weekend - see 1955 05 06:
                • 3 to 5 p.m., concert and tea dance
                • 8 p.m. to midnight, formal dance
                ....djpNew
                added
                2019-04-06
                2019-04-08
                1955 05 08
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 09
                Monday
                .Clarksville, Tenn.National Guard Armory
                HEAR --- SEE
                The Duke's 5 Powerful Trumpets
                Led by the Great Cat Andrews [sic]
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                And His Famous Orchestra
                Monday Night, May 9 8:00 p.m.-12 p.m.
                National Guard Armory
                There Will Be A Large Out-of-Town Crowd
                So Get Your Table Reservation NOW
                PHONE 9863
                Reserved Section for White Spectators
                The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle
                Clarksville, Tenn.
                • 1955-05-06 p.8
                • 1955-05-07 p.7
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-08
                1955 05 10
                Tuesday
                .Nashville, Tenn.Ryman AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 p.m.
                The May 8 ad billed this as "2 HR. STAGE SHOW," with advance admission priced at $1.10
                The Nashville Tennessean, Nashville, Tenn.
                • plug, 1955-04-24 p.3-E
                • plug, 1955-05-01 p.3-H
                • ad and plug, 1955-05-08 pp.2-E, 3-E
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-18
                1955 05 11
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 12
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 13
                Friday
                ...Duke Ellington rode in the Old Newsboys' Day parade which began at 11:15 a.m. Other celebrities in the parade were Mayor Harstfield, actress Yvonne DeCarlo, crooner Mel Torme and three Hollywood starlets. The parade, a fundraiser for the Cerebral Palsy School, was sponsored by The Atlanta Variety Club, The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. It raised an estimated $75,000 through sales of a special edition of the Atlanta Constitution.

                While the May 10 announcement said Ellington was scheduled to play for a dance at Emory University, his orchestra played there the previous weekend - see 1955 05 05/06 above.
                The Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta, Ga.
                • 1955-05-10 p.7
                • 1955-05-13 pp.1,7
                • 1955-05-14 pp.1,2
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-08
                1955 05 14
                Saturday
                1955 05 14
                Saturday
                Starkville, Miss.
                Lee Hall Auditorium
                State College, Miss.
                Concert, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
                The Clarion-Ledger
                • May 13:

                  'STATE COLLEGE, Miss. (Special) – Duke Ellington and his orchestra will make their first appearance on the Mississippi State College campus Saturday when the final Student Association dance is presented...
                    Officially closing the social calendar on the State ampus for'54-'55, Ellington and his orchestra will present a concert Saturday afternoon in Lee Hall auditorium from 3 till 4:30, and the dance Saturday night in the cafeteria from eight till twelve...'

                • May 24

                  'STATE COLLEGE – ...
                    Duke Ellington... lived up to his title Saturday afternoon and night as he introduced State sutdents to the new forms of progressive jazz. His shows went over great with the sutdents who had their ears open for something new but were a slight disappointment to those who expected an entire evening of the usual popular "Southern Style: of music.
                    As far as musicianship is concerned, his is the finest band to have played for a adance on the campus all year long. Most of the tunes were original with the "Duke" himself as were the arrangements, scoring, and styling, and the few tunes that he had borrowed from other composers had been rewritten to fit the styyle of his band.'

                The newspaper stories cited are datelined STATE COLLEGE but I could not locate a city by that name. Wikipedia says Mississippi State University is located partially in Starkville and partially in an adjacent unincorporated area.
                The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss.
                • 1955-05-13 s.2 p.5
                • 1955-05-24 s.1 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-09
                1955 05 14
                Saturday
                .Starkville, Miss.
                Cafeteria
                State College, Miss.
                Dance, 8 p.m. to midnight
                -see previous entry
                ....djpNew
                added
                2019-04-09
                1955 05 15
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 16
                Monday
                .Louisville, Ky.Memorial Auditorium
                Mississippi State College

                'DUKE ELLINGTON and his orchestra will repeat the two-hour concert presented originally in March at New York's Carnegie Hall when the group appears in Louisville on May 16.
                  The concert will be at Memorial Auditorium and all profits will go into the scholarship fund of the Louisville Chapter of Frontiers of America, Inc., a service club for Negroes....the Louisville concert will begin at 8:30 p.m. '

                The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
                • 1955-05-08 s.5 p.3
                • 1955-05-15 s.5 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-18
                1955 05 17
                Tuesday
                .Springfield, OhioMemorial Hall
                The Dayton Daily News:

                'DUKE COMING–Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play a concert at Springfield's Memorial hall Tuesday, May 17 at 8:30 p.m. Sidemen include Ray Nance, Harry Carney, Cat Anderson, Clark Terry, Britt Woodman and Russell Procope, with Jimmy Grissom on vocals.'


                Palmquist's notes:
                I am not convinced this concert took place:
                • This is the only mention of it that I could find in intensive, repeated searches through several online newspaper archive services.
                • I have assumed the Dayton announcement refers to Springfield, Ohio, about 25 miles northeast of Dayton. but it may be a different Springfield.
                • Springfield, Ohio, is 300 or so miles from Chicago, calling the first date of the Universal Studio recording session into question.
                • Springfield, Indiana, is 200 miles southwest of Chicago, but since Dayton is in Ohio, the Ohio Springfield seems the more likely candidate.
                • It may be that the concert was booked and cancelled, or it may be that the Universal sessions were at odd hours.
                • Further research is needed.
                The Dayton Daily News, Dayton, Ohio,
                1955-05-01 p.20
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-08
                updated
                2019-04-09
                1955 05 17
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioCapitol Recording Session
                Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Gerald Wilson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Black, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Harlem Air-Shaft
                • Look What I've Got For You
                • Commercial Time
                New Desor
                DE5506
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2019-04-07
                2020-05-09
                1955 05 18
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioCapitol Recording Session
                Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Black, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Theme For Trambean
                • Coquette
                • Serious Serenade
                • Body And Soul
                Discographies differ as to what was recorded on this and the next day.


                "Coquette" and "Oh Lady Be Good" appear to be the earliest documented uses by Ellington of an electric piano. Details of the instrument aren't documented, but the timing is right for it to have been an early Wurlitzer model which was introduced in the latter part of 1954. That is speculation, however, as there were other electric piano makers.
                New Desor
                DE5507
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-04-07
                2020-05-09
                2024-02-15
                1955 05 19
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioCapitol Recording Session
                Duke Ellington group
                Nance, Jackson, Procope, Ellington, Woode, Black, Grissom.
                Titles recorded:
                • Discontented Blues
                • Once In A Blue Mood
                • Oh! Lady Be Good
                • So Long
                Note the discographies differ as to what was recorded on this and the previous day.
                New Desor
                DE5508
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-04-07
                2020-05-09
                1955 05 19
                Thursday
                .LaCrosse, Wisc.Avalon BallroomThis was presumably a dance. LaCrosse is less than 300 road miles northwest of Chicago and is between Chicago and Minneapolis.
                • Winona Daily News, Winona, Wisc.
                  1955-05-16 p.2
                • The LaCrosse Tribune and The LaCross Sunday Tribune, LaCrosse, Wisc.
                  • 1955-05-13 p.13
                  • 1955-05-14 p.7
                  • 1955-05-15 pp.6,19
                  • 1955-05-16 p.11
                  • 1955-05-17 p.18
                ..djpadded
                2014-07-09
                updated
                2019-04-09
                1955 05 20
                Friday
                .Minneapolis, Minn.Scott hall
                University of Minnesota

                '...[Dizzy] Gillespie will join Duke Ellington in a lecture on modern music at 2:30 p.m. today in Scott hall, University of Minnesota. He also will join the Duke's band for a couple of numbers during the Ellington concert at Northrop auditorium tonight. Dizzy and the Duke are old friends.'

                Minneapolis Morning Tribune
                Minneapolis, Minn.
                1955-05-25 p.39
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-13
                1955 05 20
                Friday
                .Minneapolis, Minn.Northrop Auditorium
                University of Minnesota
                Concert 8 p.m., admission $1.25
                Duke Ellington and his concert orchestra will appear at Northrop auditorium May 20 at 8 p.m. in a benefit performance for the St. Paul campus student union building fund. Ellington will bring a host of jazz artists including drummer Dave Black and trumpeter-violiist Ray Nance. Vocalist is Jimmy Grissom.
                Minneapolis Sunday Tribune
                Minneapolis, Minn.
                • 1955-05-08 p.4
                • 1955-05-15 p.6
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-02-14
                2019-04-08
                2019-04-13
                2020-05-09
                1955 05 21
                Saturday
                .Minneapolis, Minn.Dayton's Record Shop
                7th Floor
                Dayton's department store

                'at Dayton's
                in person
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                Saturday, May 21st
                2:30 to 3:30 p.m.
                Dayton's Record Shop
                Here's your chance to get "the Duke's" autograph on some of his newest albums and plenty of your old favorite recordings. And you'll want to hear his concert at Northrop Auditorium tonight at 8 p.m. It's a benefit for the University's St. Paul Campus Student Union Fund
                DAYTON'S RECORD SHOP, 7TH FLOOR

                • The Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis, Minn.
                  1952-05-20 p.24
                • Minneapolis Morning Tribune
                  Minneapolis, Minn.
                  1955-05-21 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-13
                1955 05 21
                Saturday
                .Minneapolis, Minn.Main Ballroom
                Coffman Memorial Union
                University of Minnesota
                Concert (per DEMS 96,2-4) and dance..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2013-02-14
                2019-04-13
                2020-05-09
                1955 05 22
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 23
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 24
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 25
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 26
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 27
                Friday
                1955 05 30Farmington, UtahPatio Gardens ballroom
                New Lagoon amusement park
                Dancing

                The first night the dancing was sponsored by Utah Junior Chamber organization to raise funds to advertise Utah on a national level. The door prize was an automobile, a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad.
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-27
                2019-03-10
                2019-04-13
                2020-05-09
                1955 05 28
                Saturday
                .Farmington, UtahPatio Gardens ballroom
                New Lagoon amusement park
                see 1955 05 27.....Added
                2011
                1955 05 29
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 05 30
                Monday
                .Farmington, UtahPatio Gardens ballroom
                New Lagoon amusement park
                see 1955 05 27.....Added
                2011
                1955 05 31
                Tuesday
                8:30 P.M.
                .Idaho Falls, Idaho."Duke Ellington program" sponsored by the Idaho Falls Rotary Club.
                • Idaho Sunday Journal
                  • 1955-05-08 p.3
                  • 1955-05-15, p.28
                • Idaho State Journal 1955-05-12 p.3
                ...djp2014-07-02
                updated
                2019-04-13

                June 1955

                1955 06 00...Personnel change
                Rick Henderson leaves the band in mid-June. He will record with Ellington a few times in 1956 and 1957.
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-12
                1955 06 00.Denver, Col..Interview.New Desor
                DE5510
                ...Added
                2011
                1955 06 01
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 02
                Thursday
                .Butte, Mont..Unconfirmed
                "Ellington is including Kalispell on a tour which also calls for stops in Butte June 2 and Spokane June 5"
                The Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont., 1955-05-08 p.2....djp2014-07-02
                1955 06 03
                Friday
                8:00 P.M.
                .Kalispell, Mont.Flathead County High School GymTwo hour concert sponsored by the Flathead Shrine Club Oriental Band, followed by a jam session. The local reporter, Pat Owens, wrote:

                "The Duke, whose Famous Orchestra performed in concert at Flathead County High School Friday night in the warmest jam session heard in these parts afterward, spent about 14 hours in Kalispell. We spent most of those 12 hour tracking the biggest name in modern music ever to penetrate to Flathead County.

                He came to rest, finally, for just a few minutes, at the jam session between solos by members of his orchestra....
                Then three members of the Famous Orchestra and Fred Normand, who plays piano in Kalispell, lit into the third round of that rip-roaring jam session and we all just sat back and listened."

                The Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont.:
                • 1955-05-08 p.2
                • 1955-05-22 p.12
                • 1955-06-01
                • 1955-06-03
                • Photo and report by Pat Owens, "The Duke Cites Music Trends," 1955-06-05
                ...djp2014-07-02
                2019-04-20
                1955 06 04
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 05
                Sunday
                .Spokane, Wash..Unconfirmed
                "Ellington is including Kalispell on a tour which also calls for stops in Butte June 2 and Spokane June 5"
                The Inter Lake, Kalispell, Mont., 1955-05-08 p.2....djp2014-07-02
                1955 06 06
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 07
                Tuesday
                .Vancouver, B.C..Newspaper interview, probably at Ellington's hotel. Les Wedman:

                'Duke Ellington dined on ice cream before he put his baggy eyes to bed today to rest up for tonight's four-hour dance session at Exhibition Gardens.
                  It was a meal that only a former art student and an ex-soda jerk could have created...[he] arranged the maple nut, chocolate and vanilla balls into an attractive peak...used two spoons to twirl and smooth the ice cream breakfast into an edible mass.
                  And between bites, the Duke, 32 years in jazz, talked about this and that...
                  ..."I've got at least eight guys with me who don't drink; six who don't smoke; others with the highest moral standards of anyone I've ever met." Then he chuckled. "Don't ask me if I'm included," he said...'

                Les Wedman
                Vancouver Province, Vancouver, B.C.
                1955-06-07 p.21
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-20
                1955 06 07
                Tuesday
                7:20 pm
                .Vancouver, B.C.CBUT Television Studio
                Georgia and Bute Streets
                CBC interview on television show "Almanac"

                Wasserman wrote that Ellington was in the shower when he was already supposed to be at CBUT.
                  Once outside the studio, he didn't want to do the TV show, protesting he wouldn't look good because he hadn't had enough sleep.
                  However, when an attractive female CBC staffer came to the door, he stampeded in.
                Jack Wasserman column,
                Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
                1955-06-08
                ...djpNew
                added
                2012-10-28
                1955 06 07
                Tuesday
                evening
                .Vancouver, B.C.CJOR Radio Station
                Basement
                Grosvenor Hotel
                840 Howe St.
                Internationally broadcast CJOR radio interview on the "highbrow" "Town Hall in Canada".
                The Morning Herald:

                'The ABC radio program "America's Town Meeting of the Air" was broadcast from Vancouver B.C. recently. Both the radio audience and the real one in the Vancouver hotel were surprised with the audience appearance of Duke Ellington, who asked and argued several questions of the subject, "How Far Should Canada Go In Following U.S. Foreign Policy?

                Duke did real good and was a hit - at the auditorium. He wasn't so successful at a Vancouver auditorium where his band and an Ellington concert had to go on without him. Seems Duke had dropped in to the hotel radio forum, got interested, and simply forgot about his own show.'

                • Jack Wasserman column
                  Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
                  1955-06-08
                • Robert Sylvester column Dream Street
                  The Morning Herald, Uniontown, Pa.
                  1955-07-09 p.14
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-10-28
                updated 2014-07-10
                1955 06 07
                Tuesday
                8:30 pm
                .Vancouver, B.C.Exhibition Gardens
                Renfrew St.
                Four hour concert and dance sponsored by Kinsmen Club of Vancouver
                • Tickets $2 at the door.
                • Attendance over 2,300 (The Sun) or about 5,000 (The Province)
                • The Kinsmen made $1,000 for their charity
                • Panned by the Vancouver Sun critic.
                • Vancouver Sun, Vancouver,B.C.
                  • 1955-05-30 p.40
                  • 1955-06-06
                  • 1955-06-07
                  • 1955-06-08
                • The Vancouver Province, Vancouver,B.C.
                  • 1955-05-31 p.10
                  • 1955-06-07 p.21
                  • 1955-06-08 p.44
                ...djpNew
                added
                2012-10-28
                updated
                2019-10-22
                1955 06 08
                Wednesday
                .Salem, Ore.South Salem High School Gymnasium

                IN PERSON
                IN CONCERT

                DUKE
                ELLINGTON

                And His

                World Famous
                ORCHESTRA
                With Music No Other
                Band Can Play!


                S.Salem Hi Gym
                WEDNESDAY
                JUNE 8–8 p.m.

                Tickets 1.00 and 1.50
                available at Stevens &
                Son and at Box Office

                Sponsored by
                Salem Jaycees

                • Capital Journal, Salem, Ore., 1955-05-04 p.2 s.1
                • The Oregon Statesman, Salem, Ore.
                  • Announcements
                    • 1955-05-11 p.4 s.1
                    • 1955-06-02 p.5
                  • Ads
                    • 1955-06-03 p.5
                    • 1955-06-04 p.2,s.1
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-18
                1955 06 09
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 10
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 11
                Saturday
                .Portland, Ore.Jantzen Beach BallroomRecorded dance
                Admission $1.82 plus tax
                Publicity included photos of Cat Anderson and Jimmy Grissom, and the ads named Ray Nance, Anderson, Grissom and Dave Black.
                • Stratemann p.355
                • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
                  • 1955-06-05 p.13
                  • 1955-06-06 p.7
                  • 1955-06-08 p.4
                  • 1955-06-09 p.4
                  • 1955-06-10 p.19
                  • 1955-06-11 p.8
                New Desor
                DE5509
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-09
                2020-05-09
                1955 06 12
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 13
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Emil Marans dress shop advertised dance frocks, formal or prom dresses for appearances by Harry James (May 25th) and Duke Ellington (June 13) in Butte, Montana. Two days later, the Meaderville Volunteer Fire Department advertised that the Ellington appearance was cancelled.
                Montana Standard, Butte, Mont.
                • 1955-05-20 p.20
                • 1955-05-22 p.12
                .
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2019-04-13
                1955 06 14
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 15
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 16
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 17
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 18
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 19
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 20
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 06 21
                Tuesday
                ...Personnel change
                Since they were not AF of M Local 802 members, Britt Woodman, Willie Cook, Rick Henderson, Paul Gonsalves and Dave Black were dropped from the band for the Aquashow engagement, and were replaced by Ward Silloway, Jimmy Spear, Virgil Davis, John Kulp and Jack Maisel for the engagement. The band was augmented by pianist Woody Kessler, whose role was also contractor, Genevieve Duffy and Betty Glamann, harps, John Richardson, Vic Liggoti, Sal (surname illegible), Bert Hirsch, George Brown and Pete Buon, violins, with Buon as assistant conductor.
                • New Desor vol.2
                • Stratemann p.355
                • Down Beat 1955-07-27
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-10-11
                updated
                2014-06-30
                2021-01-22
                1955 06 21
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y..Ellington, as well as "Garroway at Large, Connie Russell, Shirley MacLaine, Dick Van Dyke, and George DeWitt appeared in the "Frankie Laine Time" television show.

                This was the first episode of this CBS network summer replacement show. Whether or not it was live or pretaped is not yet determined; if it was prerecorded,
                ......
                1955 06 21
                Tuesday
                .Flushing, Long Island, N.Y.Flushing Meadows AmphitheatrePittsburgh Courier:

                'NEW YORK–Culminating more than a year of negotiation, Joe Glaser came up last week with the prize booking, one of the most important to be set for a colored orhcestra in many years. Working the deal with Max Roth of the Bernard Burke Agency, Glaser signed Duke Ellington for Elliott Murphy's Aquashow, starting June 21 for the entire season.
                  The first time in the history of the Flushing Meadows Amphitheatre that a Negro crew has been signed to play the show, the move is being lauded in all section sof the city. Negro bands which once had a chance to play all the best spots and hotels around Broadway, Park and Fifth Avenues are looking to this new development as the wedge that might open the way for democracy in the music business.
                  ...This is just another in a series of fine spots that Glaser has opened to colored attractions on a democratic basis in the past season. Ellington will play for the super white water show at the Flushing Amphitheatre and do a special Ellington concert. The aquashow is an all-star water affair and an annual event.'

                Douglas Watt, Daily News:

                'Duke Ellington will be the musical director of the Aquashow at Flushing Meadows this summer, tentatively scheduled to open June 21. He'll arrange the music, star in a special scene, and lead his own band, augmented by about 10 white musicians, in a short concert every night.'

                "The water and ice-skating show was supposed to open Tuesday night but got nowhere because rain fell shortly after it started. After three or four scenes of magnificent diving and swimming the show was called off until Wednesday."

                • Pittsburgh Courier
                  • 1955-05-14 p.15N
                  • 1955-05-28 p.15
                • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
                  1955-05-17 p.15c
                • AP wirestory datelined New York June 25, carried in the Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont., 1955-06-25, p.8
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 18 Aquashow, Flushing Meadow Park, Long Island, New York, June 17, 1955
                ...djp2014-07-02
                updated
                2016-01-24
                1955 06 22
                Wednesday
                9 P.M.
                1955 08 02Flushing, Long Island, N.Y.Flushing Meadows Amphitheatre
                Flushing Meadow Park
                Elliot Murphy's "Aqua-Show"
                Nightly at 9 p.m. except Mondays.

                Fireworks Tuesdays and Thursdays

                Admission between 61 cents and $1.44 plus tax.

                Free parking.

                Stratemann refers to this engagement both as Aquacade Show (as did Down Beat) and as Aquashow. The ad reproduced at Stratemann p.355 says Aquashow, as does the programme. Jet Magazine says Ellington would write the arrangements, but the programme credits Billy Strayhorn with the orchestrations.

                The New York Age describes the show as:

                '...eleventh season...one of New York's bright outdoor summertime attractions...Duke Ellington will lead an augmented orchestra for the entire show, which will boast the talents of June Earing, the Aquazanies, an ice follies on the world's only revolving ice rink, a bicycle ballet and a full-scale Broadway revue.'


                Many authors describe this engagement as the nadir of Ellington's career. On the other hand, it has been suggested Ellington found it convenient to be in New York during this time so he could work on his play, The Man With Four Sides (initially titled Mr. And Mrs. Lane). Downbeat:

                "The string section is used (illegible) in a medley of Ellington songs [sic] hits that marks Duke's only participation in the show other than playing for the aquatic and skating acts."


                Stratemann, p.355:

                '...a show for the family; with ice skaters, a water fountain display, ballroom dancing exhibitions, divers, comedians and the lot. The Ellington band provided accompaniment to several of these acts, but Ellington himself was required to play nothing more than a medley of his own compositions, for which the band was augmented with a string section of six pieces and a harp. On the accompaniments for aquatic and skating acts ... Woody Kessler ... was at the piano in place of Ellington...'

                • Jet Magazine 1955-06-02 p.62
                • New York Age 1955-06-18 p.9
                • AP wire story, The Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont.
                  1955-06-25 p.8
                • Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester, N.Y.
                  1955-06-26 s.F p.1
                • Long Island Star-Jouranl, Long Island, N.Y.
                  1955-08-24 p.14
                • Stratemann pp.355-356, 361 citing
                  • Variety 1955-06-29 p.55
                  • Down Beat
                    • 1955-07-27
                    • 1955-08-10
                    • 1955-09-21
                ...djpAdded
                2011

                updated 2012-10-11
                2014-06-30
                2019-04-27
                1955 06 23
                Thursday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 06 24
                Friday
                1955 06 25
                Saturday
                Elmont, N.Y.Belmont Park Race Track
                2150 Hempstead Turnpike
                Peripheral Event
                May 26:

                'Lena Horne, Tony Martin, Bill (Davy Crockett) Hayes, Duke Ellington and Snooky Lanson ... are the first of a galaxy of top stars to sign up for the Long Island Industry fund's gigantic outdoor entertainment spectal, Hospital Star Nite, June 24 and 25 at Belmont Park race course...'

                June 23:

                '...Other headliners in the L.I. Industry fund's extravaganza...are: Tony Maring, Lena Horne, Bill (Davy Crockett) Hayes, Snooky Lanson, Jackie Long, Henny Youngman, George DeWitt, Fred Waring's Glee club, Borrah Minivitch's Harmonica Rascasls, The Rockets, Duke Ellington, Ropcky Graziano, Jinx Falkenburg, Ray Heatherton and circus acts. '

                Webmaster;s note:
                I could find no other reference to Ellington's participation, nor is he mentioned in the June 24 plug. I could find no post-event reports either to confirm whether or not he appeared. It is not impossible, though, since Belmont Park is only about 12 miles from Flushing Meadows. He may have made a personal appearance either night, or soloed with or without sidemen.
                • The Advance, Patchogue, N.Y.
                  1955-05-26 pp.2,3
                  1955-06-23 s.3 p.1
                • The Long Island News and The Owl,
                  Rockville Centre, N.Y.,
                  1965-06-24 p.2
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-20
                updated
                2019-04-27
                1955 06 24
                Friday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 06 25
                Saturday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 06 26
                Sunday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 06 27
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Aquashow closed Mondays - see 1955 06 22
                .....Added
                2011
                1955 06 28
                Tuesday
                .Maspeth, N.Y.
                and
                Glendale, N.Y.
                Bohack Supermarkets
                Fresh Pond Road
                and
                Myrtle Avenue
                Personal appearances 10 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.

                'Starting today, Bohack offers many wonderful big bargains during a week-long celebration of its 68th Anniversary.
                  Stars of Elliott Murphy's "AQUASHOW" will help us celebrate our week-long Birthday by visiting our stores this week. They'll pay a special visit to Maspeth on Tuesday, June 28.
                  Look for famous composer, pianist and band leader
                Duke Ellington
                and the beautiful "Aquadorables" when they visit
                the BOHACK SUPERMARKET
                Fresh Pond Road, Maspeth
                Tuesday, June 28, at 10:00 a.m.'

                The 162 Bohack stores served birthday cake at 2 p.m. Thursday June 23. Ellington and Aquashow performers including swimming star/bakket dancer June Earing and comedian Phil Foster, appeared at two stores the morning of Tuesday, June 28, giving out free tickets to the Aquashow, other prizes, cake and refreshments during their visits.
                • Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island, N.Y.
                  1955-06-23 p.26
                • Queens Ledger, Maspeth, N.Y,
                  1955-06-23 p.3
                • Ridgewood Times, Ridgewood, N.Y.
                  1955-06-23 pp.9, 14, 15
                • The Leader-Observer, Woodhaven, Queens, N.Y.,
                  1955-06-23 p.3
                • The Wave, Rockaway Beach, N.Y.
                  1955-06-23 p.6 s.II
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-27
                1955 06 28
                Tuesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 06 29
                Wednesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 06 30
                Thursday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011

                July 1955

                1955 07 01.Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 02
                Saturday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 03
                Sunday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 04
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Basin StreetThe Aquashow was closed Mondays - see 1955 06 22 - and the sidemen's activities are not documented
                S.Lasker:

                'Per Downbeat, August 10, 1955, p. 5: "Louis Armstrong was feted at a big party celebrating his 55th birthday at Basin Street, with Duke Ellington, Gordon Jenkins, Jimmy Dorsey, and numerous B'way celebrities on hand for the cake-cutting."

                Ricky Riccardi, Director of Research Collections, Louis Armstrong House Museum:

                'Louis did indeed celebrate his 55th birthday on July 4 at Basin Street. There's a few photos that have survived with a whole crew on stage, including Duke, and Louis wrote an unpublished manuscript about it, I believe mentioning that Duke played "Happy Birthday."'

                Email, Lasker-Riccardi/Palmquist 2017-04-06
                Email, Riccardi-Lasker/Palmquist 2017-04-10
                ...SLNew
                Added
                2017-04-10
                1955 07 05
                Tuesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 06
                Wednesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 07
                Thursday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 08...Personnel change
                Jack Maisel leaves the band
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-23
                1955 07 08
                Friday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 09...Personnel change
                Drummer Sam Woodyard, born 1925 01 07, joins the band and Johnny Hodges returns. Mercer:

                'When Sam Woodyard came to rehearsal before the band went out on the road, he had been working with the organist Milt Buckner. He sat down and played as though he had been with us forever. He was not only an accomplished drummer, but he had been a fan of the Ellington band and knew pretty well what to do from having listened to recordings of the numbers we were playing. Paul Gonsalves was also in the band then, and they became very good friends.

                ...Although Pop had had the best possible substitutes in Willie Smith and Hilton Jefferson, neither could really take the place of Johnny Hodges. So when Johnny came back in 1955, after four years of leading his own little group, it was very important to everyone. He came back the same day that Sam Woodyard joined.'

                • New Desor vol.2
                • M. Ellington, DEIP, pp. 108-109
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-10-25
                updated
                2015-04-28
                1955 07 09
                Saturday
                8- 9 pm
                .New York, N.Y.."America's Greatest Bands" telecast hosted on CBS-TV by bandleader Paul Whiteman. The format of the show was to present different bands in 15 minute segments, using a rotating stage to bring them into view. Ellington and his Aquashow orchestra played 15 minutes of standards. This was the first time Sam Woodyard was recorded with the band.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Spear, C. Anderson, Terry, Nance, Silloway, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, V. Davis, Kulp, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Harlem Air-Shaft
                • Medley:
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
                • Jump for Joy
                • Jam With Sam
                New Desor
                DE5511
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-19
                1955 07 09
                Saturday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 10
                Sunday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 11
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Aquashow closed Mondays - see 1955 06 22
                .....Added
                2011
                1955 07 12
                Tuesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 13
                Wednesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 14
                Thursday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 15
                Friday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 16
                Saturday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 17
                Sunday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 17
                Sunday
                .Newport, R.I.Freebody ParkNewport Jazz Festival
                Duke was the master of ceremonies on the third day of the festival. His orchestra did not perform, despite Down Beat announcing

                'Last year's omission of a large jazz band has been rectified by the signing of Duke Ellington, and Count Basie's band is also expected.


                In June, the Newport News announced the lineup, saying

                'The Sunday night concert will feature Duke Ellington as master of ceremonies. He will also appear at the piano during the evening.


                Hasse:

                'The festival had garnered considerable media attention, and Ellington had worked the 1955 edition but only as an M.C.


                Ellington's introduction of Miles Davis and others in a jam session on the last day was recorded and is on the CD Miles Ahead and he was one of several well known musicians interviewed by the Voice of America. A copy of the interviews is on tape in the Library of Congress Voice of America Music Library Collection.
                The concerts were recorded, but there is no mention of the recordings in New Desor or Lambert.
                • http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/24629765
                • "Newport Festival Signs Ellington," Down Beat 1955-04-06
                • "Armstrong to Brubeck, They'll All Be At Festival," Newport Daily News, 1955-06-10 p.1
                • Review of festival, The Billboard 1955-07-30, pp.15-16
                • John Edward Hasse: Beyond Category, The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington p.319
                • John Fass Morton, Backstory in Blue: Ellington at Newport '56, pp.89-95 and specifically pp. 91-92
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 14 Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, 1955
                .DEMSdjpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-19
                2016-01-24
                2020-05-09
                1955 07 18
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Aquashow closed Mondays - see 1955 06 22
                .....Added
                2011
                1955 07 19
                Tuesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 20
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.."Frankie Laine Time"

                TV variety show appearance with Connie Russell, George DeWitt and Shirley MacLaine. Stratemann tells us Ellington did 10 minutes at the end, accompanied by the house orchestra. The Long Island Star-Journal report said Ellington was lucky to get in a few bars of his wonderful music between interruptions.

                Palmquist's note:
                While the show was telecast on Wednesday, we don't know if it was live or filmed beforehand. If the latter, we don't know when that was.
                Duke Ellington with the Jimmy Carroll Orchestra
                Ellington, Connie Russell, Frankie Laine and the Jimmy Carroll Orchestra
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Medley:
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Solitude
                  • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
                • Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island, N.Y.
                  1955-07-21 p.33
                • Down Beat 1955-08-10, courtesy S.Lasker
                • Stratemann p.356 and Appendix C
                • Vail II
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.151
                New Desor
                DE5512
                ..djp Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-08-04
                2019-04-21
                2021-11-25
                1955 07 20
                Wednesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 21
                Thursday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 22
                Friday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 23
                Saturday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 24
                Sunday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 25
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Aquashow closed Mondays - see 1955 06 22
                .....Added
                2011
                1955 07 26
                Tuesday
                ...Date of a contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians "under the leadership of Duke Ellington Inc., owner, agrees to present Duke Ellington" for two 5-day 30-hour weeks, with Sunday matinee, at the Blue Note Cafe commencing December 21, 1955 for $5,000/week.

                "Contract price $5,000 per week less 10% to ABC."

                This is a new version of the contract that says, "The performances to be rendered pursuant to this agreement are not to be recorded, reproduced, or transmitted from the place of performance, in any manner or by any means whatsoever, in the absence of a specific written agreement between the Employer and the Federation relating to and permitting such recording, reproduction or transmission."

                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
                added 2012-11-03
                1955 07 26
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y."Music '55"
                • Ellington appeared with Stan Kenton, Kenton's "television band" and violinist Yehudi Menuhin during the first eleven minutes of this half-hour CBS network summer replacement show hosted by Kenton.
                • The graphics scrolling across the background during Monologue were by Andy Warhol.
                • Kenton tells Ellington Duke will be on first because Stan knows he has to leave early for his Aquashow engagement, which Ellington quickly plugs.
                • A rehearsal earlier in the day is indicated by
                  • a photograph of Kenton and Ellington at two pianos in different clothing than in the show - Stratemann reprinted a photo of them in rehearsal and in performance.
                  • during the telecast, Ellington asks Menuhin

                    '...would you do me a big favour, how'd you like to do that little thing we ran over [inaudible]... '

                  • Kenton tells Menuhin that he flew in from Chicago that day for the show.
                • Kenton's "television band" included former Kenton sidemen because his own band was working in the Midwest and because Local 802 would not allow his working band perform on television. The sidemen in this show are named in Nielsen.

                The music during the Ellington segment was:
                • Artistry in Rhythm - Kenton and the house band
                • Artistry in Rhythm - Ellington
                • Take the A Train - two pianos - Ellington and Kenton, joined by the band in the coda
                • Monologue "Pretty and the Wolf" - Ellington and Kenton's sidemen
                • Come Sunday - violinist Yehudi Menuhin accompanied by Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5513
                DEMSdjpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2019-04-21
                2019-04-22
                2020-05-09
                1955 07 26
                Tuesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 27
                Wednesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 28
                Thursday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 29
                Friday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 30
                Saturday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 07 31
                Sunday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 summer .New York, N.Y.VOA InterviewDE5514.....Added
                2011

                August 1955

                1955 08 00...Personnel change
                Paul Gonsalves, returns to the band in mid-August
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-12
                1955 08 01
                Monday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 08 02
                Tuesday
                Afternoon
                .New York, N.Y.Corner of 138th St. & Seventh Ave Peripheral event
                The August 20 editions of the Pittsburgh Courier and the New York Age reported Mercer Ellington was stabbed by Wallace (Brims) Gant, who had been a member of The Embers quartet. The story said Gant initially demanded $400,000 due him for the recording of Mercer's song "Paradise Hill," but reduced this to $4,000. Mercer required stitches to his hands and shoulders. The stories say "last Tuesday," but say Mercer was working at the Aquashow. Given the weekly papers were dated the end of the week they were circulated, I have tentatively dated the event as the last Tuesday of the Aquashow run, but it may have been another date. Gant was to appear in Felony Court on August 19.

                Jet reported the assailant's name was Clarence Gant.

                Mercer:

                '...one of the singers came into a bar where I was chatting with friends, flashed a knife, stabbed me in the arm, and disappeared in one second flat. Dr. Logan stitched up the wound so that I could carry on as usual, which meant working during the day at Tempo Music... At night I'd go out to the Aquashow and function as Pop's valet,... '

                • Jet Magazine 1955-08-18 p.58
                • Pittsburgh Courier 1955-08-20 p.5
                • The Afro-American, Baltimore , Md. 1955-08-20 p.22
                • M. Ellington, DEIP, p.108
                ...djpNew
                added
                2014-07-09
                updated
                2015-04-28
                1955 08 02
                Tuesday
                9 P.M.
                .Flushing, Long Island,
                New York, N.Y.
                Flushing Meadows AmphitheatreAquashow - see 1955 06 22
                Last night of the engagement.
                The Morning Herald reported

                "Out at the Aquashow in Flushing, Duke Ellington reports the loss of Sweetie May. Sweetie May is the antiquated revolver which has travelled with the band for 30 years against potential holdups. The loss is purely sentimental as nobody in the band ever knew how to fire Sweetie but Duke wishes he could have it back since he considers it a luck charm."

              • Morning Herald, - Uniontown, Pa. 1955-08-02, p14
              • ....Added
                2011
                updated 2014-07-03
                1955 08 00...Personnel change
                Virgil Davis, Ward Silloway and Jimmy Spear leave the band and Willie Cook, trumpet, and trombonist Britt Woodman rejoin after the Aquashow.

                Johnny Hodges returns to the band after a five year absence during which he led his own band. He would stay until his sudden death in 1970.
                • New Desor vol.2
                • Stratemann p.361
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-10-23
                1955 08 03
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 04
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 05
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 06
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 07
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 08
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 09
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 10
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 11
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 12
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 13
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                The Pittsburgh Courier this date announced Ellington had written a foreword for Leonard Feather's "The Encylopaedia of Jazz."
                Pittsburgh Courier, 1955-08-13, p.15....2014-07-03
                1955 08 14
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 15
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 16
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 17
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 18
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 19
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 20
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 21
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 22
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 23
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 24
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 25
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 26
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 27
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 28
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y..NBC broadcast - "Monitor"
                Ellington narrated parts of his play "The Man With Four Sides," accompanied by Luther Henderson, piano, Jimmy Woode, bass, and Jimmy Grissom and Marion Cox, vocals. Ellington played piano of Weatherman and The Blues.

                Titles recorded:
                • Happy Go Lucky Local (Like A Train) (New Desor, Ellingtonia.com) or Train Blues (Timner V and Nielsen) s.a Night Train (Timner V and Nielsen)
                • She
                • It's Rumor
                • Twilight Time
                • Weatherman
                • The Blues
                Timner V says Leonard Feather was a guest on this programme. Nielsen notes the date is confirmed by Erik Wiedemann and the Sminthsonian collection.
                Stratemann p.361New Desor
                DE5515
                ...Added
                2011
                1955 08 29
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 30
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 08 31
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                September 1955

                1955 09 01
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 02
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 03
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 04
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 05
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 06
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 07
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 08
                Thursday
                ... Peripheral event

                Norgran recording session by Johnny Hodges recording session
                ..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1955 09 08
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 09
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 10
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 11
                Sunday
                .Rochester, N.Y.Golden Grill(Stratemann has this as Golden Grill Inn, Charlotte, N.Y. with the date uncertain, based on a Sept. 12 clipping in DESB)....Agustěn Perez Gasco jun11Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30
                1955 09 12
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 13
                Tuesday
                ...band activities not documented
                Ellington, Willie The Lion Smith and Willie Mays were among the honorary pallbearers at the Rodney Dade Funeral Home funeral of George Woods, part owner of the Red Rooster bistro.
                New York Age, 1955-09-17 pp.1-2....djp
                1955 09 14
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound Studio Peripheral event
                L.Brown recording session
                No Ellington involvement.
                ..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30

                updated
                2020-05-09
                1955 09 14
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 15
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1955 09 16
                Friday
                1955 09 22Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show:
                "Duke Ellington and the finest band he has ever assembled with - ...world's greatest harpist, Betty Glamann"
                The poster named Hodges, Anderson, Nance and Grissom and included the Star-Brite Revue, featuring Jackie "Moms" Mabely, The Cavaliers and Rose Hardaway, exotic dancer. The wide screen film was Outlaw Stallion.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-07-31
                2014-07-11
                2019-04-27
                2021-01-22
                1955 09 17
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound Studio Peripheral event
                Lawrence Brown recording session
                No Ellington involvement.
                ..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30
                2020-05-09
                1955 09 17
                Saturday
                .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show - see 1955 09 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 18
                Sunday
                .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show - see 1955 09 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 19
                Monday
                .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show - see 1955 09 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 20
                Tuesday
                .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show - see 1955 09 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 21
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y. Peripheral event
                Down Beat announced Duke Ellington's new play, The Man With Four Sides, would be produced by Lorella Val-Mery.

                In the same edition, Leonard Feather reported what Miles Davis said after listening to Stormy Weather in a blindfold test:

                Oh, God! You can give that twenty-five stars! I love Duke. That sounded like Billy Strayhorn's arranngement; it's warmer than Duke usually writes. Must by Billy Strayhorn.
                  That band kills me. I think all the musicians should get together one certain day and get down on their knees and thank Duke. Especially Mingus, who always idolized Duke and wanted to play with him; and why he didn't mention it in his Blindfold Test, I don't know. Yes, everybody should bow to Duke and Strayhorn – and Charlie Parker and Diz . . . Cat Anderson sounds good on that; Ray ALWAYS sounds good.
                  The beginning soloist sounded real good, too. That's Harry Carney, too, in there; if he wasn't in Duke's band, the band wouldn't be Duke . . . They take in all schools of jazz... Give this all the stars you can.

                • Down Beat 1955-09-21 pp.9, 34
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2023-09-19
                ...djp/sl.New
                Added
                2014-07-11
                updated
                2023-10-07
                1955 09 21
                Wednesday
                .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show - see 1955 09 22.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 22
                Thursday
                .Washington, D.C.Howard Theatre
                620 T St.
                Vaudeville show - see 1955 09 22
                AP ran a wirestory datelined Washington, Sept. 22 about Ellington in his dressing room at the Howard Theater with Jerry Rhea and the unnamed reporter.

                "...A fellow stuck his head in the door. "Hey, Duke,' he said, 'The Voice of America man is here. Remember you got only an hour between shows."

                This reminded Ellington of triumphs abroad.

                'Ah, the Palladium in London, he said. 'Terrifying experience. That audience kept a steady applause for 10 minutes. Did you ever stand on a stage with nothing to do but this' - here he bowed and smiled and bowed and smiled - 'for 10 minutes?

                'Terrible. Especially the way the British do things. First, they clap. Then they go "Wooooo!" Finally they stamp their feet. You don't know whether they like you or are trying to run you off the stage.

                'Ruined the whole show. We all were shaking like a leaf...' "

                This might be the VOA interview by Willis Conover shown in New Desor DE5514a and dated only as "Summer 1955"
                AP wirestory in
                • Kingsport News, Kingsport, Tenn.
                  1955-09-23 p.21
                • The Cumberland News, Cumberland, Md.,
                  1955-09-23 p.9
                • Daily Press, Newport News-Hamnpton-Warwick,Va.
                  1955-09-23 pp.1,24
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-04
                2019-04-27
                1955 09 23
                Friday
                1955 09 29
                Thursday
                Harlem
                Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville show

                Duke Ellington Band with Geofry Holder Dancers, The Cavaliers, Jackie Mabley and Rose Hardaway

                Wednesday nite - Amateurs; Saturday, Midnight show.

                Marv Goldberg's list of Apollo Theatre shows names sidemen Hodges, Cat Anderson, Carney and Ray Nance.
                Ellington had the closing spot, in which he performed "Rock and Roll Rhapsody," featuring a harpist.
                Personnel named in The New York Age Defender's announcement:
                Johnny Hodges, Johnny [sic] Grissom, Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, Juan Tizoal [sic], Harry Carney, an unnamed lady harpist from the Aquacade engagement, and an unnamed new drummer.

                The announcemment also names Geoffrey Holder and Carmen Delavallde, dancers, and a singing group, The Cavaliers, comedian Jackie Mabley and Rose Hardaway (singing and exotic dancing).
                Apollo's performer card:

                '2/23/55 Fine band. Usual unprofitable business. Outstanding specialties by Cat Anderson and Johnny Hodges. Vocalist Jimmy Grissom is just so so.'

                • Stratemann p.361 with theatre poster
                • New York Age Defender, New York, N.Y.
                  1955-09-24 pp.7, 8
                • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
                • Performer cards 347 and 348
                  Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30
                2019-04-28
                2019-11-02
                2023-03-26
                1955 09 24
                Saturday
                Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Stage show - see 1955 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 25
                Sunday
                Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Stage show - see 1955 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 26
                Monday
                Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Stage show - see 1955 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 27
                Tuesday
                Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Stage show - see 1955 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 28
                Wednesday
                Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Stage show - see 1955 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 29
                Thursday
                Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Stage show - see 1955 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 09 30
                Friday
                .Hudson Falls, N.Y.Auditorium and Gym
                Glens Falls High School
                9 p.m. One-hour concert followed by three-hour dance, sponsored by the Hudson Falls Rotary Club.
                • The Warrensburg News, Warrensburg, N.Y.
                  1955-09-29 pp.1, 4
                • Stratemann p.361
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30
                2019-04-28

                October 1955

                1955 10 01
                Saturday
                9 p.m.-1:00 a.m.
                .Endicott, N.Y.I.B.M. Country Club
                Fieldhouse
                "Concert-dance"
                Stratemann says an (unidentified) Oct. 3 clipping in DESB said Ellington had one-nighters in Endicott and Bridgeton, both in New York state, after the Friday concert and before beginning a week in Quebec.
                The Endicott engagement seems to be:

                'Ellington Band Dance to Aid PAL

                The International Business Machines Corp. Country Club Board of Governors will sponsor a benefit dance Oct. 1 featuring Duke Ellington and his orchestra.

                Proceeds will be turned over the Binghamton Police Athletic League building fund.

                the dance will be held in the Country Club from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets will be available at ... '

                Sunday Press Writer Jerry Handte:

                'The bandstand was a quiet shuffle of sheet music and sliding of metal music racks into position, with a piano player softly noodling around in a rambling fantasy when a big man with tired, mournful eyes turned to await an approaching photographer and reporter. He was Duke Ellington, setting up for a one-nighter last night at IBM field house, the lastest stop in 27 years of velvet and pepper music-making in jazz...'


                Endicott is close to Binghamton.  John Pokoski, in IBM 1401 Memories from Endicott says major IBM facilities each had a Country Club which all employees automatically belonged to. Endicott's had two golf courses, a game room with pool and ping-pong tables and an auditorium. although IBM had country clubs for employees at other nearby locations as well.
                • Stratemann p.361 citing DESB
                • Binghamton Press
                  • Announcement, 1955-09-14 p.23
                  • Announcement, 1955-09-25 p.7C
                  • Photo and report of meeting Ellington before the dance - "Duke's Favorite: The Next One", 1955-10-02 section C
                • Elmira Star-Gazette, Elmira, N.Y.
                  1955-09-28 p.33
                ...djpNew
                2014-07-03
                updated
                2014-07-10
                2019-04-28
                1955 10 02
                Sunday
                .Bridgeton, N.Y..Unconfirmed - based on the aforesaid Oct. 3 clipping saying Ellington had one-nighters in Endicott and Bridgeton, N.Y. after the Friday concert, before beginning a week in Quebec.

                - Note conflict with Bridgeport gig noted below.
                Stratemann p.361 citing DESB...djp2014-07-03
                1955 10 02
                Sunday
                9:30-12:30
                .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz Ballroom.Dancing, Duke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra.
                Admission $1.75 including tax and wardrobe
                Ads,
              • Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn.
                • 1955-09-24 p.15
                • 1955-10-01 p.14
                • Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
                  • 1955-09-25 p.B-14
                  • 1955-09-30 p.21
                  • 1955-10-02, p.B-13
                ...djp2014-07-03
                1955 10 03
                Monday
                1955 10 08Aylmer, P.Q.Gatineau Golf & Country ClubClub residency

                (Aylmer is an easy drive across the river from Canada's capital city, Ottawa.)

                While an ad is for Duke Ellington with his full orchestra of 16 famous artists, the "Floor Shows" review says he had fourteen top-notch artists. The review names personnel, but with a number of mistakes:
                • Jimmy Woods [sic], bass
                • Danny [sic] Hodges, mellow sax
                • Sam Woodward [sic], drums
                • Jimmy Hamilton, clarinet
                • Paul Gonsales[sic]
                • Britt Woodman
                • John Sanders
                • Quentin Jackson
                • Cat Anderson
                • Jimmy Grisson[sic]
                • Ray Nance on trombone [sic]

                The two Ottawa Citizen reviews named this music:
                • Mood Indigo
                • Harlem Air Shaft
                • Cottontail
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Warm Valley
                • Perdido
                • Never No Lament
                • Happy-Go-Lucky Loco [sic]
                • Rock and Roll Rhapsody
                • Skindeep [sic]
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Pretty and the Wolf
                • Day In, Day Out
                • Without a Song

                and said

                'Harry Pozy and his band are on hand to play the dance numbers and as an added treat, Ellington provides quite a few orchestration for the mambo fans.'

                The Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, Ont.
                • 1955-10-05 pp.21, 22
                • 1955-10-08 p.15
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-06-01
                2019-04-28
                1955 10 04
                Tuesday
                .Aylmer, P.Q.Gatineau Golf & Country ClubSee 1955 10 03.....Added
                2011
                1955 10 05
                Wednesday
                .Aylmer, P.Q.Gatineau Golf & Country ClubSee 1955 10 03.....Added
                2011
                1955 10 06
                Thursday
                .Aylmer, P.Q.Gatineau Golf & Country ClubSee 1955 10 03.....Added
                2011
                1955 10 07
                Friday
                .Aylmer, P.Q.Gatineau Golf & Country ClubSee 1955 10 03.....Added
                2011
                1955 10 08
                Saturday
                .Aylmer, P.Q.Gatineau Golf & Country ClubSee 1955 10 03.....Added
                2011
                1955 10 09
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 10
                Monday
                .Lykens, Penn.Ballroom
                West Borough Park
                Concert and dance
                Lykens Standard, Sept.16:

                '...The unique arrangement thru which we were able to secure Les' [Brown] services was brought to the attention of his booking agent, Joe Glasser [sic], president of Associated Booking Corp. and arrangements were immediately started to secure Duke Ellington's Orchestra.
                  We, being a small community, are obliged to take an off date in Mr. Ellington's concert tour, but we do consider ourselves very fortunate in being able to have him appear personally in Lykens.
                  ...The fact that the Duke makes an annual appearance at Carnegie Hall and other halls of the key cities throughout the United States and Canada is 'nuff said.
                  We are very fortunate to have this engagement. Tickets are now on sale throughout Dauphin and Schuylkill Counties. There will be a concert at eight o'clock and a dance at nine thirty. Get the tickets of your choice early.
                  And by the way, the new Ballroom in Lykens West Borough Park is an inspiration to music lovers.'

                West Schuylkill Herald Oct. 7:

                'DUKE ELLINGTON TO PLAY AT LYKENS
                  Duke Elllington's [sic] orchestra will appear at Lykens borough park, October 10 for a concert and dance. It follows the appearance of Les Brown there some weeks ago.
                  Reason for these name bands is to raise funds for a new and more modern dance hall built in the park to replace one damaged by lightning. It was here where youth activities were centered. The fire company, the Legion and other civic organizations backed the move that brought about the new building.'


                The Lykens Standard's "Report on Borough Park Ballroom" Nov. 4:

                '...WE HOPE YOU HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN
                  Along with our memories we are deeply grateful and highly thankful.
                  Thankful that the first place of the work is completed. Thankful that you have received it and helped support it in such a splendid manner. Thankful that we have been able to bring to you such high type entertainment as provided by Les Brown and Duke Ellington, as well as weekly dancing... '

                • Lykens Standard, Lykens, Penn.
                  • 1955-09-16 p.1
                  • 1955-09-30 p.1
                  • 1955-10-07 p.1
                  • 1955-11-04 p.1
                • West Schuylkill Herald, Tower City, Penn.
                  • 1955-10-07 p.2
                • Pottsville (Pa.) Republican, Pottsville, Penn.
                  • 1955-10-07 p.13
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-30
                updated
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 11
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 11
                Tuesday
                ... Peripheral event
                Earl Wilson's syndicated column reported "Duke Ellington's wife undergoes surgery this week."

                The column does not say if this was his wife by marriage, Edna, or the lady he lived with, Evie Ellis.
                Earl Wilson column:
                • Raleigh Register, Beckley, W.Va., 1955-11-11, p.4
                • The Winona Daily News, Winona, Wisc. 1955-11-11, p.4
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-07-04
                1955 10 12
                Wednesday
                Columbus Day
                .Columbus, OhioRollerland
                12th and Mound Sts.
                Dance 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Tickets $1.85 advance, $2,25 at door, tax included.
                • Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
                  • 1955-10-05 p.14A
                  • 1955-10-07 p.22B
                  • 1955-10-11 p.27B
                  • 1955-10-12 p.9B
                • Stratemann p.361 citing DESB
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 13
                Thursday
                .Oberlin, OhioFinney Memorial Chapel
                Oberlin College
                Concert 8:45 p.m. sponsored by The Oberlin College Jazz Club
                • Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio
                  1955-10-02 p.58-D
                • Stratemann p.361 citing DESB
                .
                ....Added
                2011

                updated
                2014-06-30
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 14
                Friday
                .Champaign-Urbana, Ill.Auditorium
                University of Illinois
                Impromptu concert, sharing the bill with the tap dance team of The Clark Brothers, who didn't show up.

                Warren Wolfson's review:

                'Ah, the glory that is Ellington.
                  Warm and intelligent sounds were heard last night as a crowded Auditorium spent a couple of exciting hours with the genius of Duke Ellington.
                  Of course he had his big band with him. But for most of the evening, Duke Ellington was the only man on the stage, because everything was a part of him. The timing, the style, the intracacies [sic], all were his, as he molded the outstanding talents of his performances...
                  There was Mood Indigo, Caravan, Don't Get Around Much Any More, and others that have become standards. He played old and new, soft and not-so-soft...
                  The Clark brothers did not show up to do their dancing. No one seemed to care.
                  Necessary to mention are Sam Woodward's [sic] amazing drum solo ... Johnny Hodges' feather sweetness on the saxophone ... Jimmy Grissom's instrument-like voice ... and Ray Nance's vocal and musical sense of humor.
                  It was music to know.'

                The omitted parts of the review are equally admiring.
                The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill....djpNew
                added
                2015-07-05
                updated
                2019-12-15
                1955 10 15
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 16
                Sunday
                .Kenosha, Wisc.Eagles BallroomDancing 8:30-12:30
                Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra
                Admission $1.75 Tax included
                Racine Journal-Times, Racine, Wisc.
                • 1955-10-08 p.8
                • 1955-10-14 p.17
                • 1955-10-15 p.8
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-28
                1955 10 17
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 18
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 19
                Wednesday
                .Dell Rapids, S.D.Dells Park Ballroom

                DANCE
                Dells Park Ballroom
                DELL RAPIDS
                TO-NIGHT
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                AND HIS FAMOUS ORCH.
                TICKETS, 1.65 Ea. incl. tax

                Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.
                • 1955-10-15 p.10
                • 1955-10-17 p.8
                • 1955-10-19 p.24
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-28
                1955 10 20
                Thursday
                .Silver Lake, Minn.Pla-Mor Ballroom
                on Hiway 7
                .Minneapolis Sunday Tribune, Minneapolis, Minn.
                1955-10-16 p.2.
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-04-28
                1955 10 21
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 22
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 10 23
                Sunday
                .Breckenridge, Minn.Legion Pavilion
                Poster
                Legion Pavilion poster, Oct. 23, 1955
                Click to Enlarge

                Duke ELLINGTON, The WORLD FAMOUS COMPOSER, HIS PIANO
                AND
                ORCHESTRA


                Admission $1.75 tax included
                • Fergus Falls (Minn.) Daily Journal, Fergus Falls, Minn.
                  1955-10-07, p.6
                • Legion Pavilion poster, courtesy S.Lasker 2021-09-04
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2013-06-01
                2021-11-25
                1955 10 24
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y..
                • Stratemann reports a U.S. Treasury Department recording session on this date for Treasury's Guest Stars [sic] transcription series.
                • New Desor describes this as USTD recording session.
                • Nielsen describes this as a broadcast with music from Treasury's Guest Star programme #463
                • A fifteen-minute broadcast titled Guest Star is found in various newspaper radio schdules for the evening of Oct. 24 and the morning of Oct. 25.
                • While Ellington's episode (#463) is not found on the Old Time Radio Downloads website, programs 459 and 467 open with fanfares and introductions by host Harry von Zell, who describes Guest Star as a transcribed feature for savings bonds.
                Given that the band was in the Midwest at this time, it seems unlikely the Guest Star program was recorded in New York on Oct. 24.
                .New Desor
                DE5516
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30
                2019-05-05
                2020-05-09
                1955 10 24
                Monday
                .Gettysburg, S.D.City AuditoriumConcert and dance
                Potter County News:

                'Duke Ellington, Pace Setting Stylist Here on Oct. 24

                  Duke Ellington and his name band will play a concert and dance in the City Auditorium Monday evening Oct. 24, under sponsorship of the Gettysburg Fire Department.
                  It will not be the annual Fireman's Ball, which will occur near Thanksgiving.
                  Ellington's band concert will be from 9 to 10, with dancing until 2:00. Attendance will be $2 at the gate, $1.75 if bought in advance.
                  Ellington has played concerts in key cities to capacity houses. His current itinerary calls for 80 concerts a year.
                  The Duke has reigned as a pace setting stylist since 1927. He has contributed much to modern music, in originality, melodic material, and arrangement.
                  His quick silver rhythms subtly pits reeds against the brasses, and the piano against the orchestral. The songs he has composed include "Solitude," "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo," "Don't you Know I Care," and I'm Beginning to See the Light."
                  Ellington has been acclaimed as the creator of a new, rich and distinctly American musical idiom. George Gershwin was one of the first to recognize Ellington's creative genius.'

                Rapid City, S.D., Daily Journal, page 3, Ellington and his orchestra arrived in Rapid City by bus at 7 a.m. October 25, after a one-nighter in Gettysburg.
                • Potter County News, Gettysburg, S.D.
                  1955-10-13
                  courtesy Mary Carol Potts, Dakota Sunset Museum, Gettysburg, S.D.
                • Rapid City, S.D., Daily Journal, Rapid City, S.D.,
                  1955-10-25 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-05-05
                updated
                2019-05-07
                1955 10 25
                Tuesday
                .Rapid City, S.D.Room 705
                Alex Johnson Hotel
                Ellington was interviewed in his hotel room by Journal Staff Reporter Ken Jumper. Points noted by the reporter:
                • Ellington and his band have a three-night engagement; Tuesday evening at the city auditorium; Wednesday at the Officers Club at Ellsworth Air Force Base and Thursday at the Non-commissioned Officer's Club.
                • The band arrived by bus about 7 a.m. Tuesday and checked in at the Alex Johnson, but had to wait because their rooms had not yet been vacated by the U.S. Navy Band which played here Monday night.
                • The band came from a one-nighter in Gettysburg
                • From Rapid City the band goes to University of Colorado, then to Montrose, Colo. and then to Salt Lake City.
                • Ellington also spoke of race matters. His comments were reported in an Associated Press wirestory
                • Rapid City, S.D., Daily Journal, Rapid City, S.D.,
                  1955-10-25 p.3
                • AP wirestory, datelined Rapid City Oct. 26:
                  • Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D. 1955-10-26 p.15
                  • The Bismarck Tribune, Bismark, N.D. 1955-10-26 p.7
                ...djp
                New
                Added
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 25
                Tuesday
                .Rapid City, S.D.City AuditoriumDance, 9 p.m.Daily ads, Rapid City Daily Journal:

                Dance to
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                TUESDAY
                OCTOBER 25, 1955
                CITY AUDITORIUM
                Tickets on Sale at Harlan's News, Schneider Music
                Co., Torgerson's Music Center.
                Sponsored by
                Officers Open Mess – Non Commissioned Officers
                Open Mess – Ellsworth Air Force Base

                Rapid City, S.D. Daily Journal, Rapid City, S.D.
                • 1955-10-20 p.28
                • 1955-10-21 p.11
                • 1955-10-22 p.12
                • 1955-10-23 p.28
                • 1955-10-24 p.16
                • 1955-10-25 pp.3, 15, 16
                ...djp
                New
                Added
                2019-05-05.
                1955 10 26
                Wednesday
                .Ellsworth Air Force Base,
                South Dakota
                Officer's ClubDance?
                see Ken Jumper column, 1955 10 25 above
                ....djpNew
                Added
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 27
                Thursday
                .Ellsworth Air Force Base,
                South Dakota
                Non-commissioned Officer's ClubDance?
                see Ken Jumper column, 1955 10 25 above
                ....djpNew
                Added
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 28
                Friday
                ...activities not documented

                Possibly at the University of Colorado at Boulder - see 1955 10 25

                Query outstanding.
                ......
                1955 10 29
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented

                Possibly at the University of Colorado at Boulder - see 1955 10 25
                ......
                1955 10 30
                Sunday
                .Montrose, Col.Arcadia Ballroomactivities not documented

                The Daily Sentinel announced:

                'Famed Bands to Play
                MONTROSE – Two famous bands will appear in Montrose near the end of this month. Harry James will be at the Arcadia Ballroom Oct. 27 and Duke Ellington will play there Oct. 30.'

                Palmquist's note: Montrose is about 265 miles southwest of Denver and about 60 miles southeast of Grand Junction. I am unable to find any further mention in the newspaper archives I use.
                • The Daily Sentinel, Grand Junction, Col.
                  1955-10-18 p.4
                • Rapid City, S.D., Daily Journal, Rapid City, S.D.,
                  1955-10-25 p.3
                ...djp
                New
                Added
                2019-05-05
                1955 10 31
                Monday
                Halloween
                ...activities not documented......

                November 1955

                1955 11 00...New Desor lists two undated concerts, probably played in November and probably on the west coast. The track listings are short, suggesting these were broadcasts of part, only, of each concert. .New Desor
                DE5517
                DE5518
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-12
                1955 11 01
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented

                Stratemann says Ellington was booked into the Moulin Rouge (West Las Vegas) from Nov. 1 to 27, but the club shut down shortly before they arrived. The band was 'forced out on a series of one-nighters across the country to the coast.'

                The booking is supported by ads in The California Eagle.

                The Moulin Rouge, the first Las Vegas fully integrated hotel and casino, opened in May and declared bankruptcy by December.
                • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
                  • 1955-09-29 p.9
                  • 1955-10-06 p.10
                • Stratemann p.361
                • Vail II
                ....New
                added
                2013-05-26
                2019-04-28
                1955 11 02
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 03
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 04
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 05
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 06
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 07
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 08
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 09
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 10
                Thursday
                .Boston, Mass.City Hospital Peripheral event
                Death of "Junior" Raglin

                The bassist was taken to hospital by ambulance on Nov.9 after being found in a coma by the landlady of his rooming house. The police blotter listed cause of death as alcoholism.
                Down Beat 1956-01-11 p.9 (courtesy S. Lasker)...djpNew
                added
                2012-10-11
                updated
                2013-05-26
                2016-10-05
                1955 11 10
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 11
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                It is possible the band appeared in Spokane. The Victoria Daily Times said:

                'The Chamber [of Commerce]'s auditorium committee is also planning to fly a group of city representatives to Spokane Coliseum on Friday, Nov. 11, to look over the building in the light of a recommendation ... that Victoria should build similar auditorium...
                  Date of the flight has been tentatively changed from Nov. 9 to Nov. 11 because the Duke Ellington show will be staged at the Coliseum that night and the Coliseum is expected to be crowded.
                  Nov. 11, Remembrance Day, is a holiday in Victoria but not in Spokane.'

                Victoria Daily Times, Victoria, B.C.
                1955-10-28 p.32
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-05-07
                1955 11 12
                Saturday
                .Seattle, Wash.Trianon BallroomDuke Ellington & his world famous orchestra featuring JOHNNY HODGES of Combo Fame
                DANCING 9 to 1
                Admission $1.74 plus tax
                • The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash.
                  1955-11-11 p.34
                • Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, Wash.
                  • 1955-11-10 p.10
                  • 1955-11-11 p.16
                  • 1955-11-12-p.6
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-06-30
                1955 11 13
                Sunday
                .Tacoma, Wash.Blue Note Ballroom
                13th and Pacific

                Eager Beaver Presents
                at the
                BLUE NOTE
                BALLROOM

                13th and Pacific
                CONCERT
                Sunday, Nov. 13th

                8:30 P.M.
                In Person
                DUKE
                Ellington
                and his
                FAMOUS ORCHESTRA

                Featuring –       
                      Jimmy Grisson [sic] and
                Johnny Hodges of Combo Fame.

                The Tacoma News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
                • 1955-11-09 p.B-4
                • 1955-11-11 p.C-3
                • 1955-11-12 p.3
                The Tacoma Sunday News Tribune
                and Ledger, Tacoma, Wash.
                1955-11-13 p.D-12
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-05-07
                1955 11 14
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 15
                Tuesday
                .Vancouver, B.C.Exhibition Gardens
                Hastings Park
                Renfrew St.
                Dance
                Advertised as Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra with Johnny Hodges of Combo Fame and Jimmy Grissom, Ray Nance, Cat Anderson.
                • Local disc jockey Jack Cullen got in trouble with the police on Nov. 7 for posting signs downtown advertising the show.
                • Province columnist Dan Ekman reported:

                  'Little publicized appearance of the Duke Ellington band Tuesday night at Ex-Gardens was no flaming financial success, a rough count showing only about 800 patrons on hand. But the return of alto-man Johnny Hodges after a five-year absence made the Duke's group more listenable than it has been for years; an artistic triumph.'

                • Province writer Jim Carney played trumpet in the warm-up band led by Kenny Hole. His review notes the presence of Carney, Hodges, Gonsalves, Anderson, Terry, Cook and Nance and is accompanied by a photo of himself posing with a trumpet to his lips while Duke smiles and signals OK.
                • Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
                  • Wasserman column
                    1955-11-09, p.23
                  • 1955-11-15 p.20
                • The Vancouver Province, Vancouver, B.C.
                  1955-11-16 pp.3, 42
                ...djpNew
                added
                2013-05-26
                updated
                2019-05-05
                1955 11 16
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 17
                Thursday
                .Portland, Ore.McElroy'sNight club dateThe Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
                • 1955-11-13, p.15
                • 1955-11-15 p.17
                • 1955-11-16 p.6
                ...djpNew
                added
                2014-06-30
                updated
                2019-05-05
                1955 11 18
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 19
                Saturday
                .Eugene, Ore.McArthur Court
                1601 University St.
                University of Oregon
                Homecoming dance, University of Oregon.

                The Register-Guard:

                'The big Homecoming weekend, which had alumni officials worried because of the unseasonal snows of Wednesday, survived rains and flooded streets to end with the dance at McArthur Court. The dance shot holes in a myth that has been going around the campus since World War II - that "you can't make money on a big name band."
                  Before the war big-name bands often appeared... But after the war the hiring of the nation's top dance bands was regarded as too risky. There was apprehension over the hiring of Duke Ellington's troupe which came to Eugene for a flat $1,750. However, 2,000 tickets were sold at $3 each. And we wonder how many would have been sold if ticket sellers had remained longer at the doors. Hundreds of couples showed up after 11 p.m. and just walked in - free.
                  Not everybody danced. With a crowd like that, it was difficult for dancers to move anything below the knees.
                  Probably more than half the crowd at the dance was made up of alumni and others not now in college. The alum, Class of '36, is getting fat of frame, bald of head, grey of hair and saggy of jowl. He'd feel out of place at a Sophomore Whiskerino. But at Homecoming he feels fine, living it up with other fat, bald, grey, saggy alums. Maybe the dance would have been a financial fizzle had it not been that this was Homecoming. Another factor is that the dance was in the big igloo, the place where dances used to be. Alumni feel more affection for that drafty and barn-like edifice than they do for the gleaming and antiseptically appointed Erb Memorial which the university has been dancing in more recently...'

                • Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.
                  • 1955-11-06 p.2c
                  • 1955-11-13 pp.6B, 7B
                  • 1955-11-15 p.8A
                  • 1955-11-22 p.10A
                • The Capital Journal, Salem, Ore.
                  • 1955-11-17 p.2 s.8
                  • 1955-11-23 p.6 s.1
                • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
                  1955-11-06 p.20
                • The Oregon Statesman, Salem, Ore.
                  • 1955-11-10 s.1 p.3
                  • 1955-11-25 s.3 p.1
                • 1956 University of Oregon yearbook, p.382
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-11-13
                Updated
                2019-05-05
                1955 11 20
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 21
                Monday
                .Roseburg, Ore.Terrace Ballroom
                Elks Lodge
                749 S.E. Jackson St.
                Marcus Lindbloom, Adult Services Librarian, Douglas County Library:

                '[Volunteer researcher] Janet also found an entry about Duke Ellington in a book in our reference collection: Bright Lights: A Chronology of 40 Years of Nightlife in Douglas County, Oregon from 1946-1986, compiled by Bob Sutherland and published by Down on Main Street Publications in Roseburg, March 2009. It mentions a performance he gave with his band on November 21, 1955, also at the Roseburg Elks Terrace Ballroom. The entry includes a scan of an article about the upcoming concert that ran in a newspaper, presumably the News-Review, on November 12. However, the scan is so dark as to be illegible.'

                • Email, Lindbloom-Palmquist 2015-04-14
                • The News-Review,Roseburg,Ore,
                  • 1955-11-12 p.3
                  • Calendar of Events, The News-Review, Roseburg, Ore., 1955-11-21 p.9
                ...Janet, Douglas CountyAdded
                2015-04-17
                updated
                2016-06-02
                2019-03-21
                1955 11 22
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 11 23
                Wednesday
                1955 12 05Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's Jazzland
                6315 Hollywood at Vine
                Club date
                It may be that Ellington took time off during this engagement to travel to San Antonio - see 1955 11 26 - but New Desor identifies two broadcasts from the club, Nov. 27 and Dec. 3, and, in December, gossip columnist Louella O. Parson reported:

                'Snapshots of Hollywood Collected At Random
                  Mel Torme, with his new girl, Corky Hale... at Zardi's Jazzland to hear Duke Ellington. Seated close by were Rosemary Clooney and Joese Ferrer,. Zardi's is Hollywood's answer to New York's Birdland. '

                It seems, therefor, that if Ellington did go to Texas, it was only for a brief time and that he returned to Zardi's.
                • Stratemann p.361, citing Variety 1955-11-16, p.55
                • The Billboard 1955-11-19 p.14
                • Louella O. Parsons' syndicated column
                  Bergen Evening Record, Hackensack, N.J.
                  1955-12-08 p.57
                New Desor
                DE5519
                DE5520
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-05-26
                2019-03-21
                1955 11 24
                Thursday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 11 25
                Friday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Television station KNXTEllington appeared on Hunter Hancock's 11 p.m. television show Rhythm and Bluesville. While Google brings up many brief references to this show, I was unable to determine if the show was live or pre-taped. Hancock is quoted as saying in 1999:

                'In the fall of 1955, on Friday nights, I also had a television show on KCBS, Channel 2, called "Rhythm and Bluesville," that lasted seventeen weeks. My guests included Duke Ellington, Fats Domino, Little Richard, The Platters, Richard Berry, Gene & Eunice, and The Jaguars.'

                A photograph of Duke and Hunter is on Earl P. Reinhalter's website.
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-11-13
                1955 11 25
                Friday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 11 26
                Saturday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23
                Ellington seems to have been away in Texas this evening - see San Antonio entry.
                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-03-21
                1955 11 26
                Saturday
                .San Antonio, TexasMajestic Theater
                and
                Keyhole Club
                Various websites have a photograph taken at the Keyhole Club showing Ellington, the club owners and Mr. and Mrs. Nat King Cole. The University of Texas San Antonio archived copy caption says

                'Photograph shows gathering at the nightclub following Cole and Ellington's midnight appearance at Majestic Theater for showing of movie "Rock N' Roll Revue" that they starred in. Nat King Cole and wife Maria Hawkins Ellington are seated on far left. Duke Ellington is standing third from right next to Don Albert, co-owner of the Keyhole. Standing on far right is other Keyhole co-owner Willie "Red" Winner.'

                While the archive dates the photo Nov. 27 1955, the film played the Majestic only the night of Nov. 26.
                Palmquist comment:
                  As of the time of writing I am unable to reconcile this apparent appearance with Ellington's residency at Zardi's in Los Angeles.
                  There is no apparent business reason Ellington and Cole would be together in Texas - the film was a compilation from various films made for television, it was not a feature film and this was not the movie's première. Released in the United States in October, it played several locations in Texas earlier in the month. I have been unable to find any ads for live appearances in Texas by Cole or Ellington in the newspaper archives I use.
                  Having said that; it is not impossible for Ellington to have absented himself from the Zardi's gig to go to San Antonio for a day or two, but it would have had to have been by air, since the cities are nearly 1,400 miles apart. A flight would have been at least 3 hours each way. The first time Ellington flew is not documented, but the following summer (see 1956 06 08) Ellington spoke about being bored after the first hour in flight, which suggests he had flown previously.
                ...kg/djpNew
                added
                2019-03-21
                1955 11 27
                Sunday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.New Desor
                DE5519
                ...Added
                2011
                1955 11 28
                Monday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 11 29
                Tuesday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 11 30
                Wednesday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011

                December 1955

                1955 12 01
                Thursday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 02
                Friday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 03
                Saturday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.New Desor
                DE5520
                ...Added
                2011
                1955 12 04
                Sunday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.New Desor
                DE5521
                ...Added
                2011
                1955 12 05
                Monday
                .Hollywood
                Los Angeles, Cal.
                Zardi's JazzlandClub date - see 1955 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 06
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 07
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 08
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 09
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 10
                Saturday
                .Albuquerque,N.M.Armory
                5th and Gold SW
                4 hours of dancing, 8 P.M. to 12
                • Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque,N.M.
                  • 1955-12-10 p.20
                  • 1955-12-09 p.48
                  • 1955-12-11 p.1
                • Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque,N.M.
                  1955-12-09 p.41
                ...djpNew
                added
                2014-07-03
                updated
                2016-06-02
                2019-05-05
                1955 12 11
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 12
                Monday
                .Hamilton, Ont.Forum...DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1955 12 13
                Tuesday
                .Dodge City, Kans.AuditoriumFlorence Lile's Teen Times column reports Ellington played at Dodge City, and that Carolyn Dunnan, Kenny Wicks, Jo Green, C.A. Bowser, Imogene Kuttler, Jack Calihan, Kathleen Regan, Larry Scheuzer, Myrna Archibald, Leroy Arnold, Kay Smith and Jay Crook travelled to Dodge City for the Ellington concert.
                • Stratemann p.361
                • Garden City Telegram, Garden City, Kansas, 1955-12-15 p.8
                New Desor
                DE5522
                .corrTimner-4/24+35.Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-11
                1955 12 14
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 15
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 16
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 17
                Saturday
                ..Peripheral Event
                The Pittsburgh Courier:

                'NEW YORK–Duke Ellington is seeking ways and means to break his current recording contract with Capitol Records, according to information received this week.
                  It is understood that the famed maestro is dissatisfied because he wants some of his efforts to be reelased [sic] as single sides while the wax firm continues to present him in albums exclusively.
                  Ellington has been recording under the Capitol banner for the past two years. He previously worked for Columbia. No new record tieup has been set.'

                According to Lambert:
                • Ellington's last Columbia sessions before the Capitol contract were in December 1952
                • Ellington did not make any other commercial recordings until inaugurating the Capitol contract on April 6, 1953.
                • The last Capitol session was May 18, 1955.
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-05-06
                1955 12 17
                Saturday
                9 pm - 1 am
                .Chillicothe, Mo.Airlane Ballroom
                Northeast Chillicothe

                "DUKE ELLINGTON HERE

                The Duke Ellington dance band arrived today in Chillicothe in the band's own bus. Ellington is to play for a dance here tonight."

                Admission, $2.00 advance, $2.25 at door.
                The Constitution-Tribune, Chillicothe, Mo.,
                • Ad, 1955-12-16 p.4
                • Notice, 1955-12-17 p.1
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2014-07-04
                1955 12 18
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 19
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1955 12 20
                Tuesday
                .Madison, Wisc.Maple Bluffs Country ClubPrivate dance, 9 p.m.
                The Capital Times, Dec.2:

                'Quislings, Faulkners Plan Formal Dance
                  One of the highlights of the "Santa Claus" season will be the formal dance Dr.and Mrs. Abraham A. Quisling ... and the Austin Faulkners ... will give Dec. 20 at the Maple Bluff Country Club. Dancing will begin at 9 p.m. for the 250 guests.'

                Waukesha Daily Freeman, Dec.22:

                'Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Connell...were among some 300 guests who attended a formal pre-Christmas dinner dance held at Maple Bluffs Country club, Madison.
                  Hosts and hostesses for the affair were Dr. and Mrs. Abe Quisling and Mr. and Mrs. Austin Faulkner, all of Madison. Mrs. Faulkner is the daughter of the Connells.
                  Music for dancing at the party was by Duke Ellington and his band.'

                • The Capital Times, Madison, Wisc.
                  1955-12-02 p.12
                • Waukesha Daily Freeman, Waukesha, Wisc.
                  1955-12-22 p.5
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2019-05-06
                1955 12 21
                Wednesday
                1956 01 03Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency, pursuant to the contract made July 26 (see above).
                • While Stratemann says the band had Mondays and Tuesdays off, as well as Christmas Day and New Years Day, local advertising has the club closed Saturday (Christmas Eve) and has Ellington playing two shows Christmas day, a show on Boxing Day (Monday) and a show New Years Day. In all, the contract calls for 2 five day weeks, or ten days in total. From the advertising, these appear to have been December 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, and January 1.

                • Herb Lyon, Tower Ticker, Chicago Daily Tribune:

                  '...Duke Ellington will be welcomed to town (and the Blue Note) Wednesday night, when every name disk jockey will turn up to give him a special Downbeat award. He's still the duke-iest... '

                • Associated Press wirestory:

                  'Band leader Duke Ellington wound up with a tongue-in-cheek award from Downbeat magazine for "his contribution to intermission piano playing." The jazz music magazine used the occasion of the Duke's opening night at the Blue Note to present him with the award, which actually feted Ellington for his more than 25 years as a music maker.'

                • Will Leonard, On the Town:

                  'Duke Ellington ... won't work next Saturday night. The Note will be closed Chrismas eve, but there'll be a Christmas day matinee with Two-Ton Baker as Santa Claus, and Monday evening, Dec. 26 will be the annual "college night." '

                • Chicago Daily Tribune and
                  Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                  • 1955-12-16 Pt. 5 p.2 F
                  • 1955-12-18 Pt.7 pp.6, 10
                  • 1955-12-19 pt 3 p.20
                  • 1955-12-20 Pt. 2 p.6
                  • 1955-12-21 Pt.2 p.14
                  • 1955-12-23 Pt.2 p.5
                  • 1955-12-25 Pt.7 S.2 pp.2,3
                  • 1955-12-26 Pt.3 p.24
                  • 1955-12-28 Pt. 2 p.5
                  • 1956-01-01 Pt.7 p.8
                • AP wirestory,
                  The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alta.
                  1955-12-29 p.2
                • Stratemann, p.361
                • Vail II with undated ad for Sunday's matinee and Monday's College Nite
                .DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-06-30
                2019-05-06
                2019-10-23
                2020-05-09
                1955 12 22
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 23
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 24
                Saturday
                Christmas eve
                .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented - Blue Note day off.....Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-10-23
                1955 12 25
                Sunday
                Christmas
                .Chicago, Ill..Television appearance
                Tower Ticker by Herb Lyon:

                'And, on Sunday's WGN-TV Chicago By-Lyon show, Duke Ellington, the Blue Note star, will stop by. Ditto Skating Champ Barbara Ann Scott and her groom, Tommy King, and Singers Nick Noble and Lola Dee.'

                Herb Lyon's "Chicago By-Lyon" television show on WGN-TV began in November 1955 with a live audience and aired Sundays from 6:30 to 7 p.m.
                Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                • 1955-11-04 Pt.3 p.2
                • 1955-12-23 Pt.2 p.2
                • 1955-12-25 Pt.3 TV
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2019-10-23
                1955 12 25
                Sunday
                Christmas
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21
                Afternoon and evening performances. The Dec. 21 Chicago Daily Tribune ad says
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON
                and his orchestra

                CLOSED Christmas Eve
                to allow our employees to
                be with their families
                Sunday Christmas Celebration
                5 P.M.–DUKE ELLINGTON
                DICK TWO TON BAKER
                (our own Santa Claus)
                Bring the family
                9 PM Gala Christmas Nite party
                DUKE ELLINGTON

                MONDAY, DEC. 26th
                Annual College Nite
                '
                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-10-23
                1955 12 26
                Monday
                Boxing Day
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                The ad for this day is confusing:
                Annual College Nite
                DUKE

                ELLINGTON

                YOUR BEST MUSICAL BUY!
                SUNDAY'S MATINEE
                5 to 7 P.M.
                Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                1955-12-26 Pt.3 p.24
              • ....New
                added
                2019-10-23
                1955 12 27
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                activities not documented - Blue Note day off.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 28
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 29
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21.New Desor
                DE9011
                DEMSNDCS 1025.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1955 12 30
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21.....Added
                2011
                1955 12 31
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.
                New Year's Eve
                The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21
                Prices were the same as any other night.
                NBC broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and his orchestra:
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles aired and recorded:
                • Take the "A" Train
                • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart / Don't Get Around Much Any More
                • Rock Skippin' at the Blue Note
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Hey, Cherie
                • Solitude
                • Smada
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be

                It isn't clear if these titles were the usual New Year's Eve national broadcast or a remote a bit earlier in the day.
                • San Diego Union, San Diego has Dec 31 1955 New Year's Eve Music: Duke Ellington, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, KFMB, 8 p.m. (10 p.m. in Chicago )
                • Dec. 31, Riverside Independent Enterprise, Riverside, Cal. has KNX, Duke Ellington at 11:30 p.m. (1:30 Chicago time)
                • Dec. 31, The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. has Duke Ellington at 11:45 p.m. (1:45 in Chicago)
                • Dec. 31, Akron Beacon Journal, Akron, Ohio
                  • Ellington along with Hampton, Shearing, Eddy Howard, the Dorsey Brothers, Henry Jerome, Ralph Flanagan, Bobby Swain, Jerry Grey, Bob Scobey at 10:30 p.m. on WADC
                  • Jerry Gray, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Tex Beneke, Les Brown, Marion McPartland, George Shearing, Stan Kenton, Bobby Troup at 11:15 on WTAM
                • Dec 31 Semi-Weekly Spokesman, Spokane, has Ellington on KXLY at 11:30 (1:30 Chicago time)
                Klaus Götting:
                I listened to my (sole) corresponding recording: NewDesor 5523a-f = Stompini??/GotItBad/Cherie/Solitude/Smada and uncomplete ThingsAini??t.
                • The location i??Blue Notei?? is mentioned 3 times but nothing can be heard concerning the broadcaster or the announcer's name.
                • Before i??Cheriei?? Duke says: i??Happy New Year everybodyi?? no midnight emphasis and this makes me believe that it already was early in the morning, Chicago time.
                • N.B: there was (and possibly still is) some confusion concerning the 31dec55-1jan56 broadcasts.
                  • the original Desor had as entry 607: Rock Skippin' and Things Ain't preceding the above ND5523a-f just as Timner 3, Sjef's personal collection and others (probably from the very same source, Luigi Sanfilippo).
                  • The New Desor corrected Rock Skippini?? and Things 1:19% into DE5231d + e 31dec52 following A Train / I Let A Song and Doni??t Get Around and it clearly is the same ambiance and speaker through-out, repeating: "not yet midnight in Chicago"
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.153
                • Vail II
                • Emails, Götting/Girvan/Palmquist 2019-10-25, 2019-10-26
                New Desor
                DE5523
                ..djp, kgAdded
                2011
                updated
                2019-10-23
                2019-10-27



                Back to Navigation List

                1956


                Date of event Ending date
                (if different)
                City/
                Other place
                Venue Event/PeoplePrimary Reference New
                Desor
                reference
                DEMS
                reference
                Other
                references
                Contact
                person
                Date added
                / updated

                January 1956

                1956 01 01
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill..Ellington was expected to appear on local television show
                Tower Ticker by Herb Lyon:

                'TICKER TAKES: I've got an all-star lineup set for this Sunday night's Chicago By-Lyon show [WGN-TV-6:30 p.m.]: Joe E. Lewis from the Chez, Duke Ellington from the Blue Note, Screen Star Myrna Hansen, and Ted Weem's Thrush, Bonnie Ann Shaw, appearing at the Martinique. What a wonderful way to welcome the new year.'

                Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                1955-12-30 Pt.2 p.2
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2019-10-23
                1956 01 01
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.The Blue Note
                Madison at Clark
                Night club residency - see 1955 12 21

                Chicago Sunday Tribune ad:
                FINAL EVENING
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON

                OPENS WEDNESDAY, JAN.4
                OSCAR PETERERSON ... '
                Timner IV and V report a broadcast from the Blue Note. It cannot be confirmed from the Chicago Daily Tribune radio log but stations in other cities have Ellington broadcasts. Ellington was on Monitor WIBA January 1, 5:35 p.m. January 1, 1956 per the Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc. The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, also has him on at 4:45 on KVOA.
                Duke Ellington and his orchestra:
                Terry, Cook, Anderson, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles aired and recorded:
                • Rockin' in Rhythm
                • Prelude to a Kiss
                • Do Nothin' Till You Here From Me
                • Feetbone
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                1956-01-01 Pt.7 p.8
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2019-10-23
                1956 01 02
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill..Blue Note day off and end of two week engagement...DEMS..2014-07-01
                2020-04-11
                2020-05-09
                1956 01 03
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Private recording session ("stockpile")

                Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                • Feetbone
                • Blue Rose
                • Bassment (Discontented)
                • Carnegie Blues
                • Blues Improvisation
                • Just Scratchin' The Surface
                • Le Sucrier Velour (Do Not Disturb)
                • Tea For Two
                • Long Time Blues
                Subject to the comment at 1931 08 11 above, this seems to be Ellington's earliest private recording session that resulted in the recordings surviving in the enormous "stockpile" of privately made recordings his son Mercer donated in 1984 to the Danish Radio service, which produced 40 broadcasts of the material. (There was a private recording some 25 years earlier (see 1931 08 11) which apparently is lost.) The collection consisted of 781 audio tapes and 52 records. It is, in any event, the earliest date listed in DEMS 86/2 in a table of these broadcasts.

                DEMS 86/2-3

                'RADIO DENMARK'S SENSATIONAL SERIES
                PRESENTING MERCER DONATED DE MATERIAL
                A SPECIAL SURVEY
                displaying new discoveries, new conclusions, new solutions, new surprises

                Almost all the Mercer donated material consists of so called "Stockpile Recordings", In earlier days of this stockpile era everything was handled by the boys and gals of the Mercer Inc. [Documentation was] not taken too seriously. "Nothin' Is Like Having Your Own Record Company!" seemed to be the happy thing in those days.

                Later the more experienced and trained recording personnel at the various recording studios were used - Columbia, RCA, National, A&R, a.o. Written documentation became more reliable. Nevertheless, according to circumstances, they sometimes lack correct details as to titles, personnel, etc.

                The stockpile recordings are highly interesting. Completely new material is included, but also older things in quite new arrangements, and many hitherto completely unknown and most important works. The material at the recording sessions was often so fresh that titles were referred to only as "Number One", "Number Two", etc. Another system for reference was the use of four-letter combinations. Sometimes there were interimn titles used. To Duke the important thing at the sessions [was] to get the new ideas recorded.

                In many cases the date of a recording session was afterwards forgotten, or the papers got lost. Reconstructions had to be done, The result often was mistakes as wrong months, days, sometimes years, personnel, and even titles.

                Many major record companies, such as Reprise, Atlantic, Fantasy, Pablo, a.o., bought or leased material from the stockpile recordings, one of the latest being Doctor Jazz.

                As all collectors know, album notes are often incorrect. This is mostly a result of the above described circumstances. Especially Pablo seems to have been terribly stricken in some cases.

                Consequently it is not surprising to find out that the various Danish commentators responsible for the contents of the 40 (so far) broadcasts in the series, must have had considerable difficulties trying to sort out as correct as possible information concerning dates, personnel, titles, etc. Also in those cases where Mercer himself was asked to lend a helping hand, he too often came to a wrong conclusion.

                Some of the Danish commentators have afterwards been able to find more correct information. Valuable observations have been handed over to DEMS, and we would like to thank all and everyone for their kind contributions. We would especially like to mention Erik Wiedemann for his extended researoh work carried out in the Radio Denmark archives. We have also contributions from outside Denmark, as for instance Klaus Stratemann, and there is of oourse the enthusiastic identification and research work as carried out by Sjef Hoefsmit. Everything has been assembled and handed over to Benny Aasland for expert discographical investigation together with the more contemporary documentations fortunately included and preserved in the DEMS files.

                It is quite clear further research efforts are still needed in some cases... '

                The bulletin then lists the contents of the 40 broadcasts, in chronological order, with suggested dates from 3 sources, titles, comments and place of origin. This list is followed by an alphabetical list of the song titles cross-indexed to its corresponding broadcast.

                Ulf Lundin, Duke-LYM emails 2014-01-20
                • The Azure CA-6 ends with a piece which Aaslund names Blues and gives 17 March 1956 as recording date. It is an 11 minutes long song with nice playing of Hodges, Hamilton and Carney but neither the title and the date is in NDESOR. There is a stockpile session on 18 March but the structure of the tune does not seem to fit the three tunes recorded on this date.Does anyone have information on this?
                • It is amazing how the members of the list mobilize when there is a question to be answered. 24 hours after I posted it, I have got all the information (and more) as regards the last track on Azure CA-6. So the correct title is Long Time Blues and not Blues (as given by Aaslund) or Blues - Part 1 and 2 (in the first DESOR). Neither is the recording date 17 March 1956 (as in Aaslund's files - see DEMS 86/2 page 6) or 17 March 1957 (as in DESOR) but 3 Jan 1956. Furthermore, it is included in Private Collection Vol 1 CD but in a shorter version which leaves out the last four choruses on the Azure tape (see Hoefsmit's comment in DEMS 88/2 page 1)
              • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                Ellingtonia.com
              • Timner IV
              • The Private Collection on CD
              • New Desor
                DE5601
                DEMScorrTimner-4/24+31djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-01-21
                2020-05-09
                2024-06-08
                1956 01 04
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 05
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 06
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 07
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 08
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 09
                Monday
                .Toledo, OhioMuseum Of Art Peristyle
                Toledo Blade concert photo
                Band photo in concert at the Peristyle
                Click to Enlarge
                The Ellington orchestra opened the Jazz at the Peristyle three concert series instead of the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, which cancelled its entire winter tour.
                • The Defiance Crescent-News reported fived Alpha Delta Sigma sorority girls from Defiance College, Breta Johnson, Twila Riffel, Carol Hess, Paulann Porter, soroity president Merrilan Tuttle, their advisor, Mrs. Clara Howe and one gues, Eddie Nihiser, attended.
                • The Lima announcement mentions the Ellington orchestra was to play in Philadelphia "next Saturday" before the Cafe Society Downtown engagement.
                • Toledo Blade, Toledo, Ohio,
                  • Announcement, 1955-12-25 p.8
                  • Band photo, 1956-01-11
                • The Lima News, Lima, Ohio
                  1956-01-08 p.8-C
                • The Fremont News-Messenger, Fremont, Ohio
                  1956-01-06 p.2
                • Defiance Crescent-News, Defiance, Ohio
                  1956-01-11 p.11
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-02
                2021-11-12
                1956 01 10
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 11
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y..Johnny Hodges recording session with a small group of EllingtoniansStratemann p.362.DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-20
                2020-05-09
                1956 01 12
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y..Johnny Hodges recording session with a small group of Ellingtonians..DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-20
                2020-05-09
                1956 01 12
                Thursday
                1956 01 28New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency
                • Stratemann p.362
                • The Lima News, Lima, Ohio, 1956-01-08 p.8-C
                • The Morning Herald, Uniontown, Penn., 1956-01-11 p.13
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1956 01 13
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 14
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 15
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 16
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 17
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 18
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 19
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 20
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 21
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 22
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12
                Recorded NBC remote broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His OrchestraCook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Satin Doll
                • Feetbone
                • Passion Flower
                .New Desor
                DE5602
                ...Added
                2011
                updated 2014-07-20
                1956 01 23
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.30th St. StudiosColumbia recording session
                • 15:00 - 18:00
                • 20:00 - 23:00

                Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard.

                (Miss Clooney was not present. Her vocals were dubbed at Radio Recorders, 1956-02-08 and 1956-02-11)
                Steven Lasker:

                'Arranger Billy Strayhorn was present both at the sessions in New York with Ellington's orchestra and the vocal overdubbing sessions in Hollywood with Rosemary Clooney. David Hajdu interviewed Clooney at length about the preparation and techniques that resulted in this album (see "Lush Life," pages 146-49).'


                Titles recorded:
                • Me And You
                • Grievin'
                • I'm Checking Out Goom Bye
                • Blue Rose
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Mood Indigo
                • If You Were In My Place

                Stuart Broomer, Editorial Review on Amazon.com:

                '...the person most responsible for these unusual 1956 recordings was ... Billy Strayhorn. ... Clooney was in the midst of a difficult pregnancy and unable to leave Los Angeles. Strayhorn visited her to work on the arrangements, eventually moving in and becoming nurse as well as orchestrator, picking the material with Clooney and arranging familiar Ellington classics and some of his own songs ... to suit her voice. The situation ... required ... the band and vocal tracks be recorded separately, the first time the technique had been attempted by major artists...'


                Lambert:

                'The first three Ellington LPs recorded in 1956 were done on a freelance basis, one for Columbia and two for Bethlehem. The Columbia set, Blue Rose, is a collaboration with the popular singer Rosemary Clooney, the first of many such meetings with artists from outside the Ellington orbit which we find in the LP era...'

                Stratemann:

                'These were the first commercial recordings Ellington made after the Capitol contract expired. '

                Lasker:

                'According to Columbia's files and the annotations on the released albums, Irving Townsend produced the Rosemary Clooney album'

                New Desor
                DE5603
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-20
                2019-08-06
                2020-05-09
                1956 01 23
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 24
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 25
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 26
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 27
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.30th St. StudiosColumbia recording session (see also commentary above re 1956 01 23)
                15:00-18:15
                Rosemary Clooney and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Again, Miss Clooney was not present. Her vocals were recorded at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles in February.

                Billy Strayhorn was present - see 1956 01 23 above
                Titles recorded:
                • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Just A-Sittin- And A-Rockin'
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Passion Flower
                • Hey Baby
                New Desor
                DE5604
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-20
                2019-08-06
                2020-05-09
                1956 01 27
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12.....Added
                2011
                1956 01 28
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.Café Society or
                  Café Society Downtown
                Club residency - see 1956 01 12
                Recorded NBC remote broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His OrchestraCook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Bassment
                • C-Jam Blues
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
              • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
                Ellingtonia.com
              • New Desor
                DE5605
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                1956 01 29
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 01 29
                Sunday
                ... Peripheral event
                Despite the Cafe Society run ending Jan. 28 according to Stratemann and Vail, the Sunday Star showed Ellington playing on NBC Monitor at 11:30 p.m. from Cafe Society.
                Sunday Star, Washington, D.C. 1956-01-29 p.E-8 (indexed by GenealogyBank.com as Evening Star p. 93)...djpNew
                added
                2016-01-05
                1956 01 30
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 01 31
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                February 1956

                1956 02 01
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 02
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 03
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 04
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 05
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 06
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 07
                Tuesday
                1956 02 08
                Wednesday
                Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Two day recording session for the Bethlehem label albums Historically Speaking and Duke Ellington Presents...

                Ellington contracted with Bethlehem for only two LPs.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • East St. Louis Toodle-O
                • Creole Love Call
                • Stompy Jones
                • Jeep Is Jumpin'
                • Jack The Bear
                • In A Mellow Tone
                • Ko-Ko
                • Midriff
                • Stomp, Look And Listen
                • Unbooted Character
                • Lonesome Lullabye
                • Upper Manhattan Medical Group
                • Summertime
                • Laura
                • I Can't Get Started
                • My Funny Valentine
                • Everything But You
                • Frustration
                • Cotton Tail
                • Day Dream
                • Deep Purple
                • Indian Summer
                • Blues No.05
                Lambert:

                'These Bethlehem LPs gave a clear indication that the Ellington band was at one of its peaks'

                New Desor
                DE5606
                DEMScorr Timner-4djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2020-05-09
                2024-06-08
                1956 02 08
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Bethlehem recording session - see 1956 02 08.New Desor
                DE5606
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2024-06-08
                1956 02 08
                Wednesday
                .Hollywood, Cal.Radio RecordersPeripheral event
                First of two sessions in which Rosemary Clooney's vocals were dubbed onto the Jan. 23 and 27 recordings by the band. The session time is not known.

                Billy Strayhorn was present - see 1956 01 23 above
                Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session timeNew Desor
                DE5603
                DE5604
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2014-10-15
                2019-08-06
                2020-05-09
                1956 02 09
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 10
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 11
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 11.Hollywood, Cal.Radio RecordersPeripheral event
                Second of two sessions in which Rosemary Clooney's vocals were dubbed onto the Jan. 23 and 27 recordings by the band. The session time is not known.

                Billy Strayhorn was present - see 1956 01 23 above
                Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session timeNew Desor
                DE5603
                DE5604
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2014-10-15
                2019-08-06
                2020-05-09
                1956 02 12
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 13
                Monday
                .Jackson, Miss.Jackson College

                'Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will make a Feb. 13 appearance at Jackson College, (Mississippi) under the sponsorship of the Jackson College Lyceum Association.'


                The Clarion-Ledger:

                '...Duke's great band will be pinch hitting for Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home" aggregation which had been scheduled ... October 24.
                  The Hampton band was unable to fill the engagement because of a wreck in which the "Vibes" King and 15 members of his orchestra were injured. Ellington's services had been requested last spring when the Lyceum Associaiton made plans for this season's series, but because of previous commitments, he was not available for a fall concert.'

                • The Clarion-Ledger, Jackson, Miss.
                  1955-11-16 s.1 p.3
                • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                  1955-11-26, p.13
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2014-07-21
                Updated
                2019-05-05
                1956 02 14
                Tuesday
                Valentine's Day
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 15
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 16
                Thursday
                New York City, N.Y...Band activities not documented
                Ellington was interviewed for 5 minutes on the afternoon WNYC radio show Adventures in Jazz
                WNYC was owned by the City of New York.
                Stratemann p.362...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                1956 02 17
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 18
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 19
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 20
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 21
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 22
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 23
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 24
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 25
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 26
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 27
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 02 28
                Tuesday
                .Daytona Beach, Fla.Bethune-Cookman College Moore Gymnasium....adAPG aug 2011Added
                2011
                1956 02 29
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                March 1956

                1956 03 01
                Thursday
                9 p.m. - 1 a.m.
                .St. Petersburg, Fla.ColiseumDance
                Admission $2 including tax
                • Stratemann p.362 citing DESB
                • St. Petersburg Times
                  • Announcement, 1956-02-28 p.20
                  • Banner ad, 1956-03-01 p.24
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                1956 03 02
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 03
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 04
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 05
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 06
                Tuesday
                .Normal, Ala.Alabama A and M CollegeThis entry is based solely on a file folder label listed in the Smithsonian finding aid shown to the right and should not be taken as confirmed as yet.Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 15 Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Alabama A and M College, Normal, Alabama, March 6, 1956...djpNew
                added
                2016-01-24
                1956 03 07
                Wednesday
                .Frankfort, Ky.Hume Hall
                Kentucky College
                Ellington sick; band led by son Mercer Ellington.Jet, 1962-05-24 p.60.....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2024-02-08
                1956 03 08
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 09
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 10
                Saturday
                .Lawrence, Kans.Student Union
                University of Kansas
                Greek Week ball

                'A sophomore from Pratt, Scott Dole, was crowned king of Greek Week and the annual Greek Week Ball March 10 - that's the dance for which Duke Ellington and his band performed.'

                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-07-25
                2014-07-21
                2016-06-02
                1956 03 11
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 03 12
                Monday
                .Ardmore or Ada, Okla..

                'Popular hits to longer, more serious works will be presented by Duke Ellington March 12 on Allied Arts series "B". Bob Austin, Sigma Phi Epsilon pledge has reserved seats right on the front row to hear Ellington, whose compositions have been classed with Walt Disney's cartoons as the only original art forms developed in American.'


                "Allied Arts series B" seems to have been a program of Allied Arts section or division of the Tanti Study Club of Ada, Oklahoma, which in turn seems to be a member of the Oklahoma State Federation of Women's Clubs. Ardmore and Ada are about 60 miles apart, and it isn't clear which one hosted this concert.

                Ardmore is one of the sites of Murray State Agricultural College, which may explain the headline "Aggies from Ardmore."

                Any further information regarding this possible March 12 performance will be welcome.
                Marilyn Baldwin, Aggies from Ardmore,The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Okla., 1956-03-11 p.2-B.....new
                2014-07-23
                1956 03 13
                Tuesday
                .Norman, Okla.Fieldhouse
                University of Oklahoma
                The Daily Ardmoreite:

                'Shirley Rosser could hardly keep from dancing as she listened to the Duke Ellington jazz concert in the field house Tuesday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m.. Ellington is currently touring colleges throughout the United States.'

                .
                • Stratemann p.361 citing DESB
                • The Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Ok., 1956-03-18 p.4-B
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2016-06-02
                1956 03 14
                Wednesday
                .Fayetteville, Ark.Men's gymnasium
                University of Arkansas.
                Dance
                Arkansas Traveler, University of Arkansas
                Fayetteville, Ark. 1956-03-09 pp.1 ,2
                ....New
                added
                2021-01-25
                1956 03 15
                Thursday
                .Poplar Bluff, Mo........Added
                2011
                1956 03 16
                Friday
                .Davenport, IowaMasonic Auditorium"Modern Jazz '56" concert, Ellington orchestra and the Dave Brubeck Quartet
                • Stratemann p.362
                • Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill., 1956-03-10 p.4
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                1956 03 17
                Saturday
                St. Patrick's Day
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Stratemann shows a recording session for this date which appears to be in error based on a listing of The Private Collection Volume 1 tracks in DEMS 1988-2 p.1. According to Benny Aasland in DEMS 1992/1, pp.2-3, the date was January 3, 1956..New Desor
                DE5601
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2020-05-09
                2024-06-08
                1956 03 17
                Saturday
                St. Patrick's Day
                .La Salle, Ill.
                or
                Spring Valley, Ill.
                Valley Ballroom
                or
                Les Buzz Ballroom
                In DEMS 92/1, Benny Aasland says the orchestra played in La Salle, Ill. on this date but did not give the source of this information. Stratemann shows La Salle, referring to the Duke Ellington Scrapbook and Vail adopts Stratemann's entry. This conflicts with ads in The Daily Illini and in the Rockford Morning Star for Ellington and his orchestra playing March 17 for dancing at Les Buzz, which was a ballroom in Spring Valley, some 16 miles away.
                Dancing 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., tickets $1.75 in advance, at the door $2.00, tax included.

                Further research is needed.
                • The Daily Illini, Urbana-Champagne, Ill.
                  1956-03-16 p.10
                • Rockford Morning Star, Rockford, Ill,
                  1956-03-16 p.12-B
                • Stratemann p.362
                • Vail II
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2019-12-15
                2020-05-09
                1956 03 18
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Private recording session (the "stockpile")
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Billy Strayhorn,; Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                • Blue Rose
                • Short Sheet Cluster
                • Uncontrived
                New Desor
                DE5607
                DEMScorrTimner-4/24.Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2020-05-09
                2024-06-08
                1956 03 18
                Sunday
                .Kenosha, Wisc.Eagles BallroomEllington and his orchestra were to play at the Eagles Ballroom in Kenosha on this date. This event does not necessarily conflict with the stockpile recording session since Kenosha is only 66 miles from the centre of Chicago.Kenosha Evening News, Kenosha, Wisc.,
              • 1956-02-16 p.22
              • 1956-03-02 p.15
              • 1956-03-09 p.14
              • 1956-03-16 p.15
              • ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-02
                1956 03 19
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Private recording session (the "stockpile")
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                • Miss Lucy
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • E And D Blues
                • Way Back Blues
                • Where's The Music?
                • Rubber Bottom
                • Play The Blues And Go Home
                Steven Lasker:

                'This date was "recorded under the personal supervision of Mr. Bill Putnam, President, Universal Recording Studios, Chicago." Four of the numbers, "Way Back Blues," "Where's the Music," "Rubber Bottom" and "Play the Blues and Go," saw their first release on disc in 1985 on Flying Dutchman FW40030 ("Happy Reunion"), but had been released earlier, in 1956, on Pentape RT-800 ("Duke Ellington Originals"), a 5" diameter, open-reel tape. Discogs.com lists only 11 releases on Pentape.
                   The tape box doesn't bear a copyright date, but a mention in Down Beat (1956 12 12, p42) confirms a 1956 release date. I believe this is the only Ellington release not offered for sale on disc, but exclusive to tape (at least for its first 29 years).'

                Those four recordings are on CD:
                • Duke Ellington 4tet/5tet/6tet/7tet: Featuring Paul Gonsalves & Clark Terry – The 1956-58 Small Group Recordings (Lone Star Jazz LHJ10365)
                • Duke Ellington Happy Reunion (Sony Music Special Products SMSP AK-40030)
                The other titles from this session appear on CD in LMR CD-83000 "The Private Collection Volume One, Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956."
                • corrTimner-4/24+31
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2024-05-05
                New Desor
                DE5608
                DEMS.Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2020-05-09
                2024-05-24
                2024-06-08
                1956 03 20
                Tuesday
                8:15 p.m.
                .Palatine, Ill.Gymnasium
                Palatine Township High School
                2 hour concert sponsored by the student council. James Mitchell, student council president was in charge of the arrangements.

                Reserved seats, $3 (first 7 rows on the gym floor; general admission $2 (main gym floor) and $1.50 (bleachers).
                The Arlington Herald:

                'This reporter believes that Palatine township high school senior council and all students and teachers are to be praised for the wonderful job they did in bringing the Duke Ellington concert to this area. The high school gymn had a wonderful turnout Tuesday evening and Duke Ellington and his band put on a grand concert...'

                • Arlington Heights Herald,
                  Arlington Heights, Ill.
                  • 1956-02-16 p.4
                  • 1956-03-08 p.18
                  • 1956-03-15 p.77
                  • Marjory Platt, News Of Greater Palatine, 1956-03-22
                • The Palatine Enterprise (indexed as The Daily Herald in the Newspapers.com archive)
                  • 1956-02-16 p.1
                  • 1956-03-15 p.2
                • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                  1956-03-18, p.NW1
                ...KS email 2014-07-24, djpNew
                2014-07-25
                2016-06-02
                1956 03 21
                Wednesday
                .Decatur, Ill.Kintner Gym
                Decatur High School
                400 block N.Franklin St.
                .Stratemann p.362 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                1956 03 22
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 23
                Friday
                .Ann Arbor, Mich.League Ballroom
                University of Michigan.
                1956 ROTC Military Ball 9.00 to 1.00, with Duke Ellington's Orchestra, featuring Hodges, Nance, Grisson [sic] and Anderson.
                • Tickets $4.00
                • Intermission entertainment was to include the Coutures singing group, a chalk talk, and drill team exhibition by the Pershing Riflemen.
                • Dress for ROTC students was formal military uniforms, other guests were to be in semi-formal attire.
                • Men were asked not to buy corsages for their dates.
                • The ball was open to faculty and other students.
                • Event ticket on eBay, courtesy S..Lasker
                • The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
                  • 1956-03-13 p.5
                  • 1956-03-20 p.5
                  • 1956-03-23 p.5
                .
                ...sl/djpNew
                added
                2020-04-03
                1956 03 24
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 03 25
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.Hotel Sherry-Biltmore.Boston Section, National Council of Jewish Women Evening Group dinner dance
                Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be featured and a revue "Vintage '56" will be the theme of the evening.
                Boston Herald 1956-03-23 p.38A...djpNew
                2014-07-22.
                1956 03 26
                Monday
                1956 04 01
                Sunday
                Boston, Mass..Sometime this week, Ellington was made an honorary member of the national music fraternity Kappa Gamma Phi by the New England Conservatory of Music Alpha Chapter.
                • The Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
                  1956-05-12, p7
                • Associated Negro Press report
                  San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Tex.
                  1956-04-20 p.7
                • Down Beat 1956-05-06 p.27
                ....Added
                2021-11-12
                1956 03 26
                Monday
                1956 04 01
                Sunday
                Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                Night club engagement with Sunday matinee, 3 to 6:30 p.m.
                Advertised as 16-piece orchestra featuring Johnny Hodges
                • Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1956-03-22
                  • 1956-03-23
                • Boston American, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1956-03-22
                  • 1956-03-23
                • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1956-03-23 p.49
                  • 1956-03-26 p.18
                • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1956-03-23 p.33
                • Boston Evening American, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1956-03-28 p.31
                • Stratemann p.362, citing
                  Variety 1956-03-28, p.74
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-12-03
                2014-07-22
                2021-11-12
                1956 03 26
                Monday
                1956 04 01
                Sunday
                Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                Peripheral event
                Sometime during this week, Strayhorn was interviewed for Down Beat. Its far-ranging report touches on
                • His working relationship with Ellington and their influences on each other.
                • The Rosemary Clooney project (the "Blue Rose" album)
                • The importance of song titles
                • Reworking "Take It Away" into the Jimmy Blanton feature "Jack the Bear"
                • Effect of long-playing records on the length of compositions, using "Take the A Train" as an example.
                • Going abroad.
                • Listening preferences.
                • Food
                • Johnny Hodges' return
                • Modern jazz
                Down Beat 1956-05-30 p.15
                courtesy S. Lasker 2021-11-07
                ....New
                Added
                2021-11-12
                1956 03 27
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                night club residency - see 1956 03 26.....Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 03 28
                Wednesday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                night club residency - see 1956 03 26.....Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 03 29
                Thursday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                night club residency - see 1956 03 26.....Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 03 30
                Friday
                ...Date of contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and a vocalist led by Duke Ellington for two 5-day 32-hour weeks, with Sunday matinee at the Blue Note, 3 N. Clark St., commencing August 22, 1956 for $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.

                This contract has the same provision re recording, reproduction or broadcast.
                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
                added 2012-11-03
                1956 03 30
                Friday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                night club residency - see 1956 03 26.....Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 03 31
                Saturday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                night club residency - see 1956 03 26.....Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03

                April 1956

                1956 04 01
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                night club residency - see 1956 03 26
                with Sunday matinee, 3 to 6:30 p.m.
                .....Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 04 02
                Monday
                1956 04 03Passaic, N.J.Central Theatre......Added
                2011
                1956 04 03
                Tuesday
                .Passaic, N.J.Central Theatre-see 1956 04 02......Added
                2011
                1956 04 04
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 05
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 05
                Thursday
                ...Temporary personnel changes
                New Desor volume 2 shows trumpeters Ray Nance and Willie Cook leaving the band in March and returning on April 25. New Desor also shows trumpeter Nelson 'Cadillac' Williams in the band from March to April 24, and trumpeter Jesse Drakes in the band from March to April 9, after which Phil Barboza replaced Drakes for six days. Band activities from April 17 to 22 are not documented, but New Desor has Edward 'Moon' Mullens replacing Barboza from April 22-24.
                The substitutions likely resulted from the arrests of Nance and Cook:

                Star-Journal:

                'Willis (Ray) Nance, top-flight jazz trumpeter and husband of a Maspeth model, have [sic] pleaded guilty to dope charges in Manhattan General Sessions.
                  His wife, Mrs. Gloria Nance, 27, arrested with her husband in a Manhattan hotel, April 5, pleaded not guilty.
                  Mrs. Nance, who lives at 56-09 62nd avenue [sic], will be tried May 23. Her husband, a member of the Duke Ellington band, will be sentenced May 25.
                  John Cook, 32, another Ellington trumpeter, who was picked up in Nance's room, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced Thursday.'

                Pittsburgh Courier:

                'Ray Nance, who's out on bail on that dope business, will not be taken back by Duke Ellington.'

                • New Desor Vol.2
                • Long Island Star-Journal 1956-04-16 p.11
                • Pittsburgh Courier 1956-04-21 p.24
                ....New
                added 2014-07-24
                1956 04 06
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 07
                Saturday
                .Elmira, N.Y.State Armory......Added
                2011
                1956 04 08
                Sunday
                .Rochester, N.Y.Golden Grill Inn
                4775 Lake Ave.
                Stratemann places this in Charlotte, N.Y.

                There are at least two Charlotte place names in New York, one in Chautauqua County and one that is part of Rochester. A matchbook cover for sale on eBay for the Golden Grill Inn carries the address 4775 Lake Avenue, Rochester.
                ....Agustěn Perez Gasco jun11Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                1956 04 09
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 10
                Tuesday
                1956 04 15New York, N.Y.Basin Street East

                'APPEARING
                NITELY
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                And His
                World Famous Orchestra
                LOU STERN Trio
                Extra Attaction...
                the Lovely Voice of
                MORGANA KING
                Open 6 Nites a Week'


                Danton Walker :

                'Eddie Arcaro at the bongo drums was the sensation of the Duke Ellington opening at Basin St.'


                Personnel changes
                According to Stratemann, during the Basin Street engagement Johnny Hartmann replaced Jimmy Grissom as vocalist, and Jesse Drakes and Nelson Williams replaced Willie Cook and Ray Nance. According to New Desor and Sjef Hoefsmit, however, Phil Barboza played Basin Street instead of Drakes.

                Sjef Hoefsmit (DEMS 02,1-25):

                'The New DESOR has Jesse Drakes from March until 9Apr56 and starting with the Basin Street engagement until 21Apr56 Phil "Edmond" Barboza, see New DESOR sessions 5609 and 5610 and DEMS Bulletin 93/2-6.'

                Luciano Massagli (DEMS 93/2-6):

                'In 1984 I met Felix "Phil" Edmond Barboza...who played iwth Duke's band for six days, from 10-15Apr56. He told me that when RN left, in March, he was first replaced by Jesse Drakes (until April 9), then by him (until April 15) and successively by Eddie Mullens. During this same period Nelson Williams took the place of Willie Cook...'

                • Stratemann p.363 citing Variety 1956-04-18 p.80
                • Danton Walker, Broadway, Boston Traveler, 1956-04-13
                • Ad, New York Amsterdam News, 1956-04-14 p.15
                .DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-21
                2020-05-09
                1956 04 11
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Basin Street EastNight club residency - see 1956 04 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 04 12
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Basin Street EastNight club residency - see 1956 04 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 04 13
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Basin Street EastNight club residency - see 1956 04 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 04 14
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.Basin Street EastNight club residency - see 1956 04 10
                Recorded remote CBS/AFRS and NBC "Monitor" broadcasts
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cat Anderson, Terry, N. Williams, Barboza, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom (or Hartmann)
                Titles recorded
                  - CBS/AFRS broadcast:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Caravan
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Kinda Dukish / Rockin' In Rhythm
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                  - NBC Monitor broadcast
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • E And D Blues
                • The Mooche
                • Take The "A" Train
                Monitor was an all day weekend program for the NBC radio network. Affiliates could use it instead of other programming, but were not obliged to do so.
              • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
                Ellingtonia.com
              • Timner
              • Stratemann p.363
              • New Desor
                DE5609
                DE5610
                DEMSNDCS 1033
                corrTimner-4/25+31+35
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-22
                2020-05-09
                1956 04 15
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Basin Street EastNight club residency - see 1956 04 10
                Final night
                Yale Daily News 1956-04-13 p.4.....Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-02
                1956 04 16
                Monday
                .Doylestown, Pa.Central Bucks County Consolidated High School2 benefit shows, 7 pm and 9 pm, for the Underprivileged Children's Fund of the Doylestown Kiwanis Club.
                • The Daily Intelligencer,
                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn., 1956-04-01 p.13
                • Stratemann p.363 citing DESB
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-22
                2016-06-02
                1956 04 17
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 18
                Wednesday
                .Washington, D.C.Lincoln Collonade
                1217 You St. N.W.
                Dance 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
                presented by The Vixens Club and The Focus Club, in cooperation with The National Shrine Corp.

                Tickets $1.75 (advance), $2.00 (door)
                Vail II, copy of ad, unnamed source....djpNew
                2015-08-31
                1956 04 18
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandAn advertising handbill for a Birdland appearance from 1956 03 18 to 1956 03 26 by Count Basie appearance also says Oscar Pettiford and his 13 piece orchestra would appear 1956 03 28 to 1956 04 03 and Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1956 04 18 (with no ending date). Since the Basie and Pettiford runs were from Wednesday to Monday and Tuesday respectively, if Ellington did play, it is likely to have been for one or two five or six day weeks. No other evidence of this gig has been found, and it conflicts with the gigs in Washington D.C. and Newport News. Further resesarch is needed, but it seems likely there was a tentative booking that was cancelled.Email, Götting-Palmquist 2015-08-29.....
                1956 04 19
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 20
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 21
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 22
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass..Band activities not documented

                Given the panelists, this broadcast appears to have been from Boston, but there is no information to say whether or not it was live or pre-recorded.

                'WBZ Program On Rock 'n' Roll
                  The latest teen-age fad, "Rock and Roll," will be the subject of an hour-long documentary today at 4:05 p.m. over WBZ-WBZA radio.
                  Featured on the program will be Msgr. John P. Carroll, director of the Catholic Youth Organization of the Archdiocese of Boston; Rev. Norman J. O'Connor, CSP, authority on jazz; Cecil Stein, record distributor; Duke Ellington, world-famous musician, and Anthony La Camera and William Buchanan, radio-TV editors of the Boston American-Sunday Advertiser and Record respectively, and Alan Dary, WBZ disc jockey with a panel of four teen-agers.'

                Boston Record-American 1956-04-22...djpNew
                added 2012-10-23
                1956 04 23
                Monday
                .Newport News, Va.Sports Arena.Stratemann p.363 citing DESB.....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-19
                1956 04 24
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                Personnel change
                Trumpeter Nelson "Cadillac" Williams leaves the band
                New Desor Vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-25
                1956 04 25
                Wednesday
                ...Personnel changes
                Willie Cook, trumpet, rejoins the band, as does trumpeter, vocalist, violinist Ray Nance
                New Desor Vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-11
                1956 04 25
                Wednesday
                8:30 p.m.
                .Richmond, Va.Mosque

                'Duke Ellington will bring his band to the Mosque for a single performance at 8:30 p.m. It will be the first time in several years that Ellington has presented a complete concert here'

                Richmond Times-Dispatch 1956-04-08 pp.L-3, 2-L...djpNew
                added
                2014-07-22
                2016-06-02
                1956 04 26
                Thursday
                8:30 p.m.
                .Greensboro, N.C.Charles Moore Gymnasium
                A & T College

                Duke Ellington's Band appearing A&T College
                Thurs. April 26th, at 8:30 P.M.
                ...Admission $1.75 advance, $2.00 at door.

                Wootton:

                'Duke Ellington will bring his band to A&T College for a single performance Thursday at 8 p.m. in the college gymnasium.'


                The event was sponsored by the Beta Epsilon Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
                • Greensboro Daily News:
                  • Ad, 1956-04-22, feature section, p.8
                  • Henry S. Wootton, Jr., Music Notes, 1956-04-23 S.1 p.9
                • Ad, Greensboro Record 1956-04-23 p.A-13
                • Photo of Duke with the queen and 3 officials of the chapter, Baltimore Afro-American 1956-05-05
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 17 Charles Moore Gymnasium, A and T College, April 26, 1956
                ...djpnew
                added 2014-07-22
                updated
                2016-01-24
                1956 04 27
                Friday
                8 p.m.
                1956 04 28
                Saturday
                Chapel Hill, N.C.Woollen Gymnasium
                South Road
                University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
                Spring Germans dance ("Germans" appears to be a colloquialism for German cotillion, a 19th century form of dance. The expression grew to encompass the entire event rather than just one dance.)
                • Daily Tar Heel
                  • 1956-04-20:

                    'Ellington will be the featured artist for the UNC Spring Germans weekend of April 27-28...
                      The dance...will be Friday April 27 from 8-12 p.m.
                      The concert will be Saturday April 28 from 2-4 p.m. '

                  • 1956-04-25 headline: Germans Will Feature Ellington; Dance Is Friday; Concert, Saturday
                  • 1956-04-26:

                    'Ellington's orchestra will play for the dance in Woollen Gym tomorrow night from 8 to 12 and for the concert in Kenan Stadium Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4. In case of bad weather the concert will be held in Memorial Hall.'

              • Greensboro Daily News 1956-04-28:

                'Margie Boren and three of her Salem College chums paused briefly to say howdy to Margie's parents...yesterday as they shuttled from Winston-Salem to Chapel Hill. The big exodus was for the spring German Club dance at Carolina for which Duke Ellington played last night...'

                • Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro,N.C.
                  • Announcement 1956-04-15 p.5
                  • Anne White, Sounds and Sights column, 1956-04-28 s.1 p.7
                • Daily Tar Heel
                  • 1956-04-20 p.1
                  • 1956-04-25 p.1
                  • 1956-04-26 p.5
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-07-20
                updated
                2016-06-03
                1956 04 28
                Saturday
                2 - 4 p.m.
                .Chapel Hill, N.C.Kenan Stadium
                University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
                Concert, 2 to 4 p.m.Daily Tar Heel
                • 1956-04-20 p.1
                • 1956-04-25 p.1
                • 1956-04-26 p.5
                ...djpNew
                added 2016-06-03
                1956 04 28
                Saturday
                .Chapel Hill, N.C.Naval Armory
                University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
                The Daily Tar Heel:

                '...Pharmacy Weekend has been [illegible] and the Kappa Psis be-[illegible] festivities with a picnic at [illegible] yesterday afternoon and [illegible] at the house for all [pharm]acy students and their [illegible] . This afternoon they will [illegible] and a ban-[illegible] the Castle Club. Duke El-[illegible] will play for their dance [illegible] Naval Armory following [illegible] banquet.... '

                Photo caption:

                'Shown above are the sponsors for the Pharmacy School's annual formal dance, which will be held tonight from 8-12 in the Naval Armory. Duke Ellington will play for the dance... '

              • Daily Tar Heel 1956-04-28 p.3 - story and captioned photo
              • ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-03
                1956 04 28
                Saturday
                .Norfolk, Va..Stratemann and Vail II just show Norfolk for this date, with no other information. It conflicts with the Naval Armory dance at UNC noted above and must be considered unconfirmed until further research reveals Stratemann's source.
                • Stratemann p.363
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-03
                1956 04 29
                Sunday
                Ellington's birthday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 04 30
                Monday
                .Durham N.C.Men's Gym
                North Carolina College
                Scholarship benefit concert, 8 p.m., sponsored by the North Carolina Law School Scholarship Committee.
                DEMS reports that band boy Bobby Boyd told Ewing that in the middle of this date, Ellington called for Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, which the band had not played for years. Gonsalves played 36 choruses, and the crowd went wild. D&CiB was only played one more time, in concert, before Newport.

                John Sanders, as quoted by Morton:

                'Some promoter had booked a one-nighter. It wasn't big, it wasn't anything fancy. It was a hot night, and it was crowded. A steaming hall, and I remember we took off our jackets. When we played "Diminuendo" it just took off. The guys were relaxed. The band was cooking. It was a dancehall beat that really caught on with the dancers.'

                • Stratemann, p.363
                • Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, N.C., 1956-04-15 p.5
                • The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, N.C., 1956-04-18 p.3
                • Afro-American 1956-05-12, p.7
                • John Fass Morton: Backstory in Blue: Ellington at Newport '56, Rutgers University Press, 2008
                .DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated

                2012-12-03
                2014-07-24
                2016-06-02
                2020-05-09

                May 1956

                1956 05 01
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 05 02
                Wednesday
                .Winston-SalemColiseum......Added
                2011
                1956 05 03
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 05 04
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 05 05
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 05 06
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 05 07
                Monday
                .Tulsa, Okla.Cimarron Ballroom......Added
                2011
                1956 05 08
                Tuesday
                1956 05 09
                Wednesday
                Queen City, Texas.Oil Jubilee....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-23
                1956 05 09
                Wednesday
                .Queen City, TexasOil Jubileesee 1956 05 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 05 10
                Thursday
                1956 06 06
                Wednesday
                Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency

                The Ellington orchestra played the first performance each night, and shared the billing with comedian Archie Robbins and pianist Hazel Scott, with Ellington as master of ceremonies. The finale was One O'Clock Jump performed by Ms Scott and the orchestra.

                Ellington's orchestra backed the other acts including the dance line, the Flamingo Starlets.

                Down Beat's review by Bill Willard names sidemen Carney, Hamilton, N.Williams, Gonsales, Woodman, Procope, W.Anderson, Jackson, Terry, Hodges, and Nance and vocalist Grissom. The review also names these song titles:
                • V.I.P.'s Boogie
                • Jam with Sam
                • I've Got It Bad
                • Everything But You
                • Pretty and the Wolf
                • Hey, Mon Cherie
                • Autumn Leaves (in French)
                • St. Louis Blues
                • Come By Sunday
                • One O'Clock Jump
                • Stratemann, p.363, citing
                • Vail II with reprint of Down Beat's review
                • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2021-11-07
                New Desor
                DE5611
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-12-03
                2014-07-23
                2021-11-12
                1956 05 00
                (date uncertain)
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelRecorded live performance
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • V.I.P. Boogie
                • Jam With Sam
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Flamingo
                • Monologue
                • Hey, Cherie
                • Medley:
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • In A Sentimental Mood
                  • Mood Indigo
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • It Don't Mean A Thing
                  • Solitude
                  • C-Jam Blues
                  • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much
                New Desor
                DE5611
                ..djpNew
                added 2014-07-23
                1956 05 11
                Friday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 12
                Saturday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 13
                Sunday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 14
                Monday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 15
                Tuesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 16
                Wednesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 17
                Thursday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 18
                Friday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 19
                Saturday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 20
                Sunday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 21
                Monday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 22
                Tuesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 23
                Wednesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 24
                Thursday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 25
                Friday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 26
                Saturday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 27
                Sunday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 28
                Monday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 29
                Tuesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 30
                Wednesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 05 31
                Thursday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03

                June 1956

                1956 06 01
                Friday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 02
                Saturday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 03
                Sunday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 04
                Monday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 05
                Tuesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 06
                Wednesday
                .Las Vegas, Nev.Flamingo HotelCasino residency - see 1956 05 10....djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 07
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 08
                Friday
                1956 06 17
                Sunday
                San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubThe Afro-American reported the San Francisco Macumba Club was jammed for Duke Ellington's opening.
                At some time during this residency, Ellington was reported to have refused to fly to Texas for his Time portrait. Syndicated columnist Leonard Lyons:

                'Time's cover story ... included a photo supposedly showing Ellington at the Cotton Club. The photo, however, was of Cab Calloway ... The Ellington cover was painted by Peter Hurd. The band leader-composer was asked to fly to Hurd's New Mexico home, to pose. He rfeused [sic] to fly, and Hurd met him in San Francisco to make the painting in one sitting. In explaining why he won't fly Ellington said: "It's too boring. I'm a one-hour passenger. I'd fly, if you could tell me what happens in the second hour on a plane that doesn't happen in the first." '

                • Stratemann, p.363
                • "Theatrical Whirl" column, Baltimore Afro-American,
                  • 1956-05-05
                  • 1956-07-03, p.17
                • Leonard Lyons: The Lyons Den, The Morning Advocate, Baton Rouge, La., 1956-08-25
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-12-03
                2014-07-23
                1956 06 09
                Saturday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 10
                Sunday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 11
                Monday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 12
                Tuesday
                .San Francisco, Cal..Guest appearance on the "Don Sherwood Show"Stratemann, p.363, citing DESB....Added
                2011
                updated
                2013-02-11
                1956 06 12
                Tuesday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 13
                Wednesday
                7 pm
                .San Francisco, Cal..Guest appearance on television on the "Bob Scobey Show" Stratemann 363 with photo...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-23
                1956 06 13
                Wednesday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 14
                Thursday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 15
                Friday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 16
                Saturday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 17
                Sunday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Macumba ClubClub residency - see 1956 06 08......Added
                2011
                updated 2012-12-03
                1956 06 18
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 19
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 20
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 21
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 22
                Friday
                1956 06 23
                Saturday
                Farmington, Ut.Patio Gardens Ballroom
                Lagoon Amusement Park
                Admission $1.50 person. Table reservations available.
                The Ogden Standard-Examiner:

                'Maj.Gen. and Mrs. Manning E. Tillery were honored with a supper party June 22 by Mr. and Mrs. Julian Bamberger of Salt Lake City. After the party, which was held in the Turquoise Room at Lagoon, the guests enjoyed the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra.'

                Ogden Standard-Examiner
                • 1956-06-17 p.8B
                • 1956-06-19 p.11
                • 1956-06-22 p.B-5
                • 1956-06-23 p.5
                • 1956-06-25 p.11
                • 1956-07-01 p.C3
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-24
                2019-08-09
                1956 06 23
                Saturday
                .Farmington, Ut.Patio Gardens Ballroom
                Lagoon Park
                see 1956 06 22.....Added
                2011
                1956 06 24
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 25
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 26
                Tuesday
                .Denver, Col.Denver University Stadium.Stratemann p.363 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-23
                1956 06 27
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 28
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 06 29
                Friday
                .Madison, Wisc.Union Theatre......Added
                2011
                1956 06 30
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Trianon Ballroom......Added
                2011

                July 1956

                1956 07 01
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 02
                Monday
                8 p.m.
                .Ann Arbor, Mich.Hill Auditorium
                University of Michigan
                Recorded concert
                Admission -Main floor, $1.50; balcony $1.00
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, C. Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Black And Tan Fantasy
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Harlem Air-Shaft
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Theme For Trambean
                • Satin Doll
                • Take The "A" Train
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Monologue
                • V.I.P. Boogie
                • Jam With Sam
                • The Hawk Talks
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Day In, Day Out
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Blue Moon
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley
                • Dancers In Love
                • Hey, Cherie
                • Perdido

                The medley was:
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Caravan
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • C-Jam Blues
                • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much

                The recordings are available on the Dr. Jazz CD DJ018 Heading for Newport and was reviewed by Roger Boyes in Blue Light.
                New Desor
                DE5612
                DEMS NDCS 1031
                newspaper-clip
                R.Steiger jul11Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-23
                2019-05-14
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 03
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 04
                Wednesday
                .Detroit, Mich.State Fairgrounds......Added
                2011
                1956 07 05
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y..Band activities not documented
                Telephone call:

                'While the festival was opened on Thursday night, Ellington was scheduled for Saturday night and remained in New York until that day. George Wein was at an after-concert party at the Lorillard's on late Thursday night when he was summoned to the phone for a call from Ellington.'

                John Gennari, Hipsters, Bluebloods, Rebels, and Hooligans: The Cultural Politics of the Newport Jazz Festival, 1954-1960, Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies, Robert O'Meally, Robert G. O'Meally, Brent Hayes Edwards, Farah Jasmine Griffin, editors, Columbia University Press, 2004 at p.134...djp2014-07-19
                1956 07 06
                Friday
                ...Band activities not documented
                Telephone call:
                George Avakian, Director of Columbia Records' Popular Records Artists and Repertoire division, as quoted by Roger Boyes:

                'As far as Duke was concerned, the Festival was looking for fresh repertoire as against the medley of familiar favourites. Hence the request for a Newport Jazz Festival Suite, to which Duke acquiesced. On Friday came an anxious phone call to George [Avakian] from Duke in Ohio or Pennsylvania...'

                At Ellington's request, Avakian booked a recording studio for the Monday.
                ..DEMS.djpNew
                2014-07-19
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 07
                Saturday
                .Newport, R.I.Freebody ParkRecorded concert:
                American Jazz Festival at Newport
                a.k.a.
                • Newport Jazz Festival
                • American Jazz Festival

                • This was the Ellington orchestra's first appearance at this festival, which was in its third year. This evening's performance is widely considered to be the rebirth of Ellington's career, often attributed to Paul Gonsalves' magnificent extended tenor sax solo in the interlude between Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue.
                • Leonard Feather's lengthy review was published in Down Beat.
                • This was the third day of the festival in its first time in Freebody Park. There was seating for 10,000 (2,000 in bleachers, 8,000 on the ground, including 40 boxes).
                • The weather had been poor the first two days, but on Saturday was good.
                • Ellington played a short rehearsal and two sets this evening - see details below.
                • Columbia Records recorded the performances of the Columbia artists. Although Ellington was freelancing, he had a special contract with Columbia.
                • Columbia's George Avakian produced the resulting Newport '56 albums.
                • Columbia's Irving Townsend was also there. His 1975 Atlantic Monthly tribute to Duke (see 1974 05 24 below), describes how, in this first time he and Duke had faced each other alone, Ellington listened to his proposal of a three year Columbia recording contract at regular royalties and a $1,000 advance for each recorded side. He continues:

                  'I heard the warning tromp of Harry Carney's foot on the platform above us, then two beats and the opening of Ellington's theme, "Take The 'A' Train,"...
                    Duke lit a cigarette. "Did you know," he asked me, "that a drum is a woman?"
                    'A' Train" was building. I knew Duke would walk across the stage only at the final, extended chord... I knew that if I did not have his agreement before that chord, I might not see him alone again for weeks.
                    "Is that the first album?" I asked. I was not going to take his bait...
                    "Man, that's not only the first album, that's the mother of all albums...."
                    "Do we have a deal?" I asked as he turned toward the stage.
                    "Record companies don't like me," Duke warned. "Are you sure you won't get fired?"
                    I assured him I wouldn't.
                    "See you in New York next week," he called, disappearing through the tent flap. '

                  The first recording session for A Drum is a Woman would be in September.
                • The MBS 120 minute "Bandstand, U.S.A." program opened with a studio performance by George Shearing, followed by Ellington's first set, the following Bud Shank Quartet and the Teddy Wilson Trio sets, ending with a Count Basie remote from Birdland.
                • Over the three days, Voice of America taped 20 hours of concerts and 30 interviews by Willis Conover.
                • The NBC network Monitor program broadcast live from the festival on Saturday.
                • Backstory in Blue, p.105, describes the recording equipment setup and the Ellington band seating arrangements.
                • The Ellington bus, with signage reading "Duke Ellington's Orch" and "Mr. Hi-Fi of '56" arrived mid-morning with the band and Billy Strayhorn. Ellington arrived in Carney's car.
                • Ellington wanted to rehearse the Newport Jazz Festival Suite in the afternoon, but was unable to gain the stage until the panel discussions ended late, after 5 o'clock.
                • The rehearsal did not go well; Nance, Terry, Hamilton and Woode 'goofed off and disappeared.' Three of them had solos in the new Suite.
                • Each night's closing act was to play an initial set with the national anthem and another piece or two to warm up the audience, then leave the stage, to return later for the final set of the night.
                • Ellington's first set opened shortly after 8:30 p.m., without the truant four. He used bassist Al Lucas, who was there to play with other groups that evening.


                  Personnel, first set:
                  Cook, C. Anderson, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Lucas, Woodyard, Grissom.

                  Titles recorded:
                  • The Star Spangled Banner
                  • Black And Tan Fantasy
                  • Tea For Two
                • The programme called for Saturday evening performances of four acts from 8:30 to midnight, but George Wein added three more, making it impossible to finish at midnight. This meant there were six acts and an intermission between the two Ellington sets.
                • Ellington hadn't rehearsed the new suite and was worried about mistakes. Strayhorn was to listen with a score at hand so he could mark the parts that would need to be re-recorded on the Monday.
                • Morton tells us that Ellington decided to programme Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue while the band waited in the 'green room' tent. Gonsalves wasn't sure he knew which tunes they were, and it was in the tent that Ellington reminded him.
                • While the band was in the tent, Avakian told them to play into the Columbia microphone, which was marked with white tape. Recording engineer Cal Lampey reminded them of this when they filed onstage for their second set
                • Ellington's second set started at 23:45, a quarter hour before the scheduled midnight closing time. Gonsalves' solo during this set marked the rebirth of the Ellington orchestra, taking the audience by storm in the interval between Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue. Morton gives a detailed description of the D&CiB performance in chapter 12 of Backstory in Blue.


                  Personnel, second set:
                  Cook, Herbie Jones, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                  Titles recorded:
                  • Take The "A" Train
                  • Newport Jazz Festival Suite
                    • 1. Festival Junction
                    • 2. Blues To Be There
                    • 3. Newport Up
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Day In, Day Out
                  • Medley
                    • Diminuendo In Blue
                    • Interlude (Gonsalves' extended tenor sax solo put the audience into a frenzy)
                    • Crescendo In Blue
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  • Jeep's Blues
                  • Tulip Or Turnip
                  • Skin Deep
                  • Mood Indigo
                • At the Ellington 2000 conference, Avakian said Gonsalves was high (on heroin) and played his monumental solo into the Voice of America mike instead of the marked Columbia microphone, and the Columbia recording didn't pick it up well. It wasn't until many years later that Avakian was able to arrange for the Voice of America recording to be released to American listeners.
                • Backstory in Blue says Jimmy Hamilton also began his solo in the Newport Jazz Festival Suite at the wrong mike, but moved to the right one when he was corrected.
                • The Ellington orchestra finished its second set about 12:50 a.m.
                New Desor
                DE5613
                DEMS
                • VARphoto
                • corrTimner-4/25
                djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-02-11
                2014-07-24
                2019-08-06
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-06-27
                2021-11-11
                1956 07 08
                Sunday
                .New London, Conn.Danceland
                Ocean Park
                .
                • Stratemann p.364 citing DESB
                • John Fass Morton: Backstory in Blue: Ellington at Newport '56, Rutgers University Press, 2008, p. 204
                .
                ...Added
                2011
                1956 07 09
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio D
                799 Seventh Avenue
                Columbia recording session for the Newport '56 albums
                Producer: George Avakian
                Session time: 13:30-17:30
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom.

                Titles recorded:
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite 1. Festival Junction
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite 2. Blues To Be There
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite 3. Newport Up
                • Jeep's Blues
                Consideration was given to patching up the recording of Paul's solo, but tape did not roll.
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist
                  • 2014-10-14 re session time
                  • 2019-08-03 re producer
                  • 2019-08-09 re producer
                • Stratemann pp. 363-364
                • John Fass Morton: Backstory in Blue: Ellington at Newport '56, Rutgers University Press, 2008, p. 204
                New Desor
                DE5614
                .djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-02-12
                2019-08-08
                2019-08-09
                1956 07 09
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Overseas Press ClubStratemann:

                'Eddie Condon, Willie "The Lion" Smith, Oscar Peterson, John Lewis and Chico Hamilton were also expected among the participants in this forum on jazz, which was to pay tribute to the American jazzmen doing "ambassadorial service" by means of their world tours. The event was one of the numerous build-ups devised by Sidney Gross for the "First Connecticut Jazz Festival", to be held at Fairfield on July 28.'

                From this description, it appears this was a panel discussion, and if he participated, Ellington was by himself, i.e., without his band.
                Stratemann p.364 citing Variety 1956-07-18 p.41...djpNew
                added 2014-07-23
                1956 07 09
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y..Ellington was filmed talking about his hits and playing unaccompanied piano for a 4-minute Time-Life promotional film.
                Titles recorded:
                • Mood Indigo
                • Caravan
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Satin Doll
                Stratemann pp.366-368New Desor
                DE5615
                DEMSMorton 204djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-23
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 10
                Tuesday
                .New Haven, Conn.Hincks Memorial Shell
                (Yale Bowl?)
                Bowl Pops outdoor concert managed by the New Haven Junior Chamber of Commerce, 8:15 p.m.
                Duke Ellington and his orchestra with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Brieff conducting
                New Desor indicates Ellington and his Orchestra performed New World A-Comin,' Night Creature and Harlem with the NHSO, with encores such as Take the "A" Train and Mood Indigo.

                Ellington performed Monologue with Hamilton, Procope and Careny, and the band played the Medley. After the intermission, the New Haven Symphony was to perform compositions by Dvorak, Tucci and Enesco.
                Ellington was the first jazz musician to appear here with his entire orchestra; Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw appeared in earlier years, but without their bands.

                The concert was recorded:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, & Woodyard, with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra conducted by Frank Brieff
                Titles recorded:
                • New World A-Comin'
                • Night Creature
                  • 1. Blind Bug
                  • 2. Stalking Monster
                  • 3. Dazzling Creature
                • Harlem
                • Monologue
                • Medley:
                  • 1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • 2. In A Sentimental Mood
                  • 3. Mood Indigo
                  • 4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • 5. Sophisticated Lady
                  • 6. Caravan
                  • 7. Just Squeeze Me
                  • 8. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • 9. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  • 10. Just Squeeze Me
                  • 11. It Don't Mean A Thing
                  • 12. Solitude
                  • 13. C-Jam Blues
                  • 14. I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • V.I.P. Boogie
                • Jam With Sam
                • Star Spangled Banner

                Five-year-old Brooks Kerr reportedly met Ellington at this concert. Kerr:

                'Between sets, I walked over and began talking to him. He put his arm around me. I remember how warm he was. I was in awe of the other men in the band. I was shy. I didn't want to bother them. The only one I could get the courage to talk to was Johnny Hodges, the alto saxophonist. He was very good to me. He was like a father to me until he died. Whenever I walked into a room, he'd say, 'Hey, young man!' to let me know he was there.'

                • DE5616
                • NDCS 1095
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated

                2013-02-12
                2014-07-24
                2016-01-24
                2018-05-01
                2018-11-17
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 11
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 12
                Thursday
                .Old Orchard Beach, Me.Palace BallroomDancing - see supplementary Ellington and Old Orchard Beach webpage

                ....djpNew
                added
                2024-04-02
                1956 07 13
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 14
                Saturday
                .Gloucester, Mass.Gloucester High SchoolConcert sponsored by the Gloucester Sisterhood Hadassah.
                • Photos with captions, Boston Traveler,
                  • 1956-06-25 p.B-23
                  • 1956-07-05 p.28c
                • Announcement, Boston Daily Record 1956-07-14 p.17
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-24
                1956 07 15
                Sunday
                .Lenox. Mass.Berkshire Music BarnRecorded concert, 8:40 p.m.
                Tanglewood Music Festival     "Jazz Folk 56"

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom:
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Black And Tan Fantasy
                • Harlem Air-Shaft
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Theme For Trambean
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Take The "A" Train
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Monologue
                • NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL SUITE
                  • 1. Festival Junction
                  • 2. Blues To Be There
                  • 3. Newport Up
                • The Hawk Talks
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Things Ain't What they Used To Be
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Day In, Day Out
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley
                • Hey Cherie
                • Perdido
                • Mood Indigo
                The medley consisted of:
                1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                2. In A Sentimental Mood
                3. Mood Indigo
                4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
                5. Sophisticated Lady
                1. Caravan
                2. It Don't Mean A Thing
                3. Solitude
                4. C-Jam Blues
                5. I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                Part of this concert can be heard at and downloaded from the Internet Archive
                • The Berkshire Eagle and The North Adams, Massachusetts Transcript:

                  'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be the concert attraction at the Berkshire Music Barn this Sunday evening at 8:40...'

                • The Springfield Sunday Republican:

                  'Lenox, July 14–Duke Ellington and his world-famous orchestra will be the attraction tomorrow night at 8.40 at the Berkshire Music Barn here... '

                • Lambert notes the concert was recorded in stereo.:

                  'Eight days after the Newport Festival the Ellington Orchestra played a concert at the Berkshire Music Barn in Lenox, Massachusetts as part of a summer jazz festival which extended from July 1 to September 2, 1956. The first two-thirds of Ellington's concert have been issued on a couple of Queen Disc LPs...'

                • Queen Disc (Italy) issued two LPs of this concert, Q-049 "Duke Ellington at Tanglewood, Volume 1" and Q-050 "Duke Ellington at Tanglewood, Volume 2," not to be confused with the July 1965 concert recording at Tanglewood or the Music Barn with Arthur Fiedler and The Boston Pops, which was released in 1966 on RCA's LP "The Duke at Tanglewood"

                • Further research is required to associate the Berkshire Music Barn concerts with Tanglewood or the Berkshire Music Festival. Tanglewood is the permanent summer home of the Boston Symphony, which ran a music school and "legit" concert series from July 4 to August 12 in Tanglewood's Music Inn and or Music Shed.
                • Stratemann describes Ellington's concert as

                  'July 15 Berkshire Music Barn, Lenox, Mass. Tanglewood Music Festival (LP:QUEEN (It) 049)'

                • This is consistent with Russ Wilson's Oakland Tribune column:

                  'The Berkshire Music Barn, in Lenox, Mass. site of the annual Tanglewood Festival, currently is staging ITS first full jazz program, which will run into September. The Brubeck and Armstrong groups will play there along with the Duke and Count, Sarah, the M.J.Q. and Chris Connor.'

                • The reference to the Tanglewood Festival seems to be in error.
                • The Boston Symphony Orchestra held a six week educational and concert programme at Tanglewood that summer and its detailed, voluminous report makes no mention of jazz, the Berkshire Music Barn, Ellington or the other jazz artists who played the Music Barn that summer.
                • Publicity for the concert in the July 12 Berkshire Eagle talks about the concert at the Berkshire Music Barn and does not mention Tanglewood, while the same page carries an ad for Berkshire Festival with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood.
                • Berkshire Music Barn's 1956 summer program is titled "Jazz Folk 56" and does not mention Tanglewood.
                • Ina Wickham's column in the Davenport paper says

                  'There is a Jazz festival which will continue until Sept. 2 in progress at the Berkshire Music Barn at Lenox, Mass.'

                • Various publications include "Tanglewood" in its description of Ellington's concert:
                  • Vail II

                    'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra play a concert for the Tanglewood Music Festival at the Berkshire Music Barn in Lenox, Massachusetts. The concert is recorded and eventually released on Queen as Duke Ellington at Tanglewood. '

                  • New Desor:
                    DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA July 15, 1966
                    Tanglewood              Lenox, MA
                    From the Berkshire Music Festival
                  • Nielsen:

                    'Berkshire Music Barn, Lenox, Mass. July 15, 1956
                    ...
                    Note: The above titles were recorded at the "Tanglewood Music Festival"'

                • Tanglewood and Berkshire Music Barn appear to have been different venues, although they were not far apart. Tanglewood is on Route 183 between Stockbridge and Lenox, Berkshire Music Barn was southeast of Tanglewood between Routes 7 and 183. In 1955 the Berkshire Evening Eagle said:

                  '...a blue note will rise up from the old coach barn, once belonging to Mrs. Carlos M. de Heredia, to counterpoint the classical chords of the Boston Symphony originating a mile away in the Tanglewood Shed... '
                  (emphasis added)

                  .
                • The Berkshire Eagle's July 7,ad for The Berkshire Music Barn said it was adacent to Music Inn.
                • Springfield Republican:

                  'During the summer months the Berkshires are the Mecca of music lovers of the nation. And rightfuly so. For then, in Lenox, almost within hailing distance of each other, are the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood, where the Boston Symphony Orchestra enraptures music lovers with the great music of the masters, and the Music Barn, where noted names in the world of jazz make weekly appearances... '

                • Springfield Sunday Republican, Springfield, Mass. 1956-07-15 p.8B
                • Springfield Republican, Springfield, Mass. 1956-08-12 Rotogravure Section
                • The Berkshire Eagle or The Berkshire Evening Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass.
                  • 1955-04-27 s.2 p.1
                  • 1955-03-30 p.14
                  • 1956-06-30 p.A4
                  • 1956-07-07 p.9A
                  • 1956-07-12 p.12
                  • 1956-07-16 p.9 (review)
                • The North Adams, Massachusetts, Transcript, North Adams, Mass., 1956-07-13 p.8
                • Russ Wilson, World of Jazz column, Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal., 1956-07-15 p.4-M
                • Sunday Democrat-Times, Davenport, Iowa, 1956-07-08 p.5
                • Jazz Folk 56 programme, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 20 "Jazz Folk 56"
                • Stratemann p.364 citing Variety 1956-07-18 p.41
                • Berkshire Music Center...Tanglewood-Lenox Massachusetts Report on the Fourteen Session July 2 to August 12, 1956
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Vail II
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , pp. 160-161
                • Lambert p.192
                • Email - Lasker/Palmquist 2018-11-12
                New Desor
                DE5617
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-24
                2016-01-24
                2018-11-16
                2018-11-18
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 16
                Monday
                .Stratford, Ont.Festival TentBand activities not documented
                Vail (no sources cited):

                'Ellington attended an evening performance of The Rape of Lucretia in Stratford.'

                This is not impossible - the Benjamin Britten opera The Rape of Lucretia, written for a cast of eight, was presented in the festival tent in 1956.

                Stratford is about 450 miles west of Lenox and 192 miles southwest of Bala, so if the band travelled by the most direct road route, north of Lake Ontario, it seems unlikely it came here before Bala. On the other hand, if it travelled south of that lake, Stratford would have required a detour, adding nearly 190 miles to the journey from Lenox to Bala.

                Either way, the ensemble had to sleep somewhere Monday night, and they may have decided on Stratford rather than the smaller resort town.
                Vail II...djpNew
                Added 2014-07-25
                1956 07 17
                Tuesday
                .Bala, Ont.Dunn's PavilionOne nighter, admission $2.50.

                Bala is a resort in Ontario's "cottage country," about 190 miles northwest of Stratford.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-25
                2019-08-09
                1956 07 18
                Wednesday
                .Stratford, Ont.Festival Concert HallFirst of two concerts
                Canadian Adaptions of Shakespeare project:

                'Ellington was, according to oral histories of people from that time in Stratford, often found in Festival rehearsal spaces, taking in rehearsals and mingling with theatre people generally.

                Jack Chambers:

                'In July 1956, Ellington was booked to play two concerts at the Shakespearean Festival... From 1956 until 1958, ...the Stratford Festival booked summer jazz and classical concerts as adjuncts to the dramatic offerings. Besides Ellington in 1956, Wilbur de Paris, Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, and the Modern Jazz Quartet also played evening concerts... In the time-honoured tradition, the jazz musicians played their one- or two-night stands and then hit the road for the next one a day or two away ... Ellington was often sensitive to the places he played in spite of their profusion. He arrived in Stratford from a resort ballroom in Bala, about 150 miles to the north, played non-consecutive nights on Wednesday and Friday, the 18th and 20th, with concerts on the alternate Thursday and Saturday nights at the Brant Inn in Burlington, just 70 miles east...Tom Patterson, the ... newspaperman ... met Ellington and Harry Carney on their arrival, and was flattered when the Duke asked him to show him around. Ellington stayed in Stratford three days, commuting to the Brant Inn in the middle...

                The Shakespeare Festival was (and is) a highbrow spectacle in the bourgeois heartland, and none if it was lost on Ellington... Ellington loved it, so much so that he began finagling to be part of it. He opened his Stratford concerts with a new piece he called "Hark the Duke's Trumpets." The Shakespearean resonance of the title is Ellingtonian licence; it is a fanfare played by trombones, not trumpets (later recorded as "Bassment"). More important, Ellington told everyone he met in Stratford and in the months that followed that he and Billy Strayhorn were preparing a jazz suite based on Shakespeare for a premiere at the Festival the next summer.'


                Medicine Hat News:

                'Fans of Duke Ellingto appeared ready to let him and his band starve to death at their instruments when they played to a capacity crowed at Stratford's Festival Concert Hall. He was called back again and again for more presentations but finally he and his players said they had not eaten for hours before their appearance and couldn't continue. But before he could escape he was surrounded by a group of autograph fans, among them Beverley Feick of Hamburg.'


                The Wednesday concert was recorded:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Bassment (as 'Hark, the Duke's Trumpets!')
                • Harlem Air-Shaft
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Theme For Trambean
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Take The "A" Train
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Monologue
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                • Harlem
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite
                  • 1. Festival Junction
                  • 2. Blues To Be There
                  • 3. Newport Up
                • Things Ain't What they Used To Be
                • Hey Cherie
                • Perdido
                • Day In, Day Out
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Blue Moon
                • Medley:
                  • 1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • 2. In A Sentimental Mood
                  • 3. Mood Indigo
                  • 4. I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • 5. Sophisticated Lady
                  • 6. Caravan
                  • 7. It Don't Mean A Thing
                  • 8. Solitude
                  • 9. C-Jam Blues
                  • 10. I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Stratemann p.364
                • Vail II
                • The Medicine Hat News, Medicine Hat, Alta.,
                  1956-07-27 p.11
                • Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project
                • Jack Chambers: Bardland: Shakespeare in Ellington's World Coda Magazine, as reprinted in DEMS 05/1-43
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Concert Programme and CBC announcer's script, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 20 Shakespearean Festival, Stratford, Ontario, July 18, 1956
                New Desor
                DE5618
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-25
                2014-07-30
                2015-12-31
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 19
                Thursday
                .Burlington, Ont.Brant InnConcert
                CBC Radio broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite
                  • 1. Festival Junction
                  • 2. Blues To Be There
                  • 3. Newport Up
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Mood Indigo
                • Jack Chambers: Bardland: Shakespeare in Ellington's World, ibid.
                • Stratemann p.364
                • Vail II
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                New Desor
                DE5619
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-30
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 20
                Friday
                .Stratford, Ont.Festival Concert HallSecond concert - see 1956 07 18
                • Stratemann p.364
                • Vail II
                .DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 21
                Saturday
                .Burlington, Ont.Brant InnConcert
                CBC Radio broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Caravan
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Flamingo
                • Jam With Sam
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                • Tulip Or Turnip
                • E And D Blues
                • Jack Chambers: Bardland: Shakespeare in Ellington's World, ibid.
                • Stratemann p.364
                • Vail II
                New Desor
                DE5620
                DEMScorr Timner-4djp
                (credit JackChambersfor 05/1-43 entries)
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-30
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 22
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 23
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 24
                Tuesday
                .Buffalo, N.Y.Kleinhans Music Hall......Added
                2011
                1956 07 25
                Wednesday
                8:30 pm
                .Cleveland, OhioPublic HallConcert
                The Cleveland Plain Dealer ads, publicity and review site this in Public Hall, which is one of two venues within the Public Auditorium complex downtown.

                New Desor and Timner IV place it in Severance Hall, about 5 miles east of Public Hall, but Stratemann and Vail II have it in Civic Auditorium, which may be Lakewood Civic Auditorium, 6 miles in the opposite direction. Cleveland Jazz History places the concert in Severance Hall at page 41 and at Public Hall on page 49.

                The concert programme cover says:

                '1956
                Eighteenth Season
                {p[s
                Concerts
                Cleveland Summer Orchestra
                Louis Lane
                Conductor
                Public Auditorium'


                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with the Summer Orchestra (aka Cleveland Pops Orchestra) directed by Louis Lane
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded (asterisks denote titles played by the combined orchestras):
                • *New World A-Comin'
                • *Night Creature
                  • 1. Blind Bug
                  • 2. Stalking Monster
                  • 3. Dazzling Creature
                • Skin Deep
                • *Medley:
                  • 1. Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • 2. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • 3. In A Sentimental Mood
                  • 4. Mood Indigo
                  • 5. I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • 6. Sophisticated Lady
                  • 7. Caravan
                  • 8. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                  • 9. Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • 10. I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                  • 11. It Don't Mean A Thing
                  • 12. Solitude
                  • 13. C-Jam Blues
                  • 14. I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much
                • V.I.P. Boogie
                • Jam With Sam

                R. C. Holtkamp:

                (1)'The Cleveland Summer Orchestra under the musical direction of Louis Lane will introduce Duke Ellington and his orchestra in their first appearance at the pop concerts in Public Hall on Wednesday evening...

                Louis Lane will conduct "New World a'Coming" with Ellington as piano soloist, in a special arrangement by Luther Henderson, Jr. Ellington himself will conduct the three movements of "Night Creature."...

                The Cleveland Summer Orchestra will open the evening with "Ride of the Valkyries" by Wagner, the Rossini Overture to "The Barber of Seville," Piene's "Entrance of the Little Fauns," and the Finale from "Scheherazade: by Rimsky-Korsakov. The last third of the evening will be devoted to Richard Rodgers' Waltzes, the Carmicheal-Gould arrangement of "Stardust" and selections from Porter's Can-Can." '



                Holtkamp:

                (2)'Duke Ellington and his Jazz Band, joining the Cleveland Summer Orchestra...stirred up an air-cooled audience of 4,500 into a breezy summer frenzy of swinging rhythm last night...

                :"New World a-Coming," ... was also admirably directed by Lane...The music is a modern rhapsody highly colored with blues, powerfully orchestrated, often pierced with awesome sonrities and driven by compelling rhythms.

                "Night Creature"... was even a greater showpiece for the combined groups of musicians in its stunning orchestration by Luther Henderson Jr.

                Exciting as these new works were, they were only the prelude for Ellington's show which followed...'

                Since this was a joint concert with both ensembles working with new-to-them conductors and repertoire, it seems likely there would have been at least one rehearsal. Given Ellington's travel, it may be that Luther Henderson, who arranged the Ellington music, rehearsed the pops orchestra, but this is all speculation on my part.
                • Stratemann p.364
                • Vail II
                • Cleveland Plain Dealer and Sunday Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:
                  • Publicity caricature, 1956-07-01, section E
                  • Ad 1956-07-22 p.8E
                  • (1) Rena C. Holtkamp: Duke Ellington Plays at Pops Wednesday, 1956-07-22 p.11E
                  • 1956-07-25 p.2
                  • (2) Rena C. Holtkamp: 'Duke' and Band at Pops Stir 4,500 in Swing-Ding, 1956-07-26 p.24
                • Joe Mosbrook, "Cleveland Jazz History, Second Edition " (2003), Northeast Ohio Jazz Society, Scholarship Collection, Book 135.
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Cover, concert program, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 21 Cleveland Summer Orchestra, Cleveland, Ohio, July 25, 1956
                New Desor
                DE5621
                ...Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-30
                2016-01-24
                2018-11-05
                1956 07 26
                Thursday
                .Erie, Penn.Waldemeer's Rainbow Gardens.Stratemann p.364 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-30
                1956 07 27
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 28
                Saturday
                8:30 p.m.
                .Fairfield, Conn.Stadium Bowl
                (or Fairfield University Stadium)
                Connecticut Jazz Festival under the stars
                or
                JAZZ UNDER THE STARS"

                Duke Ellington prime billing, also Chico Hamilton Quintet, Willy "The Lion" Smith.

                Tickets $5, $2.50, $1.50 (tax free)

                The Daily Record announcement said this was a benefit for the Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.
                Recorded concert broadcast over ABC radio.:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Star Spangled Banner
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite
                  • 1. Festival Junction
                  • 2. Blues To Be There
                  • 3. Newport Up
                • The Hawk Talks
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Diminuendo In Blue / Wailing Interval / Crescendo In Blue
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                • Things Ain't What they Used To Be
                • Day In, Day Out
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Hey Cherie
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Skin Deep
                • Ballin' The Blues
                • Mood Indigo
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Village Voice, New York, N.Y.
                  1956-06-20 p.18
                • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                  1956-07-14 p.17
                • Racine Journal-Times, Racine, Wisc.
                  1956-07-28 p.8
                • The San Diego Union, San Diego, Texas,
                  1956-07-28 p.a-11
                New Desor
                DE5622
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated

                2014-07-24
                2014-07-29
                2019-08-08
                2020-05-09
                1956 07 29
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y..Band activities not documented

                Ellington appeared on the CBS radio show The Woolworth Hour - The Best In Music," playing a medley accompanied by the house band. The medley consisted of
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • The Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.
                  1956-07-29 p.16
                • Stratemann p.364
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Vail II
                New Desor
                DE5623
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                2019-08-08
                1956 07 29.........
                1956 07 30
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 07 31
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......

                August 1956

                1956 08 01
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.CBS StudiosTelecast "Frankie Laine Time".New Desor
                DE5624
                .corrTimner-4/25+31+35.Added
                2011
                1956 08 02
                Thursday
                .Ellenville, N.Y.Tent theatre8:45 p.m. concert
                Empire State Jazz Festival
                Although Stratemann p.365 says Ellington played the sole jazz concert, the Daily Freeman announced

                'Jazz in the Catskills

                Duke Ellington orchestra, Dave Brubeck quartet, Sarah Vaughan, George Shearing quintet, Erroll Garner trio, Bobby Hackett band, Coleman Hawkins and Buck Clayton will highlight the Jazz Festival at Ellenville, Aug.2 to 4, in the huge tent on the site of the Empire State Music Festival. The Jazz Festival, featuring outstanding artists, is the first concert program of this nature to be offered to residents and vacationists in the Catskill Mountainsarea. Produced by Kenneth Lee Karpe...the Jazz Festival at Ellenville will give performances on Thursday evening at 8:45; Friday evening at both 8:30 and 11:45 and Saturday at 9 p.m. The Duke Ellington concert will kick off the Jazz Festival Thursday night at 8:45. '

                • Sullivan County Record, Jeffersonville, N.Y.
                  1956-07-26 p.5
                • Kingston Daily Freeman, Kingston, N.Y.
                  • 1956-07-28, p.5
                  • 1956-07-31 p.10
                • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
                  • 1956-07-17 p.39
                  • 1956-07-23 p.15C
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-11-09
                2019-08-08
                2019-08-09
                1956 08 03
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 04
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 05
                Sunday
                .New London, Conn.Danceland......Added
                2011
                1956 08 06
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 07
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                First of the Columbia recording sessions (August 1956 to May 1957) for the Such Sweet Thunder album
                19:15-22:15

                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend (source: Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Laskeremail 2019-08-03)
                "Artist contract pending. Temporarily charge against I. Townsend's A&R budget."
                Duke Ellington and his orchestra:
                Cook, C.Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard.

                Titles recorded:
                • A-Flat Minor
                • Lately (retitled Half The Fun)
                • Suburban Beauty

                • The two takes of A-Flat Minor were not issued until 1984, and are bonus tracks on the 1999 Columbia/Legacy CD CK 65558 "Such Sweet Thunder."
                • The CD booklet includes Townsend's original liner notes, 1999 liner notes by Bill Berry, and 1999 liner notes by Phil Schaap, who produced the CD.
                • Schaap explains why the album was recorded in stereo and advertised as being in both mono and stereo, but issued in mono only.
                • Leonard Feather reviewed the album in Down Beat

                  'SUCH SWEET THUNDER—Columbia 12" LP CL 1033 ...
                       Listening to Such Sweet Thunder, you are ashamed to think of all the relatively trivial releases on which five-star ratings have been squandered. For in the dozen vignettes, dedicated to the Stratford, Ontario, Shakespearean festival and suggested by characters and situations in various plays..., Ellington and Billy Strayhorn found a challenge, one that stimulated them to the creation of a group of works all within the normal Ellington compass, all corresponding with the classic conception of the band's sound, yet achieving in this unpretentious framework exactly what the suite set out to do.
                       For those seeking evidence of typical ageless Ellington there is an abundance of such timbers... fresh uses of sounds that have become to jazz what Shakespeare was and is to literature.
                       There are experiments, too; ideas and effects seldom heard in Ellingtonia, notably the clarinet-violin ...(Duke has rarely voiced Nance's fiddle with other instruments) and the delightfully swinging waltz named for Lady Macbeth, his first 3/4 work, to our knowledge, since a brief passage in Black, Brown, and Beige 15 years ago.
                       ...Triple congratulations are due to Ellington, for his best extended work since the Harlem suite seven years ago; to Strayhorn, who had a hand in most of the themes and is credited as sole writer on the exquisite Romeo and Juliet number, and to Irving Townsend, who helped nurse this idea along, supervised the recording, and wrote the affectionate and informative liner notes... '

                New Desor
                DE5625
                NDCS 1005
                DEMS
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-14
                2021-11-22
                1956 08 08
                Wednesday
                .Buffalo, N.Y.Memorial Auditorium

                '...Next was the Musical Concert rendered by Brother Duke Ellington and his orchestra. He gave an hour long concert of his original numbers. With his pro-musical touch and suave showmanship he really "moved" the whole gathering. There is nothing like listening to the smooth music of Duke Ellington in the cool of the evening. Following his musical concert came the Fiftieth Anniversary dance with music by the Duke Ellington band. A Great Night Indeed !!! Brother Dowdal Davis was the narrator for the evening.'

                In the same edition:

                'In the cool of the evening Brother Duke Ellington gave a never to be forgotten concert for more than four thousand persons in the Municipal Auditorium. Later Rho Lambda Chapter held its Anniversary Dance with music furnished by Brother Ellington and his world famous band.'

                The magazine has a picture of Brother Ellington receiving a plaque from Brothers Dowdal Davis and Tolly Harris. The caption says they are congratulating Ellington on his acceptance of Alpha Phi Alpha's plaque for meritorious services to humanity.
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 08 09
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 10
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 11
                Saturday
                .Mahoney City,
                Barnesville, Penn.
                Lakewood BallroomDancing

                A pass issued for this evening says This Pass and $1.50 Admits Bearer to Dance
                Email, S.Bowie-Palmquist with image of pass......Added
                2011
                updated
                2023-11-08
                1956 08 12
                Sunday
                .Ephrata, Penn.Ephrata Legion ParkDancing
                • Chester(Pa)Times,Chester,Penn.
                  • 1956-08-07 p.7
                  • 1956-08-08 p.21
                  • 1956-08-11 p.15
                  • Lancaster, Pa. New Era,Lancaster,Penn.
                    • 1956-08-07 p.4
                    • 1956-08-08 p.4
                    • 1956-08-11 p.4
                  • Lebanon Daily News, Lebanon, Penn.
                    • 1956-08-07 p.9
                    • 1956-08-08 p.13
                    • 1956-08-10 p.8
                  • Daily Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster, Penn.
                    • 1956-08-08 p.19
                    • 1956-08-11 p.12(courtesy S.Bowie)
                  • Email, Bowie-Lasker/Palmquist
                    2023-06-25
                ....New
                added
                2023-11-08
                1956 08 13
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 14
                Tuesday
                1956 08 16Terre Haute, Ind.In front of the grandstand.Wabash Valley Fair
                Stars on Parade
                • The Terre Haute Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
                  1956-07-22 p.39
                • Saturday Spectator, Terre Haute, Ind.
                  1956-07-28 p.4
                • Stratemann p.365
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-08-08
                1956 08 15
                Wednesday
                .Terre Haute, Ind..Wabash Valley Fair - see 1956 08 14......
                1956 08 16
                Thursday
                .Terre Haute, Ind..Wabash Valley Fair - see 1956 08 14......
                1956 08 17
                Friday
                .Lexington, Ky. Joyland Casino......Added
                2011
                1956 08 17
                Friday
                ..."Voice of America Jazz Hour" Ellington/Willis Conover interview for Conovers' Music USA, program Aug. 17, 1956.

                Ellington talks about the influences on his career, his disbelief in labels, his belief that the musical instrument is not as important as the musician, his fans, his international tours, etc.
                It would be interesting to learn if August 17 was the date of the broadcast or the date of the interview. Conover did 30 interviews during the Newport festival in July, a broadcast would require some editing, and Ripmaster shows Aug.17 interviews of Oscar Peterson and Billy Eckstine as well. Would Ellington, Conover, Peterson and Eckstine all be in Lexington on the same day?
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                1956 08 18
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 19
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 20
                Monday
                ... Peripheral event
                Date of the Time Magazine edition featuring Ellington. The timing appears to be serendipitous because the magazine had clearly planned this edition before Newport - the cover portrait was done in San Francisco in June.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                2016-08-15
                2016-08-24
                1956 08 20
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 21
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 08 22
                Wednesday
                1956 09 02Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclub
                3 N. Clark St.
                Beginning of a two five-day week residency, including Sunday matinees - see details at 1956 03 30
                • Contract - see above
                • Stratemann p.369 citing review in Variety 1956-08-29 p.48
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                1956 08 23
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 24
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 25
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note NightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 26
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23
                Matinee Matinee 5 to 7 pm and likely an evening performance
                Recorded remote NBC radio broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Cat Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Dancers In Love
                • Newport Up
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Tulip Or Turnip
                • Mood Indigo
                New Desor
                DE5626
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                1956 08 27
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill..Believed to be a day off from the Blue Note - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 28
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill..Believed to be a day off from the Blue Note - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 29
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 30
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 08 31
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011

                September 1956

                1956 09 01
                Saturday
                ..Universal StudiosJohnny Hodges recording session with Strayhorn and seven Ellington sidemen..00,3-19..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                1956 09 01
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 02
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubNight club residency - see 1956 08 23
                Matinee 5 to 7 pm and possibly an evening performance
                The Igo/Ewing/Pilkington itinerary shows "/Monitor" for this date, which indicates a remote broadcast on the NBC network, but further information is not provided by them.
                .New Desor
                DE5627
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                1956 09 03
                Monday
                Labour day
                .Rochester, Ind.ColonialThe ads do not give more details of the function or any more complete venue name. Ellington is the last group mentioned under the description "6 Big Nights at Lake Manitou." The ads say Teen - Agers Admitted. Many nearby town papers ran similar ads in the last third of August, but I could find none for early September. Admission, $2.
                  Ads
                • Anderson Herald, Anderson, Ind. 1956-08-21 p.6
                • Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Ind. 1956-08-27-p8
                • Logansport Press, Logansport, Ind. 1956-08-26 p.3
                  • Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, Ind.
                  • 1956-08-20 p.11
                  • 1956-08-27 p.11
                • Logansport Pharos-Tribune 1956-08-27 p.12
                .
                ...djpadded 2014-07-29
                1956 09 04
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 09 05
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 09 06
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 09 07
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 09 08
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 09 09
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                Stratemann listed an appearance at the Town Casino in Buffalo on this date in error. New Desor shows a recorded broadcast from here on this date too, but New Desor small corrections show a change to 1956 09 16.

                The Town Casino's Sept. 8 ad in the Buffalo Courier-Express said Ellington was coming Sunday Sept. 16.
                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-26
                1956 09 10
                Monday
                1956 09 15Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernNightclub residencyStratemann p.369....Added
                2011
                1956 09 11
                Tuesday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernNightclub residency - see 1956 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 12
                Wednesday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernNightclub residency - see 1956 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 13
                Thursday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernNightclub residency - see 1956 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 14
                Friday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernNightclub residency - see 1956 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 15
                Saturday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernNightclub residency - see 1956 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 16
                Sunday
                .Buffalo, N.Y.Town CasinoStratemann listed a Sept. 9 appearance at the Town Casino in Buffalo in error. New Desor shows a recorded broadcast from here on that date, but the New Desor small corrections change it to 1956 09 16.

                The Town Casino's Sept. 8 ad in the Buffalo Courier-Express said Ellington was coming Sept. 16.
                  Ads, Buffalo Courier-Express:
                • 1956-09-08 p.8
                • 1956-09-14 p.4
                • 1956-09-15 p.8
                • 1956-09-16 p.25-D
                New Desor
                DE5628
                DEMScorrTimner-4/25.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1956 09 17
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording sessions for the album A Drum is A Woman
                • 15:00-18:00
                • 20:00-23:00
                • Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                  (source:
                  Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Artist contract date: 7/10/56 pending.
                Irving Townsend:
                • the album took most of three months to record and edit
                • the idea was first suggested by Duke to Orson Welles in 1941
                • Ellington thought of A Drum is a Woman as one of his supreme achievements
                • Carney was the only sideman in place as the session time approached. Procope arrived during the next hour, Sanders passed out new music, and Woodyard "wandered idly through the studio looking for his drums"
                • the sidemen arrived one at a time, with Hodges last.
                • 'The group, now in place, began to complain loudly about wasting all night just sitting around. At that moment Ellington walked into the room, stopping to kiss his female visitors, chatting with everybody as he worked his way slowly toward the piano. Then, with a bow toward the control room, he asked, "Am I late? Oh, dear. What time is it anyway?"'

                New Desor and Nielsen advise that the music was also used in the U.S. Steel Hour telecast the following May, and that voiceovers by Ellington and Sherrill and bongos by Candido Camero were dubbed 1956 10 22.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Sherrill, Margaret Tynes
                • 07. Congo Square (Matumbe)
                • 06. Carribee Joe
                • 01. A Drum Is A Woman
                • 13. Rhumbop
                According to Nielsen, two versions were issued on LP, one for Columbia and the other for Philips, but a 1973 Columbia release is identical to the Philips record. Nielsen more or less discusses all the sessions for this album together, along with the television show. It seems clear from Nielsen that there was a lot of mixing and editing, making it difficult to ascertain exactly which takes were used where.

                Lambert describes the history of the record, the structure of the suite as an extended work, and the differences between the original release and identically packaged reissues.
                New Desor
                DE5629
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-06-27
                1956 09 18
                Tuesday
                1956 09 24Pennsauken, N.J.
                (suburb of Philadelphia, Penn.)
                Red Hill InnNightclub residency.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 19
                Wednesday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 09 18.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 20
                Thursday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 09 18.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 21
                Friday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 09 18.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 22
                Saturday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 09 18

                The various discographies report Ellington's orchestra played a remote MBS radio broadcast "Bandstand U.S.A." from this club on Sunday December 9. This appears to have been the wrong date since the show only aired Saturdays and since it ended by 10 p.m. it would not have aired in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
                Klaus Götting:

                'The question about a possible broadcast on Sunday 9dec1956 may finally be resolved by the following:
                  I have an unnumbered EMI LP with NO info on sleeve or cover. The label (as attached) claims the recording to be from Red Hill Inn 22sep56; a Saturday !! We know that Duke was in the area ...
                  I always believed that this was NewDesor 5640 from 9dec56 (as New Desor has no mention of a September broadcast) and the music fits perfectly the program and musical construction for this date of 9dec56...
                  Attentive listening today of this 22 min recording doesn't help - ''Bandstand U.S.A.'' is mentioned and Duke (as he often did) refers to the "recently released Newport '56 album."
                  Finally: NewDesor 5640 9dec56 may be wrong and should be re-dated 22sep56 unless further info can be found elsewhere.'


                Remote Bandstand U.S.A. radio broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Caravan
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Newport Up
                • Blues To Be There
                • Tulip Or Turnip
                This appears to be a part only of the 2 hour broadcast.
                • Email Götting/Palmquist et al, 2015-09-25 with scan of label dated 22/9/56
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.167
                New Desor
                DE5640
                ..KG / DJP.Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-25
                1956 09 23
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 09 18.....Added
                2011
                1956 09 24
                Monday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 09 18

                Last night of residency. This may not conflict with the recording session that started late this night, since Pennsauken is only 90 miles from Manhattan, and the New Jersey Turnpike would have made it a quick drive.
                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-21
                1956 09 24
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album A Drum is A Woman
                23:30-02:30 am.
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                If I understand Mr. Lasker's note Artist contract data as last correctly, this indicates Columbia sessions were being held with Ellington without a signed contract in place, and the costs were to be temporarily charged to I. Townsend's A&R budget.
                This appears to be the beginning of an all-night session,the last part of which we show as Tuesday
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey, unnamed choir
                Titles recorded:
                • 02. Rhythm Pum Te Dum
                • 14. Caribee Joe
                • 02. Rhythm Pum Te Dum
                • 14. Caribee Joe
                • 03. What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • 14. Caribee Joe
                • 07. Congo Square
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session time, contract.
                • Other references listed above - see 1956 09 17
                New Desor
                DE5630
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1956 09 25
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album A Drum is A Woman

                03:00-06:00

                This is a continuation of the session that started at 23:30 Monday. Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)If I understand Mr. Lasker's note Artist contract data as last correctly, this indicates Columbia sessions were being held with Ellington without a signed contract in place, and the costs were to be temporarily charged to I. Townsend's A&R budget.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard, Sherrill, Tynes, unnamed choir.
                Titles recorded:
                • 08. A Drum Is A Woman
                • 05. Hey Buddy Bolden
                • 14. Caribee Joe
                • 07. Congo Square (Matumbe)
                • 10. Madam Zajj
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session time, contract
                • see also 1956 09 24
                .
                New Desor
                DE5631
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1956 09 26
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented.....
                1956 09 27
                Thursday
                .Ft. Dix, N.J. Sports Arena......Added
                2011
                1956 09 28
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album A Drum is A Woman
                21:00-24:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                If I understand Mr. Lasker's note Artist contract data as last correctly, this indicates Columbia sessions were still being held with Ellington without a signed contract in place, and the costs were to be temporarily charged to I. Townsend's A&R budget.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Tom Whaley, Marion Bruce, Tynes
                Titles recorded:
                • 04. New Orleans (Sunrise Act 1)
                • 04. New Orleans (Sunrise Act 2)
                • 13. Rhumbop
                • 05. Hey Buddy Bolden
                • 12. Zajj's Dream (Carribee Interlude)
                • 04. New Orleans (Parade)
                • The Greatest Thing There Is
                • 12. Zajj's Dream (Carribee Interlude)
                • 07. Congo Square
                • 08. A Drum Is A Woman
                • Trumpet Fugue
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session time, contract.
                New Desor
                DE5632
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2014-11-12
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1956 09 29
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 09 30
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                October 1956

                1956 10 01
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 02
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 03
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 04
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 05
                Friday
                .Tampa, Fla.Fort Homer Hestory Armory.Stratemann p.369 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                1956 10 06
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 07
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 08
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 09
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 10
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 11
                Thursday
                .Charlotte, N.C.Ovens Auditorium.Stratemann p.369 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                1956 10 12
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 13
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 14
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 15
                Monday
                ...Date of contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and a vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note for "December 19, 1956 thru January 6th, 1957; 3 weeks", 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday matinee.

                This contract includes a new provision:
                "It is understood and agreed that Duke Ellington is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising."

                The fee is $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.

                Same provision re recording, reproduction or broadcast.
                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
                added 2012-11-03
                1956 10 15
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 16
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 17
                Wednesday
                .Oberlin, OhioFinney Chapel Auditorium
                Oberlin College
                ......Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                1956 10 18
                Thursday
                .Huntington, W.Va........Added
                2011
                1956 10 19
                Friday
                .Cambridge, Ohio.Cambridge Elks Ball.....Added
                2011
                1956 10 20
                Saturday
                .Hanover, N.H.Webster Hall
                Dartmouth College
                ......Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                1956 10 21
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 22
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio A
                799 Seventh Ave.
                Columbia recording session for the album A Drum Is A Woman
                14:30-17:30

                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)

                Artist contract data as last
                Bongo part, vocals and narrative recorded for dubbing.
                Ellington, Camero, Sherrill
                Titles recorded:
                • 02. Rhythm Pum Te Dum (Carribee Sequence)
                • 10. Madam Zajj (Carribee Sequence)
                • Narration
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • also see 1956 09 17
                New Desor
                DE5633
                DEMS
                see
                1956 09 17
                ..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                1956 10 23
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.30th St. StudioColumbia recording session for the album A Drum Is A Woman
                20:00-23:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Artist contract data as last
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Glamman, Woode, Woodyard, Bellson, Terry Snyder
                Titles recorded:
                • 11. Ballet Of The Flying Saucers
                • 07. Congo Square
                • 12. Zajj's Dream
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Other references as per 1956 09 17
                New Desor
                DE5634
                DEMS
                see
                1956 09 17
                .djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                1956 10 24
                Wednesday
                .Brooklyn, N.Y.Academy of Music8:30 p.m. concert
                Ellington and his orchestra played the first of the "Jazz at Academy" seven concert series.

                Down Beat:

                '...Ellington appeared more refreshed and in better health and spirits than at any time this reviewer has caught him in recent years. The band sounded live and full, and the soloists generally shone in their spots.
                     One striking feature of the concert was that Duke from the start was a leader enjoying his band...'


                Pieces identified in the Down Beat review (alphabetized):
                • Black and Tan Fantasy
                • Blue Skies
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me
                • Flamingo
                • I Got It Bad
                • Medley
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite -
                  • Blues to Be There
                  • Festival Junction
                  • Newport Up
                • Perdido
                • Prelude to a Kiss
                • Pretty and the Wolf
                • Rock, City, Rock
                • Satin Doll
                • Skin Deep
                • Sophisticated LadyStompin' at the Savoy
                • Take the "A" Train
                • Theme for Trambean
                • Things Ain't What They Used to Be
                • Virgen De La Macarena

                Personnel featured in Down Beat's review
                • Anderson
                • Carney
                • Ellington
                • Gonsalves
                • Grissom
                • Hamilton
                • Hodges
                • Jackson
                • Nance
                • Procope
                • Terry
                • Woodman
                • Woodyard
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                2021-11-25
                1956 10 25
                Thursday
                .Washington, D.C.Constitution Hall.Stratemann p.369....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                1956 10 26
                Friday
                .Garden City, N.Y.Garden City HotelDance -"first Voters Ball" 10:00 p.m. to 2 a.m.

                'GOP Recruits To Hold First Voter Ball October 26

                  The Nassau County Council of Republican Recruits will present its gala event of the season on Friday evening, October 26.
                  This affair is the annual "First Voters Ball" which will be held at the Garden City Hotel between the hours of 10:00 P.M. and 2:00 A.M. and will feature Duke Ellington and His Orch. Dress will be semi-formal.
                  With the Presidential Election just around the corner, this year's ball promises to be the largest ever staged in the 24 year history of the Recruits. Two orchestras will provide continuous music throughout the evening, and Chairman Philip Dennelly expects an attendance of over three thousand Republicans.
                  Every Rupublican First Voter in the County will receive a complimentary invitation for himself and one guest for this affair. For all others wishing to attend, the donation will be $1.50 a person.'

                The Long Island News and The Owl, 1956-09-14 p.6...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-08
                2020-01-19
                1956 10 27
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 28
                Sunday
                7:30 & 9:30 p.m.
                .Boston, Mass.John Hancock HallTwo concerts

                JAUNTS INTO JAZZDOM
                Duke Ellington, ... will appear in a concert at John Hancock Hall on Sunday (Oct. 28) for two performances, 7:30 and 9:30. The presentation is under the aegis of Storyville entrepreneur, George Wein. The Ellington program will be a panorama of his early compositions which will add "Mood Indigo", "Sophisticated Lady", and "Caravan" to his current efforts for the Newport Jazz Festival.

                • The Heights student newspaper, Boston College 1956-10-26
                • Review, Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass., 1956-10-30 p.27
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-03-09
                2015-09-18
                1956 10 29
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 30
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 10 31
                Wednesday
                Halloween
                .New York, N.Y.Front of Hotel Theresa
                125th St. & Seventh Ave.
                (Unconfirmed)

                Grand Rally New York State Citizens for Eisenhower-Nixon and New York County Republican Committee
                Duke Ellington and His Band
                Billie Holliday [sic] are shown after the list of main speakers
                Ad in unidentified newspaper, 27-10-56, p.10 (possibly Amsterdam News)...B.Koller-LYM 2012-11-10New
                added 2012-11-10

                November 1956

                1956 11 01
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 11 02
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 11 03
                Saturday
                8 p.m. to midnight
                .Raleigh, N.C.William Neal Reynolds Coliseum
                North Carolina State College
                Annual pledge dance of the Interfraternity Council of State College, Raleigh.Photo spread of the dance sponsors with caption, Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, N.C., 1956-11-03 s.1 p.5...djpNew
                added 2014-07-20
                1956 11 04
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 11 05
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 11 06
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 11 07
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 11 08
                Thursday
                1956 11 21New York, N.Y.Birdland
                Broadway at 52nd St.
                The opening night ad was for Duke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra, and Eddie Bonnemere Trio had second billing.Amsterdam News, New York, 1956-11-17 p.13....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                1956 11 09
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 10
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 11
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08

                CBS remote broadcast, 10:05-10:30 p.m.
                • Stratemann p.369 citing Variety 1956-10-31 p.24
                • The Crusader, Rockport, Ill., 1956-11-09 p.1
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                1956 11 12
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 13
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 14
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 15
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 16
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 17
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 18
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y..Peripheral event
                Ellington and his orchestra appeared on the CBS national television show Armchair Theater at 3 p.m. PST in Portland, Ore. This must have been prerecorded since Ellington was emceeing Mahalia Jackson's Carnegie Hall concert when this show aired.
                The Oregonian, Portland, Ore., 1956-11-18 p.15
                .corrTimner-4/25+31djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-19
                1956 11 18
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
                (Main Hall)
                Ellington was master of ceremonies for Mahalia Jackson's 6th annual Carnegie Hall concert, which started at 5:30 p.m. (5 p.m. according to the Carnegie Hall history database)...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                2015-12-03
                1956 11 18
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Birdland or
                NBC television studios
                Ellington appeared on the nationally broadcast Sunday evening NBC television variety show, The Steve Allen Show, during which he was honoured with a book and a plaque. If the orchestra played in the telecast, it may have been a remote telecast from Birdland, but it isn't clear.
                • Guests in the show were Ellington, Bob Hope (comedian), George Hamilton IV (singer), Betty Walker (comedienne), Olsen & Johnson (comedy team), Gene Nelson (dancer), Erin O'Brien (singer), and female boxers Joanne Hagen and Phyllis Kugler.
                • The Herald Statesmen television lineup says

                  '(4) Steve Allen Show. Bob Hope warms up for his own show later on by dropping in on Steve. Noted with enthusiasm in [sic] musical nostalgia from Duke Ellington, featuring numbers the composer-pianist made famous... '

                • Observer-Dispatch:

                  'Steve Allen: Guests include Duke Ellington, Olsen and Johnson, dancer Gena Nelson...'

                • Philadelphia Inquirer:

                  'Steve Allen strikes back with Olsen & Johnson, Duke Ellington and Gene Nelson, same time, Channel 3.'

                  and

                  'The Steve Allen Show. The comedy team of Olson and Johnson, Duke Ellington and his band, dancer Gene Nelson, ...are guests.'

                • The Daily News:

                  'It was good to see Duke Ellington honored on the Steve Allen show (NBC-TV, 8 P.M.). He was given Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz with a plaque from 100 jazz musicians hailing him as "the greatest arranger ever." '

                • Down Beat:

                  'Duke Ellington to do a Steve Allen Sunday show out of Birdland this month.'

                • Stratemann:

                  'Ellington did a medley of his compositions that was – in the words of Variety – "all too short," and was joined at the piano briefly by emcee Allen.'

                • Vail II (with photo):

                  'At 8:00 pm, Duke is in the NBC-TV studios for the 'Steve Allen Show' (8.00-9.00pm). Other guests are... and Bob Hope. Duke plays a brief medley of his own compositions with Steve Allen...'

                Sessionographies differ on which sidemen participated:

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                • Personnel per New Desor (by reference to session 5516 - 1955 10 24):
                  Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                • Personnel per Timner and Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli

                  same as New Desor without Grissom.
                • Personnel per Nielsen (by reference to the CBS radio remote the same day):
                  Henderson, Glamann, Snyder, Camero, Tynes, Sherrill

                Titles broadcast and recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Medley
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • Mood Indigo
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                with Steve Allen joining Duke at the piano for the last tune.

                Palmquist comments:
                • Down Beat is dated two weeks after its publication date, explaining its reference to "this month."
                • New Desor, Timner and the episode summary say the orchestra performed, and New Desor and Timner say they played at Birdland. In other words, they say this was a television remote telecast.
                • I don't understand the logistics. The photo on page 100 of Vail II shows Duke leaning on a piano with Allen playing it. Behind them is a curtain that I would associate more with a theatre than a nightclub.
                • If this was remote telecast from Birdland, and if the Steve Allen Show was live, how did Allen interact with his other guests? Was Ellington at Birdland or at the NBC Studio during this live telecast?
                • Further research is needed.
                • Tim Brooks, Earle F. Marsh, The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present, p.1307
                • Herald-Statemman, Yonkers, N.Y. 1956-11-17 p.8
                • Observer-Dispatch, Utica, N.Y., 1956-11-17 p.6
                • Philadelphia Inquirer television supplement, 1956-11-18 p.2
                • Philadelphia Inquirer morning edition, 1958-11-18 p.35
                • The Daily News, New York, N.Y.
                  1956-11-19 p.58
                • Down Beat 1956-11-28, p. 8, courtesy S.Lasker
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington

                DE5636
                .corrTimner-4/25+31djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-19
                2015-10-25
                2021-11-23
                1956 11 18
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08

                CBS remote broadcast, 10:05-10:30 p.m.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Personnel per New Desor, Timner and Girvan: Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Personnel per Nielsen: Henderson, Glamann, Snyder, Camero, Tynes, Sherrill
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite 1. Festival Junction
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Tulip Or Turnip
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite 2. Blues To Be There
                • Newport Jazz Festival Suite 3. Newport Up
                • Stratemann p.369 citing Variety 1956-10-31 p.24
                • The Crusader, Rockport, Ill., 1956-11-09 p.1
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5635
                ...Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-18
                2015-10-25
                1956 11 19
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 20
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 21
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNightclub residency - see 1956 11 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 22
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y..Sidemen's activities not documented
                Ellington appeared as guest soloist on the one-hour CBS television show the Longines-Wittnauer Thanksgiving Festival, broadcast at 5 p.m. He played a solo piano version of Black and Tan Fantasy. Whether or not this was a live performance needs to be determined. This was an elaborate production with 3 narrators, an act described as "the Longines Symphonette," and a "Corps de Ballet with 125." The November 15 Greensboro Record carried an undated photo of Duke, Will Rogers Jr. and dancers Gail Spear and Mara Lynn rehearsing, in costume. If it was pre-taped, Ellington need not have been in New York on this date.
                Stratemann p.369 citing VAirety 1956-1-28 p.25....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-20
                circa
                1956 11 23
                Friday
                .Cleveland, Ohio.Stratemann:

                'Ellington was also on local T.V. that week, as guest on a program hosted by Dorothy Fuldheim on WEWS'

                Palmquist comment:
                I have not been able to find Ellington and Fuldheim mentioned together in the Cleveland news archives. She is listed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer t.v. listings on Fridays at 6:30 pm for 15 minutes, so this interview is presumed to have been either Nov. 23 or 30. She also had a show called the One O'Clock Club, but it did not start until 1957.
                FULDHEIM, DOROTHY - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History09,3-5..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-20
                1956 11 23
                Friday
                1956 12 02Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                East 4th and Huron
                Night club residency. Stratemann advises the club had to rebuild its stage because it had never had such a large band before.
                Plain Dealer ads and publicity near the end of the run confirm Ellington was to finish at the Cotton Club on Sunday, Dec. 2, and that day would include a matinee performance from 4 to 6 p.m. It in't clear in the plug if there would be an evening performance on that Sunday or if the matinee was the last performance.
                • Stratemann p.369
                • The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio:
                  • 1956-11-29 p.31
                  • 1956-12-01 pp.22, 23
                  • 1956-12-02 p.5-G
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-20
                1956 11 24
                Saturday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 25
                Sunday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 26
                Monday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 27
                Tuesday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 28
                Wednesday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 29
                Thursday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 11 30
                Friday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011

                December 1956

                1956 12 01
                Saturday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 12 02
                Sunday
                .Cleveland, OhioCotton Club
                Club residency - see 1956 11 23.....Added
                2011
                1956 12 03
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 12 04
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1956 12 05
                Wednesday
                1956 12 07New York, N.Y..The Crystal Tree

                Stratemann:

                'That day, [Dec.5] it appears, Ellington was also engaged in the preliminaries for a musical ... with an all-black cast. The Crystal Tree... Ellington was variously reported as being in conference with Doris Julian, author and lyricist of the musical; and as attending auditions for the play, "for which he wrote the score," at the Broadway Theatre on December 6 and December 7. In later reports, Luther Henderson had replaced Ellington as composer (DESB).'

                Cleveland Plain Dealer:

                'Bandmaster Duke Ellington ... says he has composed a musical score for a new Broadway show which may open before spring. Titled Crystal Tree, it is being produced by Perry Tatkins, who also stanged ... "Beggars Holiday" in 1946.'

                (Sidemen's activities not documented)
                • Stratemann p.369
                • The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, 1956-12-01 p.23
                .
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2015-09-20
                1956 12 05
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Manhattan CenterStratemann:

                'That night's event was titled "Salute To Montgomery" to mark the anniversary of the bus protest in Alabama. Ellington probably did a solo appearance (DESB).'

                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-20
                1956 12 06
                Thursday
                ...
                Ellington may have attended rehearsals for The Crystal Tree - see 1956 12 05
                (Sidemen's activities not documented)
                .....2015-09-20
                1956 12 06
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the albums A Drum is a Woman and Such Sweet Thunder
                (this is the second SST session)
                19:45-23:15
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Margaret Tynes, Bailey

                Titles recorded:
                • A DRUM IS A WOMAN
                  • You Better Know It
                  • Finale
                • Café au Lait
                • Pretty Girl (retitled Star-Crossed Lovers)
                Lambert:

                'A Drum Is A Woman is of particular interest as it is the only one of Ellington's dramatic works which exists in a complete recording under his direction. The Columbia version is complete with the exception of one number, Pomegranate, although this was recorded and can be found on some 45 EPM selections from the work...'

                Artist Job Sheet:

                'Artist contract data as last

                Ellington should be paid for 12 sides less costs for DRUM album. On the above session, he should be paid $500 per side (Café au Lait and Pretty Girl) or $1,000 less i?? of the costs of this session, since these two selections are not in DRUM album. Artist contract date: 7/10/56.

                This is the first contract date entry that omits the word "pending." All Artist Job Sheets through that of 1959 06 02 repeat this entry.
                New Desor
                DE5638
                DEMSTimner corrections 4/25+31djp, LaskerAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-09-20
                2015-10-25
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-06-27
                2021-11-22
                1956 12 07
                Friday
                ...Sidemen's activities not documented
                Ellington may have attended rehearsals for The Crystal Tree - see 1956 12 05
                (Sidemen's activities not documented)
                .....2015-09-20
                1956 12 08
                Saturday
                .New Brunswick, N.J.Fieldhouse
                Rutgers University
                Afternoon solo appearance by Ellington.....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-21
                1956 12 08
                Saturday
                1956 12 16
                Sunday
                Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency

                Remote MBS radio broadcast "Bandstand U.S.A."
                While the show broadcast from 8 to 10 p.m. on WOR, Ellington played only part of it. Other bands included in the broadcast were Dizzie Gillespie, Dave Brubeck and "other jazzmen."
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Newport Up
                • Rock City Rock
                • Blue Jean Beguine
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Mood Indigo / Blues To Be There
                • Ads, Philadelphia Inquirer
                  • 1956-12-07 p.44
                  • 1956-12-09 p.26
                  • 1956-12-12 p.55
                  • 1956-12-16 p.21
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.167
                New Desor
                DE5639
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-21
                1956 12 09
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08
                The various discographies report Ellington's orchestra played a remote MBS radio broadcast "Bandstand U.S.A." from this club on Saturday and Sunday. Since the show only aired Saturdays, a Sunday broadcast seems unlikely. It would not have been in the wee hours of Sunday since the show ended by 10 p.m. local time. The broadcast appears to have taken place September 22, 1956 - see the discussion under that date above.
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.167
                New Desor
                DE5640
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-21
                1956 12 10
                Monday
                ..,Activities not documented
                Day off - the Red Hill Inn was closed Mondays
                .....Added
                2015-10-16
                1956 12 11
                Tuesday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 12 12
                Wednesday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 12 13
                Thursday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 12 14
                Friday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08.....Added
                2011
                1956 12 15
                Saturday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08

                Remote MBS radio broadcast "Bandstand U.S.A."
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Perdido
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Jeep's Blues
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.167
                New Desor
                DE5641
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-21
                1956 12 16
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub residency - see 1956 12 08

                Last day - includes matinee and evening performances
                .....New
                added
                2015-10-16
                1956 12 17
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1956 12 18
                Tuesday
                .Omaha, Neb.Civic Auditoriumactivities not documented

                False report:
                Stratemann, and thus Vail, reports Ellington and his band arrived in Omaha on the 18th, but does not provide a source for that information. It says Ellington and his band were picked up live on television. This was in error, this happened 1957 01 20 - see below.
                • Stratemann, p.370
                • Vail II
                New Desor
                DE5642
                (misdated)
                ..Agusti??n Pérez Gasco Aug2010
                djp
                Added
                2011
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2015-09-25
                2023-11-23
                1956 12 19
                Wednesday
                1957 01 06Chicago, Ill.Blue Note3 week club residency, 32 hour 5 day week, Sunday matinees. See contract details at 1956 10 15 above.

                Stratemann:

                'NBC frequently had the Ellington band picked up at the Blue Note for remotes for its Monitor radio program.'

                Five of Ellington's remote broadcasts from this Blue Note run are documented in New Desor, of which one is a CBS New Years Eve broadcast, three are just identified as NBC broadcasts, and one is explicitly called a Monitor broadcast.

                "Monitor" was an all-weekend NBC network radio show playing from 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays and Sundays. From its twelve listings on WMAQ on 1956-12-23, it appears local stations used it as fillers between other programming.
                Algona (Iowa) Advance reported two under-age lads from Algona going to Chicago. To gain admission to cabarets, they pretended to be medical interns. One called the manager of the Blue Note for a reservation, and was told to ask for him and he'd fix them up. When they arrived, they were escorted to a front row table, with a spotlight en route, and afer several numbers, Ellington came to their table. They chatted a few minutes and they had their picture taken with him.
                  Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                • Julian Chrischilles, HEARD ALONG THE MAIN STEM, Algona (Iowa) Advance, 1957-01-08 p.8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-23
                2018-11-20
                1956 12 20
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 21
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 22
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 23
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19

                Sunday matinee as well as the evening performance.
                10 p.m. CST radio network remote broadcast on NBC's Monitor:

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Medley: Diminuendo In Blue / Wailing Interval
                • Nielsen reports Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue and doesn't mention the Wailing Interval
                • Stratemann, p.370
                • Vail II
                • Radio log, Chicago Daily Tribune 1956-12-23
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.167
                New Desor
                DE5643
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-24
                1956 12 24
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteDay off - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 25
                Tuesday
                Christmas
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteDay off - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 26
                Wednesday
                Boxing Day
                ... Peripheral event
                Ellington was elected to Down Beat's Music Hall of Fame, becoming its fifth member, after topping the Down Beat reader poll, with 1,025 votes, 239 more than the next band leader, Benny Goodman. Down Beat accompanied the announcement with a two spage story by Nat Hentoff with extensive quoting of Elliington.
                Down Beat 1956-12-26 pp.12 & 25...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-26
                1956 12 27
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 28
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 29
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1956 12 30
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Parkway Ballroom
                4455 S. King Drive
                (Unconfirmed)
                A press photograph offered for sale on eBay shows Duke Ellington leaning on a piano, listening to a duet being played by Rev. Paul E. Turner and Dr. Theodore K. Lawless. On the back the date is shown as "Dec. 30, 56," the photographer's name is given as "Arabinko," and the typed description is"

                'Rev. Paul E. Turner, chairman of Benefit schow [sic]. Dr. T. K. Lawless, play piano for Duke Ellington, at the Parkway Ballroom, the proceeds from both affairs will go to the Dr. T.K. Lawless Dermatology Dept. in Beilinson Hosp. Israel.'

                Part of a newspaper clipping showing the bottom of the photo and a caption, is also glued to the back; it says:

                'THE DUKE LISTENS, APPROVES
                A man who should know, Duke Ellington, approves of the piano presentation of the Rev. Paul E. Turner (left) and Dr. T. K. Lawless. Pair teamed up for number during the dance in the Parkway Ballroom which benefited the dermatology department of the Beilinson Hospital in Israel named for Dr. Lawless. (Sun-Times Photo)'

                Dr. Theodore Kenneth Lawless was a famous and wealthy dermatologist, medical researcher, philanthropist and Spingarn Medalist. In 1957 he donated $160,000 to establish the Lawless Department of Dermatology in an Israeli hospital.

                Given the Blue Note matinee and evening performances, it seems unlikely the Ellington orchestra performed at this event Sunday, but Ellington may have attended as a guest. The Chicago Sun-Times online archive does not have 1956 or 1957; further research is needed.
                eBay listing of photo from Chicago Sun-Times, apparently published 1956-12-31, courtesy S.Lasker...SLNew
                added
                2021-01-15
                1956 12 30
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                Sunday matinee as well as the evening performance.
                10 p.m. local time, Radio network remote broadcast on NBC's Monitor:

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Newport Up
                • Jeep's Blues
                • Stratemann, p.370
                • Vail II
                • Radio log, Chicago Daily Tribune 1956-12-23
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.167
                New Desor
                DE5644
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-24
                1956 12 31
                Monday
                New Year's Eve
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19 - The contract provided for a day off on Monday, but an exception seems to have been made for New Year's Eve, since remote CBS and NBC network New Years Eve broadcasts were made from the club.

                The Ed Brooks column in the New Orleans Times-Picayune:

                'CBS-WWL will present an all-night Dancing Party beginning 10:10 p.m. featuring the nation's top bands remote from all parts of the nation. Among the top music stars ... Count Basie, Jimmy Dorsey, Jan Garber, Eddie Howard, Duke Ellington... '

                The NBC broadcast was at 12:05 a.m. CST. Since the NBC broadcast was after midnight, New Desor and Timner date it January 1, 1957.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles recorded during the CBS broadcast:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Blue Skies
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Mood Indigo

                Titles recorded during the NBC broadcast:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Diminuendo In Blue/Wailing Interval/Crescendo In Blue
                • Jeep's Blues
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • Mood Indigo
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.168
                New Desor
                DE5645
                DE5701.
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-25



                Back to Navigation List

                1957


              • Date of event Ending date
                (if different)
                City/
                Other place
                Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
                Desor
                reference
                DEMS
                reference
                Other
                references
                Contact
                person
                Date added
                / updated

                Undated 1957 events

                1957 00 00... Peripheral event
                Ellington's music was used in a German art film, "Jonas." Soundtrack composer Winfried Zillig synthesized modern European chamber music and electronic effects and incorporated parts of Ellington's Liberian Suite. The film won the German "Bambi" film award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1958, according to Jet magazine.
                • Stratemann p.385
                • Jet, 1959-03-05 p.62
                • Duke-LYM email discussions, 2017-03-11 & 12
                ....New
                added
                2016-02-19
                updated
                2017-03-12
                1957 00 00...Peripheral event
                Mercer Ellington was elected to ASCAP this year.
                Email Lasker-Palmquist 2024-12-24....New
                added
                2024-12-25
                1957 00 00.New York, N.Y..Sometime during 1957, Ellington accepted a commission to write the music for a "serious minded Broadway production," based on a novel "Mine Boy" by Peter Abraahams, to be produced by Christopher Manos with lyrics by Herbert Martin....Hajdu p.180New
                added
                2016-06-16
                1957 01 00... Peripheral event
                Harlem After Dark

                Broadcasting Television
                'A new series of 13 half-hour tv programs, Harlem After Dark, available in both colour and black and white, has been announced by Jack Goldbert, director of distribution, Studio Films' theatrical division. The series was produced especially for late evening presentation and co-stars such entertainers as Count Basie and his band, Sarah Vaughan, Nat King Cole, Lionel Hampton and his band, Cab Calloway and others.'
                Channel Chatter:
                '"Harlem After Dark," on film, will be making the rounds soon featuring all-Negro talent.'
                Citizen-News:
                'Studio Films Inc. has completed 13 half-hour "Harlem After Dark" telefilms available in color or black and white.'
                Lasker:
                '"Strictly Ad-Lib," Down Beat, 1957-03-04, p. 12:

                'Studio films, a New York company, has finished 13 TV productions for a Harlem After Dark series. Basie, Duke, Nat Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Cab Calloway, etc. are said to be included.'

                Mark Cantor:
                'This series was a mixture of [Snader] telescripting, including Duke, and some live footage, no Duke.'
                See "Snader telescription recording session" at 1952 03 14 above.
                • Broadcasting Television
                  the Businessweekly [sic] of Radio and Television
                  1957-01-14 p.110
                • Channel Chatter,
                  Kingsport Times, Kingsport, Tenn.
                  1957-01-16 p.4
                • Citizen-News, Hollywood, Cal.
                  1957-02-04 p.21
                • Email exchange, S. Lasker- M. Cantor
                  2021-11-11
                  2021-11-12
                ....New
                added
                2021-11-14
                between
                1957 01 00
                and
                1957 02 00
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioPrivate recording session(s) for Ellington's stockpile

                The date is undocumented. Timner, Nielsen and MacHare show one session in January and one in February, while New Desor and Girvan show just one session, in February.

                Several of these recordings are in the CD box sets released on the WEA (Germany), WEA (Japan), Kaz (England), Saja (USA) and Unidisc (Canada), but the 10 CD box sets are not numbered the same.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra and unidentified choir
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • full band and choir:
                  • Take The "A" Train
                  • Perdido
                • quartet and choir:
                  • Dual Highway (aka Something Sexual or Something Saxual)
                • septet and choir:
                  • Jump For Joy
                • band:
                  • Jump For Joy (subtitled Clary, Box and Bass)
                  • Moon Mist
                  • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                  • C-Jam Blues
                  • In A Sentimental Mood
                  • Satin Doll
                  • Love You Madly
                New Desor
                DE5707
                .corrTimner-4/25 + 4/32djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-01

                January 1957

                1957 01 01
                Tuesday
                New Year's Day
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteDay off - see 1956 12 19
                .New Desor
                DE5701
                DEMScorrTimner-4/25.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1957 01 02
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 01 03
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 01 04
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 01 05
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 01 06
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteClub date - see 1956 12 19

                Final day of the residency. Being a Sunday, there would also have been a matinee performance.

                Remote broadcast, NBC network "Monitor"
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Medley:
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                • Medley:
                  • Mood Indigo
                  • Solitude
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.168
                New Desor
                DE5702
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-26
                1957 01 07
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 08
                Tuesday
                .Rochester, Minn.Mayo Civic AuditoriumDance, 8 p.m. to midnight

                Tickets: $1.50/person in advance, $1.80 at door
                Winona Daily News, Winona, Minn.
                • 1957-01-02 p.4
                • 1957-01-04 p.4
                • 1957-01-07 p.4
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-26
                updated
                2018-11-20
                1957 01 09
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 10
                Thursday
                ...Business event
                Date of contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note on July 10, 1957 for two weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee.

                This contract includes the same headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions, and a new term prohibiting advertising of this engagement before July 5, 1957.

                The fee continues to be $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.
                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann...djpNew
                added
                2012-11-03
                1957 01 10
                Thursday
                .Grinnell, IowaDarby Gym
                Grinnell College
                Recorded concert, 8 - 10:30 p.m., open to the public.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Grinnell LP
                Grinnell College LP
                Click to Enlarge
                A 12-inch Grinnell College LP is from this concert with the titles FiFteen SwinG JanUaRY 10, 1957 the dUKe eLLington BanD on the front cover and ELLINGTON at GRINNELL on the back. Worldcat.org says a sound cassette was issued in 1994. Presumably it has the same music.

                The song titles are only shown on the record labels. Where they differ from the New Desor Part 2, the New Desor titles are shown in italics. Each can be heard on YouTube.
                Ellington and students at concert piano
                Duke Ellington Visit, Grinnell College
                Click to Enlarge
                • Scarlet and Black announcement 1956-12-14:

                  'Ellington Orchestra To Play At Darby Concert In January
                    Tom Rodhouse, social coordinator has arranged a concert by Duke Ellington and his orchestra at Grinnell on January 10. The two and one-half hour concert will begin at 8 p.m. in the Darby Gym.
                    Art Travers, Student Council president, is in charge of finances for the event, and Steve Payne, Gadabouts chairman, will make all other arrangements... '

                • Ellington was interviewed and the interview was broadcast - see Scarlet and Black 1957-02-08:

                  'WOI Presents Programs In February Featuring Interview, Panel, Musicians
                    Four KGRW tape recordings will be broadcast over WOI, Ames, in February. The programs are on Tuesday afternoon at 4:15.
                    Feb. 5 the Duke Ellington interview by Edward Luck (speech) and Steve Levin will be broadcast... '

                  The interview, broadcast February 5, is not listed in the discographies.
                New Desor
                DE5703
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-26
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-16
                2024-07-06
                1957 01 11
                Friday
                .Grinnell, IowaYounker Lounge
                Grinnell College
                Prior to the band's departure for Iowa City, three sidemen participated in a jam session with Herbie Hancock, then a student at Grinnell.

                Grinnell College LP liner note:

                'The Concert and the Aftermath
                ...The following day, our own Herbie Hancock, spured [sic] on by Jimmy Woode, Sam Woodyard and Quentin Jackson, who graciously consented to a "jam session" in Younker Lounge, for two hours captivated the audience as they uninhibitedly and effortlessly improvised....Then the Ellington band went on its way...'

                LP cover
                "Fifteen Swing the Duke Ellington Band"
                ...djpNew
                added
                2024-07-06
                1957 01 11
                Friday
                .Iowa City, IowaIowa Memorial Union
                121 N. Madison St.
                University of Iowa
                Dance, 9 p.m. to midnight, with 4 variety acts by campus performers. Attendance was estimated to be 1,600 and Ellington was reported to have been swamped by autograph seekers all evening.
                Announcement:

                'Greek Dance Friday To Feature The Duke

                  Club Athena, the interfraternity Council-Panhellenic dance, is scheduled for Friday evening from 9:00 p.m. to midnight in the Iowa Memorial Union.
                  The famous Duke Ellington band will provide the music. The Duke had this message for all SUI fans when he was interviewed for radio by Bob Blitz... and George Kroloff...recently in the Windy City.
                  "The boys in the band love you madly. We have been playing concerts, not just dances, at SUI since 1943." The Duke said. "The SUI students are a very sophisticated and discriminating audience."
                 Because he is playing at the first Rose Bowl celebration dance on the SUI campus, Ellington said he is "going to open our big bag of goodies wide," for his SUI audience.
                  ... the Union will resemble a night club. There will be a marquee outside the Union and outside The Billboards announcing the Duke, entertainers and IFC Queen finalists.
                  To enter the dance, couples will walk through a Greek garden and over a bridge. The Union lounge will resemble a large night club. There will be a low ceiling and four columns with fire seemingly coming from the top. A large mural will cover two walls depicting the wanderings of a Greek god in a modern metropolis.
                  Behind the bandstand will characterizations of jazz stars based on a Greek theme. There will be 150 tables with chairs around the dance floor and partitioned from it.
                  Two bars will serve soft beverages. Genuine blown glass, may be obtained as souvenirs. The doorman, hatcheck boyes and cigarette girls will be in costumes.
                 A variety of entertainment is planned. There will be four production numbers starring Roberta Popinger... and Jack Laughery, Guthry Center and the Club Athena dancers. The Four Moderns will also appear.
                  ... The 15-piece band [Ellington] will bring to Iowa City is considered by many to be the best in the country...
                  Sue Rutledge.... and John Ballard...are co-chairmen of the dance.'

                The Daily Iowan, Iowa City, Iowa
                • 1957-01-08 p.3
                • 1957-01-11 p.3
                • 1957-01-12 p.1
                • 1957-01-15 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-26
                updated
                2015-12-20
                1957 01 12
                Saturday
                .Davenport, IowaThe New Coliseum
                ("Coliseum ballroom" per The Rock Island Argus)
                This appears to be a dance hall featuring "MIDWESTS FINEST BANDS" on Saturdays. The Catholic Messenger's ads just say

                COMING...
                Jan. 10, PORTER WAGONER
                Jan. 12, DUKE ELLINGTON.

                More research is warranted.
                • The Catholic Messenger, Davenport, Iowa,
                  • 1957-01-03 p.14
                  • 1957-01-10 p.14.
                • The Rock Island Argus, Rock Island, Ill.
                  1957-01-05 p.10
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2016-07-16
                updated
                2021-11-16
                1957 01 13
                Sunday
                .Dubuque, IowaMelody MillDancing, 9 to 1, admission only $1.50 before 9 -$2.00 after 9
                • Freeport Journal-Standard, Freeport, Ill.,
                  1957-01-11 p.13
                • The Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, Iowa,
                  1957-01-06 p.23


                ....New
                added
                2015-09-27
                updated
                2018-11-20
                1957 01 13
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteFalse entry: The radio log for January 13 in The Sunday Star reported Ellington and his orchestra would be on WRC's Monitor from the Blue Note at 11 p.m. This is clearly an error.
                The Sunday Star, WAshington, D.C., p.E-5...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                1957 01 14
                Monday
                .Springfield, Ill.ArmoryThe Duke Ellington and Griff Williams orchestras played from 8 p.m. to midnight for the inaugural ball for Governor William Stratton's second term in office. Part of the ball was to be televised. The Illinois State Journal reported 6,000 people attended, but the Rockford Register-Republic reported 10,000. The Register-News estimated 5,000 guests jammed the dance floor and hundreds more watched from the balcony. A third band played during the afternoon ceremonies and at a dance for young people in the rotunda at the State House.
                • Edwardsville Intelligencer, Edwardsville,Ill, 1956-12-19 p.2
                • Illinois State Journal, Springfield,Ill,
                  • 1956-12-19 p.28
                  • 1957-01-13 p.34
                  • 1957-01-15 p.9
                • Rockford Register-Republic, Rockford, Ill., pp.1, 2-A
                • Hammond Times, Hammond, Ind., 1957-01-13, courtesy A.Perez-Gasco
                • Register-News, Mt. Vernon, Ill., 1957-01-15, courtesy A. Perez-Gasco
                • Stratemann p.371
                ...APG / djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-26
                2015-10-14
                2015-10-14
                1957 01 15
                Tuesday
                .Rolla, Mo..Probably similar to the Jefferson City event below.Post-Tribune, Jefferson City, Mo., 1957-01-17 p.18...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-27
                1957 01 16
                Wednesday
                .Jefferson City, Mo.Lincoln Gymnasium
                Lincoln University
                8 p.m. concert and dance. During the concert, Ellington was

                'honored [by] an Alpha citation of achievement by A.P.Marshall, Lincoln librarian.'

                and

                '...He was also presented with a hand carved lamp carrying the initials of Alpha by Melvin Sreator for the undergraduate chapter of Alpha, and with an honorary membership in the campus Student Christian Association by Mis Odessa Enner, a senior majoring in education.'

                The Post-Tribune carries a photo of Ellington on stage, signing autographs for two little girls while the band plays.
                Dave Snyder, Post-Tribune staff reporter:

                'Plus One Non-Paying Visitor
                More Than 800 Persons Hear Ellington's Concert Effort
                  More than 800 persons turned out to hear Duke Ellington yesterday as Lincoln University initiated its 1957 lecture-recital series.
                  The Ellington orchestra...packed the University City's seating facilities, forcing the overflow onto the floor of the basketball court. The program opened with a concert...
                  The Lincoln concert, followed by a dance, was attended by an unexpected guest who wandered around the floor, viewing the band and spectators critically. Unannounced and non-paying, the visitor was a boxer dog.'

                Darrel Sifford (1931-1992), Post-Tribune city editor:

                'Ancient Lincoln Gymnasium Rocks As Duke Ellington Beats Up Storm
                  ...there wasn't a toe that didn't tap out a lively beat as an overflow crowd of more than 800 persons ... packed the tiny gymnasium for a peek at amiable Duke Ellington and his band of white-jacketed musicians.
                  ...the loose-jointed Ellington blasted away with selections that ranged from a soft solo by Johnny Hodges... to a dazzling drum run by Sam Woodyard, a fast-fingered father of six children.
                  Currently roaming the country on one-night stands, Ellington played Tuesday in Rolla and is scheduled tonight in St. Joseph.
                  From there he'll play Leavenworth, Kan. and then journey to Omaha, Neb. Sunday from where he'll appear on the television production "Wide Wide World."
                  The Duke ... has another record date this winter when he returns to the coast.
                  However, one member – the dead-panned Hodges – is dubious there'll ever be sufficient time to cut even one side.
                  ...Hodges lamented during intermission that "We'll never have time to do any record work...Man the way we're traveling, we're never in one spot long enough to do anything except sleep, eat, play and pack our bags."
                  The sax man, who took his encore bows without emotion, said the Ellington band will "work eight days next week."
                  By way of explanation he offered: "That's because we do more than is possible in seven days."
                  Ellington, clad in an orange and tan jacket, grabbed a quick snack of fried shrimp and coffee during a break.
                  His pink shirt was soiled around the collar and his pink silk tie was draped loosely from the neck.
                  He polished off the shrimp, gulped down the last of the coffee and made small talk with his charter bus driver, who apparently oblivious to the blare of trumpets outside the dressing room, relaxed with a day-old newspaper.
                  ...Maybe because of the nightly repetition the Ellington crew becomes accustomed to going through the motions, but it wasn't obvious that a routine, hum-drum performance was unfolding last night.
                  And the musicians – all except Hodges, perhaps – seemed genuinely appreciative of the enthusiastic response they received.
                  During Woodyard's four-minute drum solo, which was spiced with liberal applause and roars of approval, one green-bloused girl on [sic] a front row became carried away with it all and failed to contain screams that would have done justice to Elvis Presley.
                  She calmed down sufficiently during the intermission to corner several of her favourites for autographs.
                  Ellington opened with an hour-long concert-type program and came back after the coffee break with two hours of music for dancing.
                  Many of the 800 took advantage of the slower tempo to elbow around the gymnasium floor.
                  But many others guarded preciously scarce seats, afraid to move lest a bystander sneak in unnoticed.
                  But dancing or sitting, the crowd had one thing in common. Nobody could keep his feet still.'

                While the Post-Tribune ways this was the first lecture-recital of the series, the Jefferson City paper says it was to be the second.
                • The Lincoln Clarion, Lincoln University
                  Jefferson City, Mo.
                  195011 pp.1, 4
                • Announcement, News & Tribune, Jefferson City, Mo., 1957-01-13, courtesy A.Perez-Gasco
                • Story datelined Jefferson City, Mo.–(ANP),
                  Milwaukee Defender, Milwaukee, Wisc.
                  1957-01-31 p.3
                • Washington Afro-American
                  1957-01-29, courtesy A.Perez-Gasco
                • Photograph and two reviews, Post-Tribune, Jefferson City, Mo., 1957-01-17 p.18
                • The Sphinx, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Baltimore, Md.
                  May 1957, pp.23,28
                ...APG x3
                djp
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-27
                2015-10-14
                2018-11-21
                2021-11-16
                1957 01 16
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Holiday Ballroom
                4847 N. Milwaukee Ave.
                False report
                While reported in Stratemann (without attibution or description, but probably from DESB), and copied in Vail II, this event could not have occurred on this date, since the band is documented in Jefferson City.
                Photograph and two reviews, Post-Tribune, Jefferson City, Mo., 1957-01-17 p.18...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-27
                1957 01 17
                Thursday
                .St. Joseph, Mo..Unconfirmed one-nighter

                This may have been cancelled or misreported - see report of a recording session in Chicago on the same date.
                Post-Tribune, Jefferson City, Mo., 1957-01-17 p.18....New
                Added 2015-09-27
                1957 01 17
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioPrivate recording session - this date needs to be confirmed since it conflicts with a possible appearance in St. Joseph, Mo. (which at the time of writing is unconfirmed).
                Duke Ellington small group
                Nance, Terry, Cook, Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Bluer
                • The Riff
                Duke Ellington small group
                Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • I Cover The Waterfront
                • Wailing Interval (as Wailing 'Bout)
                Nielsen reports Bluer is based on the harmonies of Hey, Buddy Bolden and Wailing 'Bout is identical to Crescendo in Blue. The latter is doubtful, since Crescendo in Blue is a composition for full orchestra.
                New Desor
                DE5704
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-27
                2020-05-09
                1957 01 18
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 19
                Saturday
                .Des Moines, IowaVal Air BallroomDance
                Admission $1.55 plus tax
                Des Moines Sunday Register and Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa
                • 1957-01-11 p.10-G
                • 1957-01-13 p.10-G
                • 1957-01-18 p.13
                • 1957-01-19 p.8
                .
                ....New
                added
                2018-11-20
                1957 01 20
                Sunday
                .Omaha, Neb.City Auditorium
                a.k.a.
                Omaha Civic Auditorium
                Omaha Auditorium
                Live NBC 'Wide Wide World' afternoon telecast of a rehearsal, closed to the public.


                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Congo Square (Matumbe) (opens and closes the session)
                • Ellington briefly interviewed remotely by host Dave Garroway
                • Medley:
                  • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • In A Sentimental Mood
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
                  • Solitude
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Mood Indigo

                NBC press release, courtesy S. Lasker 2023-11-18
                NBC-TV NEWS
                DUKE ELLINGTON TO PLAY PART OF HIS NEW TUNE, AND MEDLEY OF HIS ALL-TIME FAVORITES, ON 'WIDE WIDE WORLD'
                   "A Drum's a Woman" is the title of Duke Ellington's latest composition, and the Duke will play a bit of it when he and his orchestra appear on WIDE WIDE WORLD Sunday, Jan. 20 (NBC -TV, 4-5:30 P .m., EST).
                   The great jazz conductor and composer will be picked up by "Wide Wide World's" cameras in the new Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb. From the stage there, he will exchange views on "hot music" with program host Dave Garroway in New York.
                   And then the Duke will launch into a medley of some of his all-time favorite compositions: "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," "Solitude," "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me," "Don't Get Around Much Any More," "Caravan," "I'm Beginning to See the Light," "I Let a Song Get [sic] out of My Heart," "I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," and "It Don't Mean a Thing if You [sic] Ain't Got that Swing" . . .
                   His appearance will be part of an overall program entitled "American Riches." produced by Alan Neuman.
                - - - - 0 - - - -
                NBC-New York, 1/15/57


                • According to The Television Academy Foundation website, Wide Wide World was a 90-minute documentary series telecast live Sunday afternoons by NBC n Sunday afternoons at 4 p.m. Eastern. The session is incorrectly dated 1956 12 18 in Stratemann, Vail II, New Desor, Timner, Nielsen and, at the time of writing, Ellingtonia.com.
                • Stratemann:

                  'Ellington and his band were picked up live by remote cameras as they went through a rehearsal for the "Congo Square" section to "A Drum Is A Woman," then played a medley of Ellington's hit tunes. A brief interview of Ellington by host Garroway revealed that the Columbia LP of "A Drum Is A Woman" was to come out on record in February.'

                • Vail:

                  'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra are televised live by remote cameras, while rehearsing at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. Duke is interviewed on the NBC-TV show "Wide, Wide World" by Dave Garroway in Chicago. The orchestra are [sic] then seen rehearsing the Congo Square section from "A Drum Is A Woman" and playing a medley of Ellington's hits...'

                • Sacramento Bee:

                  'Cameras Are On American Riches
                    For 90 minutes...Wide Wide World tomorrow will bring American Riches into the homes of United States and Canada. The show, which starts at 4 PM ... will tell the story of American riches by showing copper mining, agriculture, publishing, small business, our great cities and one of our great artists at work.
                    Five American cities will be visited by the live cameras of Wide Wide World: Milwaukee, New Orleans, Wichita, Oklahoma City and Ft. Worth.
                    From Kansas City will come a pick up of Thomas Hart Benton, one of our famous artists; and from Omaha, Neb., Duke Ellington and his orchestra.
                    Wide Wide World cameras will visit a large copper mine... and from Washington, DC live cameras will picture Morton Gould conducting a special preview of his composition written for the inaugural ceremony to be held Monday.'

                • Cedar Rapids Gazette Television Tabloid:

                  '"Wide Wide World" – The cameras explore "American Riches". They visit Music Man Duke Ellington in Omaha, Artist Thomas Hart Benton in Kansas City, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, President Eisenhower's boyhood friends in Abilene...'

                • The Ellington segments were filmed January 20 1957 according the Library of Congress catalogue.
                • The NBC Universal Archives episode guide describes the January 20 1957 episode:

                  'Wide Wide World: American Riches (Part 1 of 3)

                  Logos for GM divisions seen. Dave Garroway opens program from studio. Exterior of Dwight Eisenhower's boyhood home ...seen. Huge copper mine ...viewed. Agricultural experiment station ...seen. Exterior of St. Louis-Post Dispatch ... Inside, Joseph Pulitzer III sits at table with others. Duke Ellington seen at the piano as his band performs in Omaha, NEB.Spinning globe seen in elementary school classroom... spark plugs commercial. Dave Garroway in studio. (06:30 in)...'


                • Discussion:
                  • Wide, Wide World was a 90 minute Sunday afternoon NBC network show, but it seems to have been time delayed when telecast on the west coast since Sacramento and San Mateo schedules have it broadcasting it at 4 p.m. PST (6 p,m. CST in Omaha) but San Antonio and Cedar Rapids had it at 3 p.m. CST
                  • Stratemann and Vail II do not identify the sources of their information.
                  • A search of newspaper archives shows no mention of Ellington in Omaha in December 1956, but the dance on January 20 was advertised frequently.
                • It doesn't particularly matter for the purposes of TDWAW, but Stratemann and Vail have the show emanating from Chicago while the NBC press release says New York. Googling Garraoway seems to indicate he lived in Chicago.
                • Conclusion:
                  Both the telecast and the evening dance on January 20 were incorrectly dated December 18 1956 in Stratemann and Vail II.
                • Stratemann, p.370
                • Vail II
                • The Sacramento Bee,Sacramento, Cal., 1957-01-19 p.C-24
                • Times TV Schedule, San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal., 1957-01-19 p.3-A
                • The Dover Reporter, Dover, Oh, 1957-01-19 p.15
                • Kokomo Tribune, Kokomo, Ind., 1957-01-19
                • San Antonio Light, San Antonio,Texas,1957-01-20 p.2F
                • Cedar Rapids Gazette Television Tabloid, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1957-01-20
                • The Sunday Star, Washington, D.C., 1957-01-20 p.7
                • ANP wirestory, The Milwaukee Defender, Milwaukee, Wisc., 1957-01-21 p.3
                • www.emmytvlegends.org
                • Library of Congress database LC Online Catalog Wide wide world. American riches
                • NBC Universal Archives Wide Wide World: American Riches (Part 1 of 3)
                • The Radio Annual and Television Yearbook 1956, p.248
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.167
                New Desor
                DE5642
                ..djpAdded
                2015-09-25
                updated
                2015-10-16
                2023-11-25
                1957 01 20
                Sunday
                .Omaha, Neb.City Auditorium
                a.k.a.
                Omaha Civic Auditorium
                Omaha Auditorium
                Dance, 8 to 12
                Tickets - advance $2, door $2.25

                'On the Stage
                 ... City Auditorium – Tonight at 8 Duke Ellington and his orchestra play for a dance in the Arena.'

                Vail II incorrectly dated this dance 1956 12 18
                • Sunday World-Herald, Omaha, Neb.:
                  • 1957-01-06 p.5-F
                  • 1957-01-13 p.7-F
                  • 1957-01-20, pp.6-F, 7-F and 14-B
                • World Herald, Omaha, Neb.
                  • 1957-01-16 p.17
                  • 1957-01-21 p.2
                • Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Neb.:
                  • 1957-01-16 p.26
                  • 1957-01-19 p.5
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-25
                1957 01 21
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 22
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 23
                Wednesday
                .Lincoln, Neb.Lincoln Public Schools Administration Building or Activities Building

                'Another Keen-Timer Success
                'Duke' Starts Year on High Note

                  "Sophisticated Lady" will be the theme song of Lincoln teen-agers this month.
                  Duke Ellington and his band are coming the the Capital City on Jan. 23 as part of the Keen-Time Club activities.
                  Duke Ellington and his crew will appear at the Lincoln Public Schools Activities Building from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. on that Wednesday evening before between-semesters vacation for high schoolers begins...'


                'What To Do In Lincoln
                ...  Duke Ellington - plays at Keen Time dance, spectators admitted. ... 7:30 p.m.
                '

                Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, Neb.
                • 1957-01-06 p.C-1
                • 1957-01-20 p.3-A
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-27
                2018-11-25
                1957 01 24
                Thursday
                .Galesburg, Ill..An announcement in the Monmouth, Ill., college newspaper says:

                'Tickets for the Duke Ellington Jazz Concert are now available in the Business Office. The price is $1.00 a ticket.
                  The concert is on Thursday, January 24, in Galesburg and has been approved by Dean Lindman and Dean Beveridge. Check the posters around the campus for more details. '

                Further research is required. There are at least 3 colleges in Galesburg.
                The Oracle, Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill. 1957-01-19 p.1...djpNew
                added
                2015-09-27
                1957 01 25
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 26
                Saturday
                .Carbondale, Ill.Shyrock Auditorium
                Southern Illinois University
                Concert, 2 hours, beginning 7:30 p.m., preceding the ROTC ball below.
                Tickets, $1.25 advance, $1.50 door
                • Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, Herrin and Murphysboro, Ill.
                  • 1957-01-08, p.14
                  • 1957-01-25 p.5
                  • 1957-01-28 p.14
                • The Daily Register, Harrisburg, Ill., 1957-01-09 p.3
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2015-09-27
                updated
                2015-12-04
                1957 01 26
                Saturday
                .Carbondale, Ill.National Guard ArmoryROTC Ball
                Tickets, $3 per couple

                'Anybody Thinks We Ain't Got Class Shoulda Seen That Military Ball
                by Virginia Spiller...
                  Southern Illinois University's Air Force ROTC ... went all formal with its Military Ball this year...
                  ...It should be unnecessary to mention the obvious, but you just couldn't hardly get more "swank" orchestra-wise that with Duke Ellington and his band...'

                • Photo, ROTC Queen Candidates, Register-News, Mount Vernon, Ill., 1957-01-15, p.7, courtesy A.Perez-Gasco
                • Review, The Daily Register, Harrisburg, Ill., 1957-01-09 p.3
                • Southern Illinoisan, Carbondale, Herrin and Murphysboro, Ill.
                  • 1957-01-08 p.14
                  • 1957-01-08, p.14
                  • 1957-01-25 p.5
                  • 1957-01-28 p.14
                • 1957-02-03 p.7
                ...APG x4
                djp
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-27
                2015-10-14
                2015-12-04
                1957 01 27
                Sunday
                .Kenosha, Wisc.Eagles BallroomDancingRacine Journal-Times, Racine, Wisc. - ad, 1957-01-18, courtesy A. Perez-Gasco...APGAdded
                2011
                1957 01 28
                Monday
                .Madison, Wisc.Orpheum TheatreTwo concerts, 7 and 9:30 p.m.
                Admission including tax: $2.50, $2.00, $1.75, $1.25
                Bill Dondra's Spotlight:

                'Suave, good-humored Duke Ellington gave his customary fine concerts at the Orpheum theater Monday night, presenting new tunes and old with much the same group of men he had last June at the Wisconsin Union theater.
                  Much of the delight in an Ellington concert comes from the fact that even the familiar tunes always seem fresh, the often-heard arrangements have a sense of spontaneity, and the band – especially Ellington – appears to be enjoying itself.
                  Again, just about everybody had a solo appearance, a good thing if only to accent the high quality of the individuals who make up the splendid ensemble. Even the Duke submerged his own piano talent for the sake of unity.
                  The audience at the first performance went practically wild over Sam Woodyard's drumming in "Skin Deep," a bagful of percussion tricks unpacked with jet-like speed and unbounded energy.
                  Quentin Jackson, Russell Procope, and Ray Nance set the show's pace in the opening number, "The Mooch," with Procope's clarinet as sweet as can be, Jackson's trombone running the gamut of effects, and Nance's trumpet playing happy jazz.
                  Cat Anderson's solo, "The Virgin," was often brassy and always an expression of his great talent; he is one of the few jazz trumpeters who hits the high ones cleanly and without screaming.
                  Johnny Hodges' versatility shone in his solo, with its tone moving easily from the sweet to the blaring. Nance had his usual fun with "Take the A Train" – vocally, facially, and manually – while Ellington and Paul Gonsalves spun decorations for the tune.
                  Other high points were Harry Carney's baritone sax in "Sophisticated Lady," the unusual combination of two muted trombones, bass clarinet, piano and rhythm in the closing Ellington medley, and the fast and flashy "Newport Up" featuring Jimmy Hamilton, Clark Terry and Gonsalves.'

                Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisc.
                • 1957-01-28 s.3 p.3
                • 1957-01-29 s.2 p.7
                ....New
                added
                2018-11-20.
                1957 01 29
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioSmall group recording session (stockpile recordings)
                Duke Ellington and groups
                • Quintet: Nance, Cook, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Septet: Nance, Terry, Cook, Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Quintet: Terry, Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Sextet: Nance, Terry, Cook, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Quartet: Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Blues A La [Willie] Cook
                • Slow Blues Ensemble
                • Circle Of Fourths
                • Perdido
                • Spacemen [aka Three Trumps]
                • Deep Blues
              • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                Ellingtonia.com
              • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
              • Timner
              • Ole J. Nielsen
                Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                , p.169
              • New Desor
                DE5705
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-27
                2020-05-09
                1957 01 29
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Regal Theatre....Stratemann 371.Added
                2011
                1957 01 29
                Tuesday
                .Evanston, Ill.Cahn Auditorium
                Northwestern University
                Recorded concert, 8 p.m.

                Daily Northwestern:

                'Northwestern jazz fans will welcome Duke Ellington on Jan. 29 when he presents his 15-piece band at 8 p.m. in Cahn auditorum.
                  The program will be sponsored by Associated Women Students... '

                Paddock Billboard:

                'Jazzman Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will present a concert on the Northwestern university Evanston campus Jan. 29 at 8 p.m. in Cahn auditorium, Sheridan rd. and Emerson st....The cost is $1.50 a person'

                Down Beat:

                'Call a Cab
                     Chicago Northwestern university disc jockey Sam Levene remembers this episode:
                     At a Duke Ellington band concert at the university, a university staff member approached Ellington after the concert.
                     "Well is there anything else we can do for you, Mr. Calloway?" he asked.
                     According to Levene, Ellington blinked once, glanced incomparably at the questioner, and slowly walked away.'


                The concert was recorded:

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Congo Square
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • The Mooche
                • Perdido
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Theme For Trambean
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Take The "A" Train
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Monologue
                • V.I.P. Boogie
                • Jam With Sam
                • The Hawk Talks
                • Newport Up
                • Jeep's Blues
                • All Of Me
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley
                The medley consisted of:
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
                • Solitude
                • C-Jam Blues
                • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart / Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Daily Northwestern, Evanston, Ill.,
                  • 1957-01-16 p.4
                  • 1957-01-25 p.1
                  • 1957-01-29 pp.1, 5
                • The Paddock Billboard, Daily Herald, Chicago, Ill. 1957-01-24
                • Down Beat 1958-05-15 p.21
                  courtesy S. Lasker
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                New Desor
                DE5706
                DEMScorrTimner-4/25.Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-27
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-22
                1957 01 30
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 01 31
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                February 1957

                1957 02 01
                Friday
                .Carlisle, Penn.Dickinson College Mid-Winter Ball
                The Dickinsonian:

                'THE DUKE PLAYS AT WINTER BALL
                Snow Blankets Campus For Midwinter Weekend

                     A big name band, New York night spots, and a lovely Queen, all against the background of a blanket of snow, set the scene for the 1957 Mid-Winter Ball weekend at Dickinson.
                     Dance Highlights Weekend
                     The big event of the weekend was the dance, held on Friday evening, featuring the music of Duke Ellington and his orchestra. The program for the evening included music to suit all tastes, from jazz and Dixieland to the well-known strains of the Duke's own pop classic, "In My Solitude." Undoubtedly the most popular number of the program was "Skin Deep" featuring a spectacular drum solo by Sam Woodyard, whose performance brought forth the enthusiastic applause of the dancers.
                     ...The college social committee asked each fraternity to construct a booth that was to resemble a New York night club...The clubs were judged by Duke Ellington, who awarded first prize to Zeta Tau Alpha for their "Moulin Rouge." The second prize went to Chi Omega for "Champagne Gallery" and Sigma Alpha Epsilon won the third prize for the "Stork Club."
                     Queen Crowned
                     The highlight of the evening was the crowning of Miss Susan Fooder as Queen of the Mid-Winter Ball. ...Runner-up in the event was Miss Beth Griffith...The Queen's attendants...were: Wende Buckler...Jean Kaas...Pat Eshelman...Ann Saunders...Gina Ingoglia...Pat Simmons...and Marcia Dornin...'

                The Dickinsonian, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Penn.
                1957-02-08 pp.1, 4
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2021-11-16
                1957 02 02
                Saturday
                .Carlisle, Penn.Alumni Gymnasium
                Dickinson College
                Afternoon concert

                The Dickinsonian report of the ball closed with

                '     On Saturday afternoon a jazz concert by the Duke Ellington orchestra was held in Alumni Gymnasium from two to four. The program included jazz and other kinds of music, plus a vocal interlude by a member of the orchestra. A performance of the most popular Ellington recordings brought the concert to an end.'

                Bill Waterman's review in the same edition:

                'Last Saturday afternoon, approximately one thousand people were privileged to hear one of America's great contemporary composers...
                     ...One thing that made the concert a success was undoubtedly the wide variety of tempos and moods presented. Louis Bellson's "Skin Deep", presenting Sam Woodyard. was a flag-waver of the first order; while Jimmy Crissom's [sic] "Flamingo" was a soothing ballad that must make one shudder at Elvis Presley or Johnny Ray. Many of the songs played were written in the 1930's but they still have a basic appeal. Who can remember the top tune of 1955?
                     Full Attention Given
                     This wide variety that was displayed in our gym made every song a new and thrilling experience. For many years jazz concerts have been presented on big week-ends, but never before was an organization able to hold the attention of the whole audience for the full length of the program... Ellington showed that jazz is for everybody, regardless of age or intelligence. If Ray Vances' [sic] singing and humor in "A Train" did not appeal, perhaps "Black and Tan Fantasy" did. It might be interesting to note that "Fantasy" was written In 1927! Perhaps Woodyard's driving drums escaped attention, but "Cat" Anderson's screaming trumpet was astounding! Even the dynamic personality of Ellington and his unique piano style was a privilege to hear.
                     Criticising Difficult
                     To be critical of the performance is an unwanted task. To say that this or that was poor or should have been done in a different way is like second-guessing Casey Stengel. Harry Carney is the grand-daddy of baritone sax players. Clark Terry is, along with Dizzy Gillespie, one of the most emulated trumpet players around. Paul Gonsalves stands among the greats on tenor saxophone. It was a shame that he had been "seeing pitchers at the Molly Pitcher". There are, however, several things that would have improved the performance musically. One is a sober sax section. Woodyard's drum solo was also lacking in comparison with some other drummers... Sam's biggest contribution to the band is not in his solos, however; it is in his drive and swing. Looking at the concert from the point of view of a college audience, it was an experience hard to beat. The humor and the feeling of excitement extended to the audience, and the sense of time faded. At 4:30 many of the audience were ready for more; that in itself speaks for the success of the concert. A true artist leaves the crowd clamoring for more.'

                The Dickinsonian, Dickinson College, Carlisle, Penn.
                1957-02-08 pp.2, 4
                ..djpNew
                Added
                2021-11-16
                1957 02 02
                Saturday
                .Pottstown, Penn.Sunnybrook BallroomDancing
                • Vail II without a named source
                • Reading Eagle, Pottsdown, Penn., 1957-01-31 courtesy A. Perez-Gasco
                • Ads, Philadelphia Inquirer
                  • 1957-01-24 p.13
                  • 1957-01-26 p.18
                  • 1957-01-31 p.11
                  • 1957-02-02 p.10
                .
                ..Agustin Perez Gasco aug11Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-16
                2018-11-20
                1957 02 03
                Sunday
                .Ellwood City, Penn.Elwood City Moose Lodge 93Dancing 9 to 1
                This event can be considered to be confirmed, since the same venue advertised a return engagement in March.
                Ads, New Castle, Pa., News,
              • 1957-01-18 p.12
              • 1957-01-25 p.12
              • 1957-02-01 p.13
              • ...APG x3Added
                2011
                1957 02 04
                Monday
                .Ann Arbor, Mich.La Rue Basin
                University of Michigan
                Dance
                Traverse City:

                '  TO ATTEND J-HOP – Among those attending the annual Junior Hop in Ann Arbor this evening with the Duke Ellington and Buddy Morrow dance bands playing and singing "the blues" while University of Michigan students dance in "La Rue Basin," a New orleans setting, will be Philip Heln of this city and Marjorie Mortenson of Columbus, Ohio, and Neil Munro of Elk Lake road and Alisande Cutler of Plymouth. The J-Hop will be held on a Monday night for the first time in its 80 year history as Friday and Saturday nights conflicted with the U-M's final examination and registration schedule. The formal dance is annually held between semesters.'

                'Twin City Students To Attend U.Of M.Dance
                  Among the twin city students at the University of Michigan who will be attending the J-Hop tonight bill be Ralph E. Canfield and his guest, Patricia E. Martheneke; Vance Fisher and Catherine Dick; Jack Glascock and Betty Ann Hill; Bill Hellegrave and Imogene Jividen. Ed Feary of Colomn will have Pat Kinnel as his guest; Mary Ellen Done will be the guest of Roberty Kennedy of Galien and Mary Shook of Niles will be the guest of John Nelson. Duke Ellington and Buddy Morrow are to play the "blues" theme for "La Rue Basin"'

                Pearl River:

                '  John T. Scovill, son of Mr. and Mrs. John R. Scovil of ... and a graduate of Pearl River High School, is a student at the University of Michigan...On Monday evening he attended the annual Junior Hop at the college and his date was Susan Hallet of Grosse Pointe, Mich. The Duke Ellington and Buddy Morrow dance bands played and sang the "blues" while the students danced in an atmosphere of "La Rue Basin"'

                • The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan,Ann Arbor, Mich.
                  • 1957-01-13 p.5
                  • 1957-02-07 p.11
                • News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich.
                  1957-02-04
                • Orangetown Telegram, Pearl River, N.Y.
                  1957-02-07 p.15
                • Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
                  1957-02-14 p.3
                ...APG x2Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-03
                2021-11-21
                1957 02 05
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented

                The Grinnel College interview of 1957 01 10 was scheduled for broadcast on WOI, Ames, Iowa
                ....djp.
                1957 02 06
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 02 07
                Thursday
                .Burlington, Ont.Brant InnThe Toronto Public Library's Answerline quick reference email service says:

                '...I ... looked at January 26, 1957 [Toronto Star] and found an ad for an appearance by Duke Ellington (showing his photograph) for a 1 night only appearance on Thursday, February 7th at the Brant Inn in Burlington, Ontario. There is a notation at the bottom of the ad "Entire proceeds donated by the Brant Inn to the March of Dimes."'

                Email, Toronto Public Library Answerline quick reference email service (Elaine) to Palmquist 2015-10-09 citing Toronto Star 1957-01-26...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-09
                1957 02 08
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 02 09
                Saturday
                .Port Stanley, Ont.Stork Club......Added
                2011
                1957 02 10
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 02 11
                Monday
                1957 02 16Toronto, Ont.Colonial Tavern
                Yonge St.
                While the Ottawa Citizen announced

                'Duke Ellington will appear for one week at the Casino in Toronto, starting February 11th.'

                Stratemann, relying on Variety, shows this as a week at the Colonial Tavern. The Toronto Public Library's Answerline quick reference email service says:

                'We managed to find some information in the Toronto Star, although not much as it seems:
                  February 12, 1957: Within the column entitled Jack Karr's Showplace there is this mention: "A goodly representation of the jazz hounds out in full force last night to catch Duke Ellington's opening at the Colonial".
                  February 16, 1957: A jazz review mentions "Packing in big crowds at the Colonial this week is the always attractive Duke Ellington band, a perennial magnet. Comments a friend: "I haven't seen such a crowd here since the Platters were in town"'


                Don Brown:

                'The original [Colonial Tavern] building burnt down in the 1950s ( I can't remember the exact year). On the four occasions that big bands played the Colonial the original club was still in operation. It was quite different in design from the later place. The original Colonial had two distinct floors. On the street level there was a noisy bar that featured local groups of the non-jazz variety. The second floor had a nice dining room with a raised bandstand, large enough to accommodate a sextet or a septet, running along the north wall. When the Colonial got really adventurous and booked the full orchestras of Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and, finally, Woody Herman, they'd cram the trumpet and trombone sections, the bassist and the drummer onto the bandstand, while the members of the reed section sat in folding chairs on the floor level, spread across the front of the bandstand, only a couple of feet from the patrons. The piano was on the floor to the left of bandstand right up against the tables. My friend and I got really lucky on the occasions when Basie and Ellington were there. I remember I could have reached over and touched the right hands of these jazz royals. What a great vantage point to watch a couple of superb orchestras in action. Sadly, the new Colonial that was built on the ashes of the original place, didn't lend itself to big bands. Instead of having two separate floors the new place was built mezzanine-style with the bandstand (which was much higher than the original one) on the street level. The dining area was where a second floor would have been, if not for the mezzanine style, and looked down onto the bandstand. The new place was restricted to smaller groups. Regular visitors included Erroll Garner, Buck Clayton, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, Pee Wee Russell, Eddie Condon, Muggsy Spanier, Ornette Coleman, Muddy Waters, Dave Brubeck, and Earl Hines.'

                • Stratemann p.371 citing Variety 1957-01-02 p.49
                • Vail II
                • Gord Atkinson, "Disk Jockey Data," Ottawa Citizen 1957-01-12
                • Email, Toronto Public Library Answerline quick reference email service (Elaine) to Palmquist 2015-10-09 citing Toronto Star 1957-01-26
                • Email, Don Brown to Duke-LYM 2015-10-09
                ...APG/DJPAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-08
                1957 02 12
                Tuesday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernSee 1957 02 11
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 13
                Wednesday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernSee 1957 02 11
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 14
                Thursday
                Valentine's Day
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernSee 1957 02 11
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 15
                Friday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernSee 1957 02 11
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 16
                Saturday
                .Toronto, Ont.Colonial TavernSee 1957 02 11
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 17
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 02 18
                Monday
                1957 02 24Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club.Stratemann p.371 citing Down Beat 1957-02-06....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-08
                1957 02 19
                Tuesday
                .Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club-see 1957 02 18
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 20
                Wednesday
                .Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club-see 1957 02 18
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 21
                Thursday
                .Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club-see 1957 02 18
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 22
                Friday
                .New Bedford, Mass.New Bedford Hotel BallroomEllington was the guest of honour at the 54th Annual Banquet of the American Federation of Musicians Local 214. Honored guests listed in the programme included the assistant to James Petrillo, the governor of Massachusetts, the mayor of New Bedford, a judge, the district attorney, the editor of the New Bedford Standard-Times, the city solicitor, the chief of police, two clergymen, a senator, the chairman and members of the County Commission, etc. Ellington appeared courtesy of Paul Filippi of the Celebrity Club, who was also on the guest list.

                New Bedford is about 30 miles east of Providence.
                Programme autographed by Ellington, offered for sale in eBay July 2020, courtesy S.Lasker...slNew
                added
                2020-07-28
                1957 02 22
                Friday
                .Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club-see 1957 02 18
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 23
                Saturday
                .Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club-see 1957 02 18
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 24
                Sunday
                .Providence, R.I.Celebrity Club-see 1957 02 18
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 25
                Monday
                or
                1957 02 26
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.. Peripheral event
                Ellington's entry into Down Beat's Hall as

                ' ...And Toshiko, the Japanese piano star, was chosen to present the Downbeat plaque to Duke Ellington to be put up in the Berklee School's Hall of Fame. Tosh is studying the Duke's style during his engagement this week at Storyville because she will emulate him in the school's concert, which this year will be "A Salute to Duke Ellington."
                  The Ellington tunes will be played at the concert by the Herb Pomeroy student orchestra and the suke sat in with the boys during his visit to the school... '

                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-19
                1957 02 25
                Monday
                1957 03 03Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency
                TONIGHT
                thru Sunday
                also at
                Sunday Matinee
                3:00-6:30
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON
                and His ENTIRE ORCHESTRA
                featuring
                JOHNNY HODGES
                GEORGE
                WEINS'
                STORYVILLE
                COPLEY SQUARE HOTEL KE6-9000
                NO COVER CHARGE AT ANY TIME!

                • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                  1957-02-25 p.22A
                • The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass.
                  1957-02-25 p.14
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2018-11-20
                1957 02 25
                Monday
                or

                1957 02 26
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.Boston UniversityAP wirephoto in The News:

                'DUKE ELLINGTON AT BU – Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, star of last year's Newport Jazz Festival, gives Boston University music appreciation class an intimate look into the history of jazz, abetted by the Rev. Norman O'Connor, left, Catholic chaplain at B.U. who was commentator for the closing night of the Newport festival. The Duke and his band are currently appearing at Storyville, the Boston jazz center run by George Wein, producer of the festival here.'

                The caption to the same photo in the Nashua Telegraph:

                'Band leader Duke Ellington, right, teamed up with music loving Rev. Norman O'Connor, Catholic chaplain at Boston University, to give students in the university's music appreciation class an intimate look into the history of jazz. The Duke enthralled the 20-student class playing some of his best compositions ranging from "Take the "A" Train" to "Sophisticated Lady." Father O'Connor conducted the class in the absence of its instructor and invited Ellington as an added attraction for the students."

                The date can be determined by the report in the Feb. 27 Boston Herald, which says it took place "yesterday." The report has 10 paragraphs about it. The Boston Daily Globe tells us the lecturer O'Connor was covering for was George Wein of Storyville.
                • AP wirephoto, Nashua Telegraph, Nashua, N.H., 1957-02-27
                • AP wirephoto, Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass. p.1
                • AP wirephoto, Newport Daily News, Newport, R.I.,1957-03-01 p.7
                • Photograph and review, The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass. 1957-02-27 p.C7
                • Photograph, The Boston Daily Globe, Boston, Mass. 1957-02-27 p.7
                ...APG/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-08
                2018-11-20
                1957 02 26
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.George Wein's
                Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                Nightclub residency - see 1957 02 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 27
                Wednesday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1957 02 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 02 28
                Thursday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1957 02 25
                .....Added
                2011

                March 1957

                1957 03 01
                Friday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNightclub residency -see 1957 02 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 03 02
                Saturday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1957 02 25
                Remote MBS network radio broadcast - Bandstand U.S.A.
                New Desor and Nielsen only date this broadcast as March 1957, but identifies it as being broadcast from Storyville. Since the show was Saturday nights only, it has to have been March 2 which is the date in Timner V.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good and That Ain't Good
                • Newport Up
                • Congo Square (aka Matumba)
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5708
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-08
                1957 03 03
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1957 02 25
                Sunday included a matinee from 2 to 6:30.
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 03 04
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 05
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 06
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 07
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                20:00-24:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Arvell Shaw, Woodyard, Margaret Tynes, Ozzie Bailey

                Titles recorded:
                • West Indian Dance
                • Pomegranate
                • Your Love Has Faded
              • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                Ellingtonia.com
              • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
              • Timner
              • Ole J. Nielsen
                Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
              • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
              • New Desor
                DE5709
                DEMSNDCS 1029djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-09
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 03 08
                Friday
                .Bethlehem, Penn.Bethlehem High School Gymnasium

                "Bethlehem Jaycees To Feature 'Duke'

                  Bethlehem Junior Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Duke Ellington benefit concert Friday at 8:30 p.m. in the Bethlehem High School Gymnasium.
                  Proceeds will be used by the Jaycees for their community projects.'


                Announcement, -The Daily Record, Stroudsberg-East Stroudsberg, Penn,. 1957-03-06 p.14....djpNew
                added
                2015-10-19
                1957 03 09
                Saturday
                .Washington, D.C.Masonic HallWTTG's Bob McEwan interviewed with Ellington was scheduled for telecast for broadcast on its 6 p.m. Capital Caravan telecast. New Desor says the interview was at the Masonic Hall.

                This broadcast is the subject of this unidentified ad, printed in Vail II, saying:

                'This Saturday at 6 p.m. you'll see...
                Duke Ellington on Bob McEwan's ......
                Capital Caravan
                WTTG-TV Channel 5...'

                Webmaster comment: Seeing is believing. I doubt the show would have been advertised before the interview, and this ad is forward looking, so until someone properly documents the time and place of the interview, I will assume the interview took place before March 9.
                Undated, unsourced ad, Vail II, p.103New Desor
                DE5710
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-09
                2015-10-19
                1957 03 09
                Saturday
                .Washington, D.C.Masonic HallJust a "one-nighter" according to Vail.Vail IINew Desor
                DE5710
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-09
                1957 03 10
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 11
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 12
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 13
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                14:30-18:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton,Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Cop-Out
                • Rock City Rock
                • Someone (The Sky Fell Down)
                Studio files:

                'Pay vocalist, Jimmy Grissom, AFTRA rate @2 hrs. ($50.00 per hr. - he's a non-roy. Artist) '

                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 1 1925-37/Vol. 2 1937-47/Vol.3 1947-59
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time and notes
                New Desor
                DE5711
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-12
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 03 14
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 15
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Home of Ruth James
                Riverside Dr. at 106th St.
                Ellington was interviewed at his sister's apartment by Edward L. Murrow for the live telecast "Person To Person" and played Satin Doll during the interview.
                Ellington biographer Teachout's criticism of Ellington's public image is partly based on the mistaken impression the Evie Ellington should have been present in the interview:

                'Ellington still pretended to have a home life for the benefit of prying reporters. In March of 1957 he appeared on Person to Person and his portion of the interview was shot in the elaborately decorated Upper West Side apartment that he shared with Evie. We see him exchanging idle chitchat with Murrow while seated at a white piano, showing off oil portraits of his parents, playing a snippet from A Drum Is A Woman on the phonograph in his music room, and introducing Mercer and Ruth to the viewers at home. But the impression of domestic stability created by their presence was deceptive, as much so as the fact that Ellington kept Evie out of sight throughout the program. The West End Avenue apartment was hers, not his...'

                Ruth's son Steven James takes issue with this:

                'In 1957, Edward R. Murrow's show Person-to-Person came to film Duke at the house where I lived with my mother on 106th Street and Riverside Drive in Manhattan. Teachout, with no sourcing, claims the Murrow show was filmed at the apartment of Duke's long-time mistress Evie Ellis(p.305). Evie never at any point resided at our Riverside Drive home...'


                Palmquist comment:
                Teachout's criticism of Duke is flawed in that he used Evie's absence from the documentary to support his theory. If her home was not where the documentary was taped, why would she be present? In fairness to him, however, he may have trusted several credible sources that reported the interview took place at Ellington's own apartment:
                • DEMS:

                  'Duke Ellington Interview. Recorded at Duke's apartment in NYC on 15Mar57. Interviewer was Ed Murrow. The programme was titled "Person to Person".'

                • Stratemann:

                  'CBS Studios & Ellington home'

                  and

                  'With his sister Ruth and son Mercer in attendance, Ellington is interviewed at his apartment on New York's West End Avenue. The questions of Edward R. Murrow, who is at the CBS studios, aim at the usual subjects...
                  'Ellington also mentions some of his awards, pointing out some of the trophies and plaques on display at his apartment...
                  'The interview closes with a few words about the Ellington band's next engagements, before Murrow signs off from the Ellington home at the program's half time to permit the composer to catch up with his band for that night's performance at Philadelphia...
                  '...Person to Person was a live show...TV equipment being rather bulky at that time, it had to be installed at the "victim's" apartment several days in advance of a telecast; movements had to be charted out carefully so as to avoid confusion and entanglements during the actual broacast. The subject's home was virtually taken over by the TV crew.
                  ...For Ellington cognoscenti, its major attractions are probably the rare chance of briefly looking at an Ellington painting, and the nostalgic and unique glimpse it offers of the composer's apartment as it overlooks the Hudson river.'

                • Nielsen:

                  'Duke Ellington interview with Edward R. Murrow
                  Satin Doll (DE on el-piano)

                  NOTE: This material is from a CBS "Person To Person" telecast. Duke, Ruth and Mercer Ellington were facing cameras at Duke's apartment, while Ed Murrow, the interviewer, was located at the CBS studios.'

                • Hasse
                • Vail II
                • DEMS analysis of PBS documentary "Billy Strayhorn, Lush Life"
                • New Desor
                • Timner V
                • Episode guide: Person to Person - Season 4

                  'Edward R. Murrow visits jazz pianist Duke Ellington in his home in New York City... '

                Screenshots
                Screen shots from TV show
                Click to Enlarge
                Some of the controversy can be cleared up now the interview can be seen on YouTube.:

                While Murrow sits beside what appears to be a large window, looking out at three buildings, he introduces Ellington:

                'Duke Ellington is still working, almost always on the road, shuffling from city to city, from hotel to hotel, but he keeps his home ties here on the top floor of this New York apartment building, and (Murrow points), that's the second one from the right, overlooking the Hudson River, with his sister Mrs. Ruth James.'

                During the interview, Ellington confirms the orchestra is at the Shriner's function in Philadelphia where he will go after the interview. He talks briefly about the grand piano he's seated at, and points out the portraits of his father as a young man and his mother, as well as his painting of Satin Doll. He shows some of his trophies, a plaque, etc. on display on the mantelpiece. He introduces his sister Ruth and his son Mercer, both of whom answer a couple of questions from Murrow. Ruth says her son Michael was in Mexico with his father and her other son Steven was downstairs at a neighbour's, watching the programme on t.v. Mercer tells Murrow he does some writing on his own and has a record company, but most of the time is engaged with the leg work for his father. He confirms he will be driving Duke to Philadelphia. Duke plugs his latest record, A Drum is a Woman, and his forthcoming benefit performances "next Friday" at Hunter College, the 17th of April at Town Hall, and a multiple sclerosis benefit April 3 in Chicago.
                New Desor
                DE5712
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-12
                2015-03-21
                2020-05-09
                2021-06-27
                2021-11-16
                2022-06-21
                1957 03 15
                Friday
                .Philadelphia,Penn.Shriner's BallDance for the Pyrmamid Lodge of the Shriners......Added
                2011
                1957 03 16
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 17
                Sunday
                St. Patrick's Day
                .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz BallroomSo This Is Our Town, by Taylor Glenn:

                'DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous orchestra, featuring Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance and Jimmy Grissom, is tonight's dance attraction in the Ritz ballroom.'

                Gossip of the Rialto, by Fred H. Russell:

                'DUKE ELLINGTON and his famous orchestra, featuring Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance and Jimmy Grissom, will be on the Ritz ballroom bandstand tonigth. Duke has just been named to the Down Beat Hall of Fame and becomes its fifth member.'

                • Ads
                  • The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn., 1957-03-09 p.8
                  • The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn., 1957-03-15 p.15
                • Plugs, The Bridgeport Sunday Post, Bridgeport, Conn., 1957-03-17 pp.B-2, B-8
                ...djpNew
                2015-10-19
                1957 03 18
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 19
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 20
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                18:00-22:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey

                Titles recorded:
                • Your Love Has Faded
                • Allah-Bye

                Duke Ellington trio
                Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Piano Improvisation No. 1
                • Piano Improvisation No. 2
                • Piano Improvisation No. 3

                Duke Ellington duo
                Ellington, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Piano Improvisation No. 4 (Bitches' Ball)
                Studio files:

                '3 men (Ellington, Woode, Woodyard) 1 1/2 hours overtime.'

                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.171
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time and notes
                New Desor
                DE5713
                DEMS corrTimner-4(credit RogerBoyes for 04,3-32 entries)Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-12
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 03 21
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 22
                Friday
                .Bronx, N.Y.ASSEMBLY HALL, 68th St. & Park Ave.
                Ellington Comm.,
                Hunter College
                Concert
                BRONX COUNSEL HUNTER COLLEGE presents
                DUKE ELLINGTON and HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
                FRIDAY, MARCH 22 - 8:30 P.M. &ASSEMBLY HALL, 68th St. & Park Ave.
                $1.50, $2.50 and $3.00
                • Columbia Daily Spectator, New York, N.Y.
                  1957-03-15 p.3
                • New York Age Defender, 1957-03-23 p.30
                • Stratemann p.375 citing
                  • Down Beat 1957-03-21 p.8
                  • Village Voice 1957-03-20 p.6
                • Vail II, p.103, with copy of ad
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-13
                2015-10-21
                2018-11-20
                1957 03 23
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 03 24
                Sunday
                .Ridley Township, Penn.El Rancho Club
                17th & Bullens Lane
                .Ads, Chester Times, Chester, Penn.,
                • 1957-03-15
                • 1957-03-20
                • 1957-03-22
                ...AGP, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-20
                1957 03 25
                Monday
                1957 03 30
                Saturday
                Philadelphia, Penn.Pep's
                516 So. Broad
                Night club engagement, with matinees Monday and Saturday from 4 to 7 P.M.

                Over the years, Pep's varied its name a little, but appears to have been a well known jazz club.
                Stratemann:

                'Later that month Ellington went into Pep's, Philadelphia, Pa., for what was probably a one-week engagement (Variety 27.3.57p56)...'

                Vail II

                'Towards the end of the month, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra probably play a one-week engagement at Pep's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.'

                The Philadelphia Inquirer carried only two ads for Ellington at Pep's. They both say Duke Ellington 16-Piece Orchestra 1 week only, and announce matinees Monday and Saturday 4 to 7 P.M. Since the band was booked into Ellwood City over 300 miles west, on Sunday, this chronology assumes they played Pep's only until the Saturday.
                Ads, Philadelphia Inquirer
                • 1957-03-25 p.16
                • 1957-03-29 p.41
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-16
                1957 03 26
                Tuesday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Pep'sNight club residency - see 1957 03 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 03 27
                Wednesday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Pep'sNight club residency - see 1957 03 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 03 28
                Thursday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Pep'sNight club residency - see 1957 03 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 03 29
                Friday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Pep'sNight club residency - see 1957 03 25
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 03 29
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Eden Roc Club Peripheral event

                'Guests on the Louis Sobol show tonight at 9:30 p.m. on WNXT-ABC will be Duke Ellington and Leonard Feather.'

                The Louis Sobol Show was a 25-minute ABC network television talk show that began in January 1957. It played Monday to Friday at 9:30 p.m. EST from the Eden Roc Club in Manhattan.
                If Ellington was still playing Pep's in Philadelphia this evening, the episode would have to have been filmed/taped earlier. Philadelphia and Manhattan are a couple of hours apart, so it could have been recorded the same day, or a week earlier while Duke was playing New York. On the other hand, it could indicate the Pep's engagement ended before the Friday. Further research is warranted.
                ...djpNew
                added 2015-10-21
                1957 03 30
                Saturday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Pep'sNight club residency - see 1957 03 25
                According to the ad, there would have been a matinee from 4 to 7 pm, probably in addition to the regular evening work.
                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-16
                1957 03 31
                Sunday
                .Ellwood City, Penn.Moose
                (believed to be
                Ellwood City Moose Lodge 93)

                RETURN ENGAGEMENT
                (BY POPULAR DEMAND)
                ELLWOOD CITY
                MOOSE

                Presents In Person
                Duke Ellington
                and His Famous
                15-Piece Orchestra
                Sun. Mar.31
                Dancing 9 to 1

                Ads, New Castle News, New Castle, Penn.:
                • 1957-03-15 p.17
                • 1957-03-22 p.14
                • 1957-03-29 p.15
                ...APGAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-16

                April 1957

                1957 04 01
                Monday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Pep'sactivities not documented

                It is possible, but seems extremely unlikely, that the band would have returned to finish out its week after going to Ellwood City on Sunday.
                ......
                1957 04 02
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 03
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Medinah TempleRecorded concert

                'Iturbi, Ellington On The Keyboards In Benefit Concert
                  Jose Iturbi, world-famous virtuoso, will combine talents with Duke Ellington and his band in a unique benefit concert April 3 at Medinah Temple.
                  Called "Panorama," the concert is sponsored by the Chicago chapter of the national multiple [sic] Sclerosis society [sic]. The concert will offer piano music from Mozart to modern jazz. Both Iturbi and Ellington will be featured at the keyboard.
                  Proceeds of the affair will go to support the work of the Chicago Chapter, which maintains a multiple sclerosis clinic at Presbyterian St. Luke hospital. Money raised will also help finance research into multiple sclerosis now being conducted by the University of Illinois Research Center...'

                The Tribune reported the concert was sold out, Iturbi was late because his plane was delayed in Texas by a tornado, and Boris Goldovsky flew from Kansas, where his plane had been grounded by a blizzard.

                The apron of the stage was decorated with a 60-foot wide piano keyboard, and overhead, a piano lid, giving the appearance of being inside a piano. Scrolls of music were placed at the wings, and colored spotlights played on a silver backdrop.

                Both Itburbi and his sister, Amparo, played at two grand pianos. Goldovsky played the piano, conducted the orchestra and emceed the first half of the programme, and songwriter Johnny Mercier emceed the second half.

                The concert ended with Ellington's orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and five pianists on stage.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Medley:
                  East St. Louis Toodle-O
                  Rockin' In Rhythm
                • Medley:
                  Mood Indigo
                  It Don't Mean A Thing
                  Sophisticated Lady
                  In A Sentimental Mood
                  Solitude
                • Medley:
                  Caravan
                  I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
                • Boy Meets Horn
                • Medley:
                  Take The "A" Train
                  I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  Perdido
                • Medley:
                  Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Oak Park Leaves, Oak Park, Ill. 1957-01-24 p.34
                • Daily Herald, Chicago, Ill., 1957-01-31
                • The Paddock Billboard, 1957-01-31
                • Chicago Daily Tribune 1954-04-04 pt.4 p.13
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 1 1925-37/Vol. 2 1937-47/Vol.3 1947-59
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.171
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 22 Chicago Chapter, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Chicago, Illinois, April 3, 1957
                New Desor
                DE5714
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-12
                2015-10-14
                2015-12-21
                2016-01-24
                1957 04 04
                Thursday
                .Watseka, Ill.Bud & Swede's Night Club

                FOR YOUR
                Entertainment
                THURSDAY, APRIL 4
                DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                And His World Famous Orchestra
                IN PERSON
                ADVANCE TICKET SALES $2.00
                (Includes Reservations)
                BUD & SWEDE'S NIGHT CLUB
                WATSEKA, ILLINOIS

                The Journal and Courier, Lafayette, Ind.
                1957-03-28 p.9
                ...djpNew
                added
                2021-11-17.
                1957 04 05
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 06
                Saturday
                .Coloma, Mich.Crystal Palace
                Paw Paw Lake
                "Dancing party," admission $1.75 per person, including tax.

                Remote broadcast at 23:30 on WSJM 1400.

                The Crystal Palace was on the west side of Paw Paw Lake, an unincorporated resort town split between Coloma Charter Township and Watervliet Township.
                The News Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich.
                • 1957-04-03 p.8
                • 1957-04-05 p.6
                • 1957-06-06 p.6
                ...APG, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-16
                1957 04 07
                Sunday
                .Saginaw, Mich.Saginaw Auditorium
                northwest corner
                South Washington and Janes
                8 p.m. Concert and Dance

                First appearance in Saginaw in 7 years. Named in the advance publicity were Grissom, Hodges, Carney, Nance, Cat Anderson. The publicity says Ellington was currently on a national tour, heading east, and would be at Ferris Institute Tuesday night. There was no review, but a short report said the audience numbered 800. .
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-17
                2015-10-22
                1957 04 08
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 09
                Tuesday
                .Big Rapids, Mich.Ferris Institutesee 1957 04 07
                Saginaw News, Saginaw, Mich.
                • 1957-04-03
                • 1957-04-08
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-22
                1957 04 10
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 11
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 12
                Friday
                .Bloomington, Ind.Indiana UniversityJunior Prom dance
                      IT'S
                THE
                DUKE


                D U K E E L L I N G T O N
                AND HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
                playing for
                T H E P I N K C A R O U S E L
                FRIDAY, APRIL 12 MEN'S QUAD
                10 p.m. - 2 a.m. $4.50 per couple
                presented by Junior Class

                'Duke to Bring Regal Air To Friday's Junior Prom

                  Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra will play at the Junior Prom Friday, April 12, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Men's Quad dining room.
                  Closing hours will be 2:30 a.m. for all coeds except for those who attend the Prom breakfast from 2 to 3:30 a.m. in the Commons or Arbutus dining hall. Women students who attend the breakfast are to be in at 4 a.m. and must have a ticket stub from the breakfast to give to housemothers or dormitory counselors.
                  Tickets for the Commons meal will be sold by the social chairman of each housing unit, at the Commons from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and at the door at the prom. A representative will sell tickets at Mens' Residence Center, Men's Quad, and Trees Center Tuesday through Thursday at evening meals. Dormitory residents may buy Arbutus tickets from house managers...'


                '"Pink Carousel" is the theme of the Prom tonight from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Men's Quad dining room. Duke Ellington will provide the music. '


                'Kriss Johnson, Chi Omega, was crowned Junior Prom Queen last night at the annual dance...
                  Coeds in her court were Lou Ann Calkins, Pi Beta Phi; Anita Linn, Smithwood Wing I; Mary Jane Musgrave, Sigma Kappa; and Jane Ransel, Kappa Alpha Theta.
                  The dapper Duke Ellington walked onto the bandstand, smiled at the Prom goers, and the "Pink Carousel" began to revolve.
                  The "Pink Carousel" theme was carried out with clusters of pink and white balloons swinging from the ceiling. A monstrous pink elephant stood watch over the couples at one end of the dining room. Around, the walls, giant clowns also held balloon clusters.
                  One of the most popular of the Duke's selections was "Stardust." Some of the 700 couples danced, others listened to the singing of Jimmy Grissom ,to the background of the 14-piece band.
                  After the prom, many couples attended breakfasts until 3:30 a.m. ... '

                The Indiana Daily Student, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., courtesy of C.Lynn and E.M.Peters, Office of University Archives and Records Management, Herman B. Wells Library, Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind. (2015-11-18):
                • 1957-03-07
                • 1957-04-09
                • 1957-04-10
                • 1957-04-12
                • 1957-04-13
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2015-11-19
                1957 04 13
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 14
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 14
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.. Peripheral event
                The Boston Sunday Herald ran an AP Wirephoto of Ellington at a piano with Herb Pomeroy standing behind him, and with a band in the background. The caption reads

                'Duke Ellington "sits in" with the Berklee School of Music student band directed by instructor Herb Pomeroy, shown standing, as the boys rehearse for "Salute to Ellington" concert Sunday afternoon, April 28, at John Hancock Hall. Proceeds will go to the Scholarship Fund.'

                A different AP Wirephoto from the same rehearsal with a similar caption was published the following Saturday in the Boston Daily Record. The rehearsal may have been during Ellington's Storyville week ended March 3, but it seems odd the photos weren't published for several weeks. Further research is warranted.
                AP Wirephotos:
                • Boston Sunday Herald, 1957-04-14 p.17
                • Boston Daily Record 1957-04-20 p.9
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-28
                1957 04 15
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Third Columbia recording sessions (August 1956 to May 1957) for the Such Sweet Thunder album (CL-1033)
                00:00-03:00 (night of 1957 04 14)
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                  • Sonnet I (retitled Sonnet For Caesar)
                  • Sonnet II (retitled Sonnet In Search Of A Moor)
                  • Hamlet (retitled Madness In Great Ones)
                  • Sonnet III (retitiled Sonnet For Sister Kate)
                Studio files:

                'Lil: This is part of an album, called "Such Sweet Thunder," being made now. Release date is indefinite, and since Tempo Music hasn't even seen any of this, and I don't known whether Billy Strayhorn had a hand in it, perhaps we better hold off on copyright until the other two sessions are completed.

                P.S. from EM Lil: Tempo says to list composers Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn under name of album SUCH SWEET THUNDER. Not necessary to repeat for each selection. E. Martone 6/6/57'

                New Desor
                DE5715
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-12
                2015-12-27
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-14
                1957 04 16
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 04 17
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Town Hall8 p.m. benefit concert:

                'Duke Ellington and his orchestra, jazz expert Rev. Alvin L. Kershaw and the oldest established Permanent Floating Jazz Band will be presented in a jazz concert for the benefit of the Fresh Air Fund...
                  Proceeds from the concert will provide free summer vacations for the city's neediest children... '

                Amsterdam News 1957-04-20 p.12...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-24
                1957 04 18
                Thursday
                1957 05 01New York, N.Y.Birdland
                Broadsay at 52nd St.
                Night club residency -Gala Easter Show
                The Ellington orchestra shared the bill with the Joe Castro Trio

                '  ...On Thursday Duke Ellington brought his band to Birdland and despite pouring rain, the lines went up the stairs and out into the sidewalk. The set I heard, Paul Gonsalves and those fells did that long "Blues Crescendo" hit during which Paul must blow for 8 straight minutes. The whole bandstand quivered. I don't know why, but Duke's band always sounds a little better than the time before.'

                • Birdland playbill
                • Dream Street
                  The Morning Herald, Uniontown, Penn.
                  1957-04-24 p18
                • Stratemann p.375 citing
                  • Down Beat 1957-02-57
                  • Amsterdam News
                    • 1957-04-20
                    • 1957-04-27 p.12
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-18
                2015-10-24
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-17
                1957 04 19
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18....djoAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-24
                1957 04 20
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18

                Recorded remote MBS radio network broadcast, Bandstand U.S.A.:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Cop-Out
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Rock City Rock
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                New Desor
                DE9008
                NDCS 1017
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-22
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 21
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18

                Recorded remote CBS radio network broadcast
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey

                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Newport Up
                • Mood Indigo
                • Rock City Rock
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • Cop-Out
                • Mood Indigo
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.171
                New Desor
                DE5716
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-22
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 22
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18.....Added
                2011
                1957 04 22
                Monday
                ...Peripheral event
                Steven Lasker:
                • The 78 rpm era was coming to an end.
                • Columbia 40903 (Cop-Out/Rock City Rock, both sides recorded 1957 03 13) was released on this date. It was the very last Ellington 78 rpm single to be commercially released in the United States in the 78 era.
                • Ellington's last 78 on Capitol was Capitol 3049 (Echo Tango/All Day Long), advertised as a new release in the 1955 02 19 issue of Billboard.
                • Ellington's last 78 released on a label owned by RCA was Groove G-5007 (Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra: Things Ain't What They Used to Be/Passion Flower), released 1956 07 22. (These sides also appeared on a 45, Groove 4G-5007, released the same day.)
                • The last Ellington 78 released in Canada was Columbia 40701 (Rosemary Clooney with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra: Grievin'/Sophisticated Lady), released spring 1956. This coupling was released in the U.S. on 1956 05 12, and is extremely rare.
                • The final Ellington single released on 78 in the 78 era was Phillips P.B. 946 (Anatomy of a Murder/Flirtibird) released in the U.K. in 1959.
                • The above were all pressed on shellac.
                • Sometime, probably in the 1960s, Nevill L. Sherburn, the owner of Swaggie Records in Australia, discovered four 78rpm metal parts of early Ellington masters in the vaults of EMI Australia, which happened to press records for his label. The parts were used to press two vinyl couplings for Swaggie. Swaggie S7 coupled Immigration Blues (label depicted in DEMS, see 02/1, 9/1)/The Creeper (E4323W). Swaggie S8 coupled New Orleans Low Down/Song of the Cotton Field. The couplings were originally recorded for the Vocalion label on 1926 11 29 and 1927 02 03, respectively. The Swaggie issues were unfortunately pressed from second-generation masters, dubbed circa 1943-44 by Decca Records from the shellac file copies; Decca sent duplicate mothers to EMI in Australia, where Sherburn found them years later. (So he told me in June 1986.)
                • Two sets of 78s, which include some sides by Ellington, were produced in the U.S. for use in juke boxes.
                • Circa 1989, a set of 24, ten-inch, 78rpm vinyl discs appeared on the 'American Hot Wax' label. Each disc paired a rock & roll side with another featuring big bands and/or crooners. Side 8 is 'Take the "A" Train,' with a long introductory solo from the pianist, a long solo by Ray Nance with the band, and audience applause at the end. My guess is that the performance dates to the 1960s, but there is no documentation on the disc as to the recording's date, location, or provenance, and many recordings survive that fit this description. The disc is microgroove, and is the only78rpm, microgroove record by Ellington known to me. See DEMS 90/4, 2 for a reproduction of the label.
                • While I've managed to acquire copies of every 78 mentioned above, the two that follow have eluded me (not that they're high on my want list).......
                • In 2000, Rhino Records produced a set of 25, 78rpm discs, called 'Jukebox Classics -- Big Band Collection' for issue on the Victory Glass label, two of which were by Ellington. This collector has never seen these discs. Ellington's four sides ('Take the "A" Train,' 'Perdido,' '9:20 Special,' and 'Come Rain or Come Shine,') are identified as licensed from "Hindsight Records, Inc.," which indicates they were remastered from the band's 1946 Capitol transcriptions by Wally Heider, who only had access to the usual Capitol 16-inch transcriptions which were sent to radio stations. The original 16-inch master lacquer discs, which routinely contain multiple takes, are controlled (if not still held) by Capitol/EMI/UMG, but access to the discs for transfer and issuance would require an agreement between the record company, the American Federation of Musicians, and the Ellington estate, which would only be possible if significant funds changed hands.
                Email, Lasker-Palmquist
                • 2022-12-11
                • 2022-12-13
                • 2023-06-23
                • 2023-06-26
                • 2024-08-02
                ...SLNew
                added
                2022-12-12
                Updated
                2023-06-28
                2024-08-02
                1957 04 23
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Hickory House
                144 W. 52nd St.
                Appearance on the NBC network's late night television show "Tonight! America After Dark."

                Stratemann:

                '...Leonard Feather, whose 1955 Encyclopedia Of Jazz had just been supplemented by an Encyclopedia Yearbook Of Jazz, had assembled a group of famous jazzmen ... at the Hickory House...Ellington and his sidemen Johnny Hodges(as) and Harry Carney(bar) were being supported by Oscar Pettiford(b) and drummer Max Roach...'

                After the group played, Ellington was interviewed by host Ben Gross.

                This was a late night news/talk show airing at 11:15 p.m. in New York. It may have been taped earlier in the day on location, since the Ellington trio would likely have been working at Birdland while the show was on the air, but Vail says after the interview, Ellington returned to Birdland, just around the corner.
                Recorded broadcast

                Small group
                Ellington, Hodges, Carney, Pettiford, Roach
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Perdido
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.172
                • Stratemann p. 375
                • Vail II
                New Desor
                DE5717
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-23
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 23
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18.....Added
                2011
                1957 04 24
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Fourth Columbia recording sessions (August 1956 to May 1957) for the Such Sweet Thunder album (CL-1033)
                15:30-18:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Puck (retitled Up And Down, Up And Down)
                • Cleo (retitled Such Sweet Thunder)
                • Lady Mac
                MacHare:

                'Columbia recording session at the 30th Street Studio. The wrong take of "Up And Down..." ended up on the CD Columbia CK- 65568. For the correct take, with Clark Terry's famous "Lord, what fools these mortals be," listen to the French CD (Columbia COL-4691402) or the original LP (Columbia CL-1033) of Such Sweet Thunder. '

                New Desor
                DE5718
                NDCS 1005
                DEMS
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-10-23
                2015-12-27
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-14
                1957 04 24
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18.....Added
                2011
                1957 04 25
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18.....Added
                2011
                1957 04 26
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Peacock Alley
                Waldorf Astoria Hotel
                Television appearance, WNBC-TV "Close-Up"

                Stratemann:

                'Ellington was interviewed by Jinx Falkenburg and her husband, Tex McCrary. He also drew a self portrait which he then illustrated musically at the piano: "Self-Portrait of Duke Ellington." The piece was later recorded under the title "Take It Slow" (July 25, 1962)...'

                Vail says Jerry Valburne was also one of the interviewers.Ellington (solo piano)
                • Self-Portrait of Duke Ellington (aka Take It Slow)
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • Mood Indigo
                • Lady Mac
                A commercial recording of Take the "A" Train was used in the telecast.
                • Stratemann p.375
                • Vail II
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.172
                New Desor
                DE5719
                DEMScorrTimner-4/25+32djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-23
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 26
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18

                Timner shows a remote radio broadcast from Birdland this date:
                Duke Ellington and His OrchestraTerry, Cook, C.Anderson, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woods, Willard, Bailey
                Titles listed:
                • Take the "A" Train
                • Cop Out
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Mood Indigo
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum
                • Diminuendo in Blue and Wailing Interval
                This broadcast is not shown in the other discographies. When questioned in DEMS, Timner exlained:

                '... listed in the radio/tv log of Jerry Valburn, who - together with Jack Towers (of Fargo fame) - had compiled a record of Duke's broadcasts and telecasts, which over the time has proven to be very accurate. The most important of the broad-/telecasts listed in the log have surfaced over the years. The items in question listed in my book are from a time, when broadcasts were typically kept on acetates and later (1950's) on tape.'

                No Ellington broadcast is shown in the radio logs for this date of:
                • Chicago Daily Tribune
                • Los Angeles Times
                • New York Times
                • Washington Post
                • Times Record, Troy, N.Y.
                • Oneonta Star, Oneonta, N.Y.
                Timner V, p.161.DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-24
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 27
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y..Ellington was a guest on Leonard Feather's ABC network radio record quiz show Platterbrains.
                The Billboard:

                'NEW YORK - "Platterbrains," the record quiz show conducted over ABC radio every week by music critic-author Leonard Feather, celebrated its fourth anniversary on the web Saturday (27) with an all-star panel of experts.
                  Feather's panel consisted of Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, Steve Allen and Sammy Davis Jr.... '

                Amsterdam News photo caption:

                'OLDEST ON AIR - Leonard Feather's "Platterbrains"... recently celebrated its fourth anniversary on the ABC network which carries it to 160 stations. Seen here, l to r, are guest panellists Steve Allen and Gene Krupa, moderator Feather, and guests Sammy Davis Jr. and Duke Ellington.'

                • The Billboard
                  1957-04-29 p.22
                • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.
                  1957-05-11, p.13
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-28
                updated
                2015-10-31
                2023-08-31
                1957 04 27
                Saturday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18

                Remote MBS network broadcast "Bandstand U.S.A."
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom,
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Rock City Rock
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Perdido
                • Mood Indigo
                • Solitude
                • Jam With Sam
                New Desor
                DE9009
                NDCS 1018
                DEMSdjpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-24
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 28
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y..

                'CELEBRATION: Gisele MacKinzie, Lois Hunt, Earl Wrightson, Duke Ellington and Vaughan Monroe will join Percy Faith and the Woolworth Orchestra and chorus in the celebration of the 100th consecutive broadcast Sunday (12 noon).'


                .
                • The Open Mike, TV Radio Highlights, Kokomo Tribune, Kokoma, Ind., 1957-04-27 p.7
                • Decatur Sunday Herald and Review, Decaltur, Ill., 1957-04-28 p.58
                ...djpNew
                added 2015-10-28
                updated
                2015-12-04
                1957 04 28
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Town Hall
                113 W.43 St.
                Music for Moderns recorded concert, 8:30 p.m.
                This 4 concert series produced by Anahid Ajemian and George Avakian included 10 performing groups over the 4 concerts. The first concert had Dimitri Miropoulos, director of the New York Philharmonic lead a 15 piece chamber orcherstra, followed by Anahid Amjemian, violin solo, then Duke Ellington & Orchestra.
                Ellington premiered Such Sweet Thunder in this concert. Stratemann quotes Variety describing it as "the Ellington opus that stole the show."

                The final movement was not yet ready, so Ellington is reported to have played Cop Out instead.

                Michael Kilpatrick:

                'Part of "Sonnet to Hank Cinq" was originally entitled "Bottom" in order to portray an entirely different Shakespearean character, not Henry V, and appears to have been written by Billy Strayhorn, not Duke Ellington.
                  The trombone solo melody appears to be Duke's but the second section (unison trombones with three saxes backing) is Strayhorn's and is called "Bottom."'


                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Sonnet For Caesar
                • Sonnet To Hank Cinq
                • The Telecasters
                • Lady Mac
                • Sonnet In Search Of A Moor
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • Sonnet For Sister Kate
                • Up And Down, Up And Down
                • Star-Crossed Lovers
                • Madness In Great Ones
                • Half The Fun
                DEMS 04-2-10 re the Stockholm 2004 Ellington conference:

                'George [Avakian] talked about the concert at the NYC Town Hall as the first part in a series of four concerts called "Music for Moderns" [28Apr57]. Before the intermission Dimitri Metropolis was conducting the New York Philharmonic doing a very little known concerto by Kurt Weill in which George's wife was going to play the solo part. When Duke was invited to play after the intermission he suggested to use the new suite "Such Sweet Thunder". George called Louis Applebaum to ask permission, because the work had been commissioned by the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. Louis was happy with the publicity and he accepted the invitation to say a few words to introduce the new composition at its premiere performance. Duke introduced the pieces and when he came at the last piece, Circle of Fourths, he admitted that it was not yet ready. He replaced it with Cop-Out. 'Cop-out' means having an excuse which is usually not a very good one for something that you didn't do that you should have done. George could not prevent himself from laughing a long loud laugh which luckily was not picked up by the microphones because he was sitting well back in the hall. George was not prepared to say that Duke did normally not finish his commissioned work on time, but he was prepared to say that, no matter what happened, Duke always came up with a solution. '

                See also Bardland: Shakespeare in Ellington's World by Jack Chambers in DEMS 05/1-43
                New Desor
                DE5720
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-24
                2015-12-27
                2020-03-17
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 28
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18.....Added
                2011
                1957 04 29
                Monday
                Ellington's birthday
                .New York, N.Y..Sidemen's activities not documented - Birdland night off
                ......
                1957 04 29
                Monday
                Ellington's birthday
                .New York, N.Y..Ellington was interviewed for CBC Radio at an unknown location by Harry Rasky. The venue needs to be determined.
                Sjef Hoefsmit in DEMS 04/2-15

                ' The interview (5:48) was broadcast through the CBC on 15May57. It was mainly about the Shakespearean Suite. The broadcast announcer spoke of Duke's recent birthday. Harry Rasky said at the end of the interview: "Well, thank you very much Duke Ellington, on the occasion of your birthday for having us here.".
                  Duke told Harry that he finished writing the music of The Telecasters and Hank Cinq on the day of the performance, which was 28Apr57.
                  Rasky said: "I heard you in Birdland last night."
                  This brings the possible date to 29Apr or 1 or 2May. Birdland was closed on Monday 29Apr and Duke left after 1May. I believe that the date of the interview was 29Apr57.'

                Ellington, as quoted by Jack Chambers in DEMS 05/1-43:

                'The Stratford Festival are not repeating any of the jazz artists this year that they had last year. But I've already informed Mr. Patterson that there's one hazard in allowing us to do the Shakespearean suite, which is called Such Sweet Thunder, and that is that we are liable to get publicity on it which will sort of throw them into the position of having to be more or less graceful and inviting us back this year...We started recording some of them [movements] before we finished writing others," he told Rasky. "You know, the eleventh tune was finished the day of the performance...
                  We're very happy that we had a deadline, a short deadline on it, because. you could spend a whole lifetime preparing an unfinished work as far as trying to do something with Shakespeare. We had a deadline and we knew that we had to do little things and we had to do them quickly. So we spent two months talking about it and then we spent three weeks actually writing it.
                  We portrayed some of [Lady Macbeth] by using a jazz waltz, and in so doing we say that she was a lady of noble birth but we suspect that she had a little ragtime in her soul.
                  We feel that Shakespeare was not only sage, and has a tremendous appeal right now to the intellectual, but as the jive boys say, Shakespeare was down, which means that he is dug by the craziest of cats. We think that Shakespeare is just a little beyond chronology.
                  We sometimes lean a little bit toward caricature, but other people I think have gone about the business of actually changing Shakespeare, which I think is a much more hazardous thing than what we've done. All we did is just little thumbnail sketches, you know, of very short periods, never at any time trying to parallel an entire play or an entire act or an entire character throughout, but just some little short space of time during a character's performance.'

                .New Desor
                DE9041
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-24
                2015-11-28
                2015-12-27
                2020-05-09
                1957 04 30
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18.....Added
                2011

                May 1957

                1957 05 00
                Saturday
                ... Peripheral event
                The Amsterdam News and the Baltimore Afro-American reported RCA Victor signed Cootie Williams to a long term recording contract that would guarantee him at least $100,000 a year for 10 years. He had just recorded his first two sides for RCA Victor, "Rinky-Dink," dedicated the the Rinkeydinks, a New York social club of famous musicians' wives, and "Please Give Your Love to Me." The Amsterdam News said he was headlining at the Savoy Ballroom, and his female vocalist was Wini Brown.
                • Baltimore Afro-American 1957-05-04 p.7
                • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y. 1957-05-11 p.13
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-02
                1957 05 01
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.BirdlandNight club residency - see 1957 04 18-last night.....Added
                2011
                1957 05 02
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 03
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Fifth and final Columbia recording session (August 1956 to May 1957) for the Such Sweet Thunder album (CL-1033)
                11:00-14:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Nielsen includes Grissom and Bailey but this seems to be in error; the titles recorded don't have vocals.
                Titles recorded:
                • Sonnet To Hank Cinq
                • The Telecasters
                • Madness In Great Ones
                • Star-Crossed Lovers
                • Circle of Fourths
                • DE5721
                • NDCS 1005
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-27
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-14
                2021-11-22
                1957 05 04
                Saturday
                .Rochester, N.Y.Ritter-Clark Gym
                Rochester Institute of Techology
                .Stratemann p.375....Added
                2011
                1957 05 05
                Sunday
                7:30 PM
                .Wilton, Conn.Town HallBenefit concert for Parent-Teacher Association

                'Although all seats within sight of the bandstand have been sold for the PTA's Duke Ellington Concert Sunday night at 7:30 at the town hall, a few seats within hearing range, in the town hall courtroom, are still available.
                  Duke Ellington, his piano and his orchestra will play at the benefit concert, for which auditorium seats have long since been sold out. The courtroom seats are selling for $2 each...
                  The Duke Ellington concert will be program jazz rather than the progressive jazz of last year's concert. The Ellington group is primarily a performing group rather than a group of individuals improvising on melodies.
                  The program will include "Flamingo," a number co-authored in 1941 by Edmund Anderson of Millstone Road. Ellington is still a headliner after a good many years in the forefont of popular music - giving the program Sunday evening an appeal to more than one musical generation.'

                *1957-04-17:

                'Duke Ellington will feature "Flamingo," written by Edmund Anderson of Millstone Road, when he brings his concert band to Wilton town hall for a Parent-Teacher Association benefit Sunday, May 5, according to an announcement by Mrs. Robert T. Cunningham, PTA concert chairman, this week.
                  Mr. Anderson ... recallsed that in 1941 he was introduced to Ted Grouya, just over from France, by Vernon Duke...Anderson and Grouya wrote "Flamingo" in a flash of inspiration lasting 20 minutes. They tood the song to Duke Ellington, whom Anderson already knew. The Duke said, "This is for me - and Herb Jeffries."
                  Jeffries was then a new singer under Duke's wing. He and the Duke recorded "Flamingo" for Victor and its immediate success established Jeffries as a top-flight performer...
                  Duke Ellington will do an hour-long fantasy of his own creation entitled "A Drum Is A Woman" in color on the United States Steel television program Wednesday, May 8. It will be the first show of its kind on TV.
                  But the Duke has announced that he will keep his Parent-Teacher Association benefit date in Wilton at the town hall on May 5, regardless of the rehearsal demands of the network show only three days later... '

                The concert yielded the PTA a profit of $2,017.
                • The Wilton Bulletin, Wilton Conn.
                  • 1957-03-13
                  • *1957-04-17 p.3
                  • 1957-05-01 p.1
                  • 1957-05-08 p.7
                  • 1957-05-28, p.7
                • The Bridgeport Sunday Post, Bridgeport, Conn. 1957-03-03 s.B p.1
                ...APG, djpNew
                added
                2012-08-17
                updated
                2015-10-26
                2015-11-15
                1957 05 06
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                The Daily Courier reported:

                'Waverly - Illness has forced cancellation of the Jimmy Dorsey concert scheduled May 6, it was reported by student body officials. Duke Ellington and his orchestra, however, have been secured for a concert appearance.
                  Ellington will present a two-hour concert in Knight Gym Monday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Admission has been set at $1.50 reserved and $1.00 general admission.'

                Palmquist comment:
                • I think this means the May 20 concert was instead of the Dorsey appearance, rather than Ellington playing both dates.
                • Jimmy Dorsey died 1957 06 12
                Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa 1957-04-11...djpNew
                2015-10-27
                1957 05 07
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 08
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y..CBS television network broadcast, "U.S. Steel Hour A Drum Is A Woman"

                Although this was advertised as a live telecast, Stratemann suggests some of the music was prerecorded. New Desor, at session DE5629, says:

                'The music recorded in this session and the following ones was also used for the assembling of CBS "U.S.Steel Hour," telecasted [sic] on May 8, 1957, with the exception of Pomegranate only , recorded on March 7, 1957; new narrations by DE and JS and new parts by CCa [Candido Camero, bongos] were added for the occasion.'


                U.S. Steel Hour series was an hour long weekly show telecast at 10 p.m. that ran from 1953 to 1963. This was its second musical drama. Production costs of approximately $80,000 and tombstone data are shown in the Broadcasting Telecasting review below.

                Madame Zajj was played by Carmen DeLavallade but her songs were sung by Margaret Tynes and Joya Sherill, who were also in the show. Ozzie Bailey sang Carribee Joe's parts, who was played by Talley Beatty. Stratemann says Clark Terry's trumpet is heard instead of Ray Nance during Ray's Buddy Bolden renditions.

                There was extensive advertising and publicity in the months leading up to the telecast, which was groundbreaking in that it was an all-black production on a prestigious national network television show. Stratemann says U.S. Steel, Columbia and the advertising agency Batton, Barton, Durstine & Osborne mailed out a special 45 rpm disk which had excerpts from the LP to more than 100 key radio stations and distributed it within the U.S. Steel organization , and sent a special 12" LP of recorded spots by Ellington with prepared scripts and a rundown of the show to TV station managers and program directors across the country.

                The show received mixed reviews:

                The title of the George F. Brown review in the Pittsburgh Courier says it all:

                'Some Critics Didn't Dig It But, Did Aficionados? However, It Was Giant Step for Television'


                Motion Picture Daily:

                'Music, at Least, Was Good
                  ...The attempt to do something different was laudable, but U.S.Steel stockholders might rightly wonder if management hadn't flipped its cotton-picking lid. "Drum" was described as an "adaptation" of a long-playing Ellington record which, in Ellington terms, traces the history of jazz. The music was okay, but the so-called book and narration, delivered by the Duke himself, were out of Hungersville by way of Square Junction and Creep Corners.
                Profoundly Titled
                  It concerned a lady...who comes out of the jungle to wander the earth inspiring men to play music by Ellington. The production numbers were colorful but the energetic dancing was an endless reprise of all those shaking pelvis-limp elbow gestures choreographers find so peculiarly meaningful...'

                BROADCASTING TELECASTING:

                'A DRUM IS A WOMAN
                TWO current arguments-(1) that only pay tv can offer the most unusual forms of entertainment in the home and (2) that the tv industry is anti-Negro (see RCA stock-holders meeting story, this issue) - received adequate rebuttal last Wednesday night from CBS-TV and the U. S. Steel Corp. For viewers of the U. S. Steel Hour, Duke Ellington's "A Drum Is a Woman" was that tv rarity - an all-sepia musical fantasy performed with skill, wit and good taste.
                  ...Ellington has been around a long time and thus it would hardly seem fair to liken this score to such earlier Ellingtonia as "Black and Tan Fantasy" or "Liberian Suite," nor would it be right to say "Drum" was dramatically correct. But this is not the point. What is correct is that Mr. Ellington, his tremendous talent, his good-natured, almost-pixyish humor, his propensity to talk, act and think in the jazz idiom, is greatness personified, and it's hard to improve upon greatness.
                  In this corner we paid little attention to the structural makeup of the play, for we were just too fascinated and enthralled by the very idea that tv had embraced the Duke and his crowd.
                  The story was complicated and at times belabored...
                  The boys in the CBS-TV technical department must have had themselves a time. There were trick shots of Madame Zajj flying - and driving - through space; banks of artificial fog rolled over the soundstage, and voice dubbing triumphed by allowing the happy marriage of song (by Joya Sherrill) and dance (by Carmen De Lavallade). As to Miss De Lavallade... she was beguiling and enchanting in every way. And so were some of arranger Bill Strayhorn's numbers, particularly "You'd Better Know It."
                  So far as U. S. Steel goes, it ought to be commended for having brought a ray of tropical sunshine into an otherwise drab season. ...

                  Production costs: Approximately $80,000. Sponsored by U. S. Steel Corp. through BBDO, on CBS-TV (in color) May 8, 10-11 p.m. EDT. Written for tv by Will Loren, based upon the Columbia "LP" record album by Edward K. (Duke) Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Produced for The Theatre Guild by Marshall Jamison. Director: Norman Felton; Assoc. Producer: John Haggott; Scenery: Willard Levitas; story editor: Dorothy Hechtlinger; technical director: Bob Dailey; choreographer: Paul Godkin. Cast: Duke Ellington (narrator), Carmen De Lavallade, Talley Beatty, Joya Sherrill, Margaret Tynes, Ozzie Bailey, Duke Ellington orchestra and dancers.'

                (The show can be viewed in Los Angeles or New York at the Museum of Television and Radio as at August 2013 and two reels of film and an Ellington-autographed script are in the Smithsonian's Al Celley Collection.
                • Stratemann pp.375-376 citing
                  • Variety 1957-04-24 p.43
                  • Down Beat 1957-06-27 p.18 (positive and negative reviews, respectively, by Leonard Feather and Barry Ulanov)
                  • Variety 1957-05-08 p.44
                  • Pittsburgh Courier 1957-05-18 p.23
                • Wilson, Conn. Bulletin, 1957-03-13, p.3
                • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.:
                  • 1957-04-27 p.14
                  • 1957-05-04 p.13 (ad and publicity photo)
                • Review, Motion Picture Daily, 1957-05-14 p.4
                • Review, BROADCASTING TELECASTING The Businessweekly Of Radio And Television 1957-05-13 p.15
                • Reviews, Pittsburgh Courier (see Hoffman clippings)
                  • George F. Brown, 1957-05-25 p.22
                  • Izzy Brown, 1957-05-18 p.23
                  • Evelyn Cunningham, 1957-05-18 p.23
                • Captioned photo, Pittsburgh Courier, 1957-05-18 p.22
                ..Life WebphotosdjpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-26
                2015-11-28
                2015-12-02
                1957 05 09
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 10
                Friday
                ...Personnel change
                Harold "Shorty" Baker, trumpet, rejoined the band to sub for Clark Terry but stayed with the band until September 1959. New Desor dates Baker's arrival as May 10 but does not name its source. It usually reflects arrivals and departures based on personnel changes on recordings.
                • Terry took a five-week or six-week leave of absence to play in the Radio City Music Hall revue "Musicana." The show opened May 16, and there would have been rehearsals some days before that. Radio City Music Hall ads in the Daily News list Terry as trumpet soloist until June 6. Further research may be warranted to determine when Terry left the revue and when the revue closed, but that is beyond the scope of this chronicle.
                • Baker played the Perdido solo June 2 in Mason City, indicating Terry was not yet back to take his signature solo.
                • Both Baker and Terry played solos at the June 22 Carrolltown dance.
                • Wilson:

                  'Clark Terry has been given a six-week leave of absence ... to accept an engagement at New York's Radio City Music Hall. It is a notable event because it marks the first time a Negro musician has appeared as part of the stage show and the first time it has included jazz. Terry...plays a five-minute solo in each of the four daily shows.'

                • "Strictly Ad Lib," Down Beat, 1957-06-27, p. 8:

                  'Shorty Baker is with Duke Ellington on trumpet, subbing for Clark Terry, who took a five-week leave of absence to play featured horn in the Radio City Music Hall presentation, Musicana'

                • Stratemann:

                  'For some five weeks ... Harold "Shorty" Baker returned to sub for ...Terry... Terry also assembled a small group for an interesting series of recordings of Ellington compositions. Initially titled "In A Mellotone" ... the tracks were later re-released ...[as] Duke With A Difference...'

                • Daily News, News York, N.Y.
                  (Radio City Music Hall ads)
                  • 1957-05-14 p.45
                  • 1957-06-06 p.79
                  • Kings County Chronicle, Brooklyn, N.Y.
                  • 1957-05-14 p.8 (publicity)
                • Russ Wilson, World of Jazz,
                  Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                  1957-06-02 p.B-15
                • "Strictly Ad Lib,"
                  Down Beat, 1957-06-27, p. 8 courtesy S. Lasker
                • Stratemann p.377
                • New Desor Vol.2
                ...djpNew
                added
                2012-10-10
                updated2015-11-12
                2021-11-22
                1957 05 10
                Friday
                .Champaign-Urbana,Ill.Huff Gymnasium, University of IllinoisConcert 8 p.m. and dance 9 p.m. to midnight sponsored by the Parade Ground Units and Men's Residence Halls
                Admission free to couples, 25 cents stag. The dance was campus wide.
                The Daily Illini, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
                • 1957-05-03 p.5
                • 1957-05-07 p.2
                • 1957-05-10
                • 1957-05-11
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-07-06
                1957 05 11
                Saturday
                .Rensselaer, Ind. Fieldhouse
                Saint Joseph's College
                Junior prom 9 pm to 1 am

                The Logansport Press:

                'John R. Wolf ... has been named co-chairman of the prom committee for the 1957 St. Joseph's College junior prom. Wolf, a junior at St. Joseph's, is a 1954 graduate of Logansport High School...Duke Ellington, one of the foremost names in American jazz, will play for the biggest social event of the Collegeville calendar." '

                Stuff:

                'The biggest social event of the school year will take place this weekend when Duke Ellington and his fine orchestra will play for an estimated 225 couples at the junior prom. Final preparations which are almost completed will turn the fieldhouse into a coliseum for a "Roman Holiday"'


                • The Logansport Press, Logansport, Ind., 1957-04-07 p.16
                • Email, Dr. J. Taylor-Watkins to Palmquist 2015-11-09 with clipping, Saint Joseph's College student newspaper Stuff, 1957-05-09
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-11-13
                1957 05 12
                Sunday
                .Evansville, Ind.Coliseum Show and dance for Afro-Americans

                In her review, Jeanne Suhrheinrich said the band was 15 men, including Duke. She says the audience was small, about 200 people, and she named two acts, Bill King (juggler and comedian), and Fred Lowery (see below). Ellington personnel specifically named: Gonsalves, Carney, Hodges, Bailey, Grissom

                SUN., MAY 12, 8:30 P.M.
                COLISEUM
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                HIS ORCHESTRA & SHOW
                Reserved Seats $3.00 - $2.50 - General Admission
                $2.50 - Prices Higher Night of Show. Advance Ticket
                Sales Now - Weeds, 4th St. Drug Store - Red
                Rooster - George's Bar.
                DANCE AFTER SHOW


                'Called by many critics the world's greatest whistler, Fred Lowery, now living in Indianapolis, will appear as one of the acts with the Duke Ellington show at the Coliseum May 12. Lowery has the unique ability to whistle two distinct notes at once, in the useful harmony of thirds. John Rosenfield, famous amusements editor for the Dallas News, describes him: "He can trill, take scale passages and toss off high staccati like few contemporary coloraturas."
                  His recording of "Indian Love Call" has sold almost three million records. Also big sellers were "The High and Mighty" and "Unchained Melody" for MGM and the first named, "Moon Love" and theme from "The Proud Ones" for Decca.'


                • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind.
                  • 1957-04-25 p.36
                  • 1957-04-30 p.11
                  • 1957-05-08 p.28
                  • 1957-05-11 p.14
                  • Review, 1957-05-13 p.22
                • The Sunday Look, The Sunday Courier and Press, Evansville, Ind.
                  • 1957-05-05 p.16
                  • 1957-05-12 p.15
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-26
                1957 05 13
                Monday
                .Notre Dame, Ind.
                (near South Bend)
                O'Laughlin Auditorium
                St. Mary's College
                Concert, 8 p.m., admission $1.65, sponsored by St. Mary's College freshman class.
                • The Scholastic
                  Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Ind.
                  1957-05-10 p.12
                • The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.
                  1957-05-12 p.77
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-21
                updated
                2021-11-17
                2021-12-02
                1957 05 14
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 15
                Wednesday
                .Wausau, Wisc.Colonial Ballroom
                5 miles east of Wausau on Highway 'N'
                Dancing
                • Stevens Point Daily, Stevens Point (courtesy Agustin Perez-Gasco)
                  • 1957-05-03
                  • 1957-05-14
                • Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisc.
                  • 1957-05-14 p.2
                  • 1957-05-10 p.2
                • Wasau Daily Record-Herald, Wasau, Wisc.
                  • 1957-04-26 p.15
                  • 1957-05-03 p.20
                • The Marshfield News-Herald, Marshfield, Wisc.
                  • 1957-05-10 p.2
                  • 1957-05-14 p.7
                ...APG/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-26
                2018-11-21
                1957 05 16
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 17
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 18
                Saturday
                .Green Castle, Ind..DePauw UniversityJunior/Senor prom.

                The Logansport Press:

                'DELHPI [sic] - Martha Obear, of here, was co-chairman of the decorations committee for the annual junior-senior prom at DePauw university held last night. Duke Ellington's orchestra played.'

                The Logansport Press, Logansport, Ind., 1957-05-19 p.4...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-28
                1957 05 19
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Leon Mandel Hall
                57th & University
                University of Chicago
                8:15 p.m. concert for the benefit of Co-operative Nusery [sic] School. Sponsored by the Inter-Club Council at the University of Chicago. Part of the proceeds were to be used for shcolarships [sic] for children who would otherwise by unable to attend the school, an integrated nursery for the 3 to 5 year old age group.
                • Hyde Park Herald, Chicago ,Ill., 1957-05-15
                • Southeast Economist, Chicago ,Ill., 1957-05-16 s.1 p.8, courtesy A. Perez-Gasco
                ...APG, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-28
                1957 05 20
                Monday
                .Waverly, IowaKnights Gymnasium
                Wartburg College
                8 p.m. - Two hour popular concert sponsored by the student body.
                The Daily Courier and Globe-Gazette reported:

                'Waverly - Illness has forced cancellation of the Jimmy Dorsey concert scheduled May 6, it was reported by student body officials. Duke Ellington and his orchestra, however, have been secured for a concert appearance.
                  Ellington will present a two-hour concert in Knight Gym Monday, May 20 at 8 p.m. Admission has been set at $1.50 reserved and $1.00 general admission.'

                (Jimmy Dorsey died 1957 06 12)
                Olwein Daily Register 1957-05-21:

                'Mrs. Virginia Baker and K. W. Robertson attended the Duke Ellington concert at the Knights Gymnasium in Waverly.'

                Prof. Ernest Hagen's review is glowing, although he seems to mistake Procope for Hamilton and Nance for Anderson:

                'WAVERLY - The most of the best was given by Duke Ellington and his famous band to over 2,000 happy fans Monday evening in the Knights Gym... For showmanship and artistry in its highest form in the jazz idiom, this was it.
                  The elements that go into making this band one of the great American ensembles are numerous, but a striking example is the caliber of the soloists...
                  ANOTHER FACET that makes this group outstanding is that these soloists with their highly individual style can blend into the ensemble with breath-taking balance and precision. This is a jazz innovation. It cannot be matched in the field of serious music...
                  ELLINGTON FAVORITES from "Black and Tan Fantasy" to "Mood Indigo" were performed during the two hour long concert. Outstanding as soloists were the Duke himself and his two vocalists, but the spotlight goes to the instrumentalists. Russell Procope, who plays one of hte sweetest tenor saxes ever heard, is equally amazing in his technique and beautiful symphonic clarinet tone. This was shown in "Clarinet Melodrama," one of the best numbers of the evening.
                  Ray Nance brought down the house with a triple octave A on the trumpet. Extreme ranges are characteristic of jazz performers and Quentin Jackson on the trombone was no exception. Sam Woodyard on the drums won waves of ovations throughout his solo which lasted so long that the rest of the band left him in his trance and went out for a 10 minute break.
                  "MOOD INDIGO" by the sax quartet was soft and lovely. One other number with tenor sax solo, with Russell Procope, and a quiet saxophone background was also very beautiful. One or two more of these quiet numbers would have helped the program balance. Paul Gonsalves, tenor sax, played an intense 10 minute chorus winning him ovations and calls.
                  A solid chordal dissonant background of brass and reeds with the deep growling pedal tones of the trombone and baritone sax was a strong point in this ensemble and stirring to hear...'

                The Olwein Daily Register commented:

                'Was disappointed in the Duke Ellington concert at Waverly Monday night. Wasn't quite what I expected. Several others have mentioned the same thing. Not enough from Ellington and too much "discordant jazz" for my liking.'

                • Email, Brian Koller in Duke-LYM 2015-10-28
                • Clippings courtesy Agustin Perez-Gasco:
                  • Greene Recorder 1957-05-15 p.7
                  • Olwein Daily Register, Olwein, Iowa
                    • 1957-05-15 p.7
                    • 1957-05-16
                    • 1957-05-21
                  • Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
                    • 1957-04-11
                    • 1957-05-17 p.9
                    • 1957-05-21
                  • Mason City Globe-Gazette 1957-04-11
                • This Active Town - by E.E.E., Olwein Daily Register, Olwein, Iowa 1957-05-23 p.2
                ...APG x6/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-27
                2018-11-21
                1957 05 21
                Tuesday
                .Spencer, IowaSpencer Golf and Country ClubElks second annual Charity Purple Ball, dancing 9 to 1.
                400 tickets had been sold by the preceding Friday. The initial announcement said a limited number of tickets would be available for the public beginning March 1.
                • Spencer Sunday Times, Spencer, Iowa, 1957-02-10
                • Spencer Daily Reporter, Spencer, Iowa, 1957-05-17 courtesy A. Gasco-Perez
                ...APG x3Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-27
                1957 05 22
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 23
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 24
                Friday
                .Twin Lakes, IowaAlhambra BallroomDance:

                'BALLROOM OPENS MAY 24
                The opening of the Alhambra Ballroom at Twin Lakes is set for Friday, May 24 with Duke Ellington and his world famous orchestra. Dances are scheduled for every Friday night,...
                  The Alhambra is operated by Darlowe Oleson, Bernie Storck and Maz Cisna.'

                • Small ad, Carroll Daily Times-Herald, undated clipping (courtesy A.Perez-Gaxco)
                • Pocahontas Record-Democrat, Pocahontas, Iowa, 1957-05-16 p.8
                • The Jefferson Bee, Jefferson, Iowa, 1957-05-21 p.9
                • Times Herald, Carroll, Iowa, 1957-05-22 p.7
                ...APG, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-03
                2015-12-20
                2018-11-22
                1957 05 25
                Saturday
                .Des Moines, IowaVal Air BallroomDancing
                Admission $1.55 plus tax.
                Des Moines Register and
                Des Moines Sunday Register, Des Moines,Iowa
                • 1957-05-19 p.16
                • 1957-05-23, p.6
                • 1957-05-24, p.15
                • 1957-05-25, p.8
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-21
                1957 05 26
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 27
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 28
                Tuesday
                .De Kalb, Ill.Men's Gym
                Northern Illinois State College
                Concert sponsored by the Alumni Association.
                Northern Star 1957-03-15:

                'New Gym To Open With Ellington Jazz
                  The Alumni Association will bring Duke Ellington and his orchestra to Northern for a 2-hour concert in the new Northern Field House at 8 p.m., May 28.
                  Co-chairmen for the concert are Dee Palmer, DeKalb music dealer, and Edward Jenkinson, alumni executive secretary. The proceeds will be used for scholarships and next year's alumni magazine '


                Northern Star 1957-05-10:

                'Tickets on Sale for Ellington Concert; No Reserved Seats, First Come Basis Tickets for the Duke Ellington Concert are now on sale in the Alumni Office, Barracks 17-A, and at Palmer's Music House.
                  ...all tickets will be sold on a firstcome, first-served basis. There will be no reserved seats.
                  Advance bleacher-seat tickets are $1.00 per person, and advance orchestra-floor seats are $1.25 per person. Tickets will also be sold at the door of the new Northern Field House the night of the concert, May 28. At the door, bleacher seats will be $1.25 and orchestra floor seats will be $1.50.'


                Northern Star 1957-05-24:

                'Ellington Concert Scheduled For Men's Gym Tuesday Night
                  The NI Alumni Association will bring Duke Ellington and his orchestra here for a 2-hour concert at 8 p.m., May 28, in the Men's Gym.
                  The concert was originally scheduled for the new Northern Field House, but due to construction problems, the building will not be completed until later in the summer.
                  Mr. Edward Jenkinson, director of the Alumni Association, stated, "Moving the concert to the Men's Gym cuts the seating capacity in half. We have sold 1,000 tickets at the present time and it is doubtful if there will be any tickets sold at the door."
                Limited Seating
                  The seating capacity of the Men's Gym is 2,250...'


                Assistant Professor Thompson found no reports in the college newspaper Northern Star after the event, but did find an announcement in the March 1957 Northern Alumnus alumni magazine and pictures of Sam Woodyard and Ellington on page 30 of the college's 1958 yearbook.
                • The De Kalb Daily Chronicle, De Kalb, Ill.
                  • 1957-05-08 p.2
                  • 1957-05-16 p.1
                  • 1957-05-21 p.12
                  • 1957-05-22 p.5
                  • 1957-05-24 p.2
                  • 1957-05-25 p.2
                • Rockford Register-Republic, Rockford,Ill. 1957-05-17 p.2-C
                • Rockford Morning Star, Rockford,Ill. 1957-05-27 p.A3
                • Archived records, courtesy of Assistant Professor Abbey Thompson, Music Librarian, Northern Illinois University:
                  • Northern Star, Northern Illinois State College,
                    • 1957-03-15
                    • 1957-05-10
                    • 1957-05-24
                  • Northern Alumnus, Northern Illinois State College, DeKalb,Ill,1957-03-00, p4
                  • Northern Illinois State College 1958 yearbook, p.30
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-29
                updated
                2015-11-21
                2015-11-23
                2015-11-30
                1957 05 29
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Edgewater Beach Hotel
                5555 N. Sheridan Rd.
                Junior Prom, (Skokie, Ill.)

                THE CLASS OF 1958
                NILES TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL
                presents
                The Junior Prom
                honoring
                The Class of 1957
                at the
                Edgewater Beach Hotel
                featuring
                the music of
                Duke Ellington and his Band
                Wednesday evening
                May twenty-ninth
                Nineteen hundred and fifty-seven
                Nine to Twelve

                The school is at 7700 Gross Point Rd, Skokie, Ill., a suburb of Chicago.
                Autographed dance program offered on eBay, October 2024 courtesy S. Lasker...sl email 2024-10-29New
                added
                2024-10-29
                1957 05 30
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 05 31
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                June 1957

                Circa
                1957 06 00
                .Chicago, Ill.Sheraton HotelResearch is needed to confirm Ellington played at the Sheraton in late May or early June in accordance with the report in the Milwaukee Defender "Forgive Us Our Press Passes" column:

                'Dr. and Mrs. John Terry and Mr. and Mrs. Emile Obre have returned from a gay time in Chicago where they attended the fabulous party given by the Chicagoan Club and a dance at the Sheraton Hotel with the Duke Ellington Band. This is Chicago's most fabulous affair.'

                Further research is needed to determine if and when Ellington played at the Sheraton in Chicago. Presumably it was in the early part of June. ,
                "Forgive Us Our Press Passes," Milwaukee Defender, Milwaukee, Wisc., 1957-06-13 p.4...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                1957 06 01
                Saturday
                ...Activities not documented.....
                1957 06 02
                Sunday
                .Mason City, IowaMason City High School Auditorium7:45 p.m. concert. :

                Prices $2.90 $2.25 $1.75 tax included

                The front of a framed and autographed programme for sale on eBay shows:
                MASON CITY
                JAZZ INCORPORATED
                ....PRESENTS
                Duke
                Ellington
                AND HIS NEW FAMOUS
                ORCHESTRA
                IN CONCERT

                FEATURING.....
                JOHNNY HODGES
                HARRY CARNEY
                CAT ANDERSON
                JIMMY HAMILTON
                JIMMY GRISSOM, Vocalist
                Autographs on the front of the programme are
                • Harold Shorty Baker, Trpt
                • Cat Anderson
                • Quentin Jackson
                • Duke Ellington
                • Jimmy Woode
                  (bass)
                • Cat Anderson
                • Russell Procope
                • Ray Nance
                • Willie Cooke
                • Jimmy Grissom
                • Britt Woodman
                • John Sanders
                  Trombone

                Three accompanying photos appear to be from a concert at an unknown location sometime between 1969 and 1971.
                Globe-Gazette review:

                'Ellington
                Favorably
                Received

                  Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra was [sic] favorably received in Mason City Sunday...
                  He opened his concert with "Black and Tan Fantasy," featuring Russell Procope, Ray Nance and Quentin Jackson. This was followed by "Perdido," featuring Harold Baker, and "Clarinet Melodrama," featuring Jimmy Hamilton.
                  "Theme for Trombone" [sic] featured Britt Woodman. "Sophisticated Lady," featured Harry Carney. "Take the "A" Train," featured Ray Nance and Paul Gonsalves. Willie "Cat" Anderson made a hit with "La Virgin de la Macarena."
                  Ozzie Bailey sang "What Else Can You Do With a Drum," "You Better Know It," and "Pomegranate." Part One was closed with Ellington playing "V.I.P. Boogie" and "Jam With Sam."
                  "The Hawk Talks," opened Part Two. "Jeep's Blues," featured Johnny Hodges. Jimmy Grissom sang "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me," "Rock City, Rock," and "Flamingo." Sam Woodyard was the hit of the evening with his drum specialty, "Skin Deep."
                  Duke Ellington featured in a piano medley climaxed the evening and he was called back for two encores, "Diminuendo in Blue," and Crescendo in Blue."'

                • Email, S.Lasker-Palmquist 2015-05-28 with link to eBay auction
                • Ads:
                  • Albert Lea Tribune, Albert Lea, Minn. 1957-05-23 p.3
                  • Evening Tribune, Albert Lea, Minn. 1957-05-28 p.9
                  • *Austin (Minn.) Herald, Austin, Minn.,
                    • 1957-05-23 p.20
                    • *1957-05-27 p.24
                  • *Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa 1957-05-23
                  • Globe-Gazette, Mason City, Iowa
                    • *1957-05-24 p.16
                    • *1957-05-28 p.10
                    • 1957-05-29 p.7 (with plug)
                    • 1957-05-31 p.13
                  • *Review, Globe-Gazette, Mason City, Iowa 1957-06-04 p.12
                  (* courtesy A.Gasco-Perez)
                ...APG x5
                SL
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-09-28
                1957 06 03
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 04
                Tuesday
                .Mankato, Minn.Kato Ballroom

                KATO BALLROOM
                Presents
                In Person
                DUKE
                Ellington
                AND HIS FAMOUS
                ORCHESTRA
                -----------
                Adm. - In Advance $1.50 Total
                Night of Dance $1.75 Total
                Booth Res. on Sale
                Starting Mon. May 27


                • Albert Lea Tribune, Albert Lea, Minn.
                  • 1957-05-24 p.2
                  • 1957-05-29 p.2
                  • 1957-06-03 p.2
                • The Minneapolis Star, Minneapolis, Minn.
                  • 1957-06-03 p.4B
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-10-30
                updated
                2018-11-22
                1957 06 05
                Wednesday
                .Arnolds Park, IowaRoof Garden
                Arnolds Park Amusement Park
                Roof Garden was located in Arnolds Park Amusement Park on the south shore of Smiths Bay, West Okoboji Lake and in the town named Arnolds Park. Arnolds Park is about 2 miles south of the town named Okoboji, which is on the east side of West Okoboji Lake. Arnolds Park lies on the strait connecting East and West Okoboji Lakes.
                • Spirit Lake Beacon, Spirit Lake, Iowa 1957-05-29 p.8
                • Milford Mail, Milford, Iowa, 1957-05-30*
                • The Times, Graettinger, Iowa, 1957-05-30 p.7
                • Emmetsburg Reporter, Emmetsburg, Iowa 1957-06-04, p.5*
                * = courtesy A. Gasco-Perez
                ...APG x2, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-30
                1957 06 06
                Thursday
                .Cedar Rapids, IowaElks PavilionElks Club opening summer dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                The Gazette ran photos of the event, reporting attendance of 700. The people in the photos generally appear to be middle-aged.
                The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
                • 1957-06-02 p.2
                • 1957-06-09 p.4
                (courtesy A. Gasco-Perez)
                ...APG x2, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-29
                1957 06 07
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 08
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 09
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 10
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 11
                Tuesday
                .Pontiac, Ill.Pontiac Country Club
                (aka Elks Country Club
                or
                Pontiac Elks Country Club)
                Duke Ellington dance 9p.m. to 1 a.m., co-chaired by Mr. and Mrs. George Murray and Mr. and Mrs. Zell Jones.

                Couple tickets were limited to the first 200 members in good standing who made reservations, but the dance was attended by 700 people. A buffet preceded the dance.
                The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
                • 1957-05-02 p.13
                • 1957-06-16, p.22
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-02
                1957 06 11
                Tuesday
                ...Date of contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note on August 21, 1957 for two weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee.

                This contract includes the headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions.

                The fee remains at $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.
                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
                added 2012-11-03
                1957 06 12
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 13
                Thursday
                .Owensboro, Ken.SportscenterUnconfirmed
                Suhrheinrich,

                'DUKE AT SPORTSCENTER
                  Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra of 17 top flight instrumentalists, vocalists and entertainers will play for a concert Thursday at the Owensboro p.m.'


                Jeanne Suhrheinrich, Front Row Center, The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind., 1957-06-08 p.5....New
                added
                2015-11-14
                1957 06 14
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 15
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 16
                Sunday
                .Celina, OhioEdgewater Park.....APGAdded
                2011
                1957 06 17
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 18
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 19
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 20
                Thursday
                .Clinton, N.Y.Clinton ArenaActivities not documented.

                The Jazz Beat column in the Utica Daily Press 1957 05 27 p.18 announced a concert and dance in the Clinton Arena, which I believe was in Clinton, N.Y., for this date, but the column on 1957-06-13 announced it was cancelled. The columnist wrote that Ellington had Columbia recording sessions booked for the 18th, 19th and 20th of June.
                Chuck Robie Booth, Jazz Beat, Daily Press, Utica, N.Y.
                • 1957-05-27 p.18
                • 1957-06-13 p.12-A
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-06
                1957 06 21
                Friday
                .Ashbury Park, N.J.Convention Hall.Stratemann p.377 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-06
                1957 06 22
                Saturday
                .Carrolltown, Penn.Sunset Ballroom
                Route 219
                Dance

                Recordings from this dance were released on the Dr. Jazz LP label and have been released on CD as well.

                New Desor, Nielsen, Stratemann, and, at the time of writing, Girvan, say the dance was June 1957 without an exact date.

                Timner, MacHare and Vail II date it June 1, based on Igo/Ewing/Pilkington itinerary, which cites the Ebensburg Mountaineer-Herald 1988-08-10.

                After Mr. Götting reported Mr. Perez-Gasco's research in DEMS10/3-22, the New Desor authors agreed to the correction.
                Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra (per the ads)
                Cook, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Benjamin, Woodyard, Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Stardust
                • Jeep's Blues
                • All Of Me
                • Perdido
                • Mood Indigo
                • Hank Cinq (per DEMS81/4-2)
                • Bassment (not listed in DEMS81/4/2
                • Flamingo (unissued)
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (unissued)
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • There'll Be Some Changes Made
                • Cop-Out
                • Frustration
                • Take The "A" Train (unissued)
                • The Hawk Talks (unissued)
                • Three Little Words
                • As Time Goes By
                • The Happy One (issued only on Koala LP AW-14165)
                • Caravan Cha-Cha-Cha (unissued)
                • Medley: Diminuendo in Blue, Wailing Interval, Crescendo in Blue (the Koala version may be from another date)
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be (unissued)
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
                • Medley: I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart, Don't Get Around Much Anymore (unissued)
                Lambert in DEMS 04/3-56:

                '...the first two ensemble choruses of Crescendo In Blue are missing. This is not because they are edited out, for other (unissued) versions exist with this same cut. All such performances that I have heard come from dances and it may be that the syncopated brass breaks in these choruses 'threw' the dancers and were therefore omitted when the piece was played at a dance.'

                Palmquist comments:
                • This dance was on one of the first two Ellington CDs I bought, and in my opinion, Paul's solo in the middle of D&CIB is arguably the best version.
                • Various labels released CDs calling the band the All-Star Road Band. The band never worked under that name, and ads in the Altoona Mirror and Indiana Evening Gazette show Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra.
                • CD labelling is inconsistent. Some labels have All-Star Road Band Vol. II as the 1957 dance, others have the 1957 dance as Vol. I.
                New Desor
                DE5722
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-07-09
                2015-10-25
                2020-05-09
                1957 06 23
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 24
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound StudiosFirst Verve recording session involving Ellington and his orchestra for the Norman Granz/Ella Fitzgerald project Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook. Ella worked with studio musicians for other parts of this project; this chronicle only discusses the sessions involving Fitzgerald with Ellington or just Ellington.

                The project yielded two double LP sets; each consisted of one record of Ella with a small group of studio musicians and one with the Ellingtonians. Most of one side of the second set is taken up by A Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald, a suite written by Ellington and Strayhorn that was commissioned by Granz and dedicated to Miss Fitzgerald, recorded in September.

                As usual, Ellington winged it in these sessions, rather than having the music worked out carefully ahead of time, consequently Ella found the sessions difficult.
                Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Dizzie Gillespie, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard, Fitzgerald. (personnel are discussed in DEMS 00,1-9).

                Titles recorded:
                • Day Dream
                • Take The "A" Train (this version used 6 trumpets)
                New Desor
                DE5723
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-25
                2020-05-09
                1957 06 25
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound StudiosSecond Verve recording session for the Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook project - see 1957 06 24.
                Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard, Fitzgerald

                Titles recorded:
                • Everything But You
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Drop Me Off In Harlem
                • Lost In Meditation
                • I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues
                see 1957 06 24New Desor
                DE5724
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-25
                2020-05-09
                1957 06 26
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound StudiosThird Verve recording session for the Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook project - see 1957 06 24.
                Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Fitzgerald

                Titles recorded:
                • Clementine
                • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • I Didn't Know About You
                • Rockin' In Rhythm

                Two more Verve recording sessions were held this day. One was Johnny Hodges with 12 Ellington men, the other was a Dizzie Gillespie septet that included Gonsalves and Marshall. These are beynond the scope of this chronicle but are mentioned because they involved Ellingtonians. Details are in Timner V.
                See 1957 06 24New Desor
                DE5725
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-25
                2020-05-09
                1957 06 27
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound StudiosFourth Verve recording session for the Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook project - see 1957 06 24.
                Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Sanders, Woode, Woodyard, Fitzgerald

                Titles recorded:
                • All Too Soon
                • Caravan
                • Bli-Blip
                • Chelsea Bridge
                • Perdido
                • E And D Blues
                See 1957 06 24New Desor
                DE5726
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-25
                2020-05-09
                1957 06 28
                Friday
                .Johnson City, N.Y.Endicott-Johnson Recreation Center4 hour show and dance, 9 to 1.

                The advertised ticket price was $2.00 including taxes.
                James Canan reviewed the performance in his Saturday, "Like Coming Home," and about interviewing Duke in his Sunday column, "The Duke Plays Jazz 'So They'll Like It.'"

                From his review, about 1,000 attended, the piano was a little flat, and the band numbered 14. Song titles mentioned were Mood Indigo, Crescendo in Blue with Gonsalves' solo, and Take the "A" Train. Interestingly, the trio in Mood Indigo is reported as 2 trombones and a soprano sax. In his Sunday column, Canan wrote:

                '  A clue to the universal appeal of Duke Ellington's music can be found in the way the man himself can sit down and talk to total strangers as if he's known them all his life.
                  It was intermission time at the EJ Recreation Center in Johnson City Friday night and a Sunday Press reporter went backstage to interview the Duke.
                  "Sure I've got a minute," he said, and then proceeded to take the entire break time to tell the reporter and more than a dozen other Ellington fans about his philosophies on the subject of jazz and art in general.
                  He talks about his arrangements in a way that non-musicians can appreciate. His arrangements are that way, too.
                  "I don't think about whether they're going to understand it, or whether they're going to know what I'm trying to do with the music," he explained. "We play it so they'll like it."'

                Both Canan articles can be read in full at http://fultonhistory.com, by searching for Duke Ellington 1957, choosing all the words, and then scrolling down to Binghamton NY Press Grayscale 1957 - 5758.pdf and Binghamton NY Press Grayscale 1957 - 5798.pdf respectively.
                Binghamton Press, Binghamton, N.Y.:
                • Publicity, 1957-06-16 p.9-C
                • Ad, 1957-06-27 p.34
                • Review "Like Coming Home", 1957-06-29, p.11
                • Report The Duke Plays Jazz 'So They'll Like It, 1957-06-30 s.C p.1
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-10-26
                2015-12-07
                1957 06 29
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 06 30
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                July 1957

                1957 07 00...Personnel change
                Singer Ozzie Bailey joins the band, having previously participated in 4 recording sessions in 1956 and 1957.
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-10
                1957 07 01
                Monday
                1957 07 03
                Wednesday.
                Highland Park, Ill.Ravinia Park FestivalConcert, with CBS remote broadcast from radio station WCBS:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Bailey and Grissom also performed but were not in the broadcast.
                Titles recorded:
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                  • Such Sweet Thunder
                  • Sonnet For Sister Kate
                  • Up And Down, Up And Down, I Will Lead Them Up & Down.
                  • Star-Crossed Lovers
                  • Madness In Great Ones (Down Beat shows Madness and the Great Ones)
                  • Half The Fun
                  • Circle Of Fourths
                • Jam With Sam
                Other titles played according to Down Beat:
                • Sonnet for Caesar
                • Hank Cinq
                • The Telecasters
                • Lady Mac
                • Sonnet for the Moor
                • The Hawk Talks
                • Selections from A Drum is a Woman
                • Skin Deep
                • Flamingo
                • Do Nothin' TilL You Hear From Me
                • Rock City Rock
                • Medley:
                  • In A Sentimental Mood
                  • Mood Indigo
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • Solitude
                • Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
                Seymour Raven's review complained

                '...But midway through the score [the Shakespearean Suite] a radio announcer came out to say that the rest of the suite would be bestowed on the airways...Turning the listeners into a studio audience with his instructions he broke up for me whatever continuity I had hoped to preserve in listening to new music...'

                This seems likely to be the broadcast scheduled for 2:05 p.m. PDT Sunday July 7 on CBS affiliate KIRO, according to an ad in the Seattle Times.
                New Desor
                DE9097
                NDCS 1103
                DEMS.CAHnov09
                djp
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-12-03
                2015-08-15
                2015-11-13
                2015-12-04
                2020-05-09
                1957 07 02
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 07 03
                Wednesday
                .Highland Park, Ill.Ravinia Park FestivalConcert
                Stratemann shows this performance as July 4, a Thursday, but the July 1 broadcast ends by announcing the concert will be on Wednesday.

                Vail repeats the error.

                The July 3 date is supported by
                • an advertisement by Abe Books, which says "program from the Ravinia Festival ... of July 1st and 3rd, 1957. Signed by Duke Ellington on the back page ..."
                • Announcement, Austin News
                  'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be presented to Ravinia audiences for the first time in jazz concerts on July 1 and 3.'
                The Austin News, Chicago, Ill., 1957-06-26 p.17G...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-12-03
                2015-11-13
                1957 07 04
                Thursday
                ...
                Peripheral event

                Smithsonian Institution Ellington collection, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974,Box 11, folder 23 holds a folder labelled Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, July 4-7, 1957. C. Windheuser, Smithsonian Reference Services volunteer, advised the folder holds 2 copies of program for 4th festival 1957, the program does not include Ellington but uses his image for a record ad.
                Email Windheuser-Palmquist Feb/Mar 2016...djp2016-05-02
                updated
                2021-11-17
                1957 07 04
                Thursday
                .Lake Tippecanoe, Ind.Lake Tippecanoe

                DUKE ELLINGTON
                JULY 4th
                LAKE TIPPECANOE

                Appears to be a dance.
                Muncie Evening Press, Muncie, Ind.
                1957-07-02 p.6
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2021-11-17
                1957 07 05
                Friday
                .Glencoe, Ill.Lake Shore Country Club.Stratemann p.377....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-27
                1957 07 06
                Saturday
                .Spring Valley, Ill.Les Buzz BallroomDancing 9:30 till 1:30 (dst)
                Adv.$2.00 Door $2.25
                Ads:
                • DeKalb Daily Chronicle. DeKalb, Ill., 1957-07-05 p.9
                • The Daily Gazette, Sterling-Rock Falls, Ill., 1957-07-05 p.3
                • The Morris (Ill.)Daily Herald, 1957-07-05 p.6
                ...djpNew
                added 2015-11-30
                1957 07 07
                Sunday
                .Marinette, Wisc.Silver DomeLikely a dance.
                (Escanaba and Marinette are about 55 miles apart, on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan)
                • Daily Press, Escanaba, Mich.
                  1957-07-03 p.2
                • Green Bay Press-Gazette, Green Bay, Wisc.
                  1957-07-05 p.20
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-11-30
                updated
                2018-11-22
                1957 07 08
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 07 09
                Tuesday
                .Delavan, Wisc.Dutch Mill Ballroom
                Delavan Lake
                (Delevan is less than an hour drive north-northeast of Belvidere. The ballroom was destroyed by fire the night of Saturday 1957 12 21)
                • Belvidere Daily Republican, Belvidere, Ill.
                  1957-07-05 p.8
                • Rockford Register-Republic, Rockford,Ill.
                  1957-07-05 p.B9
                • Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.,
                  1957-12-23 p.8
                • Janesville Daily Gazette, Janesville, Wisc.
                  1957-06-22 p.42
                • Racine Journal-Times, Racine, Wisc.
                  1957-07-05 p.19
                ...APG x3Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-30
                2018-11-22
                1957 07 10
                Wednesday
                1957 07 21Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                nightclub
                Beginning of the 2 five day week residency per the contract signed 1957 01 10
                • 15 musicians and 1 vocalist
                • led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington"
                • to the Blue Note on August 21, 1957 for two weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee.

                During this residency, African drummer Guy Warren (aka Kofi Ghanaba) played in the band, either as a sub for Sam Woodyard or with both of them playing.
                Carl Woideck, Duke Ellington Study Group Conference, Amsterdam, 2014 presentation Encounters with Africa, citing Down Beat review....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-27
                2015-11-02
                1957 07 11
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10
                ......
                1957 07 12
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 07 10
                Remote NBC Monitor broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Henderson Chambers, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Guy Warren, Grissom, Bailey
                Titles broadcast:
                • Rock City Rock
                • You Better Know It
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                Note Timner V dates the recording July 12 but the broadcast July 13. This is consistent with the Monitor policy of feeding broadcasts to network stations on weekends.
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5727
                ...Added
                2011
                Updated
                2015-12-21
                1957 07 13
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 07 14
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10

                Matinee and evening performances
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 07 15
                Monday
                .Detroit, Mich.Graystone Out Door GardenDetroit Free Press:

                'SIX HOURS of continuous music will go on in the "Battle of Jazz: Monday evening at the Graystone Out Door Garden. Opposing forces will be Duke Ellington and his orchestra featuring Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Grissom and Ray Nance against Stan Kenton and his 20-piece orchestra.'

                Down Beat:

                'Detroit--Duke Ellington and Stan Kenton were involved in a "battle of the bands" at the Greystone Outdoor Gardens in July.'

                • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
                  1957-07-13 p.4
                • Strictly Ad Lib,
                  Down Beat 1957-08-08
                  courtesy S. Lasker 2021-11-12
                ...djp/slNew
                Added
                2021-11-15
                1957 07 16
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteActivities not documented - Believed to be a day off from the Blue Note.....Added
                2011
                1957 07 17
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 07 18
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 07 19
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 07 20
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 07 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 07 21
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteEnd of night club residency - see 1957 07 10

                Matinee and evening performances
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 07 22
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 07 23
                Tuesday
                .Buffalo, N.Y.Kleinhans Music HallEllington Night at the Summer Pops at Kleinhans Music Hall
                featuring Duke Ellington and His Rhythm Section
                The concert was broadcast on WEBN and WBEN-FM:
                Duke Ellington and His Rhythm with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
                Ellington, Woode, Woodyard and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra

                Titles recorded:
                • Night Creature
                • New World A-Comin'
                • Stalking Monster
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Portrait in Blues or Ad Lib Blues
                • Mood Indigo
                Kenneth Gill's review:

                'Jazz's 'Duke' Shows Genius At Concert

                  There were few empty seats...
                  Offering his own symphonic creations, as well as his tuneful ballads and pop tunes, the envy of the musical sophisticats cast his performance spell over the large audience, drawing forth ever mounting applause and the insistence upon encores.
                  To the accompaniment of Conductor Willis Page and the orchestra the "Duke" served as piano solist [sic] for his own "New World A-Comin'" and the second segment of his cycle "Night Creature."
                  The first, a rhapsodic elaboration of generous proportions, asked much in orchestration and mood. There was some fudging of the intricate keyboard and instrumental figures but the overall impression was spectacular enough to satisfy the eager followers.
                  In the nocturnal poem, the writing fell better in the performers hands,...
                  For his second showing the exponent of "Caravan," "Sophisticated Lady," "I Got It Bad" and "Solitude" took these tunes in medley, added the rhythm of bassist James Goode [sic] and drummer Sam Woodyard and finally gave his listeners the moment they awaited.
                  Each of these returned interrupting applause and the demand for a quick supply of encores.'

                • Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y.,
                  • Loblaw's ad, 1957-07-18 p.10
                  • Radio-TV notes 1957-07-23 p.4
                  • Gill review, 1957-07-24 p.11
                • Buffalo Criterion, Buffalo, N.Y. 1957-07-20 p.6
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.174
                New Desor
                DE5728
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-02
                2015-12-09
                2015-12-26
                1957 07 24
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 07 25
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 07 26
                Friday
                .Erie, Penn.Rainbow Garden.The Derrick, Oil City-Frnaklin-Clarion, Penn., 1957-07-18 p.28...APG, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                1957 07 27
                Saturday
                .Stony Brook, N.Y.Dogwood Hollow (amphitheatre)Recorded concert, Stony Brook Music Festival, sponsored by the Security National Bank
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Black And Tan Fantasy
                • Newport Up
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum
                • You Better Know It
                • Jeep's Blues
                • All Of Me
                • Rock City Rock
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley

                The medley consisted of:
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • C-Jam Blues
                • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore

                Stratemann:

                'Under the theme 'symphony vs. jazz,' the Ellington band did the second half of the concert with the NBC-TV Wide Wide World Symphony Orchestra under David Broekman.'

                The Advance:

                'STONY BROOK–Duke Ellington and his orchestra will make their Long Island debut in Dogwood Hollow here July 27. Duke's appearance at the only major music festival on Long Island is an answer to the thousands of requests received by the festival committee for a jazz night to be added to the concert series.
                  David Broekman, conducting the NBC Wide Wide World Symphony Orchestra, has composed and arranged a novel and exciting program of music with a "Jazz Versus Classics" theme. For the first time since the music festival's inception, a community minded organization, the Security National Bank, will be sponsoring this evening of music.'

                Warren Forbes of Patchogue, met Duke and showed him a mural he had on display in Dogwood Hollow depicting a fantasy-interpretation of some 30 Ellington compositions.
                • Stratemann p.377
                • Vail II p.124
                • The Long Islander
                  • 1957-06-27 s.4, p.1
                  • 1957-07-04 s.2 p.8
                • The Suffolk County News, Sayville, N.Y. 1957-06-28 p.14
                • The Advance, Patchogue, N.Y.
                  • 1957-07-04, s.3, p.5
                  • 1957-08-01 p.1
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.174
                New Desor
                DE5729
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-21
                1957 07 28
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                Stratemann and Vail show a performance at the Music Barn in Lenox, Mass. without citing sources. While the band was booked there that night, its appearance was postponed to August 1, and Billie Holiday performed instead.
                • Stratemann p.377
                • Vail II
                • The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass.
                  • 1957-06-11 p.8
                  • 1957-07-19 p.6
                • The North Adams, Massachusetts, Transcript 1957-07-25 p.2
                ...APG, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-02
                2015-11-15
                1957 07 29
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.East River Park amphitheatreRecorded 90-minute concert with a remote WNBC/WHYNC radio broadcast. This was the eighth concert of a series sponsored by The Lower East Side Neighborhood Association called Evenings By The River.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey
                Titles broadcast/recorded:
                • Star Spangled Banner
                • Black And Tan Fantasy
                • Perdido
                • Clarinet Melodrama
                • Theme for Trambean
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Congo Square
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum
                • You Better Know It
                • V.I.P. Boogie
                • Jam With Sam
                • The Hawk Talks
                • Jeep's Blues
                • All Of Me
                • Flamingo
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Rock City Rock
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley

                The medley consisted of
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • C-Jam Blues
                • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Stratemann p.377
                • Vail II p.157
                • New York Times radio log 1957-07-29
                • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y., 1957-07-27 p.14
                • New York Age, New York, N.Y., 1957-07-27 p.16
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  p.174
                New Desor
                DE5730
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-07-13
                2015-12-04
                2015-12-21
                1957 07 30
                Tuesday
                1957 08 04..Stratemann shows a week-long appearance at the Cotton Club in Atlantic City based on Variety. Vail lists it as well, without showing a source. Since it conflicts with the Music Barn and Buckeye Lake performances, it seems likely the Cotton Club engagement was cancelled or shortened. Additional research is needed.
              • Stratemann p.377 citing Variety 1957-07-31 p.109
              • Vail II
              • ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-02
                1957 07 31
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                -see 1957 07 30
                .....Added
                2011

                August 1957

                1957 08 01
                Thursday
                .Lenox, Mass.Music BarnConcert, 8.40 p.m.
                (see 1957 07 28)
                Milton Bass:

                '...Ellington delighted and excited an over-capacity audience of 1,200...Right from the opening "Blues" last night one was aware that here was an orchestra that could blow sweet, loud or dirty, whichever the occasion demanded.
                  Most of the numbers...were Ellington originals, a great many from his latest compositions "Newport Suite" and "A Drum Is a Woman." There was a solo opportunity for nearly every one of the sidemen and with a band that boasts Johnny Hodges...Harry Carney...Ray Nance and "Cat" Anderson ... Sam Woodyard... and the Duke himself on piano, you can be sure that each solo was outstanding.
                  This is a well-balanced band with eight brass, five reeds, three rhythm and singers James Grissim [sic] and Ossie [sic] Bailey...
                  High Point of the evening was the medley at the end when some 13 Ellington compositions were played. These included such classics as "Caravan," "Mood Indigo," "In My Solitude," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me" and the "C Jam Blues." There were some who probably regarded drummer Sam Woodyard's solo on "Skin Deep" as the climax, but who cares what people like that think. Woodyard is an excellent drummer, however, and performed his solo in bang-up fashion.
                  As an encore,the band performed "Crescendo" and "Diminuendo" from the Newport compostion and tenor man Paul Gonsalves took 4,987,654 choruses. He rides but he doesn't swing, and it was a piece of sound and fury with the usual meaning. Everybody had a good time, however, and that is the important thing they keep telling me every week.
                  It was wonderful to see the handsome, royal Duke, and it was great to hear a band that can make a sound like that. It's not at all like Lawrence Welk and that indeed is something to be thankful for.'

                • The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass.
                  • 1957-07-19 p.6
                  • 1957-07-30 p.9
                  • 1957-08-02 p.7 (Bass review)
                • The North Adams, Massachusetts, Transcript
                  • 1957-07-25 p.2
                  • 1957-07-30 p.5
                ...APG x6/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-02
                1957 08 02
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                -see 1957 07 30
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 08 03
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                -see 1957 07 30
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 08 04
                Sunday
                .Columbus, OhioCrystal Ballroom
                Buckeye Lake Park
                .
              • The Newark Advocate, Newark, Ohio, 1957-07-25 p.41
              • The Zanesville (Ohio) Signal
                • 1957-07-23 p.8
                • 1957-07-25 p.41
              • ...APG x3/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-02
                1957 08 05
                Monday
                .Buckeye Lake, OhioSkateland
                Buckeye Lake Park.
                One-nighter
                • The Times Recorder,
                  Zanesville, Ohio
                  • 1957-07-23 p.2
                  • 1957-07-24 p.8
                  • 1957-07-31 p.5
                • The Newark Advocate,
                  Newark, Ohio
                  1957-08-01 p.33
                • The Lancaster, (O), Eagle-Gazette,
                  Lancaster, Ohio
                  1957-08-02 p.15
                ....New
                added
                2018-11-22
                1957 08 06
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 07
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill..Ellington was interviewed in Chicago by Howard Miller for his CBS network Howard Miller Show for Chicago radio station WIND. The date is confirmed by Ellington mentioning he would be performing that evening in Waterloo.
                • In late 1955, The Billboard reported CBS was dropping its disc jockey program formats, but described Miller's show as

                  'A rather notable exception to this policy is the new Howard Miller show, which is heard across the baord over CBS from 11:45 to noon...'

                • Miller intoduces the Ellington interview by referring to the Look Magazine featuring him. That is the August 20 edition - see below.
                ...B Koller, djpNew
                added
                2019-05-30
                updated
                2019-06-02
                1957 08 07
                Wednesday
                .Waterloo, IowaElectric Park BallroomDance....APGAdded
                2011
                1957 08 08
                Thursday
                1957 08 09
                Friday
                West Salem, Wisc. La Crosse Inter-State Fairgrounds
                Hwy. 16 at County Trunk M
                (east of La Crosse)
                This was the first fair at these new fairgrounds.
                67th annual La Crosse Inter-State Fair

                • Grandstand shows with Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra, The Adaros, Bob Ross and Maxine Stone, Peterson and Gray and Gus and Gregg in front of the grandstand were booked for 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. each day, but the Thursday evening and Friday afternoon shows were cancelled due to rain.
                • Admission: Adults, 90 cents, children, 35 cents, tax included.
                • Tribune, June 23:

                  'On Thursday and Friday afternoon and evening the fair crowds will be entertained by Duke Ellington and his show. Each performance will be two hours long, Frisch said.'

                • Tribune, Aug. 8:

                  '...the Duke Ellington show in front of the grandstand. This show has been drawing crowds at fairs it has appeared at this season. The Ellington troupe is a musical extravaganza augmented with numerous acts secured by the fair association. The acts during the past several days were at Bellevue, Ill. '

                • Tribune, Aug.9:

                  'The periodic drizzling rain Thursday night forced cancellation of the Duke Ellington stage show in front of the new bleachers at the race track. Afternoon and night shows were scheduled for Friday, with the troupe pulling out during the night or early Saturday for other engagements.'

                  Thursday, Ellington was photographed standing outside his bus looking skyward, surrounded by fans Dick Rozelle, Kenneth Moe, Sharon Crews, Linnea Hayek and Karen Odbert.
                • Tribune, Aug.10

                  'Showers of varying intensity and some of them seemed to be downpours Friday afternoon did more than lay the dust at the new Inter-State Fairgrounds...The dirt areas adjoining the crushed rock streets and parking areas became lakes, causing no end of trouble for Secretary Joseph W. Frisch and his staff as they tried to help concession stand operators and others protect their investments,
                       It was the first time in the history of the fair association that Frisch and his staff had to wear hip boots in travling [sic] around the grounds...
                       The race track was a "soup bowl." Frisch and his staff sank to their ankles in crossing it to reach the stage on the infield in front of the bleachers.
                       The afternoon grandstand program, of course, was washed out. Two sections of the stage on the infield were floating, and drainage had to be improvised in a hurry to get them back on their footings.
                       Farm implement and heavy machinery dealers and distributors having displays on the grounds had their tractors and caterpillars running pretty much of the afternoon digging ditches and operating post hole diggers to drain the grounds. The machinery even was used to pull automobiles, trucks and buses out of the mud.
                       At 5 p.m., after the last deluge, the skies began to clear. It was decided to put on the evening Duke Ellington show in front of the grandstand.
                       A caterpillar and rubber-tried [sic] farm wagon hauled a piano to the stage. In crossing the race track the wagon wheels sank almost to the hubcaps. But the piano was delivered and brought back after the show without mishap.
                       Late Friday afternoon it was decided to call off Saturday's horse racing program. After all, the horses aren't expected to be skindivers. Harness horse racing is done on a fast time basis, not a 'start today and finish next week' basis...
                       After the skies cleared late Friday and the grounds begin drying up somewhat from the lake and marsh picture that presented itself during and immediately following the series of showers, spectators began arriving. By mid-evening the parking lot was jammed and the carnival area, independent midway and buildings filled with spectators. There was a good crowd for the Duke Ellington show.'

                • The La Crosse Tribune and The La Crosse Sunday Tribune, La Crosse, Wisc.:
                  • 1957-06-23, p.6
                  • 1957-07-28 pp.13, 20
                  • 1957-08-04 p.5
                  • 1957-08-05 p.3
                  • 1957-08-06 p.7
                  • 1957-08-07 p.8
                  • 1957-08-08 pp.1, 3
                  • 1957-08-09 pp.1, 6, 9, s.2 p.7
                  • 1957-08-10 pp. 1,6
                • Cavalcade of Fairs,
                  The Billboard 1957-11-25, pp.163-164
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                updated
                2018-11-22
                2021-11-17
                1957 08 09
                Friday
                .West Salem, Wisc. La Crosse Inter-State FairgroundsGrandstand show, 8 p.m. - see 1957-08-08

                Two shows were scheduled but the afternoon show was cancelled due to weather.

                Ellington was to be interviewed in a WKBT television program 6 p.m. Friday.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                2021-11-17
                1957 08 10
                Saturday
                .Marion, IowaArmar Ballroom
                1st Avenue
                COMING SATURDAY
                I-N P-E-R-S-O-N

                America's Genius of Modern
                Music
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON

                and his famous orchestra,

                featuring a host of
                recording artists
                Admission Just $1.55 plus tax
                Make Reservations Early!

                The ballroom was on the Marion side of the border between Cedar Rapids and its suburb, Marion. It appears to have been, at one time, an airplane hangar.
                • Ads, The Cedar Rapids Gazette:
                  • 1957-08-07 p.31
                  • 1957-08-08 p.16
                • Location info:
                  • Dave Adkins, Ramblings: A Piece of My Mind, ISBN e-book 978-1-5035-6456-5, chapter 12
                  • John Behrens, America's Music Makers: Big Bands & Ballrooms 1912-2011, p.57
                ...APGAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-30
                1957 08 11
                Sunday
                .Norfolk, Nebr.King's

                The World Famous
                "Duke Ellington"
                And His Orchestra
                Admission $2.00 tax pd.
                Doors Open 7:30 P.M.
                NO RESERVATIONS

                Neligh News, Neligh, Nebr.
                1957-08-08 p.4.
                ...djpNew
                added
                2021-11-17.
                1957 08 12
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 13
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 14
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 15
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 16
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 17
                Saturday
                .Springfield, Ill.Illinois State Fair GroundsGrandstand show
                state fair

                Also on the bill: film star Rhonda Fleming, comedian Dick Shawn and actor James Arness (star of the TV series Gunsmoke)
                • Stratemann p.377 citing Variety 1957-08-07 p.5
                • Edwardsville Intelligencer,
                  Edwardsville, Ill, 1957-08-08 p.2
                • UP wirestory, The Hammond Times,
                  Hammond, Ind., 1957-08-18 p.A-8
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-12
                2018-11-22
                1957 08 18
                Sunday
                .St. Louis, Mo.Club Riviera
                4460 Delmar

                'Club Riviera
                4460 Delmar
                SUNDAY NITE, AUG.18
                One Nite Only 6 'Til Midnight
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                and his Orchestra
                in Concert and Dance
                ... '

                Stratemann (citing DESB) and Vail report ex-band member Jimmy Forrest sat in on tenor this date.
                • St.Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.
                  • 1957-08-09 p.6D
                  • 1957-08-11 p.7F
                • Stratemann p.377 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-12
                2015-12-25
                1957 08 19
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 08 20
                Tuesday
                ... Peripheral event
                Mike McManus:

                'The current issue of Look magazine presents a good pictorial biography on the great Duke Ellington...'

                According to the Library of Congress website, the bi-weekly American photo magazine Look 1957-08-20 edition ran a feature produced by David Zingg and titled Duke Ellington: a living legend swings on. The database shows photographer Charlotte Brooks placed 28 photos in Look's library on 1957 02 18, and 10 of these were used in the article.
                The magazine was distributed well before August 20; it is mentioned in the Binghamton Press August 11 and is mentioned by broadcaster Howard Miller in the introduction to his August 7 Ellington interview.
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-07
                updated
                2019-06-02
                1957 08 20
                Tuesday
                .Monticello, Ind.Indiana Beach Ballroom
                Shafer Lake
                Dance
                • The Logansport Press,
                  Logansport, Ind.,
                  1957-08-17 p.3 and p.8 (evening edition)
                • The Indianpolis Star
                  Indianapolis, Ind.
                  • 1957-08-19 p.13
                  • 1957-08-20 p.26
                  • The Journal and Courier, Lafayette, Ind.
                    1957-08-17 p.5
                  • Stratemann p.377 citing DESB
                ...APGAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-30
                2018-11-22
                2021-11-17
                1957 08 21
                Wednesday
                1957 09 04Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency per contract made 1957 06 11 with "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note."

                Ellington and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" for two weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee. The fee was $5,000/week less 10% to Associated Booking.
                • Chicago Daily News
                  Chicago, Ill.
                  1957-08-17 p.,10
                • Stratemann p.377
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-02
                2021-11-17
                1957 08 22
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 23
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 24
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21

                Radio remote:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestras
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey

                Titles recorded:
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum
                • Newport Up
                • Jeep's Blues
                The show appears to have been NBCs Monitor programme - see 1956 01 19.
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.176
                New Desor
                DE5731
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-22
                2021-11-17
                1957 08 25
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21

                Matinee and evening performances
                .....Added
                2011
                1957 08 26
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill..Activities not documented - Blue Note day off.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 27
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill..Activities not documented - Blue Note day off.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 28
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 29
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 30
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21.....Added
                2011
                1957 08 31
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21

                Remote broadcast:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Sherrill, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Rhumbop
                • Pomegranate
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                The show appears to have been NBCs Monitor programme - see 1956 01 19.
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.176
                New Desor
                DE5732
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-22
                2021-11-17

                September 1957

                1957 09 01
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1957 08 21

                Matinee and evening performances

                This would be the last working night of the two week engagement which began on Wednesday, 1957 08 21, because it is the 10th day of the contract, which provided for two five day weeks.
                ....djpadded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-23
                1957 09 02
                Monday
                Labour Day
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal StudioFifth Verve recording session for the Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook project - see 1957 06 24
                Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
                • Personnel per New Desor and Girvan:
                  High brass:
                     Anderson, Baker, Cook, Nance, Terry
                  Low brass:
                     Woodman, Jackson, Sanders
                  Reeds:
                     Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney
                  Rhythm:
                     Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Personnel per MacHare:
                  High brass:
                     Anderson, Cook, Nance, Terry
                  Low brass:
                     Jackson, Woodman, Sanders
                  Reeds:
                     Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Frank Foster, Carney
                  Rhythm:
                     Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard
                • Personnel per Timner V:
                  High brass:
                     Anderson, Baker, Cook,Terry
                  Low brass:
                     Jackson, Woodman, Sanders
                  Reeds:
                     Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Frank Foster, Carney
                  Rhythm:
                     Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard
                • The Nielsen and Jepsen sessionographies do not show personnel specific to this session.
                • Down Beat reported Norman Granz was present at the session.
                Titles recorded:
                • Royal Ancestry
                • All Heart
                • Beyond Category
                • Total Jazz
                • Down Beat 1957-10-17
                  courtesy S.Lasker
                New Desor
                DE5733
                NDCS 1006
                DEMS
                corrTimner-4/?+31
                djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-18
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-15
                1957 09 02
                Monday
                Labour Day
                .Chicago, Ill..Timner and Stratemann report a recording session for the Argo label by The Jimmy Woode All Stars, a septet which included Terry, Gonsalves, Woode and Woodyard, on this date. Six titles were recorded. Argo LP 630 was released in 1958 with the title The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode.
                The exact location of the studio is unstated, Timner only says Chicago.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2015-11-18
                1957 09 02
                Monday
                Labour Day
                .Le Roy, Ill..Dancing, 9 to 1 DST
                Le Roy's 18th Annual Free Fall Festival

                Although the festival was free, the evening dances were not. The price for Ellington was advertised as $1.82 plus tax and the venue is not named. In 2021 the festival was at "Downtown and Kiwanis Park."

                Ellington's appearance appears to be the last evening of a six-day affair promoted by Gem City Shows.
                Since this was Monday, Ellington and his orchestra had the day off from the Blue Note. This appearance may conflict with the two Sept. 2 recording sessions noted above, but the dance was scheduled for 9 p.m. and Le Roy is only about 50 miles from the centre of Chicago.
                • The Farmer City Journal, Farmer City, Ill.
                  • 1957-08-22 p.8
                • The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.
                  • 1957-08-27 p.2
                  • 1957-09-02 p.2
                • The Billboard 1957-09-02 p.75
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-02
                2015-11-18
                2021-11-17
                1957 09 03
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill..Blue Note day off - band activities not documented other than a Johnny Hodges recording session..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1957 09 04
                Wednesday
                .Toronto, Ont.City HallAccording to Stratemann and Vail, Ellington was in Toronto briefly for a reception. Neither names a source, and the purpose of the reception is undocumented.....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-22
                1957 09 05
                Thursday
                .Stratford, Ont.Festival TheatreAfternoon concert, Shakespearean Festival
                Ticket prices: $4.00, $2.50 and $1.00
                Barb Latham's review:

                '...Stratford... was invaded by 830 Duke Ellington fans who had come from many points to see and hear Mr. Ellington and his orchestra perform their latest musical spectacular, Such Sweet Thunder...[ here Ms Latham names several movements and soloists Hamilton, Gonsalves, and Hodges]
                  If the audience's reaction to the performance at Stratford is any indication, Such Sweet Thunder ought to make a lot of people sit up and take notice.
                  The second half of the program was comprised of excerpts from Duke's not-so-recent work, A Drum is A Woman. They should have left the music behind. It really suffered in comparison with the excellence of Such Sweet Thunder.
                  The vocals were handled by Margaret Tynes, Joya Sherrill and Ozzie Bailey. The girls seemed more interested in displaying their charms than in singing. Perhaps that was partly the fault of the band. Three-quarters of the time the accompaniment was so loud you couldn't hear the voices.
                  The only thing that saved the second part of the program from being a flop was the addition of several old Ellington Standards such as Mood Indigo, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me and In My Solitude. This time the vocals by Ozzie Bailey, Jimmy Grissom and Ray Nance were superb.'

                Jack Chambers in his comprehensive Coda magazine article reprinted in DEMS 05/1-43:

                'When the Stratford program for 1957 was announced, Ellington was not included. He then had to persuade the program committee to bring him in as a late addition (see 1957 04 29 above).

                Ellington would return to Stratford three more times:
                • 1963 - to write incidental music for Timon of Athens
                • May 1966, concert
                • July 1968, Sacred Concert

                At least part of the concert was recorded, despite Mr. Chambers' statement to the contrary:

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                Shakespearean Suite, Such Sweet Thunder:
                • Sonnet For Caesar
                • Sonnet To Hank Cinq
                • The Telecasters
                • Lady Mac
                • Circle Of Fourths
                • Sonnet In Search Of A Moor
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • Sonnet For Sister Kate
                • Up And Down, Up And Down
                • Star-Crossed Lovers
                • Madness In Great Ones
                The above recordings are in the hands of collectors. It seems odd that only the first half of the concert would have been recorded, so whoever the source of these recordings is may also have the second half, as described by Ms Latham.

                CAUTION:
                At the time of writing, various on-line music vendors advertise Music and Arts CD 616 titled Duke Ellington Live at the 1957 Stratford Festival "made from an aircheck recorded on a set of lacquer discs, not on tape." The track listing for that CD shows it has only music recorded at Stratford in 1956 - see New Desor DE5618.
                The suite, minus the last (unfinished) movement, premiered 1957 04 28 in a concert at Town Hall, New York City, and was also performed (and broadcast) at the Ravinia festival 1957 07 01. That broadcast is likely the version played on Seattle's KIRO Radio Sunday afternoon, 1957 07 07.

                The five recording sessions for the long playing album were in August and December 1956 and April and early May, 1957. The album was issued September according to the Columbia album page at http://www.bsnpubs.com/columbia/columbia12/columbia1000.html. This month is somewhat corroborated by The New Orleans Times-Picayune which says in its July 7 edition that the album will be released in Canada in the near future, and by The Sept. 19 edition of The Boston Traveler which says Ellington has the new album (although the reviewer wrote that his copy had been stolen). Newspaper ads for the album first seem to appear in October.
                The album received critical acclaim, and is discussed to some extent in many Ellington biographies. I have listed several sources shown as of the time of writing in Wikipedia but have not attempted to differentiate between those that discuss the record and those which describe this festival performance, nor have I attempted to place them in order of significance.
                • "Mood Indigo & Beyond"
                  Time magazine 1956-08-20
                • Harry Rasky interview, ca. 1957-04-29
                • The Times-Picayune, New Orleans States,
                  New Orleans, La. 1957-07-07 s.2 p.10
                • Down Beat (courtesy S.Lasker)
                  • 1957-08-08 p.9
                  • 1957-07-25 (re ticket prices)
                • Barb Latham,
                  Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Man.
                  1957-09-21 p.40
                • Irving Townsend (1960) "When Duke records." Reprinted in Mark Tucker, ed., The Duke Ellington Reader. New York: Oxford University Press, pp.320, 321
                • Bob Smith interview, Georgian Towers Hotel, Vancouver. Broadcast on "Hot Air," CBC radio (Vancouver), 1 November 1962
                • Mark Tucker (1991). Ellington: The Early Years. Oxford: Bayou Press. p.25
                • MIMM, p. 192
                • DEIP, p. 117
                • Don George (1981) Sweet Man: The Real Duke Ellington. New York: Putnam's Sons, pp. 136, 256
                • Marsalis, Wynton,
                  What Jazz is and Isn't,
                  New York Times, New York, N.Y.
                  1988-07-31
                • Tucker, Mark. The Duke Ellington Reader. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993:
                  • Harrison, Max. Max Harrison: Some Reflections on Ellington's Longer Works p.393
                  • Crouch, Stanley Stanley Crouch on Such Sweet Thunder, Suite Thursday, and Anatomy of a Murder
                • Hasse, John. Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington. New York: Simon & Schuster. 1993, pp. 331-333, 362
                • Kernfeld, Barry. New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. St. Martin's Press, 1994, p.331
                • Nicholson, Stuart. Reminiscing in Tempo: A Portrait of Duke Ellington. Northeastern University Press, 1999
                • Lambert, Eddie. Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1999. Esp. pp. 193-194.
                • Stratemann p.377
                • Vail II
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                • Jack Chambers, Bardland: Shakespeare in Ellington's World, Coda magazine March/April 2005, reprinted in DEMS 05/1-43, citing
                  • Stanley Dance (1970) The World of Duke Ellington. London: Macmillan, p.28
                  • Sources listed in Wikipedia:
                    • Bradbury, David. Duke Ellington. London: Haus, 2005. Esp. pp. 91
                    • Borrowers and Lenders: The Journal of Shakespeare and Appropriation Vol. 1, 2005
                    • Lanier, Douglas. To Be-Bop or Not to Be-Bop; Minstrelsy, Jazz, Rap: Shakespeare, African American Music, and Cultural Legitimation
                    • Buhler, Stephen M. Form and Character in Duke Ellington's and Billy Strayhorn's Such Sweet Thunder
                New Desor
                DE5734
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-28
                2015-12-02
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-15
                1957 09 06
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 07
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 08
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 09
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                10:30-13:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                • Commercial Time
                • Tenderly
                • Autumn Leaves
                • Mood Indigo
                In DEMS 83/2 Jerry Valburn writes
                ... One final interesting item on the use of "Sergeant Was Shy" on the Columbia "JAZZ MAKERS" record. At the time this record was being produced, Columbia could not find metal parts for this item. The record was borrowed (78 copy) from ... Boris Rose and it was transferred during an actual Ellington recording session at the Columbia Studios. It is from the New York session of 9Sep57 and this is exactly how the recording ledger reads!
                                   Job# 34715- September 9, 1957
                CO 59716 COMMERCIAL TIME ,(B. Rose, use of
                recordings, $60.00)
                CO 59717 (SM41526) TENDERLY (Jimmy Grissom)
                CO 59718 AUTUMN LEAVES (Ozzie Bailey) (Remade
                October 1, 1957)
                CO 59719 MOOD INDIGO
                So not only was Rose's material transferred at this session, but the time and payment to Rose were charged to Ellington's session and even assigned a Master Number!
                Aasland clarifies this in DEMS 85/1:

                '...Mr. Valburm let us know how the Columbia ledger reads for this recording date leading us ... to believe that mx CO597l6 for "Commercial Time" should in fact stand for a remake fron a borrowed copy of "Sergeant Was Shy"(28Aug39). Well, it is not. It is a Duke Ellington-Rick Henderson composition which we now can listen to for the first time. The tune seens rather reminiscent of another one, however we have not yet detected which one... '

                Sjef Hoefsmit discusses Autumn Leaves on DEMS 98/3-13.
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • corrTimner-4/26
                New Desor
                DE5735
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-11-29
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 09 10
                Tuesday
                1957 09 15Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNight club residency, including matinee on Sunday
                • Stratemann p.378 citing Variety 1957-08-28 p.46
                • Philadelphia Inquirer, ads:
                  • 1957-09-06 p.30
                  • 1957-09-13 p.31
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-30
                1957 09 11
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.CBS Studios "Vic Damone Show"

                Stratemann:

                '"During this engagement, it is assumed, Ellington made a side-trip to New York for the following TV appearance:
                Sept. 11 CBS-TV "The Vic Damone Show," New York.
                According to trade publications, this was singer Damone's final Wednesday night musical variety program (8:00 to 9:00 p.m.) in a series that had been on TV for two seasons. Hence it must be assumed that the date of Oct. 11, 1957, found elsewhere, for the Ellington appearance is incorrect. The pianist played a guest role with the Show's Bert Farber orchestra and the Spellbinders vocal group, all of whom gave support to the host in a medley of Ellington compositions."'

                The one hour show was telecast at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. It seems likely to have been pre-taped since a live telecast would have conflicted with the Red Hill Inn job. Further research is needed.
                Ellington, Mr. Damone and the house orchestra led by Bert Farber played these titles:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Medley:
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Solitude*
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good*
                  • Caravan
                  * Damone sings
                New Desor
                DE5736
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-29
                1957 09 11
                Wednesday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnClub residency - see 1957 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 12
                Thursday
                ...Date of contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note from December 20, 1957 to January 2, 1958, for two weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee, off days specified as December 23 & 24 and Jan. 1 & 2.

                This contract includes the same headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions.

                The fee remains at $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.
                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
                added 2012-11-03
                1957 09 12
                Thursday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnClub residency - see 1957 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 13
                Friday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnClub residency - see 1957 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 14
                Saturday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnClub residency - see 1957 09 10.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 15
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnClub residency - see 1957 09 10

                The orchestra was scheduled to play a matinee, presumably in addition to the evening show.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-30
                1957 09 16
                Monday
                .Wilmington. Del.Playhouse.Stratemann p.378 citing DESB....Added
                2011
                1957 09 17
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 18
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 19
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 20
                Friday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Club Hernanos ball
                • Stratemann p.378 citing DESB
                • The Washington Afro-American, Washington, D.C. 1957-09-10
                ...APGAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-11-30
                2018-11-22
                1957 09 21
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 09 22
                Sunday
                .Troy, N.Y.Troy Savings Bank Music HallConcert, 4 p.m.
                (1,300 seat auditorium)
                Review by R. Rudert:
                • Started at 4:30, audience numbered about 300.
                • Was not well advertised on the Rensselaer Polytechnic campus.
                • Titles included Take the A Train, Perdido, Clarinet Melodrama, dance from Congo Square Theme, Take the A Train (full length), Skin Deep, Medley with Caravan, Don't Get Around Much Any More and Mood Indigo, Diminuendo and Crescenda in Blue.
                • Sound system inadequate
                • Stratemann p.378 citing Variety 1957-09-18 p.54
                • Knickerbocker News, Albany, N.Y.,
                  • 1957-09-18 p.12B
                  • 1957-09-23 p.12B
                • Times-Union, Albany,N.Y. 1957-09-22 p.B-8
                • Richard Rudert, The Rensselaer Polytechnic, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y. 1957-09-25 p.2
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-04
                2015-12-18
                2018-11-22
                1957 09 23
                Monday
                1957 09 29Boston, Mass.Storyville
                Copley Square Hotel
                Night club residency

                No cover charge except the Sunday matinee, which was $2.00
                Stratemann reports Ellington made a three-day trip to Los Angeles during this run, to attend a convention of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society. Ellington was interviewed there by a Frank Evans.
                Palmquist's note:
                I am seeking confirmation of Duke being absent, since the newspaper reports quoted herein make no mention. He was in Boston on opening day, and he was present on Friday as well, so he would have had to miss Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If that was so, why was in not mentioned by one of the columnists?
                At some time this week, the band was broadcast over a Mutual Broadcasting System remote radio feed:

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles broadcast/recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Jeep's Blues
                • Newport Up
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Just Squeeze Me
                Klaus Götting advises

                'Duke is clearly present, concluding A TRAIN saying; "This is Duke Ellington speaking to you from the Storyville in Boston..." and introducing the different numbers performed'


                George Clarke, Around Boston:

                'One amusing incident took place at Storyville at the premiere there of Duke Ellington and his band when patrons noticed that Jimmy Hamilton, the clarinetist, had what looked like a hearing aid in one ear. It wasn't. It was a tiny ear phone attached to a transistor set, and he was keeping the rest ofthe band informed on what was goin on - and playing clarinet at the same time!
                  George Wein flew in from New York for the opening, arriving around 4 o'clock Monday morning. When he reached the Copley Square hotel he found Duke Ellington alone in Storyville at the piano composing.
                  "What are you writing," asked George.
                  "A jazz suite for Teddy Wilson's tour," said the Duke.
                  "What do you call it??"
                  "I don't know yet." - And there he stayed until 6 in the morning....'

                McLellan:

                '  The Duke Ellington orchestra is the best jazz band in the country. And that means the world.
                  Listening to it each night this week at Storyville has been a wonderful musical experience...
                  To get that wealth of sound, you need a wealth of talent. Every man in the band is a soloist. And yet they blend and swing as one might unit.
                  The are all there - Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Quentin Jackson, Ray Nance and the others.
                  And smiling benignly over them all is ...-the Duke...
                  Duke could retire on the royalties alone from the songs he played in a 13-part medley during one set Monday night...
                  The Teenage Jazz Club opens its season tomorrow afternoon.
                  The first of the monthly meetings will be held at Storyville in the Copley Square Hotel. The time - 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
                  ...At Friday's meeting, Herb Pomeroy will bring his big band over ...
                  Father Norman O'Connor will be there. He's the Boston University Newman Club chaplain...
                  One final item. Although the Duke wouldn't commit himself, it wouldn't be surprising if he and some of the band were at the meeting. His publicits [sic] Joe Morgan is bringa a Life magazine photographer up from New York to cover the afternoon...'

                Emily Macy, "Talking Teen:"

                '...Duke Ellington is expected to put in a stellar appearance at the intial meeting of the Teenage Jazz Club at Storyville today. And Herb Pomeroy and his band will officiate along with Father Norman O'Connor...'

                McLellan:

                'Marian McPartland stopped off in Boston on her way back from England...
                  Marian also sat through Friday's Teenage Jazz Club meeting where she and Fr. O'Connor took turns requesting Duke Ellington to play their favorites... '

                • Stratemann p.378 citing Variety 1957-09-04 p.60
                • Email, Götting-Palmquist 2015-12-05
                • Boston Traveler,
                  • 1957-09-19 p.B2 (column)
                  • 1957-09-23 p.16c (ad)
                  • McLellan columns
                    • 1957-09-26 p.D19
                    • 1957-10-03 p.A 13
                • Boston Daily Record:
                  • Ad, 1957-09-23 p.29
                  • Sam Berenson column, 1957-09-23 p.33
                  • George Clarke column, 1957-09-25 p.31
                • Ad and publicity photo, Boston Herald, 1957-09-23 p.6
                • Macy column, Boston Evening American, 1957-09-27, p.42
                • Broadcast info:
                  • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                    Ellingtonia.com
                  • Timner
                  • Ole J. Nielsen
                    Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                    Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                    , p.177
                New Desor
                DE5737
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                2015-12-05
                1957 09 24
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1957 09 23
                My Boston column:

                '...Following the show at Blinstrub's [Tuesday], Myrna [Hansen] went to Storyville and was thrilled, with 300 others, by DUKE ELLINGTON's marvellous band... '

                Alan Frazer, My Boston, Boston Evening Amerian, Boston, Mass., 1957-09-26 p.39...djpadded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                1957 09 25
                Wednesday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1957 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 26
                Thursday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1957 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 27
                Friday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville3:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Ellington participated in a meeting of the Teenage Jazz Club - see columns quoted at 1957 09 23. .....New
                added
                2015-12-05
                1957 09 27
                Friday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1957 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 28
                Saturday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1957 09 23.....Added
                2011
                1957 09 29
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1957 09 23
                John McLellan's Sept. 19 column specifically said there would be no Sunday matinee, but the Sept. 23 ad said there would be one, with a $2.00 cover
                .....added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                1957 09 30
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                October 1957

                1957 10 01
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                19:45-22:45
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Henderson, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey


                Titles recorded:
                • Dancing In The Dark
                • Prelude To A Kiss
                • Autumn Leaves
                New Desor
                DE5738
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 10 02
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 03
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Fine Sound StudiosVerve recording session.
                Ellington and Strayhorn recorded the narratives for A Portrait of Ella Fitzgerald.
                .New Desor
                DE5739
                NDCS1006
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                2020-05-09
                1957 10 04
                Friday
                .Manchester, N.H.The CarouselEddie Rugg's column:

                '...And be reminded, too, of Duke Ellington's two big N.E. dates - tonight at the Carousel, tomorrow at Roseland-Taunton.'

                Ad:
                Attraction of the Year!
                CONCERT DANCE
                TONITE CAROUSEL
                MANCHESTER N.H.
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON
                and his Fabulous Band
                Sat., Oct. 5, Roseland, Taunton
                Boston Evening American 1957-10-04 p.34
                • Eddie Rugg, Let's Dance
                • Ad
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-04
                1957 10 05
                Saturday
                .Taunton, Mass.RoselandEddie Rugg's column:

                '...And be reminded, too, of Duke Ellington's two big N.E. dates - tonight at the Carousel, tomorrow at Roseland-Taunton.'

                Ad:
                Attraction of the Year!
                CONCERT DANCE
                TONITE CAROUSEL
                MANCHESTER N.H.
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON
                and his Fabulous Band
                Sat., Oct. 5, Roseland, Taunton
                Boston Evening American 1957-10-04 p.34
                • Eddie Rugg, Let's Dance
                • Ad
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-04
                1957 10 06
                Sunday
                .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz BallroomDancing 9 p.m.to 1 a.m.
                • The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn.
                  • 1957-10-05 p.17
                  • 1957-10-04 p.30
                • The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn.
                  • 1957-10-03 p.14
                  • 1957-10-04 p.7
                ...APG x4Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-06
                2021-11-17
                1957 10 07
                Monday
                .Portsmouth N.H.Senior High SchoolPortsmouth Police Relief Associaton Annual Police Ball featuring Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra, 9 p.m. - 1 a.m. in the new senior high school gymnasium.
                Tickets $1.50
                The Portsmouth Herald, Portsmouth, N.H.,
                • 1957-10-01 p.8
                • 1957-10-04 p.8
                • 1957-10-07 p.8
                • 1957-10-08 p.7
                ...APG x3Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-06
                2021-11-17
                1957 10 08
                Tuesday
                .Brunswick Naval Air Station
                (southwest of Brunswick, Me.)
                General Mess Hall
                .
                Dance, 8 p.m.
                Military personnel and dependents were invited to bring guests if they wished. No charge for admission.
                Webmaster's note:

                I was unable to find any mention of this event in searching October newspaper archives. Further research is needed to confirm it occurred.

                • The Bath Daily Times, Bath, Me.
                  1957-09-27
                • The Lewiston Evening Journal, Lewiston-Auburn, Me.
                  1957-09-28 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2024-04-08
                1957 10 09
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 10
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                23:30-02:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Duke Ellington and His Rhythm

                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                • Willow Weep for Me
                • Where or When
                • All The Things You Are
                • Night and Day
                New Desor
                DE5740
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26+32+36djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-06
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 10 11
                Friday
                .Hudson Falls, N.Y.Hudson Falls Central High School
                80 E. LaBarge St.
                Concert and Dance
                HUDSON FALLS KIWANIS CLUB PRESENTS
                'Duke' Ellington
                IN
                PERSON
                and His Famous Orchestra
                AT THE
                HUDSON FALLS CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
                FRIDAY , Oct. 11

                CONCERT and DANCE
                CONCERT 8:30 P.M. ---------- $2.50
                DANCE 10:00 P.M. ------------ $3.00
                COMBINATION TICKET ----- $5.00

                Kiwanis benefit for its underprivileged children's fund.
                • The Saratogian, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
                  • 1957-09-24 p.14
                  • 1957-10-02 p.14
                • The Post-Star, Glenn Falls, N.Y.
                  • 1957-10-09 p.12
                • Stratemann p.378
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-07
                2021-11-21
                1957 10 12
                Saturday
                .Abington, Penn.Abington High SchoolJenkintown Kiwanis Club benefit danceStratemann p.378 citing Variety 1957-09-25 p.58....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-06
                1957 10 13
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y..Standard Oil 75th Anniversary national telecast, NBC-TV. Broadcasting Telecasting magazine said the show ran from 9:00 to 10:30 p.m. EDT and was in colour.

                While Stratemann reported the production cost $50,000, Broadcasting Telecasting reported $650,000; it was one of three specials broadcast nationally by networks that evening.

                Given the complex and prestigious nature of the programme, it seems likely to have been prerecorded, so exactly when Ellington and his orchestra did their part needs to be researched. The show was widely advertised in newspapers across the nation.

                Videos of the show appear to be available for purchase; an internet search for "Standard Oil 75th Anniversary" at the time of writing turned up two sellers.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles telecast:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • The Telecasters
                • Lady Mac
                • Medley
                The medley consisted of:
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • Mood Indigo
                • Stratemann p.378 citing
                  • Variety 1957-10-16
                  • The Billboard 1957-10-21 p.17
                • Broadcasting Telecasting The Business Weekly of Radio and Television, 1957-10-07 p.19
                • Programme description: Paley Center for Media
                • "Last Night's Shows Reasonably Spectacular",
                  Miami Daily News, Miami, Fla.
                  • 1957-10-14 p.10 A
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen, Jazz Records 1942-80, discography: Vol. Six, Duke Ellington p.178
                New Desor
                DE5741
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-22
                2021-11-21
                1957 10 14
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                00:00-04:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                It isn't clear if this session started at midnight the night of Oct. 13-14 or at midnight the night of Oct. 14-15.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom
                Titles recorded:
                • Solitude
                • My Heart, My Mind, My Everything
                New Desor
                DE5742
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-24
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 10 15
                Tuesday
                .Auburn, N.Y.Auburn InnDance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce to raise funds for its annual program.The Geneva Times, Geneva, N.Y. 1957-10-04 p.2...APG/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-09
                1957 10 15
                Tuesday
                .Mamaroneck, N.Y..The October 8 Daily Times reported it had printed a typesetting error the previous day saying Duke Ellington would appear in the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community Conert series which would begin October 15. The statement related to a report of conductor Dimitri Mitopoulos's comments in "High Fidelity" about an appearance with Ellington.The Daily Times, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
                1957-10-08 p.18
                ...djpNew
                added
                2021-11-17.
                1957 10 16
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 17
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Madison Square GardenFilm producer Mike Todd held a widely reported and televised party for 18,000 to celebrate the first anniversary of his film "Around the World in 80 Days." Celebrities, including Todd's wife, the actress Elizabeth Taylor, attended, and there was to be a giveaway of thousands of presents including an airplane, foreign cars, a yacht, motor scooters, home appliances, furs, sewing machines, cats. Things got out of hand when people started breaking into the boxes of presents.

                Ellington and his orchestra were to play for dancing after the televising finished, but started playing shortly after 11:00 p.m. (Webmaster comment: The band may have started early as a way to quell the near riot described in the press.)

                INS wirestory:

                '...more of a parade than a party, more of a brawl than a ball.

                  ...started with the 18,000 invited guests sedately seated in their assigned places as a mob of thousands milled around outside.

                  Television cameras ground out the colorful costumed pageant around the arena while the audience watched and waited for the 1,800 cases of champagne that never arrived, although on hand. Some lucky people were served, some weren't, and a few sharp waiters peddled bottles of the bubbly for from $3 to $10.

                  The televised show closed with Elizabeth Taylor...cutting a 14-feet [sic] high cake that was 30-feet wide at its base and tinted pink for the benefit of the television cameras. Mrs. Todd climbed to the top via a staircase.

                  With the closing of the show, a mad dash to the floor of the arena slowed down to a one-step mob as the 18,000 guests surged onto the floor where 50 jeeps were lined up with food.

                  ...Dancing was scheduled but nobody had a chance to inch along, no less jump, to the sweet jive. The party didn't last until the late wee hours of the morning as advertised.

                  The mob was too much for New York's police and garden [sic] guards, and to save broken bones and ripped clothes, the lights blinked at midnight to announce the approaching end of the affair.
                  Within 20 minutes the Garden was closed...'

                • UP wirestory datelined New York, Ogden Standard Examiner, Ogden, Utah, 1957-10-28 p.4A
                • INS wirestory datelined New York, The Cedar Rapids Gazette, 1957-10-28 p.8
                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn. 1957-10-18, pp.1,10
                ...APG/djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-09
                1957 10 18
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 19
                Saturday
                ... Peripheral event
                Ruth Ellington's first "This is New York" social column appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier. The announcement in the Oct. 12 edition described her background, including
                • "hobnobbed with all the greats in bistro life."
                • mixing with the top echelon in Gotham's civic and social life
                • graduate of Columbia University
                • teaching
                • columnist for the New York edition of the Courier
                • president of a music firm
                • radio announcer
                • active in civic activities including
                  • NAACP
                  • USO
                  • League of Women's Voters
                  • Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
                  • National Council of Negro Women
                  • Mother of two sons, Michael and Stephen
                Palmquist's note: I don't yet know how long she wrote for the paper; I located only three of her columns, all in 1957, but the archive I used may not be complete.
                Pittsburgh Courier
                • Announcement, 1957-10-12 p.5
                • Column:
                  • 1957-10-19 p.7
                  • 1957-10-26 p.5
                  • 1957-12-28 p.14
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-09
                1957 10 19
                Saturday
                .Ann Arbor, Mich.Intramural Building
                University of Michigan
                University of Michigan "Mythigan" homecoming dance.
                Dress informal.
                • Dance poster, courtesy S.Lasker (email 2021-02-01)
                • The Michigan Daily, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
                  • 1957-10-08 p.5
                  • 1957-10-15 p.5
                • The Detroit Times, Detroit, Mich.
                  1957-10-18 p.8
                • The State Journal, Lansing, Mich.
                  1957-10-20 p.50
                ...djp, slNew
                added
                2021-11-14
                updated
                2021-11-17
                1957 10 20
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 21
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 22
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 23
                Wednesday
                ..Peripheral Event
                This is the date of the contract between Tempo Music Inc., John C. Sanders and Duke Ellington in which the composers assigned "E and D Blues" (Ella and Duke Blues) to Tempo. Ruth James signed on behalf of Tempo.
                "Forever Ellington" lot 44, Guernsey's on-line auction, 2016...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-22
                1957 10 23
                Wednesday
                .Toledo, OhioSports ArenaConcert and dance

                Lima News:

                'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will appear in the Toledo sports arena this week.
                  Ladies night at the arena, Ellington will appear Wednesday Oct. 23.'

                Ads and plugs announced a concert and dance, 8:30 to 12:30 A.M. Admissions: All ladies only 50 cents, Gentlemen $1.75
                • The Lima News, Lima, Ohio
                  • 1957-10-20 p.D6
                • Toledo Blade, Toledo, Ohio
                  • 1957-10-18 illegible page no.
                  • 1957-10-22 p.19
                  • 1957-10-23 approx. p.64
                • The Daily News, Fort Clinton-Oak Harbor, Ohio
                  • 1957-10-22 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-10
                2021-11-21
                1957 10 24
                Thursday
                .Lansing, Mich.Veterans' Memorial Auditorium
                Civic Center
                Concert 8:30 p.m. and dance 9:30-12:30
                Ladies 50¢, Gentlemen $1.75
                The review said the audience was discouragingly small but described Duke wowing the audience during the concert, and mentioned Sam Woodyard's 10 minute solo, the medley, Shakespeare [sic] Suite, and two hours of dancing.
                The State Journal, Lansing, Mich.
                • 1957-10-23 p.1
                • 1957-10-24 p.51
                • 1957-10-25 p.27
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2021-11-21
                1957 10 25
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 26
                Saturday
                .Kent, OhioUnion cafeteria
                Kent State University
                Reception, 7:30 p.m.

                'Meet The 'Duke'

                Duke Ellington fans will have a chance to meet him tomorrow night before the dance begins, thanks to Kappa Alpha Psi. The fraternity is sponsoring a reception in the Duke's honor tomorrow in the Union cafeteria, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Free coffee and refreshments will be served. '

                The Daily Kent Stater, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 1957-10-25 p.1...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-09
                1957 10 26
                Saturday
                .Kent, OhioMemorial Gymnasium
                Kent State University
                Homecoming dance
                The Sphinx club ran a contest to identify an unnamed baritone sax player, offering a free Ellington album and a ticket to the homecoming dance to anyone who could name him. The Sphinx club's contest was in connection with its application to affiliate with the Alpha Phi Alpha national fraternity, of which Duke was a member. The winner was Kent State student Joe Brule, from Huntsburg, a senior majoring in music education and a member of the KSU marching band.

                In order to make more room for dancing in the gym, a platform was built over the swimming pool for the stage. The campus paper reported 7,000 attended the dance.
                Published student comments:
                • Mike Corbissero - junior music major from Ashtabula:
                    "Terrific! I would like to see the dance split up next year with a big name dance band in the MPE building and a professional combo in Wills gym. Acoustics with the 'Duke' over the water were bad."
                • Ann Louise Hutchison - sophomore art major from Ravenna:
                    "As a whole, the weekend was a good one. I didn't care for the band because the music was not danceable. The house decorations catchy and colorful."
                • William Rlcks - freshman education major from Youngstown:
                    "Very nice. Most of the freshmen probably didn't care for the band because of its cabaret style. The idea of having the band over the water was good. Hats should be taken off to the social committee."
                • Sanford Baumbardner, sophomore biology major from Andover-:
                    "Although some say KSU only has one formal dance this year, I think the Homecoming dance was nice because it was formal without having that type of dress. The weekend was very well planned and exceptionally enjoyable. (By the way, I got pinned this weekend.)"
                • Joyce Towne - senior physical education major from Akron-
                    "House decorations by those who participated were very good on the whole. The main criticism I have is concerning the music by the band. It was the type for the small minority."
                • Ron Perry - senior general business major from Gasport, N. Y.-
                    "We needed a dance band, not a listening band. This should hold true when social committee is planning dances in the future. ..."
              • The Daily Kent Stater , Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
                • 1957-10-09 p.1
                • 1957-10-25 p.
                • 1957-10-29 p.1
                • 1957-10-31 p.2
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-09
                1957 10 27
                Sunday
                .Columbus, OhioValley Dale Ballroom
                1590 Sunbury Road
                ......Added
                2011
                1957 10 28
                Monday
                .Dayton, OhioMemorial HallJoint concert sponsored by the Auxiliary of the Disabled American Veterans.
                Ellington's orchestra shared on the bill with Woody Herman and his Third Herd, each playing an hour. While the promoter was quoted in the Journal Herald the day of the concert as reporting a near sellout, the review the next day said only 800 attended, blaming the lack of promotion. Herman played first, each band numbered 14, and it was not a battle of bands. The reviewer mentioned a calypso from "A Drum is a Woman," as well as "Black and Tan Fantasy."
                • The Dayton Daily News,
                  Dayton, Ohio,
                  1957-10-25 p.43
                • Journal Herald,
                  Dayton, Ohio,
                  • 1957-10-28 p.7
                  • 1957-10-29 p.10
                ...djp
                New
                added
                2018-11-22
                1957 10 29
                Tuesday
                .Anderson, Ind.Anderson Country ClubMembers only dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., chaired by Mr. and Mrs. Joe Stine, co-chaired by Mr and Mrs. Robert Kessler

                Phone reservations were not accepted, reservations had to be made with club manager D. Bowden
                • Anderson Herald, Anderson, Ind.,
                  • 1957-09-24 p.5
                  • Captioned photo 1957-10-31 p.5
                • Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.,
                  • 1957-09-24 p.2
                  • Captioned photo 1957-10-30 p.2
                ...APG x2, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-04
                2015-12-09
                1957 10 30
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 10 31
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                November 1957

                1957 11 01
                Friday
                .Des Moines, IowaVal Air Ballroom

                (Note: Ellington performed here at other times this year.)
                Drake University homecoming dance, 8:30 p.m.
                • Des Moines Sunday Register and Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa
                  • 1957-10-27 p.3-L
                  • 1957-11-01 p.14
                • Des Moines Tribune, Des Moines, Iowa,
                  • 1957-10-31 p.27
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 02
                Saturday
                .Lincoln, Neb.Coliseum
                University of Nebraska
                Homecoming dance, 8 p.m.

                An estimated 3,000 dancers attended.

                'This week is homecoming in Lincoln.
                  Campus house displays Friday at 7 will follow a rally in which the Jayhawker will be hung in effigy.
                  Thirty floats will feature the parade down O Street Saturday at 10.
                  Alumni will gather at the Hotel Cornhusker for a Saturday noon social hour and luncheon.
                  Duke Ellington and his orchestra will play for the Saturday night homecoming dance.'

                • Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star, Lincoln, Neb.
                  • 1957-10-27 pp.1C, 9C
                • Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb.
                  • 1957-10-29, p.21
                • The Daily Nebraskan, Lincoln, Neb.
                  • 1957-11-01 p.7
                  • 1957-11-05 p.1
                • 1958 University of Nebraska-Lincoln yearbook, pp.28,95
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-18
                updated
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 03
                Sunday
                .Fort Dodge, IowaLaramar BallroomThe ad doesn't describe the event. Presumably it was a dance.
                Ads, Pocahontas Register-Journal, Pocahontas, Iowa
                • 1957-10-17, s.2, p.1
                • 1957-10-24 p.9
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-18
                1957 11 04
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 11 05
                Tuesday
                .Northfield, Minn.Skinner Memorial Chapel
                and
                Radio station KARL, Carleton Student Union

                Carleton College
                • Late afternoon rehearsal/sound check
                • Radio interview, approximately 5 p.m.
                • Concert 8:00 p.m.
                Photo The 'Duke' in Action
                The 'Duke' in Action
                Click to Enlarge
                Dr. Zimbrick, replying to a query from Palmquist:

                'There was indeed a short late-afternoon rehearsal before the actual Ellington concert in the evening of November 5, 1957. I remember being the only student who dropped in to listen to it. The concert was in the Carleton chapel and the orchestra wanted to get a sense of the acoustics in that rather unusual venue. After the rehearsal, Duke saw me sitting alone in a pew near the front. I used the opportunity to approach him to have a conversation. I had a late afternoon radio show on the student station, KARL, and in the course of our conversation the possibility of an informal interview came up. KARL was located in the Carleton Student Union right across the street from the chapel, so it seemed easy for me to invite Duke to walk with me to the station for a chat. My show started at 5 pm, placing the interview at a few minutes after 5 following a musical opening for the show. We had a very nice informal interview on the air for about 15-20 minutes. There is no record of it anywhere because it was not a scheduled event for Duke and I was not able to get the Station's only Ampex reel-to-reel tape recorder to work properly so I could record it. In those days we had no "consent" forms or other papers I would have had to have him sign (in today's broadcast world) before an interview could take place. I have often thought how tragic it was that I lost those few moments in time with Duke who was one of my idols.'

                Rick Pearse:

                '...[Ellington] proved once again ...Tuesday night, that he is still one of the very best jazzmen around, with one of the very best bands.
                  ... from the time that the band opened the concert by lighting into a few measures of the hallowed theme, "Take the A-Train," it was obvious that he had the crowd with him, a crowd most of whose members were 10 years younger than that Duke's band career and the crowd to whom many of the older numbers were very were unfamiliar. But it was a crowd that was aware that it was listening to a musical institution and it behaved accordingly.
                  Ellington played little that he has not played often before on his other concert and dance dates with the exception of several impressive numbers ostensively having to do with Shakespeare and grouped under the title, "Such Sweet Thunder." Among other vintage items were Ray Nance's comedy vocal on "'A' Train," Sammy Woodyard's extended drum solo on "Skin Deep," and a raft of soloists on a medley consisting of old Ellington ballads.
                  This is not to say that the concert was consistently good from a strictly musical standpoint. Many of the more sensitive ears in the audience must have been somewhat repelled by Nance and Woodyard at their worst, to say nothing of the exhibitionism on "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," wherein the boys and the band did their damned best to start a riot of a sort that has not threatened since Augie Garcia played here. Fortunately for the foundations of Skinner, they failed.
                  But, rough spots aside, most of the audience would agree that it was a throughly [sic] enjoyable concert. The Duke has been too good too long for us to quibble with him. It was good to have him here; he should come again.'

                • Email, Dr. John D. Zimbrick, Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University and Adjunct Professor, Purdue University to Palmquist,
                  • 2016-12-28
                  • 2017-01-03
                • The Carletonian
                  Carleton College, Northfield, Minn.
                  • 1957-11-02,p.1
                  • 1957-11-09, pp.1, 3 (Rick Pearse, reviewer)
                • College News, The Oracle
                  Monmouth College, Monmouth, Ill.
                  • 1957-11-16, p.2
                • The Manitou Messenger,
                  St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minn.
                  • 1957-11-01
                • Cows, Colleges, and Duke Ellington?
                  St. Olaf blog by Siriana, 2017-10-30 (scroll down the page)
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-19
                updated
                2016-12-28
                2017-01-04
                2021-11-21
                1957 11 06
                Wednesday
                .Duluth, Minn.Physical Education Building
                University of Minnesota, Duluth
                Concert, 8:30 p.m.
                Sponsored by the ROTC Arnold Air Society and the Corps of Cadets
                .
                The UMD Statesman
                University of Minnesota Duluth,
                Duluth, Minn.
                • 1957-11-01 p.1
                • 1957-11-08 p.1
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2021-11-21
                1957 11 07
                Thursday
                .Minneapolis, Minn.Marigold Ballroom
                1336 Nicollet Ave.
                at Grant St
                One-nighter
                Stratemann, citing Variety 1957-10-30, and Vail II, have this incorrectly dated Nov. 6.
                • Minneapolis Morning Tribune,
                  Minneapolis, Minn.
                  • 1957-10-26 p.20
                  • 1957-11-01 p.11
                  • 1957-11-07 p.10
                • The Minneapolis Star,
                  Minneapolis, Minn.
                  • 1957-11-01 p.20A
                  • 1957-11-05 p.12A
                ...djpNew (redated)
                2018-11-22
                1957 11 08
                Friday
                .Iowa City, IowaMain Lounge
                Iowa Memorial Union
                The State University of Iowa
                Concert during SUI's 35th annual Dad's Day festivities.
                • The Daily Iowan, Iowa City, Iowa
                  • 1957-10-29 p.1
                  • 1957-11-05 p.1
                • Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa
                  • 1957-11-09 p.4
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-19
                updated
                2018-11-22
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 09
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Illinois Institute of Technology
                S. R. Crown Hall
                3360 (or 3410?) S. State St.
                900 attended the annual semi-formal all-campus annual ball from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., held by the Illinois Tech Student Association.
                • According to IIT's University Archives and Special Collections Finding Aid, the annual ball was usually downtown, but the 1957 dance was to be in the year-old S. R. Crown Hall, designed by the head of IIT's architecture program, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
                • The building is a single 120' x 220' (36.5 x 67 metres) room with an 18' (5.5 metres) ceiling and thin (1/4 inch or 0.635 c.m.) glass curtain walls which vibrated and echoed with the music.
                • Since the dance was to be on campus instead of downtown, there was concern that the turnout might be small. Since they wouldn't be paying rent for a ballroom, the organizers decided to hire a name band, selecting Ellington at a cost of $5,000 (not confirmed).
                • Ellington's orchestra used a ladder to reach the 8-foot-high stage (reinforced scaffolding) erected by students in the centre of the hall.
                • 'The trumpeter was encouraged to play higher and higher even though there seemed to be some concern about whether the glass might crack. In the end, the glass held, Mies sat and smiled his approval, and, according to the 1958 school yearbook, "Crown Hall, the 'fishbowl'...became a ballroom to rival the best in the city.'
                • Ellington is reported to have liked the acoustics and later to have written to the organizers saying he wanted to record a concert in Crown Hall but that never happened.

                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-09-10
                1957 11 10
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Holiday Ballroom
                4847 N. Milwaukee Ave.
                Recorded dance
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey.
                Titles recorded (in alphabetical order; some titles were played more than once and the discographies differ as to the order performed; see DEMS 84-1 p.4 for background information)
                • All of Me
                • Autumn Leaves
                • Blue Jean Beguine
                • Blue Moon
                • Caravan
                • Cop-Out
                • Creole Love Call
                • Medley: Diminuendo In Blue, Wailing Interval, and Crescendo In Blue
              • Deep Purple
              • Do Nothin' Till ou Hear From Me
              • Flamingo
              • Good Girl Blues
              • In The Mood
              • Jeep's Blues
              • Just Squeeze Me
              • Laura
                • Love You Madly
                • Madness In Great Ones
                • Mambo Jambo
                • My Funny Valentine
                • Mood Indigo
                • Passion Flower
                • Perdido
                • Skin Deep
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Star-Crossed Lovers
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • Take The "A" Train
                • The Happy One
                • What Am I Here For?
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • You Better Know It
                • Stratemann p.378
                • Vail II
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.178
                New Desor
                DE5743
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-24
                2020-05-09
                1957 11 11
                Monday
                .Milwaukee, Wisc.Auditorium
                Marquette University High School
                3401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
                Delta Sigma Gamma presents Duke Ellington; concert, 8 p.m.

                An autographed souvenir program found in 2018 on eBay says the concert will be selected from
                SelectionComposerSoloist
                Black and Tan FantasyEllingtonProcope, Nance, Jackson
                Harlem Air ShaftEllingtonTerry
                Sophisticated LadyEllingtonCarney
                Theme for TrambeanHamiltonWoodman
                Clarinet MelodramaHamiltonHamilton
                Satin DollEllington
                Take the "A" TrainStrayhornNance, Gonsalves
                La Virgen de la Macarena.Anderson
                MonologueEllington
                V.I.P.'s BoogieEllington
                Jam with SamEllington
                Intermission
                The Hawk TalksBellson
                I Got It Bad and That Ain't GoodEllingtonHodges
                Jimmy Grissom sings
                Skin DeepBellsonWoodyard
                Ellington plays the piano
                Selections for "Shakespearean Suite"Ellington
                ...SLNew
                added
                2018-11-23
                2021-11-22
                1957 11 12
                Tuesday
                .Milwaukee, Wisc.Wonderland BallroomMilwaukee Defender:
                • 1957-11-09:

                  'Duke Ellington, the nation's outstanding band leader for many years, will be in Milwaukee in a few days to help the Flame celebrate their anniversary.'

                • 197-11-16:

                  'HIGH LITES ON YOUR NITE LIGHTS
                  by Miss R. Nash
                    Kerby and Loretta Thomas of the Flame Nite club celebrated their 10th anniversary of the Flame, at the Wonderland Ballroom. One of the highlights of the show rendered by the Flame aggregation was when "Satin Doll" danced to the tune "Satin Doll" (A Duke Ellington original) and Duke's band joined him, unexpectedly, and provided background with the Bobby Burdette Combo, with excerpts from the original composition.
                    The show was terrific, but I think we should have had a little more of Duke's band. Derby and Loretta were quite happy on this occasion. The attendance was good for a Tuesday night.'

                • 1957-11-23:

                  'TWO BAND LEADERS MEET
                  Celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Flame Club here in Milwaukee was the famous Duke Ellington and his band. Shown on photo is Loretta White Thomas, local band leader, dancing with Duke Ellington at the Wonderland Ballroom.'

                • The Milwaukee Defender:
                  • 1957-11-09 p.7
                  • 1957-11-16 p.7
                  • 1957-11-23 p.10
                • Photo, p.20, Larry Widen: Milwaukee Rock and Roll, Arcadia Publishing, 2014. p.20
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-19
                1957 11 13
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 11 14
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 11 15
                Friday
                .Normal, Ill.McCormick Gymnasium
                Illinois State Normal University
                "Dance to the Duke"

                'Duke Ellington To Play at ISNU Dance Friday
                  Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be on the Illinois State Normal University campus Friday evening for the school's second Big Four dance of the season.
                  Sale of guest tickets to holders of season tickets will begin Thursday... Guests will be limited to one for each season ticket holder.
                  Dancing will begin at 830, last until 12:30 in the McCormick Gymnasium.
                  Co-chairmen of arrangements are Sharon Dean of Kewanee and Lowell Anderson of Cissna Park. '

                'Duke Ellington's band kept Illinois State Normal University Big Four series ticket holders ogling the bandstand Friday evening for the show he and his musicians put on for McCormick Gymnasium crowd.'

                Audience members photographed were Tom Low, Carol Moore, Theresa Lawless, Bob Roland, Doris Carmichael, Bob Murphy, Jim Waters and Janice Grafton.

                The Vidette reported the Big Four committee rented a piano for the dance.
                • Pantagraph, Bloomingon, Ill.
                  • 1957-11-10 p.21
                  • Photos 1957-11-17 p.24
                • The Vidette, Illinois State Normal University, Normal, Ill.
                  • 1957-10-30 p.8
                  • 1957-11-06 p.8
                  • 1957-11-16 p.1
                  • 1957-11-20 p.5
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                updated
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 16
                Saturday
                .Des Moines, IowaVal Air Ballroom

                (Note: Ellington performed here at other times this year.)
                Dancing
                Des Moines Sunday Register, Des Moines, Iowa,
                • 1957-10-27 p.8-W
                • 1957-11-03 p.8-W
                • 1957-11-10 p.16-G
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 17
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill..Pianist Billy Taylor leads a session for Argo Records in Chicago featuring bassist Earl May, drummer Ed Thigpen and an all-Ellingtonian horn section: Clark Terry, Willie Cook, Britt Woodman, Johnny Hodges (billed as "The Rabbit"), Paul Gonsalves and Harry Carney.
                The activities Ellington and his other sidemen are not documented
                Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2020-05-19.....New
                added
                2020-05-19
                1957 11 18
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 11 19
                Tuesday
                .Carroll, IowaStarline Ballroom
                East on Hiway 30
                The ads do not describe the event, but is seems likely to have been a dance.

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Admission Only $1.50

                Ads:
                • The Jefferson Bee, Jefferson, Iowa, 1957-11-12 p.4
                • The Bayard News, Bayard, Guthrie County, Iowa, 1957-11-14 p.2
                • Harlan Tribune, Harlan, Iowa, 1957-11-15 p.2
                ...APGAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-19
                1957 11 20
                Wednesday
                ...Sidemen activities not documented
                ......
                1957 11 21
                Thursday
                .Sioux Falls, S.D.New Arkota Ballroom.Dancing
                Sioux Falls Argus-Leader, Sioux Falls, S.D.
                1957-11-17 p.7-B
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 22
                Friday
                ...Sidemen activities not documented
                ......
                1957 11 22
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Grand Ballroom
                Hotel Roosevelt
                4 E. 45th St.
                Duke Ellington and former Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey were honoured at a $100 per couple or $100 per plate Freedom Fund fundraising dinner held by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. New York's Governor Averill Harriman praised them for their leadership in breaking down barriers of racial prejudice, particularly in the minds of young people.
                Long Island Star-Journal

                'Mrs. Ralph Bunche of Kew Gardens, Joseph Liff, Great Neck lawyer; and Suffolk Congressman Stuyvesant Wainwright head-up the L.I. contingent sparking the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People dinner salute to Duke Ellington and Branch Rickey Oct. [sic] 22 at the Hotel Roosevelt.'

                Arkansas State Press

                'The 1957 Freedom Fund dinner...got off to a strong start last week with the naming of 100 prominent figures - in the entertainment, business, labor, religious and judicial fields - to a sponsoring committee for the $100 per couple Ellington-Rickey testimonial dinner...
                  Concurrently, Robinson said that Steve Allen...had accepted the invitation of acting as toastmaster...
                  Each member of the committee, said Robinson, has been asked to raise $1,000 through the sale of tickets to the dinner. The Association hopes to raise $100,000 for the NAACP national budget. It is also hoped that the dinner will stimulate the participation and interest in life memberships in the NAACP. Credit will be offered to any ticket purchaser to the dinner as an initial payment on a $500 NAACP life membership...'

                The Washington Afro-American

                '1,300 pay $65,000 for 'rights
                  by Louis E. Lomax
                  NEW YORK– Some 1,300 Democratic Americans came to dinner Friday night, and in their coming paid upwards of $65,000 into the coffers of the NAACP Freedom Fund Drive.
                  The freedom loving diners saw special citation given to Branch Rickey and Duke Ellington and heard music from Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington and Margaret Tynes...
                  Said Duke Ellington:
                  "And the total picture is not a question of whether colored children are going to school with white children today. It is a matter of whether anyone is going to school tomorrow.
                  "What about tomorrow? Today, it is the colored man. Yesterday it was the Jew. The day before that, it was somebody else. There's always a minority. Who know, [sic], tomorrow, it may be you."
                '
                (emphasis added)

                Milwaukee Defender:

                'Addressing the 1300 guests, Governor Averell [sic] Harriman joined Branch Rickey, Sr., Duke Ellington and Jackie Robinson in calling for increased support of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in its efforts to eliminate racial discrimination and segregation.
                  The dinner... took in nearly $70,000 for the Association and added 400 persons to the list of NAACP life membership subscribers. Honored at the dinner were Mr. Ellington and Mr. Rickey, each of whom received a scroll...
                  Presentation of the scroll to Mr. Ellington was made by the association's president, Mr. Arthur Spingarn, who hailed the talented composer and orchestra leader not only for his musical achievements but also for his support of NAACP efforts "to rid our country of divisive racial discrimination and segregation."
                  In response, Mr. Ellington thanked the NAACP for the award and urged the dinner guests to "tell all the people you know that they should become members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People."
                  ...Steve Allen, of television fame, served as master of ceremonies. Ms. Margaret Tynes, accompanied by Billy Strayhorn, sang a selection from Mr. Ellington's recent composition, "A Drum is a Woman."...'

                Dorothy Kilgallen's nationally syndicated Voice of Broadway column suggested Ellington had pulled out of the event, but Ellington's attendance is well-established by post-event reports.

                A press release by NBC says the dinner was $100 a plate.
                • My Boston,
                  Boston American, Boston Mass.
                  1957-09-30 p.26
                • NBC press release, 1957-10-08
                  couresy S. Lasker 2023-11-18
                • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ill.
                  1957-10-10 p.14
                • Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island City, N.Y.
                  1957-10-15 p.7
                • Arkansas State Press, Little Rock, Ark.
                  1957-10-18 p.8
                • The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, Cal.
                  1957-10-26 p.L-18
                • The Columbus Daily Telegram, Columbus, Neb.
                  1957-11-23 p.6
                • Dorothy Kilgallen, Voice of Broadway,
                  Rockford Morning Star, Rockford, Ill.
                  1957-11-24 s.G p.1
                • Connellsville Daily Courier, Connellsville, Penn.
                  1957-11-25 p.7
                • The Washington Afro-American, Washington, D.C.
                  1957-11-26 p.8 (lengthy report by Louis E. Lomax)
                • New York Age, New York, N.Y.
                  1957-11-30 p.2
                • Milwaukee Defender, Milwaukee, Wisc.
                  1957-12-07 pp.1-2
                • The Carolina Times, Durham, N.C.
                  1957-12-07 p.3
                • Photo, Spingarn and Ellington,
                  NAACP magazine "Crisis,"
                  1958-01-00, p.37
                • TDES 1/08
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-20
                2021-11-22
                2023-11-22
                1957 11 23
                Saturday
                .Marion, IowaArmar BallroomDancingCedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
                • 1957-11-22 p.11
                • 1957-11-23 p.5
                .
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-03-03
                1957 11 24
                Sunday
                .Dubuque, IowaMelody MillOne-nighter
                Admission $1.50 before 9, $2.00 after 9.
                The Telegraph-Herald, Dubuque, Iowa
                • 1957-11-17 p.16
                • 1957-11-19 p.20
                • 1957-11-20 p.9
                • 1957-11-22 pp.8, 10
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-24
                1957 11 25
                Monday
                .St. Louis, Mo.RivieraPalmquist's note:
                Research required. Stratemann and Vail give no details, and I am unable to locate this in the newspaper archives I use. Presumably it was the Club Riviera, where Ellington had a residency in 1951 and is also shown by Stratemann and Vail to have played in August 1957. Query outstanding.
                • Stratemann, p.378
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-25
                1957 11 25
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill..Peripheral event
                WGN telecast "Hour of Music" sponsored by Chicago Title and Trust Company

                While Stratemann shows WNGN-TV, and Vail shows WGNGN-TV, the Chicago Daily Tribune television listing just says WGN and Channel 9. Vail says the broadcast was from 9 to 10 p.m, but the Chicago Daily Tribune lists it for an hour at 8:30. It may be that Vail misread the listing, since the channel number, 9, appeared right after the time.
                The Chicago Daily Tribune listed it three times on the same page
                  :
                • "Special TV Event" at the top of the listings
                • an unusually long and detailed white on black listing in the t.v. schedule proper
                • and a multicolumn ad at the bottom of the page

                '
                Chicago Symphony to Head New WGN-TV Hour of Music Series

                      ----------------  
                BY LARRY WOLTERS

                  Seven hour-long "live" musical programs, including Chicago Symphony orchestra concerts and special jazz, folk song and "pops" concerts will brighten WGN-TV's program schedule this season. The series will be titled Hour of Music under sponsorship of the Chicago Title and Trust Company which has had the symphony orchestra on Channel 9 for 6 previous seasons...

                  Norman Ross will serve as narrator and host...

                  Duke Ellington, one of the nation's top jazz musicians, will present a concert featuring top instrumental and vocal soloists, at 8:30 p/m/ Monday, Nov.25... '
                Timner V:

                'Date of telecast: Probably taped at an earlier date since DE had a club date at the Riviera in St. Louis, Mo. on 25 Nov.


                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Rick Henderson, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Lurlean Hunter
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Jam With Sam
                • Soda Fountain Rag
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • The Telecasters
                • Lady Mac
                • Perfume Suite
                  1. Balcony Serenade
                  2. Strange Feeling
                  3. Coloratura
                  4. Dancers In Love
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Don't You Know I Care
                • Medley
                • Satin Doll
                The medley consisted of:
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • C-Jam Blues
                • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                Lambert:

                '... after a conversation with the announcer Duke plays half a chorus of Soda Fountain Rag and follows with excerpts from Such Sweet Thunder and surprising revival of the Perfume Suite. The selections from the Shakespearean Suite are the title piece, somewhat faster than on the LP and with Nance's solo played muted; The Telecasters, very close to the original; and Lady Mac, in a performance which brings out the power of climax and has solos by Duke and Terry that differ from those on Columbia. The Perfume Suite had been out of the repertoire for many years; the announcer tells us that Ellington had to consult old recordings prior to the performances as the original sheet music was lost. The band performs its collective memory act, and only the first two movements seem adversely affected...'


                Smithsonian Institution Ellington collection, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, Box 11, folder 29 is labelled Televised Concert, November 25, 1958. C. Windheuser, Smithsonian Reference Services volunteer advises the folder is misdated and contains a copy of TV Guide for week of Nov 23-29 1957, which on pp. A 28-29 lists "Hour of Music Jazz Concert" with Duke Ellington "Live tonight" Monday Nov 25 [1957].
                • E. Lambert:
                  Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
                  , p.198
                • Chicago Daily Tribune and Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                  • 1957-09-10 Pt.3, p.7
                  • 1957-11-24 Pt. 3, p.1
                  • 1957-11-25 Pt. 5, p.6
                  • 1957-11-26 Pt.2 p.6
                • Racine Journal-Times, Racine, Wisc.
                  • 1957-11-215 p.31
                • Stratemann p.378 citing
                  • Downbeat 1957-11-14
                  • review, Chicago Defender 1957-12-07 p.15
                • Vail II, reproducing an unattributed review
                • Timner V p.188
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.179
                • Duke Ellington Collection, Smithsonian Institution, box 12, series 4C, Broadcasts, folder 29
                • Email, Windheuser-Palmquist, Feb/Mar 2016
                New Desor
                DE5744
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-20
                2015-12-25
                2016-05-02
                2021-11-21
                1957 11 26
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                Circa
                1957 11 26
                Tuesday
                circa
                1957 11 28
                Chicago, Ill..Research is needed to find the date and the location of an Ellington concert reported in the Rockford Morning Star:

                '26 MEN TOUR CHICAGO FIRM
                Attend Concert
                  Twenty-six 26 Rockford attorneys, realtors and businessmen were guests of a Chicago firm for a business-entertainment tour this week.
                  The group visited the offices of the Chicago Title and Trust Company and attended a concert by Duke Ellington.
                  This was the second in a series of seven programs arranged by the Chicago company.
                  The group included:
                  Attorneys H. Emmett Folgate, Thomas D. Simmons, Stuart C. Hyer, Craig A. Ridings, Foster A. Smith and Harold Stern.
                  Others making the trip were Earl D. Palmgren, Robert T. Scott, Orville L. Varland, Jr., Tom M. Jones, Norris K. Levis, Jr., Joseph Carlson, Mel Sands, Phillip A. Pagani, Francis S. Keye, Maynard H. Hoffman, William H. Halsted, Harry Cameron Holmes, David L. Carson, Robert Dobler, W.T.Jenks, W.W.Parson, Clarence Sterkeson, F. Allan Nightingale, Jack D. Bliss and Roger B. Adelman.'


                Rockford Morning Star, 1957-11-29 p.B 15...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                1957 11 27
                Wednesday
                1957 11 28
                Thursday
                St. Louis, Mo.Club Riviera

                TONIGHT & THURSDAY
                REGAL SPORTS Inc.
                Club RIVIERA
                4460 DELMAR - EVERYBODY WELCOME
                presents
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                and his
                Famous Orchestra
                Tonight (Wednesday) from 9 till 1
                Tomorrow
                (Thanksgiving)Twilight Dance
                from 7 p.m. 'til 12
                Tickets on Sale Now at Joe's 3 Music Shops
                Advance Admission $1.75
                For Res. Call JE 3-8888

                Down Beat announced just the Thursday engagement:

                'The Club Riviera will have Duke Ellington for a Thanksgiving one niter.'

                • "Strictly Ad Lib," Down Beat
                  1957-10-31, p. 41 courtesy S. Lasker
                • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Mo.,
                  • 1957-11-24 p.9-I
                  • 1957-11-27 p.4E
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-11-25
                2021-11-22
                1957 11 28
                Thursday
                U.S. Thanksgiving Day
                .St. Louis, Mo.Club RivieraSee 1957 11 27
                Twilight Dance
                ....djpNew
                added
                2018-11-25
                1957 11 29
                Friday
                .Princeton, Ind.Gymnasium
                Princeton High School

                'Ellington Orchestra At Princeton Friday
                  PRINCETON, Ind. (Special) –Duke Ellington, one of America's foremost composers and orchestra leaders, will play a concert at the Princeton High School gymnasium at 8:00 p.m. Friday.
                  The concert is sponsored by the music department of the school. Tickets are available through Joe Hary, director of the music department, or H.A.Woods Drug Store, 19 SE 4th St., Evansville. All seats are reserved and prices are $1.00, $2.00 and $3.00.'


                • Princeton Clarion-Democrat, Princeton,Ind.
                  • 1957-11-18 p.1
                  • 1957-11-20 p.2
                  • 1957-11-21 p.5
                  • 1957-11-22 p.1
                  • 1957-11-26 p.3
                  • 1957-11-28 p.3
                • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind.
                  • 1957-11-27 p.7
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-20
                updated
                2018-11-23
                1957 11 30
                Saturday
                .Ashland, Ky.ArmoryPoliceman's Ball
                • Stratemann p.378 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2018-11-23

                December 1957

                circa
                1957 12 00
                ... Peripheral event
                Clippings from the Catskills:

                'DEPOSIT–Duke Ellington stopped in town while returning to New York from a dance engagement at Colgate university. He was a dance.'

                This tidbit of local news appears to be false. A search of the Colgate University's digital archives for late 1957, and particularly the Colgate Maroon and the yearbooks, do not reveal an Ellington performance. This may be a case of mistaken identity, since Teddy Wilson performed a concert there on Dec. 7, and former Ellington singer Joya Sherrill was in his group. It may be that the reporter recognized her and assumed the musicians travelling with her included Ellington.
                • Clippings from the Catskills, Catskill Mountain News, Margaretville, N.Y., 1957-12-20 p.3
                • Colgate Maroon, Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y. 1957-12-04 pp.1,5
                ...djpNew
                added
                2015-12-27
                1957 12 01
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 02
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                19:30-22:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Rondolet (Slamar In D Flat)
                • Perfume Suite
                  • 4. Coloratura
                  • 1. Balcony Serenade
                New Desor
                DE5745
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-25
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 12 03
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 04
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 05
                Thursday
                .Ithaca, N.Y.Foster Hall Auditorium,
                Ithaca College
                The president of the student council wrote to the school newspaper to complain about the lack of student participation. She reported the student council lost about $500, that the hall was only half full, and only 75 Ithaca College students attended out of 1,200 enrolled.The Ithacan, Ithaca College, Ithaca, N.Y. 1958-01-15 p.2....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-25
                2016-02-18
                1957 12 06
                Friday
                9 p.m.-2 a.m.
                .Alfred, N.Y.Men's Gym
                Alfred University
                1 Saxon Dr.
                Interfraternity Ball
                Morton:

                '...Ellington played a dance engagement at Alfred. To prepare his way, Arlene [Avakian] played the record for two solid weeks in advance of the Maestro's coming. "'Listen,'" she recalled announcing to the unknowing. "'You have to understand who's coming. Let's understand who's coming. You don't understand, this is Duke Ellington. He is fabulous. You have to listen to this record.' Oh they thought I was a little crazy, but they listened to it."...'

                The Wellsville Daily Reporter carried a picture of Miss Barbara Weick, chosen "Miss Fraternity," receiving a bouquet of white roses from Duke.
                • Announcement, The Alfred Sun, Alfred, N.Y., 1957-12-05 p.7
                • Fiat Lux, Alfred University, Alfred N.Y.:
                  • Announcement 1957-11-16, pp.1-2
                  • Announcement 1957-11-26 p.1
                  • Report 1957-12-10 p.3
                • Wellsville Daily Reporter, Wellsville, N.Y.1957-12-11 p.5
                • John Fass Morton, Backstory in Blue, Ellington at Newport '56, Rutgers University Press 2008, pp.209-210
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-07
                1957 12 07
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 08
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 09
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Recording session
                24:00 - 02:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Webmaster comment: It isn't clear if this session was the night of Dec.8/9 or the night of Dec. 9/10. Mr. Lasker thinks it was likely the latter but suggests checking the times for adjacent masters. Since the studio files (located in New York) are not available to me, I will assume it is the Monday night until shown otherwise.

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Personnel per Girvan at the time of writing:
                Baker, Anderson, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom.

                New Desor says the personnel is the same as in the July 28 1957 concert, with Willie Cook replaced by Andres Marenguito. This yields the same lineup as Girvan.

                MacHare shows neither Cook or Marenguito.

                Nielsen has Merenghito [sic] and drops Cook and Terry. Nielsen also has Pettiford instead of Woode on bass. This may be explained by a note in Timner V: Contrary to what is documented on the recording sheet, the liner notes for CBS/Co 26306 list OP instead of JW. - see also DEMS 02,1 and 02,2.

                Mr. Lasker's research resolves the personnel question:

                'Columbia's recording report to the AF of M shows Woode on bass, and four trumpets: Nance, Terry, Anderson and "Andrea Meren Quito Forda."'

                The correct lineup is therefore:
                • High brass: Nance, Terry, Anderson, Marenguito
                • Low brass: Woodman, Jackson, Sanders
                • Reeds: Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney
                • Rhythm: Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Vocal: Grissom

                Titles recorded:
                • Rondolet (Slamar In D Flat)
                • Together
                • Perfume Suite:
                  • 2.Strange Feeling
                  • 3. Dancers In Love
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-23 re session time and 2014-11-24 re personnel
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner V
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5746
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26+32djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2014-11-12
                2014-11-23
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1957 12 10
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 11
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 12
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 13
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 14
                Saturday
                .Kalamazoo, Mich.University......Added
                2011
                1957 12 15
                Sunday
                ...Sidemen's activities not documented
                ......
                circa
                1957 12 15
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Archway LoungeIn January 1958 Jet ran a photo of Ellington "embracing" hostess Mimi Roberts at the Archway Lounge (Palmquist comment - it looks like they were dancing). The accompanying story said was about the reopening of the Archway Lounge, which had been closed for renovations. The date needs to be confirmed:
                • In November, Jet announced the reopening would be December 15, a Sunday
                • Tower Ticker reported

                  'The International Boxing club was able to get both Champ Carmen Basilio and Sugar Ray Robinson to agree to come to Windy Town next Wednesday night for personal reasons. Sugar will pop up at the debut of his manager Harold [Killer} Johnson's swank new Archway lounge...'

                • The California Eagle 1957-12-19 reported a Tommy Tucker boarded a flight to Chicago to catch the opening last Monday.
                Jet magazine
                • 1957-11-21 p.61
                • 1958-01-02 pp.60-61
              • Tower Ticker, Chicago Sunday Tribune 1957-12-15 s.F Pt.1,p.41
              • California Eagle, 1957-12-19 p.10
              • ...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-28
                1957 12 16
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 17
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 18
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 19
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1957 12 20
                Friday
                1957 01 02Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency
                See details of the Blue Note contract above (1957 09 12)

                Stratemann writes that singer Carmen McRae played the Blue Note during at least part of the Ellington engagement.

                'THE DUKE IS KING
                By William Leonard
                 Ellington isn't really the Duke; he's the king! It was just 30 years ago this month that he made jazz history when he brought his orchestra into the famed old Cotton Club in New York City. Next Thursday he will bring it into Chicago's storied Blue Note for the 16th time (far more often than any other band has played there), and when he arrives it will be as the biggest box office attraction the Loop jazz hall ever knew...
                  Harry Carney has been playing in the Ellington band uninterruptedly since the night the Duke opened at the old Cotton club on Harlem's Lenox avenue, and gave the nation a new approach to popular music.
                  Thirty years ago this month! It's a record no other musician ever is likely to equal in jazz, for there's only one Ellington. '

                • Stratemann p.378 ciitng Chicago Defender 1958-01-04 p.58
                • Chicago Sunday Tribune Magazine, 1957-12-15 p.18
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-01
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-20
                2015-12-26
                1957 12 21
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 22
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 23
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented
                (Blue Note night off)
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-26
                1957 12 24
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented
                (Blue Note night off)
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-26
                1957 12 25
                Wednesday
                Christmas
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 26
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 27
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 28
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 29
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20.....
                1957 12 30
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20
                Remote telecast: Timex Jazz Show #1:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Ballet Of The Flying Saucers
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                Nielsen:

                'The Ellington band was wired into this program from the Blue Note Chicago. So was Carmen McRae, who - contrary to some sources - was not accompanied by the Ellington band, but by her own trio.'

                The show aired at 10 p.m. on both coasts, indicating it was filmed or taped for timed release.
                • Tampa Sunday Tribune,Tampa,Fla.
                  1957-12-29 p.8D
                • The Sunday Home News, New Brunswick, N.J.
                  1957-12-29 p.13
                • Independent, Long Beach, Cal.
                  1957-12-30 p.C-8
                • Stratemann p.381
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.180
                • Email Lasker-Cantor-Palmquist 2021-11-13
                • Down Beat courtesy S.Lasker
                New Desor
                DE5747
                DEMSdjpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-26
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-14
                1957 12 31
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1957 12 20
                New Years Eve remote telecasts and a post-midnight remote broadcast:
                • NBC All Star Parade of Bands or Timex All Star Jazz Show #1) national telecast (click to listen - start at 20:45):

                  Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                  Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey

                  Titles telecast:
                  • Auld Lang Syne (played before and after the theme
                  • Take The "A" Train (theme) played as background during the countdown to midnight)
                  • Newport Up
                  • Together
                  • La Virgen De La Macarena
                  • You Better Know It
                  • The Star-Crossed Lovers
                  This show, hosted by Steve Allen, aired in Tampa at 10 p.m., titled either Jazz is Fun, The All-Star Jazz Show, or just Jazz Show per the t.v. listing.
                • CBS New Years Eve national telecast:

                  Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                  Cook, Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                  Titles telecast:
                • 12:45 a.m. remote broadcast on WBBM

                  New Desor has this as session DE9024 dated 1958 01 01, apparently based on Timner's statement in DEMS 03/2-21:Q13 "Blue Note (WBBM bc). I have an additional set of titles from this date (could be from the evening of 1Jan)". Ellington's contract for this Blue Note residency ran to Jan. 2 but explicitly gave his band Jan. 1 and 2 off. (This is probably because they normally would have taken Monday and Tuesday off at the Blue Note, but New Years Eve was Tuesday that year.) The radio log for WBBM shows remote broadcasts from other locations at 00:15 and 00:30, then from the Blue Note at 00:45.


                  Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                  Anderson,Cook, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Grissom, Bailey

                  Titles broadcast:
                  • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                  • The Telecasters
                  • Jump For Joy
                  • Passion Flower
                  • Newport Up
                  • C-Jam Blues (Duke's Place)
                  • My Heart, My Mind, My Everything
                • Timner V identifies the telecasts as broadcasts, and the CBS telecast and the WBBM broadcast as one continuous broadcast.

                Stratemann advises the NBC telecast was recorded on kinescope and the entire telecast was believed to still exist on 16mm film, although only fragments were, at the time of writing, in collectors' hands.

                Stratemann and Nielsen name the NBC telecast as Timex All Star Jazz Show #1; it begins with the Teddy Wilson trio followed by the Eddy Heywood trio, both from New York.


                This was the de facto end of this Blue Note engagement. The contract ran until Jan. 2 but the last two days were scheduled days off. It isn't certain when Ellington left the midwest.
                • TV schedule and commentary
                  Tampa Sunday Tribune, Tampa, Fla.
                  1957-12-29 p.8D
                • The Sunday Home News, New Brunswick, N.J.
                  1957-12-29 p.13
                • Radio log, Dixon Evening Telegraph, Dixon, Ill.
                  1957-12-31 p.16
                • Stratemann, p.385
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner V
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.180
                New Desor
                DE5748
                DE9024
                NDCS 1030
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-08-17
                2014-10-15
                2015-12-27
                2016-03-04
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-22



                Back to Navigation List

                1958


                ---
                Date of event Ending date
                (if different)
                City/
                Other place
                Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
                Desor
                reference
                DEMS
                reference
                Other
                references
                Contact
                person
                Date added
                / updated

                Undated 1958 events

                1958 00 00
                ...Ellington made a voice recording about a fictitious Madame Kokonol.

                Nielsen:

                'This is an Ellington voice recording of a story about a fictive [sic] Madame Kokonol. According to an accepted version, Ellington told this tale while testing a tape recorder. The story is reminiscent of the mythical Madam Zajj in "A Drum Is A Woman." There are several different spellings for Madame Kokonol, such as "Krokonol", or "Croquignole".'

                The recording was discussed by Bruce Kennan during his The Spoken Ellington presentation at the 1989 Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference
              • Ole J. Nielsen
                Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                , p.
              • .DEMS.djpNew
                added
                2015-12-26
                updated
                2020-05-09

                January 1958

                1958 01 01
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CaféWhile the band was still under contract to the Blue Note, this was a scheduled day off from the engagement.

                activities not documented
                ....djpNew
                2014-10-15
                1958 01 02
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note CaféThis was the last night of the Blue Note contract, but was scheduled as a day off.

                activities not documented
                It seems likely the band would have travelled to Florida on either this or the previous day.
                ....djpNew
                2014-10-15
                2016-06-05
                1958 01 00...Personnel changes
                After the Blue Note, the band went to Florida and then westward to California. Stratemann reports Hodges stayed in Florida until March, working with Strayhorn, bass player Bill Pemberton, and with Grissom on drums.
                Arrival:
                • Bill Graham, reeds (alto and bari), born 1918, joins in early January
                Graham travelled with Ellington on this tour, subbing for Hodges and for Woodyard when Sam was sick. Clark Terry also covered drums from time to time.

                Both Graham and Hodges played the March 31 recording session. Bill seems then to have left the band, but did play a couple more 1958 sessions with Duke.
                Departures:
                • Jimmy Grissom, singer
                • Willie Cook, reeds
                • Johnny Hodges, reeds
                • New Desor vol.2
                • Stratemann, p.385
                ...djpAdded 2012-08-17
                updated
                2012-10-12
                2014-11-19
                2018-01-27
                1958 01 03
                Friday
                1958 01 14
                Saturday
                Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club date with Tony Bennett
                (Venue: Stratemann spells the ballroom Bal Masqué, but there is no visible accent on its matchbook covers or in the signage over its entrance. The street address is in Bal Harbour, which is a village at the northern tip of an area known as Miami Beach, the name of the city to the north.)
                Contract:
                • Dated 1957 08 20
                • 15 musicians led by Duke Ellington Inc. Presents Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
                • Commencing 1958 01 03 thru [sic] 1958 01 14 ("12 Consecutive Days")
                • To appear as an act in the floor show only - two shows nightly, approx. 9 pm & 12 midnight
                • Ellington to receive 100% equal billing with Tony Bennett. Bennett is to be on the left hand side and Duke Ellington on the right hand side in all advertising.
                • Dressing room to be provided for Mr. Ellington
                • Dressing room to be provided for the musicians in Mr. Ellington's band.
                • Contract price $12,000 payable $7,000 cash by 1958 01 09 and $5,000 on 1958 01 14
                • Rider dated 1957 08 22 confirms that Ellington's orchestra will accompany Bennett.
                • Stratemann, p.385 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 08 20 and rider dated 1957 08 22, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 2
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-19
                2016-06-05
                Circa
                1958 01 03
                Friday
                Circa
                1958 01 14
                Saturday
                vicinity
                Miami Beach, Fla.
                .Hajdu writes that during his time at the Bal Masque, Ellington worked with Strayhorn on the music for a Broadway production about apartheid in South Africa, Mine Boy, later retitled Saturday Laughter.

                Producer Christopher Manos was present. Hajdu quotes him as saying Ellington told him in New York, Well, the only way it'll get done is if you come with me on the road and goose me along.

                Strayhorn and Ellington completed 22 songs for the show by the summer of 1958, without changing the lyrics, and with Strayhorn perhaps being the more involved of the two.

                While Ellington and Strayhorn went to Europe in the fall, the producers held readings and auditions, but were unable to raise the money necessary to produce the show. Franceschina suggests Ellington was somewhat indifferent to the project but Hajdu quotes Manos as saying Strayhorn wanted it to succeed.
                • David Hajdu, Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, North Point Press, New York, 1996, pp.180-181
                • John Franceschina, Duke Ellington's Music for the Theatre, pp. 97-102
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-16
                1958 01 04
                Saturday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 05
                Sunday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 06
                Monday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 07
                Tuesday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 08
                Wednesday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 09
                Thursday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 10
                Friday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03.....Added
                2011
                1958 01 11
                Saturday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03...Stratemann, p.385.2016-06-05
                1958 01 12
                Sunday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03...Stratemann, p.385.2016-06-05
                1958 01 13
                Monday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03...Stratemann, p.385.2016-06-05
                1958 01 14
                Tuesday
                .Bal Harbour, Fla.Bal Masque Supper Club
                Americana Hotel
                Miami Beach
                Club residency - see 1958 01 03...Stratemann, p.385.2016-06-05
                1958 01 15
                Wednesday
                .Fort Lauderdale, Fla.War Memorial AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 to 10:30 pm.
                Admission $4.50, $3.50, $2.50
                The contract was for 15 musicians, fee $1,250 with a guarantee privilage [sic] 50% gross receipts. $625 was to be paid on signing of the contract, the balance in cash at intermission the night of the engagement.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 08, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                • Ft. Lauderdale Daily News, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
                  • 1957-12-16 p.7B
                  • 1957-12-22 p.14-D
                  • 1957-12-23 p.13-A
                  • 1958-01-12 p.11-D
                • Stratemann, p.385
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-05
                2021-11-22
                1958 01 16
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 01 17
                Friday
                .Orlando, Fla.South Street CasinoContract terms:
                • one vocal and fifteen musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  South Street Casino, Orlando, Florida
                • Date(s) of employment
                  Friday, January 17th, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  10.oo pm to 2.oo am
                • Type of engagement
                  SHOW and/or DANCE (FOR COLORED)
                • DUKE ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% top billing
                • EMPLOYER AGREES TO FURNISH 2 MICROPHONES AND A PIANO IN GOOD WORKING ORDER TUNED TO 440 PITCH.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, privilege 60% gross admission receipts less admission taxes. Deposit $400 payable money order, cashier's or certified check on signing and balance of $600 plus percentage, if any, IN CASH to leader during intermission on night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Mrs. {illegible] Long, 3411 Vineland Road, Orlando, Florida
                • Signed by
                  Mrs. {illegible] Long
                  (Palmquist's note: My copy of the contract is blurry and it was hard to make out Mrs. Long's first name. I think it's Athlene or Athone. If anyone knew her or has access to an Orlando phone book from 1958, please let me know the correct spelling.

                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 26 and accompanying telegram, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-11
                1958 01 18
                Saturday
                .West Palm Beach, Fla.Sunset Bar-Auditorium
                609 Eighth Street
                The type of engagement is not shown on the contract, but the hours suggest this was for dancing. Contract price, $1,750 guarantee, 60% privilege of the gross receipts, $875 to be paid on signing the contract, the balance in cash during intermission the night of the engagement. The contract, for the services of 15 musicians led by Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, is signed by Dennis A. Starks Jr.Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 09 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 3...djpNew
                Added
                2016-06-05
                1958 01 19
                Sunday
                .McDill Air Force Base,
                Tampa, Fla.
                Officers Open Mess ClubDance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Date of employment January 19, 1958
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 flat, deposit $625 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Major Ralph Edwards, Officers Open Mess Club, McDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla.
                • Signed by Ralph Edwards
                This contract is dated November 7, 1958 for a dance to be held January 19, 1958. While it is not uncommon for a January event to be inadvertently dated the previous year, this does not appear to be the case. The contract shows when the deposit was received, and that date, handwritten, is clearly "Dec.4th, 1957," consistent with the performance being in January 1958 and with the contract date being wrong.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract misdated 1958 11 07, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17, courtesy Smithsonian research volunteer C. Windheuser, 2016-06-17...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-14
                updated
                2016-06-17
                1958 01 20
                Monday
                .Biloxi, Miss.Keesler Air Force BaseThis gig is wrongly dated in Stratemann, New Desor, and Timner V. Ellington was in Tallahassee this day, but played two concerts at Keesler on the 22nd..New Desor
                DE5801
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-26
                1958 01 20
                Monday
                .Tallahassee, Fla.Florida A & M UniversityPittsburgh Courier:

                'Duke Ellington appeared on the Jan. 20 artists and lyceum program at Florida A. and M. U. ...The Duke is currently on a concert tour...'

                New York Age:

                'FLA.A-M HONORS DUKE
                Duke Ellington Given Honorary Band Membership
                – Honorary membership in Florida A & M University's marching and symphonic bands was conferred on bandleader Duke Ellington at a concert attended by 2,000.
                  Dr. William P. Foster, director of the Fam-U Bands, presented the Duke with a certificate of membership, a green and orange lyre "F" and a gold key. The certificate reads "in recognition of creative genius and unique talent as composer and bandleader, the Department of Music of the Florida A & M University conferred on Edward Kennedy Ellington honorary membership in its Marching and Symphonic Bands."'

                The News-Tribune carried a photo of co-ed Betty Hollifield pinning a "lyre F" on Duke's chest. The caption says

                FAMU HONORS THE DUKE – World famous composer and bandleader Duke Ellington was made an honorary member of the nationally famous Florida A & M University marching and symphonic bands during a recent artists and lyceum concert appearance in Tallahassee.'


                The contract was for 15 musicians for one concert, 8 to 10 p.m., at Florida A & M College [sic], Ellington to recieve headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquees and in any and all releases and paid advertising. The contract price was $1,200, with $600 payable on signing and the balance in cash during intermission. It was signed by M. G. Miles, Director of Student Activities.
                • College Roundup, Pittsburgh Courier, 1958-01-25 p.21
                • New York Age, 1958-02-01 p.17
                • News-Tribune, Fort Pearce, Fla. 1958-02-02 p.14
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 29, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                New Desor
                DE5801
                ...New
                added 2014-11-19
                updated
                2016-06-05
                1958 01 21
                Tuesday
                .Pensacola, Fla..Ellington was interviewed by Ted Cassidy for WCOA-FM
                • Stratemann, p.385
                • Vail II
                New Desor
                DE5802
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-28
                updated
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 21
                Tuesday
                .Pensacola, Fla.Municipal AuditoriumConcert

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Municipal Auditorium, Pensacola, Florida
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 21st, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  One concert 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM
                • Type of engagement
                  Concert
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 50% gross receipts. Ellington's maximum of 50% privilage [sic] not to exceed total of $1,250 for his end. Payment details crossed out.
                • Employer:
                  Dr. Nathan Rubin, 1401 Palafox St., Pensacola, Fla.
                • Signed by
                  Nathan S. Perkins
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • Stratemann, p.385
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-28
                updated
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 22
                Wednesday
                .Biloxi, Miss.Andrew Theatre
                Keesler Air Force Base
                Two recorded concerts 6:30 and 8:00 p.m.
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton,Procope, Bill Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                First concert
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • Autumn Leaves
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley:
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • In A Sentimental Mood
                  • Mood Indigo
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  • Just Squeeze Me
                  • It Don't Mean A Thing
                  • Solitude
                  • C-Jam Blues
                  • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Diminuendo In Blue / Wailing Interval / Crescendo In Blue
                Second concert
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • You Better Know It
                • La Virgen De La Macarena
                • Skin Deep
                • Medley:
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                  • In A Sentimental Mood
                  • Mood Indigo
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  • Just Squeeze Me
                  • It Don't Mean A Thing
                  • Solitude
                  • C-Jam Blues
                  • Satin Doll
                  • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Diminuendo In Blue / Wailing Interval / Crescendo In Blue

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Andrew Theatre [sic], Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Miss.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 22, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  Two one hour concerts 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $900 flat, deposit $450 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Lt. John B. Barnes, Personnel Services Office, Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi, Miss.
                • Signed by
                  John B. Barnes, Lt.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • The Daily Herald, Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi
                  • Announcement, 1958-01-10,p. 8
                  • Publicity 1958-01-22, p.9
                • Stratemann p.385
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5801
                DE5803
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-20
                2016-02-26
                2016-07-12
                1958 01 23
                Thursday
                .New Orleans, La.Dillard UniversityConcert
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Dillard University, New Orleans, La.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 23, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  One Concert - 8:30 P.M. To 10:30 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee, privilege 50% of gross receipts, deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Frank Painia, Chairman, Dillard University [illegible], 2835 Lasalle Street, New Orleans, La.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 24
                Friday
                .Victoria, TexasAloe GymnasiumSegregated dance, 9 to 1, admission $2.75

                The Corpus Christi ads announce admission is $2.75 and don't suggest the dance is segregated. The Victoria ads show prices of $2.75 and $2.50 for advance and door tickets respectively, and say Special section reserved for white patrons.
                Letter to the editor from C. R. Callis, Chairman, Victoria County Citizen Committee:

                'Dear Editor:
                  SUBJECT: DISCRIMINATION AND SEGREGATION SHOULD BE OUTDATED BY NOW IN VICTORIA COUNTY AND ELSEWHERE
                  On Friday night, Jan. 24, there was a dance at Aloe gym in Victoria, Victoria county, Texas. The artist had performed at night was none other than Duke Ellington. I actually don't know who the real, or true sponsor was. I'm told that the Mr. Bess was the sponsor. But any way that does not matter to me. Before said dance I read an advertisement sign that said in part," There will be a reserved section for white people."
                  Now the thing that is worrying me or that baffles my mind, why reserve a section for white people? The Aloe gym is owned by Victoria county, and if my memory serves me right, I pay a pretty big part of the taxes that paid for Aloe gym...'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Victoria, Texas - Aloe Gymnasium
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 24, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  9:00 P.M. To 1:00 A.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 guarantee, privilege 65% gross receipts less state & federal taxes. Deposit $625 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission on night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Jack Lewis, Pleasure Island, 650 W., Constitution, Victoria, Texas
                • Signed by
                  Jack Lewis
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • The Victoria Advocate, Victoria, Texas
                  • 1958-01-22 p.2
                  • 1958-01-23 pp.2,18
                  • 1958-01-24 p.2
                • Corpus Christi Times, Corpus Christi,Texas
                  • 1958-01-23 p.19-B
                  • 1958-01-24 p.10-B
                • C. R. Callis letter, San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas, 1958-01-31 p.4
                • Stratemann p.385
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-08-17
                2016-02-18
                updated
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 25
                Saturday
                .San Antonio, Texas.
                "Duke Ellington and his band around town the past Saturday night following a dance engagement at Victoria."
                Around the Plaza by Renwicke Gary San Antonio Light, 1958-01-28, p.41...djpNew
                added 2012-08-17
                1958 01 26
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 01 27
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 01 28
                Tuesday
                .Fort Huachuca, Ariz.Post Theatre and Non-commissioned Officers' ClubConcert and dance

                'Fort's Polio Ball Features Ellington
                FORT HUACHUCA (SPECIAL) – Duke Ellington and his band will perform at the March of Dimes Ball at the non-commissioned officers' annex Jan.28. Admission will be dimes for the polio drive.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Ft. Huachuca, Arizona
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 28th {handwritten, the original typed date was January 29th]
                • Hours of employment
                  7:00 8:00 pm - Post Theatre - concert
                  8:30 - 11:00 pm - Non-Commissioned Officers' Club - dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 payable on signing, balance of monies due will be paid during intermission
                • Employer:
                  Major Rodney S. Kepley, Special Services Officer, Fort Huachuca, Arizona
                • Signed by
                  Rodney S. Kepley
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz. 1958-01-14 p.12
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-11-20
                updated
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 29
                Wednesday
                .San Diego, Cal.Station Theatre
                U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Depot
                Two stage concerts, 6:30 and 8:00 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Station Theatre, USMCRD, San Diego, California
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 29, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  Two stage concerts approximately 70 minutes each. Both concerts on same stage. Approximately 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM
                • Type of engagement
                  Concert
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,150 flat, deposit $575 on signing and balance during intermission
                • Employer:
                  Mr. Bud Melchor, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego, California
                • Signed by
                  Bud Melchor

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 19, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • The Highroad, The San Diego Union, San Diego, Cal., 1958-01-28 p.1
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 30
                Thursday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Beverly HiltonFormal dance for the Pacific Town Club.

                '...The Duke previewed his Peacock Lane ofering [sic] last night at the Beverly Hilton hotel where he played the invitational dance of the Pacific Town club...'

                The president of the club was Harold Scott, Los Angeles City Health Department inspector, who was a candidate for Congress from the 15th district. Ellington, Scott, Mrs. Scott and their son are pictured in the Tribune's 1958-02-14 edition, and Ellington's photo with two ladies is in the Courier dated 1958-02-22.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Pacific Town Club, Los Angeles Breakfast Club, Los Angeles, Calif.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  January 30, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  10 P.M. TO 2 A.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 payable on signing and balance during intermission
                • Employer:
                  Dr. Robert Wood, Pacific Town Club, Los Angeles, California
                • Signed by
                  Robert I. Wood
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • Los Angeles Tribune, Los Angeles, Cal.:
                  • 1958-01-31 p.18
                  • 1958-02-14 p.3
                • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1958-02-22 p.22
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2016-02-18
                updated
                2016-07-15
                1958 01 31
                Friday
                1958 02 13
                Thursday
                Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock Lane
                Hollywood at Western
                Night club engagement. Stratemann has it running until Feb. 13; Vail copies that. The contract is for three weeks and three days, taking it to Feb. 23, but it appears to have been cut short since our heroes began their Starlite Room residency in Palm Springs on Feb. 14.

                'Ellington opening tonight, Peacock Lane

                The famous Duke Ellington band, now in its 33rd year, opens a limited engagement tonight at Pete Fascios [sic] Peacock Lane in Hollywood...

                There are several shows nightly, according to Fascio.'

                When announcing the last week, Vescio [sic} said there were 4 shows nightly, and that he had a possible option for an extra week. The article said "Such Sweet Thunder" and "A Drum Is a Woman" were finding special favour with music lovers. Columnist Kerry Jackson wrote that Ellington was packing them in at Peacock Lane and that Carney told him Hodges was absent because he was playing a gig in Florida that Duke had helped set up.
                The contract was for $6,000/week, pro-rated for the last 3 days, for three weeks and three days, 7 nights a week, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fee payable at the end of each week.
                • Stratemann p.385 citing Down Beat 1957-12-26
                • Vail II
                • Los Angeles Tribune, Los Angeles, Cal.
                  • Plug 1958-01-31 p.18
                  • Banner ad, 1958-01-31 p.19
                  • Plugs, 1958-02-07 pp.18, 19
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 10 21, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 4
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-18
                2016-06-05

                February 1958

                1958 02 01
                Saturday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 02
                Sunday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 03
                Monday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 04
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders
                7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                Hollywood 28, Cal.
                Believed to be
                1441 North McCadden Place
                Columbia recording session
                14:30-17:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Baker, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Bill Graham, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                • Track 360
                  (New Desor reports 17 takes, Nielsen reports 16, of which it says 7 were complete, 7 were incomplete, 1 had a false start and "an insert was recorded after take 1."
                • Blues in Orbit
                • Black, Brown And Beige suite:
                  • 01. Worksong
                  • 02. Come Sunday
                  • 03. Light
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner V pp.189-190
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.181 (incomplete)
                New Desor
                DE5804
                NDCS 1007
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2014-10-16
                2016-02-29
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                Circa
                1958 02 04
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal..Peripheral Event
                This may be when Mahalia Jackson arrived in Los Angeles to begin a week of rehearsals for her recordings for the Ellington Black Brown and Beige LP - see Irving Townsend's liner notes at 1958 02 11 below. They are unlikely to have rehearsed together this afternoon since Ellington was recording, but it is possible she came to the studio since he was recording parts of the suite that day.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2018-01-27
                1958 02 04
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 05
                Wednesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Watkins Hotel?Unconfirmed

                Irving Townsend's liner notes to the 1958 Black, Brown and Beige LP say Mahalia Jackson and Ellington "met each afternoon at a piano to write and rehearse the beautiful Come Sunday." It may be that they did not meet to rehearse on the Wednesday, since Ellington had a recording session in mid-afternoon.

                Patricia Willard, assigned by Ellington to be Miss Jackson's companion, places the rehearsals with the piano at their hotel:

                'Mahalia rehearsing with Duke at the piano did not necessarily have to take place in a studio. They had suites across the hall from each other at the Watkins Hotel. Duke had a piano in his suite so that is probably where the rehearsals took place although I cannot recall knowing this for sure...'

                It is not certain there would have been a rehearsal at the hotel this day, but it seems likely Miss Jackson would have at least observed the studio session which recorded the band playing Come Sunday.
                ...djpAdded
                2018-02-02
                1958 02 05
                Wednesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders
                7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                Hollywood 28, Cal.
                Believed to be
                1441 North McCadden Place
                Columbia recording session for the Black, Brown and Beige long-playing album.
                14:00-17:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Baker, Anderson, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Bill Graham, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                Black, Brown And Beige suite:
                • Work Song (BBB #1)
                • Come Sunday (BBB #2)(new Strayhorn arrangement with lyrics by Ellington, Jackson and Hodges.)
                Miss Jackson may have been present - see prior entry.
                New Desor
                DE5805
                NDCS 1012
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26
                djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2014-10-16
                2016-02-29
                2016-03-01
                2018-02-03
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1958 02 05
                Wednesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 06
                Thursday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Watkins Hotel?Afternoon rehearsal, Ellington and Mahalia Jackson- see Irving Townsend's liner notes at 1958 02 11 below and Ms Willard's comments at 1952 02 05 above....djpNew
                added
                2018-02-03
                1958 02 06
                Thursday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 07
                Friday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Watkins Hotel?Afternoon rehearsal, Ellington and Mahalia Jackson- see Irving Townsend's liner notes at 1958 02 11 below and Ms Willard's comments at 1952 02 05 above....djpNew
                added
                2018-02-03
                1958 02 07
                Friday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Grand Ballroom
                Beverly Hilton
                Personal appearance?

                'Stars lend sparkle to Urban League ball tonight

                  Actress Dorothy Dandridge and Glenn Ford will present the "American Teamwork Awards" of the Western Regional Urban League to this year's recipients at the Fourth Annual International Winter Ball of the Regional tonight in the Grand Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton hotel...
                  Sammy Davis, Jr. tops the list of stars to entertain at the ball...
                  Duke Ellington and Arthur Lee Simpkins are among the guest stars to appear, according to Mayme G. Lewis, public relations chairman.
                  A get-acquainted cocktail hour will be held from 7 to 8 o'clock and guests will adjourn to the ballroom for dinner and dancing until two o'clock... '


                Palmquist comment:
                The article doesn't say who was to play the dance. It seems unlikely to be the Ellington band since it was engaged at Peacock Lane.
                Los Angeles Tribune 1958-02-07 p.10...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-18
                1958 02 07
                Friday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 08
                Saturday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Watkins Hotel?Afternoon rehearsal, Ellington and Mahalia Jackson- see Irving Townsend's liner notes at 1958 02 11 below and Ms Willard's comments at 1952 02 05 above....djpNew
                added
                2018-02-03
                1958 02 08
                Saturday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club fresidency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 09
                Sunday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31

                (It seems unlikely that Mahalia Jackson's religious beliefs would have allowed her to rehearse on Sunday.)
                .....Added
                2011
                updated
                2018-01-27
                2018-02-03
                1958 02 09
                Sunday
                ...Broadcast:

                '  A meeting of the Ku Klux Klan near Greensboro, N.C. and interviews with the group's Grand Wizard and his cohorts will be covered by NBC Radio's MONITOR Sunday.
                  The gathering of the white-robed and hooded Klansmen, the speeches of their leaders and a cross-burning ceremony will be reported. Grand Wizard James Cole will talk of the Klan's beliefs.
                  "Monitor" will salute the Boy Scouts of America on their 48th anniversary, interview Pvt. Matthew McKeon of the Marines, listen to a talk with a customer of a London marriage bureau, and travel to Mumbonbon, Swaziland, in the heart of Africa, for a visit at a native bazaar.
                  The guest list includes Debbie Reynolds, Ray Milland, Roy Rogers, Duke Ellington, Brian Donlevy and Noel Coward. Music will be broadcast from the Rendezvous Ballroom at Balboa Beach, Calif.'


                Webmaster comments:
                • The Boy Scouts of America was incorporated February 8, 1910 under the laws of the District of Columbia
                • There is no indication Ellington or other guests on the show would have been aware the programme was also carrying the KKK material, and it seems likely the segments were recorded at different times and places. Still, it's a hellish juxtaposition but I adopt Ken Steiner's view:

                  'I recall the Monitor program, and I believe the story on the KKK would have been an exposé, along the lines of a story on "60 Minutes." It would certainly not have been an endorsement.'

                • The music is likely not Ellington's; his band was working Peacock Lane at the time.
                • The New York Age, 1958-02-08, p.16
                • K. Steiner, email in Duke-LYM 2014-11-19
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-11-19
                circa
                1958 02 10
                Monday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Watkins Hotel?Recorded rehearsal
                Ellington, Mahalia Jackson

                Recorded rehearsal:
                • 23rd Psalm
                • Come Sunday
                Nielsen says the poor sound quality suggest these recordings were done with a portable recorder. New Desor and Nielsen don't precisely date the session, just saying February. Timner V dates it February 5 and describes it as a pre-recording rehearsal.

                It seems likely to be February 10, since Irving Townsend's liner notes (see 1958 02 11 below) say

                'on the last afternoon of rehearsal, Duke asked Mahalia to bring her Bible with her. He opened it to the Twenty-Third Psalm, played a chord, and asked her to sing.'

                Palmquist's note: I've assumed the rehearsal was at the hotel, on the assumption a portable tape recorder was used. It may have been in the studio instead, but if so, I would think the recording would be higher quality.
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner V p.190
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , pp. 181-182
                .
                New Desor
                DE5806
                NDCS 1007
                DEMS.Added
                2011
                Updated
                2016-02-29
                2018-01-27
                2018-02-03
                2020-05-09
                1958 02 10
                Monday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 11
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders
                7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                Hollywood 28, Cal.
                Believed to be
                1441 North McCadden Place
                Columbia recording session for the LP Black, Brown and Beige with Mahalia Jackson
                15:00-19:00
                (- see 1958 02 05)
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton,Procope, Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, and Woodyard, with Jackson

                Titles recorded:Black, Brown and Beige
                • Come Sunday
                • 23rd Psalm
                • Light
                Irving Townsend:

                'The decision to include Mahalia Jackson in Black, Brown and Beige was made two years before the actual event took place in Columbia's Hollywood studios. Duke...has long felt, like so many of us, the magnificence of her talent. Awed and inspired by her voice and her convictions, he hesitated over this collaboration as would any composer faced with writing music for the finest of all performers. Once the decision was made to give Mahalia the Come Sunday theme, he sent her the music, then without a lyric, and called her frequently from a dozen cities to persuade her to sing for the first time with a jazz orchestra...

                Mahalia Jackson arrived at Union Station in Los Angeles a week before the first recording session. During the intervening days, they met each afternoon at a piano to write and rehearse the beautiful Come Sunday. And on the last afternoon of rehearsal, Duke asked Mahalia to bring her Bible with her. He opened it to the Twenty-Third Psalm, played a chord, and asked her to sing. We had decided that the Black, Brown and Beige needed a finale by Mahalia and this was to be it....'

                Patricia Willard:

                '... The "Columbia Studios," to which Irving Townsend refers were/was ... Radio Recorders studio on McCadden Place in Hollywood, where this LP ... was recorded.'

                Note Radio Recorders had more than one street address, but had at least two studio buildings on McCadden Place at Santa Monica Boulevard.

                Patricia Willard:

                'The studio entrance was on east side of the street on McCadden, south of Santa Monica [recte Sunset] Blvd. I'm not sure what the official address was at the time the band was recording there. I also vaguely remember that there were several – or a cluster of – individual studios owned and operated by RR--not necessarily all under the same roof. Louie Bellson's recently mentioned first recording (at which I distinctly remember Duke and Billy being present) was in one of those single studios, located, I'm pretty sure, on the south side of Santa Monica Blvd. between McCadden & Highland. But the Mahalia session as well as the "Nutcracker..." and other sessions were in the same large studio with the McCadden entrance.'

                New Desor
                DE5807
                DEMSNDCS 1007VARphoto.Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-01
                2018-01-27
                2018-01-29
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1958 02 11
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 12
                Wednesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders
                7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                Hollywood 28, Cal.
                Believed to be
                1441 North McCadden Place
                Columbia recording session for the LP Black, Brown and Beige with Mahalia Jackson
                14:30 - 17:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton,Procope, Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, and Woodyard. Timner reports Mahalia Jackson sang Come Sunday a capella

                Titles recorded:
                • Black, Brown and Beige
                  • Come Sunday
                  • 23rd Psalm
                  • Light
                • Blues in Orbit
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Stratemann p.385
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59
                • Timner V
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.182
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26+32.Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-02
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1958 02 12
                Wednesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 13
                Thursday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Peacock LaneNight club residency - see 1958 01 31......Added
                2011
                1958 02 14
                Friday
                Valentine's Day
                ...Date of contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note from June 4, 1958 for four weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee.

                This contract includes the same headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions and the fee is still $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.
                Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann....New
                added 2012-11-03
                1958 02 14
                Friday
                Valentine's Day
                1958 02 23
                Sunday
                Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club (The Famous Chi-Chi Starlite Room Theatre-Restaurant)10 day engagement, The Duke Ellington Show, 8:45 and 11:45
                "DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA of 15"
                plus a matinee on the last Sunday.
                • Stratemann and Vail have the engagement running 1958 02 14 to 1958 02 21, but newspaper ads and publicity have it ending 1958 02 23, as does the contract.
                • The m.c. was Phil Harris and Bill Alexander's Orchestra played for dancing.
                • According to Stratemann, the Ellington orchestra arrived a day early for a special Valentine's day event, and played from 12:30 to 2 a.m. Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby accompanied by Jimmy van Heusen, Joe Bushkin and other acts played earlier in this first evening.
                • Vail describes the first night as a St. Valentine's Day Benefit.
                • This is supported by columnist Hildy Crawford:

                  'Late flash ... add Frank Sinatra to the list of stars appearing tonight at the Catholic benefit ... a Valentine dinner dance at the Chi Chi ... Phil Harris is emceeing the show which presents Duke Ellington and his band...and the show is sure to be a sell out ... with standingroom [sic} only... '
                  (ellipses in original)

                • The club's ads do not refer to a benefit – for instance, the 1952-02-13 ad just says

                  'Opening Friday
                  The DUKE ELLINGTON Show
                  show times: 8:45 and 11:45.
                  ...'

                • The Desert Sun 1958-02-19 reported old-time Ellington followers and newcomers to the Ellington fold were packing the Chi Chi.
                • Note the last day (Sunday) conflicts with a possible concert in San Francisco.

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc.,Owner, presents: Duke Ellington & His Orchestra"
                • 2 stage shows nightly of at least 65 minutes each for 10 consecutive nights beginning Feb.14
                • "Price: $7,500.00 Total, plus House for Duke Ellington and housing accommodations for the rest of his band."
                • Fee to be paid at termination of the engagement
                • Signed by David [illegible - Branvand?], contracted by Irwin Schuman, Chi Chi Club
                • Stratemann p.385 citing Variety 1958-02-26
                • Vail II
                • Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Cal.
                  • ad, 1958-02-13 p.2
                  • Hildy Crawford, Around Town, 1958-02-14 p.1B
                  • plug and ad, 1958-02-14 p.2A
                  • ad 1958-02-15 p.2A
                  • captioned photo and ad, 1958-02-18 p.2
                  • plug and ad, 1958-02-19 p.2
                  • ad 1958-02-20 p.2
                  • captioned photo and and ad, 1958-02-21 p.2A
                  • caption and ad, 1958-02-22 p.2A
                • The Daily Sun, San Bernardino, Cal.
                  • 1958-02-14 p.A-4
                  • 1958-02-20 p.B-10
                  • 1958-02-21 p.A-5
                  • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 23, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-18
                2016-06-06
                circa
                1958 02 15
                Saturday
                ...Personnel change
                The Billboard reported that writer-composer Fran Kelly had joined the Ellington organization to collaborate on a series of special projects with Ellington and Strayhorn. It reported she was currently writing with "the maestro" during the band's engagement at Chi Chi, and that Strayhorn, Ellington and Kelly were expected to begin work in New York in April after Strayhorn finished a project in Florida.

                The Billboard describes her as a "vet member" of the Ellington band of the early 1940s, and reports she was the former owner of the Fran-Tone Record Company and a jazz critic and correspondent for Metronome. She also had been a musical therapist at Kabat-Kaiser Institute and a jazz lecturer at UCLA.

                The New York Age ran a similar story in March.
              • The Billboard 1958-02-24, pp.4,42
              • New York Age 1958-13-15 p.17
              • ...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-24
                1958 02 15
                Saturday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Knights of Columbus Hall

                'Duke Ellington, internationally famous composer, arranger and band leader, now playing in Palm Springs, got a big hand when he appeared at the Knights of Columbus Hall Saturday to install officers of the NAACP Southern Area Conference. Also on hand, bearing greetings, were Mayor Sanborn and Sheriff Rice of Riverside County... '

                Story and picture, The California Eagle 1952-02-20 p.2...djpNew
                added 2013-08-17
                1958 02 15
                Saturday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14......Added
                2011
                1958 02 16
                Sunday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14.....Added
                2011
                1958 02 17
                Monday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14......Added
                2011
                1958 02 18
                Tuesday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14......Added
                2011
                1958 02 19
                Wednesday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14......Added
                2011
                1958 02 20
                Thursday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14......Added
                2011
                1958 02 21
                Friday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14......Added
                2011
                1958 02 22
                Saturday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14.......
                1958 02 23
                Sunday
                .Palm Springs, Cal.Chi Chi Club Starlite RoomNight club date - see 1958 02 14 and Sunday matinee 2:30 p.m. - "the Duke Ellington show and concert." - cover charge $1.Ad, Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Cal. 1958-02-19 p.2...djp.
                1958 02 23
                Sunday
                .San Francisco, Cal..Both Stratemann and Vail report a concert this date in San Francisco, but provide no information other than Stratemann citing Down Beat 1958 06 02. It may be the concert was scheduled, but it seems unlikely to have taken place considering the Palm Springs run ended this day.
                Palmquist's note:
                I have not yet searched Dr. Stratemann's files for the Down Beat reference. Once the name of the venue is determined, further research can be done.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-18
                1958 02 24
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 02 25
                Tuesday
                1958 03 02Phoenix, Ariz.Sombrero Playhouse
                7th St. near Camelback
                Musical variety show
                Musical review
                Duke Ellington
                His Brilliant Music
                His Orchestra
                His Company of Entertainers

                Two performances nightly:
                In a Musical Review 8 and 10 PM

                Singing by Ozzie Bailey; dancing by James Truitt
                The contract, signed by Richard Carlton, Sombrero Playhouse, was for $6,000 guarantee with 25% privilege of net receipts over $8,000, to be paid at the end of the engagement, in cash. Ellington was to provide 15 musicians for 6 nights beginning Feb. 25., playing two stage shows nightly of at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.
                • Stratemann p.385
                • Vail II
                • The Arizona Republic
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 24 Sombrero Playhouse, Phoenix, Arizona, February 25-March 2, 1958
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2016-01-24
                2016-02-25
                2016-06-05
                1958 02 26
                Wednesday
                .Phoenix, Ariz.Sombrero PlayhouseMusical variety show - 2 shows - see 1958 02 25.....Added
                2011
                1958 02 27
                Thursday
                .Phoenix, Ariz.Sombrero PlayhouseMusical variety show - 2 shows - see 1958 02 25.....Added
                2011
                1958 02 28
                Friday
                .Phoenix, Ariz.Sombrero PlayhouseMusical variety show - 2 shows - see 1958 02 25.....Added
                2011
                circa
                1958 02 28
                Friday
                ...Roy Wilkins, NAACP executive secretary, announced Ellington and Mrs. F. Marguite Belafonte would head the 1958 NAACP Freedom Fund campaign, with a goal of $1,000,000.
                • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas 1958-02-28 p.1
                • New York Age, New York, N.Y., 1958-03-01 p.20
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-25

                March 1958

                1958 03 01
                Saturday
                ... Peripheral event
                The New York Age reported Mercer Ellington's new record company, Gaye Records, recorded Jimmy McPhail, a baritone who was a teacher in Washington "this week."
                New York Age, 1958-03-01 p.17...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-26
                1958 03 00...Personnel change
                Willie Cook, trumpet, rejoins the band in mid-March
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-11
                1958 03 01
                Saturday
                .Phoenix, Ariz.Sombrero PlayhouseMusical variety show - 2 shows - see 1958 02 25.....Added
                2011
                1958 03 02
                Sunday
                .Phoenix, Ariz.Sombrero PlayhouseMusical variety show - 2 shows - see 1958 02 25.....Added
                2011
                1958 03 03
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                circa
                1958 03 04
                Tuesday
                ...Personnel change
                Stratemann reports Cat Anderson missed these dates for medical reasons. He was flown back to New York for treatment and was gone for an entire month.
                Stratemann p.386 citing JP 1958-06-00....New
                added
                2016-02-22
                1958 03 04
                Tuesday
                .Travis Air Force Base
                Fairfield, Cal.
                NCO ClubDance (recorded), 9 pm to 1 am
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Bill Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Where Or When
                • Smada
                • Dancing In The Dark
                • Main Stem
                • Vivi
                • Frivolous Banta
                • Willow Weep For Me
                • Just Scratchin' The Surface
                • Time On My Hands
                • Stompy Jones
                • Blues In Orbit
                • Bassment
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • Blues To Be There
                • Juniflip
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Satin Doll
                • Honeysuckle Rose
                • Beer Barrel Polka
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • You Better Know It
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • Caravan
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Mood Indigo
                • All Heart
                • Where Or When
                • Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
                • My Heart, My Mind, My Everything
                • Together
                • One O'Clock Jump
                • Wailing Interval
                • The Mooche
                • Autumn Leaves
                • Perdido
                • Oh! Lady Be Good
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc., owner, presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Contract price $750 flat, 50% payable on signing, balance in cash during intermission
                • Signed by Jerry Perenchio, 343 S. Glenroy Ave., Los Angeles
                • Stratemann p.385
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner V
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , pp. 182-183
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                New Desor
                DE5809
                DEMScorrTimner-4djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2016-03-02
                2016-06-06
                2020-05-09
                1958 03 05
                Wednesday
                .Sacramento, Cal.Officer's Club
                Mather Air Force Base
                Dance (recorded)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Dancing In The Dark
                • Where Or When
                • Frivolous Banta
                • Vivi
                • Main Stem
                • Time On My Hands
                • Boo-Dah
                • Commercial Time
                • My Heart, My Mind, My Everything
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • C-Jam Blues
                • All Heart
                • Medley
                • Juniflip
                • Tenderly
                • Where or When
                • Mood Indigo
                • Stompin' At The Savoy
                • Autumn Leaves
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Suburban Beauty
                • Caravan
                • Perdido
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • Star-Crossed Lovers
                • Together
                • Solitude
                • Day In, Day Out
                • Blue Moon

                • The medley was:
                  • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc., owner, presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Contract price $750 flat, 50% payable on signing, balance in cash during intermission
                • Signed by Jerry Perenchio, 343 S. Glenroy Ave., Los Angeles
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner V
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.183
                • Discographies differ as to personnel
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26
                djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-03-02
                2016-06-06
                2020-05-09
                1958 03 06
                Thursday
                ... Peripheral event
                Stratemann reports Down Beat ran a review of Ellington's 45 rpm single "My Heart, My Mind, My Everything." The story included a review Ellington's career, estimating he had recorded over 1,250 sides for more than a score of labels and had 570 copyrights registered with ASCAP. (Note The Billboard 1958-01-20 p.30 ran a short similar story)
                Stratemann p.386 citing
                • Down Beat 1958-06-03
                • The Billboard 1958-01-20 pp.30
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-22
                1958 03 06
                Thursday
                .North of
                San Rafael, Cal.
                NCO Club
                Hamilton Air Force Base
                Dance, 9 pm to 1 am.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $750, 50% payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission
                • Signed by Jerry Perenchio, 343 S. Glenroy Ave., Los Angeles
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-16
                2016-06-06
                1958 03 07
                Friday
                .Van Nuys, Cal.Valley Jr. College
                13161 Burbank Blvd.
                Concert - dance program. The Van Nuys (Calif) News reported there were 16 men in the orchestra, presumably including Ellington, since it names 15: Carney, Hodges, Nance, Grissom, Anderson, Woodman, Gonsalves, Procope, Jackson, Woody [recte Woode], Hamilton, Terry, Cook, Sanders and Woodyard.
                The contract, signed by Walter Coultas, Director, Valley Jr. College, was for $1,500 for Ellington to provide 15 musicians from 9 pm to 1 am. A $750 deposit was to be paid on signing, which had to be by December 13, 1957 due to other commitments. The balance was to be paid during intermission..
                • Stratemann p.386 citing The Billboard 1958-02-24 p.4
                • Vail II
                • Van Nuys (Calif.) News, Van Nuys, Cal., 1958-03-06 p.3-C
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 22, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-25
                2016-06-05
                1958 03 08
                Saturday
                .
                .Claremont, Cal.Bridges Auditorium
                Claremont Men's College
                8 pm to 11 pm. Concert, master of ceremonies Bill Setward [sic], 3 bands: Ellington, George Shearing's quintet and Bobby Troup's trio.
                The contract, signed by Tom Robinson, Associated Students of Claremont Men's College, called for Ellington to provide 15 men and the event was to run from 8 pm to 11:30 pm, for $2,000, with $250 to be paid upon signing the contract, with the rest of the 50% deposit, $750, payable 3 weeks prior to the engagement. Ellington was to receive headline billing.
                • Stratemann p.386 citing Down Beat 1958-02-06
                • Vail II
                • Star-News, Pasadena, Cal.
                  • 1958-02-22 p.6
                  • 1958-02-23 p.24
                  • 1958-03-01 p.6
                • The Independent, Pasadena,Cal. 1958-03-01,p.6
                • Daily Sun, San Bernardino, Cal.
                  • 1958-02-24 p.A-5
                  • 1958-02-28 p.A-4
                • The Billboard 1958-02-24, pp.4,42
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 10 31, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 4
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2016-02-25
                2016-06-05
                1958 03 09
                Sunday
                .Los Angeles, Cal..Ellington may have appeared live on a KNOB Radio Show:

                'The station changed frequency from 103.1 to 98.1 and increased power to 3500. They celebrated with a four hour program from 5-9 pm with Stan Kenton and Duke Ellington as emcees. It looks like it was a radio show not a live event. Unfortunately all of the articles are reporting the event as it was going to happen. I didn't find anything that reported after the fact.'

                • K. Poston, quoted by Ed Bride in DEMS 03/1-5
                • Stratemann p.386
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-22
                2016-02-16
                2016-02-26
                2020-05-09
                1958 03 09
                Sunday
                .Pismo Beach, Cal.Rose Garden BallroomDance

                The contract price was $1,000 for 15 musicians, to play from 9 pm to 1 am. Deposits were to be $150 on signing and $350 by February 20, with the balance to be paid during intermission in cash.
              • Stratemann p.386
              • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957-01-17 [should be 1958-01-17], SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 1
              • ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-05
                1958 03 10
                Monday
                .Carmel, Cal.Sunset AuditoriumConcert, 8:30 - 11 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc., Owner, presents Duke Ellington & His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee with 50% privilege of net receipts, 50% deposit payable on signing and balance in cash night during intermission.
                • Signed by Jimmy Lycks, Allied Media, Inc., 380 Cannery Row, Monterey, Cal.
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 16, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-07
                1958 03 11
                Tuesday
                .San Francisco, Cal.Veteran's [sic] Memorial Hall
                Van Nuys & McAllister
                Concert, 8:30 to 11 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., Owner, presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $900 with 50% privilege of net receipts, $450 payable on signing, balance in cash during intermission
                • Signed by Ray [illegible-Gowen or Goren?], 767 Andover St., San Francisco
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Vail II
                • .
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-07
                1958 03 12
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 13
                Thursday
                .Provo, UtahEast Provo Stake House
                or
                L D S Provo Tabernacle
                (The contract is for a concert at LDS Provo Tabernacle, but the local ads say it is at East Provo Stake House)

                TONIGHT
                In Person
                DUKE Ellington
                and his
                FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
                East Provo
                Stake House
                8 p.m.
                TICKETS AT THE DOOR
                SEATING AVAILABLE

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., Owner, presents: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Concert, 8 to 10 pm
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, $500 payable on signing and the balance in cash during the intermission.
                • Signed by Roger Victor & Frank Johansen
                • Ads:
                  • Sunday Herald, Utah County,Utah(Provo)
                    • 1958-03-02, p.2
                  • Daily Herald, Utah County, Utah:
                    • 1958-03-07, p.13
                    • 1958-03-12, p.8
                    • 1958-03-13, p.15
                    • 1958-03-11, p.17
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpNew
                added
                2014-06-29
                2016-06-07
                1958 03 14
                Friday
                .Salt Lake City, UtahBallroom
                Student Union
                University of Utah
                Frosh Dance, 9 p.m.
                The Salt Lake Tribune reported

                'Ticket sales indicate a near-record turnout for the Frosh Dance at the University of Utah Friday, Jim Rhead, class president, said Wednesday. The dance, featuring Duke Ellington, will begin at 9 p.m. in the Union Ballroom.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc.,Owner, presents: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra" from 9 pm to midnight
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,400 flat, $700 payable on signing and balance in cash during the intermission.
                • Signed by Roger Victor & Frank Johansen
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Vail II
                • The Salt Lake Tribune 1958-03-14 p.B3
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-22
                2016-02-25
                2016-06-06
                1958 03 15
                Saturday
                .Logan, UtahUnion Building Ballroom
                Utah State Agricultural College
                Junior Prom
                The attendees named by the Salt Lake Tribune were:
                Sid Fillmore, Don Crockett, Clyde Christensen, Judy Farr, Gay Simmons, Mary Ann Barrett, Jerry Davis, Orrice Murdock, Richard Sampson, LaRae Nate, Marcia Crawford, Ann Meyer, Betty Johnson, Ron Bergman, Ann Westenskow, Dick Despain, Connie Russell, Merlin Judkins, Wayne Berry, Alice Evans, Chloe Ann Frailey, Dick Thruston, Helen Clark, Robert Hodges, Patti Smith, Judy Cowley, Dave Fase, Mary Alee-Johnson, Bob Olson, Sharon Albiston, Judi Green, Reid Goldsberry, Maria Maydahle, Wendell Ogden, Sharon Secrist, Darrell South, Elizabeth Fell, Len Hohde, Kay Seamons, Vern Beck, Barbara Home, John Linford, Beverly Sharp,, Calvis Denison, Sue Ann Jasperson, Harry Gophart, Jan Baer, Jay Earl, Louis Thedl, Ruth Madson, Karen Peterson, Tom Yuill, Kathy Call, Verlin Miles, Joan Mthews, John Hall, Vard Swain, Diane Nelson, Faye Simper, Richard Miles, Laitas Kazlar, Ronalda Harper, Lorraine Weeks, Roy Reynols, Arlene Anderson, Gary Rosine, Edna Halstead, Allen Torsgren, Junior class officers Bill Hansen, Connie Ellison, and Annette Shoup, Prom chairman Glen Baugh, as well as Annette Maycock, Mike Wright, Roseanne Geary, Gene Albright, Dorothy Allen and Glen Pullen.

                The Ogden Standard-Examiner named:
                Faun Okerlund, Marilyn Mallett, Margene Isom, Barbara Slater (in charge of decorations), Reta and Ruby Morgan, Kenny Cloward, DAve Reynolds, Katherine Harvey, Don Dean, Lare Koziar, Ronaldo Harper, Judy Parker, Dan Schaughnessy, John Lonford, Barbara Bone, Joan Mathews, John Hall, Sylvia Palmer, Tom Thorpe, Tim Healy, Audry Simmons, Gary Kapp, and Janene Thomas.
                While Stratemann calls the venue Utah State Agricultural College, the name changed to Utah State University in 1957, the name used in the Salt Lake Tribune review. The contract is in the name of the college.

                One review says the dance was in the UB Ballroom, the other says Student Union, the contract just says Union Building.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., Owner, presents: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,250 flat, payable $!,125 on signing and balance in cash during the intermission.
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Signed by Evan Stevenson
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Vail II
                • The Salt Lake Tribune
                  • 1958-03-16 p.W7
                  • 1958-03-17 p.36
                • The Ogden Standard-Examiner 1958-03-16 p.7B
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-22
                2016-02-25
                2016-06-06
                1958 03 16
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 17
                Monday
                St. Patrick's Day
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 18
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 19
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                Stratemann p.386.....
                circa
                1958 03 20
                Thursday
                ...Personnel change
                Cat Anderson returned to the band by the first Bal Masque recording session.
                ....djpNew
                added 2016-02-26
                1958 03 20
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "At the Bal Masque"
                14:30 - 17:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Bill Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Got A Date With An Angel
                • Laugh, Clown, Laugh
                • Satan Takes a Holiday (aka Spooky Takes a Holiday)
                • Stratemann p.386
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner V
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.184
                • Discographies differ as to personnel
                New Desor
                DE5811
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2019-08-09
                1958 03 21
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 22
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 23
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 24
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "At the Bal Masque"
                14:30-18:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Bill Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                • Poor Butterfly
                • The Peanut Vendor
                New Desor
                DE5812
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-02
                2019-08-09
                1958 03 25
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 26
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.NBC StudiosEllington was a guest in the first episode ("What is Jazz") of a 13-week half-hour television series "The Subject Is Jazz" hosted by Gilbert Seldes and produced by George Norford.
                The Pittsburgh Courier carried a photo of Ellington, producer Norford and guest Mrs. P. Lorrilard Jr. (Newport Jazz Festival) at a "recent party" at Birdland for the guests and press. The date of the party is not stated.
                The series, produced by "NBC Educational Television Project in partnership with the Educational Television and Radio Center at Ann Arbor, Michigan" was telecast live on Wednesday at 18:00 EST, with delayed Kinescope telecasts on Saturdays. Ellington's appearance was a speaking role; a septet led by Billy Taylor and including Doc Severinson provided the music. Stratemann reports
                • this was the first television series to be produced by an Afro-American
                • this was the first jazz TV series to be sent out live to 29 of the country's educational TV stations over the regular NBC network cables
                • eight regular NBC-TV affiliates carried the program on a delayed basis with Kinescope
                • five network owned and operated NBC stations were used in key cities like New York, where no educational channel carried the series
                Several episodes, but not Ellington's, can be viewed on YouTube. A copy of the 30-minute 16 mm film is held in the Libary of Congress Valburn/Ellington collection.
                • Stratemann pp.387-388
                • Vail II
                • Pittsburgh Courier, 1958-05-10 p.22
                • New York Age, New York, N.Y., 1958-03-01 p.17
                • Los Angeles Tribune, Los Angeles, Cal.,
                  • 1958-03-14 p.18
                  • 1958-05-02 p.21
                • The Gazette and Daily, York, Penn. 1958-03-10 p.15
                • The Oneonta Star, Oneonta, N.Y., 1958-03-13 p.8
                • The Burlington (N.C.) Daily Times-News, 1958-03-17 p.7B
                • GoogleBooks: Rebecca D. Clear, Jazz on Film and Video in the Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, August, 1993, p.128
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner V
                New Desor
                DE5813
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-28
                2016-06-10
                1958 03 26
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "At the Bal Masque"
                14:30-17:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Bill Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Indian Love Call
                • Lady In Red
                New Desor
                DE5814
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-02
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1958 03 27
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 03 27
                Thursday
                ... Peripheral event
                "Cat" Anderson Cat assigned all his rights in "El Gato" to Tempo Music, Inc. The contract is signed by Ruth E. James and William "Cat" Anderson.
                Contract dated 1958 03 27...djp
                New
                added
                2016-06-10.
                1958 03 28
                Friday
                1958 03 30
                Sunday
                Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill Inn
                Intersection of Rts. 130 & 73
                Night club engagement
                9 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly
                Sunday matinee, 4 to 7 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 payable in cash at end of engagement
                • Stratemann p.389 citing Variety 1658-03-26 p.65
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 25, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-26
                2016-06-08
                1958 03 29
                Saturday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnSee 1958 03 28.....Added
                2011
                1958 03 30
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnSee 1958 03 28
                2 performances, 4 and 9 p.m.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-08
                circa
                1958 03 31
                Monday
                ...Personnel change
                Johnny Hodges returned to the band in time for the March 31 session.
                • New Desor vol.2
                • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2016-03-03
                .DEMS.djpNew
                added
                2012-10-12
                updated
                2016-03-03
                2020-05-09
                1958 03 31
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "At the Bal Masque"
                14:30-17:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Steven Lasker advises:

                '...the AF of M Recording Report for the session,... shows six saxophones present: Procope, Carney, Gonsalves, Hamilton, Graham and Hodges.


                According to New Desor and Timner, both were present in the March 31 session, but Nielsen doesn't include Graham but New Desor, Timner and DEMS 05/1-32 do. Steven Lasker advises:

                'the AF of M Recording Report for the session, which shows six saxophones present: Procope, Carney, Gonsalves, Hamilton, Graham and Hodges.

                Titles recorded:
                • Lady In Red
                • Alice Blue Gown
                • Satin Doll
                • The Donkey Serenade
                New Desor
                DE5815
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2018-01-27
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                circa
                1958 03 31
                Monday
                ...Personnel change
                Bill Graham appears to have left the band after the March 31 session but would return to play in more 1958 sessions.
                • New Desor vol.2
                • Email, Lasker-Palmquist
                  • 2016-03-03
                  • 2018-01-27
                .DEMS.djpNew
                added
                2012-10-12
                updated
                2016-03-03
                2020-05-09

                April 1958

                1958 04 00...Peripheral event
                The Duke Ellington Society of Southern California was founded in April 1958. Steven Lasker advises Bill Ross and Patricia (Willard) Ortiz were its co-founders. In 1958, vice-president Willard won a trip to the Newport Jazz Festival in Down Beat's Jazz Festival contest - see 1958 07 03.
                • Down Beat "Strictly Ad Lib," 1958-05-15, p. 40:

                  'Hollywood--The Duke Ellington Jazz Society was formed in Hollywood last month with Bill Ross named chairman of a five-man board of directors. Meetings are held the first Tuesday and third Wednesday of each month in members' homes.'

                • Down Beat:"Strictly Ad Lib," 1958-10-30, p. 41:

                  'Chairman Bill Ross of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society gleefully reports membership rose several hundred in the last two months. DEJS now boasts members from 18 countries, has approximately 1,800 members--including Mr. Barney Bigard, U.S.A.'

                • Radio log, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles 1958-08-30 p.25:

                  11:00 a.m. KNOB, Jazz Archives: Duke Ellington Jazz Society explored.

                • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass. 1958-08-19 p.20:

                  '...Irma Bloomberg ... tells of the formation of this new group of Ellington fans. The society's headquarters ore out on the West Coast. But they're looking for new members everywhere...'

                • The society is mentioned in several newspapers in the U.S. and Canada in 1959.
                Email Lasker-Palmquist
                2023-02-25
                2023-09-28.
                ....New
                added
                2023-09-30
                1958 04 01
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "At the Bal Masque"
                14:30-17:30
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                • Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf?
                • Gypsy Love Song (aka Gypsy Sweetheart)
                • Hand Me Down Love
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59
                • Timner V
                • Nielsen p.185
                New Desor
                DE5816
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-02
                2019-08-09
                1958 04 02
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "The Cosmic Scene"
                14:30-18:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington's Spacemen
                Terry, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • Midnight Sun
                • Avalon
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Body And Soul
                Note Nielsen combines the April 2 and 3 sessions into one dated April 2 and Jepsen combines them into one session, dated "April 2/3"
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59
                • Timner V
                • Nielsen p.185
                New Desor
                DE5817
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-02
                2020-05-09
                1958 04 03
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the album "The Cosmic Scene."
                19:00-23:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington's Spacemen
                Terry, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard
                Titles recorded:
                • St. Louis Blues
                • Perdido
                • Jones
                • Easly Autumn
                • Bassment (a.k.a. Discontented)
                • Spacemen
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59 (misdated)
                • Nielsen p.185 (misdated)
                • Timner V
                New Desor
                DE5818
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-03-02
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1958 04 04
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 05
                Saturday
                ... Peripheral event
                The activities of Ellington and most of the band are not documented
                Hodges, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard and two non-Ellingtonians played a Verve recording session
                Stratemann p.389.DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-03-03
                2020-05-09
                1958 04 06
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y.Carnegie Hall
                (Main Hall)
                8:30 p.m. concert, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Ella Fitzgerald, presented by Norman Granz. According to the Carnegie Hall performance history database, the program consisted of
                • Black and Tan Fantasy
                • Creole Love Call
                • The Mooche
                • Jeep's Blues
                • Such Sweet Thunder: Selection
                • Sophisticated Lady (with Ella Fitzgerald)
                • Cotton Tail (with Ella Fitzgerald)
                It appears the database is not complete, since The Billboard said Ella performed with the Ben Webster quartet as well. Rather than being recorded, the concert was, according to The Billboard, "a live version of the Verve album "Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook" but that album has 21 titles.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians including the leader, under the leadership of "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Type of engagement: concert
                • Duke Ellington to receive equal star billing with Ella Fitzgerald
                • Wage agreed upon: - union scale for engagement - additional wording "plus union scale covering rehearsal period" is crossed out.
                • Employer: Norman Granz
                • Signed by Norman Granz and Aldo Ricci, secretary
                • The Billboard 1958-04-14 p.6
                • Stratemann p.389, citing The Billboard 1958-04-14 p.7
                • Vail II
                • Carnegie Hall history database
                • Pittsburgh Courier 1958-03-29 p.22
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-03
                2016-03-03
                2016-06-09
                1958 04 07
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 08
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 09
                Wednesday
                .Manhattan, KansasKansas State College Union BuildingConcert, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. with short intermission
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, 60% privilege, payable in cash to Al Celley, band manager, night of engagement
                • "Name of Employer: Oliver R. White, Program Director, Kansas State College, K-State Union.
                • Signed by [illegible - Loren V. Kottner?]
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-07
                1958 04 10
                Thursday
                .Sioux Falls, S.D.Arkota BallroomDance, 9 pm to 1 am.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $800 guarantee, 60% privelege, payable in cash to Duke Ellington the night of the engagement
                • Signed by Tom Archer

                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 30, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-06
                1958 04 11
                Friday
                .Omaha, Neb.Peony Park BallroomCreighton University Junior-Senior Prom, with over 1,300 attendees. The student council reported it made a profit of $111.46 on revenue of $2,584.00. Disbursements included $1,500.00 for the band, hall rental $187.00 and programmes $127.07.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington, in Person."
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat. $750 payable on signing and balance in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement
                • Signed by Mr. George Joseph, Social Chairman, Student Board of Governors.
                • The Creightonian, Creighton University, Omaha, Neb.
                  • 1958-04-11 p.1
                  • 1958-05-02 p.4
                • Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb., 1958-04-12 p.2
                • Evening World-Herald, Omaha, Neb., 1958-04-12 p.2
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated [illegible} day of February, 1958, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 25 "Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, April 11, 1958"
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-01-24
                updated
                2016-03-03
                2016-06-06
                1958 04 12
                Saturday
                .Marion, IowaArmar BallroomDancing
                Admission $1.55 plus tax, total $1.75
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington * in Person"
                • Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60%, to be paid in cash to Duke Ellington the night of the engagement
                • Signed by Tom Archer, Des Moines, Iowa
                • The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
                  • 1958-04-06 p.12
                  • 1958-04-11 p.11
                  • 1958-04-12 p.5
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1954 01 30, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03
                2016-06-06
                1958 04 13
                Sunday
                .Highland Park, Ill.Highland Park High School Auditorium
                Vine Ave.
                Two concerts 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., sponsored by the Deerfield Chamber of Commerce, to raise funds to equip the new community field house in Deerfield's Jewett Park.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents: Duke Ellington - in person:
                • Two 2 1/2 hour concerts at 2:30 and 8 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Contract price $5,000 flat, payable 33 1/3% on signing and balance payable in cash to Al Celley at 5 p.m. April 13
                • "Any substitution of Ellington himself which this contract may authorize must be a person of like popularity and reputation."
                • Signed by "Edward J. Walchli, not individually but as President of Deerfield Junior Chamber of Commerce"
                • Daily Northwestern, Evanston, Ill.
                  • 1958-04-08 p.4
                  • 1958-04-11 p.4
                • Paddock Billboard, Arlington Heights Herald, Arlington Heights, Ill., 1958-04-10 p.43
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                .
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03
                2016-06-06
                1958 04 14
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 14...PERSONNEL MATTERS
                The union locals of the sidemen were listed on a slip of paper stapled to the Lewisohn Stadium contract dated April 14 (for the July 24 concert). Gonsalves is shown as Local 214, vocalist Bailey has no local listed, and Local 802 is shown for Anderson, Baker, Carney, Hamilton, Graham, Jackson, Nance, Procope, Sanders, Woodman, Woodyard, Woode and Terry
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-11
                1958 04 15
                Tuesday
                .Carthage, Ill.Carthage College Auditorium (Stratemann)
                or
                Chapel Music Hall (contract)
                Carthage College
                Concert
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Type of engagement: Concert 8 to 10 p.m. with short intermission
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1.250 guaranteed flat, 50% deposit payable to Associated Booking Corp. on signing, balance payable in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement at intermission time
                • Employer: Mr. Ed Walline, Carthage College
                • Signed Tau Sigma Chu by Ed Walline
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-03
                2016-06-08
                1958 04 16
                Wednesday
                .Waterloo, IowaElectric Park Ballroom

                GRAND OPENING
                of the new
                ELECTRIC PARK BALLROOM
                Completely Remodelled,
                Decorated and
                Air-Conditioned for
                Your Dancing Comfort
                and Pleasure
                Wednesday, April 16
                Featuring One of America's
                All Greats
                DUKE
                ELLINGTON
                and His
                Famous Orchestra
                $1.55 Per Person
                (plus tax)
                PHONE AD 4-6859
                for Reservations
                FREE ROSE to
                Every Lady Attending
                Our Grand Opening


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington in Person"
                • Nature of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $900 guarantee, privilege 60% payable in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement
                • Employer: Bob Bender, Electric Park, Waterloo, Iowa
                • Signed by Bob Bender

                Waterloo Daily Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
                • 1958-04-09-p.20
                • 1958-04-11 p.16
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03
                updated
                2016-06-08
                1958 04 17
                Thursday
                .Whitefish Bay, Wisc.Auditorium
                Whitefish Bay High School
                Concert, 8 p.m., featuring the Ellington orchestra and singer Lurlean Hunter of Chicago. (Whitefish Bay is about 7 miles north of Milwaukee.)
                The concert was organized by the high school 50 member youth council. According to the Journal, the fee was $2,000; as of April 16, 1,000 tickets were sold, meaning the venture turned a profit to be used to improve the recreation centre. Ticket prices were $2, $2.50 and $2.75. James Jay, senior and 'mayor' of the council, persuaded the school board to front the $1,000 deposit; Jay and students John Ludden and Nancy With were to

                '...meet the Ellington crew and see that they're made comfortable. Other youths will handle such matters as piano moving, lighting, ushering and all the other problems of putting on a concert.
                  It will be the first professional affair in the new auditorium and the first there under student sponsorship.'

                The review by Don Dornbrook reported the band numbered 13. Specifically mentioned were Anderson, Hamilton, Nance, Hodges, Bailey, Woodyard and Lurlean Hunter. The reviewer described the concert in terms of a short course in music appreciation, with 1,000 attending. Ellington wore five sports jackets over the length of the concert. Pieces played included Black and Tan Fantasy, Creole Love Song [sic], The Mooch [sic], Autumn Leaves, "a lot of excerpts" from the Shakespearean suite, an 8 minute drum solo, Mood Indigo, Caravan, In a Sentimental Mood, I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good, Diminuendo in Blue and Crescendo in Blue. Miss Hunter sang Show Me Love, I Can See You and Just One of Those Things.
                The contract terms differ from the above:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington in Person"
                • Place of engagement: Auditorium, White Fish Bay High School, 1200 E. Fairmount, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
                • Concert: 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. with short intermission
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Duke Ellington Orchestra shall accompany Miss Lurlean Hunter
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guaranteed flat, $750 payable on signing and balance in cash night to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement
                • Signed by Richard L. Cooper, Director, Recreation & Administration, White Fish Bay High School, 1200 E. Fairmount, Milwaukee 17, Wisconsin
                • Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc.
                  • 1958-04-16 pt.2 p.10
                  • 1958-04-18 pt. 2 p.3
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03
                2016-06-07
                1958 04 18
                Friday
                .West Lafayette, Ind.Union Ballrooms
                Purdue University
                The Purdue Exponent

                'Tonight is the Junior Prom, sponsored by the Class of 1959. Dancing will be in the Union Ballrooms from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. to the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The Chico Hamilton quintet will be playing in the cafeteria for listening...'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Union, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  Friday, April 18, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  10 P.M. to 2 A.M.
                • Type of engagement
                  Dance
                • Duke Ellington to receive 100% top billing.
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 guaranteed flat payable in cash or by school check to Al Celley, band manager, end of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Junior Prom, Class of '59, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 20, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • The Purdue Exponent, Purdue University, 1958-04-18 p.1, courtesy D. T. Burrows, Graduate Assistant, Archives and Special Collections, Department of History, Purdue University (2016-07-14)
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-13
                updated
                2016-07-15
                1958 04 19
                Saturday
                .Coloma, Mich.Crystal Palace Ballroom
                Paw Paw Lake
                Dancing
                9:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
                Admission $1.75/person, tax included.
                In March, the Jamestown N.Y. Post-Journal announced a Jamestown, N.Y. concert "Tuesday, April 19," It was a misprint; that event was Tuesday, April 29.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60%, payable in cash to Al Celley, Road Manager, night of engagement
                • Signed by Frank Biruby [?}, Crystal Palace Ballroom
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                • The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich.
                  • 1958-04-11 p.6
                  • 1958-04-19 p.6
                • Jamestown (N.Y.) Post-Journal 1958-03-18 p.10
                ...djpNew
                2016-03-03
                updated
                2016-06-07
                1958 04 20
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Holiday Club BallroomDance, 9 to 1
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "Duke Ellington Inc., presents DUKE ELLINGTON -in person"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Holiday Club Ballroom, 4748 North Milwaukee, Chicago, Illinois
                • Date(s) of employment
                  Sunday, April 20,1958
                • Hours of employment
                  9 to 1
                • Type of engagement
                  Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440
                • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guaranteed, privilege 60%.
                • To be paid in cash to Al Celley, band manager, end of engagement
                • Employer: Mr. Joe McElroy, Holiday Club Ballroom, 4748 North Milwaukee, Chicago, Illinois
                • Signed by Joe McElroy
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                1957 12 20, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-15
                1958 04 21
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 22
                Tuesday
                .Cleveland, OhioSeverance HallConcert, 8:30 - 10:30 pm

                Sponsored by the Senate of Case Institute of Technology, which later merged with Western Reserve University to become Case Western Reserve University.

                The April 18 announcement said

                'This may be the last concert under Senate sponsorship if ticket sales are not increased. Tickets may be purchased from student representatives or at the Tomlinson Hall desk for $1,25 each. Block tickets are still available.'

                The 'Senate Report' column reported 552 people attended, and that it was fairly certain that a loss was sustained. An agreement had been made with Severance Hall to restrict publicity to only college students, sharply limiting general advertisement of the event.
                Contract terms were:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee, privilege of 50% of gross receipts after taxes, $750 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission the night of engagement
                • Signed by Daniel T. McSweeney, "president Case Senate."

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                • Case Tech, Student Publication of Case Institute of Technology, Cleveland, Ohio (courtesy J.Tatem, University Archivist, Case Western Reserve University by email 2016-06-09):
                  • Announcement, 1958-04-18 p.1
                  • Pete Gary, Senate Report, 1958-05-02 p.6
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-07
                updated
                2016-06-09
                1958 04 23
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 24
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                19:00-22:00
                Columbia's files don't name the producer for this session
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Pettiford, Woodyard, Bailey, Choir

                Titles recorded:
                • Hand Me Down Love
                • C-Jam Blues (Duke's Place)
                • Lullaby Of Birdland
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol. 3 1934-59
                • Timner V
                • Nielsen, p.185
                New Desor
                DE5819
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-03-04
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-09
                1958 04 25
                Friday
                .Bethlehem, Penn.Grace Hall,
                Lehigh University
                Formal dance, Spring Houseparty weekend.

                Ellington's orchestra was to play on one floor, while a sweet band led by Walt Simpson, was to play upstairs.
                Ellington was to provide 15 musicians from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. and to receive top billing, with advertising to be supplied by the agent. The contract, signed by Carl N. Schier III, president of the Class of 1959, was approved Dec. 17 by the Dean of Students. The contract price was $2,000, with $1,000 deposit to be paid on signing the contract, the balance by Lehigh University cheque the night of the engagement.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 18, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                • The Brown and White, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Penn.
                  • 1958-03-04 p.6
                  • 1958-03-25 p.1
                  • 1958-04-19 p.1
                  • 1958-05-02 pp.1,3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-05
                1958 04 26
                Saturday
                .Teaneck, N.J.Teaneck Jewish Community Center
                Sterling Place
                Banquet
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Teaneck Jewish Community Center, Sterling Place, Teaneck, N.J.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 25, 1956
                • Hours of employment
                  10:00 p.m. -2:00 a.m.
                • Duke Ellington to receive 100% sole star billing in all advertising, and he will appear for the entire affair with his regular feature orchestra. Stated fee herein includes all expenses.
                • Type of engagement
                  banquet
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000.
                • To be paid 50% deposit to ABC on signing of contract; 
                  balance to artist in cash night of engage-
                  to be held in escrow until ment
                  night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Teaneck Jewish Comm. Center
                  Julius Schargel
                  c/o Julius Schargel, 493 Cedar Lane
                  Teaneck N.J.
                • Signed by
                  Julius J. Schargel
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 23, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-15
                1958 04 27
                Sunday
                .Ridley Township, Penn.El Rancho Club
                17th & Bullens Lane
                Dance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra" 9 p.m to 2 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Dance Music
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 payable in cash to artist, night of engagement
                • "This completed contract must be returned to El Rancho Club by March 21, 1958 or it is null and void."
                • Employer: El Rancho Club
                • Signed by El Rancho Club, John Burke - Mgr.
                • Chester Times, Chester, Penn.
                  • 1958-04-18 p.12
                  • 1958-04-23 pp.13, 18
                  • 1958-04-25, p.18
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-09-21
                updated
                2016-03-03
                2016-06-08
                1958 04 28
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 04 29
                Tuesday
                Ellington's birthday
                .Jamestown, N.Y.Merton P. Corwin Auditorium
                Jamestown High School
                Concert, 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., sponsored by the Jamestown Boys' Club's Alumni Jazz Club to raise funds for the Jazz Club to help build a summer camp for the Boys' Club. The first announcement misprinted the date as Tuesday, April 19.

                Times-Mirror:

                ' Quite a large contingent from Warren area was in Jamestown last night to hear Duke Ellington and His Orchestra in a benefit concert staged in the high school auditorium by the Jamestown Boys' Club Alumni.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington & His Orchestra"
                • Engagement type: "concert (stage)"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,200 flat, $625 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission the night of the engagement
                • Signed by Jamestown Jazz Club, Matthew Passemonte, Chairman, 39 Cross Street, Jamestown.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                • Jamestown (N.Y.) Post-Journal
                  • 1958-03-18 p.10
                  • 1958-04-26 p.18
                • Times-Mirror, Warren, Penn., 1958-04-30 p.6
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03
                updated
                2016-06-06
                1958 04 30
                Wednesday
                .Clinton, N.Y.Clinton ArenaConcert 8:30 P.M.(90 minutes), and dance following, to continue until 12:30 A.M., under the auspices of the Rome Junior Chamber of Commerce, proceeds to be used for youth activities.

                Tickets - door, $2.00, advance, $1.65

                Co-chairs of the JC arrangements committee were John El Waller, Alan Cole and Don C. McLouglin
                The standard contract form used by Associated Booking Corporation following the AFM model has been altered by many strike-throughs and typed amendments. Every reference to "employer" has been replaced "purchaser" and 14 lines of boilerplate have been struck out. In the number of musicians space, the number 15 has been overtyped by DUKE ELLINGTON, INC., the phrase PRICE AGREED UPON is changed to TERMS, and all references to "employee" or "employees" have been replaced with "musician," "musicians" and "orchestra" as the case may be.

                Contract terms to the extent they are decipherable:
                • 15 musicians [or maybe just Duke Ellington, Inc.] under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Clinton Arena, Clinton, N.Y.
                • Date
                  April 30, 1958
                • Hours
                  Concert & Dance - originally 9:00 P.M. To 1:00 A.M.but struck out and replaced with 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
                • Type of engagement
                  Concert and dance
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee privilege 50% of the gross receipts, to be paid during intermission night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Clinton Arena, Edward Stanley, Mgr., Clinton, Arena
                • Signed by
                  E. W. Stanley, Mgr
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 16, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • Madison County Times, Chittenango, Madison County, N.Y., 1958-04-25 p.5
                • Stratemann, p.389
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-10
                2016-07-15

                May 1958

                1958 05 01
                Thursday
                .Toronto, Ont.Massey Hall
                178 Victoria St.
                Concert
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Type of engagement: Concert, 8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • "It is agreed that neither duke ellington nor his band will appear within a radius of 100 miles of Toronto between April 1, 1958 and May 31, 1958
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee, privilege 50% gross receipts, U.S. funds, deposit $750 payable by April 1, 1958, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Walter Homburger, International Artists, 73 Adelaide St. W., Toronto, Ont.
                • Signed by Walter Homburger
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-08
                2024-07-28
                1958 05 02
                Friday
                .Olean, N.Y.Olean State ArmoryJunior prom, St. Bonaventure University
                Formal dance 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians
                • 10 pm to 2 am
                • usual top billing clause
                • $2,500 flat, $1,250 on signing, balance in cash during intermission the night of the engagement.
                • Signed by (Prof.) Ausin L. Tinan and Daniel J. Gorman
                • Wellsville Daily Reporter, Wellsville, N.Y. 1958-02-15 p.4
                • The Bona Venture, St. Bonaventure University, Allegany, N.Y.
                  • 1958-02-14 pp.1,7
                  • 1958-05-02 pp.1,7
                  • Several mentions in later years
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-25
                updated
                2016-06-06
                1958 05 03
                Saturday
                .Hamilton, N.Y.Huntington Gymnasium
                Colgate University
                All-college Spring Dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Spring Party Weekend
                $6.00/couple
                The Kappa Delta Rho fraternity appears to have had Ellington to dinner before the dance.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians
                • 9 pm to 1 am
                • usual top billing clause
                • $2,000 flat, payable in cash the night of the engagement.
                • Signed by Lloyd Huntley, Director of Student Activities
                • The Colgate Maroon, Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y.
                  • 1958-03-05 p.1
                  • 1958-04-02 p.4
                  • 1958-04-30 pp.1,5
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-02-25updated
                2016-06-06
                1958 05 04
                Sunday
                .Cortland, N.Y.H.P.E.R. Building
                Cortland State Teachers College
                Concert, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Incorporated presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750, $875 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Signed by George J. Calley, Delta Kappa Fraternity, 50 Thomkins Street, Cortland
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                • Syracuse Herald-American, Syracuse, N.Y., 1958-04-20 p.44
                • Syracuse Herald-Journal, Syracuse, N.Y. 1958-05-02 p.2
                • Cortland Standard, Cortland, N.Y., 1958-05-01 p.2
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-07
                2016-06-10
                1958 05 05
                Monday
                .Ridgewood, N.J.High School AuditoriumThird Annual Ridgewood Jazz Concert
                The contract price was $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60% of gross receipts less taxes, $500 deposit payable to Associated Booking Corporation no later than 30 days before the engagement, balance in cash the night of the engagement. Ellington was to provide 15 musicians from 8:30 to 10:30 pm including intermission, and was to receive top billing. The contract was signed by Bill Gardner for the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Ridgewood.
                An autographed programme is signed by Procope, Jackson, Hamilton, Nance, Bailey, Ellington, Woodyard and Grissom and has a couple additional illegible signatures.
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Autographed concert program.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 11 25, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 5
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 26 Third Annual Ridgewood Jazz Concert, Ridgewood, New Jersey, May 5, 1958
                ..programCAHjul11
                2016-01-24/djp
                Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-01-24
                2016-06-05
                1958 05 06
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 07
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 08
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 09
                Friday
                .Pottstown, Penn.Sunnybrook ParkSpring Prom, Drexel Institute of Technology

                Drexel Triangle:

                '... The hall was filled with couples at the height of the evening, dancing and listening to the sounds of Duke Ellington and the phrasing of Carmen McRae.
                  Dancing began around 9:30 p.m. and continued through 1 a.m., when most of the couples left for further entertainment or food. Miss McRae came on about midnight, after an effective stalling period by the Duke, and held her listeners for over half an hour with a combination of jazz and her latest warblings.
                  The Duke played extremely danceable music –for his usual style – combining jazz, the classics, and some of his own compositions... It was exciting just to see the old master casually stroke the keys, bringing his wealth of musical background into focus for the youthful college crowd, few of whom have seen or heard his long-famous repertoire.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Sunnybrook Park, Pottstown, Pa.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  May 9, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  9:00 P.M. To 1:00 A.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000, deposit $1,000 on signing and balance in cash during intermission Night of Engagement
                • Employer:
                  Drexel Institute of Philadelphia
                • Signed by
                  Martin Weinberg
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • The Drexel Triangle, Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia, Penn.
                • 1958-05-09, pp.1,4,5
                • 1958-05-16 p.3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-11
                1958 05 10
                Saturday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Penn Sherwood Hotel
                39th and Chestnut Sts.
                Appears to be a dance for Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • 9 pm to 1 am
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750 flat, $875 payable on signing and balance in cash during the intermission on the night of engagement
                • Signed by Antony P. Lawson, Philadelphia College Pharmacy & Science

                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 05 or 04 (my copy is blurry), SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-06
                1958 05 11
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 12
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 13
                Tuesday
                .Beaver Falls, Penn........Added
                2011
                1958 05 14
                Wednesday
                .Pittsburgh, Penn.West View Park BallroomDuquesne University May Ball
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents: Duke Ellington"
                • Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 payable $1,000 on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Contracted with Alpha Phi Delta, Duquesne University, signed by Richard Mellick and Ralph Martini
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                • Duke, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                  • 1958-04-25 p.1
                  • 1958-05-02 p.1
                  • 1958-05-08 pp.1,7
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-06
                1958 05 15
                Thursday
                .Allentown, Penn.Endicott Club
                or
                Embassy Club
                Stratemann and Vail show the venue as the Endicott Club without providing sources or an address. The contract shows Embassy Club, which according to David Hill, was located at 18 North 6th Street in Allentown and was owned by William "Jazz" Max in 1958. He retired in 1962.

                The contract has two scratched out, illegible, items.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement: Embassy Club - 18 North 6th St., Allentown, Pa.
                • Type of engagement: illegible (scratched out)
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $950, 50% payable by April 15 and the balance in cash night of engagement
                • Name of Employer: Embassy Club, 18 North 6th Street, Allentown
                • Signed by Helen B. May
                .
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                • Email, David Hill to Duke-LYM 2016-06-07, citing a 2003 article in the Allentown Morning Call.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-07
                1958 05 16
                Friday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Milton Hall
                Temple University
                Broad and Burke St.
                9 pm to 1 am (likely the senior class May Ball)
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,900, $950 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Signed by Senior Class of Temple University by Luellen D'Angelo, Pres.
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-08
                1958 05 17
                Saturday
                .Trenton, N.J.Stacey-Trent HotelSenior class dance, Rider College
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington & His Orchestra," 9 pm to 1 am
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750 flat, payable $875 on signing and balance in cash during intermission the night of engagement
                • Signed by Ropbert McHenry and Ray J. Albanowski
              • Stratemann p.389
              • Vail II
              • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 31, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
              • ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-06
                1958 05 18
                Sunday
                .Baltimore, Md.Polytechnic AuditoriumConcert, 8:15-10:15 p.m. per contract

                The ad reproduced in Vail shows:
                Duke
                "I Love You Madly"
                Ellington
                AND ORCHESTRA
                SUNDAY, MAY 18
                8 P.M.
                Polytechnic Auditorium
                Benefit Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
                Scholarship Fund

                All Seats Reserved: Balcony $2.20
                Orchestra $2.75 And $3.30
                Tickets on Sale at Central Ticket Agency
                206 N. Liberty and Druid Hill Ave. YMCA

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750, $875 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission night of engagement
                • Signed by Frank J. Ellis, President, Delta Lambda [Chapter], Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 26, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-08
                1958 05 19
                Monday
                .Richmond, Va.Belgian Building
                Virginia Union University
                Concert, 8:30 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington"
                • Type of engagement, hours: Concert, 9-11 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 , deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: L.D.Smith, Business Mgr., Virginia Union University
                • Signed by L.D.Smith

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 01, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10
                • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va., 1958-05-11 pp.2-L, L-3
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-11
                1958 05 20
                Tuesday
                .Martinsville, Va.CarrollwoodDance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60% gross receipts, deposit $500 on signing of contract, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Frank Taylor, Franks Food Fair
                • Signed by Frank L Taylor
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 24, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-12
                1958 05 21
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 22
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 23
                Friday
                .Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.Country Club of DetroitThis is shown as "Detroit Country Club, Detroit, Mi." in Stratemann and Vail.

                Grosse Point Farms is a suburb of Detroit.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents: Duke Ellington"
                • 9:30 to 1:30
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 payable $750 by April 1, balance in cash to artist night of engagement; no additional expenses.
                • Signed by Donald E. Edie, Mgr.
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 01 21, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 7
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-06
                1958 05 24
                Saturday
                .Collegeville,Ind.St. Joseph's College.Junior prom
                  Anderson Daily Bulletin, Ind.
                • Social column, 1958-04-18 p.2
                • "OPn Prom Committee", 1958-04-15 p.2
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-04
                2016-06-10
                1958 05 25
                Sunday
                .Angola, Ind.Buck Lake RanchContract terms:
                • 16 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents: Duke Ellington - In Person"
                • Three 1-hour pop music concerts, 3, 6 and 9 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and a piano tuned to A-440.
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 guaranteed flat, payable in cash upon completion of engagement
                • Signed by Harry Smythe, Buck Lake Ranch, Angola, Ind.
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 28, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-02-18
                2016-06-07
                1958 05 26
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 27
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 28
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 29
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 05 30
                Friday
                .Rochester, Ind.Colonial Terrace Ballroom
                Colonial Hotel
                Dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc.,Owner, presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, privilege 60%, payable in cash to Al Celley, Road Manager, night of engagement
                • Signed by Ken Morris
                .
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-09-21
                2016-06-08
                1958 05 31
                Saturday
                .Fruitport, Mich.Fruitport PavilionDance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in person"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60%, payable in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement
                • Signed by Frank Lockage, 2309 Jefferson St., Muskogon Hts., Michigan
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 28th Feb. 1958, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-07

                June 1958

                1958 06 00...Personnel change
                In late June, Willie Cook left the band.
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added
                2012-10-11
                updated
                2012-10-12
                2019-02-27
                2019-09-06
                1958 06 04.Chicago, Ill..CBS telecast "Jazz In The Round".New Desor
                DE5820
                DEMSStratemann 389photo.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-09
                1958 06 01
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 06 02
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 06 03
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 06 04
                Wednesday
                1958 06 29Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Contract between "Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note from June 4, 1958 for four weeks, 32 hours per week, 5 day week, Sunday Matinee. The contract includes the usual headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions and the fee is still $5,000/week less 10% to ABC.......Added
                2011
                1958 06 05
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 06
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 07
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 08
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 09
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                This should be a night off from the Blue Note, but New Desor shows a recorded broadcast on CBS from the club. The Chicago Tribune radio listing for this date does not mention Ellington..New Desor
                DE5821
                .corrTimner-4/27.Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-04
                1958 06 10
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                Blue Note day off
                ......
                1958 06 11
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 12
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 13
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 14
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 15
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 16
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Blue Note day off
                ......
                1958 06 17
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                Blue Note day off
                ......
                1958 06 18
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Eighth Street TheaterGala celebrity fundraiser for the Catholic Interracial Council. Stars participating were Duke Ellington, Danny Thomas, Dick Shawn and m.c. Norman Ross.
                • Stratemann p.389
                • Vail II
                • Suburban Economist, Chicago, Ill., 1958-06-11 p.20G
                • Chicago Tribune, Chicago, Ill., 1958-06-19 p.26
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-10
                1958 06 18
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 19
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 20
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                Circa
                1958 06 20
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill..Personnel change
                Vocalist Lil Greenwood (1923 11 18 - 2011 07 19) joined the band during its Blue Note residency in Chicago, remaining until late 1960. She did not go to Europe with the band in 1958, but did in 1959. While she seems to have quit as early as October 1960, she may have returned for a short while in 1961, since her name appears on various billings in mid-1961. She sang in the 1963 My People production and on the LP by that name, and at the end of 1969, she and her singing partner performed with Ellington at Caesar's Palace.

                See discussion at 1923 11 18 above.
                Sven-Erik Baun Christensen:
                "Lil Greenwood She Walked and Sang the Blues"
                Duke Ellington Society of Sweden
                Bulletin Nr. 1, Februari 2022, Ârgâng 30, pp.4-10
                ...djpNew
                added
                2012-10-11
                updated
                2012-10-12
                2019-02-27
                2019-09-06
                2020-05-09
                2022-03-19
                2022-03-21
                1958 06 20
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Mercer Records recording session, time not known

                Personnel:
                Lil Greenwood, unnamed organist, unnamed drummer, Paul Gonsalves

                Titles recorded:
                • Birth of the Blues
                • I'm Beginning to See the Light
                • Somebody's Fool
                • Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
                • Solitude
                • I Ain't Got Nobody
                Based on Mrs. Greenwood's statement to the San Francisco Examiner (see 1923 11 18 above), Ellington was present

                Bjarne Busk:

                'I have attached the take sheet for the quartet session of 1958.06.20, and for the band session of 1958.06.27, both recorded at Universal Studios in Chicago. The band session had Strayhorn on the piano. I have no source as to whether Duke actually supervised the recordings. The recordings were for Mercer Records, time of the day I do not know.'

                • Sven-Erik Baun Christensen:
                  "Lil Greenwood She Walked and Sang the Blues"
                  Duke Ellington Society of Sweden
                  Bulletin Nr. 1, Februari 2022, Ârgâng 30, p.6
                • Email Busk/Palmquist 2022-03-20 with
                  • Stereo master session sheet A70359 and tape box, VRHS-1092 dated 6/20/58
                  • Monaural master tape track listing A80325, Mercer Records, Duke Ellington, Lil Greenwood dated 6/27/58
                ...Bjarne Busk, S-E B. ChristensenNew
                Added
                2022-03-20
                2024-06-08
                1958 06 21
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 22
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 23
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Blue Note day off
                ......
                1958 06 24
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Private recording session
                Duke Ellington group
                Gonsalves, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard

                Titles recorded:
                • In A Mellow Tone
                • Happy Reunion
                • Wailing Interval
                .New Desor
                DE5822
                DEMScorrTimner-4/26djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-04
                2020-05-09
                2024-06-08
                1958 06 25
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 26
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.WGN-TV Studio 14
                441 No. Michigan Ave.
                Television appearance, Duke Ellington only, on "Midnight Ticker." The fee is $40 and the hours of employment are "11:00 - 12:45 PM"
                The television schedule lists Midnite Ticker at 11:45 p.m. on Channel 9 (WGN-TV). If the show was live, Duke had to take time away from the Blue Note job.
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-05
                1958 06 26
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 27
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                .....Added
                2011
                1958 06 27
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Universal Recording
                Corporation studios
                Private (Mercer Records) recording session

                Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
                C. Anderson, Baker, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Strayhorn, Woode, Woodyard, Greenwood
                Titles recorded:
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                • Bill Bailey
                • St. Louis Blues
                Bjarne Busk:

                'I have attached the take sheet for the quartet session of 1958.06.20, and for the band session of 1958.06.27, both recorded at Universal Studios in Chicago. The band session had Strayhorn on the piano. I have no source as to whether Duke actually supervised the recordings. The recordings were for Mercer Records, time of the day I do not know.'

                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen,
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography: Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                • Sven-Erik Baun Christensen:
                  "Lil Greenwood She Walked and Sang the Blues"
                  Duke Ellington Society of Sweden
                  Bulletin Nr. 1, Februari 2022, Ârgâng 30, p.6
                • Email Busk/Palmquist 2022-03-20 with
                  • Stereo master session sheet A70359 and tape box, VRHS-1092 dated 6/20/58
                  • Monaural master tape track listing A80325, Mercer Records, Duke Ellington, Lil Greenwood dated 6/27/58
                New Desor
                DE5823
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2019-09-06
                2020-05-09
                2022-03-20
                2024-06-08
                1958 06 28
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04....djpAdded
                2011
                1958 06 29
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                Night Club
                Night club residency - see 1958 06 04
                Matinee and evening performances

                Last night of 4 week engagement.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                1958 06 30
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                July 1958

                1958 07 01
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 07 01
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 07 02
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 07 03
                Thursday
                .Newport, R.I.Freebody Park Peripheral events
                • An octet called Rex Stewart & The Ellington Alumni All-Stars was the first group scheduled to perform Thursday evening at 8:30. The programme refers to their set as a Tribute to Duke Ellington. This set was broadcast nationally, hosted by Mitch Miller, with the program beginning at 8 p.m. local time. It isn't clear why the program started before the scheduled concert; perhaps there was to be some talking; Miller broadcast an hour each night. A list of the recorded titles, incorrectly dated July 4, is in Timner V, at p.554. It appears a tape exists in the Library of Congress with the recording date also showing July 4 by mistake. Personnel were Rex Stewart, Cootie Williams, Tyree Glenn, Hilton Jefferson, Ben Webster, Billy Strayhorn, Oscar Pettiford and Sonny Greer. DEMS 02/1-16 provides more information about the recordings
                • While the show was scheduled to start at 8:30, an aerial photo of the venue shows relatively few people occupying the seats at that time.
                • Columnist Steve Voce:

                  'The Rex Stewart Newport set was recorded by the army radio service and eventually made available to the BBC on a 7 1/2 ips tape that runs for about 30 min.'

                • Patricia Willard, well-known in the world of Duke Ellington and then vice chairman of the Los Angeles branch of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society which she helped to organize, won Down Beat's Newport Jazz Festival contest first prize of an all-expense paid trip for two to the festival. Down Beat:

                  '...Mrs. Patricia Willard Ortiz, was Down Beat's guest this year at the Newport Jazz festival. Mrs. Ortiz...won this magazine's first annual contest for a free trip to the festival and accommodation ... While at Newport, she was interviewed on the Columbia Broadcasting network.
                       Because she subscribes to this magazine, Mrs. Ortiz received in addition to her free flight...a Webcor high-fidelity, four-speed phonograph.'

                  The story included a photo of Ms Willard and her child and details of her life and career. The story misprinted her age, and in an email 2021, she wrote:

                  'Re: the "interview on the Columbia Broadcasting network," it never happened. It was scheduled but ...The whole trip was an amazing adventure, and I'll always treasure the experience. I did receive the phonograph--finally! Best of all, of course, was that I was there for Ellington at Newport '58, the premiere of Carney/Mulligan "PrimaBaraDubla," and the tributes and the magical moment of Mahalia Jackson walking onstage in a downpour, only to have it abruptly stop when she sang the first notes of "Didn't It Rain." Also, to my surprise, some years later, I found that I have a 10-second-or-so "walk-on" in "Jazz On A Summer's Day" during Anita O'Day's segment.'

                .DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-12
                2014-11-14
                2020-05-09
                2021-11-21
                1958 07 03
                Thursday
                .Newport, R.I.Freebody ParkNewport Jazz Festival
                Recorded concert
                The concert programme and the programme schedule reported in the local paper the day before the festival have Ellington appearing as the main act on Thursday night. The Stewart group, Marian McPartland's trio with Gerry Mulligan, and Miles Davis' quintet with Cannonball Adderley appeared before intermission, which was followed by the Dave Brubeck quartet and then the Ellington orchestra. Mahalia Jackson is shown after Ellington on the programme, but she sang Come Sunday with the band. Altogether the programme ran 5 hours and ten minutes and all the groups except Miles Davis' played Ellington songs, according to the Village Voice.
                James T. Kaull, Jr.:

                'Thursday's opener drew 9,700 patrons for a concert that ran until nearly 1:30 a.m., with the Duke Ellington band and guest artist Mahalia Jackson leaving the crowd joyfully limp. The programmed "musical tribute" to the Duke was a relaxed, meaty bill of fare that opened with a group of Ellington alumni led by cornetist Rex Stewart.'


                Titles recorded by the Ellington contingent:
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, F.Williams, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Greenwood, Bailey, with guests Gerry Mulligan and Mahalia Jackson
                Titles recorded:
                • Princess Blue (note 1)
                • Duke's Place (aka C-Jam Blues) (note 1)
                • Just Scratchin' The Surface (notes 2,4)
                • Happy Reunion
                • Juniflip
                • Mr. Gentle And Mr. Cool
                • Jazz Festival Jazz
                • Feetbone (note 4)
                • Hi Fi Fo Fum
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Bill Bailey
                • Prima Para Dubla (with Mulligan) (notes 2,3,4)
                • El Gato
                • Multicolored Blue (aka Violet Blue)
                • Come Sunday (played twice, once with Jackson)
                • Take The "A" Train (theme) (notes 1,4)
                • Jones
                Notes:
                • 1./ Nielsen shows these titles as an afternoon concert. Since the festival did not open until evening, if these were recorded in the afternoon, it would likely have been during a sound check or rehearsal.
                • 2./ While Columbia taped the entire Ellington performance, Lambert and Stratemann tell us these two titles were the only ones used on the Columbia album Newport 1958. The other titles on that album were studio recordings made July 21 with dubbed applause.

                  A Mosaic plug in DEMS says:

                  '... After the performance, Ellington and ... Townsend decided to re-cut eight pieces under more ideal studio conditions ... and dub in applause to recreate the Newport event. The subsequent Newport 1958 album [LPs Co CL-1245 from 1958 or CBS S 65113 from 1972] contained the eight studio tracks with doctored audience and only two real Newport performances ... A 2-CD Live At Newport 1958 ... of all the real Ellington performances from the festival only served to prove that the original assessment by Ellington to re-cut a lot of the material was correct. That reissue also sentenced the musically-superior studio material to obscurity....[T]he Mosaic edition of Newport 1958, ...remixed the studio material [without dubbed applause] retained the two Newport tracks and added four more ... the concert, including a version of Feet Bone which was not remade in the studio... '

                • 3./ Written by Ellington for two baris, Mulligan and Carney played this together.
                • 4./ Ellington's start and end times are not documented. Steven Lasker:

                  'The recording report shows 9pm to 12 pm and just two titles recorded: "Just Scratchin' the Surface" and "Prima Bara Dubla." On the "Artist Job Sheet" for the session, "Take the "A" Train" is scratched out and shows the notation "not used." "Feet Bone" is also scratched out, again "not used," and bears the notation "replaced by (see below)"..."Prima Bara Dubla." Columbia Records recorded the entire concert, apparently paying the union only for those performances they intended to actually release...in 1958!'

                • The concerts were broadcast nationally in stereo over CBS.

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Newport Jazz Festival - Newport, R.I.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  July 3, 1958
                • Hours of employment
                  8.00 P.M. to 12:00 Midnight
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750, payable in cash on night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, R.I.
                • Signed by
                  [illegible]
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 24, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • Stratemann p.390 citing
                  • Village Voice 1958-07-23 p.71
                  • JM Sept. 1958
                  • Variety 1958-07-09 p.53
                  • Jazz Journal, Nov. 1958
                  • Down Beat
                    • 1958-08-07 p.14
                    • 1959-02-05
                • 1958 Newport Jazz Festival programme
                • Newport Daily News, Newport, R.I.
                  • 1958-07-02 pp.1,6
                  • 1958-07-03 pp.1,4
                  • 1958-07-05 p.5
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner
                • E. Lambert:
                  Duke Ellington, A Listener's Guide
                  , p.201
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol.3 1947-59
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-17 re recording times and title usage.
                • William Morris, Words, Wit & Wisdom, The Morgantown Post, Morgantown, W.Va., 1958-07-14 p.6
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 27 Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island, July 3-6, 1958
                New Desor
                DE5824
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2014-11-13
                2014-11-17
                2016-01-24
                2016-07-13
                2020-05-09
                1958 07 04
                Friday
                1958 07 05
                Saturday
                Ipswich, Mass.Castle HillCastle Hill Festival, "All tickets $3.50 tax exempt"

                One announcement said the concerts would be held in the Sunken Gardens unless the crowds were too big.
                (*Stratemann and Vail show the city as Salem, which is about 14 miles south by road.)
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Castle Hill Festival - Ipswich, Mass. or in case of inclement weather in an auditorium to be designated.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  July 4, 1958 & July 5, 1958 (Two Days
                • Type of engagement
                  To Appear In Concert - 8:00 P.M. to 12.00 midnight. The contract price is subject to the arrival of the orchestra in Ipswich not later than six p.m. July 4 to permit time for tests, adjustments and placement of amplification system and other acoustical aids and for other preparations necessary to insure that the concert start on time.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $3,500, deposit $$1,750 payable on signing and Balance In Cash At End Of Engagement.
                • Employer:
                  Castle Hill Foundation, Ipswich, Mass.
                • Signed by
                  [illegible]
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1957 12 24, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 6
                • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1958-06-18 p.24
                  • 1958-07-03 p.5
                • The Boston Sunday Herald or The Boston Herald, as the case may be, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1958-05-11 p.50
                  • 1958-06-22 s.1 p.14
                  • 1958-06-25 p.16
                • The Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass. 1958-06-24 p.5
                • Boston Evening American, Boston,Mass.
                  • 1958-06-27 p.37
                  • 1958-07-02 p.42
                • Stratemann p.390
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-10
                2016-07-12
                1958 07 05
                Saturday
                ,Ipswich, Mass.Castle HillCastle Hill Festival concert - see 1958 07 04.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 06
                Sunday
                .Lenox, Mass.Berkshire Music BarnTanglewood Festival
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Type of engagement: In Concert, 8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee privilege 50% of gross receipts, payable in cash during intermission on night of engagement
                • Employer: Stephanie Barber, Treasurer, Berkshire Music Barn
                • Signed by Stephanie Barber, Treas., Berkshire Music Barn
                The Berkshire Eagle reported Ellington played to a capacity audience of 1,000. It named some band members who played/sang: Hodges, Carney, Nance, Terry, Anderson, Woodyard, Greenwood, Bailey, and titles played:
                • Ellington Indigoes [sic]
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • A Drum is a Woman
                • El Gato
                • Hi Fi Fo Fum
                • Walkin' and Singin' the Blues
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                • The North Adams, Massachusetts Transcript, 1958-06-24 p.3
                • The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass. 1958-07-07 p.5
                • Stratemann p.390 citing Down Beat 1958-07-10
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-08
                2016-06-10
                1958 07 07
                Monday
                1958 07 13Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill Casino
              • Activities not documented


              • Casino residency

                Stratemann, citing Variety, and Vail, show a one-week engagement starting 1958 07 08.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orch."
                • Date(s) of Employment - "July 7, 1958 for one week (7 days)"
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., Sunday matinee 4 to 7 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $6,000 payable in cash to artist, end of engagement
                • Employer: Red Hill Casino
                • Signed by Joseph De Luca
                Stratemann says when De Luca, who also owned the Red Hill Inn at Pennsauken, took over the former Sea Isle Casino, he implemented a jazz policy. The first band, Maynard Ferguson, appears to have done well. Ellington, no so much. As a result, De Luca cancelled upcoming bookings for the Hampton and Herman bands, putting them into Pennsauken instead.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11
                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn. 1958-07-11 p.15
                • Stratemann p.360 citing Variety 1958-07-23 p.30
                • Vail II
                ...djpNew (first day only)
                added
                2016-06-12
                1958 07 08
                Tuesday
                1958 07 14Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill CasinoCasino residency

                Stratemann, citing Variety, and Vail, show a one-week engagement starting 1958 07 08.
                There were two contracts for this engagement. The first, dated May 9, covered 7 days from July 7, but appears to have been superseded by the second, dated May 28. The May 28 contract terms were:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orch."
                • Date(s) of Employment - "July 8, 1958 for six days"
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., Sunday matinee 4 to 7 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $5,500, $2,000 payable on third day, additional $2,000 on fifth day, balance $1,500 end of engagement in cash to artist.
                • Employer: Red Hill Casino
                • Signed by Joseph De Luca
                Stratemann says when De Luca, who also owned the Red Hill Inn at Pennsauken, took over the former Sea Isle Casino, he implemented a jazz policy. The first band, Maynard Ferguson, appears to have done well. Ellington, no so much. As a result, De Luca cancelled upcoming bookings for the Hampton and Herman bands, putting them into Pennsauken instead.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contracts dated 1958 05 09 and 1958 05 28, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11
                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn. 1958-07-11 p.15
                • Stratemann p.360 citing Variety 1958-07-23 p.30
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-13
                2016-06-12
                1958 07 09
                Wednesday
                .Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill CasinoCasino residency - see 1958 07 08.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 10
                Thursday
                .Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill CasinoCasino residency - see 1958 07 08.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 11
                Friday
                .Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill CasinoCasino residency - see 1958 07 08.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 12
                Saturday
                .Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill CasinoCasino residency - see 1958 07 08.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 13
                Sunday
                .Sea Isle City, N.J.Red Hill CasinoCasino residency - see 1958 07 08
                Evening and matinee.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-12
                1958 07 14
                Monday
                ...
              • Activities not documented
              • ......
                1958 07 15
                Tuesday
                .Stamford, Conn.Boyle StadiumContract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Type of engagement: One concert 8:15-10:15 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000, deposit $1,000 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Lions Club of Stamford
                • Signed by illegible [possibly Jerome H. Wallstin?]
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 29, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                • Stratemann p.390
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-11
                1958 07 16
                Wednesday
                .Bedford, Mass.Officers Open Mess Club
                Hanscom Field
                Dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: D. B. Kimball, Officers Open Mess Club, Hanscom Field, Bedford, Mass.
                • Signed by D. B. Kimball, Secty treas.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                1958 07 17
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented

                A contract with Rev. R. A. Lowe, King William Grand Lodge of Masons, 652 High Street, Newark, for $2,000 flat shows a deposit of $1,000 was received June 3. The contract is marked "Cancelled Check NG" so the event was likely cancelled.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 01, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11.....
                1958 07 18
                Friday
                1958 07 20Stony Brook
                Long Island, N.Y.
                Dogwood Hollow AmphitheatreStony Brook Music Festival - first of three evening concerts, 8:30 p.m.
                Titles recorded (reportedly with a single microphone through a hole in the floor):
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Medley
                • The Mooche
                • Newport Up
                • Tenderly
                • Perdido
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Sonnet To Hank Cinq
                • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                • You Better Know It
                • Autumn Leaves
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Such Sweet Thunder
                • Violet Blue (Multicoloured Blue)
                • All Of Me
                • St. Louis Blues
                • Bill Bailey
                • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                • Hi Fi Fo Fum
                • Medley
                The medleys were:
                • Black And Tan Fantasy
                • Creole Love Call
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • It Don't Mean A Thing

                Personnel differs between the concert programme and the New Desor, Timner and http://ellingtonia.com discographies:
                • These sources agree the trumpet section consisted of Anderson, Baker, Nance and Terry. The programme also shows Willie Cook, but New Desor shows he left the band in June.
                • The reed section is the same in all four - Carney, Gonsalves, Hamilton, Hodges and Procope.
                • All sources show Ellington on piano and Woodyard on drums
                • The bass is Jimmy Woode on the programme but Oscar Pettiford in the discographies. The initial report of this recording (see DEMS 92/4) has Pettiford only replacing Woode in Autumn Leaves. In 1993, discographer Giovanni Volonté wrote

                  'A word about the 18Jul58 concert: we believe, as you do, that Oscar Pettiford is present during the whole concert;... '

                  and in 2008 Sjef Hoefsmit wrote:

                  '... the Stony Brook 18Jul58 concert ... was the last time Oscar played in the Ellington orchestra ... We agree with Giovanni Volonté and Luciano Massagli and consequently we do not agree with Willie Timner, who believes that Oscar only played in Autumn Leaves. The fact that this was acknowledged by Duke does not mean that Jimmy Woode played the remaining portion of the concert. It is obviously Oscar Pettiford all the way through.'

                  Webmaster comments:
                  • I don't have the tape, so I don't have an informed opinion, but it seems to me that if OP was introduced by DE for Autumn Leaves, Woode must have played until that song. It isn't clear if Sjef was saying it is obvious OP played throughout the concert, or only from Autumn Leaves to the end.
                  • It would be interesting to know if Woode or Pettiford played the second and third nights. DEMS comments seem to suggest the 18th was the last time he played with Ellington.
                • The programme lists Jimmie Grissom as a featured band member, but the discographies leave him out, instead showing vocals by Ozzie Bailey, Lil Greenwood and Ray Nance. Patricia Willard was there, and writes:

                  'Re: Stony Brook, I took lots of photos with my little Brownie camera ... but I do remember clearly that Oscar Pettiford was the only bassist on the date and that Lil, Ozzie and Ray were the only singers. Grissom definitely was not there.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • One concert nightly 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., July 18, 19, 29,
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $4,500 flat, $2,250 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Signed by Arther Allen, 117 West 46 Street, New York City
                • Stratemann p.390 citing Down Beat 1958-07-24
                • Festival programme
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Email, P.Willard/Palmquist 2014-11-18
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 02 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 8
                New Desor
                DE5825
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-13
                2014-11-18
                2016-06-07
                2020-05-10
                1958 07 19
                Saturday
                .Stony Brook, Long Island, N.Y.Dogwood Hollow AmphitheatreMusic festival - second evening concert, 8:30 p.m. - see 1958 07 18.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 20
                Sunday
                .Stony Brook, Long Island, N.Y.Dogwood Hollow AmphitheatreMusic festival - last evening concert, 8:30 p.m. - see 1958 07 18.....Added
                2011
                1958 07 21
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                14:30 - 18:30
                Since the band recorded 9 titles in the four hours they were in the studio, they were paid for 3 three-hour sessions in compliance with A.F. of M. rules. Those rules provided for payment for each three-hour session, with no more than four selections counting as a session.
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                C. Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Graham, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey
                Titles recorded:
                • Jazz Festival Jazz
                • Princess Blue
                • El Gato
                • Violet Blue (Multicolored Blue)
                • Hi Fi Fo Fum
                • Mr. Gentle And Mr. Cool
                • Juniflip
                • Happy Reunion
                • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Jorgen Grunnet Jepsen, Discography of Duke Ellington, Vol.3 1947-59
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5826
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-12
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1958 07 22
                Tuesday
                1958 07 23West Hempstead, N.Y.Island Garden auditoriumIsland Garden Jazz Festival, first of two 8:30 p.m. concerts.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., owner, presents: Duke Ellington & Orchestra"
                • Date(s) of employment July 22-23 1958
                • Hours of employment: 8:30 - 1-:30 P.M.
                • Type of engagement: One concert nightly
                • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 flat, deposit $1,500 payable on signing contracts [sic]
                • Employer Walter Carlson, Island Garden, West Hempstead, L.I., N.Y.
                • Signed by Walter Carlson
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 06 20, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 12
                • The Advance, Patchogue, N.Y.
                  • 1958-07-10 p.6
                  • 1958-07-17 s.3 p.1
                • Stratemann p.390 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-10
                2016-06-13
                1958 07 23
                Wednesday
                .West Hempstead, N.Y.Island Gardensee 1958 07 22 - second of two 8:30 p.m. Island Garden Jazz Festival concerts....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-10
                1958 07 24
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Lewisohn Stadium
                City College
                Amsterdam Avenue, 136-138th Sts.
                Concert.

                The tickets read

                'The One and Only Duke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra
                Special added attraction, Gerry Mulligan '

                . 8,000 chair seats for $1.20; other seats from 50 cents. Stratemann reports nearly 10,000 attended.
                Bassist Bill Crow subbed for Jimmy Woode:

                   'I got to play with Duke's band one evening when Gerry Mulligan's quartet was scheduled to share a concert with them at Lewisohn Stadium, an outdoor amphitheater at 135th and Amsterdam in New York. Duke's bass player hadn't arrived and it was beginning to look like rain. Duke looked at his watch, inspected the sky and walked over to where I was standing with my bass.
                   "Come with me," he said, taking my arm and pulling me on stage. I followed him as if in a dream as he positioned me at the left end of his keyboard.
                   When I reached down to get the bass book that was lying under the music stand, Britt Woodman leaned over from the trombone section and said, "Don't do that. That's all been changed."
                   Meanwhile, Duke was out front announcing the first number. Britt said, "Just hang around in B-flat. We'll tell you when to change."
                   I'd been listening to Duke's music all my life, and just followed my ears. With the trombone players giving me helpful clues, everything went fine. Duke stayed in front of the band most of the time, but when he announced a ballad I didn't know, he came to the piano. While playing his own part and continuing to relate to the audience, he made sure I had the information I needed. He would point to the piano key that represented my note each time there was a chord coming up that I needed to know about. He never played my note for me. He just pointed to it half a beat before I needed it. I was able to play as if he'd written out a part for me.   I had such a good time playing with Duke that Gerry's nose got a little out of joint. As the quartet took the stage, he grumbled to Duke about "tiring out my bass player," and later said to me, "How come you don't have that much fun playing with me?"
                   I did, of course, but this was Duke's band! I was quite properly thrilled.
                   A few months later at a jazz festival at French Lick, Indiana, I was in the hotel lobby waiting for the elevator when the doors slid open and out walked Duke.
                   "Ah, Mister Crow," he intoned silkily, giving me a courtly bow, "I never had the opportunity to remunerate you for your splendid assistance at the concert in New York."
                   "Please be my guest," I said, returning his bow. "The pleasure was entirely mine."
                   He accepted with a smile and a nod and glided elegantly off to the dining room.'

                On 2014-11-14 Mr. Crow wrote that Woode said he missed the concert because they forgot his wakeup call at his hotel.

                Contract terms:
                • 14 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Type of engagement: Concert 8:30-10:30 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $5,000 payable night of engagement
                • In case of rain, concert to be held 7/25/58 and personnel will be paid in accordance with rules and regulations of Local 802 A. F. of M.
                • Employer: Stadium Concerts Inc., 50 E. 57th St., N.Y.C.
                • Rider:

                  'If by reason of the enactment (present or future) of any laws, rules, regulations, orders or directions of any authority, department or bureau thereof believed by Stadium Concerts, Inc. to affect it, or if by reason of difficulty in transportation, or of strikes or "blackouts", or because of difficulty in financing concerts or conditions beyond its control, the Stadium Concerts, Inc. in its absolute discretrion deems it wise to suspend concerts or to omit the concerts, or any one or more of them, or if the fulfillment of this contract threatens Stadium Concerts, Inc. with controversy with any Union, group or organization, Stadium Concerts, Inc. may cancel this contract without liability to either party. '

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10
                • Stratemann p.390 citing The Billboard 1958-07-28 p.5
                • Vail II
                • Bill Crow,"From Birdland to Broadway, Scenes from a Jazz Life," Oxford University Press 1992, pp.138-143, quoted with permission
                • BillCrowBass.com
                • Concert ticket
                • Village Voice, 1958-07-16 p.4
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-14
                2016-06-11
                1958 07 25
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 07 26
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 07 27
                Sunday
                .Buffalo, N.Y.Kleinhans Music HallConcert according to Stratemann. Others appearing were the Modern Jazz Quartet and the Chico Hamilton Quintet.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington & Orchestra"
                • Hours of employment: 8:30 to 11:30 P.M. "Duke Ellington Orchestra performance not to exceed 1 1/2 hours"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250, deposit $625 payable on signing and balance in cash to artist at end of engagement
                • Employer: Joe Rico, 450 Niagara St., Buffalo, N.Y.
                • Signed by Joe Rico
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 06 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 12
                • Stratemann p.390
                • Vail II
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 28 Summer Jazz Festival, Buffalo, New York, July 27, 1958
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-01-24
                2016-06-13
                1958 07 28
                Monday
                .Brights Grove, Ont.
                near Sarnia
                Kenwick On The LakeDance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc.,Owner, presents: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Type of engagement: Dance 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee (currency not specified. The Canadian dollar was at a premium), privilege 50% gross receipts. Deposit $500 on or before 1958 07 15
                • Employer: Bob Nicholson, Kenwick On The Lake
                • Signed by Bob Nicholson
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 24, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10
                • Stratemann p.390
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-12
                1958 07 28
                Monday
                ...Billie Holiday recording session Duke participating?..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 07 29
                Tuesday
                .Orillia, Ont.Orillia Community CentreContract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: (currency not specified) $1,150 guarantee, privilege 50% gross receipts, deposit $575 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement.
                • Employer: R.H.Davies, Orillia Community Centre Board
                • Signed by J.W.Clarke, W.C.French
                A Canadian Press wire story dated 1958 07 30 said Duke played in Orillia the previous day.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 23, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11....djpNew
                added
                2016-01-01
                updated
                2016-06-13
                1958 07 30
                Wednesday
                .Bala, Ont.Dunn's PavilionContract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra" 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Unstated
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: Guarantee $1,200 American funds, privilege 50% gross admission receipts less tax. Deposit $600 payable 30 days prior to engagement, balance night of engagement
                • Employer: Gerry Dunn, Dunn's Pavilion, Bala, Ontario
                • Signed by Gerry Dunn
                • Dunn's Pavilion poster
                • Stratemann p.390
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-08
                2018-11-22
                1958 07 31
                Thursday
                .Toronto, Ont.CBC television studiosTwo telecasts:
                • Ellington was interviewed for nearly 9 minutes by Bill Walker at CBC for a BBC telecast, and he performed "Princess Blue" in honour of Princess Margaret who was expected at his concert in Stratford that evening.
                • The Ellington quintet (Hodges, Carney, Ellington, Woode and Woodyard) was taped for the CBC-TV show, "Summertime '58," which was hosted by Mr. Walker and would air that evening at 8 p.m. Others appearing on this episode were Canadian composer Bobby Gimby, the Bert Ninsi Trio, and Jean Ramsey.

                  Titles recorded:
                  • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady
                  • Caravan
                  • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                  • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                Stratemann:

                'A "Duke Ellington Quintet" appeared on Canadian television, then drove by car to Stratford to rejoin the rest of the band for a concert.'


                Contract terms:
                • 5 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc., owners, presents, Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Adress of Place of Engagement - Summertime '58 - CBC-TV - Toronto, Ontario
                • Hours of employment:
                  Show 8:00 - 8:30 P.M.
                  Rehearsal: July 31st - 12:00 to 4:00 P.M.
                  Plus 1/2 hr. for Dress Dress - 6:30 to 7:00 P.M.
                  Show - 8:00 to 8:30 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000, includes 15% travelling tax, to be paid to Associated Booking Corporation withing 10 days of engagement.
                • Employer: Canadian Broadcasting Corp., 354 Jarvis St., Toronto, Ont.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11
                • Stratemann p.390, citing Variety 1958-06-04 p.56
                • Vail II
                • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summertime_'57/'58
                • Programs and Highlights, Ottawa Journal, Ottawa, Ont. 1958-07-26 p.38
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.187 (BBC segment only, incorrectly saying it was for Summertime '58.
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 21 Shakespearean Festival, Stratford, Ontario, July 31, 1958 (April 12-August 16, 1958)
                New Desor
                DE5827
                ND9032
                DEMS NDCS 1048
                TDES
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-31
                2016-01-01
                2016-06-12
                2020-05-10
                1958 07 31
                Thursday
                .Stratford, Ont.Stratford ArenaShakespearean Festival concert (to be confirmed)
                Vail II:

                'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra play a dance at the Festival Arena in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.'

                Stratemann:

                '... after the performance of Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale," the Ellington orchestra played its concert, presenting a new piece titled "Princess Blue." It was dedicated to Princess Margaret of England who was attending the Shakespearean Festival. After the concert, on the invitation of Her Royal Highness, the Ellington band also played for some 600 specially invited guests at a ball in honor of the Princess.'

                Ellington:

                '... In mixing the sections in this new piece that we did which was prepared for the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, for Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret, we called this number Princess Blue and throughout that, with the exception of full-band embellishments and that sort of thing, the sections are not sax section, trumpet section and trombone section. Jimmy Hamilton, who plays clarinet, is taken out of the sax section and Clark Terry is put in instead, and it's an interesting colour.'


                Webmaster's observations:
                1. Vail doesn't mention a concert, although his book is largely based on Stratemann. Was there one and if so, was it in the theatre or in the Arena?
                2. Stratemann implied the Princess attended a concert and a ball. She did not attend (see below).

                • AP wire story 1958-04-10:
                  'Canada Announces Itinerary of Princess
                    Ottawa (AP)–Princess Margaret's month-long visit to Canada this summer will take her from coast to coast with stops in at least 12 cities, it was announced Friday.
                    Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's office said dates allotted for the major areas are:...
                    Duke Ellington, not originally scheduled to perform in the Stratford, Ont., musical festival this year, is being invited. Princess Margaret will attend a jazz concert by his ensemble.'
                • CP wire story 1958-04-12:
                  'Margaret's Trip Schedule Is Set
                    OTTAWA (CP) ... Prime Minister Diefenbaker's office said in an announcement Friday night that, while program details still have to be worked out, Margaret has approved an outline itinerary...
                   "...Her Royal Highness also will attend the (Shakespearean) festival at Stratford, Ont. "...
                   ... It was reported from Stratford, Ont., Friday that in honor of her visit a command performance of Shakespeare's romantic drama The Winter's Tale will be scheduled.
                    It was also reported that orchestra leader-composer Duke Ellington, not previously scheduled to perform, was being invited to give a concert for the music-loving princess...'
                • The Billboard, 1958-04-21 p.7:
                  'Princess Margaret visits the Stratford, Ontario, Festival July 31. Duke Ellington will play...'
                • Identical CP and AP wirestories 1958-07-23:
                  'The Duke To Play For The Princess
                    STRATFORD, Ont.(CP)– An old favorite of Princess Margaret, Duke Ellington, will bring his 17-piece band to Stratford July 31 to play for her.
                    Shakespearean Festival officials said Tuesday the Duke and his jazz musicians will perform in the Stratford arena after the Princess sees "The Winter's Tale" in the evening.'
                • CP wire story 1958-07-24:
                  'ROYAL CONCERT FOR ELLINGTON
                    STRATFORD, Ont. (CP)– An old favorite of Princess Margaret, Duke Ellington, will bring his 17-piece band to Stratford July 31 to play for her...
                    At the recent Newport, R.I., jazz festival Ellington performed his original tone poem, Princess Blue.'
                • CP wirestory 1958-07-30:
                  'Ellington Composition For Princess
                    TORONTO, July 30–CP– Duke Ellington says he hopes Princess Margaret will accept the composition called "Princess Blue" written for her.
                    Ellington, whose jazz band played in Orillia last night, said in an interview: "I don't want to to be too flippant, but I'd like to dedicate it to Her Royal Highness if given the privilege and honor."
                    The jazz band leader will play at a special invitation ball at Stratford Arena after the performance of the festival play "A Winter's Tale." Princess Margaret has been invited to attend the dance.'
                Post-event reports:
                • CP wire story, 1958-08-01:
                  'Somber, Wan On Stratford Arrival
                  Princess Sparks Into Life In Backstage Theatre Visit
                    STRATFORD, Ont.(CP) –Ten crowded minutes backstage Thursday night "made" Princess Margaret's 6-1/2 hour day in Stratford.
                    The princess suddenly sparked to life behind the stage at the Shakespearean Festival Theatre as costumed members of the festival company filed before her for introductions.
                    WAN AND SOMBER
                    Earlier she had been withdrawn and almost wan. She frowned at photographers on her arrival by special train from Toronto at 5:50 p.m. EDT and was somber at the civic welcome.
                    She nodded through parts of the performance of The Winter's Tale in the Festival Theatre and occasionally used her program to shield a yawn...
                    As the princess recrossed the stage into the auditorium, a peal of applause broke from the audience and she paused there for a three-minute ovation.
                    .... The princess appeared subdued, perhaps due to a grueling half-day of activities earlier in Toronto, when she arrived at Stratford station.
                   After the evening's stage production the princess left the theater amid the thunder of a rocket salute and drove directly to the train parked on a siding. She passed up a concert-ball in the arena by Duke Ellington, one of her favorite jazz musicians, in favor of sleep... '
                • AP wire story 1958-08-01:
                  'Margaret Dozes Through Shakespeare
                    STRATFORD, Ont. Aug.1–(AP)– Princess Margaret dozed through a Shakespearean drama of thwarted royal lovers last night but came to life again after the play for a charity backstage meeting with the actors...
                    ... She stood on the stage for 3 minutes, smiling and waving.
                    On the way back to the royal train nearby, the Princess passed the Stratford Arena, where Duke Ellington was playing at a ball. He had written a special jazz composition for her, "Princess Blue," and the crowd groaned with disappointment as the royal cavalcade swept by.
                    Margaret presumably was too tired to dance after a day that included a four-hour tour of Toronto...'
                • The Washington Afro-American 1958-08-05, p.16
                  'Duke gets bid from Princess
                    STRATFORD, Ont.–Duke Ellington and his 17-piece jazz band supplied the music for a special ball in honour of Princess Margaret of Great Britain here Friday evening.
                    The invitation to perform at the ball, given in honor of the Princess, was extended to the Duke by Meg herself. She has long been a devotee of jazz and an admirer of Ellington.
                    The princess was in the city for a performance of "A Winter's Tale." On learning that she was to be guest of honor at a ball to which 600 special guests had been invited the Queen's sister requested that Ellington and his group supply the music.
                    In order to accept, Duke had to rush to Stratford from Toronto by car. Earlier in the evening, he and his quintet had appeared on a Canadian television program emanating from Toronto.
                    At the ball, Ellington played his tone poem, "The Princess Blues," written for and dedicated to Her Royal Highness.'
                Preliminary conclusions:
                1. Whether the concert took place or not is still to be determined.
                2. Either way, while Ellington performed "Princess Blue," Princess Margaret did not attend either a concert or a ball that day.
                • Stratemann p.390
                • Announcement, The Billboard, 1959-04-21 p.6
                • Newsreel footage of the Princess' arrival (Ellington not mentioned)
                • A. H. Lawrence, Duke Ellington and His World: A Biography, p.346
                • Ellington, interviewed by Charles Melville, Jazz Journal 1959 -03-00, reproduced in DEMS.
                • CP wirestory, Chronicle-Telegraph, Quebec, P.Q. 1958-04-12 p.16
                • AP Wirestories:
                  • Omaha World-Herald, Omaha, Neb. 1958-04-12, p.20
                  • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore, 1958-07-23 p.6M
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 21 Shakespearean Festival, Stratford, Ontario, July 31, 1958 (April 12-August 16, 1958)
                .DEMS
                01/1-25
                TDES 2/05-6djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2015-12-31
                2016-01-01
                2020-05-10
                1958 07 31
                Thursday
                .Stratford, Ont.Stratford ArenaBall in honour of Her Royal Highness Princess Margaret - see the preceding entry. While 600 attended, Her Royal Highness did not....TDES 2/05-6djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-01-01

                August 1958

                1958 08 01
                Friday
                .Port Stanley, Ont.Stork ClubDance, 9 p.m.-1 a.m., 1,200 guests reported

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, privilege 60% gross receipts, deposit $500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Lloyd Gurr, Stork Club
                • Signed by Lloyd Gurr
                Note the currency is not specified. The exchange rate between Canadian and American currencies fluctuates, but in 1958, $1.00 Canadian was worth, on average, about $1.03 U.S.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 16, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10
                • Stratemann p.390 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                • Pacific Exchange Rate Service, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-15
                2016-06-11
                1958 08 02
                Saturday
                7:30 & 9 p.m.
                .Morris, N.Y.Grandstand
                Fairgrounds
                Two concerts, Otsego County Fair, admission $1.

                'The stage at Otsego County Fair will rock tonight with the rhythms of Duke Ellington and his 15-piece band...'

                Saturday fair attendance was only 2,000. The secretary of the Otsego County Fair Association noted that Saturday's attraction was Duke Ellington and his 15-piece band, but the lack of dancing facilities made some difference.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Type of engagement: Two 1 hour 15 minute concerts, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat, payable in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Ward Beam Associates Inc., East Division St., Goshem, N.Y.
                • Signed by Ward Beam, Pres.
                • The Otsego Farmer and the Otsego Republican,Cooperstown, N.Y. 1958-07-10 p.1
                • Binghamton Press, Binghamton N.Y.
                  • 1958-07-13 (The Sunday Press) s.C,p.1
                  • 1958-08-01,p.5
                  • 1958-08-02, pp.3,5
                  • 1958-08-04 p.5
                • Oneonta Star, Oneonta, N.Y., 1958-07-28 p.10
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 07, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-07-10
                u;dated
                2014-11-15
                2016-06-10
                1958 08 03
                Sunday
                .Great River
                Long Island, N.Y.
                Timber Grove ClubRecorded concert, Great South Bay Jazz Festival
                Others on the bill: Billie Holiday (Stratemann says she didn't show), Mose Allison Trio, Pepper Adams Quintet

                Critic Nat Hentoff was the commentator and m.c.; the Dave Brubeck Quartet also was to perform on the final nights of this multi-weekend festival.

                The Advance:

                'EAST ISLIP - The directors of the Great South Bay Jazz festival announced recently that they have commissioned Duke Ellington, John Lewis, Charles Mingus and Rex Stewart to compose new works for the festival...
                  The new Ellington work will be performed by the Duke's orchestra during the final concert on August 3... '

                The Ellington composition is described in the unattributed clipping in Vail as the four part Great South Bay Suite: Red Garter, Red Shoes, Red Carpet and Ready, Go. The suite is better known as Toot Suite.
                Vail reports the concert was recorded, but the recordings aren't shown in New Desor, Timner, or Nielsen, nor, at the time of writing, MacHare or Girvan.

                Vail lists the titles recorded as:
                • Take the "A" Train
                • Great South Bay Suite: Red Garter; Red Shoes; Red Carpet; Ready, Go
                • Mr. Gentle and Mr. Cool
                • El Gato
                • Hand Me Down Love
                • Duke's Place
                • Multicolored Blue
                • All Of Me
                • St. Louis Blues
                • Bill Bailey
                • Walkin' and Singin' the Blues
                • Hi Fi Fo Fum
                • Medley: Don't Get Around Much Any More; Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me; In a Sentimental Mood; Mood Indigo; I'm Beginning To See The Light; Sophisticated Lady; Caravan; I Got It Bad; Just Squeeze Me; It Don't Mean a Thing; Solitude; I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart–Don't Get Around Much Anymore;
                • Diminuendo In Blue And Crescendo In Blue
                • Jones
                While he does not list the sidemen, he names vocalists Bailey, Greenwood and Nance. Sidemen were named in the programme published in the Village Voice in July, but may not be accurate: Nance, Anderson, Terry, Cook, Woodman, Jackson, Woody [sic], Hamilton, Carney, Hodges, Gonsalves, Procope, Woodyard and Sanders.
                The concert series was to be in a "huge circus tent" erected on the Timber Grove Golf Club at Great River; tickets were available from various locations, including by writing to the Great South Bay Jazz festival in nearby East Islip.

                According to the East Hampton Star, United Artists Motion Picture Company was to make its debut in the jazz recording field by recording the highlights of the Festival.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents, Duke Ellington and Orchestra"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement: Great South Bay Festival, Great South Bay, N.Y.
                • Type of engagement: Concert 6:30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000; $1,000 payable on signing and balance in cash during concert
                • Employer: Friends of American Jazz, Inc., Frank Thorne, Dir.
                • Stratemann p.390 citing an ad in Village Voice 1958-07-16 p.4
                • Vail II
                • The Advance, Patchogue, N.Y.,
                  • 1958-06-19 p.3
                  • 1958-07-03 p.1
                  • 1958-07-10 p.6
                  • 1958-07-31 p.6
                • The Suffolk County News, Sayville, L.I., N.Y.
                  • 1968-06-19
                  • 1958-07-31 pp. 1, 8
                • 1958-08-07 p.16
                • The Long-Islander, Huntingdon, N.Y., 1958-07-17 s.4 p.5
                • Village Voice, New York, N.Y., 1958-07-23 pp.5, 7 (with full festival programme)
                • The East Hampton Star, East Hampton, N.Y. 1958-07-24, s.II p.7
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 06 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 12
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-15
                2016-06-10
                1958 08 04
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y.Hudson RiverBoat ride dance, Hudson River, 9:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500, deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Howard Gregory - Birdland Boys, 125th St. & Hudson River, Jamaica, N.Y.
                • Signed by Howard Gregory
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 23, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-12
                1958 08 05
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 06
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session
                19:00 to 22:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Personnel differs from discography to discography:
                • New Desor:
                  Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope, Gonsalves, Bill Graham, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey, Greenwood.
                • New Desor small corrections 5011 says add Carney and replace Terry with Taft Jordan. It does not mention Graham
                • Timner V:
                  Jordan, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Hodges, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey, Greenwood
                • Lord:
                  Terry, Anderson, Baker, Nance, Jackson, Woodman, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Graham, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Bailey, Greenwood.
                • Nielsen doesn't provide a full list of personnel, but says to add Taft Jordan, trumpet, and Bill Graham on alto sax and to omit Terry and Francis Williams.
                • MacHare, Duke Ellington Panorama does not show the session
                • Girvan: Ellingtonia.com:
                  Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves,Graham, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Greenwood, Bailey
                • Steven Lasker:
                  'The recording report Columbia Records filed with the AF of M shows the following musicians employed on this date:
                  LEADER: Duke Ellington
                  TRUMPET: Raymond Nance, Taft Jordan, William Anderson, Harold Baker;
                  TROMBONE: Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman, John Sanders
                  SAXOPHONE: Russell Procope, Harry Carney, James Hamilton, William Graham; DRUMS: Sam Woodyard; BASS: Jimmy Woode;
                  SAXOPHONE: Johnny Hodges.'
                  This would seem to resolve the matter, with the exception of the singers, who are identifiable on the recordings.
                • Lord has Terry in the second day of a session with Charlie Barnett, which likely explains why he was not in the Ellington session.

                Titles recorded:
                • Red Carpet (third part)
                • Hand Me Down Love
                • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                • I Can't Give You Anything But Love
                HMDL and WASTB were issued on a 45 in 1959. WASTB was released on LP in France on Columbia 62993 "Primpin' at the Prom" in 1968, and HMDL, WASTB, and ICGYABLAll were released in France on Columbia's 1984 12" LP 26306 "Duke 56/62 Vol. III"
                New Desor
                DE5828
                ND Small Corrections 5011
                Vol.2 p.1321
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-17
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1958 08 07
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 08
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 08...Possible Peripheral event
                Clark Terry recording session
                Note this is not listed in
                Tom Lord's Clark Terry Name Discography.DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-16
                2020-05-10
                2021-06-06
                1958 08 09
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 10
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 11
                Monday
                1958 08 14Milwaukee, Wisc.Brass Rail
                3rd and Wells
                (744 North Third Street)
                Club date
                The club is described as

                '... controversial place ... owned by colorful Izzy Pogrob. The Rail began as a jazz club in the 1950s but became a strip club in 1959, about eight months before Pogrob disappeared and turned up dead a day later in a Mequon field, apparently a victim of a robbery.'

                .Stratemann says Ellington set a house record one night with 800 paid admissions.

                Vail incorrectly says the gig closed August 13.

                The contract for August 11 to 13 calls for 15 musicians and one vocalist to perform three 50 minute shows nightly, at 9:30, 11:00 and 12:30 to be played "within schedule of four hours between 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m." and "It is understood and agreed that Duke Ellington shall receive headline billing in type equal to100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising. Management will provide proper lighting and piano tuned and retained to 440 pitch." The contract price was $1000.00 per night against privilege 70% of door charges at rate of $2.00 per person to be computed nightly, and was to be paid nightly in cash. The employer is Mr. Isadore Pogrob, The Brass Rail, 744 North Third Street, Milwaukee.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-16
                updated
                2016-06-04
                1958 08 12
                Tuesday
                .Milwaukee, Wisc.Brass RailClub date - see 1958 08 11.....Added
                2011
                1958 08 13
                Wednesday
                .Milwaukee, Wisc.Brass RailClub date - see 1958 08 11.....Added
                2011
                1958 08 14
                Thursday
                .Milwaukee, Wisc.Brass Rail
                3rd and Wells
                (744 North Third Street)
                Club date - held over:
                A separate contract for August 14 for one day has the same terms as the earlier contract - 15 musicians and one vocalist, three 50 minute shows at 9:30, 11:00 and 12:30 to be played "within schedule of four hours between 9:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m." The price was $1000.00 against privilege 70% of door charges at rate of $2.00 per person and was to be paid in cash at the end of the evening. It is signed by Mr. Pogrob.

                Hodges may not have been present - he had a small group recording session in New York on this date.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 08 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 1....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-04
                1958 08 14
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Nola Studios Peripheral event
                Johnny Hodges small group recording session with Roy Eldridge, Lawrence Brown, Ben Webster, Billy Strayhorn, Wendell Marshall and Jo Jones
                ..DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-16
                2020-05-10
                1958 08 15
                Friday
                .French Lick, Ind.Outdoor bandshell
                French Lick Sheraton Hotel
                French Lick Music Festival - this second weekend of the festival was its jazz weekend, described on the tickets as FIRST MID-WEST JAZZ FESTIVAL.
                Ticket prices were:
                • General admission $2.20
                • Orchestra $3.60
                • Reserved$4.80

                'Duke Ellington and his 15-piece band will be featured Aug. 15, along with the Erroll Garner trio. The Aug. 16 program will include Gene Krupa and his quartet, the Gerry Mulligan quartet, [Eddie] Condon's six All-Stars and Miss [Chris] Connor...'



                The Evansville Courier reported all 4,000 seats were filled and at least 500 more listeners stood around the perimeter. The weather was ideal.
                See 1958 07 24 for Bill Crow's recollection of meeting Duke at the elevator.
                Recordings: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Greenwood, Bailey


                Titles recorded:
                • Take The "A" Train
                • TOOT SUITE
                    Red Garter
                    Red Shoes
                    Red Carpet
                    Ready-Go
              • Mr. Gentle And Mr. Cool
              • El Gato
              • Hand Me Down Love
              • C-Jam Blues (Duke's Place)
              • Violet Blue (Multicoloured Blue)
                • All Of Me
                • St. Louis Blues
                • Bill Bailey
                • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                • Hi Fi Fo Fum
                • Medley
                • Diminuendo In Blue /
                  Wailing Interval /
                  Crescendo In Blue
                • Jones
                The medley consisted of:
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                • In A Sentimental Mood
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Caravan
                • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • It Don't Mean A Thing
                • Solitude
                • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • To appear in concert, 8:30-10:30 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 payable in cash on night of engagement
                • Employer: French Lick Jazz Festival, French Lick, Ind.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11
                • AP wirestory in:
                  • The Brazil Daily Times, Brazil, Ind., p.5
                  • The Vidette-Messenger, 1958-07-11 p.5
                  • Ads, The Daily Herald, Jasper, Ind.:
                    • 1958-08-13 p.2
                    • 1958-08-14 p.10
                  • 1958-08-15 p.2
                • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind.,
                  • 1958-08-16 p.9
                  • Heanne Suhrheinrich, "Front Row Center":1958-08-19 p.10
                • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind. 1958-08-16 p.10
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5829
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-14
                2016-06-11
                2020-05-10
                1958 08 16
                Saturday
                .Dayton, OhioWampler's Arena Ballroom
                1000 Shiloh Road.
                Dance, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
                The Archive copy of the contract is third or fourth generation carbon copy and in places the typed words are faint and blurry. The ballroom name appears to begin with WAM, but the rest of the first word is illegible. The address is clear, so I wrote to the Dayton Public Library 2016-06-04, who confirms the venue was Wampler's Arena Ballroom.

                The contract was for 15 musicians to play a dance from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for $1,250. A deposit of $625 was received 1958 08 07. The contract is with Vesto [illegible] and is signed by Herman L. Mol[illegible] on behalf of the Vesto Knights Club.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 08 01, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 14....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-04
                1958 08 17
                Sunday
                .Celina, OhioEdgewater ParkDance 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60% gross receipts, deposit $500 payable by 1958 07 15, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Ted Temple, Edgewater Park, Celina, Ohio
                • Signed by Theo V. Temple
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 04 07, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 10
                • Stratemann p.391 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-16
                2016-06-11
                1958 08 18
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 19
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 20
                Wednesday
                20:30
                .Freeport, Ill.

                (Stratemann & Vail place this event in Lena, Ill., which is 16 miles northwest)
                Fair Grounds

                (Stephenson County Fairgrounds are located in Albertus Park in Freeport)
                Stephenson County Fair
                Aug.18:

                  'A string of the nation's top jazz artists will give one performance ... as part of the Stars on Parade show at the Stephenson County Fair. Besides Duke Ellington, fair fans will have an opportunity to hear Harry Carney, who started with the Ellington band in 1926. William "Cat" Anderson, who toured with the Carolina Cotton Pickers from 1932-36, and Johnny Hodges, who gained world renown [sic] with Benny Carter in the 1930s as "alto sax king."
                  Ellington's orchestra will provide music during the all-star stage variety show including, for the first time in America, the Four Christians, Danish acrobatic stars; and Gus & Greg, comedians; and Joe Lemke's college of chimps.
                  Carney, who plays a baritone saxophone, has made many records with Ellington and other all-time greats of jazz like Benny Goodman, Sonny Greer, Lionel Hampton, Harry James and Teddy Wilson.
                  Anderson first won prominence as a composer and soloist but later began touring with Hampton in the summer of 1942.
                  Johnny Hodges has twice won the Esquire Silver Award, is one-time winner of the Esquire Gold Award and winner of the Downbeat Poll for nine consecutive years and the Metronome Poll for three consecutive years. He will be featured on alto saxophone.'


                Aug.22:

                  'The rain on Wednesday night did, to be sure, cut down attendance at the Duke Ellington show, which had been the principal attraction of this year's fair in the entertainment line. Even so, an estimated 1,200 sat it out in the grandstand.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • "Fair Grounds, Freeport, Illinois
                  Two night performances
                  5 p.m. rehearsal"
                • Type of engagement: Stage show
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 payable on completion of engagement
                • Boyle Woolfolk Agency, Inc., 203 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago
                • Signed by John H. [illegible]
                • Stratemann p.391 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                • Freeport Journal-Standard, Freeport, Ill.:
                  • Ads
                    • 1958-08-11 p.2
                    • 1958-08-18 p.5
                  • Announcement 1958-08-18, p.2
                  • Publicity story with photo 1958-08-19 p.10
                  • Report: The County Fair Thrives, 1958-08-22
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-18
                2016-06-09
                1958 08 21
                Thursday
                1958 08 22Crown Point, Ind.Fair GroundsLake County Fair

                Duke Ellington,
                celebrated band leader and composer, his recording orchestra and big stage revue.
                Thurs. and Fri.
                Aug. 21 and 22
                3 and 8 p.m.


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and 1 vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Type of engagement: Stage Show
                  August 21st and 22nd, 1958
                  Afternoon & Night daily
                  12 noon rehearsal
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 on completion of engagement
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Employer: Boyle Woolfolk Agency, Inc., 203 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago
                • Signed by John H. [illegible]
                • Stratemann p.391 citing Jazz Podium 1958 09
                • Ad, The Vidette-Messenger,Valparaiso, Ind. 1958-08-14 p.5
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-17
                2016-06-10
                1958 08 22
                Friday
                .Crown Point, Ind..Lake County Fair - see 1958 08 21.....Added
                2011
                1958 08 23
                Saturday
                .Caro, Mich.Tuscola County Fair GroundsTuscola County Fair
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington in Person"
                • Hours of employment: 3 p.m. rehearsal and two night stage shows
                • Type of engagement: Stage shows
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Standard cluase re extra musicians due to union rules.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,650 guaranteed flat
                • Rider: DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. agrees that this attraction will not appear in any other city within a 50-mile radius of Caro, Michigan, prior to this engagement.
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Employer: Barnes Carruthers Theatrical Enterprises, 159 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, Ill.
                • Signed by [illegible]
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11
                • Stratemann p.391 citing DESB
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-13
                1958 08 24
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 25
                Monday
                .Fruitport, Mich.Fruitport PavilionDance, 9:30 to 1:30.

                Contract terms: 15 musicians and vocalist, $800 guarantee, privilege 60%, to be paid in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement. Employer is Frank Lockage, Lockage Store for Men, 3761 Peck St., Muskogon Hts., Michigan
                -Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 08 19, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 14...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-04
                1958 08 26
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 27
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 08 28
                Thursday
                1958 08 29
                Friday
                Oshkosh, Wisc.Fair GroundsWinnebago County Fair
                Noon rehearsal and 2 vaudeville shows (2 and 8 p.m.) each day. The contract doesn't say if the rehearsal was required the second day; it seems unlikely.
                Oshkosh Daily Northwestern headlines:

                'Foremost Composer Will Appear in City
                Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra To Appear Two Days, Nights at County Fair.'

                Appleton Post-Crescent
                • Aug.21:

                  An Innovation in Stage Scenery to showcase the stage performances of Duke Ellington and company ... is the vinyl-nylon bandshell...

                  'Varied Program Set For Winnebago Fair
                  Duke Ellington Band to Perform on Two Days of Annual 4-Day Exposition

                  ...The grandstand show for Oshkosh day, next Thursday, and for Neenah-Menasha-Appleton day, Aug. 29 will be Duke Ellington in person with his famous orchestra. Stage acts are part of the show. Performances are booked for 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock...'

                • Aug.23

                  'Ellington Band Tops County Fair Program
                  Unit to Appear in 4 Performances At Oshkosh Site

                  ...The Ellington appearance is scheduled for the middle two days with grandstand performances at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and 8 o'clock at night both Thursday and Friday.
                    Along with the band will be other outstanding acts. The show will be presented from a bandshell, especially constructed of steel framework with a plastic-coated nylon framework. It not only provides a tremendous improvement in acoustics but also protects the stage performances from ... weather. The fabric is of snowy white with scenic effects created by a spectacular lighting development known as music-color. Projecting a myriyad of colored lights in a rainbow effect across the bandshell, the lights are synchronized to dance in tempo with the music by a control switch on the lighting panel...'

                • Aug.26

                  'Appearing with Duke Ellington ... will be a number of top acts, including Bob Ross and Maxine Stone, comedy team; Gus and Greg, harmonica artists, the Three Namedils, perch performers, and Lou Folds, magician-juggler...'

                The Oshkosh Daily Northwestern review of Thursday evening's performance:
                • Huge crowd on hand well before showtime
                • Began with an up-tempo jazz number with solos by Hamilton ("clarinetist and assistant director"), Carney, Gonsalves and Procope.
                • Hamilton directed the orchestra when it played background music for the Three Namedils, "a girl, a man and a 15-year old boy" who performed balancing stunts and a ladder trick
                • Lou Folds, juggler who bounced balls on a snare drumhead
                • Gus and Greg, harmonica virtuosos and comedians
                • The Namedils returned
                • The Ellington portion of the show included
                  • The Hawk Talks (Woodyard and Anderson named)
                  • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                  • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (Bailey named)
                  • Mood Indigo (Carney on bari, Jackson and Woodman named)
                  • I'm Beginning to See the Light
                  • Sophisticated Lady (Carney named)
                  • Caravan (Sanders and Hodges)
                  • Two Nance vocals, including It Don't Mean A Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing
                  • Solitude (Bailey)
                  • Satin Doll (Woode) - poorly miked so not well heard
                  • St. Louis Blues (Greenwood)
                  • Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home (Greenwood)
                  • Skin Deep (Woodyard)
                  • Jam With Sam (Baker, Anderson, Terry, Woodman, Gonsalves, Procope)

                  Contract terms:
                  • "15 & 1" musicians including leader under the leadership of "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington in Person"
                  • Dates of employment: August 28th & 29th, 1958
                  • Hours of employment: Afternoon & Night daily, 12 noon rehearsal
                  • Standard top billing clause
                  • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A-440.
                  • Type of engagement - Stage Show
                  • It is agreed and understood that as a part of this contract the employer assumes all responsibility for any and all additional musicians as set forth by the rulings of the local musicians union within which jurisdiction this engagement is played.
                  • Wage agreed upon: $2,750, to be paid upon completion of engagement.
                  • Employer: Boyle Woolfilk Agency, Inc., 203 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, Ill.*
                  • Signed by John H. [illegible]
                • Stratemann p.391, citing DESB
                • Vail II
                • Oshkosh Daily Northwestern, Oshkosh, Wisc.
                  • Announcements and publicity,
                    • 1958-08-18 p.4
                    • 1958-08-26 p.1
                  • Review 1958-08-29 p.4
                • Announcements and publicity, Appleton Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wisc.
                  • 1958-08-21 p.B1
                  • 1958-08-23 pp.B-1, B-2
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-18
                2016-06-08
                1958 08 29
                Friday
                .Oshkosh, Wisc.FairWinnebago County Fair, two vaudeville performances, see 1958 08 28......Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-11-18
                1958 08 30
                Saturday
                .Aurora, Ill.Aurora Country ClubDance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                Contract terms:15 musicians and vocalist; Ellington to receive 100% top billing; venue guarantees to furnish a good p.a. system and a piano tuned to A-440, price $1,500 guaranteed flat, 50% to be paid to Associated Booking Corporation upon signing, balance payable in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement. Contract signed by Floyd Pentley, Entertainment Chairman. Deposit $750 received 1958 06 27.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 06 24, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 12...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-04
                1958 08 31
                Sunday
                .St. Louis, Mo.Bath & Tennis Club
                Highway 40
                Log Cabin Lane.
                Dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington in Person"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,700 guaranteed flat, 50% deposit payable by August 1, 1958 and balance in cash to Duke Ellington or Al Celley night of engagement
                • Employer: Mr. Gordon Pilkington, Jr., Entertainment Chairman, Bath & Tennis Club...
                • Signed by Gordon Pilkington, Jr.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 05 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 11...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                1958 08 --.Cedar Rapids, IowaArmos BallroomUndated interview on radio station KCRG.New Desor
                DE5830
                ...Added
                2011

                September 1958

                1958 09 01
                Monday
                .Rochester, Ind.Colonial Terrace Ballroom
                Colonial Hotel
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington in person"
                • Type of engagement: Dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guarantee, privilege 60%, payable in cash to Al Celley, road manager, night of engagement
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440
                • Employer: K. R. Morris, Box 221, South Bend, Ind.
                • Signed by K. R. Morris
                • Vail II
                • The Pharos Tribune and Logansport Press, Logansport, Ind., 1958-08-31 p.2
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 03 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 9
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-10
                1958 09 02
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 03
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 04
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 05
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 06
                Saturday
                1958 09 07
                Sunday
                Avon, Conn.Cherry ParkFirst of two 2-hour concerts, 8:30 pm each night. The contract was for Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington, 15 musicians, and the price was $4,000. The contract was between DEI and Mr. Hermie Dressel, Music Centre, 54 West Main St., New Britain, Conn., referred to as the employer. A $2,000 deposit was received 1958 08 22 and the balance was due in cash at the end of the engagement.Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 12 August 1958, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries, A Box 1, Folder 14....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-03
                1958 09 07
                Sunday
                .Avon, Conn.Cherry ParkSecond of two 2-hour concerts, 8:30 pm - see 1958 09 06....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-03
                1958 09 08
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 09
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Persian Room
                Plaza Hotel
                Recorded publicity event. Irving Townsend and Ted Macero appear to have produced the recordings.
                Stratemann:

                'The music at this Columbia Records afternoon publicity bash was recorded and some of the Ellington performances eventually released on L (Col.C-3247 "Jazz At The Plaza Vol. 2") Ex-Basieite Jimmy rushing made his first recorded appearance with the Ellington band that night. Billie Holliday - with a Buck Clayton combo - and the Miles Davis group were featured as well (DB 30.10.58)'

                • Stratemann, p.391, citing Down Beat 1958-10-30
                • Email S.Lasker/Palmquist 2019-08-03 re producers
                New Desor
                DE5831
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                2021-11-16
                1958 09 10
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 10
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Nola Studios Peripheral event
                Recording session for Johnny Hodges, Billy Strayhorn for "Not So Dukish" (Verve label)
                ..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 09 11
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 12
                Friday
                1958 09 18
                Thursday
                Harlem
                Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - Duke Ellington and his orchestra with Slappy White (comedy), Leonard and Leonard (dance team), Lil Greenwood and Ozzie Bailey.

                Stratemann says Nance, Gonsalves, Carney and Hodges were given special billing.
                The contract, signed by Frank Schiffman for Apollo Theatre, called for 14 musicians led by Duke Ellington, Inc., presenting Duke Ellington for one week, Sept. 12 - 18. Its terms provided that DEI would provide no less than three additional acts, subject to approval by both parties, and the contract price was $7,000 plus 50% over $14,500 of admissions, excluding tax, to be paid at the end of the week.

                Apollo;s performer card:

                '9-12-58 7806.24 Fine musical show. Business profitable. Lil Greenwood new blues singer appeared with Duke.'

                • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
                • Stratemann p.391 citing
                  Variety's review 1958-09-17 p.72
                • Performer cards 347 and 348
                  Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
                • Performer cards 347 and 348
                  Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 13 August 1958, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 14.
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-07-05
                2016-06-03
                2019-11-02
                2023-03-26
                1958 09 13
                Saturday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - see 1959 08 12.....Added
                2011
                1958 09 14
                Sunday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - see 1959 08 12.....Added
                2011
                1958 09 15
                Monday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - see 1959 08 12.....Added
                2011
                1958 09 15
                Monday
                ...Date of contract between "Mr. Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington Incorporated, and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note from December 17, 1958 thru January 4, 1959, the usual 32 hour, 5 day week with Sunday matinees.

                This contract includes the same headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions and the fee is $5,000/week.

                This contract says "off days to be designated later."
                • Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann
                • Same: Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 09 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 15
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-11-03
                2016-06-13
                1958 09 16
                Tuesday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - see 1959 08 12.....Added
                2011
                1958 09 17
                Wednesday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - see 1959 08 12.....Added
                2011
                1958 09 18
                Thursday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St.
                Vaudeville - see 1959 08 12.....Added
                2011
                1958 09 19
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 20
                Saturday
                .Newark, N.J.Terrace Ballroom
                Mosque Theatre Bldg.
                "The 14 Pals Dance"

                The contract is for 14 musicians to play a dance from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. in the Terrace Ballroom of the "Mosque Theatre Bldg. Newark, N.J." for $2,000. $1,000 was to be paid upon signing the contract not later that August 20, and the balance was to be in cash during intermission the night of the engagement. The contract is with The Fourteen Pals 792 S. 13th St., Newark and signed by Leonard Brazell, President, on behalf of The Fourteen Pals.

                Stratemann locates this in New York, even though the ad he cites says New Jersey. Vail repeats his mistake.
                • Stratemann p.391 citing Amsterdam News
                  1958-09-13 p.14
                • Vail II
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 08 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 14
                .
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-07-05
                2016-06-04
                1958 09 21
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 22
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 23
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 24
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 09 25
                Thursday
                .....New Desor
                DE5832
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 09 26
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia 30th St. StudioColumbia recording session
                23:30-03:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Johnny Ray and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Bill Graham, Gonsalves, Carney,Strayhorn,Woode, Woodyard, Johnny Ray

                Titles recorded:
                • To Know You Is To Love You
                • The Lonely Ones
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                • Stratemann p.391
                • Vail II
                New Desor
                DE5832
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2013-07-03
                2014-10-16
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1958 09 00...Personnel change
                Lil Greenwood does not accompany the band to Europe, but rejoins it when it returns.
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-12
                1958 09 27
                Saturday
                1958 10 03New York, N.Y. to Plymouth, U.K.S.S. Île de France
                (A widely circulated AP wirestory datelined Le Havre Nov.18 announced the ship had made her last voyage and would be taken out of service. 800 officers and crew and 300 cooks, waiters and cabin stewards would be out of work. She was scrapped in 1959.)
                Departure by sea to begin six weeks in Europe.
                Personnel identified in the Île de France form P.M.2A list of alien passengers landed at Plymouth:
                • Anderson, William (with wife Dorothy C.)
                • Bailey, Ramsay K/A Ozzie
                • Black William (Hair Stylist)
                • Boyd, Robert H. (Valet)
                • Carney, Harry
                • Gonsalves, Paul
                • Celley, Albert(with wife Margaret A.)
                • Hamilton, James (with wife Vivian)
                • Hodges, John (with wife Edith C.)
                • Ellington, Edward K. (Duke)
                • Sanders, John with C.
                • Strayhorn, William
                • Terry, Clark
                • Woodman, Britt B. (with wife Clara B.)
                • Woodyard, Samuel

                These sidemen played Oct 25 but are not in this passenger list:
                • Shorty Baker
                • Ray Nance
                • Quentin Jackson
                • Russell Procope
                • Jimmy Woode

                • Stratemann doesn't show the departure date but has the band arriving at Plymouth, England on October 3.
                • The Igo/Ewing/Pilkington itinerary shows September 27
                • Vail II says September 29, without identifying a source
                • French Line ads published in various newspapers show a scheduled departure date of September 27
                • If desired, Association French Lines will look up the departure date for a fee.

                Izzy Rowe:

                'Duke Ellington played host for the "maddest morning champagne party" ever, last week in the cafe De Paris room of the Ile de France before embarking on his first European tour in over a decade. And neither the pouring rain nor the flowing champagne could dampen the high spirits of the early A.M. imbibers. The great Ellington has set, among other dates, for four concerts at the huge Palais de Chaillot in Paris late this month... '

                Haijdu places the going away party on Pier 88. Members of the Copacetics, including Strayhorn's companion Francis Goldberg ("Goldie") were present. Haijdu quotes another Strayhorn friend as saying it was quite an elegant affair. Haijdu writes that Strayhorn remained in the festive spirit, quoting Britt Woodman as saying Billy was toasting every night. He says Strayhorn was supposed to be the guest of honour at the captain's final night ceremonial dinner, but didn't show up, and was found asleep in a corner of the ship's mess early the next morning, fully clothed.
                Stratemann reports Norman Granz contracted Ellington to record with Ella Fitzgerald for the Verve label, which Granz controlled, in 1958. Continuing:

                'In 1958 Ellington put himself under the impresario's wings for the organization of his foreign tours. He travelled abroad for the first time in eight years under Granz' tutelage in October to Great Britain and the European continent...During his business association with Granz, Ellington returned to Europe almost every year, first repeating his concert tour in 1959; then for work on the score to Paris Blues (1960); for further successful tours in 1962 to 1963, and so on through the decade...

                Ella Fitzgerald was under contract to Granz as well...

                Due to a misunderstanding between Ellington and Granz, the Juan-Les-Pins concerts resulted in a severe strain on the relationship between the two men, and their association deteriorated steadily thereafter. In February of 1967, Ellington would tour Europe under Granz' tutelage for the last time, to leave the Granz roster immediately thereafter.'

                • Stratemann pp.391, 540-541
                • Vail II
                • French Line ads:
                  • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia,Penn. 1958-08-19 p.8
                  • The Times-Picayune, New Orleans States, 1958-09-07 s.3 p.7
                  • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore. 1958-09-09 p.2
                  • The Seattle Times, Seattle, Wash. 1958-09-09 p.4
                • Izzy Rowe's Notebook, The Pittsburgh Courier 1958-10-11 p.22
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 23 European Tour, October-November, 1958
                • David Hajdu, Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, North Point Press, New York, 1996, p.182
                ...djpNew
                added 2013-07-03
                2016-01-03
                2016-06-16
                1958 09 28
                Sunday
                .At seaS.S. Île de FranceCrossing the Atlantic - see 1958-09-27....djpupdated
                2016-01-03.
                1958 09 29
                Monday
                .At seaS.S. Île de FranceCrossing the Atlantic - see 1958-09-27Vail II...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-01-03
                1958 09 30
                Tuesday
                .At seaS.S. Île de FranceCrossing the Atlantic - see 1958-09-27....djpAdded
                2011

                October 1958

                1958 10 01
                Wednesday
                .At seaS.S. Île de FranceCrossing the Atlantic - see 1958-09-27....djpAdded
                2011
                1958 10 02
                Thursday
                .At seaS.S. Île de FranceCrossing the Atlantic - see 1958-09-27

                Captain's dinner party
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-16
                1958 10 03
                Friday
                .Plymouth, Devon, England.Arrival in Great Britain.

                Ellington was photographed using a hula hoop shortly before disembarking.

                This was the full Ellington orchestra's first appearance in Great Britain since 1933. The tour of Great Britain was organized by Harold Davison Ltd. (Dougie Tobutt, tour manager, and Jack Higgins, press & publicity), pursuant to a 1956 exchange agreement between the U.S.A. and Britain. The programme in Stratemann says Norman Granz in association with Harold Davison.. The programme credits Stanley Dance with contributions to the programme, and thanks Harry Francis, Assistant Secretary of the Musicians' Union for his help in negotiating the Anglo-American exchange details.

                While the Ellington orchestra was in Britain, the Ted Heath orchestra was touring the U.S.A.

                Blue Light:

                'After a stormy crossing the Île de France reached Plymouth late on Friday 3 October, and Duke was safely in bed by 7 am in the Dorchester, Park Lane.'

                Syndicated columnist Dorothy Kilgallen:

                'Word out of London has it that Duke Ellington is the latest American star to suffer an unpleasant experience with the British press - to the point where he almost slugged an English newspaperman. Ella Fitzgerald's Dorchester press conference with the same bunch left her shaking.'

                • Roger Boyes, "The Origin of The Queen's Suite,"
                  Blue Light 15/4, p.12
                  citing Yorkshire Post 1958-10-04, p.1
                • Dorothy Kilgallen, Broadway, The Charleston Gazette, Charleston, S.C., 1958-11-20, p.32
                • Stratemann pp.391-393
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-07-03
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 00.London, England.Charles Melville interviewed Ellington for over two hours. Parts of the interview were later broadcast on the BBC World Service.New DesorNew Desor
                DE5835
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 04
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 10 05
                Sunday
                .London, EnglandRoyal Festival Hall2 concerts - 18:00 and 21:00Stratemann pp.391-393..KGphotodjpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 06
                Monday
                .Nottingham, EnglandOdeon Theatre2 concerts - 18:25 and 20:40Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 07
                Tuesday
                .London, EnglandDorchester HotelBand activities not documented
                Ellington was interviewed for BBC-TV by Frank Henning for Monitor, aired Oct. 12. This was Ellington's first appearance on British television.
                Stratemann p.391 citing Variety 1958-10-08 p.44.New Desor
                DE5833
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 08
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documentedStratemann pp.391-393.....
                1958 10 09
                Thursday
                .Southampton, EnglandGaumont Theatre2 concerts - 18:30 and 20:40Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 10
                Friday
                .Bristol, EnglandColston Hall2 concerts - 18:30 and 20:45Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 11
                Saturday
                1958 10 12London, EnglandGaumont State
                Kilburn
                2 concerts - 18:00 and 20:45Stratemann pp.391-393....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 11
                Saturday
                .London, EnglandRenée Diamond's apartmentPrivate party.
                Ellington was recorded playing Single Petal of a Rose, which seems to have been composed on the spot. He named it for a rose petal which fell on the piano from a vase of roses.

                Steven Lasker (2016):

                'Duke later requested a copy of the tape so he could record his improvisation at Columbia for his privately-produced "Queen's Suite," as the work is commonly known. One copy of the 1959 pressing was presented to Her Majesty; another copy, which surfaced in a garage sale in 2008 ... was shown to attendees of the 2008 Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference in London, England. It is now held by the Library of Congress.
                  Ellington withheld the work from public release during his lifetime, but after his death, [his son] sold the master to Norman Granz's Pablo Records, which issued it in 1976.'


                Earl Okin played the original tape recording during his presentation at the 2008 Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference in London, England. In a 1999 message posted to the Duke-LYM email discussion list, he wrote

                'Renée Diamond left [the original tape recording] to me. She certainly told me he'd composed it on the spot. A year later, he apparently sent to her for a copy because he's forgotten how it had gone and wanted to record what is now on Pablo. Again, if he'd already been playing it a few times, I think that he wouldn't have needed to have a copy sent to him. This and the fact that there are one or two real differences between this and the 'final' version make me believe it really was composed on the spot. After all, we know that he did compose like this relatively often.'

                During a panel discussion at the conference, Peter Caswell, Roger Boyes and Jack Kinsey talked of their memories of the 1958 tour. When Roger spoke about the single record of "The Queen's Suite", pressed for the Queen, Steven Lasker produced a copy of the original album, to everyone's surprise.

                Steven believes more than two copies were pressed. In about 1990, a record auctioneer in Sun Valley, Leon Leavitt, circulated an auction list which included a copy of the Columbia pressing which is labelled "A Suite Dedicated to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Duke Ellington." (See DEMS 08/2-6 to view label scans.) The winning bid was from overseas and was US$10,000, but the consignor failed to deliver. Leavitt later told Steven the vendor claimed to have five copies of the album. The vendor has since passed away, but his identity was such that his claim was credible.
                Earl Okin in Duke-LYM:
                • 2016 08 08:
                  '[The tape recording] was left to me by the late Renée Diamond...who always recorded things with Duke...
                    She had just moved to a new flat. Duke decided to have [a] post-recording session party there without asking her permission and in so doing, gave her the little grand piano and all the food and drink...'
                • 2016 08 09:
                  'Duke sent all pre-prepared food...lots of it...and cases of whisky and wine.
                    That's how Renée discovered that he was throwing a party in her flat.
                    Then some more men arrived with his house-warming present...a grand piano!'

                • Earl Okin, Minutes, Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference, London, 2008 (see DEMS 08,2-6)
                • Steven Lasker, email
                  • 2016-04-27
                  • 2016-04-28
                • Earl Okin, Duke-LYM email
                  • 2016-08-08
                  • 2016-08-09
                New Desor
                DE5834
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2016-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 12
                Sunday
                .London, England.BBC-TV "Monitor" aired its Oct. 7 Ellington interviewStratemann pp.391-393....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 12
                Sunday
                .London, EnglandGaumont State
                Kilburn
                2 concerts - 17:30 and 20:30Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 13
                Monday
                .Leeds, EnglandOdeon TheatreLeeds Festival

                2 concerts 18:30 and 20:45
                • Stratemann pp.391-393
                • Duke Ellington, MIMM p.195 (with photo)
                • John Edward Hasse: Beyond Category, The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington p.337 (with photo)
                • Harvey G. Cohen, Duke Ellington's America, University of Chicago Press, 2010, pp.338-339
                • If I recall correctly, the meeting with Her Majesty is mentioned in most Ellington biographies.
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 22 Leeds Centenary Musical Festival, Leeds, England, October 13-18, 1958 (September 5-October 18, 1958)
                .DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 14
                Tuesday
                .Newcastle, EnglandOdeon Theatre2 concerts 18:40 and 20:40Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 15
                Wednesday
                1958 10 16Glasgow, ScotlandOdeon Theatre2 concerts 18:40 and 20:50
                Variety reported "did good business."
                Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 16
                Thursday
                .Glasgow, ScotlandOdeon Theatre2 concerts 18:40 and 20:50Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 17
                Friday
                .Liverpool, EnglandR.M.S. Empress of Britain
                Dockside (Gladstone Dock)
                Ellington on Empress of Britain
                Mitchell on Empress of Britain
                Ellington and Mitchell aboard Empress of Britain
                Click to visit the Atlantic Showboat webpage
                Ellington, guitarist Malcolm Mitchell and bassist Russ Stableford were filmed on board ship playing Take the "A" Train for Hughie Green's forthcoming "Atlantic Showboat" ITV television film.

                The travelogue was filmed entirely on board the ship, at dockside and during the ship's transatlantic crossing to Montreal via Greenock, Scotland. It was a variety show with George Formby, Shirley Bassey, Joyce Blair, David Whitfield, Jacqueline Delman, Jackie Rae and Libby Morris. One English newspaper report named Lady Tweedsmuir as well. The Gazette reported the 600 passengers were filmed dancing, made personal appearances and acted as a live audience for the entertainment.

                The Liverpool Echo announced the film would air on ITV 1958 11 22 but it appears not to have been telecast until 1959 01 09.

                The Ellington appearance seems to have been hastily arranged – Ellington didn't have his tuxedo so associate producer John Heyman lent him his. After the film crew forgot to shoot Mitchell during his solo, he was asked to fake it while they shot extra footage. Since he couldn't do that, they made him an acetate of his solo and sent him home to practice, to be filmed later.
                • Liverpool Echo,
                  Liverpool, England
                  1958-10-13 p.2
                • Daily Mirror,
                  London, England
                  1958-10-15 p.16
                • The Gazette,
                  Montreal, P.Q.
                  1958-10-25 p.21
                • The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post,
                  London, England
                  1959-01-08 p.8
                • Evening Standard,
                  London, England
                  1959-01-10 p.8
                • Leicester Evening Mail,
                  Leicester, England
                  1959-01-10 p.2
                • The Coventry Evening Telegraph,
                  Coventry, England
                  1959-01-10 p.2
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • JU JUCD-2069 "The British Connexion 1933-40"
                New Desor
                DE5836
                DEMScorrTimner-4/36djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2020-05-10
                2024-02-19
                1958 10 17
                Friday
                .Liverpool, EnglandOdeon Theatre2 concerts 18:40 and 20:55Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 18
                Saturday
                .Leeds, EnglandOdeon Theatre2 concerts 14:30 and 19:30

                His Royal Highness Prince Philip accompanied by composer Benjamin Britten attended the afternoon performance, arriving late and unannounced.
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 18
                Saturday
                .Leeds, EnglandCivic HallEllington and other composers and performers at the festival were invited to a reception held by the Mayor at the Civic Hall, where Ellington was introduced to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, leading him to write The Queen's Suite, discussed below. The Kickstarter blog entry provides a fair amount of detail, as well as two purported Ellington quotes, but without references, its reliability is undetermined. It is, however, consistent with the presentation at the 2008 Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference in London - see DEMS 08,2-6..DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2019-06-08
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 19
                Sunday
                .Croydon, EnglandDavis Theatre2 concerts 18:00 and 20:30Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 20
                Monday
                .Cardiff, WalesCapitol Theatre2 concerts 18:30 and 20:40Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 21
                Tuesday
                1958 10 22Birmingham, EnglandOdeon Theatre2 concerts 18:30 and 20:40Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 22
                Wednesday
                .BirminghamOdeon Theatre2 concerts 18:30 and 20:40Stratemann pp.391-393...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 23
                Thursday
                .Manchester, England King's Hall, Belle VueOne concert, 7:30 p.m.

                DEMS:...after the concert the band members gradually returned to the stage and they played exactly what they wanted. Later Duke himself joined the group.
                Stratemann pp.391-393.DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 24
                Friday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 10 25
                Saturday
                .London, EnglandGaumont State, Kilburn2 concerts 18:00 and 20:45Stratemann pp.391-393New Desor
                DE5837
                DE5838
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 26
                Sunday
                .London, EnglandGaumont State, Kilburn2 concerts 17:30 and 20:30Stratemann pp.391-393New Desor
                DE5839
                .corrTimner-4/27djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 10 27
                Monday
                ...activities not documented......
                1958 10 28
                Tuesday
                .Paris, FrancePalais De Chaillot..New Desor
                DE5840
                DE5841
                DEMSVARphoto
                corrTimner-4
                NDCS 1047
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 29
                Wednesday
                .Paris, FranceAlhambra..New Desor
                DE5842
                DE5843
                DEMScorrTimner-4/27
                NDCS 1047
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 30
                Thursday
                Dortmund, GermanyWestfalenhalle.......Added
                2011
                1958 10 30
                Thursday
                .Paris, France.Recording session Duke's Sidemen..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 10 31
                Friday
                Halloween
                .Bruxelles, La BelgiqueBEAUX ARTS......Added
                2011

                November 1958

                1958 11 01
                Saturday
                .Den Haag, The NetherlandsHouttrusthallen......Added
                2011
                1958 11 02
                Sunday
                .Amsterdam, The NetherlandsConcertgebouw..New Desor
                DE9062
                DE5844
                DEMScorrTimner-4
                NDCS 1081
                .Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 03
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Most probably a travel day
                ....djpNew
                added 2014-08-05.
                1958 11 04
                Tuesday
                .Stockholm, SwedenTennishallen..New Desor
                DE5845
                DEMS.LambertphotoAdded
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 05
                Wednesday
                .Oslo, NorwayCentral StationInterview, Karin Borg Mansaker.....Added
                2011
                1958 11 05
                Wednesday
                .Oslo, NorwayNjardhallen..New Desor
                DE5846
                DEMS
                corrTimner-4/32
                ..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 06
                Thursday
                .Göteborg, SwedenKonserthuset..New Desor
                DE5847
                DE5848
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 07
                Friday
                .Copenhagen, DenmarkK.B.Hallen..New Desor
                DE5849
                DE5850
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 08
                Saturday
                .Berlin, GermanyDeutschlandhalle
                .New Desor
                DE5851
                ...Added
                2011
                1958 11 09
                Sunday
                .Hamburg, GermanyErnst Merck Hall......Added
                2011
                1958 11 10
                Monday
                .Essen, GermanyStadthalle......Added
                2011
                1958 11 11
                Tuesday
                .Hannover, GermanyNiedersachsenhalle......Added
                2011
                1958 11 12
                Wednesday
                .Frankfurt, GermanyKongresshalle
                Messegelände
                Concert promoted by Deutsche Jazz öderation e.V.
                "Ein Konzert mit Duke Ellington and his famous ordchestra.
                • Concert poster
                • Concert ticket
                ...SL, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2022-11-14
                1958 11 13
                Thursday
                .Nurenberg, GermanyMessehalle......Added
                2011
                1958 11 14
                Friday
                .Munchen, Germany.Bayr Rundfunk-Broadcast.....Added
                2011
                1958 11 14
                Friday
                .Munchen, GermanyDeutsches Museum..New Desor
                DE5852
              • DE5853
              • DEMScorrTimner-4.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 15
                Saturday
                .Munich, Germany.Recording Session Duke's Sidemen..DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 15
                Saturday
                .Wien, AustriaStadthalleUPI reported a concert of over 2 hours for 7,000 jazz fans who went wild, applauded, stomped their feet and howled loudly after each rendition.UPI wirestory - see
                • Middletown Daily Record, Middletown, N.Y., 1958-11-17 p.15
                • The Stars and Stripes, 1958-11-18, p.3
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                1958 11 16
                Sunday
                .Basel, Switzerland...New Desor
                DE5854
                DEMSNDCS 1033.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 17
                Monday
                .Milano, ItalyTeatro Dal VermeTwo concerts, afternoon and evening. Review by Arrigo Polillo, translated from Italian with Google:

                'Ellington's return
                   And so, against all reasonable predictions, Duke Ellington also arrived, whose orchestra played, as everyone knows, in Milan and Turin, on 17 and 18 November, shortly before re-embarking for the United States.
                   First of all, I would like to acknowledge their leonine courage to those who took on the responsibility of organizing the concerts (Mario Fattori and Leo Wechter in Milan, and Landi in Turin): after so many sensational fiascos it really took a pinch of madness to risk more of two million a day on a jazz orchestra, even if it were the most famous in the world. However, at least in Milan, fortune favored the bold. The grand Teatro Dal Verme was in fact packed to bursting on the evening of the 17th; it felt like we were back to the golden times of two or three years ago.
                   Of the two Milanese concerts, the second was by far the best: in the afternoon, both due to the tiredness of the journey and the too high tuning of the piano, the orchestra played at a reduced capacity.
                   Taking into account the evening performance, I must immediately say that the orchestra lived up to expectations, despite the different opinion of the usual insatiable people who declare themselves disappointed at every jazz concert. These hyper-critics are divided into two large categories: that of orchestra musicians who, forgetful of their own insignificance, make downright laughable judgments (such as that expressed by a well-known dance orchestra conductor, who solemnly declared that, for him, Carosone is much better by Ellington), and that of the snobs who, by demanding big-chested Conservatory performances from jazzmen, demonstrate that they understand very little about jazz.
                   Above all, they regretted the fact that Ellington had not included his most challenging works in his programme, but had instead presented a sort of cross section of his "opus omnia", using above all the most tested warhorses, the cavalcade of successes, without forgetting some isolated piece taken from his most recent suites such as Such Sweet Thunder and A Drum Is A Woman.
                   Personally, I believe that the criterion followed by Ellington is the only one possible in similar performances, which cannot involve, also for obvious reasons of time, the presentation of long suites. Moreover, listening to his old and glorious tunes, reborn to new life in delicious arrangements (I remember, just to give a title, an exemplary fresh The Mooche) was a real pleasure: because the current lineup is superior to almost all those who obeyed the orders of the prestigious leader from 1940 onwards.
                   Of course, the orchestra is somewhat undisciplined on stage, but it's an old story: Ellington doesn't formalize if his soloists, while they're not playing, chat or take on boring expressions on their seats. What matters is that these men; taken one by one and together, they sound splendid; that music always has a rich and intense color, truly unparalleled; and that Duke Ellington himself, at the age of 59, keeps his splendid crown on his head, which looks like that of a barbarian king.
                   What more do you want? Has there ever been a better jazz orchestra than Ellington's? I wouldn't say so; that of Count Basie may be more calibrated in the ensembles but it is certainly more mechanical; and the same can be said of Kenton's, despite his many ambitions. The Duke makes great jazz music without inflating his muscles, with modest and cordial airs; he has been an innovator for thirty years but has never taken a polemical attitude. He doesn't flaunt himself, he doesn't take on ferocious expressions: he limits himself to giving the orchestra sideways glances, with a sly air; sometimes he even abandons her to herself, taking refuge in the wings. But there is no known effect that was not foreseen and desired by him.
                   The lineup that performed during the last European tour is that of the latest albums: Clark Terry, Cat Anderson, Ran Nance and Harold Baker on trumpets; Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman and John Sanders on trombones, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves and Harry Carney on saxes, Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Jimmy Woode on bass and Sam Woodyard on drums, to which must be added Billy Strayhorn, who to appear on stage as a gray eminence and Ozzie Bailey, who gracefully sings some songs.
                   Everyone has their strong point; and you already know that Gonsalves is entrusted with Dimiinuendo and Crescendo in Blue, that Anderson takes care of the upper register, and that Hodges and Carney make, as usual, the best impression.
                   But they are all good: from Clark Terry, the modernist of the orchestra, to Ray Nance, who occasionally sketches out some caricature-dance steps, to Jimmy Hamilton, always delightfully fresh and technically immaculate, to Shorty Baker, a very personal and musical trumpet player.
                   All together they gave a great concert, at least for my ears. So much the worse for those who weren't happy with it.
                   

                Photo caption: Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges, pictured here during Ellington's Milan concerts, have once again demonstrated that they are the solid pillars of the famous Ellington formation. (Publiphoto)

                Review by Polillo, in Italian:
                Musica Jazz, 1950 No.1
                courtesy Ezio Chiarelli, 2024-05-10
                .DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 18
                Tuesday
                doubtful
                .Stuttgart, Germany.Peripheral event
                According to the liner notes for the Verve LP Johnny Hodges and His Strings Play the Prettiest Gershwin, Hodges recorded 12 Gershwin songs with a string orchestra in Stuttgart on November 18.

                It seems unlikely this could have taken place on this date, since Hodges played in Milan Nov. 17 and Torino Nov. 18.
                Area map
                2024 area map
                Click to Enlarge
                Andrey Henkin 2024-04-20:

                   'The band was on tour in Europe/Scandinavia in October-November. November 16th was Basel and November 18th was Torino. Johnny Hodges is listed as playing both shows. But the Verve LP "Johnny Hodges And His Strings Play The Prettiest Gershwin" has a recording date of November 18th on the sleeve.
                   I imagine it was possible for him to play Basel, drive three hours the next day to Stuttgart, sleep over and do a morning recording session and then drive seven hours to make the Torino gig. But is there any way to confirm that actually happened?
                   I suppose it was also possible to fly, which would have been much quicker but I don't really know anything about air travel for musicians in that era.'


                Ezio Chiarelli 2024-05-10:

                   '..."Musica Jazz" magazine ... issue no.1 of 1959 {had]... a review of the two concerts in Milan on October 17, 1958, by the renowned Italian jazz critic Arrigo Polillo. I've attached the picture of the article [see 1958 10 17 above]. Mr Polillo confirms in his review that Johnny Hodges was present in both concerts (Hodges was photographed in the occasion). In subsequent issues of "Musica Jazz", I've found letters from readers who attended the Turin concerts on October 18; they witness that Hodges played in both concerts in Turin too. I've not found any news about a possible arrival of Hodges on his own.
                   In conclusion Hodges was in Milan on October 17 (evening concert) and in Turin on October 18 (afternoon concert). Between these two concerts, he should have rushed to Stuttgart, made a recording session and come back. I doubt it would be possible.'


                Henkin 2024-05-11:

                   'I am wondering if the Hodges recording actually took place on November 19th. It is a reasonable drive to Stuttgart from Turin (7 hours), time to do the session, and then get to Paris for the Salle Pleyel concert on the 20th. So unless I hear back from Italy/Switzerland customs about any Hodges border crossings they have in their archives, this will remain an error/mystery.'

                Webmaster's comments:

                According to http://www.bsnpubs.com/new/verve.pdf and
                www.jazzdisco.org/verve-records, the Stuttgart record was issued in 1959. Timner V says the Nov. 18 concert was recorded for RAI but not aired. DEMS 1994/2 agrees: An unissued video recording has been discovered in the RAI-TV state television archives in Rome. The exact date has not yet been determined. So far we believe this concert as being taped in Milan, Teatro Dal Verme, at one of the two concerts given on 17 Nov 58. The following day Ellington performed in Torino (Teatro Alfieri, two concerts*). There is a possibility the recording might emanate from this occasion.
                   In DEMS 1997-2/11, New Desor author Massagli says It has now been established that the correct date and location from the video recording, recently discovered by Sergio Portaleoni is November 18, 1958, Torino, one of the two concerts at Teatro Alfieri. The concert was recorded by the Italian RAI, but never broadcast: it is a new Ellington find, completely unknown!
                   At DEMS 98/3-22:The band was engaged in Torino to do one concert in the afternoon and one in the evening. In the early afternoon the band left Milano for Torino by bus. I was in the bus with them. They arrived in Torino very late and the afternoon concert started at about seven p.m. instead of five thirty and was shortened, because at nine p.m. they had to start the evening concert. There were some problems during the trip. One of the bass drums which were placed on the roof of the bus fell down on the road and when they realised what happened the bus stopped and some musicians went back down the road to pick it up. During the introduction of Hi Fi Fo Fum Duke confirmed that one drum was damaged because of this incident. When everything was finally ready for the concert to start, it was realised that Gonsalves had disappeared. While the other musicians were bustling around the drum, he'd slipped into a nearby farmhouse where some local people offered him many glasses of wine. Gianni Tollara
                  Ellington's songs, whether recorded live, on the air or in the studio, constantly changed. New Desor meticulously analyzes every recording, noting who participated, the structure of the song, who played what, and in what order. All solos over 2 bars are identified. The sidemen "owned" their solo spots in all the songs and it was unusual to give a solo slot to another sideman. Ezio Chiarelli identified Hodges' war horses in these concerts as All Of Me, Jeep's Blues and I Got It Bad. New Desor's analyses say each of these is identical in structure to certain other recordings, in all of which they show Johnny playing a chorus or long solo.
                   Hodges had a distinctive sound. The other alto saxist on this tour was Procope, whose sound is different. While the ellingtonia.com discography shows Carney doubling clarinet, alto sax and bari sax, that is a copying error by the late Marcus Girvan. Harry is known to have recorded on alto and soprano saxes, but New Desor says the personnel are the same as an earlier concert in this tour (see DE5837) where it has Harry was on bari, clarinet and bass clarinet. I would comment that bari sax and bass clarinet are big, heavy instruments, and in a later tour, the weight of the band's equipment was an issue for air travel. The band went by air during part of this tour, from Scandinavia to Germany, so weight would have been an issue in 1958, too. It seems unlikely Harry would have taken a fourth instrument.
                   The two-volume New Desor was published in 1999, incorporating the earlier DESOR sessionographies/discographies (which I have not seen). The New Desor team's analyses were actively debated by the worldwide community of Ellington collectors in the Duke Ellington Music Society's thrice-annual bulletins DEMS Index. The team then issued New Desor Correction Sheets when warranted.
                   Johnny's wife was on this tour. If she accompanied her husband wherever he went, the cost of bringing her to Stuttgart would have increased the cost of the session.
                   Passports and visas were required to cross European borders in those days. The genealogical services such as Ancestry.com have migration records, including visas and airline passenger records, which might show when Cornelius Hodge (John C. Hodges) and his wife Edith or Cue entered and left Germany and Italy that month.
                   It seems very unlikely that Hodges went to Stuttgart for a November 18 recording session.

                Email exchanges
                Henkin/Dyson/Chiarelli/Palmquist April-May 2024
                ....New
                added
                2024-05-10
                Updated
                2024-05-11
                1958 11 18
                Tuesday
                .Torino, ItalyTeatro AlfieriTwo concerts, 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
                The band was supposed to play an afternoon and an evening concert, but was delayed - see preceding entry. The first concert didn't start until 7 and was shortened to allow for the second concert.

                Ezio Chiarelli:

                'On Musica Jazz 1959 nr 3, a few readers' letters were issued... Those readers from Torino explicitly say Hodges sat in on both the afternoon and the evening concert. The first writes: "I attended the afternoon concert. (...) and if it hadn't been for J. Hodges, H. Carney and Ray Nance, the orchestra could have passed for a botched ensemble of almost jazz music." The second reader writes: "I've had the luck to attend such performance of the Ellingtoni orchestra" (he means the evening concert in Turin) and later on: 'this has been an unforgettable concert, supported by exceptional soloists like Hodges, Carney, Hamilton, Nance, Terry and the clever Jimmy Woode..."'

                Email Chiarelli-Palmquist 2024-05-11
                with
                Musica Jazz 1959 No. 3, pp. 9,10
                New Desor
                DE5855
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                2024-05-11
                1958 11 19
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 11 00.Barcelona, SpainPalacio Deportes2 scheduled concerts were cancelled.....Agustěn Perez Gasco 09Added
                2011
                1958 11 20
                Thursday
                .Paris, FranceSalle Pleyel..New Desor
                DE5856
                DEMSJazzCorner-photos.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 11 21
                Friday
                ..At seaEllington and John C. Sanders were First Class passengers the Queen Mary, departing Cherbourg November 21 and arriving New York November 26. Other members of the orchestra travelled on S.S. Statendam, whose routing was Rotterdam, LeHavre and Southampton. They likely boarded at LeHavre, and she departed Southampton November 22. (That ship may have departed LeHavre the night before - not investigated.) ....djpNew
                added
                2018-03-17
                2021-04-23
                1958 11 22
                Saturday
                ..At seaApparent date of departure from Europe
                The following band members and associates are found in the United States Customs Service Passenger List for carrier "Netherlands S.S. Statendam" arriving in New York Nov. 30, 1958. The arrival date has been altered from Nov. 29th. The last foreign port before arrival was Southampton, from whence she departed November 22. The passenger list pages show passengers from Rotterdam, Le Havre and Southampton, so the route seems likely to have been Rotterdam - Le Havre - Southampton - New York.These individuals are listed as Le Havre departures.
                • Boyd, Robert H.
                  Passport 1204147
                • Carney, Harry H.
                  Passport 1202703
                • Celley, Albert
                  Passport 1202492 (with wife Margaret Passport 1202999)
                • Hamilton, James
                  Passport 1203192 (with wife Susan H. Passport 1213369)
                • Strayhorn, Billie
                  Passport 1042965
                • Terry, Clark
                  Passport 120480
                • Woodman, Britt B.
                  Passport 1203212(with wife Clara B. Passport 1203213


                These band members listed in the outbound passenger list are not in the S.S. Statendam passenger list:
                • Gonsalves
                  flew home from Paris, AF041, arriving 1958 11 26 (Aircraft F BHBM)
                • Sanders
                • Woodyard
                  flew London-New York, BOAC flight BA549 arriving 1958 12 01
                • Woode
                  flew London-New York, BOAC flight BA549 arriving 1958 12 01
                • Ellington
                • Anderson
                • Bailey
                • Black

                These sidemen played the Alhambra, Paris, Oct. 29 and are not on the S.S. Statendam passenger list:
                • Harold (Shorty) Baker
                  arrived New York on BOAC BA549, Nov. 29 1958 (Aircraft G-AOVR)
                • Ray Nance
                • Quentin Jackson
                • Britt Woodman
                • John Sanders
                • Johnny Hodges - Johnny and his wife Edith flew home from Paris on Nov. 22 on Air France 041.
                • Russell Procope

                Oakland Tribune reported

                'Duke Wins Wings
                A new landmark was set in an illustrious career a few days ago when Duke Ellington made his first airplane trip. The Duke and his band flew from Copenhagen to Berlin and hence to Hamburg. Acccording to word from the scene it was Norman Granz who finally succeeded in talking Ellington out of his lifelong refusal to travel by plane. The band boarded a Dutch liner yesterday for its return to the U.S. from a European tour that began in London early in October and continued through England, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Germany and Italy.'

                • Passenger list, S.S. Statendam
                • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.,
                  1958-11-23 p.B-19
                • United States Immigration Dept. Form *-94A Arrival - Departure Record, Cornelius Hodges and Edith Hodges, 1958-11-22
                ...djpNew
                added
                2018-03-17
                2024-04-21
                1958 11 23
                Sunday
                ...Believed to be at sea....djp.
                1958 11 24
                Monday
                ...Believed to be at sea....djp.
                1958 11 25
                Tuesday
                ...Believed to be at sea....djp.
                1958 11 26
                Wednesday
                ...Several band members were at sea, en route to New York.
                Paul Gonsalves arrived this day on Air France flight 041. The immigration card is handwritten and his place of departure is illegible, but the cards for other passengers on this flight show Orly, France. Quentin Jackson arrived the same day on AF 071 from Paris.
                ....djpNew
                Added
                2018-03-18
                1958 11 27
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 11 28
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 11 29
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 11 30
                Sunday
                .New York, N.Y..The band disembarked from S. S. Statendam. The arrival date on all the passenger list pages viewed has "30" handwritten over a typed number which appears to be "29." All pages are stamped Admitted Nov. 30 1958 by the Imm. and Natz. Service,
                ......

                December 1958

                1958 12 00...Personnel change
                Lil Greenwood rejoins the band in early December
                New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                added 2012-10-12
                1958 12 01
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                Woodyard and Woode arrived by air from London on BOAC flight BA549, departing London the previous night and arriving in New York at 6:40 a.m.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2018-03-19
                1958 12 02
                Tuesday
                1958 12 07
                Sunday
                Baltimore, Md.Lucky Number Club
                Rose Room
                711 Poplar Grove Ave.
                Night club residency
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. present [sic] Duke Ellington"
                • Date(s) of employment * December 2, 1958 - one week - 6 days (Mon off)
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly, 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday matinee
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $6,000, in cash to artist end of engagement
                • Employer: Lucky Number Club, 711 Poplar Grove Ave., Baltimore
                • Signed by Ben Zallonsky
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16
                • Vail II with reproduced ads
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 03
                Wednesday
                .Baltimore, Md.Lucky Number Club
                Rose Room
                Night club residency - see 1958 12 02.....New
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 04
                Thursday
                .Baltimore, Md.Lucky Number Club
                Rose Room
                Night club residency - see 1958 12 02.....New
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 05
                Friday
                .Baltimore, Md.Lucky Number Club
                Rose Room
                Night club residency - see 1958 12 02.....New
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 06
                Saturday
                .Baltimore, Md.Lucky Number Club
                Rose Room
                Night club residency - see 1958 12 02.....New
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 07
                Sunday
                .Baltimore, Md.Lucky Number Club
                Rose Room
                Night club residency - see 1958 12 02

                Matinee and evening performances

                End of engagement.
                .....New
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 08
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 12 09
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 12 10
                Wednesday
                .Norwalk, Conn.Norwalk High School

                'Duke Ellington and his orchestra are scheduled to play at the Norwalk High school on Dec. 10 under the sponsorship of the Norwalk Lions club.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington & His Orchestra"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement: Empress Theatre - South Norwalk, Connecticut
                • Date of employment December 10, 1958
                • Hours of employment: 8:30 p.m.
                • Type of engagement: Concert
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500, deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                • Employer: Norwalk Lions Club (P.L.Alessi), 2 Havilland St., Norwalk, Conn.
                • Signed by P.L.Alessi
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16
                • Stratemann p.394 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                • The Bridgeport Post, Bridgeport, Conn., 1958-11-23 p.55
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-08
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 11
                Thursday
                .Otis Air Force Base, Mass.N.C.O. Club Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Date(s) of employment December 11, 1958
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 due upon signing, balance due night of engagement
                • Employer: Sargeant [sic] E. O. Cote, N.C.O. Club, Otis Air Force Base (near Faulmouth), Massachusetts
                • Signed by Edmond O. Cote
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 29, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 12
                Friday
                .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz BallroomUniversity of Bridgeport dance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, $750 payable on signing and balance due night of engagement
                • Employer: University of Bridgeport
                  Bridgeport, Conn.
                • Signed by Manin J. Hotchkiss for University of Bridgeport
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 07, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16...djpNew
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 13
                Saturday
                .Newark, N.J.Terrace BallroomContract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Hours of employment: 9:45 p.m. until 1:45 a.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000, deposit $1,000 payable to Associated Booking upon signing and balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                • Employer: Oscar Little, Civic Social Club, 185 South Orange Ave., Newark, N.J.
                • Signed by Oscar Little
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 14
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 12 15
                Monday
                .Indianapolis, Ind.Indiana Roof Ballroom Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in Person"
                • Hours of employment: 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with short intermission
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 flat, 50% deposit payable to Associated Booking Corp. on signing and balance in cash to Al Celley, road manager, at intermission time night of engagement
                • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                • Employer: House of Lords Social Club per Edward B. Jeff-- [illegible], President, c/o Indiana Roof Ballroom, Indianapolis
                • Signed by Edward B. Jeff-- [illegible]
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 16
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1958 12 17
                Wednesday
                1959 01 04Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency
                Contracted for 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington," 32 hour, 5 day week with Sunday matinees.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 09 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 15...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014
                2016-06-13
                1958 12 18
                Thursday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 19
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 20
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 21
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17
                Matinee and evening performances
                ......
                1958 12 22
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill.activities not documented - likely Blue Note night off

                Franceschina quotes the Chicago American 1958-12-28 as saying Ellington planned to fly to Miami to work on Jump for Joy during three days off from the Blue Note before Christmas. An airline strike forced the trip to be cancelled.
                John Franceschina, Duke Ellington's Music for the Theatre, p.216, n.33....djp
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-16
                1958 12 23
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.activities not documented - likely Blue Note night off......
                1958 12 24
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 25
                Thursday
                Christmas
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 26
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 26
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Studio 1A
                441 No. Michigan Ave.
                Ellington made a personal appearance on television
                Contract terms:
                • Duke Ellington led by Self
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  WGN-TV, Inc., "Midnight Ticker" Stud. 1A, 441 No. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Ill.
                • Date of employment
                  Dec. 26, 1958
                • Hours of employment: 11:00 - 12:30 PM [sic]
                • Kind of engagement: Single
                • Wage agreed upon: $41.19
                • Employer: WGN-TV, 441 No. Michigan Ave.
                • Signed by Robert Trendley, Duke Ellington
                Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local No. 16, contract dated 1958 12 24, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18...djp/td>New
                added
                2016-06-19
                1958 12 27
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 28
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17
                Matinee and evening performances
                ......
                1958 12 29
                Monday
                .Chicago, Ill.activities not documented - likely Blue Note night off......
                1958 12 30
                Tuesday
                .Chicago, Ill.activities not documented - likely Blue Note night off......
                1958 12 31
                Wednesday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 --.Chicago, Ill.."Madame Konol".New Desor
                DE5858
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 12 21.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclub..New Desor
                DE5857
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 12 28.Chicago, Ill..Private Party.....Added
                2011
                1958 12 28.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclub..New Desor
                DE5859 DE5860
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1958 12 31.Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclub..New Desor
                DE5861
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10



                Back to Navigation List

                1959



                Date of event Ending date
                (if different)
                City/
                Other place
                Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
                Desor
                reference
                DEMS
                reference
                Other
                references
                Contact
                person
                Date added
                / updated

                1959 - undetermined dates

                1959 00 00.New York, N.Y.. Peripheral event
                A New York chapter of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society was formed in 1959. Its website says

                'Founded in 1959 as the Duke Ellington Jazz Society, and one of the first of many Ellington societies worldwide, TDES, Inc. devotes itself to promoting the appreciation of Ellington in every way--through its meetings at Saint Peter's Church ... frequent concerts, and a monthly newsletter. We've even got a discussion group on the Internet (duke-lym@concordia.ca). Ellington himself often attended our meetings and played in concerts that the society produced...TDES, Inc. was incorporated in 1992 in New York as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization.'

                A Duke Ellington Jazz Society Newsletter dated May 1959 refers to the International Officers and Board of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society, but gives the address of DEJS Headquarters as Hollywood. The newsletter identifies the following chapters:
                • Chapter 1, Hollywood
                • Chapter 10, Vancouver B.C.
                • Chapter 40, Toronto
                • Chapter 50, Chicago
                • Chapter 90, Washington D.C.
                • Chapter 100, New York
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03

                January 1959

                1959 01 01
                Thursday
                ...Union Scale
                New recording session "scale" for musicians and pension fund established

                International Musician, February 1959, reported a new, five-year Phonograph Record Labor Agreement called for:

                NON-SYMPHONIC RECORDINGS:
                (i) Effective January 1, 1959
                One Session $48.50 Unit of Overtime $16.17

                'Pension set up for casually employed musicians:
                In the case of instrumentalists, leaders and contractors not part of organized symphonic orchestras, pension contributions by employers commenced on January 1, 1959 at a rate of 5 1/2 per cent of scale.

                With respect to those musicians [...] and to all arrangers, orchestrators and copyists, effective July 1, 1961, phonograph record companies are required to make a pension contribution at the rate of 8 per cent of scale. The contributions are to be made to the American Federation of Musicians' and Employers' Pension Welfare Fund.'


                The above is based on the following section of Steven Lasker's comprehensive analysis of union rates from 1928 to the end of Ellington's life, reproduced here for convenience:
                A new, five-year Phonograph Record Labor Agreement between the phonograph record industry and the Federation provided for (per International Musician, February 1959):
                • NON-SYMPHONIC RECORDINGS:
                  • (i) Effective January 1, 1959 One Session $48.50 Unit of Overtime $16.17
                  • (ii) Effective April 1, 1960 One Session $51.50 Unit of Overtime $17.17
                  • (iii) Effective July 1, 1961 One Session $53.50 Unit of Overtime $17.83
                  • (iv) Effective October 1, 1962 One Session $56.00 Unit of Overtime $18.67
                • "For the first time, a pension has been set up for musicians casually employed. In the case of instrumentalists, leaders and contractors other than those in organized symphonic orchestras, pension contributions by employers commenced on January 1, 1959 at a rate of 5 1/2 per cent of scale. With respect to those musicians [...] and to all arrangers, orchestrators and copyists, effective July 1, 1961, phonograph record companies are required to make a pension contribution at the rate of 8 per cent of scale. The contributions are to be made to the American Federation of Musicians' and Employers' Pension Welfare Fund."
                • Another five-year agreement, ratified by the AFofM's membership in mid-January 1964 but retroactive to the first of the year provided for a wage increase to $65 and fringe benefits. Other benefits included premium payments for Sundays, holidays and after-midnight sessions; for "doubling" (more than a single instrument); for "tracking," "dubbing" and "sweetening" (subsequent re-recording procedures). The contract also provided for mandatory rest periods, for hiring of music contractors, cartage costs of transport of heavy instruments, and penalty payments in the event of tardy reimbursement. (Per International Musician, February 1964.)
                • The previous agreement having expired on 1969 03 31 (so it was reported by International Musician, 1969 05 00), a new, three-year agreement, retroactive to 1969 04 01, was reached that raised session pay for non-symphonic musicians from $65 to $85 beginning 1969 04 01, and to $90 from 1970 10 01 (plus a $1 payment for each original service to a local health and welfare fund in New York and directly to musicians elsewhere). Other changes include increased allowances for cartage, premium time and overtime; rest period increases; and extra payment for doubling.
                • The final agreement made during Ellington's lifetime was effective from 1973 08 01 to 1975 10 31. Scale wages for non-symphonic musicians: For a three-hour session, $95, going to $100 effective September 15, 1974. (The old rate was $90.) Special Session (1 1/2 hours): $63; rising to $66 on September 15, 1974. (Old rate was $60.) Special Canadian rate: $79; $83 in September of 1974. (Old rate, $75.)
                see Steven Lasker's report at 1938 09 15 above...SLNew
                added
                2017-04-13
                updated
                2018-09-27
                1959 01 01
                Thursday
                Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclub......Added
                2011
                1959 01 02
                Friday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 03
                Saturday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubClub residency - see 1958 12 17.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 04
                Sunday
                .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubLast night of club residency - see 1958 12 17
                Matinee and evening performances.
                .New Desor
                DE5901
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2014
                2020-05-10
                1959 01 05
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 01 06
                Tuesday
                1959 01 07
                Wednesday
                New York, N.Y.CBS StudiosUndocumented but contracted rehearsal day for the next day's live CBS telecastAssociated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 11 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-14
                1959 01 07
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.CBS Studios"Timex All-Star Jazz Show #4"
                Live telecast with master of ceremonies Jackie Gleason, announcer John Cameron Swayze

                Artists in order of appearance:
                • Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                • Louis Armstrong and his All Stars
                • The Dukes of Dixieland
                • Dizzy Gillespie Quintet
                • George Shearing Quintet
                • The "All Stars"
                Stratemann lists personnel of all the groups appearing, and for the Ellington orchestra shows Anderson, Baker, F.Williams, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Gus Johnson. This numbers 16, although the contract was for 15. Timner and Nielsen do not include Williams and DEMS 06,2-51 says ...Scrupulously watching the video recording ... does not confirm the presence of Francis Williams...

                Ellington performances in the telecast were:
                • Satin Doll
                • Take The "A" Train
                • Rockin' In Rhythm
                • Just Squeeze Me
                • I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart (backing a non-Ellington singer, Ruth Olay
                • Sophisticated Lady
                • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                • Perdido (with a group of all stars
                These were incomplete, talked over and interspersed with other performances.

                The show is discussed in detail in Stratemann and in summary in DEMS 86,1-2
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington and His Orchestra"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement: CBS TV Network - Timex All Star Jazz Show
                • Date(s)/Hours of employment: January 7, 1959, 8-9 p.m. E.S.T.
                  Rehearsals to take place January 6 and 7, 1959 to have maximum of 12 hours rehearsal
                • Type of engagement: TV Show
                • Artists not to appear on any TV show 24 days prior to this telecast
                  Artists not to appear on any TV show 10 days after this telecast
                • Wage agreed upon: $3,500 payable 14 days after telecast
                • Employer: Associated Booking Corp.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 11 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17
                • Stratemann pp.394-397
                • Vail II
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Nielsen
                • Perdido on You-Tube
                New Desor
                DE5902
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2016-06-14
                2017-10-01
                2020-05-10
                1959 01 08
                Thursday
                .Milford, Mass.Crystal RoomDance 8:00 pm to 12:30 am (per Stratemann)
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement: Crystal Room, Milford, Massachusetts
                • Date(s) of employment January 8, 1959
                • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, privilege 60% gross receipts. Deposit $500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Boots Mussuli, Crystal Room
                • Signed by Boots Mussuli
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 12 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18
                • Stratemann p.399
                • Vail II
                .
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-01-11
                2016-06-18
                1959 01 09
                Friday
                .Northampton, Mass.John M. Greene Hall
                Smith College
                Concert sponsored by Northshore Lodge of Elks (B.P.O. Elks 997)

                2 hour show, 8:30 p.m.
                Tickets $2.00 $2.60 $3.20 $3.80
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Two hour concert starting at 8:30 p.m. to be held at John M. Greene hall on Smith College Campus.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 guarantee, privilege 50% of the gross receipts, deposit $1,250 payable on signing and balance in cash during intermission night of engagement
                • Employer: Mr. John F. Murphy, Exalted Ruler, Northampton Lodge of Elks, Northampton, Mass.
                • Signed by John F. Murphy
                The Springfield Union

                'NEWS FROM NORTHAMPTON
                Ellington Band Well Received in 'Hamp Show
                     'NORTHAMPTON - An enthusiastic crowd greeted Duke Ellington and his band Friday night at Smith College's John M. Greene Hall. Sponsored by Northampton Lodge of Elks, the concert's proceeds will go to Elks social and community welfare fund.
                     From the first offering, a medley ... the band had the audience on its side. And Duke himself won approval with his humorous observations on the origin of his song titles.
                     The Ellington sidemen and their solos – from Clark Terry, trumpet, and Ray Nance, trumpet, violin and vocals, to the old standby on the big baritone saxophone, Harry Carney– were big hits. The smooth alto saxohone of Johnny Hodges drew rhythmic handclapping during his songs and whistles of approval after them. His playing of "Jeep's Blues" and "All of Me" had John M. Greene Hall "swinging.
                     A relative newcomer to the band, Arthur Bailey, along with Ray Nance, sang. His repertory [illegible] from "When Autumn Leaves Start to Fall" to "Come On Down to Duke's Place."
                     The audience, made up for the most part of college students and young adults, also had a solid segment of older people.'

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 11 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17
                • The Springfield Union, Springfield, Mass.
                  • 1959-01-02 p.14
                  • 1959-01-09 p.24
                  • 1959-01-10 p.18
                • The Springfield Sunday Republican, Springfield, Mass. 1959-01-04 p.9B
                • The Massachusetts Collegian, University of Massachusetts
                  • 1959-01-07 p.1
                  • 1959-01-09 pp.3,4
                • Stratemann p.399 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-14
                2016-07-04
                2022-06-26
                1959 01 10
                Saturday
                1959 01 11
                Sunday
                Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill Inn
                Inter. Rts. 130 & 73
                Night club engagement.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Date(s) of employment 1959 01 10, 1959 01 11
                • Hours of employment: p p/m to 2 a.m. nightly, Sunday matinee 4 to 7 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,250, $1,250 payable in cash to artist first day, $1,000 in cash to artist second day
                • Employer: Joe DeLuca*
                • Signed by Joseph DeLuca
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 11 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17
                • Stratemann p.399
                • Vail II
                ....Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-06
                1959 01 11
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill Innsee 1959 01 10.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 12
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 01 13
                Tuesday
                1959 01 19Miami Beach, Fla.Presumably at Copa CityRehearsals begin for Jump for Joy revival
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-14
                1959 01 14
                Wednesday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City (presumably)Contracted rehearsal day for Jump for Joy - see 1959 01 13
                .....2016-06-14
                1959 01 15
                Thursday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City (presumably)Contracted rehearsal day for Jump for Joy - see 1959 01 13
                .....2016-06-14
                1959 01 16
                Friday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City (presumably)Contracted rehearsal day for Jump for Joy - see 1959 01 13
                .....2016-06-14
                1959 01 17
                Saturday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City (presumably)Contracted rehearsal day for Jump for Joy - see 1959 01 13
                .....2016-06-14
                1959 01 17
                Saturday
                .Miami Beach, Fla..Cerebral Palsy telethon - Ellington and Barbara McNair were expected to appear in the telethon this evening "to give us a bit of it" [Jump for Joy]
                Jack Bell, The Town Crier, The Miami Herald, Miami, Fla., 1959-01-09 s.B p.6....New
                added
                2016-06-15
                1959 01 18
                Sunday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City (presumably)Contracted rehearsal day for Jump for Joy - see 1959 01 13
                .....2016-06-14
                1959 01 19
                Monday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City (presumably)Contracted rehearsal day for Jump for Joy - see 1959 01 13
                This seems likely to be the dress rehearsal, given the show was to open the next day.

                See McDill dance at 1958 01 19 above - a contract for a dance January 19, 1958 was dated November 7, 1958, leading one to assume the dance was misdated and was actually in 1959. However, the contract shows the deposit was received December 4, 1957, consistent with the contract date being wrong, and with the date of the event being 1958 01 19.
                Morris McLemore reported he attended the dress rehearsal although he didn't date it:

                '...So that's why I stopped in to watch the dress rehearsal of the rather ambitious thing Duke and Sid Kuller have put into the Copa City with Oscar Markovich's permission, not to mention his money.
                     ...The cast had worked a frantic 16 hours in the last 24 when I arrived, along with a couple of hundred other peekers, most of them from Homestead Air Force Base. There was a scream of frustration now and again from one of the foremen. Excitement was building up and scenes were subject to quick bobs and additions.
                     <"q>We'll change, Ellington's long, somber face with the pouchy eyes was even sadder than usual in repose, until the dancer reaches the curtain on the way out on the stage ... We'll change the music and words until we get everything just right – because we got a chance with this show and it should go very well ..." '

                The Miami News, Miami, Fla.
                1959-01-21 p.12C
                ...djp2016-06-14
                updated
                2016-06-17
                2022-06-26
                1959 01 20
                Tuesday
                1959 02 08
                Sunday
                or
                1959 02 09
                Monday
                Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant

                "Jump for Joy" revival

                Ad for Jump for Joy revival
                Jump for Joy revival
                Click to Enlarge
                • World première, two shows nightly, 8:30 and 11:30 pm.
                • DEMS says the show was reviewed in the February 1959 newsletter of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society in Hollywood.
                • Pittsburgh Courier:

                  '"Jump For Joy, the Duke Ellington musical which had its debut on the coast a few seasons ago, will get its first crack at the East when it opens the season at the Copa City in Miami Beach.
                    Under a deal set by Joe Glaser, the Sid Kuller show will star Duke Ellington for four weeks when it opens at the big nitery.
                    The Ellington booking assures the reopening of the Copa which was operated by Lou Walters as the Cafe De Paris last season... '

                • Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia:

                  'Jump For Joy (revival) / James "Stumpy" Cross [theatrical performance]
                  Published/Created 1959-01-20
                  Abstract: Through Feb 8.
                  Revival of Ellington's 1941 revue, "Jump for Joy" with a modification of the original score for a cast of 50-plus. Musical numbers staged by Nick Castle; music composed by Duke Ellington; produced, written and directed by Sid Kuller.
                  Cast: Duke Ellington, Barbara McNair, James (Stump) Cross and Harold (Stumpy) Cromer, Timmie Rogers, Jimmy Randolph, Norma Miller and her Jazz Men, Lil Greenwood, The Miller Brothers, Othella Dallas, Malley Tore, and 30 Gorgeous Beige Beauties. The musical numbers featuring James (Stump) Cross and Harold (Stumpy) Cromer, included "Walk It Off" introduced by Ellington, with Timmie Rogers, Norma Miller and dancers; and "Made to Order" with Timmie Rogers.

                • By the time Ellington and Strayhorn returned from Europe, the Mine Boy/Saturday Laughter project was abandoned and Joe Glaser had signed the Copa City Jump For Joy contract on behalf of Duke Ellington, Inc.
                • Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presenting Duke Ellington"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement:
                    Copa City, Miami Beach, Florida
                  • Date(s) of employment:
                    Commencing January 20, 1959 for four weeks with two four-week options
                  • Hours of employment:
                    Two shows nightly, 7 days weekly, in Production "JUPM [sic] FOR JOY"
                    First option to be exercised by end of 2nd week of original term; second option to be exercised by end of fifth week. There shall be one week of rehearsals (commencing January 13, 1959) at minimum guarantee of $2,500 or Union Scale, whichever sum is the greater.
                  • Type of engagement:
                    Night club
                  • Standard top billing clause
                  • Wage agreed upon:
                    $7,000 weekly to be paid at the end of each week.
                  • Employer:
                    Copa City Inc. by Oscar Markovich, President, Copa City, Miami Beach, Fla.
                • On Feb 2, Copa City gave notice it would not exercise its option. The show closed on February 8 or 9 (a run of only 3 weeks), and Franceschina says the club remained closed for the rest of the season.
                • Background per Hajdu:
                  • At Sid Kuller's urging and reportedly with the civil rights movement in mind, Ellington offered a revival of Jump For Joy.
                  • Since Dorothy Kilgallen commented on them in her December 19 column, rehearsals seem to have started in mid-December even though the show was yet to be rewritten.
                  • Tom Whaley:

                    'I went to Miami once with Strayhorn, and we stayed four days and three nights writing music for a different version of Jump for Joy....'

                  • Strayhorn joined Kuller in Miami after Christmas to begin rewriting the show which was to begin in less than three weeks. By the time Ellington arrived the second week of January, they had written several new songs, including So The Good Book Says; If We Were Any More British, We Couldn't Talk At All, and Walk It Off. With Duke, they wrote nearly another dozen songs and they continued writing new songs for a week after the show opened.
                  • Nearly 30 dancers and singers were crammed onto Copa City's "modest" stage.
                  • Kuller produced the show and cut and added songs and skits nightly.
                  • The program showed the music was written by Ellington and Strayhorn is shown as the arranger.
                  • The copyright registrations for So The Good Book Says; If We Were Any More British, We Couldn't Talk At All, and Walk It Off were for Ellington and Strayhorn as co-composers.
                • Franceschina:

                  'Whatever the cause, Strayhorn made it clear that this was Duke's show, and that he was there simply to do a job and enjoy himself. '

                • The contract was for four weeks with two optional extensions which the promoter did not use. While Stratemann and Vail have the show closing February 8, a Sunday, The Miami Times said it closed Monday night. Monday would round out the fourth week.

                Recordings:
                • Timner and Franceschina say one complete show appears to have been recorded for Columbia but has not been released, and a tape is circulating among collectors.
                • There is conflicting information about the recording medium.
                  • DEMS has a query from a "Friend of Andrew Homzy" who describes his/her copy of the recording as a professionally recorded acetate.
                  • Sjef Hoesfmit's reply concludes by listing the titles "on the record."
                  • Steven Lasker believes the recording was on tape, with the reel provided to the late Jerry Valburn by the late Al Celley, and that it is now in the Library of Congress Jerry Valburn collection.
                  • A query was made to the Library of Congress Recorded Sound Research Center to confirm if the open-reel tape is in the collection.
                • DEMS and the noted discographies agree the instrumentalists recorded are
                  • Anderson
                  • Baker
                  • Terry
                  • Nance
                  • Woodman
                  • Jackson
                  • Sanders
                  • Hamilton
                  • Hodges
                  • Procope
                  • Gonsalves
                  • Carney
                  • Ellington
                  • Woode
                  • Woodyard
                • They agree on singers Barbara McNair, Jimmy Randolph and Timmie Rogers, but differ on the others:
                  DEMSNew DesorGirvanTimnerNielsen
                  Norma MillerNorma MillerNorma MillerNorma Miller.
                  The WinnersThe WinnersThe Winners.The Winners
                  Unidentified
                  female choir.
                  Unidentified
                  choir.
                  ChoirChorusUnknown
                  choir
                  Bailey..Unknown male
                  GreenwoodGreenwoodGreenwood.
                  ...Othella Dallas
                  Miller Brothers
                  Harold Cromer
                  James Cross
                  Candy Caldwell
                  Bill Dodson
                  .
                • The song titles on the record or tape per the various sources are:
                  • Comedy Act [Nielsen only]
                  • When I Trilly with My Filly
                  • Medley: Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me, In a Sentimental Mood, Mood Indigo, I'm Beginning To See the Light, Sophisticated Lady, Just Squeeze Me, It Don't Mean a Thing, Solitude, Things Ain't What They Used To Be;
                  • Walk It Off
                  • Brown-Skin Gal [The Brown-Skin Gal in Nielsen]
                  • Cotton Tail [Nielsen reports a segue to Oh, Yeah!]
                  • Bad Woman (So the Good Book Says) [Nielsen shows Gimme Some Good Whiskey And A Bad Woman]
                  • Strictly for Tourists [not in Nielsen]
                  • The Gay Cowboy [only in Nielsen]
                  • Show 'Em You Got Class
                  • Three Shows Nightly

                • Syndicated columnist Dorothy Kilgallen:
                  • 'Those who have caught rehearsals of the Duke Ellington musical "Jump For Joy" (due to try out at Copa City in Miami, Fla.) report that Demita Jo, the feminine lead, is apt to steal all the notices when the show opens on Broadway next year.'

                  • In her column published in various papers between 1959-01-02 and 1959-01-07, Kilgallen said the show had been called off due to money problems, but her 1959-01-10 column says:

                    'Burnett Roth, representing the management of Copa City in Miami, vows that despite the rumors, "Jump For Joy" will open there as scheduled.'

                • Syndicated columnist Jack Bell:

                  'Duke Ellington and Sid Kuller have written a musical, "Jump for Joy." Duke wrote the music, Sid the lyrics and script–through long months of writing and re-writing. It goes into Copa City Jan. 20. Barbara McNair, Columbia records singing star, will sing the feminine lead.
                    The show opens with a number called "Evolution of a Beat." It's Duke's music, starting with music of early savages and scenes to match and moving through to modern music.'

                • The Nightlife with George Bourke column in the Jan. 23 Miami Herald reviews the show describing some of the music briefly, but giving the show only lukewarm approval, calling it a polite and slick presentation.
                • Barney Waters, Fort Lauderdale News:

                  'Gold-plated Copa City...opened its many-splendored doors again this week and the music of Duke Ellington breathed new life into the palace that has laid dormant for several seasons.
                       Playing before a packed first night house, Tuesday Ellington's "Jump for Joy" production placed 350 people under visual arrest for more than two hours before releasing them to make room for another room full of willing prisoners.
                       The all-Negro cast, headed by Timmie Rogers, got maximum mileage out of Ellington's original songs and Nick Castle's musical numbers. Sid Kuller weaved the whole thing into lookability by writing, directing and producing the show.
                       For sheer enjoyment, it was Rogers who stole the show, especially with a hilarious skit called "Made to Order." In it, Rogers wants a zoot suit that demands such measuring as "shoulders – sadistic; waist – murderistic.
                       And male singing lead Jimmy Randolph was an excellent pawn for the peronality of Barbara McNair in several twosomes, outstanding of which was a catch tune called "But...".
                       As for the other comedy skits, they went only to prove why you don't see many Negro comics. Besides very, very mediocre dialogue, the actors' diction fell short of the goal line several times.'

                • Stratemann shows a reconstructed program, attributed to Patricia Willard, and devotes five paragraphs to discussing the revival. Vail has a similarly reconstructed program, without headings or attribution, laid out in one column instead of Stratemann's two.
                • Franceschina lists the song titles in running order.
                • Teachout's single paragraph on the revival says the backers lost $100,000. This is consistent with Stratemann.
                Palmquist comment:

                'The show may have failed due to the overall fortunes of Copa City. Its history was one of losing money under its first owner, who died in 1957. It became a casion that year, and reopened as Copa City with Jump for Joy. It apparently closed with the show, and '

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 11 22, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17
                • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1958-12-06 p.24
                • Dorothy Kilgallen, Voice of Broadway, The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz., 1958-12-19 p.19 (and many other newspapers)
                • The Miami Herald, Miami, Fla.
                  • Jack Bell, The Town Crier
                    • 1959-01-09 s.B p.6
                    • 1959-01-17 p.2-A
                    • 1959-01-30 p.3-A
                  • Nightlife with George Bourke,
                    1959-01-23 p.2-B
                  • Ad, 1959-02-01 p.34-E
                • The Miami News, Miami, Fla.
                  • 1959-01-18 p.8
                  • 1959-01-19 p.4B
                  • 1959-01-20 p.4B
                  • 1959-02-10 p.6B
                • Fort Lauderdale News, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
                  • 1959-01-23 p.17-A
                • The Miami Times, Miami, Fla.
                  • 1959-02-14 p.1
                • Tom Whaley interview, Stanley Dance, The World of Duke Ellington, Da Capo Press, 1970, softcover edition, pp.50-51
                • Stratemann pp.398-399
                • Vail II
                • David Hajdu, Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, North Point Press, New York, 1996, pp. 185-188
                • John Franceschina, Duke Ellington's Music for the Theatre, pp.102-104, 195
                • Van de Leur, pp.136-137
                • Teachout, p.230
                • Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia
                New Desor
                DE5904
                DEMS.djp Added
                2011
                updated 2012-01-11
                2014-08-07
                2016-06-19
                2020-05-10
                2021-06-11
                1959 01 21
                Wednesday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 22
                Thursday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 23
                Friday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 24
                Saturday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 25
                Sunday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 26
                Monday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 27
                Tuesday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 28
                Wednesday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 29
                Thursday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 01 30
                Friday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly
                A dance booked for Washington & Lee University this date was cancelled. This was the second time Ellington cancelled on W&L. The Ring-tum Phi reported Ellington accepted a six-week Florida engagement before signing the W&L contract, and it was trying to get Benny Goodman instead. It reported "a year ago" Ellington cancelled a tentative agreement in order to go on tour in Europe [n.b. there was no 1957 European tour], and was replaced by Louis Armstrong.
                • Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16
                • Ring-tum Phi, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Va., 1958-12-19 p.1
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-13
                1959 01 31
                Saturday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011

                February 1959

                1959 02 01
                Sunday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 02 02
                Monday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly

                Letter:

                'February 2, 1959
                To whom it may concern:
                  It is hereby undertood that Copa City, Inc. will not exercise the first option of Duke Ellington, Inc. presenting Duke Ellington and his Orchestra,for the "Jump for Joy" production currently appearing at Copa City, Inc. in Miami Beach, Florida.
                  COPA CITY, INC.
                  Oscar Markovich, President.'

                Letter on Copa City letterhead, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 17...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-14
                1959 02 03
                Tuesday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 02 04
                Wednesday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 02 05
                Thursday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 02 06
                Friday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 02 07
                Saturday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly.....Added
                2011
                1959 02 08
                Sunday
                .Miami Beach, Fla.Copa City
                Theatre-Restaurant
                Possible premature closing of "Jump for Joy" revival - see 1959 01 20 - two performances nightly

                The Miami Times reported the show closed Monday, not Sunday.
                • The Miami Times, Miami, Fla.
                  • 1959-02-14 p.1
                • Stratemann p.399
                ...djpadded
                2012-01-11
                updated
                2022-06-27
                1959 02 09
                Monday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Concert "All Star Negro Revue"

                Jump for Joy may have closed this day.
                .New Desor
                DE5903
                .corrTimner-4/27+32.Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2022-06-27
                1959 02 09
                Monday
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Concert "All Star Negro Revue"

                Jump for Joy may have closed this day.
                .New Desor
                DE5903
                .corrTimner-4/27+32.Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2022-06-27
                circa
                1959 02 09
                Monday
                .New York, N.Y..

                WESTERN UNION

                TELEGRAM


                CTA025 XYA025
                SY NNA059 PD NEW YORK NY 12 1242AME
                       MISS ELLA FITZGERALD
                MR KELLYS CHGO
                DEAR ELLA LAST NIGHT WAS SWEET FOR ME TONIGHT IS
                SWEETER FOR THE KIDS AT KELLYS TOMORROW WILL BE THE
                SWEETEST FOR AGAIN I SHALL EMBRACE YOU AND KISS YOU
                AND ENJOY YOU IN SIGHT OF A MILLION ViEWERS EVERYBODY
                LOVED YOU BUT NOBODY LOVED YOU AS MUCH AS I DID BECAUSE
                I HAD THE BEST SEAT GOODLUCK LOVE YOU MADLY
                DUKE ELLINGTON
                The date stamp on this telegram is illegible. Since Ella and Duke were on televison Feb. 10 and her three weeks at Mr. Kelly's ended Feb. 27, the telegram seems likely to have been sent from New York the day before the telecast.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2015-10-21
                1959 02 10
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y..Rehearsal and NBC telecast, colour TV, "Bell Telephone Hour - American Festival"
                Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald with Jim Hall, Wilfred Middlebrooks, Gus Johnson and a studio orchestra

                Medley recorded, consisting of:
                • Satin Doll
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Caravan
                • Mood Indigo
                • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
                • Caravan
                • Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me
                • I'm Beginning To See The Light

                • Contract terms:
                  • "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement: "The Television program, ADVENTURES IN MUSIC, over the Facilities of NBC Television."
                  • Date(s) of employment, Hours of employment:
                    Feb. 10-1959, 8:00 to 9:00 P M CNYT
                    plus rehearsal on February 10-1959, prior to said broadcast.
                  • Type of engagement:
                    Television engagement, tentatively entitled Adventures in music to be sponsored by American Telephone & Telegraph
                  • Wage agreed upon: $7,500 payable within 10 days after the broadcast, and made out to Duke Ellington Inc.
                  • Employer: Henry Jaffe Television Inc., 666 5th Ave., New York, N.Y.
                  • Signed by Dan [illegible - maybe Pounstory?)
                  The contract had a 20 paragraph, 6 page rider which covered many things, including mutual indemnification against infringements of intellectual property rights, an escape clause providing the fee wouldn't be paid if certain events prevented the broadcast, and a time period during which the employee could not do any other television appearances.
                • Stratemann devotes 3 paragraphs to this show, saying Duke and Ella had 10 minutes in the second half, and quoting from a review.
                • On 1958-12-11 Joe Glaser wrote to Bill Mittler to ask him to have the contract signed, saying he had been given permission by Oscar Markovich and Sid Kuller for Duke to have February 10 off from Copa City to allow him to do this engagement, provided Markovich was paid $1,000 for Duke's absence.
                • The show was widely publicized.
                • SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18
                  • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 12 08 with 6 page rider
                  • Letter, Glaser (ABC) to Mittler 1958-12-11
                • The Brewster Standard, Brewster, N.Y. 1959-02-05, pp.3, 8
                • Long Island Traveler, Mattituck Watchman 1959-02-05, p.9
                • Stratemann p.399, quoting Variety 1959-02-15 p.22
                • Vail II, p.157
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.200
                New Desor
                DE5905
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2016-06-18
                2020-05-10
                2022-06-28
                1959 02 11
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 12
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 13
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 14
                Saturday
                Valentine's Day
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 15
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 16
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 17
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 18
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 19
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                207 E.30th St.
                Columbia recording session for the LP Ellington Jazz Party
                • 15:00-18:00
                  Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                  (source:
                  Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                  Equiv. to 3 i?? hrs.
                • 19:30-22:30
                  Equiv. to 4 hrs.
                • Cat Anderson and Andres Merenguito Ford played in only the evening session. All others played on both sessions.

                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Terry, Nance, Dizzie Gillespie, Ford, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Woodyard, Jimmy Jones, Jimmy Rushing
                Titles recorded:
                • TOOT SUITE
                  • Red Garter
                  • Red Carpet
                  • Ready-Go
                • Upper Manhattan Medical Group
                • All Of Me
                • TOOT SUITE
                  • Red Shoes
                • Satin Doll
                • When I Trilly With My Filly
                • Hello, Little Boy (Hello, Little Girl)
                • Emails Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 and 2014-11-02 re session time
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                New Desor
                DE5906
                DEMSVARphotos
                WEB photo
                corrTimner-4/27+32+36
                djpAdded
                2011
                updated 2012-01-11
                2014-11-21
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1959 02 20
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioVerve recording session for Back to Back LP (Hodges, Ellington, Sweets Edison and a non-Ellington rhythm section).New Desor
                DE5907
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2020-05-10
                1959 02 21
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 22
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 23
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 24
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 02 25
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.30th St.Columbia Studio1. Columbia recording session – Ellington Jazz Party LP (continued);
                23:30-03:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Jazz Party session with tymps
                Columbia recording session
                Click to Enlarge
                Duke Ellington and his Orchestra and outside percussionists
                C.Anderson; Baker; Terry; Nance; Woodman; Jackson; Sanders; Hamilton; Procope; Hodges; Gonsalves; Carney; Ellington; Woode; Woodyard; Elden C. Bailey; Harry Breuer; George Gaber; Morris Goldenberg; Chauncey Morehouse; Walter E. Rosenberger; Robert M. Rosengarten; Milton Schlesinger; Bradley Spinney

                Titles recorded:
                • Tymperturbably Blue*
                • Malletoba Spank*
                • Villes Ville is the Place, Man
                • *These titles employed the use of a large percussion section

                2. Private recording session, same location: 3 movements of The Queen's Suite
                Steven Lasker:
                'The Queen's Suite was recorded at, but not for, Columbia Records. The recordings were made at Ellington's personal expense. Ellington did not allow their release in his lifetime. Shortly after his death, Mercer sold them to Norman Granz, who released them on his Pablo label, now owned by the Concord Music Group, not Sony (Columbia Records' corporate successor).'
                Lasker:
                Carl Woideck writes:

                'Understand that the Queen received a mono and stereo vinyl pressing of the LP, but the tapes were not destroyed. (One vinyl disc had mono and stereo versions of the first half of the album on opposite sides; the other disc had had the second half in mono and stereo on opposite sides.) In 1972, Ellington bought back the tapes for $2500.

                This information is from the Teo Macero collection at the New York Public Library, box 19, folder 10. '

                However: According to the files of Columbia Records, only one set of stampers were prepared for Queen's Suite with contents (mono and stereo versions on opposite sides) as per the copy now at the Library of Congress and seen in DEMS 082b.htm (scroll down a bit).
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist
                  • 2014-10-14 re session time
                  • 2014-10-23 re Queen's Suite
                  • 2016-08-09 re stamper and tape
                  • 2023-11-08 re eBay session photos
                • Roger Boyes, "The Origin of The Queen's Suite," Blue Light 15/4, p.12 citing Yorkshire Post 1958-10-04, p.1
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
                  Ellingtonia.com
                New Desor
                DE5908
                DEMScorrTimner-4/36.Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2014-10-16
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                2023-02-26
                2023-11-08
                1959 02 26
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia StudioVerve recording session for Back to Back and Side by Side LPs.New Desor
                DE5909
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated 2012-01-11
                2020-05-10
                1959 02 27
                Friday
                1959 03 05Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo Theatre
                253 W. 125th St., Borough of Manhattan, Harlem district
                HARLEM'S HIGH SPOT
                    APOLLO   
                ONE BIG WEEK beginning Friday, Feb. 27th
                THE   
                DUKE
                  ELLINGTON
                JAZZ FESTIVAL
                Featuring His World Famous Band
                — and —
                HARRY "SWEETS" EDISON - 5
                MARY LOU WILLIAMS
                JIMMIE RUSHING — LIL GREENWOOD
                Extra Ernestine ANDERSON
                WED NITE. AMATEURS SAT. MIDNITE SHOW

                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presenting Duke Ellington"
                • Date(s) of employment
                  February 27th, 1959 - One Week
                • Hours of employment
                  House Policy
                • Standard top billing clause
                • It is understood Duke Ellington Inc. presenting Duke Ellington, will provide the supporting show, consisting of Ernestine Anderson, who now has a contract to play the Apollo this week for $800, plus two additional acts subject to approval of both parties.
                • Wage agreed upon:
                  $7,000 plus 50% over $14,500, excluding gov. tax for admissions, payable in cash to artist at conclusion of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Frank Schiffman - Apollo Theatre, West 135th St., New York, N.Y.
                • Signed by Frank Schiffman
                Apollo's performer card:

                '2/27 7.000.00 Business very poor. This show grossed less the [sic] the last, although this was a much stronger show. Vocalist Lil Greenwood went over very well. '

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Apollo Theater [sic] Shows by Marv Goldberg
                • Performer cards 347 and 348
                  Apollo Theater Cards - Frank Schiffman Apollo Theater Collection (Set 1), SI-nmah AC0540.
                • Stratemann p.400 citing
                  • Amsterdam News, New York, 1959-02-28 p.14
                  • Review, Variety 1959-03-04 p.52
                • Vail II, with Amsterdam News clipping
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2016-06-22
                2019-11-02
                2023-03-26
                1959 02 28
                Saturday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo TheatreDuke Ellington Jazz Festival - see 1959 02 27

                with midnight show
                ......

                March 1959

                1959 03 00...Peripheral event
                The March 1959 edition of Ebony Magazine carried an undated interview with Ellington's wife, Edna.
                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadephia, Penn.
                  1959-02-05 p.11
                • Ebony
                  1959 03 00 pp.132-138
                ...djpNew
                added
                2022-06-27
                1959 03 00.UnknownUnknownStage Show, Ellington (p) and Lil Greenwood (v) with a studio band; Walkin' and Singing the Blues was recorded at this time.N5910...Added
                2011
                1959 03 01
                Sunday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo TheatreDuke Ellington Jazz Festival - see 1959 02 27......
                1959 03 02
                Monday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo TheatreDuke Ellington Jazz Festival - see 1959 02 27......
                1959 03 03
                Tuesday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                .Tentatively scheduled rehearsal date for Patti Page show - see 1959 03 06

                Whether or not the rehearsal was held this date is not yet determined.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-22
                1959 03 03
                Tuesday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo TheatreDuke Ellington Jazz Festival - see 1959 02 27......
                1959 03 04
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y..Tentatively scheduled rehearsal date for Patti Page show - see 1959 03 06

                Whether or not the rehearsal was held this date is not yet determined.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-22
                1959 03 04
                Wednesday
                .Harlem, Manhattan borough
                New York, N.Y.
                Apollo TheatreDuke Ellington Jazz Festival - see 1959 02 27

                with amateur night
                ......
                1959 03 05
                Thursday
                .New York, N.Y.Apollo TheatreDuke Ellington Jazz Festival - see 1959 02 27......
                1959 03 06
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y.ABC Television StudiosTaping of Ellington's guest appearance on ABC-TV's "Patti Page Oldsmobile Show", which would be telecast March 9 at 9 p.m. According to the contract, the show was to be taped March 6 and telecast March 9.

                The Timner, New Desor and Nielsen printed discographies and, at the time of writing, the on-line Girvan itinerary, show the telecast date instead of the taping session date, in error.

                The contract provided for two days of rehearsals, but those are not yet documented.
                Duke Ellington with Patti Page backed by Vic Schoen's Orchestra
                Titles recorded:
                • Caravan
                • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                • Monologue
                • * Sophisticated Lady
                • * Mood Indigo
                • * I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good.

                  (* titles performed by Page but not accompanied by Ellington.)

                • Stratemann:

                  'Ellington was the guest soloist ... He backed host Patti Page in a number of his own compositions, with support by the show's Vic Schoen orchestra. The program may - or may not - have been pretaped.'

                • DEMS 1981/1-3 discusses a recording of Pretty and the Wolf in the context of a Patti Page show of March 1951.
                • In DEMS 1990/1-5 and 1990/2-6, Benny Aasland suggests March 9, 1959.
                • In DEMS 1993/3-6 he says it was recorded on her show in March 1951, but corrects this again to 9Mar59 in DEMS 1993/4-9
                • In DEMS 02/1-23 Sjef Hoefsmit opines

                  'If the Patti Page show was actually recorded in NYC, the date of 9Mar59 must be wrong. On 9 and 10Mar59 Duke was in Hollywood, negotiating with Otto Preminger his participation in the picture "Anatomy of a Murder". The band played in Boston's Storyville where Billy Strayhorn replaced Ellington at the piano and Harry Carney conducted the band during Duke's absence, which ran from 9Mar through the first set on 12Mar59. (Source: Duke Ellington Jazz Society Newsletter from Mar-Apr59, Hollywood, published in "In a Mellotone", the Newsletter of the Duke Ellington Society Southern California Vol. 6 No. 4, Winter 2001.)'


                Contract terms:
                • One musician "Duke Ellington, Inc., presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  The Patti Page TV Show
                  ABC-TV, New York, New York
                • Date(s) of employment
                  Show of March 9th, 1959 to be taped on March 6th, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  "Please insert exact hours: ___ "[this was not filled in on the file copy of the contract - since the Red Hill Inn price was adjusted to allow for Ellington's late arrival, it seems possible the taping was expected to last into the evening]
                  "Rehearsal: as required - will be on March 3rd and 4th, 1959 - will advise time and place
                  Program hereunder may be telecast in black and white and/or color without additional compensation to artist."
                • Type of engagement
                  TV Show
                • "This agreement, and any additional riders attached hereto and made part hereof, are subject to all by-laws, rules and regulations of the American Federation of Musicians and of any local thereof in whose jurisdiction services hereunder are provided."
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                • Wage agreed upon: $4,500 [details illegible but appears to be payable to Associated Booking Corporation for Duke Ellington, Inc.] within 10 days of the date of the engagement.
                • Employer: Page-Keel Productions, Inc., New York, New York
                • Signatures are illegible.
                • General Artists Corporation contract dated
                  1959 02 09 with 6 page rider, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Timner
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                  , p.203
                New Desor
                DE5911
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-10
                2016-06-22
                2020-05-10
                1959 03 06
                Friday
                1959 03 08
                Sunday
                Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNightclub engagement
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Red Hill Inn, Camden New Jersey
                • Date(s) of employment
                  March 6th, 7th, 8th 1959 Three Days
                • Hours of employment
                  9 P.M. to 2 A.M. Nightly
                  Sunday Matinee 4 P.M.- 7 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 payable $1,000 nightly in cash to artist
                • Employer:Joe DeLuca Jr., Red Hill Inn, Intersection Rte. 130 & 73, Pennsauken, N.J.
                • Signed by Joe DeLuca Jr.
                Letter on Associated Booking Corp. letterhead, signed by Joseph DeLuca Jr. and someone on behalf of Duke Ellington Inc.:

                'The following is understood and agreed between the Red Hill Inn, Pennsauken, New Jersey, and DUKE ELLINGTON INC., on the night of March 6 DUKE ELLINGTON will not appear in person until midnight, and the DUKE ELLINGTON Orchestra will perform in the absence of Mr. Ellington.
                In consideration of the aforesaid, DUKE ELLINGTON will accept $2,500 for the three day engagement at the Red Hill Inn, commencing March 6th, in lieu of the $3,000 agreed to in the original contract.'



                Another Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 10 24 for this date at the Gym of Princeton University was cancelled.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 29 and letter dated 1959 02 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 16
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-13
                updated
                2016-06-21
                1959 03 07
                Saturday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNight club engagement - see 1959 03 06

                Evening performance
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-21
                1959 03 08
                Sunday
                .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNight club engagement - see 1959 03 06

                Matinee and evening performances
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-21
                1959 03 09
                Monday
                ... Peripheral event
                Date the pre-recorded Patti Page Oldsmobile Show with Ellington was telecast - see 1959 03 06.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-23
                1959 03 09
                Monday
                1959 03 15Boston, Mass.Storyville Club
                Copley Square Hotel
                48 Huntington Ave.
                Club date in George Wein's establishment.
                8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                Stratemann cites (1) the Duke Ellington Scrapbooks as saying that while the band was at Copley Plaza, the hotel housing Storyville, Ellington was on the west coast setting up movie contracts, and (2) Ellington's photo, taken at a meeting of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society in Brentwood, Calif., was in a March 19 newspaper.
                Ellington appears to have been back in Boston by March 13.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Storyville, Boston, Mass.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  March 9, 1959 * 1 week (7 days)
                • Hours of employment
                  8 p.m. to 1 a.m. nightly
                  Saturday 8 p.m. to 12 p.m.
                  Sunday matinee
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $5,250, in cash artist, end of engagement
                • Employer:
                  George Wein - Storyville, Copley Square Hotel, 48 Huntington Ave., Boston, Mass.
                • Signed by G. Wien
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 19, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                .
                New Desor
                DE5913
                ..djp 2011
                updated 2012-01-11
                2014-10-16
                2016-06-21
                circa
                1959 03 09
                Monday
                circa
                1959 03 16
                Monday
                Boston, Mass..At some time in March, likely during his appearance at Storyville, Ellington videotaped an appearance on John McLellan's local WHDS-TV show which was to be broadcast 1959 05 06 on the Dateline Boston TV show "Jazz Scene"

                The 1959-03-31 Boston Record announced it was taped, saying Ellington had so much fun, he wound up playing a selection from a 12-part suite for Queen Elizabeth.

                The May 3 announcement says Ellington plays Caravan, A-Train, Retrospection and part of the suite, and expresses himself on a number of subjects.
                • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass., 1959-03-31 p.50
                • Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
                  • 1959-04-01 p.10
                  • 1959-05-03 p.13
                • Boston Sunday Advertiser, Boston, Mass., 1959-05-03 p.20
                • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass., 1959-05-06 p.29
                • Stratemann p.400
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-07-04
                1959 03 10
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal..Ellington was interviewed by Frank Evans at a Duke Ellington Jazz Society meeting, on KRHM broadcast.New Desor
                DE5912
                DEMS..Added
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-23
                2020-05-10
                1959 03 10
                Tuesday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville ClubBand - night club residency - see 1959 03 09
                8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                Ellington on West Coast
                ..... 2011
                1959 03 11
                Wednesday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville ClubBand - night club residency - see 1959 03 09
                8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                Ellington on West Coast
                ..... 2011
                1959 03 12
                Thursday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville ClubBand - night club residency - see 1959 03 09
                8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                Ellington possibly on West Coast
                ..... 2011
                1959 03 13
                Friday
                . Boston, Mass. .WGBH-TV Interview, Ellington and Father Norman J. O'Connor. Unless it was pre-recorded, this interview suggests Ellington was back from the West CoastStratemann p.400...djpNew
                added 2012-01-11
                updated
                2014-10-16
                1959 03 13
                Friday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville ClubBand - night club residency - see 1959 03 09
                8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Boston Daily Record;

                '...When Woodyard couldn't avoid the hex of last Friday, the 13th, and hurt his arm, Ellington called on Floogie Williams, regular [Mel] Dorfman drummer, to fill in for the night at Storyville...'

                .
                Eddie Rugg, Let's Go Dancing, Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass. 1959-03-21 p.18...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-16
                2016-06-26
                1959 03 14.Providence, R.I.Marvel Gymnasium
                Brown University
                2 pm scheduled start for small group concert. Ellington and Gonsalves arrived late, but Terry, Hamilton, Woode and Woodyard started at 2:30 without them and played for an hour before they arrived......Added
                2011
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2014-10-16
                1959 03 14
                Saturday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville ClubNight club residency - see 1959 03 09
                8 p.m. to 12 p.m.
                ..... 2011
                1959 03 15
                Sunday
                .Boston, Mass.Storyville ClubLast night - night club residency - see 1959 03 09

                Evening show 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and matinee
                ..... 2011
                1959 03 16
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 17
                Tuesday
                St. Patrick's Day
                .Wrightstown, N.J.
                or
                Fort Dix, N.J.
                (adjacent)
                Sports ArenaDance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Sports Arena, Fort Dix, New Jersey
                • Date(s) of employment
                  March 17, 1959
                • Hours of employment: 8 p.m. to 12 midnight.
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat payable in full in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Elwyn Dearborn, Post Entertainment Director, Office of Special Services, Fort Dix, N.J.
                • Signed by Elwyn Dearborn
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-19
                1959 03 18
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 19
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 20
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 21
                Saturday
                ...Personnel change
                Sam Woodyard, drums, leaves the band briefly, briefly replaced by Jimmy Johnson. According to Stratemann, Johnson began sitting in on the 21st and became the sole drummer when Woodyard left on the 24th. DEJS:

                'Philadelphia drummer Jimmy Johnson began sitting in with the Ellington orchestra, March 21, and, according to bandmembers, he's been "rocking" the band ever since.'

                • New Desor vol.2
                • Stratemann p.400, citing DEJS Newsletter May 1959
                • Vail II
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-10-25
                updated 2014-08-01
                2014-10-18
                1959 03 21
                Saturday
                .Taunton, Mass.Roseland BallroomDance
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Hours of employment
                  8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
                • Type of engagement
                  Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 guaranteed, privilege 60% gross receipts, to be paid in full in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Roseland Ballroom, Taunton
                • Signed by Charles Shribman
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • Eddie Rugg, Let's Go Dancing, Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass. 1959-03-21 p.18
                • Stratemann p. 400 citing DEJS Newsletter May 1959
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-24
                1959 03 22
                Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 23
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 23
                Monday
                1959 05 16 (end of filming)
                1959 06 03 or 1959 06 07 (end of recording)
                Ishpeming, Mich..

                Overview of the making of Anatomy of a Murder


                • Ellington and Strayhorn wrote the music for the award-winning Otto Preminger film Anatomy of a Murder, based on a novel by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker writing as Robert Traver. The judge in this courtroom drama about a man accused of murdering his wife's rapist was played by lawyer Joseph N. Welch.
                • An overview of Ellington's activity from the end of April through early June seems useful in assessing the validity of the documented Ellington orchestra engagements during that period.
                • As of the time of writing, most of the contracts reviewed for this period were for 15 musicians under the leadership of "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington." Some, however, are 15 or 16 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOHNNY HODGES"
                • It is possible some engagements were cancelled due to Ellington's absence. While the Smithsonian's DEC301, Series III A contains some cancelled contracts, there may be others that were cancelled without the file copies being so marked. Until the booking correspondence in the collection is reviewed or contemporary news reports are located that say the engagements were completed, the gigs booked during this period should be considered as unconfirmed.
                • Stratemann says filming began 1959 03 23, having been delayed a week, and finished 1959 05 16. Wanda Hale's report in Sunday News, New York, said Preminger had an editing room on location, the location was self-contained with a small studio in Ishpeming, a camera servicing department, wardrobe and make-up facilities in a hotel basement, and motor pool with cars, station wagons, buses and trucks. Technicians were supplied with equipment to film and complete the production on location. Variety reported exposed film stock was air-shipped to Hollywood for lab-processing, then air-shipped back. Each Sunday morning for seven weeks Preminger saw the rushes in the local theatre before its 2 p.m. opening. Film editing was done on location, enabling the release print of the film to be ready in record time, four weeks after final shooting. Two trailers were made in Michigan, one of these was used on the Ed Sullivan telecast March 29.
                • Vail says when shooting finished, Ellington flew to the West Coast to work on the score. Hajdu reports Ellington and Strayhorn stayed in a four room suite in the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles for several days of intensive arranging and recording. Since the suite had a kitchen, Strayhorn increased their efficiency by cooking their meals.
                • Hajdu, quoting Hope Preminger:

                  'Otto was quite unusual because he insisted on having the composer on the set during the production. He felt that they got closer to the picture that way.'

                • Hajdu:

                  'True to custom, Ellington had Strayhorn fill in for him as Anatomy of a Murder began production in the third week of March...The entire cast and crew of about 120 were put up at the one hotel in the area...where Strayhorn stayed while he watched rehearsals, jotting notes for the music by day and reading Voelker's novel...through the evening...Ellington arrived the first week of May, some two months after Strayhorn but early enough in the production to spend a couple of weeks living with the cast and crew; he so valued the commission he postponed his usual summer stint at the Blue Note... Less willing to sacrifice his usual Chicago steaks, he had beef shipped in from the Sutherland Hotel's butcher...'

                • Van de Leur says Strayhorn arrived in March, probably after the private recording session with Lil Greenwood.
                • Ellington reported arriving early the morning of his birthday, but this may not be true:
                  • Press reports said he was ill and had returned to New York to see his doctor.
                  • S. Lasker:
                    'The LP released 4/29/59 was probably "Ellington Jazz Party." Columbia's files indicate the LP was released, in stereo as well as mono, on May 4.

                    The LP of Anatomy was released in mono on 6/29/59 and in stereo on 7/13/59.'
                    Clyde Reid:

                    '...Birthday greetings to one of the finest Americans on the scene today Duke Ellington. The New York Chapter of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society will give a party for the bandsman on April 29th. On the same date Columbia is releasing a new Ellington LP.'

                  • Syndicated columnist Leonard Lyons:

                    'Duke Ellington received permission from producer Otto Preminger to postpone his arrival in Ishpeming, Mich. for his scenes in "Anatomy of a Murder." Ellington stayed [in New York?] for his birthday party.'

                • The soundtrack was recorded using the Ellington orchestra and trumpeter Gerald Wilson at the end of May and the beginning of June. Variety said Ellington recorded two of the numbers in a neighbourhood nitery (in Michigan). This is not shown in New Desor.
                • Steven Lasker:
                  'Stratemann (p. 403) remarks

                  'It has been said that the film soundtrack was recorded separately on a Columbia soundstage, after the selections for the "soundtrack LP" had been recorded at the CBS studios [i.e., Radio Recorders]. Yet we could not find that alternate takes were used on the "soundtrack" records vis-a-vis the actual film soundtrack.'

                  The New Desor posits a session (DE 5920) at Columbia Studios in early June 1959, subsequent to the sessions at Radio Recorders. There is no documentation for such a session in the files of Columbia Records.

                  The October 1959 meeting of the New York chapter of DEJS featured recollections from Francis Williams and John Sanders. Sanders had played on the Anatomy of a Murder soundtrack.

                  George Hoefer attended the meeting and wrote about it in Down Beat (1959-12-10, p. 63):

                  'It was pointed out that Duke never seems to finish a composition. He is always, up to the last minute, trying to improve upon a chart. This happened in the case of Anatomy, and several musicians grew a few more grey hairs during the tightly packed two days of recording. It was the first and only chance the entire band had to be together since Duke started on the project. When the band was available as a tool, Ellington kept thinking of ways to improve on what he had already written. '

                  The reference to the 'tightly packed two days of recording' would seem to rule out a session at Columbia Pictures held subsequent to the sessions at Radio Recorders.

                  Note that the film premiered on 1959-07-01,* four weeks after Ellington's last session at Radio Recorders on 1959-06-02. (The time crunch was obviously severe.)--. '[Mr. Lasker later discovered earlier special premières on June 29 in Ishpeming and Marquette.]
                • Joy Tunstall of The Pittsburgh Courier was on set:

                  ' In "Anatomy of a Murder"
                  Choice of Duke A Master Stroke
                       By JOY TUNSTALL
                       ISHPEM1NG, Mich.–Impresario Otto Preminger's securing of ...Ellington to compose the musical background for ... "Anatomy of a Murder" was considered a Preminger master stroke by Ellington enthusiasts... The beloved Duke ...had never before consented to score a film.
                       Significantly. Mr. Preminger's selection of Ellington to score the sexsational rape-murder story was as basic as the need.
                       "I was looking for something new." said the internationally famous producer...""Duke was enthusiastic about the idea, and he'd never done a score."...
                       DUKE'S AGREEMENT with Preminger included parts in the picture for himself and four of his sidemen. Duke would appear in a jaz [sic] combo leader and trumpeter Ray Nance, clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, bassist Jimmy Wood [sic] and drummer Jimmy Johnson would make up the combo. The entire band would play the main score.
                       On location ... Duke found the only availble piano was in the hotel dining room. Daily he composed and rehearsed before admiring audiences of townspeople who "just dropped in for a cup of coffee."...'

                • Bob Thomas, Associated Press:
                  'HOLLYWOOD (AP)Here's something new in movie scores – one composed by Duke Ellington and played by his famous band.
                       ...Always searching for something new, producer-director Otto Preminger assigned the Duke to compose and play a jazz score for "Anatomy of a Murder."
                       It was a swift job. The film was completed on location in Michigan a month ago. It is being previewed this week. Ellington and his band recorded the score in three days, while normal films require weeks.
                       I caught up with the jazz great on his final day here and found him stimulated by the experience.It's a real thrill to explore an other facet of a career, he said. I had never done anything like this. I read the script in January and ideas started coming to me. Then I visited the company in Michigan for three weeks and that's when I began to get the feel of it. I even acted the role of a roadhouse operator and jazz man and James Stewart and I played a duet on the piano.
                       The score runs the gamut, from Dixieland on up the scale, yes, even some progressive. I used only my band for the recording. That's my instrument of expression, and I was lucky they were all available to come here. It's much easier to write a C for a sax player and know that he is going to hit it just the way you want him to.
                       I pay rent on an apartment in New York, but I seldom see it...We're working 52 weeks a year. I like it that way. Supposing I only worked six months a year. Then I'd have to reorganize the band. I'd have new players and I wouldn't know their capabilities. The way it is now, I know what each man can do. If I didn't keep working all the time. I'd miss some great experiences. Like having Iowa farmers drive 200 miles to hear you in January. Or going back to England and having people in every town show you programs from 1933, when you last played here.
                  '
                • Ellington in American Weekly Entertainment Guide:

                  'Music in pictures should say something without being obviously music, you know, and this was all new to me [...] The next one will be better. I'll try another one and then I'll show them.

                • Premières
                  • There were sneak previews for the press, possibly as early as June 23 or 24:
                    • Hedda Hopper's June 24 syndicated gossip column said Jimmy Stewart had left a movie location in Arizona to attend a preview and her comments suggest she'd seen the film.
                    • Without giving dates, Motion Picture Exhibitor reported:

                      'Columbia recently held sneak previews of Otto Preminger's "Anatomy Of A Murder" at the Criterion, New York City, and at the United Artists, Detroit...'

                  • Special premières were given for a local charity June 28 in Ishpening and Marquette.
                  • The film's July 1 official "world première" in Detroit was preceded by a parade and was attended by an estimated 2,000 people.
                  • It was scheduled to open in other centres July 2 and later.
                  • The planned July 2 opening in Chicago was delayed because that city's censorship board wanted parts of the dialogue removed. Preminger flew to Chicago where he and a local lawyer unsuccessfully appealed to head of the board and then to the police commissioner. Preminger was unable to meet the mayor, but on the following Monday went to court to seek an injuction to overturn the ban. Preminger, Voelker and Welch appeared Monday in Federal court before judge Julius H. Miner. He agreed to a private screening Tuesday. After seeing the film with his wife and two teen-aged children, the judge rendered a decision Wendesday morning July 8, holding the film was not obscene or corruptive of public morals and the censor board had exceeded constitutional censorship. Chicago Daily Tribune said the showing of the picture got underway shortly after the decision.
                • Clyde Reid, New York Age, 1959-05-02 p.14
                • Leonard Lyons, Lyons Den,
                  • San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal., 1959-05-05 p.22
                  • Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo, Texas, 1959-05-06 p.8
                • Variety 1959-06-10 p.7
                • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                  1959-06-27 p.24
                • Bob Thomas, Associated Press
                  Winona Daily News, Winona, Minn.
                  Radio-TV Week, 1959-06-27 p.8
                • Duke Ellington,
                  American Weekly Entertainment Guide, 1959-08-01,
                  courtesy S. Lasker (email 2022-06-22
                • Motion Picture Exhibitor
                  1959-07-15 p.23
                • Stratemann pp.401-412
                • Vail II
                • David Hajdu, Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, North Point Press, New York, 1996, p.188
                • Walter van de Leur, Something to Live For, The Music of Billy Strayhorn, Oxford University Press, 2002, p.137
                • Email, Lasker-Palmquist
                  • 2021-11-18
                  • 2022-06-22
                  • 2022-06-24
                  • 2023-07-22
                  • 2023-07-23
                • Dennis McCann, Michigan Journal Sentinel
                  2008-11-07:
                  Marquette, Michigan remembers 'Anatomy of a Murder'
                • Michigan Film & Digital Media
                  (undated)
                  Janet Kasic, PDF: Anatomy of a Murder Tour
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-19
                updated
                2016-06-27
                2021-12-28
                2022-06-24
                2022-06-25
                2023-07-23
                1959 03 24
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.RCA StudiosPrivate "stockpile" recording session

                Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
                Anderson, Baker, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Strayhorn, Woode, Jimmy Johnson, Greenwood

                Titles recorded:
                • You Don't Love Me No More
                • Go Away Blues
                • I Love My Lovin' Lover
                • My Man Sends Me
                • I Wonder Why
                • Hello, Little Boy
                • I Got It Bad
                • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                • Ghost Of Love
                • Love You Madly
                • My Little Brown Book
                • Solitude
                • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                  Ellingtonia.com
                • Ole J. Nielsen
                  Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                  Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                • W.E. Timner
                  Ellingtonia, The Recorded Music of Duke Ellington and His SidemenFifth edition
                  with any corrections suggested in DEMS 09/2-4, 09/3-4, 10/2-11 & 11/1-15
                • Email, Lasker-Palmquist 2024-09-24
                New Desor
                DE5914
                ...Added
                2011
                updated
                2024-09-30
                1959 03 25
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 26
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 27
                Friday
                .New York, N.Y..Sesac recording session .New Desor
                DE5915
                DEMScorrTimner-4/27.Added
                2011
                updated
                2020-05-10
                1959 03 28
                Saturday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 29
                Sunday
                Easter Sunday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 30
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 03 30
                Monday
                ...Date of contract between The Blue Note, Inc., Duke Ellington, Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note for four weeks beginning July 15th, 1959, the usual 32 hour, 5-day week with Sunday matinees, with Mondays and Tuesdays off.

                This contract includes the same headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions; the fee is $5,000 weekly.

                The union local number shown is 802.


                Stratemann:

                'To enable Ellington to meet the various demands of [Anatomy of a Murder'] he was released from a three-week booking at ...Blue Note, set to begin May 6. It was rescheduled for mid-July...'

                • Contract, Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann
                • Stratemann p.402
                ...djpNew
                added 2012-11-03
                Updated 2014-08-04
                1959 03 31
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......

                April 1959

                1959 04 01
                Wednesday
                ...The "Artist's Job Sheet" for the soundtrack album of "Anatomy of a Murder" cites an artist's contract date of 4/1/59.
              • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
              • ...SLNew
                added
                2014-10-16
                1959 04 01
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Records 30th St.StudioPrivate recording session
                15:00-18:00
                Columbia's producer for this session was Ted Macero
                (source:
                Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                Baker, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Johnson. While some discographies and the personnel list in the CD show Cat Anderson, he was apparently absent due to illness.

                Steven Lasker:

                'The Queen's Suite was recorded at, but not for, Columbia Records. The recordings were made at Ellington's personal expense. Ellington did not allow their release in his lifetime. Shortly after his death, Mercer sold them to Norman Granz, who released them on his Pablo label, now owned by the Concord Music Group, not Sony (Columbia Records' corporate successor).'

                New Desor
                DE5916
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-01
                2014-10-16
                2014-10-23
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1959 04 02
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented

                Stratemann and Vail II report a concert at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, apparently in error. See 1959 04 03
                .....
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2014-08-01
                1959 04 03
                Friday
                8:30 p.m.
                .Philadelphia, Penn.Academy of MusicStratemann and Vail report concerts at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia on April 2 and at the Academy of Music in Bryn Mawr on April 3.

                The Igo/Ewing/Pilkington itinerary questions this:

                '02- Query- Altho Variety 11 Mar 59 show DEO with George Shearing Quintet & Dizzy Gillespie band scheduled for Academy of Music Philadelphia their log book reports that the opera "Aida" was performed instead.'

                Bryn Mawr is a suburb of Philadelphia, and a Google search 2014-08-01 failed to turn up any mention of an Academy of Music in Bryn Mawr. It seems unlikely there would be concerts at identically named venues within the same metropolitan area on successive days. It seems likely that
                1. Dr. Stratemann relied on Variety and did not have access to the on-line newspaper archives that are now available nor to the contract copies now on file at the Smithsonian Institution.
                2. Mr. Vail's source was Stratemann
                3. the event was rescheduled if Variety's announcement was correct at the time of publication.

                Evidence:
                • Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                    Academy of Music, Philadelphia, Pa.
                  • Date(s) of employment
                    April 3, 1959
                  • Hours of employment
                    to appear in a concert - one show 8:30 p.m.
                  • Standard top billing clause
                  • Wage agreed upon: $1,750, 50% deposit to Associated Booking Corporation on signing. Balance in cash to artist, night of engagement
                  • Employer
                    Deven [sic] Horse Show Committee, Jazz Show Benefit, Philadelphia, Pa.
                  • Signed by Lee Guber
                • Variety 1959-03-15 p.64:

                  'Lee Guber and Frank Ford, operator of the Music Fairs are producing an all-star jazz festival at the Academy of Music, April 2 featuring Duke Ellington orch. George Shearing Quintet and Dizzy Gillespie band. Concert is sponsored by the Devon County Fair for Bryn Mawr Hospital benefit.'

                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1959-03-15, p.6 has a brief announcement naming two ladies as chairmen of a Jazz Concert at the Academy of Music April 2, but a page with an illegible page number in section D of the same edition says

                  'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will headline the jazz concert at the Academy of Music April 3. It is being sponsored by the Devon Country Fair for the benefit of the Bryn Mawr Hospital and is being produced by Lee Guber and Frank Ford. Sharing the spotlight will be Dizzy Gillespie and his band and vocalist Billie Holliday.'

                • The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1959-03-17 morning edition, p. 23 advertises Aida by the 'Phila. Grand Opera Co.' on April 2
                • Philadelphia Inquirer 1959-03-22 p.4D carries adjacent ads for the opera on April 2 and the jazz concert April 3.
                • The Daily Intelligencer 1959-03-24 s.2 p.1:

                  'Lee Guber and Frank Ford, Music Fair producers, will present a jazz concert on Friday April 3 at the Academy of music for one show only beginning at 8:30 pm. The concert is being sponsored by the Jazz Committee of the Devon Country Fair for the benefit of the Bryn Mawr Hospital.

                  Duke Ellington, America's genius of modern music, and his big band will headline the star bright concert but Dizzy Gillespie and his recording band and Billie Holliday are co-featured.'

                • Philadelphia Inquirer 1959-03-29 p.2D

                  'Featured band members with Duke Ellington at the Academy of Music Friday evening will be Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Ray Nance, Lil Greenwood, Ozzie Bailey and Cat Anderson. The jazz concert, sponsored by the Jazz Committee of the Devon Country Fair for the benefit of the Bryn Mawr Hospital, also will star Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra and Billie Holliday, whose vocalizing will have Ellington's accompaniment. Producers of the show are Lee Guber and Frank Ford.'

                • Trenton Evening Times 1959-04-07 p.18:

                  'Last Friday I was invited to attend a jazz concert in Philadelphia. This concert was given by Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Billie Holiday. The Academy of Music was filled to the brim for this occasion...'

                • Variety 1959-04-15 p.142:

                  'Although the Duke Ellington-Dizzy Gillespie concert failed to pack the Academy of Music, the benefit for the Devon Fair racked up a neat $5,000 profit according to producer Lee Guber.'


                Conclusions:
                1. There was only one concert, and it was April 3.
                2. If a concert was originally planned for April 2, it was rescheduled and Billie Holliday replaced George Shearing.
                3. Alternatively, the initial Philadelphia Inquirer and Variety announcements were simply wrong.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Variety
                  • 1959-03-15 p.64
                  • 1959-04-15 p.142
                • Philadelphia Inquirer
                  • 1959-03-15, p.6
                  • 1959-03-15 s.D (illegible page no.)
                  • 1935-03-22 p4D
                  • 1959-03-29 p.2D
                • The Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, Penn. 1959-03-24 s.2 p.1
                • Review, Trenton Evening Times, Trenton, N.J. 1959-04-07, p.18
                • Stratemann p.400, citing Variety 1959-04-15 p.142
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-01
                2016-06-21
                1959 04 04
                Saturday
                .Springfield, Mass.Municipal Auditorium

                SAT. APRIL 4, 1959
                8:30 P.M.

                FRED C. DOBBS
                Presents
                AN ALL-STAR
                JAZZ SPECTACULAR

                at Municipal Auditorium


                [photo]


                Gene
                Krupa

                [photo]


                Duke
                Ellington

                And His Orch.

                [photo]


                Della
                Reese
                Tickets At:
                MUSIC CITY
                ...[etc.]
                ...[etc.]
                ...[etc.]
                ...[etc.]
                ...[etc.]
                PRICES   $1.95 - 2.90 - 4.40


                Stratemann and Vail incorrectly place this in Springfield, Illinois.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Municipal Auditorium, Springfield, Massachusetts
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 4th, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  8:30 to 10 p.m.
                • Type of engagement
                  Concert
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat, $750 deposit due on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Fred C. Dobbs Associates, 121 Chestnut Street, Springfield, Mass.
                • Signed by
                  [first name illegible] Kashmanian
                Fred C. Dobbs Associates appears to have been the business name of a partnership of Aaron Kashmanian, Paul Bates, publicist William J. Conroy Jr. and Margos Kashmanian.
                Peripheral event:
                The Municipal Auditorium was rented for less than $50 whereas the usual fee for a commercial rental would have been as much as $400.

                The Springfield Union 1959 04 10:

                'LEGION ASKS PROBE OF JAZZ CONCERTS GIVEN AS BENEFITS
                2 Posts Disclaim Sponsorship, Say They Got Nothing
                Complaints Pose Mystery Over Circumstances of Minimum Fee Auditorium Rentals

                  Rental of Municipal Auditorium at the benefit fee for two recent jazz concerts was under fire Thursday night, with the commander of one of two American Legion posts named as sponsors in rental permits asking for a police investigation.
                  According to City Property Committee records, the Auditorium was rented at the minimum fee for both jazz concerts on the representation the sponsors were the two American Legion posts and proceeds would go to their building funds...'

                The lengthy story continues on page 4, and is followed with another front page story the next day, headlined Pair Sought in Probe Of 'Benefit' Concerts, which was continued on page 28.

                The 1959-04-11 story quotes the promoter's publicist saying "Fred C. Dobbs" was a nom de plume.

                The 1959-04-12 Springfield Republican front page story includes a rebuttal by one of the promoters, an acknowledgement by officials of one of the Posts that Dobbs Associates was authorized to apply for the Auditorium rental on the agreement the post would receive 10 % of the net profit, but the concert lost money.

                This story quoted the police detective who questioned the promoters as saying it looks like it was just a misunderstanding and the matter appeared to be settled.

                The Springfield Republican 1959-04-19 edition reported the state American Legion executive committee had investigated and concluded the promoters had been telling the truth, and had simply used the name of one of the posts in error.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated "%th day of March 1959," SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • The Springfield Union, Springfield, Mass.
                  • 1959-03-28 p.12
                  • 1959-04-01 p.19
                  • 1959-04-04 p.7
                  • 1959-04-10 pp. 1,4
                  • 1959-04-11 pp. 1,28
                • The Springfield Republican, Springfield, Mass.
                  • 1959-03-22 p.2F
                  • 1959-04-12 pp.1,4
                  • 1959-04-19 pp.1,3
                • The Massachusetts Collegian, University of Massacusetts, p.1
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                ...djp
                updated
                2012-01-11
                2016-06-25
                1959 04 05
                Sunday
                .Bridgeport, Conn.Ritz BallroomDance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                There are two contracts for this venue for this month. The first, dated 1959 02 18 was for a dance to be held 1959 04 12 but is marked as cancelled. The second, dated 1959 03 03, is for a dance 1959 04 05. Other than the performance date, the terms are identical:
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $850 guaranteed, privilege 60% of gross receipts less taxes and wardrobe, payable in full in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Joe Barry, Ritz Ballroom*
                • Signed by Joe Barry
                SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1
                • Folder 20: Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 12
                • Folder 21: Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 03
                ...djpNew
                Added
                2016-06-25
                1959 04 06
                Monday
                8 p.m.
                .Oneonta, N.Y.Fieldhouse
                Hartwick College
                2 hour concert, audience of 400, according to Stratemann.

                The Gunny Sack:

                'Student Senate of Hartwick College will sponsor a Duke Ellington Day on Monday morning April 6 and in the evening the famed entertainer will present a concert in the fieldhouse.

                Ellington to Play at Hartwick:

                'Duke Ellington...will appear at Hartwick College with his famous orchestra. ... Prior to the concert, Ellington and his orchestra will be the guests of the college and the student senate in the Commons. This concert will be open to the public...'

                'Sudents from several schools will participate in a leadership workshop at Hartwick College in Oneonta. The workshop, opening with a tea at 3 p.m. Monday, is being sponsored by the Student Senate on Oyaron Hill. ... The visitors will be guests of the Student Seante during a dinner at Hartwick Commons at 6:30 p.m. Guests of honor will be Duke Ellington and his orcheatra which will present a concert in the Hartwick College fieldhouse at 8:30 p.m. Monday'

                The Oneonta Star carried a review of the concert, a summary of an remarks Duke made this evening, and a photo of Ellinton with Hartwick freshmen Roger Fritts and Sophie Koken.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Hartwick College - Auditorium, Oneonta, New York
                • Hours of employment
                  1 concert - 8:30 to 10:30 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: G.E.Reese, Director of Student Activities, Hartwick College
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • Oneonta Daily Star and the Oneonta Star
                  • Gerald "Gunny" Gunthrup, The Gunny Sack1959-03-14
                  • 1959-03-18 p.5
                  • 1959-04-07 p.5
                • Binghamton Press, 1959-04-03 p.3
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djp
                updated 2012-01-11
                2014-08-02
                2016-06-19
                2016-06-25
                1959 04 07
                Tuesday
                ...Ellington's own activity is not documented
                ......
                1959 04 07
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Records Peripheral event
                Verve recording session: Baker, Sanders, Jackson, Hamnilton, Hodges, Ben Webster, Jimmy Jones, Les Spann, Ray Brown and Jo Jones
                Vail II.DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-02
                2020-05-10
                1959 04 08
                Wednesday
                ...Ellington's own activity is not documented
                ......
                1959 04 08
                Wednesday
                .New York, N.Y.Columbia Records Peripheral event
                Verve recording session: Baker, Sanders, Jackson, Hamnilton, Hodges, Ben Webster, Jimmy Jones, Les Spann, Ray Brown and Jo Jones
                Vail II.DEMS..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-02
                2020-05-10
                1959 04 09
                Thursday
                .Milford, Mass.Crystal Room
                Main Street
                "Concerts in Jazz" workshop - Stratemann reports this was a 4 hour event.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Crystal Room, Main Street, Milford, Massachusetts
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 9, 1959 (8:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.)
                • BAND CAN ENJOY A GOOD ITALIAN DINNER IN THE CRYSTAL ROOM BY 6:30NITE OF ENGAGEMENT [hand-printed]
                • Type of engagement
                  Club
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, privilege 60% gross receipts after tax ded.[sic]. Deposit $500 due on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Boots Mussulli, Crystal Room, Main Street, Milford, Mass.
                • Signed by Boots Mussulli
                Patricia Willard:

                'Mr. Mussulli (1917-67) had kinda been there, done that, being an alto and baritone sax veteran of the bands of Teddy Powell, Stan Kenton, Vido Musso, Gene Krupa, Herb Pomeroy and Toshiko Akiyoshi.'

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • Ads, Boston Evening American
                  • 1959-04-01 p.28
                  • 1959-04-09 p.45
                  • Ad, Boston Daily Record 1959-04-09 p.45
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                • E-mail P.Willard-Palmquist 2016-06-25
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-02
                2016-06-24
                2016-06-26
                1959 04 10
                Friday
                .Wrentham, Mass.The King Philip Ballroom
                Lake Pearl
                Providence College Junior Prom

                'The crowning of Miss Helen Bauroth as Queen of the Prom highlighted the Class of 1960's Junior Promenade Friday evening. The affair was staged at the King Philip Ballroom in Wrentham, Mass.
                  Termed a great success, the Prom was attended by over 250 couples, who danced to the music of Duke Ellington and his 20 piece orchestra... '


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents - Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  The King Phillip [sic]- Wrentham, Mass.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 10, 1959 - Dance
                • Hours of employment
                  8:30 P.M.- 12:30 A.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000, deposits $500 payable on signing, $500 by March 27, balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                • Employer: Junior Class (1960), Providence College, Providence, R.I.
                • Signed by William J. McLaughlin

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 21, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • The Cowl, Providence College, Providence, R.I.
                  • 1959-03-04 p.2
                  • 1959-04-15 p.2
                • Stratemann p. 400
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-21
                1959 04 11
                Saturday
                .Jenkintown, Penn.Beaver CollegeConcert, 2 to 4 p.m.

                Stratemann describes this as "regular evening concert or ball?" but the contract is for 2 hour concert beginning at 2 p.m.

                Vail says it was an early evening concert.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Beaver College, Jenkinstown [sic], Pennsylvania
                • Date of employment
                  April 11, 1959*
                • Hours of employment
                  1 concert - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
                • Type of engagement
                  Concert
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, $750 payable on signing and balance due day of engagement in cash.
                • Employer:
                  Class of 1960, Beaver College
                • Signed by
                  Gordon Bratzenger, Janet Levine*
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-21
                1959 04 11
                Saturday
                After midnight
                1959 04 12
                Sunday
                - 5:00 a.m.
                New York, N.Y.369th Regiment Armory
                2366 Fifth Ave.
                (Harlem)
                Concert and breakfast dance sponsored by The Birdland Boys, a group of Birdland waiters and ex-waiters.
                Dance poster
                Poster
                Click to Enlarge


                The event started at 10 pm Saturday with Machito's Cuban band, followed by the Lambert-Hendricks-Ross Singers from Birdland (their last number was accompanied by Ben Webster).

                Ellington and his orchestra played from 1 to 5 a.m. Sunday.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  369th Armory, 142nd St. & Fifth Ave.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 11, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  11:55 P.M. - 4:55 A.M. April 12th
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,500, deposit $1,250 payable on signing and balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Birdland Boy's Club c/o Gregory
                • Signed by
                  Howard Gregory

                Hoefer:

                'Rarely, probably under no other circumstances, is Duke's band heard in such an informal atmosphere. Just as rarely does the band stay on the stand for such a long stretch at a time. Somebody was always playing, sometimes Duke at the piano alone, or lightly accompanied by the rhythm section. Jimmy Johnson...was still too new to do much roamin'around. Besides, when the drum specialty Skin Deep comes up, it gives Duke and the boys a chance to get around and greet old friends...Duke kept catching Johnny as he wandered off the stand after each number. Harry Carney kept his seat faithfully throughout...'

                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 13, SI-NMAH DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • George Hoefer: The Hot Box,
                  Down Beat, 1959-06-11
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2013-08-07
                2016-06-21
                2019-12-06
                2022-06-24
                1959 04 12
                Sunday
                .Wilton, Conn.High School gymParent Teachers Association Jazz Festival

                Jimmy Rushing was also on the bill
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Typed: Wilton Town Hall, Wilton, Connecticut
                  Handwritten: High School Gym
                • Hours of employment
                  1 concert - 7:30 p.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,200 deposit $600 payable on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: John T. Lawrence, Parent Teachers Association of Wilton, Wilton, Conn.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-02
                2016-06-24
                1959 04 13
                Monday
                .Bloomfield, N.J.Hanks Evergreen ClubContract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Hanks Evergreen Club, 2 Montgomery St., Bloomfield, N.J.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 13, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  9:15 p.m. to 1:45 a.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, 50% deposit payable on signing to Associated Booking Corporation and balance in cash to artist, night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Hank Omelczuk
                  Hanks Evergreen Club
                • Signed by Hank Omelczuk per Rudy Viola wire

                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-25
                1959 04 14
                Tuesday
                ...Sidemen's activities not documented
                ......
                1959 04 14
                Tuesday
                .New York, N.Y.30th Street Columbia StudiosColumbia recording session
                17:00-19:00
                Columbia's files don't name the session producer (email, Lasker-Palmquist 2019-08-03).
                Duke Ellington and Jimmy Woode
                Title recorded:

                THE QUEENS SUITE movement 5. Single Petal Of A Rose
                Vail II reminds us that only one copy of the Queen's Suite LP was pressed, to be presented to Her Majesty. This is not so. Collector Steven Lasker brought a copy to the 2008 Duke Ellington International Study Group Conference in London (see DEMS 08/2-6). He said Teo Macero had five copies, and he thought there could have been as many as ten pressed.
                New Desor
                DE5917
                DEMS.djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-03
                2014-10-16
                2019-08-09
                2020-05-10
                1959 04 15
                Wednesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 04 16
                Thursday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 04 17
                Friday
                .Lexington, Va.Gym
                Washington and Lee University
                Dance (first night of the Spring Dances). The weekend was to have a Nassau Vacation theme. Dance set president Frank Surface expressed the hope that, although Ellington's orchestra was not yet contracted (untrue), they will will play some "goombay" calypso, Nassau's traditional music.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Dance Board President Joe Craycroft:

                  'This is the band we've been trying to get above all other bands for the last three years. We almost had him for Fancy Dress, we have now finally succeeded.'

                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Gym, Washington & Lee University
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 17, 1959
                • Hours of employment:
                  9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat, deposit $1,000 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Washington & Lee Dance Board, Washington & Lee University, Lexington, Virginia
                • Signed by Joseph L. Craycroft, Jr.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 12 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18
                • The Ring-tum Phi, Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Va.
                  • 1959-03-06 p.1
                  • 1959-03-24 p.1
                • The Post, Frederick, Maryland, 1959-04-25 p.12
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-03
                2016-06-18
                1959 04 18
                Saturday
                .Greensboro, N.C.Sedgefield ManorSecond annual Piedmont Jazz Society Festival

                'Jazzing Things Up
                  If you have a ticket then by all means go out to Sedgefield Manor Saturday for the second festival of the Piedmont Jazz Society.
                  If you haven't a ticket, don't bother. The house is completely sold out for afternoon and evening "concerts" for which Duke Ellington (no less) and his band is the chief attraction. For the 3-to-5 and 9-to-1 programs two combos will take part along with Duke & Co. These are the River Boat Five from Atlanta and the Jazz Journeymen from Durham.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Hours of employment
                  9 p.m to 1 a.m
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750, $875 payable to Associated Booking Corp. upon signing contract 60 days prior to engagement. Balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                • Employer:Piedmont Jazz Society
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 26, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                • The Greensboro Record, Greensboro, N.C. 1959-02-26 p.B4
                • Jazzing Things Up, Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, N.C. 1959-04-15 p.A5
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-03
                2016-06-21
                2016-07-04
                1959 04 19
                Sunday
                .Fort Bragg, N.J.Main Post N.C.O. ClubContract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Main Post N.C.O. Club.Fort Bragg, N.J.
                • Hours of employment
                  8 p.m. to 12 p.m.
                • Type of engagement
                  Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat "at end of engagement" [hand=printed]
                • Employer: M/Sgt. E. J. Seaver
                • Signed by: E. J. Seaver
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 16, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-23
                1959 04 20
                Monday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 04 21
                Tuesday
                .Fayetteville, N.C.Auditorium and
                Lilly Gym
                Fayetteville State Teachers College
                Concert, 8 p.m.
                Dance, 10 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Gym - Fayetteville State Teachers College
                • Hours of employment
                  Concert in Auditorium 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
                  Dance in Gymnasium 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 guaranteed , privilege 50% gross receipts, deposit $625 due on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  A.J.Pindle, Business Manager, Fayetteville State Teacher's College
                • Signed by A.J.Pindle
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 19, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-24
                1959 04 22
                Wednesday
                .Bluefield, W.Va.Bluefield Auditorium

                'BLUEFIELD - Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will sponsor the appearance of Duke Ellington and his orchestra in a concert and dance at 8:30 p.m. April 22 in Bluefield Auditorium.
                  Proceeds ... will go into a scholarship fund...'

                Reserved seats $2.50
                Advance general admission $2.00
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc.,Owner, presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Bluefield Auditorium, Bluefield, W.Va.
                • Date of employment
                  April 22, 1959
                • Hours of employment:
                  Between 8:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.
                • Type of engagement:
                  Concert & Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, deposit $750 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer:Dr. J.E.Martin, 725 Bland Street, Bluefield, W.Va.
                • Signed by Dr. J.E.Martin for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

                The Pittsburgh Courier carried a photo of Duke seated at a piano and shaking hands with Dr. Martin, who is standing. The caption says

                'The Duke and Friends–The Duke of Ellington and his men were guests in Bluefield, W. Va., when Alpha Phi Alpha men drew some 2500 music-mad folks (of all races) to their first pay affair. Headed by Dr. Ernest Martin, standing, long-time friend of the Duke, some sort of record was broken during the band's engagement. A pianist of no mean ability himself, Ernie Martin had a homecoming session with Johnny Hodges and Harry Carney, with whom he played years ago in Boston when he was going to school.'

                The same photograph is printed in William R. Archer's "Bluefield," at page 106.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Register and Post-Herald, Beckley, W.Va., 1959 04 11 p.2
                • Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, W.Va.
                  • 1959-02-22 p.8 s.2
                  • 1959-04-17 p.15
                  • 1959-04-19 p.9
                • Autographed programme, 1959-04-22
                • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1959-05-23 p.15
                • Captioned photo, Ellington shaking hands with Dr. Martin, William R. Archer, "Bluefield," Arcadia Publishing, 2000, p.106
                • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 30 Bluefield Auditorium, Bluefield, West Virginia, April 22, 1959
                ..CAHaug11, djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-03
                2016-01-24
                2016-06-19
                2016-07-04
                2016-10-11
                1959 04 23
                Thursday
                .Durham, N.C.North Carolina College GymnasiumConcert, 8:30 p.m., sponsored by Alpha Kappa Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

                Tickets:
                Students: Advance, $1.25, Door, $1.50
                General admission: Advance, $2.00, Door, $2.25
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc.,Owner, presents: Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  North Carolina College at Durham, Durham, N.C.
                • Date of employment
                  April 23, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  8:30 - 10:30 p.m.
                • Type of engagement: Concert
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 guaranteed, privilege 50% gross receipts, deposit $625 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer
                  Alpha Kappa Chapter, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, North Carolina College at Durham, Durham, N.C.
                • Signed by Thomas C. Watson, Alpha Kappa Chapter KA4
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, N.C.
                  • 1959-04-14 p.3
                  • 1959-04-17 p.4
                  • 1959-01-21 p.4
                  • 1959-04-22 p.4
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-19
                1959 04 24
                Friday
                1959 04 25Davidson, N.C.Gym
                Davidson College
                2 day "Spring Frolics" weekend.

                Semi-formal dance Friday
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Gym - Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 24th and 25th, 1959
                • Hours of employment:
                  April 24th 9 p.m.-1 a.m. (dance)
                  April 25th:
                  • 4 - 5 p.m. (concert)
                  • 8 p.m. to 12 M. (dance)
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $5,000 flat, deposit $2,500 due on signing and balance in cash at end of engagement
                • Employer: Vernon Anderson - Prsident, Interfraternity Council, Davison College*
                • Signed by Vernon Anderson, Jr.
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 12 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18
                • The Davidsonian, Davidson College, Davidson, N.C.
                  • 1959-04-10 p.1
                  • 1959-04-24 p.1
                • Stratemann p.400
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-18
                1959 04 25
                Saturday
                Davidson, N.C.Davidson CollegeSecond day of "Spring Frolics" - see 1959 04 24
                • Afternoon concert at 2:30 (contract says 4 p.m.), on the campus lawn if technical arrangements could be made, otherwise, in the Chamber's Auditorium.
                • "Bermuda night" informal evening dance from 8 p.m. to midnight.
                ....djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-03
                2016-06-18
                1959 04 26
                Sunday
                .Atlanta, Ga.Magnolia BallroomTwo concerts, 6 and 10 p.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                • Hours of employment
                  Two- one hour concerts at approximately 6 P.M. & 10 P.M.
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,750 & 50% over $3,500. deposit $750 payable on signing to Associated Booking Corporation and balance in cash to artist day of engagement
                • Employer: B.B.Beamon
                • Signed by B.B.Beamon
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-08-03
                2016-06-24
                1959 04 27
                Monday
                .Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.Officer's ClubDance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 payable on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer
                  Capt. C. A. Stodghill
                  Officers' Open Mess Club
                  Charleston Air Force Base
                  Charleston, S.C.
                • Signed by C. A. Stodghill, Sec., Capt. USAF
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 03, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • Date Calendar Listings..., The News and Courier, Charleston,S.C., 1959-04-26 p.9-B
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-24
                updated
                2016-07-04
                1959 04 28
                Tuesday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 04 28
                Tuesday
                .Los Angeles, Cal.Private club
                3005 Vineyard Ave.
                Peripheral event

                'On the eve of Duke Ellington's birthday, ...Hollywood Chapter 1 of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society will be staging a duet celebration. There'll be the Ellington birthday festivities, and they'll be an inauguration of Chapter 1's permanent home. DEJS member Duane Vest and his parents, Wayne and Inez Vest, are generously donating the extensive facilities of their private club ... for the birthday party and for all the Society's regular semi-monthly meetings thereafter. The Vests' club is a gasser - with bar, cocktail tables, dance floor, bandstand and soft lights. Party doors open at 9 p.m. No admission charge. Live entertainment. Refreshments. Hear Duke's latest Columbia LP "Duke Ellington Jazz Festival". ... Everyone is welcome...'

                DEJS newsletter May 1959...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                1959 04 29
                Wednesday
                Ellington's birthday
                .Knoxville, Tenn.Gordon's Town House
                1702 West Cumberland
                Concert 7 to 8 p.m., $1.50/person
                Dance 9 to 12 p.m., $2.50/person

                Stratemann says the orchestra played without Duke. He reports that according to various DESB clippings, Duke became ill and flew back to New York from Charleston, S.C. to see his doctor. See the next April 29 entry.

                Vail:

                'Duke Ellington is taken ill with chills and a fever and immediately flies back to New York to see his doctor Arthur Logan. The Orchestra plays its show at Gordon Town House... It is possible that the illness is a cover for the fact that Ellington has to be in Ishpeming, Michigan to work on the movie, Anatomy of a Murder.'


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Town House, Knoxville, Tennessee
                • Date(s) of employment
                  April 29th, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  Concert 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
                  Dance 9 p.m. to 12 midnight
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: John Creech Jr., 1702 Cumberland Ave., Town House, Knoxville, Tenn.
                • Signed by John W. Creech
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 20, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                • Advertising poster, courtesy Steven Lasker (email 2018-04-13)
                • AP Wirestory, Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock, Ark. 1959-05-01 p.21
                • Stratemann p.400 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-24
                2018-04-13
                1959 04 29
                Wednesday
                Duke's birthday
                .Ishpeming, Minn..

                .
                Syndicated columnist Leonard Lyons reported in a story datelined New York

                'Duke Ellington received permission from producer Otto Preminger to postpone his arrival in Ishpeming, Mich. for his scenes in "Anatomy of Murder." Ellington stayed [here] for his 60th birthday party.'

                On the other hand, Duke-LYM correspondent Larry Crawford writes:

                Joan G. Hansen wrote about Duke's involvement in the "Anatomy of a Murder" film in her book "Anatomy of 'Anatomy': The Making of a Movie" -- as an on-location witness and film participant...She reports that DE arrived in Big Bay, Michigan in the afternoon on April 29, during location shooting there for the movie. If so, DE probably flew directly from Tennesee to Michigan earlier on that day. DE met with Preminger and toured the film shooting remote location that day.
                2) DE stayed and worked at the Mather Inn, located in Ishpeming Michigan (correction -- not Marquette), during his stay for several weeks into May. Hansen confirms this in her book, as an inn employee. Preminger and key members of the film production company stayed at the Mather.
                3) DE band members were in MI for movie filming, and did rehearsals in the Mather Inn (no dates in Hansen's book).
                4) DE band and entourage members stayed nearby at the Northland Inn in Marquette MI. Hansen confirms that Strayhorn was present in Michigan for a portion of the time, probably at the Northland, and she met him during his stay.'

                Stratemann p.401:

                'A May 2 entry among the DESB clippings states that Ellington "arrived in Ishpeming (MI) Wednesday" (April 29th) which is unlikely in view of the above reports, unless the illness had been invented by his agents, to hide the fact that he had chosen to leave the band because of a more important commitment.'

                Ellington recorded a one-sided interview which is included on the Anatomy of a Murder CD, and has been transcribed in the accompanying booklet. The scripted questions are not heard, instead there are periods of silence during which local broadcast talent would ask the scripted question and play the indicated music stings. Ellington:

                ' I arrived in Ishpeming on my birthday, it was 5 or 6 o'clock in the morning, and came to the hotel and Otto Preminger was in the dining room at six o'clock having his breakfast - he was getting ready to go to work - and I had a bit to eat with him and he went off to uh, to do his shooting and I forget what I did, but anyway that evening they had a birthday dinner for me over at the Roosevelt in Ishpeming, and party, candles on the cakes, and everything else, you know. It was wonderful. It's been a great experience...'

                • San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal., 1959-05-05 p.22
                • Leonard Lyons, Lyons Den, Amarillo Daily News, Amarillo, Texas, 1959-05-06 p.8
                • Email Crawford-Palmquist, 2014-08-01
                • One-sided interview, Columbia/Legacy CD CK65569m track 25
                ...djpnew
                added 2014-08-03
                updated
                2014-10-21
                1959 04 29
                Wednesday
                Ellington's birthday
                1959 05 06.. Peripheral event

                'By unanimous action of the International Officers and Board of the Duke Ellington Jazz Society, DEJS proclaims the seven days commencing with Duke Ellington's birthday, April 29,and extending to May 6, 1959, as DUKE ELLINGTON WEEK throughout the world. Celebrations are planned in London, Paris, Stockholm, New York City, Chicago, Hollywood, Washington, D.C., Vancouver, Toronto and many cities internationally whose reports are en route to Headquarters. Artists, disc jockeys, columnists, critics and record dealers everywhere are paying extra tribute to Duke Ellington and his World Famous Orchestra during this week, first of the annual April Duke Ellington Week observances, sponsored by DEJS and its global membership.'

                Duke Ellington Jazz Society ("DEJS") newsletter May 1959...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                1959 04 29
                Wednesday
                Ellington's birthday
                1959 05 06New York, N.Y.Home of Ruth James. Peripheral event

                'DEJS Chapter 100 Duke Ellington Week Birthday Celebration will be at the home of Duke's sister, Mrs. Ruth James, April 29. Ellington band alumni, radio and music personalities and the press will be guests of honor. An exclusive 1958 Swedish recording of the Ellington band will be presented. For further details, contact Dr. Douglas Bray, [address and phone number redacted]...'

                Ellington was not present according to the caption of a photo printed by The Amsterdam News. It shows Ruth speaking on the telephone, surrounded by Mercer, DEJS president Dr. Douglas Bray, Leonard Feather and Nat Hentoff. The caption says she is speaking with Duke.
                • DEJS newsletter May 1959
                • The Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y. 1959-05-09 p.13
                ...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                2016-07-04
                1959 04 29
                Wednesday
                Ellington's birthday
                1959 05 06Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Peripheral event

                'DEJS Chapter 50 Duke Ellington Week birthday celebrations: Frank Holzfeind's Blue Note, 3 North Clark Street, April 29, where DJS member George Shearing is appearing through May 3. Shearing will dedicate the evening of the 29th to Duke, playing primarily Ellington compositions...For further details, call the Blue Note, DE.2-2247...'

                DEJS newsletter May 1959...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                1959 04 30
                Thursday
                ...Ellington was likely on location in Michigan for the filming of Anatomy of a Murder.....djp2014-08-04
                1959 04 30
                Thursday
                .Blacksburg, VirginiaBurruss Hall
                Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
                Concert (probably performed without Duke - to be confirmed)
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Hours of employment: 1 concert - 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.*
                • Type of engagement: Concert*
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat, deposits $500 payable on signing and $500 by March 30, balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: Curtis Cowell, V.F.I. Jazz Club
                  Box B-5, Virginia Tech Station, Blacksburg, Virginia
                • Signed by Curtis L. Cowell
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-19
                updated
                2019-04-08

                May 1959

                1959 05 01
                Friday
                .Washington, D.C.. Peripheral event

                'DEJS Chapter 90 Duke Ellington Week birthday celebration will be May 1. For time and place, contact Maurice A. Lawrence,...' [address and phone number redacted]


                DEJS newsletter May 1959...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                1959 05 01
                Friday
                ...activities not documented
                ......
                1959 05 02.Durham, N.C.Main quadrangle and Indoor Stadium
                Duke University
                Lawn concert, 1:30- 3:30 p.m.
                Formal dance, 8 p.m.- 12 M

                Assuming the concert and dance were performed, and there is no reason to doubt it, the orchestra performed without Ellington, who was in Marquette, Michigan this evening (see next entry).
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 flat, deposit $1,250 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                • Employer: William Griffith, Director of Student Affairs, Duke University
                • Signed by W. Griffith and Rolf Towe, Pres., Shoe 'n' Slipper Club
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 12 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18
                • The Duke Chronicle, Duke University, Durham, N.C.:
                  • 1959-02-13 pp.1,5
                  • 1959-04-08 p.1
                  • 1959-04-17 p.7
                  • 1959-05-01 pp.1,4
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-19
                1959 05 02
                Saturday
                .Marquette, Mich.Mather InnEllington played Take the "A" Train with the Cab Whitmore Quartet, which was playing for the spring dinner-dance of the Delta Sigma Nu Sorority of Northern Michigan College.

                He would stay at the Mather Inn for the duration of his work on Anatomy of a Murder.
                • Stratemann p.401 citing DESB
                • Vail II
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-19
                1959 05 00
                ...Ellington made a verbal commitment to start work on the score for the film Paris Blues as soon as a complete screenplay was ready.Stratemann p.436 citing Down Beat 1959-05-15 p.13...djpNew
                added
                2015-05-01
                1959 05 00.Marquette, Mich.Mather Inn......Added
                2011
                1959 05 early.Ispheming, Mich..Filming Anatomy of a Murder
                • Stratemann pp.401-412
                • Additional photos:

                  • Photo, Mercer Ellington and Stanley Dance, Duke Ellington In Person, An Intimate Memoir, Houghton, 1978 and London: Hutchinson's, 1978

                  • Life Web photo
                .
                ..djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2014-10-17
                1959 05 03
                Sunday
                .Fort Bragg, N.C.Officers' Open Mess ClubDance

                This event will have been performed without Ellington.
                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  Officers' Open Mess Club, Fort Bragg, N.C.
                • Date of employment
                  May 3, 1959
                • Hours of employment: 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. WJS
                • Type of engagement: Dance
                • Standard top billing clause
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, payable in cash on night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  Lt. Col. James L. Walker, Officers' Open Mess Club, Fort Bragg, N.C.
                • Signed by James L. Walker
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1958 12 18, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 18...djpNew
                added
                2016-06-19
                /TD>
                1959 05 03
                Sunday
                ...Ellington said he saw the rushes the first Sunday in Ishpeming.
                ....New
                added 2014-10-17
                updated
                2014-10-21
                1959 05 04
                Monday
                .Toronto, Ont.. Peripheral event
                The Toronto Chapter of the Duke Ellington Society was founded.
                TDES Chapter 40 website...djpNew
                added
                2016-03-03
                1959 05 04
                Monday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 05
                Tuesday
                1959 05 06Chicago, Ill.Private residence Peripheral event

                'DEJS Chapter 50 Duke Ellington Week birthday celebrations: ...Chapter party follows May 5 at the home of Harold and Elsie Holmberg, [address redacted]. For further details, call ... the Holmbergs,...'

                DEJS newsletter May 1959...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                1959 05 05
                Tuesday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 05
                Tuesday
                ...Peripheral event?

                This is the date of a contract between Tempo Music, Inc. (Publisher) Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington and Lisl Greenwood (writers) transferring all rights in Walkin' and Singin' the Blues to Tempo Music. The contract is signed by Ruth Ellington, Duke Ellington and Lil Greenwood.
                ....djpNew
                added
                2016-06-27
                1959 05 06
                Wednesday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03


                Stratemann says Ellington and his orchestra were to start a 3 week run at the Blue Note on May 6, but it was postponed until mid-July so Duke could meet his "Anatomy Of A Murder" film commitments.
                DEJS:

                'ROCK SKIPPING AT THE BLUE NOTE
                DEJS member Frank Holzfeind, who kindly but sadly released the Ellington band from its May commitment at his Chicago Blue Note, is happy again. Frank relinquished his claim to enable Duke to meet the shooting and recording schedule of Otto Preminger's Columbia picture "Anatomy of A Murder", which Duke is scoring and conducting. Mr. Holzfeind has booked the band for a gala opening, July 15 at the Blue Note and he's keeping them there through August 7.'


                • Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                • Stratemann p.402
                • DEJS newsletter May 1959
                ...djpadded
                2014-10-17
                updated
                2016-06-25
                1959 05 06
                Wednesday
                .Vancouver, B.C.CBC Radio
                701 Hornby St.
                (Hotel Vancouver)
                Peripheral event

                'DEJS Chapter 10 Duke Ellington Week birthday celebration will be at CBC Radio, 701 Hornby, at 8 p.m., May 6. Details from Bob Smith, 633 West Eighth Ave. Phone: DL. 7838 or CE. 1758'

                DEJS newsletter May 1959...djpNew
                added 2014-10-18
                1959 05 07
                Thursday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 08
                Friday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 09
                Saturday
                .Ogdensburg, N.Y.
                or
                Canton, N.Y.

                (these cities are about 19 miles apart)
                Appleton Arena or
                Men's Residence
                St. Lawrence University
                Intra-Fraternity Ball

                Stratemann reports a 10 p.m. ball at Appleton Arena in Ogdensburg, but the contract says St. Lawrence U[niversity], Canton, N.Y.

                • Hill News:
                  • 1959-04-15:

                    'The famous Duke Ellington Orchestra, playing in Appleton Arena on Saturday, May 9, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. will highlight the Interfraternity Council Weekend...'

                  • 1959-05-06:

                    'Moving-Up Day Traditions to Highlight Gala IFC Weekend.
                      IFC Weekend this year gives promise of being the best one yet. The committee, under the leadership of Chairman Jim Kuhns has worked hard to make this weekend a success...
                    Saturday
                     The day will begin with ...
                      ...The Inter-Fraternity Ball will be held from 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. in Men's Residence with the music of the Duke Ellington Orchestra...

                • Courier-Gazette 1959-04-23:

                  'Paul Russell...is in charge of the songfest for the St. Lawrence University interfraternity council weekend May 8-10 which features Duke Ellington's band. Russell is a junior at St. Lawrence.'

                • Ogdensburg Journal:
                  • May 6:

                    'Ellington Band To Play At SLU
                      Canton— The Duke Ellington orchestra, featuring such figures as saxophonist Johnny Hodges and cornetist [sic] "Cat" Anderson, will provide the music for St. Lawrence University's Interfraternity Council Ball Satruday evening, May 9. The ball... is scheduled for Appleton Arena at 10:00 p.m. Saturday.
                      Also featured with the Ellington group will be drummer [sic] Paul Gonsalves of the orchestra, vocalist Lil Greenwood, and other popular members... '

                  • May 7:

                    'Canton–St. Lawrence University will observe its 50th annual Moving-Up Weekend Friday through Sunday, May 8-10.
                      The annual spring observance has been held on the St. Lawrence campus each year since 1910...
                      At noon on Saturday a luncheon for parents will be held in the Men's Residence and Dean-Eaton Hall dining rooms...
                      ...That evening the Mummers will repeat their performance of "The Rose Tattoo" ... in Laurentian Hall. The day's events will be rounded out with the sixth annual interfraternity council ball featuring the Duke Ellington orchestra. The ball is scheduled for 10 p.m. in Appleton Arena... '


                Contract terms:
                • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON ORCH. UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOHNNY HODGES"
                • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                  St. Lawrence, U., Canton, N.Y.
                • Date(s) of employment
                  May 9th, 1959
                • Hours of employment
                  9 P.M. to 1.00 A.M.
                • Wage agreed upon: $1,650, deposit $750 payable on signing to ABC and balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                • Employer:
                  James Kuhns, St. Lawrence U., Canton, New York
                • Signed by James Kuhns
                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                • Hill News, St. Lawrence University, Canton, N.Y. 1959-05-06 pp.1,8
                • Newark, N.Y. Courier-Gazette 1959-04-23 p.B-7
                • Ogdensburg Journal, Ogdensburg, N.Y.
                  • 1959-05-06 p.6
                  • 1959-05-07 p.11
                • Courier Freeman, Potsdam, N.Y., 1959-05-07 p.9
                • Stratemann, p.402
                ...djpAdded
                2011
                updated
                2016-06-27
                2016-07-04
                1959 05 10
                Sunday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 11
                Monday
                .Negaunee, Mich.Negaunee High School gymSidemen's activities not documented

                Ellington, Jimmy Stewart, Eve Arden and Lee Remick were among 600 people at an informal dinner honouring Anatomy of a Murder author Voelker and kicking off Michigan Week a week before it was to start. The principal speaker was Dr. John A. Hannah, president of Michigan State University.
                • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisc. 1959-05-12 pt.2 p.11
                • AP wirestory:
                  • The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich. 1959-05-12 p.8
                  • Ironwood Daily Globe, Ironwood,Mich, 1959-05-12 p.10
                ...djpNew
                added
                2016-07-03
                1959 05 12
                Tuesday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 13
                Wednesday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 14
                Thursday
                ...Activities not documented

                Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                ......
                1959 05 15
                Friday
                ...The Ellington business records contain a contract for a 2 week and 3 day engagement at the Crescendo, Hollywood, beginning May 15, signed by Gene Norman. Geven the other documented events during that period, it seems likely to have been cancelled or postponed.
                Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 25, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                  , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                  ...djpNew
                  added
                  2016-07-05
                  1959 05 15
                  Friday
                  .Middletown, Conn.The Cage
                  Wesleyan University
                  Concert
                  Contract terms:
                  • 16 plus 1 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON ORCH UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOHNNY HODGES"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                    The Cage
                    Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.
                  • Date(s) of employment
                    May 15, 1959 - once concert at approximately
                  • Hours of employment
                    8:00 P.M.
                  • Wage agreed upon: $1,250, deposit $500 payable on signing to ABC and balance to artist at conclusion of engagement
                  • Employer:
                    Bob Kilpatrick
                    Wesleyan University
                    Middletown, Conn.
                  • Signed by
                    Bob Kilpatrick
                  Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 23, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22...djpNew
                  added
                  2016-06-27
                  1959 05 16
                  Saturday
                  ...Stratemann and Vail report shooting of Anatomy of a Murder finished and suggest Ellington flew to the West Coast.
                  • Stratemann p.402
                  • Vail II
                  ...djp2016-06-27
                  1959 05 1---6
                  Saturday
                  .Jamestown, N.Y.Jamestown ArmoryDance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                  The Evening Observer:

                  'The most active week-end on the social calendar at Fredonia Teachers college comes next week...Students and alumni will dance to the music of the Duke Ellington orchestra in a "Royal Finale" at the Jamestown armory at 9 p.m. Sautrday.'

                  The Marcellus Observer:

                  'Dr. & Mrs. George Kopp...spent the weekend at Fredonia, N.Y. for the alumni weekend. They attended the dance Saturday eve, the music of Duke Ellington.'


                  Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA UNDER DIRECTION OF JOHNNY HODGES"
                  • Wage agreed upon: $1,750 flat, deposit $875 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                  • Note the standard top billing cluse is omitted
                  • Employer:
                    Miss Nancy Eberlee
                    Social Life Comm. State Univ. Teachers College
                    Fredonia, New York
                  • Signed by
                    Nancy Eberlee
                  • Vail II
                  • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                  • The Evening Observer, Dunkirk-Fredonia, N.Y., 1959-05-08 p.9
                  • The Marcellus Observer, Marcellus N.Y. 1959-05-21 p.5
                  ...djpAdded
                  2011
                  updated
                  2016-07-04
                  1959 05 17
                  Sunday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 18
                  Monday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 19
                  Tuesday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 20
                  Wednesday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 21
                  Thursday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03


                  A cancelled contract for a concert at Ripon College, Ripon, Wisc. is contained in the Ellington collection.
                  Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20...djpNew
                  added
                  2016-06-23
                  1959 05 22
                  Friday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 23
                  Saturday
                  .Minneapolis, Minn.University of MinnesotaDance - Beaux Arts Ball, 9 to 1.
                  In its Feb. 3, 1959 meeting, The University of Minnesota Union Board of Governers received a report showing the cost of 8 bands and chose Ellington, with Sauter-Finegan were the second choice.
                  Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents: Duke Ellington, in person"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                    University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
                  • Date(s) of employment
                    May 23, 1959
                  • Hours of employment
                    9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                  • Type of engagement
                    Dance
                  • Standard top billing clause
                  • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                  • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                  • Wage agreed upon: $2,250 guaranteed flat, payable in cash to Duke Ellington or Al Celley, Road Manager night of engagement
                  • Employer:
                    Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
                  • Signed by [illegible initials] Middlebrook
                  ...djpNew
                  added
                  2016-06-22
                  2016-07-16
                  1959 05 24
                  Sunday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 25
                  Monday
                  .Detroit, Mich.Ford AuditoriumJoint concert with the Stan Kenton orchestra and Sarah Vaughan
                  Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF JOHNNY HODGES"*
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                    Ford Auditorium, Detroit, Michigan
                  • Date(s) of employment
                    May 25, 1959
                  • Hours of employment
                    to appear in a concert - 2 shows 8 pm to 10 pm and 11 pm to 1 am
                    To play for signers.
                  • Duke Ellington orchestra will not play Detroit before May 25
                  • Wage agreed upon: $2,650, deposit $1,000 payable to on signing to Associated Booking and balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                  • Employer:
                    Frank Brown
                    1954 Calvert
                    Detroit, Mich.
                  • Signed by
                    Frank Brown
                  • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                  • Stratemann p.402
                  • Vail II
                  ...djpAdded
                  2011
                  updated
                  2016-06-27
                  1959 05 26
                  Tuesday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 27
                  Wednesday
                  ...Activities not documented

                  Orchestra laid off? - see 1959 05 03
                  ......
                  1959 05 28
                  Thursday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 05 29
                  Friday
                  .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Annex
                  7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                  Hollywood
                  "Anatomy of a Murder" soundtrack recording session
                  14:30-17:30
                  Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                  (source:
                  Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                  Masters all bad from this session - scrapped.
                  [The "Artist's Job Sheet" for the soundtrack album of "Anatomy of a Murder" cites an artist's contract date of 4/1/59.]
                  • Stratemann p.403
                  • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                  New Desor
                  DE9003
                  NDCS 1002
                  NDCS 1008
                  DEMS..Added
                  2011
                  updated
                  2014-10-16
                  2019-08-09
                  2020-05-10
                  1959 05 30
                  Saturday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 05 31
                  Sunday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......

                  June 1959

                  1959 06 01
                  Monday
                  .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Annex
                  7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                  Hollywood
                  "Anatomy of a Murder" soundtrack recording session
                  15:00-19:00
                  Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                  (source:
                  Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time/location
                • New Desor
                  DE5918
                  DEMSNDCS 1008
                  Strat403
                  .Added
                  2011
                  updated
                  2014-10-16
                  2019-08-09
                  2020-05-10
                  1959 06 02
                  Tuesday
                  .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Annex
                  7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                  Hollywood
                  "Anatomy Of A Murder" soundtrack recording session
                  14:00-17:30
                  Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                  (source:
                  Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14
                • New Desor
                  DE5919
                  DEMSStratemann 403
                  NDCS 1008
                  corrTimner-4/27+32
                  .Added
                  2011
                  updated
                  2014-10-16
                  2019-08-09
                  2020-05-10
                  1959 06 early.Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Annex
                  7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                  Hollywood
                  "Anatomy of a Murder" soundtrack recording sessionStratemann pp.403, 412 (photo)New Desor
                  DE5920
                  NDCS 1009
                  DEMS..Added
                  2011
                  updated
                  2020-05-10
                  Circa
                  1959 06 03
                  Wednesday
                  ...Stratemann says the band returned to the East immediately after finishing the Anatomy of a Murder recording sessions, but Ellington stayed longer, rejoining the band in time for its June 9 engagement in Clayton, N.Y.
                  A cancelled contract for a dance this date at Latin Quarters, Detroit is contained in the Ellington collection.
                  Ellington was interviewed by AP reporter Bob Thomas on his last day in Hollywood, but didn't report the date. He quoted Ellington:

                  'It's a real thrill to explore another facet of a career. I had never done anything like this. I read the script in January and ideas started coming to me. Then I visited the company in Michigan for three weeks and that's when I began to get the feel of it. I even acted the role of a roadhouse operator and jazz man, and James Stewart and I played a duet on the piano.

                  The score runs the gamut from Dixieland on up the scale, yes, even some progressive.

                  I used only my band for the recording. That's my instrument of expression, and I was lucky they were all available to come here. It's much easier to write a C for a sax player and know that he is going to hit it just the way you want him to.

                  I pay rent on an apartment in New York, but I seldom see it. We're working 52 weeks a year. I like it that way.

                  Supposing I only worked six months [a] year. Then I'd have to reorganize the band. I'd have new players and wouldn't know their capabilities. The way it is now, I know what each man can do...

                  If I didn't keep working all the time, I'd miss some great experiences. Like having Iowa farmers drive 200 miles to hear you in January. Or going back to England and having people in every town show you programs from 1933, when you last played there. That sort of thing you can't buy. It's what keeps you working and keeps you young.'

                  • Bob Thomas, AP wirestory
                    • Famous Band Plays Scores For Movie, Galesburg Register-Mail, Galesburg, Ill. 1959-06-15 p.11
                    • Duke Writes New Type of Movie Score, Corpus Christi Times, Corpus Christi, Texas, 1959-06-17 p.7-C
                  • Stratemann p.413
                  • Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                  ...djpNew
                  added
                  2014-10-17
                  updated
                  2016-06-25
                  2016-07-03
                  1959 06 04
                  Thursday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 05
                  Friday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 06
                  Saturday
                  ...activities not documented

                  A contract written for a dance at the Stork Club in Port Stanley, Ontario for this date is marked cancelled.
                  Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20...djpNew
                  added
                  2016-06-23
                  1959 06 07
                  Sunday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 08
                  Monday
                  1959 06 14
                  Sunday
                  Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers Inn
                  a.k.a.
                  3 Rivers Inn
                  Route 57, minutes north of Exit 38 on Thruway
                  Theatre-restaurant residency, 2 shows nightly, 9 pm and midnight, 3 shows Saturday.

                  There were two contracts for June at this venue. The first was booked for two weeks starting June 1, but was replaced by one for one week starting June 8.

                  Ads in the Syracuse Post-Standard show "The Duke Ellington Orchestra" until June 11, and "Duke Ellington and His World Famous Orchestra" in the June 12, 13 and 14 editions.

                  Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON ORCH. UNDER THE DIRECTION OF JOHNNY HODGES"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                    Three Rivers Inn, R.D.Clay, N.Y.
                  • Date(s) of employment
                    June 8, 1959 - one week (7 days)
                  • Hours of employment
                    ["9 p.m. to 3 a.m. nightly" on first contract]
                    2 shows nightly - 3 shows Saturday
                    "IT IS UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED THAT DUKE ELLINGTON WILL APPEAR IN PERSON ON THIS ENGAGEMENT ON JUNE 12, 13 and 14, 1959."
                  • Wage agreed upon: $3,750 for engagement, payable in cash to Al Celley, Company Manager, during engagement until paid in full.
                  • Employer:
                    Don Bruno - Three Rivers Inn, Clay, N.Y.
                  • Signed by
                    Domenic Bruno

                  (The Smithsonian's archives also hold a cancelled contract for a six day engagement at the Edison Hotel in Toronto.)
                  • Associated Booking Corporation contracts dated 1959 04 23 and 1959 05 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folders 22 and 23 respectively
                  • Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 12, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                  • Post-Standard, Syracuse, N.Y.
                    • 1959-06-05 p.19
                    • 1959-06-06 p.2
                    • 1959-06-08 p.12
                    • 1959-06-09 p.8
                    • 1959-06-10 p.18
                    • 1959-06-11 p.30
                    • 1959-06-12 p.8
                    • 1959-06-13 p.2
                    • 1959-06-14 p.18
                  • Stratemann p.413
                  • Vail II
                  ...djpAdded
                  2011
                  updated
                  2014-10-17
                  2016-06-19
                  2016-06-28
                  1959 06 09
                  Tuesday
                  .Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers InnTheatre-restaurant residency, 2 shows nightly, 9 pm and midnight
                  - see 1959 06 08
                  ....djp.
                  1959 06 10
                  Wednesday
                  .Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers InnTheatre-restaurant residency, 2 shows nightly, 9 pm and midnight
                  - see 1959 06 08
                  .....Added
                  2011
                  1959 06 11
                  Thursday
                  .Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers InnTheatre-restaurant residency, 2 shows nightly, 9 pm and midnight
                  - see 1959 06 08
                  .....Added
                  2011
                  1959 06 12
                  Friday
                  .Manhasset, N.Y.Whitney Polo FieldEllington and Mitch Miller were joint masters of ceremony for a concert sponsored by the North Shore Junior Service League for the benefit of its Community Trust Fund.

                  Performers included Ellington, Bob Gordon Three, the Tyree Glenn Quartet, singer Jimmy Rushing, the Derek Smith Trio and the Lawson-Haggart Dixieland Band. The reviewer reported the event was sold out, but described the audience as "one of the most discourteous and disinterested the writer has ever had the displeasure of being part of." His review criticized the opening act badly, as well as Miller, who introduced Tyree's group. He commented favourably on Glenn, Rushing (accompanied by Glenn's group), and Smith, but doesn't comment on Ellington's playing.

                  The event was supposed to start at 9 p.m.; Ellington would have had to leave early if he was to make it to his date at the Three Rivers Inn, about 300 miles away, where he was contractually committed to appear in person.
                  • Long Island Star-Journal May 14, 1959:

                    'Things'll be mighty jazz-y at the Whitney Polo Field, Manhasset when Duke Ellington's band and a slew of Dixieland stars [illegible] a jazz jamboree to aid the [illegible] Family Service Association... '

                  • Stratemann:
                    The band had an outside booking as well:
                    June 12 Whitney Polo Field, Manhasset, N.Y.
                    This event was emceed by Ellington and Mitch Miller, who presented - in addition to Ellington's outfit - the Lawson-Haggart band, the trio of pianist Derek Smith, and Tyree Glenn and his trio, who had Jimmy Rushing with him as a surprise guest.
                  • Vail:

                    'Duke Ellington and his Orchestra double at a concert at the Whitney Polo Field in Manhasset, New York. The Lawson-Haggart Band, the Derek Smith Trio and the Tyree Glenn Trio with Jimmy Rushing are also on the bill.'

                  • Igo/Ewing/Pilkington itinerary:
                    12- DE joins the band after acting as mc for an event at the Whitney Polo Fields in Manhasset N.Y.
                  Stratemann's unnamed source is likely the Duke Ellington Scrap Books; Vail probably just paraphrased what he found in Stratemann, and the Igo entry suggests Ellington was in Manhasset without his band.

                  Stratemann and Vail seem to be incorrect in saying the band was there too, since it was playing that evening in Clay.
                  • The Manhasset Mail, Manhasset, N.Y.
                    • 1959-05-07 p.7
                    • Dick Levy, Audience a Flop..., 1959-07-08, pp.1 & 17, courtesy C. Windheuser (Smithsonian Reference Services volunteer) 2016-06-30
                  • Walter Kaner, "Long Island," Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island City, N.Y. 1959-05-14 p.15
                  • Stratemann p.413
                  • Vail II
                  • Igo/Ewing/Pilkington
                  ...djpAdded
                  2011
                  updated
                  2012-01-11
                  2014-10-17
                  2016-06-28
                  2016-06-30
                  1959 06 12
                  Friday
                  .Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers InnTheatre-restaurant residency, 2 shows nightly, 9 pm and midnight
                  - see 1959 06 08

                  Advertising seem to suggest Ellington joined his band this night.
                  ....djpAdded
                  2011
                  updated
                  2016-06-28
                  1959 06 13
                  Saturday
                  .Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers InnTheatre-restaurant residency, 3 shows, 9 pm and midnight and an unadvertised time
                  - see 1959 06 08
                  .....Added
                  2011
                  updated
                  2016-06-28
                  1959 06 14
                  Sunday
                  .Clay, N.Y.Three Rivers InnTheatre-restaurant residency, 2 shows nightly, 9 pm and midnight
                  - see 1959 06 08
                  .....Added
                  2011
                  1959 06 15
                  Monday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 16
                  Tuesday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 17
                  Wednesday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 18
                  Thursday
                  ...activities not documented
                  ......
                  1959 06 19
                  Friday
                  .Boston, Mass.Bradford HotelDance

                  Advance tickets, $1.80
                  Contract terms:
                  • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                    Bradford Hotel, Boston, Massachusetts
                  • Date(s) of employment
                    June 19th 1959
                  • Hours of employment
                    8:45 PM to 12:45
                  • Type of engagement
                    Dance
                  • Standard top billing clause
                  • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guaranteed, privilege 50% gross receipts payable in full in cash night of engagement
                  • Employer:
                    Charles Shribman, Box 287, Taunton, Massachusetts
                  • Signed by
                    Charles Shribman
                  • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 06 01, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                      , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 24
                    • Boston Eve. American, Boston, Mass., 1959-06-12
                    • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                      • 1959-06-13 p.15
                      • 1959-06-18 p.49
                    • Stratemann p.413
                    ...djpAdded
                    2011
                    updated
                    2016-07-03
                    2016-07-06
                    1959 06 20
                    Saturday
                    .Taunton, Mass.Roseland BallroomContract terms:
                    • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                    • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                      Roseland Ballroom, Taunton, Massachusetts
                    • Date(s) of employment
                      June 20th, 1959
                    • Hours of employment
                      8 to 12 midnight
                    • Type of engagement
                      Dance
                    • Standard top billing clause
                    • Wage agreed upon: $1,000, privilege 60% gross receipts payable in full in cash night of engagement
                    • Employer:
                      Charles Shribman, Box 287, Taunton, Massachusetts
                    • Signed by
                      Charles Shribman
                    .
                    • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 06 01, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 24
                    • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                      • 1959-06-06 p.15
                      • 1959-06-13 p.15
                    ...djpAdded
                    2011
                    updated
                    2016-07-03
                    2016-07-06
                    1959 06 21
                    Sunday
                    .Wallingford, Conn.Oakdale Musical TheatreRecorded concert, 8 p.m.
                    Duke Ellington and his orchestra
                    Personnel
                    • Per New Desor and Girvan: Anderson, Baker, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Johnson, Greenwood, Bailey, with Jimmy Rushing
                    • Vail, Nielsen and Timner omit Marenguito. Nielsen also omits Greenwood and Bailey.

                    Titles recorded:
                    • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
                    • Goin' To Chicago
                    • Hello, Little Boy (Hello, Little Girl)
                    • Skin Deep
                    • Medley:
                      • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                      • Do Nothin Till You Hear From Me
                      • In A Sentimental Mood
                      • Mood Indigo
                      • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                      • Sophisticated Lady
                      • Caravan
                      • Just Squeeze Me
                      • It Don't Mean A Thing
                      • Solitude
                      • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                    • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                    • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                    • Medley:
                      • Diminuendo In Blue
                      • Wailing Interval
                      • Crescendo In Blue

                    Contract terms:
                    • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                    • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                      Oakdale Musical Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut
                    • Date(s) of employment
                      June 21, 1959
                    • Hours of employment
                      8 p.m.
                    • Type of engagement
                      Concert
                    • Standard top billing clause
                    • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat, deposit $1,000 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                    • Employer:
                      Oakdale Musical Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut
                    • Signed by
                      Robert [illegible]
                    • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 05 22, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                        , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 23
                      • Stratemann p.413
                      • Vail II
                      • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                        Ellingtonia.com
                      • Timner
                      • Ole J. Nielsen
                        Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                        Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                        , p.205
                      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 31 Oakdale Musical Theatre, Wallingford, Connecticut, June 21, 1959
                      .
                      New Desor
                      DE5921
                      ..djpAdded
                      2011
                      updated
                      2016-01-24
                      2016-07-05
                      1959 06 22
                      Monday
                      ...activities not documented
                      ......
                      1959 06 23
                      Tuesday
                      ...activities not documented
                      ......
                      1959 06 24
                      Wednesday
                      .New York, N.Y.Warner TheaterSidemen's activities are not documented

                      In October, the Pittsburgh Courier ran a photo of Mrs. Samuel Goldwyn, Mary Martin and Duke Ellington at the New York premiere of the Samuel Goldwyn film Porgy and Bess, which was June 24 at the Warner Theater.
                      • Photo, Pittsburgh Courier, 1959-10-31 p.23
                      • Trenton Evening Times, Trenton, N.J.
                        • Samuel Goldwyn guest column, Voice of Broadway,1959-06-11 p.8
                        • 1959-06-25 p.3
                      • Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island, N.Y., p.5
                      .
                      ...djpNew
                      added
                      2016-07-03
                      1959 06 25
                      Thursday
                      1959 06 27
                      Saturday
                      Tamiment-In-The-Poconos, Penn.PlayhouseDuke Ellington Festival (3 days per Stratemann, 4 days per Vail, 2 concerts per the contract)

                      Stratemann and Vail both give this date as the first day Ellington and his orchestra were present, but do not state their sources for this, so their presence this first day of the festival should be considered to be undocumented.

                      The Philadelphia Inquirer announced the festival was to run June 25 to 28. Ellington was to play June 26 and 27, but the festival would extend from June 25 through 28. Marshall Stearns was to lecture on the origins of jazz the evening of June 25, and Carney, Hamilton, Strayhorn and Sanders were to participate in a roundtable discussion of jazz the afternoon of June 27. Albert Minns and Leon James were to give a jazz dance program, narrated by Stearns, the morning of June 28.
                      Keith Edlinger's review of the Friday concert says

                      '...Ellington came on with all the grace and charm for which he is so well known. Thus began the "Duke Ellington Jazz Festival at Tamiment..." '


                      The 1,000 seat theatre sold out for Ellington's Friday and Saturday evening concerts and a Saturday afternoon roundtable discussion by band members.

                      The June 27 concert was recorded.

                      (Stratemann reports Ellington returned to New York on the last day of the festival to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show. If he travelled on the last day, then the festival ended on the 28th, a Sunday, which is when the Sullivan show aired.)
                      Contract terms:
                      • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                      • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                        Tamiment, Pennsylvania
                      • Date(s) of employment
                        June 26th and 27th, 1959
                      • Hours of employment:
                        One 2-hour concert nightly - 9 p.m.
                        "This contract may be cancelled by March 15th, 1959 by artist by his giving employer written notice"
                      • Type of engagement
                        Concerts
                      • Standard top billing clause
                      • Wage agreed upon
                        $3,000 flat, deposit $1,500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                      • Employer
                        Monroe B. Hack
                        Tamiment
                        7 East 15h Street, New York, N.Y.
                      • Signed by
                        Tamiment by Monroe Hack
                      • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 01 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 19
                      • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia,Penn.
                        • 1959-05-31 s.D p.1
                        • 1959-06-10 p.8
                      • Stratemann p.413 citing
                        • Down Beat (review) 1959-08-20 p.18
                        • Variety 1959-07-01 p.47
                      • Vail II
                      • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 32 Tamiment Playhouse, Tamiment, Penna., June 27, 1959
                      New Desor
                      DE5922
                      ..djp Added
                      2011, updated 2012-01-11
                      2016-06-21
                      2016-07-03
                      1959 06 26
                      Friday
                      1959 06 27
                      Saturday
                      Tamiment-In-The-Poconos, Penn.PlayhouseDuke Ellington Festival - see 1959 06 27 - evening concert

                      The Friday concert received a glowing review in the Stroudsberg paper, with
                      • superlatives such as "glowing star", "shimmered", "thrilled and delighted", "grace and charm", "wave of the Duke's arm is like a magic wand", "13 craftsmen", "perfect sense of timing and coordination", "amazing program
                      • "The only selection not composed by Ellington was "Skin Deep" a number written to show the ability of his drummer–Jimmy Johnson. [sic]"
                      • "Ellington's presentation of "Idiom '59, a work premiered and written especially for the Festival at Tamiment, was beautifully composed by Ellington and magnificantly [sic] played in four parts..."
                      • Personnel named included Johnson, Woodman, Carney, Anderson, Terry, Hamilton, Hodges, Wood, Bailey, and Della [sic] Greenwood.
                      • Titles mentioned were
                        • Idiom '59
                        • Sophisticated Lady
                        • Jeep's Blues
                        • Newport Up
                        • Rockin' in Rythym
                        • Hank Sinq [sic]
                        • Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
                        • What Else Can You Do With A Drum
                        • Autumn Leaves
                        • Walkin' and Singin' Blues [sic]
                        • Medley:
                          • Caravan
                          • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                          • I'm Beginning To See the Light
                          • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                          • Mood Indigo
                      Keith Edlinger, Ellington Praised For Concert At Tamiment, The Daily Record,Stroudsburg - East Stroudsberg, Penn. 1959-06-29 p.3...djpAdded
                      2011
                      updated
                      2016-06-21
                      2016-07-03
                      1959 06 27
                      Saturday
                      .Tamiment-In-The-Poconos, Penn.Tamiment PlayhouseDuke Ellington Festival

                      Carney, Hamilton, Strayhorn and Sanders were to participate in a roundtable discussion of jazz the afternoon of June 27.

                      Recorded evening concert - see 1959 06 27:
                      Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
                      Anderson, Baker, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Johnson, Greenwood, Bailey

                      (Timner doesn't include Marenguito)
                      Titles recorded:

                      • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                      • First medley
                      • Perdido
                      • Sophisticated Lady
                      • Sonnet To Hank Cinq
                      • What Else Can You Do With A Drum?
                      • Autumn Leaves
                      • Hand Me Down Love
                      • Tenderly
                      • V.I.P. Boogie
                      • Haupé
                      • Flirtibird
                      • All Of Me
                      • Take The "A" Train
                      • Skin Deep
                      • Second Medley
                      • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                      • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                      • Diminuendo In Blue and The Wailing Interval
                      • Jones
                        The medleys were:

                        • Black And Tan Fantasy
                        • Creole Love Call
                        • The Mooche
                        • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                        • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                        • In A Sentimental Mood
                        • Mood Indigo
                        • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                        • Sophisticated Lady
                        • Caravan
                        • Satin Doll
                        • Just Squeeze Me
                        • It Don't Mean A Thing
                        • Solitude
                        • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                        • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia,Penn. 1959-05-31 s.D p.1
                        • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                          Ellingtonia.com
                        • Timner
                        • Ole J. Nielsen
                          Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                          Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                          , p 205-206
                        New Desor
                        DE5922
                        ..djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-01-24
                        2016-06-21
                        1959 06 28
                        Sunday
                        .New York, N.Y.CBS-TV studioEllington made a solo appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
                        Sullivan introduced Ellington and explained that he composed the score for Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (initially saying Anatomy for a Murder).

                        Ellington played excerpts from his score on the piano, accompanied by the Ray Block Orchestra and the CBS studio choir. The Oregonian said he would play Flirty Bird.

                        Preminger and Joseph N. Welch, who played the judge in the film, were in the audience and took bows.
                        New Desor
                        DE5923
                        ..djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2013-05-06
                        2016-07-03
                        2019-05-21
                        1959 06 29
                        Monday
                        .Ishpeming, Mich.
                        and
                        Marquette, Mich.
                        Butler theater
                        and
                        Nordic theater
                        Peripheral event
                        While Anatomy of a Murder's official world première was in Detroit July 1, it premièred in Ishpeming and Marquette as a fundraiser for Bay Cliff Health Camp for children.

                        There is no indication Ellington attended.

                        UPI:

                        '...Some 889 persons paid $5 to $10 each to see the movie at the Butler theater in Ishpeming and the Nordic theater in Marquette. It was all for charity, nearly $8,000 going to the Bay Cliff health camp for the upper peninsula's handicapped children...The [film] is based on the recent best selling novel...written by Justice John Voelker...The story's plot resembles a Marquette murder case in which Voelker was defense counsel.'

                        Associated Press circulated a photograph of author Judge Voelker with three childen. Its caption says the previews netted $9,000 for the Bay Cliff Health Camp for children.

                        Ishpeming is about 15 miles inland from Marquette on the south shore of Lake Superior.

                        • AP Wirephoto
                          Daily Press, Escanaba, Mich.
                          1959-06-30 p.3
                        • UPI wirestory
                          Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                          1959-07-01 pt.5 p.2
                        • Email Lasker/Palmquist 2022-06-22
                        ...sl, djpNew
                        added
                        2022-06-23
                        1959 06 29
                        Monday
                        .New York, N.Y.Harlem River
                        aboard
                        'Alexander Hamilton'
                        Birdland Boys Boatride and Dance
                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS [sic] DUKE ELLINGTON"
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          New York City - 'ALEXANDER HAMILTON' Boat, leaving from 41st pier up the Hudson River
                        • Hours of employment
                          9 P.M. to 1 A.M
                        • Type of engagement
                          Boatride - Dance
                        • Standard top billing clause
                        • Wage agreed upon: $1,650, deposit $825 payable to ABC 30 days prior to engagement, balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                        • *Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.*
                        • Employer: Birdland Boy's Club c/o Mr. Greggory [sic]
                        • Signed by Howard Gregory
                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 18, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                        • Stratemann p.417 citing Down Beat, 1959-06-11
                        • Vail II
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2014-10-18
                        2016-06-24
                        1959 06 30
                        Tuesday
                        .McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.N.C.O. Club
                        Dance
                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          N.C.O. Club, McGuire Air Force Base, near Trenton, N.J.
                        • Date(s) of employment
                          June 30th, 1959
                        • Hours of employment
                          8 p.m. to midnight
                        • Type of engagement
                          Dance
                        • Standard top billing clause
                        • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                        • Employer:
                          N.C.O. Club, McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey
                        • Signed by
                          [illegible]
                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 05 22, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 23
                        • Stratemann p.417
                        • Vail II
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-07-05

                        July 1959

                        1959 07 00...Personnel change
                        In early July, trumpeter Andres Merenguito "Fats" Ford rejoins the band
                        New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                        added 2012-10-23
                        1959 07 01
                        Wednesday
                        .Detroit, Mich.United Artists TheatrePeripheral event
                        The film Anatomy of a Murder, Michigan's "Product of the Year," had its official world première in Detroit July 1 at 8:30 p.m., preceded by one-hour parade at 7 p.m. The first car was to carry producer Otto Preminger and the state governor and his wife. The next car had Judge Voelker with the mayor and his wife and the third car was to carry Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Welch.
                        • There is no indication Ellington attended the opening.
                        • Daily Press, Escanaba, Mich.
                          • 1959-06-29 p.2
                        • Sunday News, New York, N.Y.
                          • 1959-06-28
                        • Chicago Daily Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                          • 1959-07-09 pt. 5 p.11
                          • 1959-07-10 pt. 5 p.14
                        • Stratemann pp 403-412 with photos
                        ..
                        djpNew
                        added
                        2012-01-11
                        updated
                        2022-06-23
                        1959 07 01
                        Wednesday
                        ...Personnel change
                        Sam Woodyard, drums, rejoins the band briefly
                        New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                        added 2012-10-25
                        1959 07 02
                        Thursday
                        ...activities not documented
                        ......
                        1959 07 03
                        Friday
                        .Old Orchard Beach, Me.Old Orchard Beach PierDancing
                        - see supplementary Ellington and Old Orchard Beach webpage
                        ....djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2013-07-09
                        2014-08-10
                        2016-06-27
                        2024-04-07
                        1959 07 04
                        Saturday
                        .Newport, R.I.Freebody ParkNewport Jazz Festival

                        Ticket prices ranged from $3 to $5 for evening performances.

                        Stratemann reports Ellington followed Errol Garner's trio, and the two units performed for 5 hours, finishing at 1:30 a.m. Down Beat praised the Ellington perormance.
                        Recorded concert:
                        Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
                        Personnel
                        • per New Desor and Girvan: Anderson, Baker, Marenguito, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Jackson, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Johnson, Woodyard, Greenwood, Bailey, and Jimmy Rushing.
                        • MacHare omits the vocalists - they are not on the Foxy or Emarchy LPs issued of the concert.
                        • Timner excludes Merenguito and Nielsen omits Jimmy Johnson
                        • Songs recorded:
                          • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                          • IDIOM '59 parts I, II and II
                          • Anatomy Of A Murder
                          • Rockin' in Rhythm
                          • Flirtibird
                          • Perdido
                          • Hand Me Down Love
                          • Cop-Out
                          • Flirtibird (Almost Cried)
                          • V.I.P. Boogie
                          • Jam With Sam
                          • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                          • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                          • St. Louis Blues
                          • Bill Bailey
                          • Basin Street Blues
                          • Skin Deep
                          • Launching Pad
                          • Jimmy's Blues (aka Goin' to Chicago)
                          • Sent For You Yesterday
                          • Hello, Little Boy (Hello, Little Girl)
                          • Love to Hear My Baby Call My Name
                          • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                          • Jones
                        • Several of these songs were performed more than once.
                        • Four concerts from Newport Jazz Festival were broadcast, Thursday, Friday, Saturday (Ellington) and Sunday at 11:15. The master of ceremonies was Mitch Miller.

                          The concert was one of four to be broadcast, according to

                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          Newport Jazz Festival — Newport, R.I.
                        • Date(s) of employment
                          July 4, 1959
                        • Hours of employment
                          8 p.m. to 12 midnight to appear in a concert — one show
                        • Standard top billing clause
                        • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 in cash to artist, night of engagement
                        • Employer: Newport Jazz Festival. Newport, R.I.
                        • Signed by G. Wien
                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                        • Village Voice, New York, N.Y., 1959-06-24 p.11
                        • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass., 1959-07-01 p.31
                        • Stratemann p.417
                        • Vail II
                        • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                          Ellingtonia.com
                        • MacHare:   A Duke Ellington Panorama
                        • Timner
                        • Ole J. Nielsen
                          Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                          Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                          , pp.206-207
                        • The Gazette, Montreal,P.Q.
                          1959-07-01 p.9
                        New Desor
                        DE5924
                        DEMS.djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-06-21
                        2019-10-28
                        2020-05-10
                        1959 07 05
                        Sunday
                        .New London, Conn.Danceland,
                        Ocean Beach Park
                        Dance
                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          Ocean Beach Park, New London, Conn.
                        • Date(s) of employment
                          July 5th, 1959
                        • Hours of employment
                          8:45 to 12:45 A.M. [hand printed]
                        • Standard top billing clause
                        • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guaranteed, privilege 60% gross receipts, payable in full in cash night of engagement
                        • Employer:
                          Charles Shribman. P.O. Box 287, Taunton, Massachusetts
                        • Signed by
                          Charles Shribman
                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 23, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                        • Stratemann p.417
                        • Vail II
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-06-27
                        1959 07 06
                        Monday
                        ...activities not documented
                        ......
                        1959 07 07
                        Tuesday
                        1959 07 12
                        Sunday
                        Lambertville, N.J.St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music Circus
                        Music Mountain
                        Concerts - The music circus was a tent with a circular stage and the audience seated all around it. The band sections faced each other, and soloists and singers had to slowly rotate to face the whole audience.

                        John Dankworth's band appeared during this engagement as well.

                        The Courier-Post, 1959-07-03:

                        'Jazz master Duke Ellington has offered to replace the ailing Louis Armstrong in a Jazz Concert at St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music Circus, Monday July 7-12. Musical tent producer Terrell has accepted the offer from Ellington...
                          Johnny Dankworth, English jazz man, and his musical organization will share the spotlight with the Duke during the seven-day jazz-fest... '

                        Ad, The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1959-07-05:

                        'OPENS TUES., JULY 7 THRU SUN. JULY 12
                        Eves. 8:40, Sun. 8:00, Sat. 6 & 9:30
                        DUKE ELLINGTON'S
                        Testimonial Concert to Louis Armstrong
                        and introducing Armstrong's British discovery
                        JOHNNY DANKWORTH And His Continental Jazz Orchestra
                        (Be Prepared for a Surprise Visit From "Satchmo" Himself.)'

                        The Daily Intelligencer, 1959-07-07:

                        'Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong has scheduled a special appearance at ...Music Circus...tonight, the opening night of the Duke Ellington Jazz Concert at Music Mountain.
                          For the opening program, Duke Ellington will play a program in tribute to "Satchmo." Paul Whiteman will act as Master of Ceremonies for the evening. In additon ... there will also be a jazz program by Johnny Dankworth and his Jazz Orchestra. Dankworth is a British discovery of Louis Armstrong.'

                        The Courier-Post reported Armstrong did not show up, and describes both the Dankworth and Ellington performances. Whiteman spoke a few words in tribute to Armstrong, and comedian Jack Leonard also appeared.

                        Chicago Defender:

                        '...  "Music Circus" was staged on a gamble by St. John Terrell and it paid off ... due to the socksational performances...Affair ran for a week and was witnessed by capacity jams at each performance...
                          The tented theatre provides a dramatic setting for the presentation of jazz. Terrell seated the orchesra "in the round" on the circular stage.
                          The various sections are seated facing each other. Soloists and vocalists have some difficulty when they face the mike. They have to revolve slowly as they perform so that all members of the audience can see their faces.
                          The arena-style arangement provided at least one effective bit. On the stirring "El Gato," featuring high-note trumpeter "Cat" Anderson, the four Ellington trumpeters, all top-flight soloists, faced the audience from four different points, yet blew in perfect harmony.'


                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. presents DUKE ELLINGTON"
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          Lambertville Music Circus, Lambertville, N.J.
                        • Date(s) of employment
                          commencing July 7th, 1959, 8 shows (2 shows August 31, 1959, one week, 8 shows (2 shows Sat.)
                        • Hours of employment
                          6:00 PM & 9:30 PM and 2 shows either Friday or Sunday, six consecutive days.
                        • Wage agreed upon: $8,500 guarantee plus 50% of all monies over $22,500 gross, exclusive of federal and local taxes. Deposit $4,250 immediately upon signing of contract, balance upon completion of engagement.
                        • Employer:
                          Tom Reddy, General Manager, Lambertville Music Cirus, c/o St. John Terrell, 160 W.46th St., New York City
                        • Signed by
                          Tom Reddy
                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 06 26, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 24
                        • Courier-Post, Camden, N.J.
                          • 1959-07-03 p.7
                          • 1959-07-08 p.18
                          • 1959-07-08 p.20
                        • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn. 1959-07-05 pp.11, 14
                        • Trenton Sunday Times-Advertiser, Trenton, N.J., 1959-07-05 Pt. 2 p.8
                        • Bristol Courier and Levittown Times, Bristol, Penn.,
                          • 1959-07-07 p.7
                          • 1959-07-08 pp.5, 14
                        • The Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, Penn.
                          • 1959-07-07
                          • 1959-07-08 pp.1, 14
                        • Tucson Daily Citizen, Tucson, Ariz., 1959-07-08 p.17
                        • "Duke Ellington Left Jerseyites In Groovy Mood," Chicago Defender 1959-07-25 p.15
                        • Stratemann p.417
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2012-01-10
                        2016-07-03
                        1959 07 08
                        Wednesday
                        .Lambertville, N.J.St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music Circussee 1959 07 07.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 09
                        Thursday
                        .Lambertville, N.J.St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music Circussee 1959 07 07.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 10
                        Friday
                        ... Peripheral event
                        "Anatomy Of A Murder" cue sheet #18.596 prepared
                        Phil Schaap:

                        '...totally separate recordings of the Maestro's score. Duke recorded most of it for Columbia Records ... at Radio Recorders on May 29, June 1, & June 2, 1959. A few days later, the Duke Ellington Orchestra started all over again recording for Columbia Pictures. The original album freely chose... from these two different sets of recordings. I suspect the filmmakers had the same option,yet I believe the film score contains nothing from the first three dates...
                        ...the July 1, 1959 premiere of the film had already been announced and advertised...'

                        Schaap goes on to say that the film used recordings of film stings and cues from the May 29 record company session, and since usable masters had not come out of those sessions, the LP used recordings made for the film. The cue sheet appears to support this explanation.
                        Phil Schaap, booklet to Columbia/Legacy compact disc CK 65569, Duke Ellington / Anatomy Of A Murder, pp.24-27..DEMSdjpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2014-10-16
                        2020-05-10
                        1959 07 10
                        Friday
                        ..Date of new Columbia Records Artist Contract with Duke Ellington, Inc. The artist contract is shown as "pending" on the Artist Job Sheets for sessions through 1959 12 03. This was Ellington's final Columbia contract, and would expire in 1962.
                      • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                      • ...slNew
                        added 2014-10-18
                        1959 07 10
                        Friday
                        .Lambertville, N.J.St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music CircusConcerts 8:30 and midnight - see 1959 07 07

                        Courier-Post:

                        'Duke Ellington and his orchestra will give a special midnight jazz concert at St. John Terrell's Music Circus in Lambertville tonight.
                          Johnny Dankworth and his Continental Jazz Orchestra...will share the spotlight ... at the midnight jazz fest. The two orchestras who enter their final weekend at the Music Mountain big top with tonight's regular 8:30 concert, will also perform at 6 and 9:30 p,m, Saturday and give their final concert Sunday evening at 8 p.m.'

                        Courier-Post, Camden, N.J. 1959-07-10 p.12...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-06-30
                        1959 07 11
                        Saturday
                        .Lambertville, N.J.St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music CircusConcerts, 6:00 and 9:30 p.m. - see 1959 07 07 and 1959 07 10

                        Kenny Clare, the drummer with Johnny Dankworth's orchestra, sat in with Ellington's band. Clare:

                        'The night I played with Duke Ellington on 11 July 1959, at Lambertville, New Jersey, was a unique experience I will never forget. After a couple of numbers I really started to become aware of the band. But the most exhilarating feeling of all was Duke's own playing. He must surely be the best big band piano player ever. When he plays those end-of-the-piano chords he makes it sound like another section has arrived. It really makes you jump and he doesn't ever do it where you'd expect. But surely one of the best musical moments of my life was when Duke announced, Ladies and Gentlemen - Kenny Clare wants vou to know he loves you madly!'

                        S.Lasker Email Lasker/Palmquist 2023-05-18 citing Clare in Nicholson, Reminiscing in Tempo, p. 321...Courier-Post, Camden, N.J.Added
                        2011
                        updated
                        2023-05-20
                        1959 07 12
                        Sunday
                        .Lambertville, N.J.St. John Terrell's Lambertville Music CircusConcert 8 p.m. - see 1959 07 07 and 1959 07 10....djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-06-30
                        1959 07 13
                        Monday
                        ...activities not documented
                        ......
                        1959 07 14
                        Tuesday
                        ...activities not documented
                        ......
                        Circa
                        1959 07 15
                        to circa
                        1959 08 09
                        .Chicago, Ill.?.In September 1959, Bob Thiele's Signature Records released "I'm Gonna Go Fishing" and "A Hundred Dreams From Now," sung by his wife, Jane Harvey (nee Phyllis Taff, 1925-2013), with orchestra(s) directed by Don Elliott (Fishing) and Billy Strayhorn (Dreams).

                        The 2012 Little Jazz Bird CD The Undiscovered Jane Harvey has 25 titles recorded with Ms Harvey, the first three being "A Hundred Dreams from Now," "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues," and "I'm Gonna Go Fishing," crediting Dreams and Nothin' to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Billy Strayhorn, piano. Nothin' has a false start, interrupted by Duke, who then counts Ms Harvey in.

                        These tracks were probably recorded in Chicago sometime between July 15 and August 9, but further research is needed to confirm session details.

                        It seems likely all three titles were recorded in the same session. When Ellington spoke, someone else said "track five," suggesting there may have been other material recorded during this session as well.
                        Thiele,Strayhorn,Ellington,Harvey
                        The Cash Box 1959 09 19
                        Click to Enlarge
                        • Christopher Loudon in Jazz Times says Thiele brought Ms Harvey to an Ellington session he was overseeing in Chicago, where she unexpectedly sang "A Hundred Dreams From Now" and "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'" with Strayhorn on piano.
                        • The Cash Box:

                          'NEW YORK–Signature Records is scheduling an interesting record for release this week. It is the main title theme from "Anatomy Of A Murder", written by Duke Ellington. Lyrics by Peggy Lee have been added and the new title is "I'm Gonna Go Fishin'". Jane Harvey recorded it with Billy Strayhorn and his orchestra. This photograph was taken at the actual recording session. Shown from left to right are: Signature prexy, Bob Thiele, Billy Strayhorn, Ellington and Miss Harvey.'

                        • A cropped version of this photo was offered for sale on eBay in March 2022 as an original print. The vendor says the photo was published in a magazine in 1960, but did not identify the publication. A "caption" superimposed on the picture says:

                          'This action picture ... shows Bob Thiele, Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington and Jane Harvey. Ex-Goodman singer, Miss Harvey, made a come-back to the record scene last month with two songs by Duke: "I'm gonna go fishing" and "A hundred dreams from now." Peggy Lee wrote the lyrics fo "Fishing" to the "Anatomy of Murder" theme, while the second (with a Billy Strayhorn orchestra) is in association with Johnny Burke.'

                        • Brian Koller in Duke-LYM 2022-03-28:

                          'Jane Harvey also recorded "I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues", presumably at the same session. Duke can be heard (in the role of producer) at the beginning of the recording. That title, and "A Hundred Dreams From Now", are the first two tracks on the CD "The Undiscovered Jane Harvey" followed by "I'm Gonna Go Fishing"'

                          and

                          'Ellington's direction can be heard a few seconds into the recording. Ellington was in Chicago in August 1959 for the Playboy Jazz Festival and a gig at the Blue Note.'

                        • The Discogs.com listing appears to say the record was released September 19.
                        ...SL, BKNew
                        added
                        2022-03-23
                        updated
                        2022-03-30
                        1959 07 15
                        Wednesday
                        circa 1959 08 09Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see contract detail at 1959 03 30
                        The contract called for 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, for four weeks beginning July 15th, and for the usual 32 hour, 5-day week with Sunday matinees, and Mondays and Tuesdays off. This residency replaced the May 6 residency which was postponed due to Ellington's Anatomy of a Murder commitments.
                        • Note the contract made March 30 was for four weeks, which ends Aug. 11 rather than Aug. 7 as shown in Stratemann. Attached to the contract copies are slips of paper saying:

                          'NOTICE TO THE ARTIST: LOCAL 108 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS POSITIVELY YOUR MAKING ANY OUTSIDE APPEARANCES SUCH AS RADIO INTERVIEWS, DISK JOCKEY SHOWS OR TV SHOWS WITHOUT SPECIAL PERMISSION. GOVERN YOURSELF ACCORDINGLY.'

                          While the contracted period ended Aug. 11, the last two days were Monday and Tuesday, so the run really ended Aug. 9.
                        • Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 04 for the May engagement, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                        • Chicago Defender, 1959-07-18 p.14
                        • Stratemann p.417 citing Variety 1959-06-17 p.47
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2014-10-18
                        2016-06-25
                        1959 07 16
                        Thursday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 17
                        Friday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 18
                        Saturday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 19
                        Sunday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15
                        Matinee and evening performances
                        .....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 20
                        Monday
                        .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented - Blue Note night off.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 21
                        Tuesday
                        .Winnetka, Ill.M.Hayes Estate......Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 21
                        Tuesday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15 - night off.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 22
                        Wednesday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 23
                        Thursday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 24
                        Friday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 25
                        Saturday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15

                        (The Ellington collection contains a booking this date for the Toronto Jaz Festival, marked Cancel.)
                        Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20.....Added
                        2011
                        Updated
                        2016-06-22
                        1959 07 26
                        Sunday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15
                        Matinee and evening performances
                        .....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 27
                        Monday
                        .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented - Blue Note night off.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 28
                        Tuesday
                        .Chicago, Ill.George Bernard Shaw Room
                        Hotel Sherman
                        "Duke Ellington, noted jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, will entertain the 400 college fashion counselors and store executives who will be guests of THE TRIBUNE at its 10th annual college mixer..."

                        'A dame and a duke teamed up Tuesday to roll out a carpet of fun for 350 cheering collegians. The dame's name is Fashion, the duke's known as Ellington..'

                        Neither the plug or report in the Tribune say whether or not the band or any sidemen appeared with Ellington, but the Jet caption just refers to his piano playing. This was a night off from The Blue Note.
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2014-11-30
                        2016-06-15
                        2016-07-03
                        1959 07 29
                        Wednesday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 30
                        Thursday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 07 31
                        Friday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011

                        August 1959

                        1959 08 01
                        Saturday
                        .Chicago, Ill.South ParkwayAccording to the caption of a photo from the Chicago Defender archives, Ellington was the headline act of the annual Bud Biliken Parade.

                        The Defender had a children's section called Defender Junior, with a fictional editor named Bud Billiken, sponsoring the Bud Billiken club for children. In 1929, the paper sponsored the first annual Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic. The annual parade became one of the largest gatherings of Afro-Americans in the USA, attracting national celebrities such as Duke Ellington.

                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2013-05-20
                        2019-08-08
                        1959 08 01
                        Saturday
                        1959 08 07
                        Friday
                        Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclub....NDCS 1020.Added
                        2011
                        1959 08 01
                        Saturday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 08 02
                        Sunday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15
                        Matinee and evening performances


                        Ellington was booked to appear at George Wein's French Lick Jazz Festival but had to cancel when he rescheduled The Blue Note run. The Smithsonian Ellington collection includes a cancelled contract for the festival and the Anderson and Evansville papers carried announcements in May saying Ellington was signed for it.
                        • Cancelled Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                        • Anderson Sunday Herald, Anderson, Ind., 1959-05-10 p.13
                        • The Evansville Courier, Evansville,Ind. 1959-05-09 p.5
                        ...djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-06-21
                        2016-07-04
                        1959 08 03
                        Monday
                        .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented - Blue Note night off.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 08 04
                        Tuesday
                        .Chicago, Ill..activities not documented - Blue Note night off.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 08 05
                        Wednesday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 08 06
                        Thursday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15.....Added
                        2011
                        1959 08 07
                        Friday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15....djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2016-06-24
                        1959 08 08
                        Saturday
                        .Chicago, Ill.Chicago StadiumPlayboy Jazz Festival
                        Stratemann and Vail say the Ellington orchestra played two sets Saturday evening, including one with Jimmy Rushing, but the Milwaukee Journal's review has our heroes playing in the afternoon:

                        'And Friday night for example, the lineup included Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Brubeck, Kay Winding, Dakota Staton and Miles Davis. There aren't many bigger names in jazz. Saturday afternoon the cast included Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, the Dukes of Dixieland and Jimmy Giuffre. Saturday night the stars were Basie's big band again,the Ahmed Jamal trio, Jack Teagarden's All-Stars and Earl Bostic...'


                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians and 1 vocalist led by "Duke Ellington, Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          South Bowl, Soldiers Field Chicago - Chicago Stadium [in a different type-face]
                        • Date(s) of employment
                          Aug. 8, 1959 - between 2 and 5:30 p.m.
                        • ARTIST TO RECEIVE EQUAL BILLING WITH ANY OTHER ARTISTS ON BILL
                          If NBC Monitor picks up the Festival, artist agrees to perform without additional charge. If, however, artist appears on network television during this Festival, it is understood artist shall be paid an additional sum equal to contract price.

                          It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                        • [A second copy of this contract appears to have a rubber-stamped standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules, but it is not clear enough to read on the photographed copy at hand.]
                        • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 to be paid upon completion of engagement.
                        • Employer:
                          The Playboy Jazz Festivals, Inc., 232 E. Ohio St., Chicago
                        • Two slightly different Associated Booking Corporation contracts dated 1959 03 26, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                        • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill., 1959-07-26 Pt.7 p.10
                        • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee,Wisc.,
                        • Stratemann p.417 citing
                          • Variety 1959-08-12 p.7
                          • Down Beat 1959-09-03 p.19
                        • Vail II
                        New Desor
                        DE5925
                        DEMS.djpAdded
                        2011
                        updated
                        2012-08-26
                        2014-10-18
                        2016-06-25
                        2016-07-03
                        2020-05-10
                        1959 08 09
                        Sunday
                        .Chicago, Ill.The Blue NoteNight club residency - see 1959 07 15
                        Matinee and evening performances
                        Recorded for the Roulette label.
                        .
                        • DE5926
                        • DE5927
                        DEMScorrTimner-4/28.Added
                        2011
                        updated
                        2014-10-18
                        2020-05-10
                        1959 08 10
                        Monday
                        .Fruitport, Mich.Fruitport PavilionAppears to be dancing, 9 to 1.

                        (Blue Note night off)
                        Contract terms:
                        • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON in person"
                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                          Fruitport Pavilion, Fruitport, Michigan
                        • Date(s) of employment
                          Monday, August 10, 1959
                        • Hours of employment
                          9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                        • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                        • Wage agreed upon: $850, privilege 60%, payable in cash to Duke Ellington or Al Celley at intermission nite [sic] of engagement
                        • Employer:
                          Frank Lockage, Fruitport Pavilion, Fruitport, Michigan
                        • Signed by
                          Frank Lockage
                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 07 22, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                            , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 25
                          • Stratemann p.417
                          • Vail II
                          ...djpAdded
                          2011
                          updated
                          2016-07-06
                          1959 08 11
                          Tuesday
                          ...activities not documented
                          This was the last day of the 4 weeks of the Blue Note contract, but Monday and Tuesday were scheduled days off. It seems as if the band played the Blue Note until Sunday and then moved on.
                          .....New
                          added 2014-10-18
                          1959 08 12
                          Wednesday
                          .Bala, Ont.Dunn's PavilionContract terms:
                          • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON"
                          • Hours of employment
                            9 P.M. to 1 A.M.
                          • DUKE ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% TO HEADLINE BILLING
                          • Wage agreed upon: $1,200 American funds, privilege 50% gross admission admission [sic] receipt & less tax, deposit $600 payable to ABC 30 days prior to engagement, balance to artist night of engagement
                          • Employer:
                            Gerry Dunn, Dunn's Pavilion, Bala, Ontario
                          • Signed by G.P.Dunn
                          .
                          • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 08, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                          • Stratemann p.417
                          • Vail II
                          ....Added
                          2011
                          updated
                          2016-06-27
                          1959 08 13
                          Thursday
                          1959 08 14
                          Friday
                          Bigwin Island
                          Lake of Bays
                          Ont.
                          Bigwin InnDancing

                          Stratemann and Vail show Big Wig Inn in Huntsville, Ontario. The venue name is Bigwin Inn according to an autographed poster for the event. It is on an island about 2 hours north of Toronto and served by a landing that is about 30 kilometres by road from Huntsville. Local maps, a postcard and local history websites also say Bigwin Inn.

                          An autographed poster has the signatures of Ellington, Strayhorn, Greenwood, Jackson, Anderson, Terry, Procope, Hamilton, Nance, Ellington and Carney, band boy Bobby Boyd, and possibly others that are illegible. It shows the admission was $2.50 per person on Thursday and $3.00 on Friday.
                          Contract terms:
                          • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                          • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                            Big Winn [sic] Inn, Big Winn [sic], Ontario, Canada
                          • Date(s) of employment
                            August 13th, 14th, 1959
                          • Hours of employment
                            [illegible] to 1 a.m. nightly
                          • Type of engagement
                            Dances
                          • Standard top billing clause
                          • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 flat, currency not specified, deposit $1,500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement (which of the 2 nights is not specified)
                          • Employer:
                            Frank Leslie, Big Winn Inn, Big Winn, Ontario, Canada
                          • Signed by
                            Frank Leslie
                          ...djpAdded
                          2011
                          updated
                          2016-07-06
                          1959 08 14
                          Friday
                          .Bigwin Island
                          Lake of Bays
                          Ont.
                          Bigwin Innsee 1959 08 13....djpAdded
                          2011
                          updated
                          2016-07-06
                          1959 08 15
                          Saturday
                          .Detroit, Mich.Symphony Shell
                          Michigan State Fairgrounds
                          Detroit Jazz Festival.
                          Contract terms:
                          • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                          • Hours of employment
                            "to appear in a concert - one show - starting time 8:30 p.m."
                          • Standard top billing clause
                          • Artist is not to appear in any jazz festival withing radius of 50 miles 60 days prior [sic] to this festival.
                          • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 payable in cash to artist night of engagement
                          • Employer:
                            Ed Sarkesian
                          • Signed by Ed Sarkesian
                          • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 03 13, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 21
                          • Stratemann p.417
                          • Vail II
                          ...djpAdded
                          2011
                          updated
                          2014-10-18
                          2016-06-25
                          1959 08 16
                          Sunday
                          .Dayton, OhioSkatemoor Arena
                          or Greystone Ballroom
                          Dance 21:00-01:00. Stratemann and Vail locate this at the Skatemoor Arena, but the contract is for the Greystone Ballroom.
                          Contract terms:
                          • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                          • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                            Greystone Ballroom, Dayton, Ohio
                          • Date(s) of employment
                            August 16th, 1959
                          • Hours of employment
                            9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                          • Type of engagement
                            Dance
                          • Standard top billing clause
                          • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 guaranteed, privilege 60% gross receipts, deposit $625 payable on signing balance in cash night of engagement
                          • Employer:
                            Edward Parsons, 330 West 3rd St., Dayton, Ohio
                          • Signed by
                            Edward Parsons
                          • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 06 25, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 24
                          • Stratemann p.417 citing DESB
                          • Vail II
                          ...djpAdded
                          2011
                          updated
                          2014-10-18
                          2016-07-04
                          1959 08 17
                          Monday
                          .Newport, Ky.Copa Club
                          [possibly 333] Central Avenue
                          Contract terms:
                          • 15 musicians and 1 vocalist led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, Inc.,presents DUKE ELLINGTON, in Person"
                          • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                            Copa Club, 333 Central Avenue, Newport, Kentucky
                          • Date(s) of employment
                            Monday August 17, 1959
                          • Hours of employment
                            Three Shows, in accordance with House Policy schedule, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 1 a.m.
                          • Standard top billing clause
                          • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                          • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 guarantee, with 50% gof all gross door charges over $2,500 at rate of $2,00 per person admission charge. Deposit $625. Balance if $625, plus overages, to be paid in cash no later than 10 p.m.
                          • Employer:
                            Mr. Dave Bellagamba
                            333 Central Avenue, Newport, Kentucky
                          • Signed by
                            [illegible] Bellagamba
                          • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 06 19, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                              , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 24
                            • Stratemann p.417 citing The Billboard 1959-08-03 p.24
                            • Vail II
                            ....Added
                            2011
                            updated
                            2014-10-18
                            2016-07-04
                            1959 08 18
                            Tuesday
                            1959 08 19Columbus, OhioCiro's ClubContract terms:
                            • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                              Ciro's Club, Columbus, Ohio
                            • Date(s) of employment
                              August 18th, 19th, 1959
                            • Hours of employment
                              10p.m. to 2 a.m.
                            • Type of engagement
                              Dancing
                            • Standard top billing clause
                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,750 guaranteed, privilege 70% gross door receipts @$2.00 per person net, payable in full in cash end of engagement
                            • Employer:
                              Ciro's Club, Columbus, Ohio
                            • Signed by
                              Alex Clowsen
                            Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 05 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                              , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 23
                              ....Added
                              2011
                              updated
                              2016-07-05
                              1959 08 19
                              Wednesday
                              .Columbus, OhioCiro's Clubsee 1959 08 18.....Added
                              2011
                              1959 08 20
                              Thursday
                              ...activities not documented
                              ......
                              1959 08 21
                              Friday
                              .Erie, Penn.Waldemeer's Rainbow GardensThis appears to be a dance originally booked for August 7. There are two contracts, one for that date and one for August 21. The Oil City Derrick ads show another band on August 7 and Ellington two weeks later, on August 21.
                              Contract terms:
                              • 15 musicians and vocalist led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON"
                              • Date(s) of employment
                                August 7th, 1959
                              • Hours of employment
                                9 p.m. to 1 a.m. DST
                              • Type of engagement
                                Dance
                              • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guaranteed, privilege 50% of gross receipts payable in cash in full night of engagement
                              • Employer: Paul Nelson, Waldameer Beach Park, Erie, Penna.
                              • Signed by P.F.Nelson
                              • Two Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 18 and 1959 03 30, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folders 20 and 21 respectively
                              • The Derrick, Oil City-Franklin-Clarion, Penn.:
                                • 1959-08-04 p.4
                                • 1959-08-14 p.11
                                • 1959-08-18 p.4
                              • Stratemann p.417
                              • Vail II
                              ...djpAdded
                              2011
                              updated
                              2016-06-24
                              2016-06-25
                              1959 08 22
                              Saturday
                              .New York, N.Y.Randall's IslandRandall's Island Jazz Festival

                              Ellington was to appear on the second night of the three day festival. Performers listed for this evening's program, starting at 8:30, were:
                              • Duke Ellington & Orch.
                              • Dinah Washington
                              • Chico Hamilton Quintet
                              • Al Cohn Zoot Sims quintet
                              • Ramsey Lewis Trio
                              • Chris Connor
                              • Art Blakey Quentet
                              • Thelonius Monk & 10 pc. orchestra

                              Contract terms:
                              • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                              • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                Randalls Island Jazz Festival, N.Y.C., N.Y.
                              • Date(s) of employment
                                August 22, 1959
                              • Hours of employment
                                to appear in concert - one show 8:30 p.m.
                              • Type of engagement
                                Dance* Concert*
                              • Standard top billing clause
                              • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 in cash to artist night of engagement
                              • Riders:
                                • In case of rain between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Ellington and his orchestra will appear Aug. 23 betweeen 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and at no other time.
                                • If it does not rain between 8:30 and 9:30 but rains after 9:30, Ellington and his orchestra will be paid in full and won't have to appear on August 23.
                                • Ellington will not play another jazz festival in the State of New York from 30 days prior to play date to 10 days following the play date.
                              • Employer:
                                Franklin Geltman
                                Randalls Island Jazz Festivalk, Inc.
                              • Signed by
                                Franklin Geltman
                              • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 29, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                                  , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                                • Long Island Star-Journal, Long Island, N.Y., 1959-08-14 p.7
                                • Stratemann p.417
                                ...djpAdded
                                2011
                                updated
                                2014-10-18
                                2016-07-03
                                2016-07-05
                                1959 08 23
                                Sunday
                                .Boston, Mass.Fenway ParkBoston Jazz Festival
                                George Wein held three jazz festivals this summer - Toronto (July 22-25), Boston and French Lick (July 30-August 2). Ellington was unable to play the earlier two because they were during his rescheduled Blue Note date.

                                The stadium had a covered grandstand and accommodated 11,000. All tickets were reserved seating; priced at $2.65, $3.75 and $4.85, box seats were $5.75
                                Contract terms:
                                • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                                • Hours of employment
                                  "to appear in a concert - one show"
                                • Standard top billing clause
                                • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 payable in cash to artist, night of engagement
                                • Employer:
                                  Boston Jazz Festival
                                • Signed by George T. Wein
                                • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 02 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 20
                                • Ad, Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass., 1959-08-20 p.39
                                • Ad, Boston Eve. American, Boston, Mass., 1959-08-20 p.48
                                • Stratemann p.418
                                • Vail II
                                ...djpAdded
                                2011
                                updated
                                2014-10-18
                                2016-06-22
                                2016-07-03
                                1959 08 24
                                Monday
                                ...Date of contract between "Mr. Frank Holzfeind The Blue Note," Duke Ellington, Inc. and Associated Booking Corporation to provide 15 musicians and 1 vocalist, led by "Duke Ellington Inc., presents Duke Ellington" to the Blue Note for four weeks beginning December 16, 1959, with the usual 32 hour, 5-day week with Sunday matinees, with Mondays and Tuesdays off but says the week of December 21st, the offnights are subject to change.The fee remains at $5,000 weekly.

                                This contract includes the same headline billing and recording/broadcasting provisions, but even though the contract says the union local is no. 802, it has an attached notice to the artist saying "Local 208 (sic)American Federation of Musicians positively prohibits your making any outside appearances, such as radio interviews, disc jockey shows or TV shows without special permission. Govern yourself accordingly."
                                Contract,
                                • Stratemann files, courtesy Monika Stratemann
                                • Associated Booking Corporation contract, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                                    , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 26
                                  ...djpNew
                                  added
                                  2012-11-03
                                  updated
                                  2016-07-06
                                  1959 08 24
                                  Monday
                                  .Monticello, N.Y.Kutshers Country ClubConcert
                                  Contract terms:
                                  • 15 musicians and one vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA"
                                  • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                    Kutsher's Country Club, Monticello, New York
                                  • Date(s) of employment
                                    August 24
                                  • Hours of employment
                                    One concert at approximately 9:00 PM
                                  • Standard top billing clause
                                  • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat, deposit $500 on signing, balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                                  • Employer:
                                    Milton Kutsher, Kutshers Country Club, Monticello, N.Y.
                                  • Signed by
                                    Milton Kutsher
                                  • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 07 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                                      , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 25
                                    • Stratemann p.418 citing Variety 1959-08-05 p.63
                                    • Vail II
                                    ...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2014-10-18
                                    1959 08 25
                                    Tuesday
                                    1959 08 30
                                    Sunday
                                    Concordville, Penn.Brandywine Music Circus
                                    U.S. Routes 1 and 202
                                    Concert, tent theatre-in-the-round

                                    Although the contract says Brandywynne Music Circus in Brandywynne, Pa., ads show it as Brandywine Music Circus in Concordville, located at a junction at the northern edge of that city.
                                    Impresario and actor St. John ("Sinjin") Terrell invented tent theatres, his first being in Lambertville, N.J. He owned several, and his concept was widely copied. Vail notes that this was his third music circus.

                                    During his appearance, he spoke with Daily Times columnist Bill Kagler, who summarized Duke's history, successes and thoughts in his December column.
                                    This contract and the contract for Neptune (see 1959 08 31) were both dated April 29, and the original typed performance dates were x-ed over and new dates added. The June announcements in the Wilmington papers said Ellington was to start Aug. 18.

                                    Contract terms:
                                    • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                    • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                      Brandywynne [sic] Music Circus, Brandywynne [sic], Pa.
                                    • Date(s) of employment
                                      August 25th, 1959, six days, seven shows (2 shows Saturday, 6 PM and 9:30 PM)
                                    • Standard top billing clause
                                    • Wage agreed upon: $10,500 guarantee, deposit $5,250 payable 10 days prior to commencement of engagement, balance upon completion of engagement.
                                    • *Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.*
                                    • Employer:
                                      Tom Reddy, General Manager, Brandywynne [sic] Music Cirus, c/o St. John Terrell, 160 W.46th St., New York City
                                    • Signed by
                                      Tom Reddy
                                    • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 29, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                                    • Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn., 1959-08-25 p.17
                                    • Journal-Every Evening, Wilmington, Del.,
                                      • 1959-06-10 p.41
                                      • 1959-08-20 p.29
                                      • 1959-08-25 p.40
                                      • David B.Kozinski, review, "Duke Ellington," 1959-08-26 p.s. B p.27
                                    • Wilmington Morning News, Wilmington, Del.,
                                      • 1959-06-20 p.12
                                      • 1959-06-26 p.3
                                      • 1959-08-24 p.13
                                      • 1959-08-26 p.36
                                      • Betty Burroughs review, 1959-08-26 s.B p.11
                                    • Bill Kagler, Sounds and Sides, Daily Times, Chester, Penn., 1959-12-18 p.5
                                    • Stratemann pp.418, 384
                                    ...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-06-29
                                    1959 08 26
                                    Wednesday
                                    .Concordville, Penn.Brandywine Music Circussee 1959 08 25......Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 08 27
                                    Thursday
                                    .Concordville, Penn.Brandywine Music Circussee 1959 08 25......Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 08 28
                                    Friday
                                    .Concordville, Penn.Brandywine Music Circussee 1959 08 25......Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 08 29
                                    Saturday
                                    .Concordville, Penn.Brandywine Music Circussee 1959 08 25......Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 08 30
                                    Sunday
                                    .Concordville, Penn.Brandywine Music Circussee 1959 08 25.

                                    The 3 p.m. Ellington performance was cancelled becuse of storm warnings. While extreme weather caused flooded roads and power outages north of Concordville, only a few drops of rain fell at the venue.
                                    Journal-Every Evening, Wilmington, Del., 1959-08-31 pp.1,3...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-06-30
                                    1959 08 31
                                    Monday
                                    1959 09 06Neptune, N.J. Neptune Music CircusConcert, tent theatre-in-the-round

                                    It isn't clear what the contract requires. It says 8 shows but then says 7 consecutive days with 2 shows on Saturday and 2 shows either Friday or Sunday, a total of 9 performances. Neptune is close to Asbury Park; Vail notes that this was impresario St. John Terrell's third music circus.
                                    This contract and the contract for Brandywine (see 1959 08 25) were both dated April 29, and the original performance dates were altered.

                                    The Asbury Park Evening Press gave the performace a good review, and mentioned Dual [sic] Fuel was played as a solo for two drums, with Sam Woodyard and Jimmy Jones. Other band members named in the article were vocalists Greenwood and Bailey and soloists Hodges, Carney, Woode, Hamilton, Nance.
                                    Contract terms:
                                    • 15 musicians led by "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. presents DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                    • Date(s) of employment
                                      August 31, 1959, one week, 8 shows (2 shows Sat., 6 PM & 9:30 PM 2 shows either Friday or Sunday, seven consecutive days.
                                    • Standard top billing clause
                                    • Wage agreed upon: $8,500 guarantee plus 50% of all monies over $22,500 gross. Deposit $3,500 ten days prior to commencement of engagement, balance upon completion of engagement.
                                    • Employer:
                                      Tom Reddy, General Manager, Neptune Music Cirus, c/o St. John Terrell, 160 W.46th St., New York City
                                    • Signed by
                                      Tom Reddy
                                    • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 04 29, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 22
                                    • Baltimore Afro-American, 1959-05-30 p.15
                                    • Asbury Park Evening Press or Sunday Press, as the case may be, Asbury Park, N.J.
                                      • 1959-05-19 p.6
                                      • 1959-05-24 p.14
                                      • 1959-06-07 p.12
                                      • 1959-08-29 p.9
                                      • 1959-09-01 pp.1, 8
                                    • Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1959-05-30 p.24
                                    • Stratemann p.418
                                    • Vail II
                                    ...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-06-29

                                    September 1959

                                    1959 09 01
                                    Tuesday
                                    .Neptune, N.J.Neptune Music Circussee 1959 08 31.....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 02
                                    Wednesday
                                    .Neptune, N.J.Neptune Music Circussee 1959 08 31.....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 03
                                    Thursday
                                    .Neptune, N.J.Neptune Music Circussee 1959 08 31.....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 04
                                    Friday
                                    .Neptune, N.J.Neptune Music Circussee 1959 08 31.....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 05
                                    Saturday
                                    .Neptune, N.J.Neptune Music Circussee 1959 08 31

                                    special midnight performance as well as the regular 9:30 performance.
                                    Asbury Park Evening Press, Asbury Park, N.J., 1959-09-05 p.14...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-06-30
                                    1959 09 06
                                    Sunday
                                    .Neptune, N.J.Neptune Music CircusFinal performance, 8:30 p.m. - see 1959 08 31Asbury Park Evening Press, Asbury Park, N.J., 1959-09-05 p.14....Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-06-30
                                    1959 09 07
                                    Monday
                                    Labour Day
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 09 07
                                    Monday
                                    Labour Day
                                    ...Personnel change
                                    Trombonist Mitchell ("Booty") Wood joined to replace John Sanders but did not play the Sept. 8 session because he didn't know the book yet. DEMS says Sanders stayed until Sept. 10 and played the Sept. 9 session.

                                    Lasker:

                                    The first nights Wood played with the band were on 1959 08 16 in Dayton and 1959 08 17 in Newport KY as he relates in The World of Duke Ellington on p. 201

                                    • Stratemann p.418
                                    • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2023-06-15
                                    .DEMS..Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2014-10-18
                                    2020-05-10
                                    2023-11-10
                                    1959 09 08
                                    Tuesday
                                    .New York, N.Y.Columbia 30th Street studiosColumbia recording session for the Festival Session LP
                                    09:00-12:00
                                    Columbia's files don't name the session producer but the liner notes were by Irving Townsend (email, Lasker-Palmquist 2019-08-03).
                                    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                    Anderson, Baker, Marenguito, Cook, Terry, Nance, Woodman, Sanders, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Jackson, Jimmy Johnson, Woodyard
                                    Lambert says Jimmy Woode was late, so Jackson played bass during Duael Fuel while Terry covered his trombone part on flugelhorn. New Desor and Nielsen show Jackson back on trombone for the first movement of Idiom, with Joe Benjamin (not mentioned by Lambert) on bass. Both have Woode on bass for the second and third movements and the rest of the session.
                                    Titles recorded:
                                    • DUAEL FUEL (Duael Fuel uses two drummers)
                                      • Part I
                                      • Part II
                                      • Part III
                                    • IDIOM '59
                                      • Part I (titled Vapor)
                                      • Part II (untitled)
                                      • Part III (untitled)
                                    • Launching Pad
                                    • Cop-Out
                                    • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                                    • V.I.P. Boogie
                                    • Jam With Sam
                                    • Perdido
                                    Since union rules dictated a maximum of 4 selections recorded in three hours constituted a three hour session, the men were paid for three sessions. It isn't clear if Benjamin and Woode were paid for three, or if Jackson was paid extra for doubling.
                                    New Desor
                                    DE5928
                                    DEMS..Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2014-10-18
                                    2014-11-21
                                    2019-08-09
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 09 09
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 09 10
                                    Thursday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 09 10
                                    Thursday
                                    ...Personnel changes
                                    • John Sanders leaves the band to enter a seminary to train to be a priest. He will be recorded with the band again in August 1963 and August 1967.
                                    • Harold "Shorty" Baker leaves the band to form his own group.
                                    • Singer Ozzie Bailey leaves the band, rejoining when it returned from Europe. Whether his employment was terminated or he just took time off needs to be determined.
                                    • Sam Woodyard, drums, leaves the band
                                    • New Desor vol.2
                                    • Stratemann p.418
                                    • Jet 1959-12-31 p.60
                                    .DEMS.djpadded
                                    2012-10-25
                                    updated
                                    2016-07-02
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 09 11
                                    Friday
                                    .New York, N.Y.First Class Lounge
                                    S.S. United States
                                    Dockside, Pier 86
                                    Hudson River at 46th St.
                                    At 10:15 a.m., Benny Goodman and Arthur J. Spingarn presented Ellington with the NAACP's Spingarn Medal "for the highest or noblest achievement by an American negro during the preceding year or years." One side of the gold medal depicts a blindfolded Lady Justice holding a balance scale aloft with her right arm and a sword at rest in her left hand; the obverse is inscribed:

                                    SPINGARN MEDAL
                                    AWARDED TO
                                    EDWARD KENNEDY "DUKE" ELLINGTON
                                    PRESENTED NEW YORK NY
                                    SEPTEMBER 11 1959
                                    BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
                                    FOR THE ADVANCEMENT
                                    OF COLORED PEOPLE.

                                    The San Antonio story, datelined New York, says the award is customarily presented during the NAACP annual convention, but Ellington was unable to attend in July. Rather than "highest or noblest achievement," the story says it was awarded for Ellington's outstanding contributions to American music. It recaps his involvement with NAACP:
                                    • life membership 1939
                                    • fundraising in Washington in 1946
                                    • January 1951 benefit concert at New York's Metropolitan Opera House
                                    • 1958 co-chair of the Fight for Freedom fund
                                    • AP Wirestory,
                                      The Arkansas City (Kansas) Daily Traveler, Arkansas City, Kans.
                                      1959-06-23 p.8
                                    • Hamilton, Ohio, Journal --- The Daily News, Hamilton, Ohio
                                      1959-06-24 p.24
                                    • San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas,
                                      1959-09-11, pp.1,3
                                    • Stratemann pp.418, 421
                                    • Vail II
                                    • Lot 154, three photos, Forever Ellington May 18, 2016, Guernsey's Auction
                                    ...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2014-10-18
                                    2016-01-04
                                    2016-07-03
                                    1959 09 11
                                    Friday
                                    .New York, N.Y.S.S. United States
                                    • Part of the band departed by sea for Europe for a five-week European tour. The others flew a week later.
                                    • An unidentified clipping in Vail II says former Ellington trombonist Claude Jones was a steward on the ship.
                                    • The SS United States Conservancy webpage has a photo of Ethel Merman singing in the first class ballroom, backed by a tuxedoed Ellington at a Steinway grand piano with an unidentified combo (bass, drums and sax). The musicians are not Ellingtonians. Two other men, possibly ship's officers, are on stage as well.
                                    • Stratemann pp.418, 421
                                    • Vail II
                                    • Additional documentation is likely to be found in SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 1, folder 24 European Tour, September-October, 1959
                                    • Shipboard photo, courtesy K.Götting 2022-01-05
                                    ...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2014-10-18
                                    2016-01-04
                                    2016-07-03
                                    2022-01-06
                                    1959 09 12
                                    Saturday
                                    .Atlantic oceanS.S. United StatesEastward sea voyage - see 1959 09 11......
                                    1959 09 13
                                    Sunday
                                    .Atlantic oceanS.S. United StatesEastward sea voyage - see 1959 09 11......
                                    1959 09 14
                                    Monday
                                    .Atlantic oceanS.S. United StatesEastward sea voyage - see 1959 09 11......
                                    1959 09 15
                                    Tuesday
                                    .Atlantic oceanS.S. United StatesEastward sea voyage - see 1959 09 11......
                                    1959 09 16
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 09 17
                                    Thursday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 09 18
                                    Friday
                                    .Eindhoven, NetherlandsPhilips Jubileumhal
                                    Dutch Wikipedia description of the venue, translation by Google:

                                    "The Philips Jubilee Hall also belonged to the Philips Onstpanning Centrum. This hall was built in 1951 for an exhibition on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Philips. Later it was rebuilt several times. This hall could be used for a variety of purposes: as a sports hall, for folk Christmas singing, for theater and circus performances, for the Philips Wonderland children's festival, for company meetings and the like."

                                    Two concerts, 21:30 and 24:00De Volkskrant, 1959-09-18
                                    courtesy Agustín Pérez (email 2019-12-11
                                    ...APGAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2019-12-12
                                    1959 09 19
                                    Saturday
                                    .Scheveningen
                                    Den Haag (The Hague)
                                    Nederland
                                    Kursaal,
                                    Kurhaus
                                    ConcertStratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2015-05-27
                                    1959 09 19
                                    Saturday
                                    .Amsterdam, NederlandConcertgebouwConcert

                                    'Here I am an American student beginning a year of study on the Continent, trying to meet the European mind, the European way of life. But I'm confused. Everywhere I'm confronted by the penetration of American ideals and products. Almost two weeks ago I disembarked in the Netherlands. Could I forget my first night there? No, it was not spent in some quiet sidewalk cafe, or wine cellar, or rural hearth with cheese. No, I followed the rest of the town to the local symphony hall, and there stomped, stamped, and 'dug' the sounds of Duke Ellington and his 16-piece jazz band. American songs, sung with American lyrics, and played in the American jazz styles. As one Dutch miss remarked: "It just wouldn't be jazz any other way!" '

                                    • Stratemann p.421
                                    • Tom Hart, Europe Digs America, Boston College Heights, 1959-10-09 p.5
                                    ....Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2014-07-09
                                    1959 09 20
                                    Sunday
                                    .Paris, FranceSalle Pleyel.Stratemann p.421New Desor
                                    DE9033
                                    ND9034
                                    ex-DE5929 +DE5930
                                    DEMS
                                  • 02,3-13
                                  • 01,3-12
                                  • 01,1-19
                                  • 95,1-5
                                  • 88,1-2
                                  • 81,2-7
                                  • NDCS 1048/49.Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 09 21
                                    Monday
                                    .Paris, FranceSalle Pleyel.Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 22
                                    Tuesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 09 23
                                    Wednesday
                                    .Malmö, Sverige (Sweden)..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 24
                                    Thursday
                                    .Boras, Sverige (Sweden).Sweden ConcertStratemann p.421.DEMS..Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 09 25
                                    Friday
                                    .Örrebro, Sverige (Sweden)..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 26
                                    Saturday
                                    .Stockholm, Sverige (Sweden)Konserthus.Stratemann p.421New Desor
                                    DE5931
                                    DE5932
                                    NDCS 1039
                                    DEMScorrTimner-4.Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 09 27
                                    Sunday
                                    .Linköping, Sverige (Sweden)..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 28
                                    Monday
                                    .Stockholm, Sverige (Sweden)..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 29
                                    Tuesday
                                    .Göteborg, Sverige (Sweden)..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 09 30
                                    Wednesday
                                    .København
                                    Danmark
                                    (Copenhagen)
                                    København Hallen.Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011

                                    October 1959

                                    1959 10 01
                                    Thursday
                                    .Aarhus
                                    Danmark
                                    Aarhus Hallen.Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 02
                                    Friday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 03
                                    Saturday
                                    .Hamburg, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 00.Paris, France.1 Recording session
                                    Duke's Sidemen
                                    ..DEMS..Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 10 04
                                    Sunday
                                    .West Berlin
                                    (Germany)
                                    Sportpalast.Stratemann p.421New Desor
                                    DE5933
                                    DEMS..Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 10 05
                                    Monday
                                    .Hannover, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 06
                                    Tuesday
                                    .West Berlin
                                    (Germany)
                                    Sportpalast.Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 07
                                    Wednesday
                                    .Kiel, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    Ostseehalle KielConcert 8 p.m.
                                    Veransialter: Konzertdirektion Robert Streiber - Kiel
                                    Norman granz presents CONCERT with DUKE ELLINGTON and his ORCHESTRA
                                    • Concert poster courtesy S. Lasker 2022-02-05
                                    • Stratemann p.421
                                    ...djp, slAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    1959 10 08
                                    Thursday
                                    .Essen, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 09
                                    Friday
                                    .Zurich, SwitzerlandKongresshausTelevised concertNew Desor
                                    DE5934
                                    NDCS 1096
                                    DEMScorrTimner-4/28+32
                                    djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2019-04-27
                                    2020-05-10
                                    1959 10 10
                                    Saturday
                                    .Nürnberg, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (Nuremburg, West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 11
                                    Sunday
                                    .München, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (Munich, West Germany)
                                    Deutsches Museum.Stratemann p.421New Desor
                                    DE5935
                                    ...Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 12
                                    Monday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 13
                                    Tuesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 14
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 15
                                    Thursday
                                    .Düsseldorf, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421...Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 16
                                    Friday
                                    .Köln, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (Cologne, West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 17
                                    Saturday
                                    .Frankfurt, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 18
                                    Sunday
                                    .Wien, Republik Österreich
                                    (Vienna, Austria)
                                    ..Stratemann p.421....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 10 19
                                    Monday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 20
                                    Tuesday
                                    .Frankfurt, Bundesrepublik Deutschland
                                    (West Germany)
                                    KongresshalleConcert 8 p.m.

                                    'Norman Granz presents
                                    CONCERT with
                                    DUKE ELLINGTON
                                    and his ORCHESTRA

                                    Concert poster, courtesy K.Götting
                                      (email K.Götting/Palmquist 2021-03-26
                                    ...KGNew
                                    Added
                                    2021-03-27
                                    1959 10 21
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    circa
                                    1959 10 21
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...Personnel changes
                                    Clark Terry and Quentin Jackson stay in Europe to play in Quincy Jones' band in the revue "Free And Easy." Both will record with the Ellington orchestra from time to time in the future.
                                    • New Desor vol.2
                                    • Jet 1959-12-31 p.60
                                    • Stratemann p.418
                                    • Vail II, p.151
                                    ...djpNew
                                    added 2012-10-23
                                    updated
                                    2016-07-02
                                    2016-07-08
                                    1959 10 22
                                    Thursday
                                    ...Sidemen's activities not documented other than:

                                    KLM 645 (aircraft PH-DSF) left Amsterdam 1959 10 22 and arrived at New York the next day, 1959 10 23. The flight had 65 passenges and 9 crew, consisting of the captain, 3 flight officers, 2 flight engineers, 2 stewards and 1 stewardess, and not surprisingly, it was carrying cut flowers.


                                    Ellington personnel on board included:
                                    • Anderson, William A.
                                    • Celley, Albert
                                    • Gonzales ([sic] Paul
                                    • Greenwood, Mabel B [passport 1697293 - possibly Lil Greenwood?]
                                    • Hamilton, James
                                    • Hodges, John
                                    • Procope, Russell
                                    • Strayhorn, William TH
                                    • Woode, James B. (and Woode, Ruth)

                                    Ancestry.ca Passenger manifest...djpNew
                                    added
                                    2019-09-05
                                    1959 10 23
                                    Friday
                                    ...Sidemen's activities not documented

                                    other than the personnel arriving on KLM 645 (see 1959 10 22)

                                    .....New
                                    added
                                    2019-09-05
                                    1959 10 24
                                    Saturday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 25
                                    Sunday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 26
                                    Monday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 27
                                    Tuesday
                                    ...activities not documented except:
                                    Britt Woodman departed Paris on Air France AF 041, arriving in New York the next day.
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 28
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 10 29
                                    Thursday
                                    1959 11 03Atlantic OceanHMS "Queen Elizabeth"Ellington, Carney, Mitchell Wood, Andrew Ford, Robert Boyd and Ellington's nephew Michael James embarked at Cherbourg to cross the Atlantic on HMS Queen Elizabeth. The passenger list shows Ellington in First Class, Carney and James in Cabin Class, and the others in Tourist Class.
                                    Passenger list, Queen Elizabeth, arrival NY 3rd November 1959....djpNew
                                    added
                                    2021-03-18
                                    Circa
                                    1959 10 30
                                    Friday
                                    .Atlantic OceanHMS "Queen Elizabeth"Ellington and some members of the orchestra were at sea
                                    The activities of the other sidemen are not documented, some having flown back to the United States already.
                                    .....Updated
                                    2021-03-18.
                                    1959 10 31
                                    Saturday
                                    .Atlantic OceanHMS "Queen Elizabeth"Ellington and some members of the orchestra were at sea
                                    The activities of the other sidemen are not documented, some having flown back to the United States already.
                                    .....Updated
                                    2021-03-18.

                                    November 1959

                                    1959 11 01
                                    Sunday
                                    .Atlantic OceanHMS "Queen Elizabeth"Ellington and some members of the orchestra were at sea
                                    The activities of the other sidemen are not documented, some having flown back to the United States already.
                                    .....Updated
                                    2021-03-18.
                                    1959 11 02
                                    Monday
                                    .Atlantic OceanHMS "Queen Elizabeth"Ellington and some members of the orchestra were at sea
                                    The activities of the other sidemen are not documented, some having flown back to the United States already.
                                    .....Updated
                                    2021-03-18.
                                    1959 11 02
                                    Monday
                                    .New York, N.Y..Willis R. Nance, 210 W. 118th St., New York, passport #1203327 and Gloria Nance, 5609 62nd [illegible], passport #1711733 arrived in New York on El Al flight #201

                                    Ray's form says he boarded at Tel Aviv and Gloria's says she boarded in London.
                                    Immigration document...djpNew
                                    added
                                    2018-03-17
                                    updated
                                    2019-02-24
                                    1959 11 03
                                    Tuesday
                                    .New York, N.Y.HMS Queen ElizabethEllington, Carney, Wood, Ford, Boyd and Michael James disembarked from HMS Queen Elizabeth in New York
                                    Gossip columnist Dorothy Kilgallen:

                                    'Duke Ellington celebrated his return from Europe by playing host at a party for 50 at the swingin' Hickory House.'

                                    Kilgallen did not give the date of the party.
                                    • Passenger List, HMS Queen Elizabeth
                                    • Dorothy Kilgallen, The Voice of Broadway, New Castle News, New Castle, Penn. 1959-11-17 p.4
                                    ...djpAdded
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-07-03
                                    2021-03-18
                                    1959 11 04
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 11 00...Personnel changes
                                    Ozzie Bailey, vocalist, rejoined the band

                                    Cat Anderson, trumpet, left in early November to work with Lionel Hampton, but soon formed his own small groups. He returned in 1961 and stayed until 1971.

                                    Trumpeters Moon Mullins and Willie Cook replaced Anderson and Clark Terry.

                                    Matthew Gee, trombone, born in 1921, replaced Quentin Jackson. All three were on strength by the session of 1959 11 13.
                                    • New Desor vol.2
                                    • Jet 1959-12-31 p.60
                                    ...djpNew
                                    added 2012-10-11
                                    updated
                                    2015-06-04
                                    2016-07-02
                                    2016-07-08
                                    1959 11 05
                                    Thursday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 11 06
                                    Friday
                                    1959 11 08
                                    Sunday
                                    Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNight club engagement.
                                    Contract terms:
                                    • 15 musicians led by "Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington"
                                    • Place of engagement: Red Hill Inn, Camden, New Jersey
                                    • Date(s) of employment:
                                      November 6, 1959 - 3 days
                                    • Hours of employment: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. nightly, Sunday matinee 4 to 7 p.m.
                                    • THIS CONTRACT ISSUED SUBJECT TO APPROVAL AND SIGNATURE OF ARTIST
                                    • Standard top billing clause
                                    • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 to be paid in full in cash to artist at end of engagement.
                                    • Employer: Joe DeLuca Jr., 56 East Culter Ave., Collingwood, N.Y.
                                    • Signed by Joe DeLuca Jr.
                                    • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959-10-14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                    • Stratemann p.418
                                    • Vail II
                                    ....Added
                                    2011
                                    updated
                                    2016-07-08
                                    1959 11 07
                                    Saturday
                                    .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNight club engagement - see 1959 11 06.....Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 11 08
                                    Sunday
                                    .Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill InnNight club engagement - see 1959 11 06 - including matinee performance......Added
                                    2011
                                    1959 11 09
                                    Monday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 11 10
                                    Tuesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 11 11
                                    Wednesday
                                    ...activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 11 12
                                    Thursday
                                    ...Sidemen's activities not documented
                                    ......
                                    1959 11 12
                                    Thursday
                                    .Bronx, N.Y.Woodlawn CemeteryLife event
                                    Steven Lasker:
                                    On this day, Duke Ellington purchased a plot of 14 graves at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx which is today his resting place. His parents Daisy and J.E., sister Ruth and common-law wife Evie are also buried here.
                                      His parents had originally been interred at Columbian Harmony Cemetery in Washington D.C., but when that cemetery announced it would be closing and its 37,000 graves moved to a cemetery in Maryland, Ellington had his parents moved to Woodlawn instead where they were reinterred on 1959 11 18. The cemetery's sad history is told here: https://humanitiestruck.com/what-lies-beneath/
                                      In an unpublished interview conducted by "Blue" (full name not known), Ellington's sister Ruth recalled (on 2/8/89; pp. 82-83 of transcript) that Ellington endured two traumatic experiences in life. Losing his mother was one; the other came 24 years later.
                                       Ruth:

                                    '[Daisy] was buried in Harmony Cemetery, which is a black cemetery where her mother and father were and everybody else was. And suddenly, years later in 1959 when we were living in New York -- she was buried in 1935 -- they notified us the cemetery has been sold and they're going to build an apartment building there. (I don't think they would have done that in a white cemetery.) And so they said you can either get your people out now, or we will remove them to another cemetery in Maryland. '

                                      Blue:

                                    'You're telling me they dug up all those bodies and moved them? '

                                      Ruth:

                                    'Edward went to pieces because he had her in a hermetically sealed casket, glass over her face, and that hermetically sealed metal casket was in a metal vault. And I remember his manager [Irving Mills] said he spent too much money on the dead. No comment on that one, right? So he just went to pieces. In fact, one of his A&R men at the recording company said that he [dialed] his number at 3:00 in the morning and he said he picked up the phone and Edward would just start talking about his mother, didn't even say hello. He just said, My mother, they're selling the cemetery, and my mother has to be dug up. So I said to him, Well Edward, I'll tell you what. You stay here and buy a new plot in New York. I will go to Washington and I will dig her up. 'Cause I knew he wasn't up to it. He couldn't. That's the great thing about artists, the reason they are so hypersensitive that they feel everything more keenly than everyone else. [....] So I went down and we dug up the casket, and when we brought the vault up out of the ground, the water had to flow out of the vault, and the next thing you expect is maybe pieces of the body will fall out, and I turned around and walked back to the office. I didn't want to see that. Anyway, they got them up after a lot of torturous work because they dug so hard, had to get past the mud and the water. So anyway, I dug them up and took them to the train station and brought them to New York. And we buried them again in Woodlawn Cemetery, here in New York, where Edward is buried. Because he went up and bought a huge plot, he got involved in that it took his mind off of what was happening in Washington. He bought a plot for 14 graves and a huge tree. [....] He got involved in the artistic side of it, while I was bringing them up. Father Gensel buried my mother and father. '

                                    Email Lasker-Palmquist 2023-04-04...slNew
                                    added
                                    2023-04-04
                                    1959 11 13
                                    Friday
                                    .New York, N.Y.NBC StudiosTaping session for the 1959 11 27 telecast of a Grammy Awards presention to Ellington by National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for
                                    • Best Performance By A Dance Band
                                    • Best Musical Composition First Recorded And Released In 1959 (More Than 5 Minutes Duration)
                                    • Best Sound Track Album - Background Score From A Motion Picture Or Television

                                    Stratemann advises that the winners were told in advance so they could prerecord their appearances on the nationally televised awards show, but they weren't told which category they won in. Timner includes Ellington accepting his award in this session, but this would seem to conflict with the non-disclosure noted by Stratemann.
                                    Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                    Marenguito, Cook, Mullens, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Gee, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Johnson, Greenwood, Bailey.

                                    Title recorded:
                                    • Anatomy Of A Murder
                                    • According to Timner, Ellington was also shown receiving his award, but it isn't clear if this was pre-taped.

                                    Contract terms:
                                    • 16 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,owner, agrees to present DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                    • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                      National Broadcasting Company Studios, New York, N.Y.
                                    • Date(s) of employment
                                      November 13, 1959: Prior rehearsals as advised by producer
                                    • Hours of employment
                                      2:00 P.M. -- 3:00 P.M.
                                    • Type of engagement
                                      Television Awards Program.
                                    • Wage agreed upon: $100 per man to be applied against double scale. plus $2,000 for services of Duke Ellington, plus $500 expenses, to be paid not later than ten days following original telecast date.
                                    • Employer:
                                      National Academy of Recordings Arts and Sciences
                                    • Signed by
                                      [illegible]
                                    • Musicians listed:
                                      • Duke Ellington
                                      • Ray Nance
                                      • Johnny Hodges
                                      • Wm. Anderson
                                      • Britt Woodman
                                      • Russell Procope
                                        • Harry Carney
                                        • Paul Gonsalves
                                        • Jimmy Hamilton
                                        • Jimmy Woode
                                        • Andre Merenguito (Ford)
                                          • Henderson Chambers
                                          • Eddie Mullins
                                          • Tom Whaley
                                          • Mercer Ellington
                                          • Jimmy Johnson
                                        • All were local 802 members and the list included their social security numbers.
                                          • American Federation of Musicians contract dated 1959 11 [exact date not shown], SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                          • Stratemann p. 416
                                          • Vail II
                                          • NARAS website - past winners
                                          • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                            Ellingtonia.com
                                          • Timner
                                          • Ole J. Nielsen
                                            Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                            Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                        New Desor
                                        DE5936
                                        ...New
                                        added
                                        2012-01-11
                                        2016-07-08
                                        2016-07-10
                                        1959 11 14
                                        Saturday
                                        ...activities not documented
                                        ......
                                        1959 11 15
                                        Sunday
                                        ...activities not documented
                                        ......
                                        1959 11 16
                                        Monday
                                        ...activities not documented
                                        ......
                                        1959 11 17
                                        Tuesday
                                        ...activities not documented
                                        ......
                                        1959 11 18
                                        Wednesday
                                        .Milford, Mass.Crystal Room

                                        'TONITE — TONITE
                                        DUKE ELLINGTON
                                        AND ORCH. IN CONCERT
                                        CRYSTAL ROOM – MILFORD '


                                        Contract terms:
                                        • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                          Crystal Room, Milford, Massachusetts
                                        • Date(s) of employment
                                          November 18th, 1959
                                        • Hours of employment
                                          8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
                                        • Type of engagement
                                          Dance
                                        • Standard top billing clause
                                        • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 guaranteed, privilege 60% gross receipts payable in full in cash night of engagement
                                        • Employer:
                                          Boots Mussulli. Crystal Room, Milford, Mass.
                                        • Signed by
                                          Boots Mussulli
                                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                        • Ad, Boston Evening American, 1959-11-18 p.26
                                        • Stratemann p.418
                                        • Vail II
                                        ...djpAdded
                                        2011
                                        updated
                                        2016-07-03
                                        2016-07-09
                                        1959 11 19
                                        Thursday
                                        1959 11 29
                                        Sunday
                                        Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                                        Copley Square Hotel
                                        Night club residency

                                        AP wirestory:

                                        '...at Boston's Club Storyville, pianist Duke Ellington and his 17-man band are completing an 11-day stay that shattered all house record.
                                          The Ellington crew boasts eight New Englanders, the most famous of whom is perhaps saxaphonist [sic] Johnny Hodges from Lynn, Mass.'

                                        The Bath Daily Times:

                                        '...the jazz aggregation of Duke Ellington played to selolouts at Storyville for 11 straight days last month.'


                                        Contract terms:
                                        • 14 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & ORCH."
                                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                          [illegible] Storyville, Copley Square Hotel, 47 Huntington Ave., Boston, Mass.
                                        • Date(s) of employment
                                          November 19, 1959 - one week and four days
                                        • Hours of employment
                                          3 shows nightly bet. hours of 8 p.m. and 1 a.m.
                                          Sunday matinee
                                        • Duke Ellington is to receive a room at the Copley Square Hotel
                                        • Duke Ellington is to receive 100% top billing.
                                        • Wage agreed upon: $6,000 for the week plus pro rata the extra four days payable in cash to artist end of week and pro rata end of engagement.
                                        • Employer:
                                          Storyville - Larry Wein, Copley Square Hotel, Boston, Mass.
                                        • Signed by
                                          Larry Wein per wire

                                        The personnel according to Down Beat were Fats Ford, Eddie "Moon" Mullens, Ray Nance, Willie Cook, Britt Woodman, Mitchell "Booty" Wood, Mathew Gee, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges, Paul Gonsalves, Harry Carney, Ellington, Jimmy Woode, Jimmy Johnson. (Ford would soon change his name to Andres Merenguito.) All were in the taping session of 1959 11 13.
                                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 16, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                        • The Jazz Scene,
                                          Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass., 1959-10-29 p.43
                                        • Boston Evening American, Boston, Mass., 1959-11-18 p.26
                                        • AP wirestory, Newport Daily News, Newport, R.I., 1959-11-25 p.9
                                        • The Bath Daily Times, Bath, Me.
                                          1959-12-31 p.6
                                        • Stratemann p.418 citing Down Beat
                                        • Vail II
                                        ...djpAdded
                                        2011
                                        updated
                                        2016-07-03
                                        2016-07-08
                                        2024-04-08
                                        1959 11 20
                                        Friday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 21
                                        Saturday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 22
                                        Sunday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 23
                                        Monday
                                        ...Ellington, Clark Terry and Tempo Music Ltd. executed a contract in which Ellington and Terry, as writers, assigned their rights in Dual Fuel and Launching Pad to Tempo Music Ltd.Lot 11, Forever Ellington auction by Guernsey's, New York, 2016-05-18...djpNew
                                        Added
                                        2016-07-03
                                        1959 11 23
                                        Monday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 24
                                        Tuesday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 25
                                        Wednesday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 26
                                        Thursday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 27
                                        Friday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 28
                                        Saturday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 29
                                        Sunday
                                        .Boston, Mass.StoryvilleNight club residency - see 1959 11 19.....Added
                                        2011
                                        1959 11 30
                                        Monday
                                        ...activities not documented
                                        ......

                                        December 1959

                                        1959 12 01
                                        Tuesday
                                        ...activities not documented......
                                        1959 12 02
                                        Wednesday
                                        ... Peripheral event

                                        Death of Shelton Hemphill
                                        ...djpNew
                                        added
                                        2012-10-11
                                        1959 12 02
                                        Wednesday
                                        .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                                        207 E.30th St.
                                        Recording session
                                        23:30-04:30
                                        Columbia's producer for this session was Ted Macero
                                        (source:
                                        Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                        • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                        New Desor
                                        DE5937
                                        DEMS..Added
                                        2011
                                        updated
                                        2014-10-18
                                        2019-08-09
                                        2020-05-10
                                        1959 12 03
                                        Thursday
                                        .New York, N.Y.Columbia Studio
                                        207 E.30th St.
                                        Recording session
                                        23:30-04:30
                                        Columbia's producer for this session was Ted Macero
                                        (source:
                                        Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                        .
                                        • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                        New Desor
                                        DE5938
                                        DEMS..Added
                                        2011
                                        updated
                                        2014-10-18
                                        2019-08-09
                                        2020-05-10
                                        1959 12 04
                                        Friday
                                        ...activities not documented......
                                        1959 12 05
                                        Saturday
                                        ...activities not documented......
                                        1959 12 06
                                        Sunday
                                        ...activities not documented......
                                        1959 12 07
                                        Monday
                                        .Toronto, Ont.CBC studiosCBC television "Jack Kane Hour"
                                        Ellington soloed in front of the 34-piece house band, Jack Kane and his Music Makers. Anderson, Hamilton, Hodges, Carney and Woode joined in for some tunes.
                                        Recorded titles:
                                        • Take the "A" Train
                                        • A Single Petal of a Rose
                                        • Medley:
                                          • Cottontail
                                          • Sophisticated Lady
                                          • C-Jam Blues
                                          • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                          • It Don't Mean A Thing

                                        Contract terms:
                                        • 5 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCH."
                                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                          Music Makers Show, CBC TV, Toronto, Ont.
                                          MUSIC '60 PRESENTS:-THE JACK KANE HOUR
                                        • Date(s) of employment
                                          December 7, 1959
                                        • Hours of employment
                                          Rehearsals - 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
                                          Dress rehearsal - 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
                                          Show - 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
                                        • Type of engagement
                                          TELEVISION
                                        • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 (currency not specified) Total contract price to be sent directly to Associated Booking Corp 745 5th Ave., N.Y.C., N.Y.
                                        • Employer:
                                          CBC TV. 354 Jarvis St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
                                        • Signed by
                                          [illegible]
                                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 05, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                        • Stratemann p.419
                                        • Vail II
                                        • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                          Ellingtonia.com
                                        • Timner
                                        • Ole J. Nielsen
                                          Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                          Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                          , p.212
                                        .
                                        New Desor
                                        DE5939
                                        ..djpAdded
                                        2011
                                        updated
                                        2013-07-08
                                        2016-07-09
                                        1959 12 08
                                        Tuesday
                                        ...activities not documented......
                                        1959 12 09
                                        Wednesday
                                        .Hartford, Conn.Bushnell Memorial HallConcert
                                        Contract terms:
                                        • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                          Bushnell Memorial Hall, Hartford, Connecticut
                                        • Date(s) of employment
                                          December 9th, 1959
                                        • Hours of employment
                                          1 concert - 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
                                        • Type of engagement
                                          Concert
                                        • Standard top billing clause
                                        • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 guaranteed, privilege 60% gross receipts, Ellington's end of gross not to exceed $5,000. To be paid in full in cash night of engagement
                                        • Employer:
                                          Bushnell Community Concerts Assoc., Bushnell Memorial Hall, Harford 14, Connecticut
                                        • Signed by
                                          William H. Martensen, V.P.
                                        Attached to the contract file copy is a recap of ticket sales showing $8,621.50 was taken in for the 3,277 tickets sold. Under the contract, therefore, Ellington should have received the $5,000 cap amount.

                                        Nearly half the tickets were the highest price, $3.00, being in the orchestra or first 16 rows of the first balcony.
                                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 30, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                        • Stratemann p.419
                                        • Vail II
                                        ...djpAdded
                                        2011
                                        updated
                                        2016-07-09
                                        1959 12 10
                                        Thursday
                                        .New York, N.Y.Hunter College Assembly Hall
                                        69th St. between Park and Lexington Ave.
                                        Ad, New York Age:

                                        ONE NIGHT ONLY – DEC. 10
                                        THURSDAY EVENING – 8:30 P.M.
                                        DUKE ELLINGTON
                                        and HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
                                        in a
                                        BENEFIT CONCERT
                                        for
                                        Morningside Community Center
                                        HUNTER COLLEGE ASSEMBLY HALL
                                        69th St. between Park and Lexington Avenues
                                        Prices: Orch. $3.00-$5.00 – Bal. $2.00-$3.00-$5.00
                                        Tickets on sale at Morningside Community Center, 360
                                        West 122nd St...


                                        Plug, Amsterdam News

                                        'Duke Ellington will give the premier performance of his latest musical composition Thursday, Dec. 10 at 8:30 p.m. in the Hunter College auditorium, a work he composed especially for the annual benefit concert of the Morningside Community Center, 360 West 122nd St.'

                                        Syndicated columnist Kilgallen

                                        '...For the Duke Ellington concert at Hunter College ... he, accompanied by his full orchesra, worked to unveil for the first time in the United States a suite he was commissioned to write for Queen Elizabeth...'


                                        Contract terms:
                                        • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                        • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                          Hunter College Auditorium, New York City, N.Y. (Manhattan)
                                        • Date(s) of employment
                                          December 10th, 1959
                                        • Hours of employment
                                          8:30 p.m.
                                        • Type of engagement
                                          1 Concert 2 hrs.
                                        • Standard top billing clause
                                        • Wage agreed upon: $2,250 flat, deposit $1,125 payable on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                                        • Employer:
                                          Morningside Communit Center, Inc., 360 West 122nd Street, New York 27, New York
                                        • Signed by
                                          S. Garry Oniki
                                        • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 07 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                                            , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 25
                                          • Announcement, New York Amsterdam News, 1959-12-05 p.15 New York Addenda
                                          • Dorothy Kilgallen, Voice of Broadway:
                                            • Anderson Daily Bulletin, Anderson, Ind., 1959-12-14 p.4
                                            • The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1959-12-14 p.58
                                            • New Castle News, New Castle, Penn., 1959-12-14
                                            • Post-Journal, Jamestown, N.Y. 1959-12-15 p.17
                                          • Stratemann p.419 citing New York Age 1959-12-05 p.12
                                          • Vail II with unidentified clipping
                                          ...djpAdded
                                          2011
                                          updated
                                          2016-07-02
                                          2016-07-06
                                          1959 12 11
                                          Friday
                                          .Toronto, Ont.Massey Hall
                                          178 Victoria St.
                                          Concert
                                          The Varsity:

                                          '...an excellent concert...
                                            The well-balanced program contained old favorites [sic] associated with the Ellington orchestra, selections from recent compositional work, the ever-present Ellington medly [sic], and various unclassifiable, but highly entertaining numbers. Among the latter belonged the song and dance routines by Ray Nance.
                                            The band sounded fresh and vigorous, iwth the full impact of Duke's musical genius emitting from almost every selection, whether slow moody ballads, guttural swingers or polished innovations. The jazz feeling was there, the musical perfection was there, utilizing the orchestra to create the framework and backdrop for a number of outstanding soloists. Among them were such talented musicians as Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Harry Carney and Paul Gonsalves, all of whom have been featured with Duke Ellington for many years.
                                            Some highlights from this thoroughly enjoyable evening were supplied by the two vocalists: Ozzie Bailey and Lil Greenwood. In particular Mr. Bailey's strong, full-ranged voice proved to be pleasant. What Miss Greenwood lacked in voice colour, was compensated for by her verve and blues feeling.
                                            We hope that Duke Ellington will return again to Toronto soon, and that other jazz concerts may be equally well presented in the meantime.'


                                          Contract terms:
                                          • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                          • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                            Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
                                          • Date(s) of employment
                                            DEcember 11th, 1959
                                          • Hours of employment
                                            1 concert, 8:30 p.m., 2 hrs.
                                          • Type of engagement
                                            Concert
                                          • Standard top billing clause
                                          • Wage agreed upon: US$1,500 , privilege 50% gross receipts due in cash night of engagement
                                          • Employer:
                                            Vivienne Stenson, 41 Collier Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
                                          • Signed by
                                            Vivienne Stenson
                                          • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 09 03, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 27
                                          • The Varsity, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
                                            1959-12-15 p.9
                                          • Stratemann p.419
                                          • Vail II
                                          ...djpAdded
                                          2011
                                          updated
                                          2016-07-07
                                          2019-03-10
                                          2024-07-28
                                          1959 12 12
                                          Saturday
                                          .Toronto, Ont.Royal York Hotel
                                          199 Queen St. W.
                                          National Ballet Guild Ball (according to Vail, no source information provided)
                                          This may be the National Ballet Guild Ball de Ballet, attended by over 1,000 guests at the Royal York, mentioned in Palmer's book in describing socialite Betty Cassels' gowns.

                                          Stratemann describes this as a ball in which Ellington orchestra alternated with the Jimmy Simpson orchestra, before, during and after dinner.
                                          Contract terms:
                                          • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                          • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                            Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
                                          • Date(s) of employment
                                            DEcember 12t, 1959
                                          • Hours of employment
                                            8 p.m. to 12 midnight
                                          • Type of engagement
                                            Dance
                                          • It is understood that this contract may be cancelled upon 60 days written notice by Duke Ellington, should he obtain a location engagemet, television show or motion picture, in which event the deposit of $1,250, mentioned below, will be returned to the employer.
                                          • Standard top billing clause
                                          • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 flat, U.S. Funds, deposit $1,250 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                                          • Employer:
                                            Mrs. Patrick Cassels
                                            94 Dunlop Road
                                            Toronto, Ontario, Canada
                                          • Signed by
                                            Betty Cassels
                                          • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 07 07, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301
                                              , Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 25
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Alexandra Palmer, Couture & Commerce: The Transatlantic Fashion Trade in the 1950s, UBC Press, 2001, p.107
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-06
                                            1959 12 13
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1959 12 14
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1959 12 15
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            circa
                                            1959 12 00
                                            ..Jet reported when the band returned to the Blue Note, it had 5 new men: Willie Cook, Andre Merenguito and Eddie Matthews, trumpets, Mitchell (Booty) Wood and Matthew Gee on trombones, replacing Terry, Anderson, Baker, Jackson and Sanders. This was not necessarily news, the changes took place between September and November - see above.Jet 1959-12-31 p.60.New Desor
                                            DE5940
                                            ..djpNew
                                            Added
                                            2016-07-02
                                            1959 12 16
                                            Wednesday
                                            1960 01 10Chicago, Ill.Blue Note nightclubThis was Ellington's last Blue Note engagement. The contract called for 32 hours in 5 days each week, a matinee on Sundays and Mondays and Tuesdays off. On New Year's Eve, the band was broadcast at 10:30 pm on CBS and earlier in the set on NBC.


                                            Cat Anderson left the band before this engagement but would return later in 1961.
                                            • Ads, Chicago Defender
                                              • 1959-12-19 p.18
                                              • 1960-01-02 p.12
                                            • Stratemann, p.419
                                            .
                                            New Desor
                                            DE5940
                                            ..djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated 2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-02
                                            2019-08-23
                                            1959 12 17
                                            Thursday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 18
                                            Friday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 19
                                            Saturday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 20
                                            Sunday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 21
                                            Monday
                                            ...Blue Note day off
                                            activities not documented
                                            ......
                                            1959 12 22
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...Blue Note day off
                                            activities not documented
                                            ......
                                            1959 12 23
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 24
                                            Thursday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 25
                                            Friday
                                            Christmas
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 26
                                            Saturday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 27
                                            Sunday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 28
                                            Monday
                                            ...Blue Note day off
                                            activities not documented
                                            ......
                                            1959 12 29
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...Blue Note day off
                                            activities not documented
                                            ......
                                            1959 12 30
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1959 12 31
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......



                                            Back to Navigation List

                                            1960


                                            Date of event Ending date
                                            (if different)
                                            City/
                                            Other place
                                            Venue Event/People Primary Reference New
                                            Desor
                                            reference
                                            DEMS
                                            reference
                                            Other
                                            references
                                            Contact
                                            person
                                            Date added
                                            / updated

                                            January 1960

                                            1960 01 --.New York, N.Y..Ellington broadcast two bond promotions for the "1960 Cancer Crusade".New Desor
                                            DE6001
                                            ...Added
                                            2011
                                            updated 2012-01-27
                                            1960 01 01
                                            Friday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 02
                                            Saturday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 03
                                            Sunday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 04
                                            Monday
                                            ...Blue Note day off
                                            activities not documented
                                            ......
                                            1960 01 05
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...Blue Note day off
                                            activities not documented
                                            ......
                                            1960 01 06
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 07
                                            Thursday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 08
                                            Friday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 09
                                            Saturday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 10
                                            Sunday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note
                                            See 1959 12 16.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 11
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 01 12
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 01 13
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Elmhurst, Ill.Gymnasium
                                            York High School
                                            Concert, 7:30 p.m. sponsored by Elmhurst Rotary Club to benefit its philanthropies.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              York High School Gymnasium, Elmhurst, Illinois
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Wednesday, January 13, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              2-hr concert to commence 8:00 p.m. with customary intermission (THIS engagement shall not be advertised via paid ads in any Chicago Metropolitan newspaper prior to January 10, 1960).
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Duke Ellington to receive 100% top billing.
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500 guaranteed flat. 50% deposit payable Associated Booking Corp. to be received 2-wks. prior to engagement. Balance to be paid in cash to Al Sulley [sic], Mgr. intermission time night of engagement
                                            • Stamped with "Any mechanical reproduction of the artists performance or this engagement is absolutely prohibited by the American Federation of Musicians."
                                            • Employer:
                                              Rotary Club per: Robert Pinckney
                                            • Signed by
                                              Robert Pinckney
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • Chicago Sunday Tribune, 1960-01-10 pt.3 p.1
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2016-07-09
                                            1960 01 14
                                            Thursday
                                            .Springfield, Ill.Springfield High School auditoriumTwo hour concert, 8 to 10:30 p.m. with intermission. Tickets $1.85, $2.10 and $2.35.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Springfield High School, Springfield, Illinois
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Thursday January 14, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              Concert 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (2 Hr) in school auditorium
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee, privilege 60%. 50% deposit payable to Associated Booking Corporation 45-days prior to engagement, balance in cash to Al Celley, Manager intermission time night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Springfield High School per Senior Class Advisor Lenore [illegible - maybe Askenhurt]
                                            • Signed by
                                              Lenore [illegible - maybe Askenhurt]
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 09 28, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 27
                                            • Illinois State Journal-Register, Springfield, Ill., 1960-01-10 p.23
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2016-07-07
                                            1960 01 15
                                            Friday
                                            .St. Louis, Mo.Kiel AuditoriumDance for basketball crowd following a game
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              January 15, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              21/2 dance to be played between the hours of 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 guaranteed flat, 50% deposit to Associated Booking Corporation 30-days prior to date of engagement. Balance payable in cash to Al Celley, road manager at intermission time, night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              St. Louis Hawks Basketball Club, Inc. per Ben Kerner, President, 706 Chestnut St., St. Louis, Missouri
                                            • Signed by
                                              [illegible]
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 08 28, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 26
                                            • Stratemann, p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            .
                                            ...djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-07
                                            1960 01 16
                                            Saturday
                                            .Gary, Ind.Barbara's PlayhouseContract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee, privilege 50%. Deposit $500 payable on signing to Associated Booking Corp. and balance in cash to Duke Ellington intermission time night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mr. Dobbie Hicks, 1838 Virginia Avenue, Gary, Indiana
                                            • Signed by
                                              Dobbie Hicks
                                            A deposit of $400 was received 1959 06 12 according to the notation on the contract.

                                            Barbara's Playhouse is described in The Blues Encyclopedia, p.361 as a large ballroom.
                                            Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 12 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-07-11
                                            1960 01 17
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 01 18
                                            Monday
                                            .Milwaukee, Wisc.Train stationIt seems likely Ellington and his orchestra arrived in Milwaukee by train from Chicago. The Milwaukee Journal reported he greeted U.S. Democratic Senator and presidential hopeful Hubert Humphrey at the train station:

                                            '...At the station [Humphrey] was greeted by band leader Duke Ellington, also a train passenger. An aide pinned a Humphrey button on Ellington.'

                                            The San Antonio Register carried a photo of Ellington, wearing the button, with Senator and Mrs. Humphrey.
                                            • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee,Wisc.
                                              1960-01-18 pt.1 p.4
                                            • Photo, San Antonio Register, San Antonio, Texas,
                                              1960-02-19 p.7
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-07-07
                                            1960 01 18
                                            Monday
                                            .Milwaukee, Wisc.City Hall Peripheral event
                                            During Ellington's visit to Milwaukee, its city hall displayed an electric sign saying Friends of Art Salute Duke Ellington in 3 1/2 foot high letters. Ellington's autobiography has a night-time photo of the city hall and sign, misdating it January 18, 1940.

                                            Ellington is quoted in a 1969 telephone interview, as saying:

                                            'There always seems to be something special about coming to Milwaukee. Once I played there at the art center at noon in the middle of a big blizzard. It was a beautiful audience. They had my name up in lights on the City Hall tower.'


                                            Julie Lomoe writes in Pinterest that her mother, Mrs. Wallace Lomoe (see next entry), was responsible for the signage and in its Ellington obituary in 1974, The Milwaukee Sentinel said Mrs. Lomoe was the one who nominated Ellington for the Pulitzer Prize.
                                            • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee,Wisc.
                                              1969-01-02 pt.2 p.9
                                            • The Milwaukee Sentinel, Milwaukee,Wisc.,
                                              1974-05-24 pt.1, p.4
                                            • Photograph of city hall signage:
                                              • Music is My Mistress, p.477
                                              • Vail II p. 155
                                            • Julie Lomoe, Pinterest
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2019-02-19
                                            1960 01 18
                                            Monday
                                            .Milwaukee, Wisc.Memorial Hall
                                            War Memorial Bldg.
                                            Memorial Center
                                            750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr.
                                            Duke and bassist Jimmy Woode played half an hour for a full house of 300 socialites at a luncheon meeting of the men's and women's groups of the Friends of Art.

                                            The Milwaukee Journal credits Mrs. Wallace Lomoe, chair of both Friends of Art and Music for Moderns, with chasing Ellington from Storyville to the Blue Note to get him to agree to perform this event.

                                            Donald H. Dooley reported
                                            • Ellington and Jimmy Woode were on a low platform in front of modern paintings.
                                            • He opened with Take the "A" Train
                                            • '"We'll continue to play," Ellington then said, "like, well one of those things like 'And then I wrote...'"
                                            • His medley included
                                              • Mood Indigo
                                              • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                              • Do Nothing 'til You Hear From Me
                                              • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                              • I'm Beginning to See the Light
                                              • Caravan
                                              • Solitude
                                            • Wrapped up with Dancers in Love and the finger-snapping routine.

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (Luncheon 12 to 1 - Ellington to perform from 1 to 1:30 p.m.
                                              Duke Ellington to perform as single soloist or with rhythm accompaniment.
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Standard clause prohibiting mechanical reproduction (i.e. recording).
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $300 guaranteed flat to be paid in cash to Mr. Ellington at conclusion of engagement.
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish good P.A. system and have piano tuned to A=440.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mrs. Wallace Lomoe
                                            • Signed by
                                              Viola Lomoe
                                              The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee,Wisc.
                                              • 1960-01-08 pt.2 p.10
                                              • 1960-01-17 pt.5 p.6
                                              • 1960-01-19 pt.2 p.1,7,12
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1960 01 11, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • Stratemann p.*
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2019-02-19
                                            2019-02-20
                                            1960 01 18
                                            Monday
                                            .Shorewood, Wisc.Shorewood High School AuditoriumConcert for 800

                                            Ellington and his orchestra played the first Music For Moderns Jazz in the Concert Hall concert in a three concert season. Tickets were $2.75 for each concert or $5.75 for all three.

                                            Reviewer said the band numbered 14 and the best part of the show Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue with Gonsalves' 8 minute solo.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Shorewood High School Auditorium, Shorewood, Wisconsin (Suburb of Milwaukee)
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Monday January 18, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              Two hour concert commencing at 8:45 p.m. with customary intermission.
                                            • Duke Ellington shall not appear in Milwaukee or suburbs for any public promotion engagement during 45 days prior to Jan. 18, 1960.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 guaranteed flat, 50% deposit payable to Associated Booking Corporation thirty days prior to date of engagement, balance in cash to Duke Ellington or Al Celley, night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Music for Moderns by Raliegh [sic] Woolf, agent, 212 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee 3, Wisconsin, August 31, 1959
                                            • Signed by
                                              Raleigh Woolf, agent
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1959 08 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 26
                                            • The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee,Wisc.
                                              • 1960-01-08 pt.2 p.10
                                              • 1960-01-10 pt.2 p.13
                                              • 1960-01-17 pt.5 p.5
                                              • 1960-01-19 pt.2 pp.1,12
                                            • Stratemann, p.419 citing Down Beat 1960-03-17
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-07
                                            1960 01 18
                                            Monday
                                            .Milwaukee, Wisc.Curro's Club
                                            821 N. 3rd. St.
                                            During Ellington's visit to Milwaukee, most likely after his concert, Ellington went to Count Basie's performance to say hello.
                                            • 1960-01-19 pt.2 p.12
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing Down Beat 1960-03-17
                                            • Unidentified clipping, Vail II p.154
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-07-07
                                            1960 01 19
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Minneapolis, Minn.Standard ClubDescribed as a private party by Stratemann and Vail, this was more a party in a private club. The Standard Club was a downtown Jewish club originally named Gymal Doled.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Standard Club, Minneapolis, Minnesota
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Tudsday, January 19, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440.
                                            • Stamped "Any mechanical reproduction of the artist's performance or this engagement is absolutely prohibited by the American Federation of Musicians."
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guaranteed flat; 50% deposit payable on signing to Associated Booking Corporation and balance in cash to either Duke Ellington or his manager intermission time night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Standard Club per [illegible], Minneapolis, Minnesota
                                            • Signed by
                                              [illegible]
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 09, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            .... Added
                                            2011
                                            updated 2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-09
                                            1960 01 20
                                            Wednesday
                                            .La Crosse, Wisc.Mary E. Sawyer AuditoriumConcert 7:30-9:30 p.m.
                                            Dance 9:30-11:30 p.m.
                                            Tickets "popular bargain prices: $1.00 [almost illegible, could be $1.20] in advance, $1.50 door.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON"
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guarantee, privilege 60%, to be paid in cash or Cashier's Check to Duke Ellington intermission time night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Ramond Plamadore, Mgr., City of LaCrosse - Mary E. Sawyer Aud., La Crosse, Wisc.
                                            • Signed by
                                              Milton Knutson, Alice A. Dickson
                                            • Marginal note: O.K. From J. K. Thompson 12/21/59
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 12 14, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30
                                            • Winona Daily News, Winona, Minn. 1960-01-10 p.4
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2016-07-11
                                            1960 01 21
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 01 22
                                            Friday
                                            1960 01 28Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show
                                            In Person Duke Ellington and his Famous Band with Lil Greenwood, Ozzie Bailey, Ray Nance. Also on the bill: Jackie (Moms) Mabley, Baker & Howard, and Peg Leg Bates. The film was Timbuktu starring Victor Mature and Yvonne de Carlo. Doors opened 1:30 pm, last stage show at 10 pm
                                            Artists Booking Bureau Inc. contract dated 28th day of September 1959 between Paramount Theatres Service Corporation as agent for the purchaser, and Duke Ellington, Inc. as owner presents DUKE ELLINGTON & ORCHESTRA with complete show.

                                            It is understood and agreed that Owner will furnish and pay for the services of two additional acts in conjunction with Duke Ellington & Orchestra.

                                            It is understood that the purchaser agrees not to advertise Duke Ellington & Orchestra in newspapers or on radio or television prior to January 13, 1960.

                                            The owner designates Associated Booking Corp. as owner's personal representative...

                                            Purchaser: Balaban & Kats Corporation; Theatre: Tivoli; City: Chicago; Period: 1 week; Commencing Friday matinee, Jan. 22/ 1960;

                                            Purchase price: $13,000, net plus 50/50 net split on gross box-office receipts over$26,000 (exclusive of admission taxes), then 60/40 split on gross box-office receipts over $30,000(exclusive of admission taxes)

                                            It is understood that Duke Ellington & Orch. is playing the Blue Note in Chicago Dec. 16, 1959 for 4 weeks and closing Jan. 12, 1960, which engagement was consummated prior to the signing of these contracts which will be played iwth the knowledge and consent of the purchaser.
                                            An attached rider confirms the artist is an independent contracrtor and agrees to perform and discharge all obligations under any and all laws...

                                            The AGVA contracts for the dance duo of Lavern Baker and G.O.Howard and for Jackie (Moms) Mabley specified a seven day week. The contracts appear to be between the Tivoli Theatre as Operator and Duke Ellington Inc. for the services of the named performers.
                                            Terms of the ABC contract:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Tivoli Theatre, Chicago, Illinois
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              January 22, 1960 - one week (7 days)
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              policy of the theatre.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $5,000 net or union scale, whichever is greater, payable in cash to artist, end of week
                                            • Employer:
                                              Duke Ellinton, Inc., 1619 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y.
                                            • Signed by
                                              Duke Ellington (this signature is not as elaborate as the one he used for autographs)
                                            • Artists Booking Bureau Inc. contract dated 1959 09 28, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 27
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • AGVA standard form artists engagement contracts:
                                              • 1960-01-12 signed by Laverne Baker, George Howard, Joe Glaser and Duke Ellington.
                                              • 1960-01-13 signed by Jackie (Moms) Mabley, Duke Ellington and Joe Glaser.
                                              • Stratemann, p.419 citing Chicago Defender 1960-01-23 p.4
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated 2012-01-27
                                            2013-07-08
                                            2016-05-01
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2016-07-10
                                            1960 01 23
                                            Saturday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show - see 1960 01 22.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 24
                                            Sunday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show - see 1960 01 22.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 25
                                            Monday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show - see 1960 01 22.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 26
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show - see 1960 01 22.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 27
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show - see 1960 01 22.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 28
                                            Thursday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Tivoli TheatreStage show - see 1960 01 22.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 01 29
                                            Friday
                                            .Trotwood, Ohio
                                            (Dayton Suburb)
                                            Wampler's Ballroom
                                            or
                                            Wampler's Ballarena
                                            Dance 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • The employees [Ellington and orchestra] guarantee there will be no appearances before the 29th day of January 1960 within a 50-mile radius of Dayton, Ohio or immediately following said date.
                                            • Duke Ellington to receive 100% star billing
                                            • Wage agreed upon $1,500 flat; $750 on signing, balance in cash on the night of the engagement.
                                            • Employer: Henry Jones, ...Amer Temple #107
                                              Henry C. Jones {illegible]potentate
                                              3140 Germantown Street, Dayton, Ohio
                                            Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                            1959 12 21, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2019-02-18
                                            1960 01 30
                                            Saturday
                                            .Detroit, Mich.Motor City
                                            Olympia Stadium
                                            15-minute intermission concert and 2-hour post-game concert
                                            The Detroit Pistons NBA basketball team lost over $250,000 in two seasons. The owner hired a new general manager who implemented a series of promotions, including giving ponies to small children, clinics for high schoolers, and various family nights, ladies nights, etc. He also used music, hiring Ellington for a two-hour concert included in the admission price of a Detroit-St. Louis game. The audience numbered 9,657. General manager W. Nick Kerbawy was quoted as saying:

                                            'Nothing is more important than a chanpionship team, but in Detroit public acceptance hinges on exposre. We must firsrt get people out to see the team. then we hope they will return. Our No. 1 aim is a good team. By the time we reach it, I hope we'll have a ready-made audience.'

                                            According to the wirestory, this strategy resulted in the 22-game attendance exceeding the preceding season by 42,000 and exceeding the entire season the previous year.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of Duke Ellington Inc. presents Duke Ellington in Person
                                            • Place of Engagement
                                              Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan
                                            • Date / Hours:
                                              Saturday January 30 1960, 8:30 to 12:30 a.m.
                                              (Orchestra to perform 15-min. concert between halves of basketball game, and do 2-hour concert immediately following conclusion of game.)
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish good PA system and have piano tuned to A=440
                                            • Wage agreed upon:
                                              $2,000 guaranteed flat, to be paid in cash or via Cashier's Check payable Duke Ellington, Inc. to Al Celly [sic], Band Mgr., intermission time night of engagement.
                                            • Mechanical reproduction prohibited.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mr. Nick Kerbawy, Gen Mgr.
                                              Detroit Pistons,
                                              Olympia Stadium,
                                              Detroit, Mich.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1960 01 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • The Billboard, 18 Jan 1960,p.60
                                            • AP Wirestory, St. Petersburg Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.
                                              1960-02-08 p.6-C
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            ..,djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2019-02-18
                                            1960 01 31
                                            Sunday
                                            .Columbus, OhioValley Dale Ballroom
                                            1590 Sunbury Road
                                            Cavaliers Club winter dance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Valley Dale, Columbus, Ohio
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              January 31st, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,250, privilege 50% gross receipts, deposit $625 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              John Hall, Cavalier Club, Columbus, Ohio
                                            • Signed by
                                              Charles R. Otey, Bus. Mgr.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 18, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-11

                                            February 1960

                                            1960 02 00...Personnel change
                                            Ozzie Bailey leaves the band again
                                            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                                            added 2012-10-10
                                            1960 02 01
                                            Monday
                                            .Toledo, OhioInverness Club
                                            4601 Dorr St.
                                            Dance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • 9 pm to 1.00am
                                            • Duke Ellington will appear personally
                                            • Duke Ellington to receive 100% billing
                                            • Wage agreed upon $1,000 flat; $500 on signing, balance in cash on the night of the engagement.
                                            • Employer: Paul J. Leahy, c/o Bowley, Leahy & Connors
                                              536 Sptizer Building
                                              Toledo, Ohio
                                            Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                            1959 12 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-02-18
                                            1960 02 02
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Columbus, OhioMain Ballroom
                                            Deshler-Hilton Hotel
                                            Dance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Deshler-Hilton Hotel, Columbus, Ohio (Main Ballroom)
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 2nd, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              10 till 2
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,250 flat, deposit $625 due on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              John Moore, 16 East Broad St., Columbus
                                            • Signed:
                                              John Moore
                                            • Neither file copy of the contract shows the deposit was received. Further research is needed to confirm the engagement went ahead.
                                            Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 06, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-07-09
                                            1960 02 03
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Lexington, Ky.Joyland Park CasinoFormal dance for the Dansante Club.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Joyland Park Casino, Lexington, Kentucky [handwritten alteration]
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 3rd, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat, deposit $500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mel Schisler, Wolf Mile Co., Inc. Dept. Store, Lexington, Kentucky
                                            • Signed by
                                              Mel Schisler
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 12 04, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30
                                            • The Lexington Herald, Lexington, Ky, 1960-02-05 p.18
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2016-07-11
                                            1960 02 04
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 02 05
                                            Friday
                                            .Washington, D.C.National Guard ArmoryMardi Gras Ball for the Omega Psi Fraternity

                                            The Milt Buckner Trio also performed.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              National Guard Armory, Washington, D.C.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 5, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 flat, deposit $1,500 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Dennette A. Harrod, Chairman, Music Com. Alpha Omega Mardi Gras, Omega Psi Phi Frat., 763 Kenyohn Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.
                                            • Signed by
                                              Dennette A. Harrod
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 08 03, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 26
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djp Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-01-27
                                            2016-07-06
                                            1960 02 06
                                            Saturday
                                            1960 02 13
                                            Saturday
                                            Monroeville, Penn.Town House
                                            3775 Wm. Penn Highway
                                            (Monroeville is about 14 miles east of Pittsburgh)

                                            Pittsburgh Courier:

                                            'Billed as the nation's No. 1 Bandsman is Duke Ellington, his famed orchestra and Revue at Town House.'


                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 14 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & ORCH"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Town House, 3775 Wm. Penn Highway, Monroeville, Pa.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 6, 1960 - eight consecutive days
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              to appear as an act - 3 shows nightly
                                            • DUKE ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% TOP BILLING. OPERATOR TO SUPPLY DUKE ELLINGTON WITH A ROOM. ARTIST AGREES NOT TO PLAY ANY NIGHCLUBS IN THE AREA OF GREATER PITTSBURGH 30 DAYS PRIOR TO PLAY DATE. ALSO UNDERSTOOD ARTIST CANNOT ACCEPT ANY CLUB DATES DURING THIS ENGAGEMENT WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE OPERATOR.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $6,750 for week plus pro rata for extra day, to be paid in cash to artist, end of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mike Abriola - Town House, 3775 Wm. Penn Highway, Monroeville, Pa.
                                            • Signed by
                                              Mike Abriola per [illegible]
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 02, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                            • Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1960-02-08 p.12
                                            • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, Penn. 1960-02-09 p.15
                                            • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn., 1960-02-13 p.23
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            2016-07-08
                                            1960 02 07
                                            Sunday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 08
                                            Monday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 09
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 10
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 11
                                            Thursday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 12
                                            Friday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 13
                                            Saturday
                                            .Monroeville, Penn.Town Housesee 1960 02 06.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 02 14
                                            Sunday
                                            Valentine's Day
                                            .Norfolk, Va.Norfolk Municipal ArenaConcert, audience of 3,300
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Norfolk Municipal Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 14th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              1 concert - 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $3,000 flat, deposit $1,500 payable on signing balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Dr. Marian P. Capps, Chairman Projects Committee, Delta Signa Theta Sorority, 958 Dunbar St., Norfolk, Virginia
                                            • Signed by
                                              Marian P. Capps, Chr. Projects Com.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 17, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • Stratemann p.419 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-08
                                            2016-07-11
                                            1960 02 15
                                            Monday
                                            .Norfolk, Va.Breezy Point Officers' Club
                                            Building SP-45
                                            U.S. Naval Air Station
                                            Dance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Breezy Point Officers' Club, Bldg. SP-45, U.S. Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 15th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9p.m. to 1 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,100 flat, deposit $550 payable on signing, balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Sam Copeland, Breezy Point Officers' Club, U.S. Naval Air Station, Bldg. SP-45, Norfolk, Va.
                                            • Signed by
                                              S.G. Copeland
                                            Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 11 16, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29...djpNew
                                            Added
                                            2016-07-10
                                            1960 02 16
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Fort Eustis, Va.N.C.O. ClubDance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              N.C.O. Club, Fort Eustis, Virginia
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 16, 1960*
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,000 flat* (payment terms all crossed out)
                                            • Employer:
                                              M/Sgt. Fred Burgess, N.C.O. Club, Fort Eustis, Virginia
                                            • Signed by
                                              Fred L. Burgess
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            .
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            1960 02 17
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Petersburg, Va.Virginia Hall Auditorium, Virginia State College
                                            The Artists' Recitals Series Committee
                                            of Virginia State College

                                            PRESENTS
                                            America's Foremost Modern Composer
                                            Duke Ellington
                                            AND HIS FAMOUS ORCHESTRA
                                            In Concert
                                            Wednesday,
                                            February 17, 1960
                                            8 P.M.
                                            Virginia Hall
                                            Auditorium

                                            GENERAL ADMISSION $2.00

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA"
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              Concert at approxmately 8:00 PM, 2 hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 payable in cash in full to artist night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Thomas Bridges - Artists Recitals Comm. Virginia State College, Petersburg, Virginia
                                            • Signed by
                                              Thomas Bridges per tcl
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 01, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                            • Progress-Index, Petersburg, Va, 1960-02-14 p.18
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            1960 02 18
                                            Thursday
                                            .Fort Bragg, N.C.Main Officers' Open Mess ClubDance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Main Officers' Open Mess Club, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 18, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              8 PM to 1200 *
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 flat payable in full in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Lt. Colonel James L. Walker
                                              Main Officers' Open Mess Club
                                              , Fort Bragg, North Carolina
                                            • Signed by
                                              James L. Walker
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 26, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                            • Stratemann p.419
                                            • Vail II
                                            .
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-09
                                            1960 02 19
                                            Friday
                                            .Chapel Hill, N.C.Woollen Gymnasium
                                            University of North Carolina
                                            Winter Germans Dance

                                            German Club President Jonathan Yardley predicted Ellington would play a midnight to one concert to allow those attending the dance to have the opportunity to hear some of Ellingtonls concert classics. The followup publicity suggested it would be a stand-up concert.

                                            Count Basie with Joe Williams, and the vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross played a concert the next afternoon.

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Gym, Univ. of N.Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.Carolina
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 19, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 PM to 1:00 AM
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,750 flat, deposit $1,375 on signing, balance in cash to artist night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Jonathan Yardley, German Club, Univ. of N.C., 202 East Rosemary Street, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
                                            • Signed by
                                              Jonathan Yardley
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                              1959 09 25, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 27
                                            • The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, N.C.
                                              • 1960-02-11 p.1
                                              • 1960-02-18 p.2
                                              • 1960-02-21 p.1 (photo)
                                            • The Rocky Mount, N.C. Telegram, Rocky Mount, N.C.
                                              1960 02 16 p.3
                                            • Yackety Yack –1960 yearbook, University of North Carolina at Chepel Hill
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            .
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-07
                                            2019-02-18
                                            2019-02-19
                                            1960 02 20
                                            Saturday
                                            .Charlotteville, Va.Gym, University of VirginiaAfternoon concert
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Gym, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 20, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              1 concert - 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $3,500 flat, deposit $1,750 payable on signing and balance in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Fred C. Wright, Pres., P.-K German Dance Society, University of Virginia - 160 Madison Lane, Charlottesville, Virginia
                                            • Signed by
                                              Fred C. Wright III
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                              1959 11 10, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.,
                                              1960-02-21 s.3 p.4
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-10
                                            2019-02-19
                                            1960 02 21
                                            Sunday
                                            .Williamsburg, VaPhi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall
                                            or
                                            William & Mary Memorial Hall
                                            William & Mary College
                                            Concert, 2 to 4 p.m.

                                            Radio station WCWN broadcast Ellington speaking with several unnamed students - this is described as an interview in the discographies - a tape of the broadcast is apparently in the hands of the collector community.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Phi Beta Kappa Hall, William & Mary College, Williamsburgh, Va.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 21st, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,700 flat payable in full in cash to artist day of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Va.
                                            • Signed by
                                              H. H. [illegible] for Bursar
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                              1959 11 25, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • Richmond Times-Dispatch, Richmond, Va.
                                              1960-02-17 p.32
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Nielsen
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6002
                                            ..djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-11
                                            2019-02-19
                                            1960 02 22
                                            Monday
                                            8:30PM
                                            .Baltimore, Md.Shriver Hall
                                            Johns Hopkins University
                                            Recorded Brotherhood Week concert, sponsored by the YMCA
                                            Audience numbered 1,000
                                            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Gee, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Jimmy Johnson(drums), Greenwood, Bailey

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • All Of Me
                                            • Anatomy Of A Murder
                                            • Bill Bailey
                                            • Black And Tan Fantasy / Creole Love Call / The Mooche
                                            • Caravan
                                            • Diminuendo In Blue / Wailing Interval
                                            • Duael Fuel
                                              Parts I, II and III
                                            • Flirtibird
                                            • Happy Anatomy
                                            • Hello, Little Boy
                                            • Indian Summer
                                            • Jam With Sam
                                            • Jeep's Blues
                                            • Jones
                                            • Newport Up
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • Tenderly
                                            • Pie Eye's Blues
                                            • Sonnet To Hank Cing
                                            • Such Sweet Thunder
                                            • Medley
                                            • St. Louis Blues
                                            • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                                            • V.I.P. Boogie
                                            • What Else Can you Do With A Drum?

                                            The medley consisted of:
                                            • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                                            • In A Sentimental Mood
                                            • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                            • Mood Indigo
                                            • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                                            • Sophisticated Lady
                                            • Caravan
                                            • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                            • Satin Doll
                                            • Just Squeeze Me
                                            • It Don't Mean A Thing

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Shriver Hall
                                              Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 22nd, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              1 concert - 8:30 p.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 guaranteed, privilege 50% of gross receipts, partial deposit $250 on signing, balance of deposit $500 due on or before February 15, 1960, balance of $750 due in cash, night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Chester Wickwire - Y.M.C.A.
                                              Johns Hopkins University
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1960 01 08, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                              , p.214
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6003
                                            ..djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-08
                                            2019-02-19
                                            1960 02 22
                                            Monday
                                            .Baltimore, Md.Blue Jay RestaurantDuring the Johns Hopkins intermission, Wally Orlinsky and Ruth Fegley approached Ellington backstage to ask him to see if the owner of a Jim Crow restaurant would indeed serve a 'proper nigger' as he had said he would. Thirty-five students, including five Afro-Americans, had tried to eat at the Blue Jay earlier in the day and been refused service. Ms Fegley boarded the band bus after the concert, and the bus arrived at the restaurant shortly before midnight. Some policemen, a reporter and a photographer from the Afro-American were present when they arrived.

                                            Ms Fegley:

                                            He and I got off...as soon as we opened the door and went in, (the owner) turned the lights off and said "We're closing."...We didn't make an issue, we just left, the Afro took pictures, the Duke left."

                                            Afro-American:

                                            Famed bandleader Duke Ellington and a group who had attended a concert ... as a Brotherhood Week activity ...were turned back at the door of the Blue Jay Restaurant about 11:45 pm Monday.

                                            The group, including Miss Ruth Fegley and Howard (Sonny) Young of Baltimore, a student leader... and the band leader's manager, Albert Celley, were told: "Sorry Folks, but we're closing. You can't be served." The spokeman, who identified himself as manager, then started dousing the lights. One of the Hopkins student leaders said they had been informed on Sunday night the place would be open until 1 a.m. last night...

                                            Two days after the protest, the restaurant was destroyed by a fire that started in the basement.

                                            The story of the restaurant's refusal to serve Ellington was reported nationally in UPI and AP wirestories. Restaurant sit-ins were widespread acts of civil disobediance around this time, and some civil rights activists even picketed the headquarters of major retail chains whose Southern store lunch counters would not serve blacks. The Salisbury Times carried a lengthy AP report on the Ellington incident and a lengthy think-piece about the restaurant sit-ins in North Carolina and nationally.

                                            AP wirestory:

                                            ...John Katz...one of five students identifying themselves as leaders of the group, said 10 to 15 sutdents–all white–took Ellington and several members of his organization to the restaurant about midnight...
                                              With Ellington, Katz said, were Albert Selley [sic], manager of the band, Miss Ruth Segley [sic] of Baltimore, a friend of Ellington's, and Baltimore attorney Howard Young, a cousin of Ellington's. Young is a Negro.
                                              Katz said only one student went inside with the Ellington group, the others waiting outside. The restaurant proprietor, Fred Paxenos, asked them to leave, he said, and they did so. Then Paxenos closed the restaurant "about an hour and 10 minutes early."...'

                                            • AP wirestories, The Salisbury Times, Salisbury, Md.
                                              • 1960-02-23 pp.1,8
                                              • 1960-02-26 p.18
                                            • UPI story, The Mexia Daily News, Mexia, Texas 1960-02-23 p.2
                                            • The Afro-American, 1960-03-05, p.5
                                            • Stratemann, p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Harvey G. Cohen, Duke Ellington's America, University of Chicago Press, 2010, pp.387-390 citing several newspapers
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2013-07-08
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-10
                                            1960 02 23
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented

                                            (Cohen's description of the Blue Jay incident says the band was to travel by bus that night to Philadelphia)
                                            ......
                                            1960 02 24
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Boston, Mass.Bradford HotelDance
                                            Eddie Rugg, Boston Daily Record

                                            'Our town looks ahead to Wednesday and the date of Duke Ellington at the Bradford – one of the high points, indeed, of the local dance year. The Duke, of course, remains one of the great figures in music, and when the list of America's popular music giants has been compiled, we doubt not that his name will be high on the roster.
                                              So chalk down the night of the 27th [sic] and the big concert-dance at the Bradford. It will provide an exciting evening.'

                                            The accompanying advertisement shows Wed. Feb. 24, and advance sale tickets for $1.85
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Bradford Hotel, Boston, Mass.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 24th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              8:45 P.M. to 12:45 A.M.
                                            • Duke Ellington to receive 100% billing
                                            • Wage agreed upon:
                                              $1,000 guaranteed, privilege 60% of gross receipts, payable in full in cash to artist night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Charles Shribman
                                              P.O. Box 287
                                              Taunton, Mass.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                              1960 01 07, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-02-20 p.55
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-02-19
                                            1960 02 25
                                            Thursday
                                            .Worcester, Mass. Worcester Memorial AuditoriumConcert and Dance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians led by DUKE ELLINGTON INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Hours: Feb. 25 1960, 8 p.m. to 12 midnight
                                            • Duke Ellington to receive 100% billing [sic]
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,200 flat, payable $750 deposit on signing, balance in cash the night of the engagement.
                                            Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                            dated 1959 12 15, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-18
                                            1960 02 26
                                            Friday
                                            .Hanover, N.H. Webster Hall
                                            Dartmouth College
                                            Recorded concert
                                            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Gee, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Woode, Johnson, Greenwood. New Desor and Nielsen include Ozzie Bailey, even though he didn't sing any of the recorded vocals.
                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Medley (1)
                                            • Newport Up
                                            • Tenderly
                                            • Such Sweet Thunder
                                            • Sonnet To Hank Cing
                                            • Anatomy Of A Murder
                                            • Happy Anatomy
                                            • Flirtibird
                                            • Pie Eye's Blues
                                            • Prelude To A Kiss
                                            • All Of Me
                                            • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                                            • Duael Fuel suite: Parts I, II and II
                                            • Jones
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • V.I.P. Boogie
                                            • Jam With Sam
                                            • Caravan
                                            • St. Louis Blues
                                            • Bill Bailey
                                            • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                                            • Hello, Little Boy
                                            • Medley (2)
                                            • Medley (3)
                                            The medleys were:
                                            ( 1 )
                                            • Black And Tan Fantasy
                                            • Creole Love Call
                                            • The Mooche
                                            ( 2 )
                                            • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                                            • In A Sentimental Mood
                                            • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                            • Mood Indigo
                                            • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                                            • Sophisticated Lady
                                            • Caravan
                                            • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                            • Satin Doll
                                            • Just Squeeze Me
                                            • It Don't Mean A Thing
                                            • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                            ( 3 )
                                            • Diminuendo In Blue
                                            • Wailing Interval

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 26th,1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              1 concert - 9:00 to 11:00 with 15" intermission
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,800 guaranteed, privilege 60% gross receipts, deposit $900 due upon signing, balance due in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire
                                            • Signed by
                                              [illegible]
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6004
                                            ..djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            1960 02 27
                                            Saturday
                                            .Middlebury, Vt.Middlebury CollegeConcert as part of Carnival weekend. One campus newspaper article indicates Ellington would go to a frat house party after his concert.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              February 27th 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. with intermission
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat, deposit $1,000 payable on signing, balance due in cash night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mountain Club of Middlebury College, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
                                            • Signed by
                                              Arthur Myles
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated 1959 10 27, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 28
                                            • The Campus, Middlebury College, Middlebury, Vermont
                                              • 1960-02-11 p.1
                                              • 1960-02-25 pp.1,5,6,8
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            1960 02 28
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 02 29
                                            Monday
                                            .New York, N.Y..Gonsalves/Hodges recording session

                                            The activities of other band members and Duke are not documented.
                                            ..DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2020-05-10

                                            March 1960

                                            1960 03 01
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 03 01...Personnel changes
                                            • Trombonist Matthew Gee leaves the band
                                            • Valve trombonist Juan Tizol rejoins
                                            • Singer Milt Grayson joins
                                            • Down Beat 1900-07-21 pp.71-72
                                              courstesy S.Lasker
                                            • Stratemann, p.420
                                            • New Desor vol.2
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2012-10-25
                                            2021-11-19
                                            1960 03 02
                                            Wednesday
                                            1960 05 24Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Room
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            Six week casino lounge residency, extended to twelve weeks. Four shows nightly, five on Friday and Saturday.

                                            While Vail says the original 6 week engagement was gradually extended to 12 weeks, the contract required the hotel to exercise a renewal option by the second week of the engagement, which it did.

                                            The contract required a six day week, but is silent as to which was the night off.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Starlight Room, Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              March 2, 1960 - six weeks plus a six week option on the part of management, such option to be exercised no later than the second week of the initial period, by management.
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              6 hours nightly, 6 days weekly maximum 4 shows nightly, max. 5 shows Fri. & Saturday. Duke Ellington is to furnish two additional sets in addition to his regular complement at no additional cost to the Riviera Hotel. DUKE ELLINGTON IS TO RECEIVE 100% SOLE STAR BILLING in the Starlight Room.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $10,000 per week, less 10% to Associated Booking Corp., to be paid end of each week of engagement as follows: $6,000 weekly to Al Celley, $4,000 weekly to be made payable and sent directly to Associated Booking Corp., 745 Fifth Ave., N.Y.C., N.Y. at the end of each week.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Riviera Hotel - Starlight Room, Las Vegas, Nevada.
                                            • Signed by
                                              [illegible]
                                            The option was exercised by letter dated March 11, 1960, for the Duke Ellington and Orchestra plus one male vocalist and one female vocalist, has been exercised for a mutually agreed upon price of $8,500 per week, commencing April 13, 1960 and ending May 24, 1960. All other terms and conditions set forth on orginal contract dated November 16, 1950 shall remain the same with the following exceptions: $6000.00 per week to DUKE ELLINGTON and $2500.00 per week to be deducted and sent to JOE GLASER c/o ASSOCIATED BOOKING CORP. 745 Fifth Ave., New York, New York.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                              1959 11 16 and option letter dated 1960 03 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 29
                                            • Stratemann, p.420, citing The Billboard 1960 05 27 p.18 [recte 1960 05 23
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            2016-07-11
                                            1960 03 03
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 04
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 05
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 06
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 07
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 08
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 09
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 10
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 11
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 12
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 13
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 14
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 15
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 16
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 17
                                            Thursday
                                            St. Patrick's Day
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 18
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 19
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 20
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 21
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 22
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 23
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 24
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 25
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 26
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 27
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 28
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 29
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 30
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 03 31
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14

                                            April 1960

                                            1960 04 00...Personnel changes
                                            Drummer Jimmy Johnson leaves the band

                                            Frank Dunlop, drums, joins the band in mid-April and leaves in late May
                                            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                                            added 2012
                                            1960 04 01...Peripheral event
                                            New recording session "scale" for musicians

                                            International Musician, February 1959, reported scale for non-symphonic recordings would, effective April 1, 1960, be:
                                                      One Session $51.50
                                            Unit of Overtime $17.17
                                            see Steven Lasker's report at 1959 01 01 above...SLNew
                                            added
                                            2017-04-13
                                            1960 04 01
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 02
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 03
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 04
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 05
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 06
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 07
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 08
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 09
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 10
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 11
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 12...Personnel change
                                            Aaron Bell, bass & tuba, joined the band while Jimme Woode was still in it, and would stay until November 1962.
                                            • New Desor vol.2
                                            • Stanley Dance: The World of Duke Ellington, pp. 202-209 at p.206
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2012-10-10
                                            2016-09-18
                                            2023-08-16
                                            After
                                            1960 04 12
                                            ...Personnel change
                                            The exact date Jimmy Woode, bass, left the band needs to be ascertained. Aaron Bell says he joined when Woode was still in the band and thinking of going to Sweden.
                                            • New Desor vol.2
                                            • Stanley Dance, The World of Duke Ellington, pp. 202-209 at p.207
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2012-10-25
                                            updated
                                            2023-08-16
                                            1960 04 12
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 13
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 14
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 15
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 16
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 17
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 18
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 19
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 20
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 21
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 22
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 23
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 24
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 25
                                            Monday
                                            .Culver City, Cal.MGM StudioRecording session for the soundtrack of the TV serial "Asphalt Jungle." Titles recorded:
                                            • Cops (Asphalt Jungle)
                                            • Wild Car
                                            • Want to Love You
                                            • Blues for Asphalt Jungle
                                            .New Desor
                                            DE6005
                                            DEMS.djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 04 25
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 26
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 27
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 28
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 04 29
                                            Friday
                                            Ellington's birthday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02
                                            The Baltimore Afro-American:

                                            'Shortly before Duke Ellington would up his stand at the Riviera in Las Vegas, the management tendered him a surprise birthday party....Joining in the tribute to the great bandleader-composer were such entertainment world celebrities as Sophie Tucker, Billy Eckstine, Ted Lewis, Victor Borge, Eartha Kitt, Betty Hutton and Sid Caesar.
                                              Also Ray Anthony, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Pearl Bailey, Joe E. Lewis, Vaughn Monroe, Della Reese, Gordon Jenkins, and Duke's ace sax man, Harry Carney, who was marking his 33rd year with the band on Ellington's birthday....Request had been made for Duke to play "Take the A Train" as his closing number....When he reached the point where he signalled the down beat, the band instead responded with "Happy Birthday." '

                                            The Baltimore Afro-American
                                            Baltimore, Md.
                                            1960-08-30 p.7
                                            ....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 04 30
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14

                                            May 1960

                                            1960 05 00...Personnel changes
                                            Frank Dunlop leaves the band in late May.

                                            Sam Woodyard, drums, rejoins the band
                                            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                                            added 2012-10-11
                                            1960 05 01
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 02
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 03
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 04
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 05
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 06
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 07
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 08
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 09
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 10
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 11
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 12
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 13
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 14
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 15
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 16
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 17
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 18
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 19
                                            Thursday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 20
                                            Friday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 21
                                            Saturday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 22
                                            Sunday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 23
                                            Monday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 24
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Las Vegas, Nev.Starlight Lounge
                                            Riviera Hotel
                                            see 1960 03 02

                                            End of engagement
                                            ....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            1960 05 25
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 05 26...Personnel change
                                            Trombonist Lawrence Brown rejoins the band, increasing the trombone section to four men. He also participated in the soundtrack recording of The Asphalt Jungle on 1960 04 25, but New Desor does not list him in the May 26 recording session.
                                            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                                            added 2012-10-11
                                            1960 05 26
                                            Thursday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders AnnexRecording session, "Nutcracker Suite"
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)

                                            Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
                                            A.Marenquito, Cook, Edward Mullens, Nance, Woode, Woodman, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Greenwood, Grayson
                                            Titles recorded
                                            • Overture
                                            • Entr'acte
                                            • Arabesque Cookie
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6006
                                            DEMS.djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 05 27
                                            Friday
                                            .Santa Monica, Cal.Santa Monica Civic AuditoriumRecorded concert

                                            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Tizol, Brown, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Greenwood, Grayson

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • Perdido
                                            • Red Carpet
                                            • Newport Up
                                            • Sophisticated Lady
                                            • Congo Square (Matumbe)
                                            • What Else Can you Do With A Drum?
                                            • Day In, Day Out
                                            • Lost In Loveliness
                                            • One More Once
                                            • Passion Flower
                                            • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                                            • All Of Me
                                            • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                            • Bill Bailey
                                            • Take The "A" Train
                                            • Mood Indigo
                                            • Diminuendo In Blue - Wailing Interval - Crescendo In Blue
                                            • Jones
                                            Los Angeles Times:

                                            'Duke Ellington and his orchestra and Cal Tjader and his quintet will stage a double-header concert next Friday night at Santa Moncia Civic Auditorium... '


                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCH.
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, Calif.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              May 27, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              One concert between hours of 8:30 &11:30 PM
                                              One tow hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this concert is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500, 50% deposit payable on signing; balance in cash at end of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Concerts, Inc.,
                                              By Lou Robin, President,...Beverly Hills, California
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1960 01 15, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-12 Pt. IV p.9
                                              • 1960-05-24 Pt.II p.9
                                              • 1960-05-27 Pt. II p.6
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                              , p.216
                                            .
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6007
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-22
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 05 27
                                            Friday
                                            ...Personnel change
                                            Juan Tizol leaves the band but will record with it in May, June and October.
                                            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2012-10-25
                                            updated
                                            2019-10-05
                                            1960 05 28
                                            Saturday
                                            .San Diego, Cal.Russ AuditoriumEvening concert
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCH.
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Russ Auditorium, San Diego, California
                                            • Date of employment
                                              May 28 1960
                                            • One concert between 8:3- amd 11;30 p.m. Altered to One two hour concert with the usual 15-minute intermission, and written in, "plus Cal Tjader."
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this concert is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000, 50% deposit with a 50% privilege of net receipts. Payable: 50% depost on signing, balance in cash at the end of the engagement.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Concerts, Inc.
                                              235 South Robertson,
                                              Beverly Hills, Cal.
                                            .
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1960 01 11, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • Coronado Journal, Coronado, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-12 p.10
                                              • 1960-05-26 p.8
                                            • The San Diego Union, San Diego,Cal.s.E p.1
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-22
                                            1960 05 29
                                            Sunday
                                            .Pasadena, Cal.Pasadena Civic AuditoriumAfternoon concert
                                            Mimi Carr's glowing, flowery review in the Los Angeles Times reported:
                                            • large audience
                                            • inimitable tone quality - singing reeds and astringent brasses fuse into a seamless ensemble blend
                                            • band supple and malleable, playing as one instrument, moving with a resilience that belying the number of instruments involved
                                            • Titles identified:
                                              • The Mooche
                                              • C-Jam Blues
                                              • Skin Deep
                                              • Crescendo and Diminuendo in Blue
                                              • Kinda Dukish / Rockin' in Rhythm
                                            • Personnel named:
                                              • Hodges
                                              • Carney
                                              • Nance
                                              • Hamilton
                                              • Procope
                                              • Gonsalves
                                              • Brown
                                              • Woodman
                                              • Woodyard
                                              • Wood
                                              • Lill Gigi [aka Lil Greenwood]
                                              • Milt Grayson

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Pasadena Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California
                                            • Date of employment
                                              May 29 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              3:00 to 5:30 PM - one two hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this concert is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $4,000, 50% deposit on signing and at end of engagement.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, by Ethel Maddox, concert chariman and [illegible] Brown, president.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1960 01 11, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              1960-05-19 p.8
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-28 Pt. II p.7
                                              • 1960-05-31 Pt.II p.6
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            2019-02-22
                                            1960 05 29
                                            Sunday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Zenda BallroomGaylords Social Club pre-Memorial Day Ball, 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, OWNER, INC.PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Zenda Ballroom, Los Angeles, Calif.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              May 29th 1960
                                              10 P.M. - 2 A.M.
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000 flat guarantee, deposit $1,000 on signing, balance of $1,000 prior to start of dance.
                                            • Employer:
                                              GAylords Social Charity Club
                                              by Alexander Harris, Business Mgr.
                                              1604 East 41st Plance
                                              Loas Angeles II, Calif.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1960 01 22, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 1
                                            • California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-03-31 p.8
                                              • 1960-05-19 p.8
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            2019-02-22
                                            1960 05 30
                                            Monday
                                            .Hollywood
                                            Los Angeles, Cal.
                                            Hollywood Palladium
                                            6215 W. Sunset Blvd.
                                            Hollywood, Cal.
                                            Dance
                                            California Eagle photo caption:

                                            'BE OUR GUEST–Sporting their cool white tropical summer attire, members of the Sir Debuteers have lovely Harietta Terry all shook up over which bid to accept to their club's "Evening With Duke Ellington," on Monday, May 30, at the Palladium, from 6 p.m. until 10 p.m....'


                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              SIR DEBUTEERS, HOLLYWOOD PALLADIAUM, HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              MAY 30, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              4 HOURS (FILL) 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              DANCE
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this contract is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000.00
                                            • To be paid 50% deposit upon signing contract; Balance of moneys due will be paid during intermission in cash.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Sir Debuteers
                                            • Signed by
                                              Sir Debutters [sic] By Charles R. Bays...
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 31st March 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            • The California Eagle, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              1960-05-26 p.11
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-22
                                            2019-03-04
                                            1960 05 31
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders AnnexRecording session, "Nutcracker Suite"
                                            1960 05 31. 2:00 to 5:00 pm. RR Annex.
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)

                                            Duke Ellington and his Orchestra
                                            A.Marenquito, Cook, Edward Mullens, Nance, Woode, Woodman, Tizol, Hamilton, Procope, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Greenwood, Grayson

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6008
                                            DEMS.djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-10-14
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10

                                            June 1960

                                            1960 06 01
                                            Wednesday
                                            .San Francisco, Cal.Facks IICancelled booking - the club owner felt Ellington's other activities in the area would affect his business, so the engagement was postponed twice. See 1960 07 07Stratemann p.425....New
                                            added 2013-07-08
                                            1960 06 01
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders AnnexColumbia recording session
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6009
                                            DEMScorrTimner-4/36.Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 02
                                            Thursday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders AnnexRecording session, "Nutcracker Suite"
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6010
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 03
                                            Friday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders AnnexRecording session, "Nutcracker Suite"
                                            14:00-17:30
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6011
                                            ...Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 03
                                            Friday
                                            .Long Beach, Cal.Municipal Auditorium
                                            D   U   K   E     E   L   L   I   N   G   T   O   N
                                            HIS BAND AND ALL STAR SHOW
                                            IN

                                            CONCERT AND DANCE
                                            MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM – LONG BEACH
                                            Friday Night, June 3 – 8:30 P.M.
                                            TICKETS $2.50 PER PERSON

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 plus 1 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCH.
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, Calif.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 3, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 PM to 1:00 AM
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance (Originally typed as "Dance - Concert" but "Concert" is Xed over)
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this concert is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500.00 with a 50% privilege of net receipts; 50% deposit payable on signing, balance in cash at end of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Capital Enterprises, by Irvin Winger
                                              1432 Highland Avenue
                                              Los Angeles 28, Calif.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated March 31, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-06-01 Pt. II p.9
                                              • 1960-06-02 Pt. II p. 13
                                            • Independent, Long Beach, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-28, p.B-7
                                              • 1960-05-30, p.B-3
                                              • 1960-05-31, p.C-5
                                              • 1960-06-01, p.C-7
                                              • 1960-06-03 p.C-8
                                            • Independent Press-Telegram, Long Beach, Cal.
                                              1960-05-29 p.D-16
                                            • Independent Star-News, Pasadena, Cal.
                                              1960-05-29 p.2
                                            • Stratemann, p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-18
                                            2019-03-04
                                            1960 06 04
                                            Saturday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Shrine Auditorium

                                            CONCERTS INC. PRESENTS
                                            JAZZ AT THE PACIFIC
                                            DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCH.
                                            DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
                                            CANNONBALL ADDERLY QUINTET
                                            Special Attraction
                                            EARL GRANT
                                            Sat., June 4 8:30 p.m.
                                            Tickets $4.50, 3.75, 2.75, 1.75


                                            Los Angeles Times (Mimi Clar)
                                            • Slim attendance
                                            • Lack of planning largely eradicated the effect of what good music was played.
                                            • 'Most annoying were several disc jockeys, whose crude humor was used to bridge long gaps between each act. The only filling in really necessary was during the setup of the Ellington band; and this could easily have been avoided by scheduling the band either first on the program or right after intermission, rather than last.'

                                            • Ellington complained that the placement of his band to the extreme rear of the stage put his musicians at a disadvantage performance-wise.
                                            • Nearly half of Ellington's set "wasted" with two "readily dispensable vocalists."
                                            • The Brubeck, Grant and Ellington sets each had long drum solos, making the audience restive during the last one.
                                            • Hodges' solo in Jeep's Blues was a sheer delight.
                                            • Show ended well past midnight.

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 + 1 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCH.
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              SHRINE AUDITORIUM, LOS ANGELES, CALIF.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              JUNE 4, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              ONE CONCERT BETWEEN HRS OF 8:30 & 11:00 PM
                                            • 'It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.'
                                            • TAPING OF ANY PORTION OF THIS CONCERT IS PROHIBITED.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $3,000.00 "IN THE EVENT THE PROMOTER GROSSES OVER $10,000, DUKE ELLINGTON IS TO RECEIVE AN ADDITIONAL $1.000.00"
                                              To be paid 50% DEPOSIT ON SIGNING CONTRACT; BALANCE IN CASH AT END OF ENGAGEMENT.
                                            • Employer:
                                              CONCERTS, INC.
                                              BY: LOU ROBIN, PRES.
                                              264 SOUTH ROBERTSON BLVD.,
                                              BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORMIA
                                            • Signed by
                                              Lou Robin
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated April 5, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 4
                                            • Independent Star-News, Pasadena, Cal.
                                              1960-05-22 p.11
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-22 s.E p.14
                                              • 1960-05-29 s.F p.4
                                              • 1960-06-05 Pt. IV p.15
                                            • Pasadena Independent, Pasadena, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-30 p.7
                                              • 1960-06-03 p.19
                                            • Stratemann p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-22
                                            2019-02-27
                                            2019-03-05
                                            1960 06 05
                                            Sunday
                                            .Oakland, Cal.Oakland Auditorium Arena

                                            D U K E   E L L I N G T O N
                                            HIS BAND AND ALL STAR SHOW
                                            IN

                                            CONCERT AND DANCE
                                            *EXTRA ADDED ATTRACTION
                                            GINNY TIU
                                            FABULOUS CHILD PRODIGY
                                            OAKLAND AUDITORIUM
                                            Sunday Night, June 5
                                            Tickets $3.75 - $3.75 - $2.00 per person

                                            Plugs by Russ Wilson identified Miss Tiu as a six year old piano prodigy from Hong Kong who had been on 14 network television shows after coming to the United States the summer of 1959.
                                            Stratemann, citing Down Beat, writes this concert was a flop due to a lack of promotion and advertising. Only 450 attended.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 plus 1 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              civic Auditorium, Oakland, Calif.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 5, 1960*
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              8:30 to 11:30 PM
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500.00 with a 50% privilege of net receipts; 50% deposit payable on signing, balance in cash at end of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Capital Enterprises, by Irvin Winger
                                              1432 Highland Avenue
                                              Los Angeles 28, Calif.
                                            • Oakland Tribune, Oakland,Cal.
                                              • 1960-06-02 pp.B8, D43
                                              • 1960-06-05 p.6-B
                                              • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                                dated March 31, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                              • Stratemann p.420 citing
                                                Down Beat 1960-07-21 pp.73-74
                                            • Gleason 186
                                            ..
                                            djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-22
                                            2019-03-04
                                            2021-11-19
                                            1960 06 06
                                            Monday
                                            .Beale Air Force Base
                                            East of
                                            Marysville, Cal.
                                            NCO ClubDance
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              NCO CLUB, BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, MARYSVILLE, CALIFORNIA
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              JUNE 6, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 PM TO 1:00 AM
                                            • IT IS UNDERSTOOD AND AGREED THAT DUKE ELLINGTON IS TO RECEIVE HDADLINE BILLING IN TYPE EQUAL TO 100% ON MARQUEE AND IN ANY AND ALL RELEASES AND PAID ADVERTISING.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,000.00
                                            • To be paid 50% DEPOSIT UPON SIGNING CONTRACT; BALANCE OF MONEYS DUE WILL BE PAID DURING INTERMISSION IN CASH.
                                            • Employer:
                                              NCO CLUB
                                              BY: SGT SIMMONS
                                              BEALE AIR FORCE BASE
                                              MARYSVILLE, CALIFORNIA*
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated April 8, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 3, Folder 4
                                            • Stratemann p.420 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2021-11-19 citing Down Beat
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-05
                                            2021-11-19
                                            1960 06 07
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Chico, Cal.Auditorium,
                                            Chico State College
                                            Concert for the Kiwanis Club
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              AUDITORIUM, CHICO STATE COLLEGE, CHICO, CALIFORNIA
                                              (FOR THE KIWANIS CLUB)
                                            • Date(s) of employmentJUNE 7 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              8:00 PM to 10:00 PM CONCERT
                                            • It is understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              CONCERT
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,000.00 WITH A 50% PRIVILEGE OF NET RECEIPTS
                                            • To be paid 50% DEPOSIT UPON SIGNING CONTRACT; BALANCE OF MONIES WILL BE PAID DURING INTERMISSION IN CASH
                                            • Employer:
                                              KIWANIS CLUB
                                              BY: JACK MORGAN
                                              KIWANIS CLUB
                                              CHICO, CALIFORNIA
                                            • Signed by Jack Morgan
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 15th April 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 4
                                            • Stratemann p.420 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-17
                                            1960 06 08
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 06 09
                                            Thursday
                                            .Seattle, Wash..Sidemen's activities and location are not documented
                                            • Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

                                              '...Ellington... came to Seattle Thursday with a bundle of blank music paper and a headful of ideas.
                                                I had to take a day off," commented Duke in reference to arriving a day prior to the concert that his orchestra will play at 8 p.m. [Friday] in the Palomar. "I'm working on this TV thing and there are a lot of ideas up here," he said, pointing to his head, "and I want to get them on paper."
                                                Ellington is scoring a TV pilot film which he hopes will become a series – it's titled"Asphalt Jungle"... '

                                            • Stratemann erroneously has the orchestra performing in the Palomar Ballroom [recte Theatre] in Seattle on the 9th and Portland on the 10th. The Seattle engagement was on the 10th and Portland on the 11th.
                                            • John Voorhees, Look and Listen,
                                              Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, Wash.
                                              1960-06-10 p.18
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-02-26
                                            1960 06 10
                                            Friday
                                            .Seattle, Wash.Palomar Ballroom
                                            Palomar Theatre
                                            Concert 8 p.m.
                                            While Stratemann names the venue Palomar Ballroom, the booking contract and advertisements refer to it as Palomar Theatre, and the engagement is a concert, not a dance.
                                            John Voorhees, Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
                                            • an exciting concert
                                            • mostly Ellington's own music but not to the point of excluding all others.
                                            • names Hodges, Nance, Carney, Gonzalvez [sic],Cook, Grayson, Gee-Gee [sic]
                                            • audience noisy and rude but Duke handled all shouted requests and comments with ease.

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Palomar Theatre, Seattle, Washington
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 10, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              One concert starting at 8:00 PM
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              One two hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,250.00 with a 50% privilege of net receipts, 50% deposit upon signing, balance of monies due will be paid during intermission in cash.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Joe Canavan
                                              515 Union Street, Seattle
                                            • Signed by
                                              Joe Canavan and by Duke Ellington
                                              • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                                dated May 31, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                              • Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, Wash.
                                                • 1960-06-03 pp.17,23
                                                • 1960-06-05 pp.10, 15
                                                • 1960-06-07 p.10
                                                • 1960-06-08 p.2
                                                • 1960-06-09 pp.19,20
                                                • 1960-06-10 p.18
                                                • 1960-06-11 p.18
                                              • Stratemann p.420 citing DESB
                                              • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-26
                                            1960 06 11
                                            Saturday
                                            .Portland, Ore.Rose Bowl Grand Floral ParadeEllington rode on the Bureau of Fire, District No. 5 float which had a Las Vegas theme. The float,designed by Jim Markel of Engine 23 and built by the crews of Engine 25 and Truck 10 had pretty girls on board and was decorated with red, pink and white roses, a 5-foot square pair of dice and a wheel of fortune.
                                            • AP wirestory,
                                              • Capital Journal, Salem, Ore.
                                                1960-06-09 p.20
                                              • Register-Guard, Eugene, Ore.,
                                                1960-06-09 p.44
                                              • Union-Bulletin, Walla Walla, Wash.
                                                1960-0-09 p.20
                                            • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
                                              1960-06-09 p.16
                                            • Sunday Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
                                              1960-06-12 p.43
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-02-26
                                            1960 06 11
                                            Saturday
                                            .Portland, Ore.Civic AuditoriumConcert 8 p.m.
                                            Tickets: $2.00, $2.50, $3.50, $4.00
                                            Some members of the First Fleet were to be Ellington's guests at the show.
                                            Kenneth Young, The Oregonian:
                                            • Small but appreciative crowd
                                            • Great with words and wit, Duke announced the songs himself
                                            • Opened with Take the A Train
                                            • The medley included Black and Tan Fantasy, Creole Love Call, The Mooche
                                            • Other titles named:
                                              • All of Me
                                              • Autumn Leaves
                                              • Caravan
                                              • Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue (last song of the concert)
                                              • Flirty Bird
                                              • Hank Sank [sic]
                                              • Lester Leaps In
                                              • Lost in Loveliness
                                              • Love Me or Leave Me
                                              • Newport Up
                                              • Primitivia
                                                from A Drum is a Woman
                                              • St. Louis Woman
                                              • Single Petal of a Rose
                                              • Skin Deep
                                              • Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me
                                              • Mood Indigo
                                              • Solitude
                                              • Sophisticated Lady
                                              • excerpt from
                                                Such Sweet Thunder
                                              • Walking
                                              • What Else Can You Do With a Drum
                                            • Soloists and singers named
                                              • Carney
                                              • Cook
                                              • Ellington
                                              • Gigi
                                              • Gonsalves
                                              • Grayson
                                              • Hodges
                                              • Hamilton
                                              • Nance
                                              • Woodman
                                              • Woodyard

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Civic Auditorium, Portland, Ore.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 11, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              One concert starting at 8:00 PM - Two hours with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,250.00 with a 50% privilege of net receipts, 50% deposit upon signing, balance of monies due will be paid during intermission in cash.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Joe Canavan
                                              515 Union Street, Seattle
                                            • Signed by
                                              Joe Canavan
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated May 31, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                            • The Sunday Oregonian, Portland, Ore,
                                              1960-06-05 s.3 p.14
                                            • The Oregonian, Portland, Ore.
                                              • 1960-06-07 s.3 p.5
                                              • 1960-06-08 p.15
                                              • 1960-06-09 p.16 and s.3 p.8
                                              • 1960-06-09 s.3 p.8
                                              • 1960-06-10 p.7
                                              • 1960-06-14 p.5
                                            • Stratemann p.420 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-26
                                            1960 06 12
                                            Sunday
                                            .SpokaneFairchild Air Force Base......Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 13
                                            Monday
                                            .Vancouver, B.C.Queen Elizabeth Theatre
                                            630 Hamilton St.
                                            Concert 8:30 p.m.
                                            Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra
                                            Tickets:
                                            $4.25, $3.75, $2.75, $1.95, $1.25
                                            • Jack Wasserman, Vancouver Sun
                                              • 'Fresh from a box office defeat with the Jazz Society Festival, real estator Phil Matty embarked on a private venture Monday by hiring Duke Ellington for a non-Sunday, June 13, Queen 'Liz outing.'
                                              • 'Realtor Phil Matty, whose hobbies include skin diving and jazz music, reports he ran into an octopus with an eight-foot stretch off Brunswick Beach last Sunday. "I might not have lived until next Monday's Duke Ellington concert," he shrugged. "But then, if ticket sales don't pick up, I might wish I was dead anyhow." '
                                              • 'Skin diving realtor Phil Matty ... can stay away from the water this week. He took a fair bath on Monday's Duke Ellington concert,which drew 1,307 people, who paid a gross of $3,600, grossly less than Phil needed to break even.'
                                            • Franceane Campbell, The Province:
                                              • About 1,800 in the audience
                                              • music was from the latest album and a film
                                              • started late
                                              • amplified
                                              • impressive solos from Hamilton, Nance, Gonzales [sic] and Woodyard
                                              • mentioned Black and Tan Fantasy, Creole Love Call.
                                            • Desmond Arthur, The Vancouver Sun:
                                              • Half empty house
                                              • sound "pretty hard to take through the theatre's maniacal amplification system."
                                              • critical of the singers
                                              • Didn't know performers' names because there were no programs.
                                              • Didn't like the lighting effects.

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCH.
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Queen Elizabeth Theatre Vancouver, B.C., Canada
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 13th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              One two-hour concert commencing 8:30 P.M.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this concert is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,000.00 with a 50% privilege of net receipts; 50% deposit on signing, balance in cash at end of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Vancouver New Jazz Society
                                              By: Phil Matty
                                              2521 Nanaimo Road,
                                              Vancouver, B.C., Canada
                                            • The contract doesn't say which currency it's payable in.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated March 28, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                            • The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver, B.C.
                                              • 1960-04-19 p.21
                                              • 1960-05-27 p.12
                                              • 1960-06-01 p.25
                                              • 1960-06-03 p.27
                                              • 1960-06-04 p.10
                                              • 1960-06-10 p.29
                                              • 1960-06-13 p.23
                                              • 1960-06-14 pp.21,27
                                            • The Province, Vancouver, B.C.
                                              • 1960-06-11 pp.18,23
                                              • 1960-06-11 p.18
                                              • 1960-06-13 p.6
                                              • 1960-06-14 p.7
                                            • Stratemann, p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-02-24
                                            1960 06 14
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Victoria, B.C.Memorial ArenaConcert, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, 8:30 p.m.
                                            Singer Lil Greenwood's name is printed on the back cover of a programme autographed by Ellington, Gonsalves and Hodges.

                                            Hal Jones in Victoria Daily Times:
                                            • Fewer than 1,000 fans in arena capable of holding 5,000
                                            • First half of the program was in concert form
                                            • Titles mentioned:
                                              • I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                              • All of Me
                                              • Black and Tan Fantasy
                                              • Creole Love Call
                                            • Ellington spoke with Jones before the concert but wouldn't talk about the low turnout in Vancouver.

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC., OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Memorial Arena, Victoria, B.C., Canada
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 14, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              One concert 1:30 PM 8:30 P.M.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 (currency not specified) with a 50% privilege of net receipts; 50% deposit on signing, balance in cash during intermission
                                            • Employer:
                                              L.W. (Jerry) Hendrickson
                                              400 Boylston North
                                              Seattle, Washington
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated June 3, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 3, Folder 6
                                            • Victoria Daily Times, Victoria, B.C.
                                              • 1960-06-07 p.11
                                              • 1960-06-10 p.29
                                              • 1960-06-14 p.12
                                              • 1960-06-15 p.24
                                            • Autographed souvenir program
                                            • Stratemann, p.420
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011

                                            updated
                                            2016-04-04
                                            2019-02-24
                                            1960 06 14
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Blue Note Café Peripheral event
                                            The Blue Note shut down on this date. Al Hirt was the last act to perform in it.
                                            Blue Note Memories, The Chicago Reader, 1989-08-17....New
                                            added 2012
                                            1960 06 15
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 06 16
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 06 17
                                            Friday
                                            .San Francisco, Cal.Civic Auditorium

                                            CONCERTS, INC. PRESENTS
                                            JAZZ AT THE PACIFIC
                                            One Night Only!
                                            DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            SARAH VAUGHN
                                            S.F. CIVIC AUDITORIUM
                                            FRIDAY, June 17, 8:30 P.M.
                                            TICKETS $2.50, 3.00, 3.75 (tax included)

                                            Publicity

                                            '...there'll be seveal members who weren't with the orchestra in its last appearance here. Among them will be bassist Aaron Bell, trombonists Juan Tizol and Bootie Wood, and trumpeter Willie Cook. Drummer Sam Woodyard is also back on the band.'

                                            Russ Wilson's lengthy "World of Jazz" plug in the Oakland Tribune described each member of the band in one edition, and provided short biographies of Lawrence Brown and Lili Gigi (stage name of Lil Greenwood), because they were from the area. The San Francisco Examiner went further, printing a long biography of "Lillie Gigi, Alias Lil Greenwood."
                                            Wilson's Oakland Tribune review:
                                            • only 2,500 attended, and receipts did not cover expenses
                                            • Lustrous, memorable performance
                                            • The Virgil Gonsalves Sextet opened with a short set
                                            • Vaughn was next, until intermission
                                            • The 14-piece Ellingtonians came after the intermission and played an hour and 20 minutes.
                                            • A sideman who missed the Oakland concert due to illness was back.
                                            • This concert was so much better than Oakland that it sounded as if it was a different band.
                                            • First-class professional staging by Concerts, Inc.; excellent sound system and faultless lighting.
                                            • Song titles mentioned:
                                              • Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me
                                              • Hello Little Boy
                                              • It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
                                              • Mood Indigo
                                              • Once More Time [sic]
                                              • Skin Deep
                                              • Solitude
                                              • Sophisticated Lady
                                              • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                                            • Soloists included
                                              • Carney
                                              • Ellington
                                              • Gigi
                                              • Gonsalves
                                              • Grayson
                                              • Hamilton
                                              • Hodges
                                              • Nance
                                              • Procope
                                              • Wood
                                              • Woodyard
                                            • Additional things, per Times Drama Critic Barbara Bladen's review - additional points
                                              • Good sound system
                                              • Hodges did In A Sentimental Mood and I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good.
                                              • Lil Greenwood, now Lillie Gigi, sounded reminescently [sic[ like Ive [sic] Anderson.
                                              • Duke soloed "Do Nothing [sic] Til You Hear From Me," "Don't Get Around Much Any More," "Sophisticated LadyThe
                                              • Back end of the hall was draped to hold in the sound
                                              • Attendance was nearly 1,000 (note this contrasts with Wilson's estimate).
                                            • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                                              • 1960-05-29 p.6-B
                                              • 1960-05-31 p.D-25
                                              • 1960-06-05 p.6-B
                                              • 1960-06-09 p.D 33
                                              • 1960-06-12 p.6-B
                                              • 1960-06-14 pp.D-13, D-39
                                              • 1960-06-16 p.E-31
                                              • 1960-06-18 p.B-5
                                            • San Mateo Times-Weekend, San Mateo, Cal.
                                              1960 06 04 p.9A
                                            • San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, Cal.
                                              1960-06-12 Highlight section, p.18
                                            • San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal.
                                              1960 06 21 p.15
                                            • Gleason p.187
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-22
                                            2019-02-26
                                            2019-02-27
                                            2019-02-28
                                            1960 06 18
                                            Saturday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Hollywood BowlConcert, 2nd annual Los Angeles Jazz Festival.
                                            • The performer lineup per the Desert Sun included The Benny Carter All-Stars, Miles Davis and his Quintet, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, Ahmad Jamal, Sarah Vaughan, the Horace Silver Quintet, the Four Freshmen, Gerry Mulligan and his new big band, and Steve Allen and his All-Stars.
                                            • Stratemann describes the event as a financial disaster, with 30% of the performers being unpaid. He writes the only groups to be paid in advance were booked by Associated Booking Corporation.
                                            • Vail includes the Down Beat review by John Tynan, and says the Saturday night performances in order of appearance were Paul Horn's Quintet, The Four Freshmen, Duke Ellington's Orchestra, Horace Silver's Quintet, Sarah Vaughan, Benny Carter's All Stars and Jimmy Witherspoon.
                                            • A Life Magazine photographer assigned to follow Ellington for three weeks came on stage when Duke did, and remained on stage taking pictures throughout the Ellington set.
                                            • The reviewer named the songs played as Perdido, Matumba, Kinda Dukish segue to Rockin' in Rhythm, a medley.
                                            • Lil Greenwood usd the name Lili Gigi
                                            • .

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC., OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA"
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, California
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              June 18th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              One concert - Two Hours with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Standard top billing clause (both typed and stamped)
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $3,500 flat, 50% deposit on signing and balance in cash during intermission
                                            • Employer:
                                              Omega Enterprises, Inc., 1140 N. Clark St., Apt. 308, Hollywood 46, California
                                            • Signed by
                                              Hal [illegible]
                                            • This contract subject to signatures of all parties concerned.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract dated
                                              1959 12 11, SI-NMAH Archives Center, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 1, Folder 30
                                            • Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Cal.
                                              1960-05-13 p.5A
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-06-02 Pt. II p. 13
                                              • 1960-06-12 s.G p.1
                                              • 1960-06-20 Pt.IV p.10
                                            • Pasadena Independent, Pasadena, Cal.,
                                              1960-06-18 p.2
                                            • Star-News, Pasadena, Cal.,
                                              1960-06-18 p.2
                                            • Stratemann p.420 citing
                                              Down Beat 1960-08-04 p.14
                                            • Vail II
                                            • VAR photo
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            2016-07-11
                                            2019-02-18
                                            2019-02-26
                                            1960 06 19
                                            Sunday
                                            .Sacramento, Cal.Memorial Auditorium......Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 00.Los Angeles, Cal..New Desor shows an undated June discussion between Ellington and Strayhorn.New Desor
                                            DE6012
                                            ...Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 20
                                            Monday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Annexrecording session
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6013
                                            DEMScorrTimner-4.Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 21
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Annexrecording session "Nutcracker Suite"
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6014
                                            ...Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            1960 06 22
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders AnnexRecording session
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6015
                                            DEMSNDCS 1040.Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 23
                                            Thursday
                                            circa
                                            1960 06 27
                                            Monday
                                            Hollywood
                                            Los Angeles, Cal.
                                            CrescendoNight club residency
                                            • Stratemann and Vail II show the engagement began June 22, but the contracted dates were June 23 to July 3. While the gig ended early, June 27 according to Stratemann, the June 28 Desert Sun (Palm Springs) still reported Ellington was at Crescendo and had never sounded better.
                                            • Eve Starr's Inside TV, Columbus Daily Enquirer:

                                              'Duke Ellington would not lead his band opening night at the Crescendo because Mort Sahl, on the same bill had top marquee billing.'

                                            • Ralph J. Gleason, The San Francisco Chronicle:

                                              'In show business, when you sign a contract with an artist, it specifies such terms as "Billing: 100%"
                                                ...It means that, in billing the attractions in advertisements, placards, marquees and so on, this particular one gets his name in the biggest type and leads all the rest. Top billing, in other words.
                                                And since the "name" of the performer is a valuable commodity in show business... artists guard it zealously.
                                                Last week down in Hollywood there occurred a most unusual goof, particularly for such a billing conscious town.
                                                A night club signed two artists and guaranteed both 100% star billing!
                                                The night club in question is the Crescendo, owned by ... Gene Norman... and the two artists involved were Duke Ellington and Mort Sahl.
                                                The situation came to a head opening night when the marquee read MORT SAHL, and below it DUKE ELLINGION. Ellington's manager refused to let him go on, saying that Ellington had signed a contract for 100% billing and was going to get it or else.
                                                Mort Sahl's manager said, in essence, the same thing. Gene Norman, the night club owner who had signed both contracts, uttered the Sunset Strip equivalent of a strangled gasp.
                                                So for several hours there was a lot of talk back and forth between managers and stars and the owner. Finally a compromise solution was reached - temporarily.
                                                The Duke Ellington band would appear, but without the piano player! And there would be no announcement-making master of ceremonies.
                                                This meant that the numbers the band played and the presentation of Mort Sahl were all done via the off-stage microphone. Quite eerie, my spies report. Business, meanwhile, while good, has not been all that was expected...'

                                            • The Pittsburgh Courier:

                                              '"The Duke" Refuses to "Second Fiddle"
                                              HOLLYWOOD (ANP) - Duke Ellington ...refused to appear on stage during a two-week appearance of his orchestra at the Crescendo Club ... because of a feud with comic Mort Sahl over top billing, the Associated Negro Press learned.
                                                The hassle arose after Sahl ...insisted on headlining the show during the stand by the Ellington orchestra, which ended July 3.
                                                The Canadian-born humorist wouldn't even compromise on splitting the billing with the more widely known and famous Ellington. [race-related comment omitted ]
                                                DUKE, meanwhile, stayed off the stage during the time the orchestra was on stage at the Crescendo.
                                                Sahl, reportedly, had a contract which called for top billing and, despite the pleas of those who tried to persuade him that Dukek's [sic] nightly absence was harmful to the show, he would not relent. He was going to headline the show, or else.
                                                His trump was a contract for a 20-week stand at the Crescendo. The club is owned by Gene Norman, former jazz disc jockey and concert promoter, who said he was remaining neutral as regards the hassle. But an aid stated that Norman would not allow his personal feelings to interfere because "he's got to depend on 20 weeks of Sahl as against two weeks of Duke." '

                                            • Stratemann:

                                              'Since Ellington apparently "was not getting any better," Gene Norman decided to pull the band when it reported for work on June 27.'

                                            • Palmquist's notes:
                                              • I have not yet been able to locate any advertisements for the Crescendo in May or June, nor have I found anything to establish the date Norman terminated the engagement.
                                              • In early May, The Los Angeles Times had Sahl and June Christy due to open at the Crescendo May 26, confirming Sahl was in the midst of a residency when Ellington's orchestra arrived.
                                              • Sahl's importance to Gene Norman's club is evidenced by:
                                                • Mike Connolly, Best of Hollywood column, The Philadelphia Inquirer, which says Norman starred Sahl in his club whenever he could.
                                                • Shelagh Graham, The Indianapolis Star, reported Norman offered Sahl an unprecedented annual 30 week guarantee at the Crescendo for the next five years.
                                                • Louella Parsons, Keeping Up With Hollywood column, The Cumberland News:

                                                  '...Crowds are being turned away every night at the Crescendo where Mort Sahl is appearing...The Crescendo is so pleased with the business Sahl is doing, he's been offered a 10-year contract.... '

                                                • John L. Scott, Night Life Scene, Los Angeles Times:

                                                  'Mort Sahl is back at the Crescendo with June Christy, and opening night found the room packed with a hep group who really dig this man's biting observations on the world situation...'

                                              • It appears Sahl and Ellington remained in conflict for some time. In her syndicated column, Dorothy Kilgallen wrote:

                                                'The Duke Blew his top on a recent date when he discovered Mort was billed above him."

                                                In September, she wrote:

                                                'Duke Ellington and Mort Sahl are the hottest feud in show business. The musical giant is ready to haul off and belt Sahl for some "sick remarks." '


                                              Contract terms:
                                              • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
                                              • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                                CRESCENDO, HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
                                              • Date(s) of employment
                                                June 23 to July 3, 1960
                                              • Hours of employment
                                                9:00 PM to 2:00 AM
                                              • Standard top billing clause

                                                'It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.'

                                                Note, on the Smithsonian's copy of the contract, the clause is typed in the top right corner of the page, and it is partly obscured by various preprinted headings.
                                              • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited.
                                              • Wage agreed upon: $11,000.00 total price, less 10% commission to be deducted & forwarded to Associated Booking Corporation..., payable $1000 nightly if desired to Al Celley, Rd. Mgr. in cash.
                                              • Employer:
                                                GENE NORMAN Crescendo Inc.
                                                8566 Sunset Boulevard
                                                Los Angeles 46, California
                                              • Signed by
                                                Gene Norman
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated Feb.26, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 2
                                            • Columbus Daily Enquirer, Columbus, Ga.
                                              1960-07-04 p.10
                                            • The San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, Cal.
                                              1960-06-30 p.31
                                            • The Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh, Penn.
                                              1960-07-16 p.28
                                            • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
                                              1960-04-04 p.21
                                            • The Indianapolis Star
                                              1960-04-13 p.12
                                            • The Los Angeles Times
                                              • 1960-05-07 pt.III p.3
                                              • 1960-05-14
                                              • 1960-06-23 Pt. II p.3
                                            • The Cumberland News, Comverland, Md.
                                              1960-06-06 p.4
                                            • Desert Sun, Palm Springs, Cal.
                                              1960-06-28 p.3
                                              plug only
                                            • Kilgallen "Voice of Broadway" column:
                                              • Shamokin News-Dispatch, Shamokin, Penn.
                                                1960-07-06 p.6
                                              • Monroe News-Star, Monroe, La.
                                                1960-07-11 p.16
                                              • The Indianapolis News, Indianapolis, Ind. 1960-09-16 p.44
                                              • The Daily Journal, Vineland, N.J.
                                                1960-09-21 p.16
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal., 1960-05-28 Pt.II p.7
                                            • Stratemann, pp.420, 425
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Ralph J. Gleason, The Stacks: The Funky Genius of Duke Ellington
                                            • David Bradbury, Duke Ellington, Haus Publishing Limited, London, 2005, p.102
                                            .
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-08
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-28
                                            2019-03-03
                                            1960 06 23
                                            Thursday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club - see 1960 06 22 (band without Duke).....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 24
                                            Friday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club - see 1960 06 22 (band without Duke).....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 25
                                            Saturday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club - see 1960 06 22 (band without Duke).....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 06 26
                                            Sunday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio RecordersFilming for Ellington's five minute episode of CBS television film short "Play Back." This was an advertising series made to promote Columbia records. By October 1961, CBS had produced 13 such shorts, with another 28 planned, not all of which were made.
                                            • Stratemann pp.423-424
                                            • Photos, David Meeker, Jazz In The Movies, Da Capo Press, 1981, pp.25,27
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6016
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-08
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 26
                                            Sunday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoNight club - see 1960 06 22 - while Stratemann said Ellington was absent the first 4 nights, if he showed up the next day's events might not have happened......Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-08
                                            1960 06 27
                                            Monday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.CrescendoWhen the band arrived without Ellington, the club owner 'decided to pull the band' since Ellington apparently was not getting any better. It isn't clear if the band played this evening or not......Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-08
                                            2019-03-02
                                            1960 06 28
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Studio 1Recording session, "Peer Gynt Suite"
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6017
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 29
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Studio 1Recording session, "Peer Gynt Suite
                                            14:00-17:00

                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6018
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 06 30
                                            Thursday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio Recorders Studio 1Recording session, "Peer Gynt Suite
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6019 "
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10




                                            July 1960

                                            1960 07 01
                                            Friday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Radio RecordersRecording session, "Asphalt Jungle"
                                            14:00-17:00
                                            Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                            (source:
                                            Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)
                                            • Email Lasker-Palmquist 2014-10-14 re session time
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6020
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 07 02
                                            Saturday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 03
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 04
                                            Monday
                                            .Monterey, Cal.Wharf Theatre......Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 07 05
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 06
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 07
                                            Thursday
                                            .San Francisco, Cal.Fack's II
                                            960 Bush
                                            "Duke Ellington and his Revue"
                                            "first lockout of Ellington's career"
                                            Ellington played three sold-out shows the first night.
                                            From Russ Wilson's glowing review in the Oakland Tribune:
                                            • Ellington's first San Francisco club booking since 1956
                                            • Capacity audience applaueded from the beginning of the first hour-long set to "an absolute ovation" at the end
                                            • Straw boss Harry Carney led the band for 4 numbers before Duke arrived.
                                            • Ellington began with Black and Tan Fantasy, Creole Love Call and The Mooche (solos: Nance, Mitchell, Procope, Hamilton and Carney)
                                            • Next up: Newport Up (Cook, Gonsalves, Hamilton), Tenderly, Hank Cinq (Woodman)
                                            • Medley of 15 Ellington songs featuring Hodges, Brown, Bell and Ellington, with vocals by Lili [sic[ Gigi [sic[, Grayson and Nance.

                                            The band was booked for either 11 (advertised) or 10 nights (announcements), but the engagement ended before the second night when the Internal Revenue Service shut the club down for non-payment of taxes.

                                            AP reported the band's instruments were locked inside, but Stratemann reports the band boy was in the club and removed the instruments and wardrobe "just minutes before padlock time." Stratemann reports Ellington, not having drawn an advance, was unpaid and sent the band back to Los Angeles while he, Strayhorn and the rhythm section stayed due to other commitments. Ellington and his orchestras returned to this venue on September 26, by which time the club was under new management and named Club Névé.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. OWNER PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Fack's #2
                                              960 Bush St., San Francisco, Calif.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              July 7th thru 17th, 1960 (11 days)
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 PM to 2:00 AM - House Policy
                                              (3 appearances per night, 4 appearances Friday & Saturday night)
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Taping of any portion of this engagement is prohibited
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $11,000.00 total to be paid in cash at end of engagement, payable $1000 nightly if desired by Al Celley, Company Manager.
                                            • Employer:
                                              George Andros
                                              Fack's #2, 960 Bush Street
                                              San Francisco, California
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated March 21, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                            • Ad, Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                                              1960-07-02 ("11 straight nights")
                                            • Announcements:
                                              • San Mateo Times, San Mateo, Cal.
                                                1960-07-01
                                              • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                                                • 1960-07-03 p.6-B
                                                • 1960-07-06
                                              • Hayward Daily Review, Hayward, Cal.
                                                1960-07-08
                                              • Russ Wilson review
                                                Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                                                1960-07-08 p.11
                                            • UPI and AP wirestories:
                                              • The Bee, Danville, Va. 1960-07-10 p.2
                                              • Independent Press Telegram, 1960-07-10
                                              • Hayword Sunday Review, 1960-07-10
                                              • Humboldt Standard, 1960-07-10
                                            • Stratemann p.425, citing Variety 1960-07-18 p.51
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...AGP 2012-08-30.Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2012-08-30
                                            2019-02-23
                                            2019-03-09
                                            1960 07 08
                                            Friday
                                            .San Francisco, Cal.Fack's II
                                            960 Bush
                                            Cancelled gig due to IRS padlocking the club.....New
                                            added
                                            2013-07-08
                                            1960 07 09
                                            Saturday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 10
                                            Sunday
                                            .San Francisco Bay Area, Cal.
                                            Possibly
                                            KJAZ-FM's studio
                                            Ellington was to appear on Russ Wilson's "Jazz Audition" KJAX-FM 8 p.m. broadcast. Stratemann has this as a solo appearance; Timner has it as an interview.
                                            • Stratemann:

                                              'While he sent his orchestra back to Los Angeles, Ellington himself, with Billy Strayhorn and the rhythm team, remained in San Francisco, where he was committed to a solo appearance on radio and the foursome was to guest on TV a day later:
                                                  July 10 KJAX-FM "Jazz Audition" San Francisco, Cal.
                                                  July 11 KQED-TV...

                                            • Vail II:

                                              'Sunday 10 July 1960
                                              Duke Ellington appears on KFAZ-FM's [recte KJAZ-FM's] 'Jazz Audition' radio show, hosted by Russ Wilson...'

                                            • Timner V:

                                              'DE interviewed by Russ Wilson'

                                            • DEMS 09/3-6:
                                              • Giovanni Volanté (co-author, New Desor):

                                                'Please find enclosed the sessions listed in Timner's book, but completely unknown to us:
                                                ...
                                                p.219 - 10Jul60 - Interview by Russ Wilson
                                                ...
                                                Is there anything you can tell us about these recordings? '

                                              • Timner::

                                                'All the other items under discussion were listed in the radio/tv log of Jerry Valburn, who - together with Jack Towers (of Fargo fame) - had compiled a record of Duke's broadcasts and telecasts, which over the time has proven to be very accurate...'


                                            Oakland Tribune plug:

                                            'Duke Ellington will be Russ Wilson's guest on "Jazz Audition" at 8 p.m. Sunday on KJAX-FM, 92.7 megacycles.'

                                            Palmquist's note:
                                            KJAZ-FM's transmitter and antenna were in San Francisco and its studio, opened in August 1959, was in Berkeley. While it later relocated to Alameda, an island city in San Francisco Bay, it appears to have remained in Berkely at least until its first anniversary.

                                            • Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                                              1960-07-08 p.11
                                            • Stratemann, p.425
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Timner V
                                            .DEMS.djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-23
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 07 11
                                            Monday
                                            .San Francisco, Cal.."Jazz Casual" telecastStratemann p.675New Desor
                                            DE6021
                                            DEMS
                                            corrTimner-4/28+36
                                            .Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 07 12
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 13
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 14
                                            Thursday
                                            .Hollywood
                                            Los Angeles, Cal.
                                            Radio Recorders
                                            7000 Santa Monica Blvd.
                                            Two Columbia Records recording sessions.
                                            • DEMS 1984/5-2 and Vail II show these sessions on consecutive dates, July 14 and 15, and Nielsen combines them into one session on July 15. The session times printed on the contract reprinted in DEMS 99/5-7 show both sessions were July 14, from 15:00 to 18:30 and from 20:00 to 23:00.
                                            • The recordings were not released until 1979 when the Columbia LP "DUKE ELLINGTON UNKNOWN SESSION" was issued.
                                            • The sidemen were paid scale ($137.34) and Ellington was paid $274.28 as leader and pianist. Handprinted notes show Ellington was paid $1,240.00 and possibly another (illegible) amount as the arranger - perhaps the same amount for each session.
                                            • Columbia's producer for this session was Irving Townsend
                                              (source:
                                              Columbia's files and album notes, per S.Lasker email 2019-08-03)

                                            Details of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada, Local Union No. 47 Phonograph Recording Contract (see DEMS 99/5-7):
                                            • July 14 is the only date shown.
                                            • 39 minutes and 9 seconds of music were recorded. This seems to be the edited number of minutes, since it seems unlikely all the songs would have been done in only one take - indeed, DEMS 79-3/2 says there is another take of 49703 Everything But You.
                                            • The contract may have been typed after the session, since the exact length, in minutes and seconds, of each number is shown. This could not have been written before the recordings were made.
                                            • The document provides for eight musicians, including the leader, under the Ellington's leadership. The personnel listed were:
                                              • Bell
                                              • Brown
                                              • Carney
                                              • Ellington
                                              • Gonsalves
                                              • Hodges
                                              • Nance
                                              • Woodyard
                                              Gonsalves is omitted from New Desor, Nielsen, and Lambert, and he is not named on the Columbia JC 35342 album cover. DEMS 99/5 discusses his presence and concludes, with the concurrence of several experts, that he can be heard, even though he did not solo. Duke names Gonsalves at approximately 20:15 of his 1962 08 12 interview with Dave Kidd, where he recalled the personnel as Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown, Harry Carney, Paul, Ray Nance and the rhythm section.
                                            • Titles recorded:
                                              Master. no.No. of
                                              minutes
                                              TITLES OF TUNES
                                              467033:28Everything But You
                                              467043:17Black Beauty
                                              467123:11All Too Soon
                                              467162:40Something To Live For
                                              467204:14Mood Indigo
                                              467252:36Creole Rhapsody
                                              467262:54Don't You Know I Care
                                              467773:10A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing
                                              ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS
                                              467283:15Mighty Like The Blues
                                              467292:40Tonight I Shall Sleep
                                              467302:49Dual Highway
                                              467314:55Blues
                                            • Two titles differ a little in the discographies:
                                              • 46725 is llsted as Creole Blues on the record cover and label, in New Desor, Timner, Nielsen, and (at the time of writing) MacHare and Girvan; Lambert's guide has it as Neo Creole. Lambert says it's a new arrangement of the second theme from the 1931 Creole Rhapsody but Nielsen says it's the third theme.
                                              • 46731 is "Blues" in Nielsen, Timner and on the label and back cover of Columbia JC 35342, but "Blues No. 08" in New Desor and "Blues No. 8" in Girvan

                                              Lambert:

                                              'In many ways, this is the ultimate in small-group Ellingtonia. It seems incredible that twelve such perfectly balanced and polished performances of totally new arrangements could be turned out at one recording sessions, but of course Duke was working with brilliant virtuosi who knew his music and his methods intimately ... The Unknown Session presents an astonishing display of easy, relaxed musical creativity, with a front line of infinitely resourceful Ellingtonians backed by a perfect rhythm section. On piano Ellington gives a performance wholly characteristic of his genius, inventive and unfailingly stimulating to the other musicians... '

                                            New Desor
                                            DE6022
                                            DEMS.djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2014-10-18
                                            2019-03-07
                                            2019-08-09
                                            2020-05-10
                                            2020-05-29
                                            2020-05-29
                                            1960 07 15
                                            Friday
                                            ...Ellington's activities and those of several sidemen are undocumented. Sratemann shows "July 15 Radio Recorders, Los Angeles" without detail. Vail II has several of the Unknown Session recordings done there on this date. Nielsen has the entire Unknown Session recordngs done this date. These all appear to be incorrect - see 1960 07 15.
                                            Vail II also has Nance, Brown, Hodges, Carney, Ben Webster and seven non-Ellingtonians in the first of three Columbia recording sessions with vocalist Jo Stafford on July 15.
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen,
                                                Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                                Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                              , p.218
                                            • Stratemann p.425
                                            • Vail II
                                            .DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-07
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 07 16
                                            Saturday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 17
                                            Sunday
                                            .San Francisco Bay Area, Cal.
                                            Possibly
                                            KJAZ-FM's studio
                                            Sidemen's and Ellington's activities are not documented, other than:

                                            'Jazz Audition
                                              Harry Carney and Russell Procope of the Duke Ellington Orchestra will be Russ Wilson's guests on "Jazz Audition" at 8 p.m. today on KJAZ-FM, 92.7 megacycles.'

                                            (see 1960 07 10 for location.)
                                            Oakland Tribune, Oakland, Cal.
                                            1960-07-17 p.6-B'

                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-02-23
                                            1960 07 18
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 19
                                            Tuesday
                                            1960 07 20
                                            Wednesday
                                            Hollywood
                                            Los Angeles, Cal.
                                            Moulin Rouge
                                            6230 Sunset Blvd.
                                            2 shows, 9 p.m. and midnight.
                                            Recordings:
                                            Duke Ellington & His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Brown, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Greenwood, Grayson

                                            Titles recorded:
                                              • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                              • Stompin' At The Savoy
                                              • All Of Me
                                              • What Else Can you Do With A Drum?
                                              • Lost In Loveliness
                                              • One More Once
                                              • Medley
                                              • Bill Bailey
                                              • Walkin' And Singin' The Blues
                                              • Jones

                                            The medley was:
                                            • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                                            • In A Sentimental Mood
                                            • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                            • Mood Indigo
                                            • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                                            • Sophisticated Lady
                                            • Caravan
                                            • Solitude
                                            • Satin Doll
                                            • Just Squeeze Me
                                            • It Don't Mean A Thing
                                            • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart & Don't Get Around Much Anymore

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              MOULIN ROUGE,6230 SUNSET BLVD. HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              JULY 19 and 20, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              TWO SHOWS PER NIGHT - 9:00 PM AND 12:00 MIDNIGHT
                                            • DUKE ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% SOLE STAR BILLING
                                            • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFROMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500.00 FOR TWO NIGHTS
                                            • To be paid IN CASH $1,250.00 PER NIGHT.
                                            • Employer:
                                              MOULIN ROUGE
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 14th July 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 7
                                            • Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Cal.
                                              • 1960-07-17 s.A p.6
                                              • 1960-07-19 pt.1 p.15
                                              • 1960-07-20 pt.1 p.6
                                            • Stratemann p.425 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                              , p.219
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6023
                                            ..djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-10
                                            1960 07 20
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.Moulin RougeTwo shows - see 1960 07 19....djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-10
                                            1960 07 21
                                            Thursday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal.."Paris Blues".New Desor
                                            DE6024
                                            DEMS.NDCS 1102Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 07 22
                                            Friday
                                            .Sacramento, Cal.Mather Air Force Base..New Desor
                                            DE6025
                                            DEMS.NDCS 1052Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 07 23
                                            Saturday
                                            1960 07 24
                                            Sunday
                                            Portland, Ore.Portland State College1st of 2 concerts for the Portland State College Northwest Jazz Workshop.AP wirestory
                                            • Statesman, Salem, Ore.
                                              1960-07-06 s.II p.17
                                            • Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Ore.
                                              1960-07-07 p.10-B
                                            • Capital Journal, Salem, Ore.
                                              1960-077-16 s.3 p.6
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-24
                                            2019-02-26
                                            2019-03-10
                                            1960 07 24
                                            Sunday
                                            .Portland, Ore.Portland State College2nd of 2 concerts for the Northwest Jazz Workshop
                                            - see 1960 07 23
                                            .....Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-24
                                            1960 07 25
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 26
                                            Tuesday
                                            1960 07 27
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Farmington, UtahPatio Gardens ballroom
                                            New Lagoon Amusement Park
                                            464 S. Main St.
                                            This ballroom is in an amusement park midway between Salt Lake City and Ogden.

                                            The nature of the engagement is not identified in the advertising, the publicity or the contract. Given the venue, it was likely dancing, possibly with a concert-like segment. The advertised admission was $1.50 per person.

                                            Stratemann and Vail II mistakenly place this engagement in Salt Lake City on July 27.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 + 1 musicians DUKE ELLINGTON, INC.,OWNER, PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCH.
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              NEW LAGOON, 464 SO. MAIN ST. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              JULY 26, 1960
                                              (the date was typed, the 26 is crossed out and handwritten above it, and the full date was also written in longhand on the same line.
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 PM to 1:00 AM
                                            • TAPING OF ANY PORTION OF THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PROHIBITED.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500 GUARANTEE WITH A 50% PRIVILEGE OF NET RECEIPTS
                                            • To be paid 50% DEPOSIT UPON SIGNING CONTRACT; BALANCE IN CASH AT END OF ENGAGEMENT
                                            • Employer:
                                              NEW LAGOON, BY:
                                              ROBERT E. FREED*

                                            The Lagoon History Project shows Ellington appeared in its Patio Gardens in 1955, 1956 and 1960.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 24th May, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                            • The Salt Lake Tribune, Salt Lake City,Utah
                                              • 1960-07-21 p.A13
                                              • 1960-07-23 p.11
                                              • 1960-07-24 p.8W
                                              • 1960-07-25 p.9
                                              • 1960-07-26 p.31
                                              • 1960-07-28 p.11
                                            • The Ogden Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah
                                              • 1960-07-19 p.4B
                                              • 1960-07-21 p.7B
                                              • 1960-07-22 p.5B
                                              • 1960-07-25 p.6B
                                            • Daily Herald, Provo, Utah
                                              • 1960-07-25 p.9
                                              • 1960-07-26 p.9
                                            • The Herald-Journal, Locan, Utah
                                              • 1960-07-26 p.5
                                            • Stratemann p.425 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-10
                                            1960 07 27
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 28
                                            Thursday
                                            .Denver, Col.Red Rocks TheatreRecorded outdoor concert
                                            HUGH HOOKS ENTERTAINMENTS, PRESENTS
                                            IN PERSON
                                            DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            AND HIS
                                            FAMOUS ORCHESTRA

                                            FEATURING
                                            JOHNNY HODGES • HARRY CARNEY
                                            RAY NANCE • LIL GREENWOOD
                                            OZZIE BAILEY
                                            EARTHA
                                            KITT

                                            EXOTIC, DYNAMIC
                                            SINGING STAR OF
                                            STAGE, SCREEN
                                            RECORDS, RADIO
                                            AND TELEVISION
                                            IN A JOINT CONCERT AT
                                            RED ROCKS THEATRE
                                            THURSDAY, JULY 28–8:15 P.M.

                                            Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Brown, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Greenwood, Grayson.

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • Black And Tan Fantasy = Creole Love Call - The Mooche
                                            • Newport Up
                                            • Flirtibird
                                            • All Of Me
                                            • Day In, Day Out
                                            • Lost In Loveliness
                                            • One More Once
                                            • Medley
                                            • Diminuendo In Blue - Wailing Interval
                                            • Jones

                                            The medley consisted of
                                            • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                                            • In A Sentimental Mood
                                            • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
                                            • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                            • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                            • Mood Indigo
                                            • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                                            • Sophisticated Lady
                                            • Caravan
                                            • Solitude
                                            • Satin Doll
                                            • Just Squeeze Me
                                            • It Don't Mean A Thing
                                            • I Let A Song & Don't Get Around Much Anymore

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • Fifteen musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              RED ROCKS, DENVER COLORADO (July 28,1960)
                                              (In case of rain:AUDITORIUM, DENVER, COLORADO on July 29, 1960)
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Thursday, July 28, 1960 (Friday, July 29, 1960 in case of rain)
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              concert to commence at 8:15 p.m. (not to exceed 3-hours)
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish good PA system and have piano tuned to A=440
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • DUKE ELLINGTON & HIS ORCHESTRA TO RECEIVE 100% UPPER LEFT BILLING.
                                            • EARTH KITT'S CONDUCTOR TO CONDUCT ELLINGTON'S ORCHESTRA FOR MISS KITT'S PERFORMANCE
                                            • LEADER & ORCHESTRA TO BE AVAILABLE FOR A MINIMUM 3-HOUR REHEARSAL OF MISS KITT'S MUSIC LATE AFTERNOON OF JULY 28 AT NO ADDITIONAL COST.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500.00 guaranteed flat (In case of rain, engagement to be held July 29, contract price automatically increases to $3,000.00 flat
                                            • To be paid in cash to Al Celley, Road Manager at conclusion of engagement.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mr. Hugh Hooks
                                              Hugh Hooks entertainment
                                              1801 Wynkoop Street
                                              Denver, Colorado*
                                            • Signed by
                                              Hugh Hooks
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 11 July 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 7
                                            • Stratemann p.425 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                              , p.220
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6026
                                            ..djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-06
                                            1960 07 29
                                            Friday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 07 30
                                            Saturday
                                            .Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.Officer's ClubDance, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

                                            The Sedalia Democrat published a photo of Duke with 1st Lt. Kermit A. Gustafson, 487th Bomb Sq. and 2nd Lt. Eleanor M. Becker, 805th Medical Group at a microphone.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              OFFICERS' CLUB-WHITMAN [sic] AIR FORCE BASE, KNOB NOSTER, MISSOURI
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Saturday, July 30, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
                                              DUKE ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% TOP BILLING
                                            • It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive 100% sole star top headline billing on marquee and in any and all publicity releases and paid advertising.
                                            • EMPLOYER GUARANTEES TO FURNISH GOOD PA SYSTEM AND HAVE PIANO TUNED TO A=440.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              DANCE
                                            • IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A PART OF THIS CONTRACT THE EMPLOYER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AS SET FORTH BY THE RULINGS OF THE LOCAL MUSICIANS UNION WITHIN WHOSE JURISDICTION THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PLAYED.
                                            • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,500.00 guaranteed flat. (50% payable to Associated Booking Corporation to be received one-week prior to engagement.Balance in cash* to Al Celley, Rd. Mgr. night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Capt. Harold Lantz
                                              Officer's Club
                                              Whitman [sic] Air Force Base
                                              Knob Noster, Missouri
                                            • Signed by
                                              H. J. Lentz
                                            Whiteman AFB is named for the first American flier to die in aerial combat in World War II. It is about 70 miles east-southeast of Kansas City, and about 2 miles south of Knob Noster, Mo.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 1 July 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 7
                                            • The Sedalia Democrat, Sedalia, Mo.
                                              1960-08-07 p.2
                                            • Whiteman AFB in Wikipedia
                                            ...djpNew
                                            Added
                                            2019-03-18
                                            1960 07 31
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......

                                            August 1960

                                            1960 08 01
                                            Monday
                                            ...Nance, Brown, Hodges, Carney, Ben Webster and seven non-Ellingtonians played their second of three Columbia recording sessions with vocalist Jo Stafford
                                            Activities of Ellington and the other sidemen are not documented
                                            ..DEMS..New
                                            Added
                                            2019-03-07
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 08 02
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 03
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 04
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 05
                                            Friday
                                            .St Joseph, Mo.Frog Hop Ballroom......Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 08 06
                                            Saturday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 07
                                            Sunday
                                            .Topeka, KansasMeadow Acres Ballroom
                                            DUKE
                                            Ellington
                                            and his famous
                                            ORCHESTRA


                                            with
                                            Johnny Hodges
                                            Harry Carney
                                            Ray Nance
                                            * * * * *
                                            DANCE AND SHOW
                                            Sunday, August 7
                                            1:00 Adm. #2.50
                                            MEADOW ACRES BALLROOM
                                            TOPEKA
                                            The August 11 edition of The Kansas Sentinel carried a front-page picture of Ellington with the paper's Girl Friday, Florence M. Crim, writing a cheque for a year's subscription to the paper, and in inner page photo of Ellington sitting on a stair, reading the paper.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              MEADOW ACRES BALLROOM, TOPEKA, KANSAS
                                            • Date(s) of employment Sunday, August 7, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              DANCE
                                            • It is also understood & agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive 100% sole star top headline billing on marquee & in any & all publicity releases & paid advertising, no one else to be billed at more than 25% of type used for Duke Ellington.
                                            • EMPLOYER GUARANTEES TO FURNISH GOOD PA SYSTEM AND HAVE PIANO TUNED TO A=440.
                                            • IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A PART OF THIS CONTRACT THE EMPLOYER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AS SET FORTH BY THE RULINGS OF THE LOCAL MUSICIANS UNION WITHIN WHOSE JURISDICTION THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PLAYED.
                                            • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,000.00 guarantee, privilege 50% over $2,000.
                                            • 50% deposit payable Associated Booking Corporation 30-days prior to date of engagement.) Balance of contract payable to Al Celley, Rd. Mgr. in cash, intermission time, night of engagement.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Mr. Leonard W. Carper
                                              925 College Avenue
                                              Topeka, Kansas
                                            • Signed by
                                              Leonard W. Carper
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 17 June 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 6
                                            • The Kansas Sentinel, Topeka, Kansas
                                              • 1960-07-28 p.11
                                              • 1960-08-11 pp.1, 8
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-03-10
                                            1960 08 08
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 09
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 10
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Los Angeles, Cal. .Peripheral Event
                                            DEMS, Vail II and Timner have Nance, Brown, Hodges, Carney, Ben Webster and seven non-Ellingtonians in the third of three Columbia recording sessions with vocalist Jo Stafford.
                                            Palmquist's note:

                                            Nance, Brown, Hodges and Carney were included in Down Beat's review of the Chicago concert this night. I have not tried to resolve the conflict between this session and the Chicago concert the same night.

                                            • Vail II
                                            • Timner
                                            .DEMS.djpNew
                                            Added
                                            2019-03-09
                                            updated
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 08 10
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Court Theater
                                            Mandel Hall or
                                            Hutchinson Court
                                            University of Chicago
                                            Concert, 8:30 p.m.
                                            Hyde Park Herald, June 22:

                                            'A series of four outdoor folk and jazz concerts will be presented on the University of Chicago campus in the Court Theatre, 5706 S. University. Featured in the concerts will be Richard Dyer-Bennett, July 6; Woody Herman, July 20; The Limeliters, August 3 and Duke Ellington, August 10...
                                              ...This summer we decided to see if people would come to sit on the grass to hear folk music and jazz as they do to see our plays..."'

                                            While the publicity shows the concert was to be at Court Theater, 5706 S. University, the contract says Hutchinson Court.

                                            Hyde Park Herald places the "Court theater" in the courtyard behind "Mandel hall," 5706 University, which, at the time of writing, Google Maps shows beside a large hall known as Hutchinson Commons.

                                            Down Beat says the concert was moved indoors due to the threat of rain. Its review is subtitled "Court Theater..." and describes a venue for 1,300, whereas Mandel Hall only seats 878 so the concert may have been in Hutchinson Commons.
                                            Down Beat review:
                                            • Personnel:
                                              • Ellington
                                              • Nance
                                              • Cook
                                              • Fatso [sic]Ford
                                              • Mullins
                                              • Brown
                                              • Woodman
                                              • Mitchell Wood
                                              • Hodges
                                              • Procope
                                              • Hamiton
                                              • Gonsalves
                                              • Carney
                                              • Bell
                                              • Woodyard
                                              • Grayson
                                              • Greenwood
                                            • Indoors due to threatening weather - patrons turned away .
                                            • Too much old music, not enough new
                                            • Titles named:
                                              • Medley of Black and Tan Fantasy, Creole Love Call and The Mooch
                                              • Newport Up
                                              • Autumn Leaves
                                              • Sophisticated Lady
                                              • Flirty Bird
                                              • All of Me
                                              • Things Ain't What They Used To Be
                                              • V.I.P. Blues
                                              • Hank Cinq
                                              • Nutcracker Suite excerpt
                                              • Skin Deep
                                              • "the inevitable and-then-I-wrote medley"
                                              • "the usual 'love you madly' routine"

                                              Contract terms:
                                              • 15 musicians & vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                              • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                                HUTCHINSON COURT (in case of rain, MANDEL HALL)
                                              • Date(s) of employment
                                                Wednesday, August 10, 1960
                                              • Hours of employment
                                                8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. with customary intermission.
                                              • DUKE ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% TOP BILLING.
                                              • Type of engagement
                                                CONCERT
                                              • IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A PART OF THIS CONTRACT THE EMPLOYER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILIITY FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL MUSICIIANS AS SET FORTH BY THE RULINGS OF THE LOCAL MUSICIANS UNION WITHIN WHOSE JURISDICTION THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PLAYED.
                                              • EMPLOYER GUARANTEES TO FURNISH GOOD PA SYSTEM AND HAVE PIANO TUNED TO A=440.
                                              • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS.
                                              • Wage agreed upon: $1.500 guaranteed flat (50% deposit payable Associated Booking Corp. on or before June 15)
                                                balance to be paid in cash or via university check to either mr. Ellington or Al Celley, Rd. Mgr. at conclusion of engagement
                                              • Employer:
                                                Mr. Meyer Brederman, Dir.-Univ.Theatre
                                                University of Chicago
                                                5706 University
                                                Chicago, Illinois
                                              • Signed by
                                                Meyer Brederman, PRODUCER, COURT THEATRE
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 18th May, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                            • Hyde Park Herald, Chicago, Ill.
                                              • 1960-06-22 p.3
                                              • 1960-08-03 p.12
                                              • 1960-08-10 p.11
                                            • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                                              • 1960-07-17 pt.S p.2
                                              • 1960-08-07 pt,5 p.10
                                            • Stratemann p.425 citing
                                              Down Beat review 1960-10-13
                                            • Vail II with copy of the Down Beat review
                                            ...djpNew
                                            Added
                                            2019-03-07
                                            1960 08 11
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 12
                                            Friday
                                            1960 08 13
                                            Saturday
                                            Saugatuck, Mich.New Festival Forum
                                            (formerly the Airpark Speedway on US-31 between Saugatuck and South Haven)
                                            Concert, Second Annual Saugatuck Jazz Festival, 10 p.m.
                                            First of two nights.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Air Park, Speedway U.S.31, Jazz Festival, Saugatuck, Mich.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Firday, August 12 & Saturday, August 13, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              Fri. 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. & Sat. 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with customary intermission. Duke Ellington & Orchestra not to perform more than a maximum of 2 hrs. each night within stipulated time.
                                            • Standard top billing clause
                                            • Standard clause re extra musicians due to union rules.
                                            • Standard clause prohibiting mechanical reproduction (i.e. recording).
                                            • Employer guarantees to furnish a good P.A. system and to have the piano tuned to A=440
                                            • Ellington Orch. agrees to accompany Jimmy Rushing, should the artist appear during the engagement.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $5,500 guaranteed flat for 2-days. 25% partial deposit payable to Associated Booking Corporation on signing, another 25% due 10-days prior to engagement. Balance of contract price to be paid in cash at the rate of $1,375 at conclusion of each evenings engagement to Duke Ellington.
                                            • Employer:
                                              James Belcher,...Detroit, Mich.

                                            Ellington was to take part in a panel discussion of jazz on Saturday noon (as of the time of writing, his participation has not been documented).
                                            The line-ups advertised were:
                                            • Friday:
                                              • Della Reese
                                              • Duke Ellington Orchestra
                                              • Lambert-Hendricks & Ross
                                              • Jimmy Rushing
                                              • Chico Hamilton Quintet
                                            • Saturday:
                                            Ticket prices were $1.55 for general admission and from $2.10 to $5.40 for reserved seats.

                                            The Semmler Newspapers mentioned a Miss Dotte [sic] Jean Anderson and a Don Anderson attended the Festival both days, "in which Duke Ellington starred."
                                            The festival producer cited police estimates of attendance of about 7,000 the first day and 3,000 the second, the low turnout attributed partly to public concern over riots at the London, Windsor and Newport festivals that summer. Festival producer James Belcher was uoted as saying seven other members of the Festival board reported the event lost about $22,000, and he, his wife and some local kids were left to pick up the litter.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated May 13, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                            • The Billboard 1960-06-06 p.4
                                            • Detroit Free Press, Detroit, Mich.
                                              • 1960-06-19 p.6C
                                              • 1960-06-27 p.26
                                              • 1960-08-10 p.26
                                            • The State Journal, Lansing, Mich.
                                              • 1960-07-03 p.17
                                              • 1960-07-10 p.58
                                              • 1960-07-24 p.76
                                              • 1960-08-07 p.34
                                              • 1960-08-09 p.5
                                              • 1960-08-17 p.7 (AP wirestory)
                                            • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.
                                              • 1960-07-03 Pt.5 p.8
                                              • 1960-07-10 Pt. 5 p.7
                                              • 1960-07-17 Pt. 5 p.10
                                            • Case's Column, The Ludington Daily News, Ludington, Mich.
                                              1960-08-06 p.4
                                            • Chicago Sunday Tribune, Chicago, Ill.,
                                              1960-08-07 Pt.5 p.8
                                            • The Holland, Michigan, Evening Sentinel, Holland, Mich.
                                              1960-08-11 p.6
                                            • The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Mich.
                                              • 1960-08-11 p.6
                                              • 1960-08-16 p.1
                                            • Semmler Newspapers
                                              (The News-Bulletin, Mokena, Ill.
                                              and Orland Park Herald, Orland Park, Ill.)
                                              1960-08-18 p.6
                                            • Stratemann p.426 citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Additional documentation might be found in SI-NMAH DEC301, Series 2: Performances and Programs, 1933-1974, box 11, folder 33 Saugatuck Jazz Festival, Saugatuck, Penna.[sic], August 13, 1960
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-01-24
                                            2019-02-23
                                            2019-03-09
                                            1960 08 13
                                            Saturday
                                            .Saugatuck, Mich.Crow Bar

                                            'The second day of the festival will begin with a jazz symposium and workshop in the Crow Bar at noon. Tom Schlesigner Detroit, director of the Saugatuck Jazz Festival, will be moderator of the panel discussion. Included on the panel are Duke Ellington, Dan Sorkin, Chicago disc jockey, and Don Gold, jazz editor of Playboy magazine.'

                                            • The Billboard
                                              1960-06-06 p.4
                                            • The Holland, Michigan, Evening Sentinel, Holland, Mich.
                                              1960-08-11 p.6
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-01-24
                                            2019-02-27
                                            1960 08 13
                                            Saturday
                                            .Saugatuck, Mich.New Festival ForumSaugatuck Jazz Festival, 9 p.m. - see 1960 08 12....djpNew
                                            added
                                            2016-01-24
                                            2019-02-23
                                            1960 08 14
                                            Sunday
                                            .Chicago, Ill.Theater-In-The-Round
                                            University of Chicago
                                            ......Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 08 15
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 16
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 17
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 18
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 19
                                            Friday
                                            .Detroit, Mich.State Fair Grounds Band ShellAmerican Jazz Festival

                                            Ellington and his orchestra wrapped up the first night of the three day 2nd annual American Jazz Festival, finishing at 12:30 a.m.

                                            Sharing the programme were the Fred Kaz Trio, Cannonball Adderley, Dinah Washington, the Chico Hamilton Quintet, Dave Brubeck and Quartet, and the Ellington orchestra.
                                            Only 6,800 turned up the first night. Organizers attributed the low attendance to reports of riots at recent jazz festivals at Newport R.I., Windsor, Ont., and in England. The reviews noted everybody was peaceful but it was disconcerting to see the police presence.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. Presents DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              MICHIGAN STATE FAIR GROUNDS
                                              DETROIT, MICHIGAN
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              AUGUST 19, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              CONCERT BETWEEN 8:30 P.M. & 1:00 A.M. Not to exceed two hours with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              CONCERT
                                            • It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive sole star headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2500 (TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED)
                                            • To be paid IN CASH TO ARTIST DURING INTERMISSION
                                            • Employer:
                                              PAMA
                                              50 CENTRAL PARK WEST
                                              NEW YORK, NEW YORK

                                            Parts of the concerts were to be aired over KCBS on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 to 11:25. The Oakland Tribune announcement had the Ellington orchestra in the Saturday broadcast, alternating with Dave Brubeck's quartet. The reviews and reports in Detroit Free Press and UPI, however, confirm Ellington performed Friday. The Windsor Star reported that the audience was distracted by the newest American satellite going over during Dinah Washington's set.

                                            Part of the concert was recorded:
                                            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Brown, Hamilton,Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Grayson, Gigi.Titles:
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • V.I.P. Boogie
                                            • Jam With Sam
                                            • Jeep's Blues
                                            • All Of Me
                                            • Medley
                                              • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                                              • In A Sentimental Mood
                                              • I'm Just A Lucky So And So
                                              • I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
                                              • Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                              • Mood Indigo
                                              • I'm Beginning To See The Light
                                              • Sophisticated Lady
                                              • Caravan
                                              • I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart& Don't Get Around Much Anymore
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 20th June 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 6
                                            • The Windsor Star,
                                              Windsor, Ont.
                                              • 1960-07-30 p.B-2
                                              • 1960-08-03 p.15
                                              • 1960-08-06 p.B-2
                                              • 1960-08-13 p.B-2
                                              • 1960-08-20 p.5-A
                                            • Detroit Free Press,
                                              Detroit, Mich.,
                                              • 1960-08-08 p.23
                                              • 1960-08-20 p.4
                                              • 1960-08-21 p.C-7
                                            • Oakland Tribune,
                                              Oakland, Cal.
                                              1960-08-19 p.24 B
                                            • Holland, Mich. Evening Sentinel,
                                              Holland, Mich.
                                              1960-08-20 p.5 (UPI wirestory)
                                            • Stratemann p.426 citing
                                              Down Beat 1960-09-29 p.21
                                            • Vail II with reprint of said Down Beat review
                                            • Girvan/Dyson/Chiarelli:
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen,
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography: Vol. Six, Duke Ellington, pp. 290-291
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6027
                                            ..djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-09
                                            2019-03-11
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 20
                                            Saturday
                                            .New York, N.Y.Randall's Island StadiumRandall's Island Jazz Festival

                                            Ellington was the closing act for an audience of 14,000, lower than anticipated due to weather. Also on the bill, Thelonious Monk quintet, Chico Hamilton quintet, Cannonball Adderley quintet, John Coltrane quintet, Gap Mangione Sextet, Dakota Station.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. Presents DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Randalls [sic] Island Jazz Festival
                                              Randalls [sic] Island, New York
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Saturday August 20
                                              (originally August 21)
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              approximately 10 PM - One two hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $ three thousand dollars ($3,000)
                                            • To be paid in cash to artist night of engagement, less $1,000 to be sent to Associated Booking Corp. 745 Fifth Ave., NY 22, NY
                                            • Employer:
                                              FRANK GELTMAN
                                              Randall's Island Jazz Festival, Inc.
                                              332 East 149th Street. New York 51, New York
                                            • Signed by
                                              Franklin Geltman Pres.
                                            • Riders
                                              • Artist to report to stage manager no later than 10 PM
                                              • Artist will not play in an open-air concert or jazz festival within New York City (the 5 boroughs) twenty-one days prior to August 19 1960 or ten days following the date of appearance at the Randalls [sic] Island Jazz Festival, without written permission of the Randalls [sic] Island Jazz Festival, Inc.
                                              • In the event of rain the night of August 20, precluding artist's appearance at concert, artist will appear the afternoon of August 21st at 2:00 PM for a 1/2 hour only.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated April 15th 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 4
                                            • Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore, Md.
                                              1960-07-09 p.15
                                            • The Hartford Courant, Hartford, Conn.
                                              1960-07-31 p.118
                                            • Daily News, New York, N.Y.
                                              • 1960-08-06 p.23
                                              • 1960-08-15 p.38
                                            • Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia, Penn.
                                              1960-08-08 p.31
                                            • Amsterdam News, New York, N.Y.,
                                              1960-08-20 p.13
                                            • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
                                              1960-08-23 p.47
                                            • Stratemann p.426 citing
                                              Variety 1960-08-24 p.44
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-06
                                            2019-03-15
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 21
                                            Sunday
                                            .Buffalo, N.Y.Offerman StadiumFirst Annual Buffalo Jazz Festival.
                                            • Buffalo Courier-Express, Buffalo, N.Y.
                                              1960-07-24 p.4-B.
                                            • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
                                              1960-08-23 p.47
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-10
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 22
                                            Monday
                                            .New York, N.Y.M.V.Hudson"Moonlight Sail" - Waiters of Birdland held a fundraising benefit boatride on the Hudson River. The New York Post report by Murray Kempton says:
                                            • Ellington's orchestra played for dancing, having arrived after 12 hours by bus from Buffalo.
                                            • About 700 were on the boat when the band began playing before departure, but It was a Monday night; only the Ellington band was working in town, and the musicians went where they heard the music...There were about 1,500 passengers by the time the ship left the dock.
                                            • Julian Adderly came. He had come out of his dressing room to listen to Ellington Saturday, worked with him Sunday, and came now on his day off.
                                            • Duke walked around, talking with friends and the sidemen didn't wear ties.
                                            • When the boat was becalmed near the George Washington Bridge, Ellington went to greet pianist Teddy Wilson. Duke teased him about getting off when he rose from his seat.
                                            • The band was standing when the boat hit the dock at the end of the voyage, but the bump was remembered after, rather than felt.
                                            • Sidemen named in the report: Carney, Hodges, Woodyard, Gonsalves.
                                            • Moe Robinson of Boston identified himself as the president of the New England branch of the Duke Ellington Society. He said there were branches in Toronto, Montreal, Hollywood and the capitals of Europe, and he had just become a director of the International Duke Ellington Society.
                                            New York Post, New York, N.Y.
                                            1960-08-23 p.47
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 23
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...Travel from New York to MaineNew York Post, New York, N.Y.
                                            1960-08-23 p.47
                                            ....New
                                            added
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 24
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Bala, Ont.Gerry Dunn's Pavilionactivities not documented
                                            Ellington was booked to play a dance at Dunn's in Bala, but it appears to have been cancelled or rescheduled.

                                            Bala is in lake country, 2 hours north of Toronto, and Ellington was in New York on Monday and Philadelphia on Friday.

                                            Although Ellington was included in Dunn's summer event announcements in May, Dunn's ads for the week covering this date show Louis Armstrong on August 22 and don't mention Ellington.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Dunn's Pavilion, Bala, Ontario, Canada
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              August 24th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1250 (TWELVE HUNDRED FIFTY DOLLARS) GUARANTEED, PRIVILEGE 50% OF GROSS RECEIPTS
                                            • To be paid $625 DEPOSIT DUE UPON SIGNING CONTRACTS [SIC]. BALANCE DUE IN CASH NIGHT OF ENGAGEMENT.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Dunn's Pavilion - Gerry Dunn
                                            • Signed by
                                              Gerald P. Dunn
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 16th February 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 2
                                            • The Forester, Huntsville, Ont.
                                              • 1960-05-19 p.8
                                              • 1960-08-18 p.8
                                            • The Herald-Gazette, Bracebridge, Ont. 1960-08-18 pp.2,10
                                            ...djpNew
                                            2019-03-15
                                            1960 08 24
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Between Portland and Westbrook, Me.Riverside Ballroom
                                            Exit 8, Maine Turnpike
                                            Riverside Ballroom poster
                                            Poster from eBay
                                            courtesy S.Lasker

                                            Click to Enlarge
                                            Dancing, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
                                            Adv. adm. $1.75 tax inc.
                                            • Portland (Me.) Evening Express, Portland, Me.
                                              • 1960-08-12 p.14
                                              • 1960-08-19 p.7
                                              • 1960-08-20 p.5
                                              • 1960-08-22 p.15
                                            • Portland (Me.) Press Herald, Portland, Me.
                                              • 1960-08-18 p.10
                                              • 1960-08-19 p.19
                                              • 1960-08-22 p.17
                                            • New York Post, New York, N.Y.
                                              1960-08-23 p.47
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 25
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 26
                                            Friday
                                            .Erie, Penn.Waldameer Beach ParkEllington's orchestra was booked to play a dance at Waldameer Beach Park on August 26 but appears to have cancelled or rescheduled. Unlike contracts for other cancelled dates, the file copy at the Smithsonian is not marked as cancelled. The dance was to be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. for a fee of $1,500 guaranteed and privilege 50% of gross receipts.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated Feb. 1 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 2
                                            • The Post Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. 1960-06-12 p.30
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-03-15
                                            1960 08 26
                                            Friday
                                            .Philadelphia, Penn.Connie Mack StadiumEllington played the first night of the three day Quaker City Jazz Festival
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. Presents [illegible]GTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement CONNIE MACK STADIUM
                                            • Date(s) of employment August 26, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              CONCERT BETWEEN 8:30 P.M. & 1:00 A.M., Not to exceed 2 hours with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Type of engagement CONCERT
                                            • It is aslo understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGION [sic] is to receive sole star headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2750 (TWENTY SEVEN HUNDRED & FIFTY) FOR ENGAGEMENT.
                                            • TO BE PAID IN CASH TO ARTIST AT CONCLUSION OF ENGAGEMENT DURING INTERMISSION.

                                            Part of Ellington's concert was broadcast on CBS radio:
                                            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Woodman, Wood, Brown, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Grayson.

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • Perdido
                                            • Congo Square (Matumbe)
                                            • V.I.P. Boogie
                                            • Jam With Sam
                                            • Medley
                                              • Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
                                              • In A Sentimental Mood

                                            • The bandstand was in the infield just beyond third base.
                                            • 72 police officers, 4 police dogs, 2 inspectors and a captain were on hand in case of rioting, but everything was peaceful.
                                            • The Daily News estimated attendance between 4,700 and 5,000; the Inquirer sayd 6,000.
                                            • Performing this evening were Harold Corbin Trio, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson Trio, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Dinah Washington, and "the excellent orchestra of Duke Ellington.
                                            • Stratemann says co-promoter George Wein lost $15,000 over the three days, but recovered some from the broadcast.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 20th June 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 6
                                            • The Sun, Baltimore, Md.
                                              1960-08-04 p.4
                                            • Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia, Penn.
                                              • 1960-08-05 p.33
                                              • 1960-08-12 p.29
                                              • 1960-08-17 p.37
                                              • 1960-08-27 p.21
                                            • The Gazette and Daily, York, Penn.
                                              1960-08-15 p.13
                                            • Daily Times, Delaware County, Penn.
                                              1960-08-19 p.9
                                            • The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Penn.
                                              1960-08-27 p.7
                                            • Stratemann p.426
                                            • Vail II
                                            • Girvan-Dyson-Chiarelli:
                                              Ellingtonia.com
                                            • Timner
                                            • Ole J. Nielsen
                                              Jazz Records 1942-80, A discography:
                                              Vol. Six, Duke Ellington
                                              , p.221
                                            .
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6028
                                            DEMS.djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-11
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 08 27
                                            Saturday
                                            .Chautauqua, N.Y.Amphitheatre Ellington's orchestra was booked to play at Chautauqua on August 27 but appears to have cancelled or rescheduled. Unlike contracts for other cancelled dates, the file copy at the Smithsonian is not marked as cancelled. The Chautauqua concert was to start at 8:30 p.m. for a flat fee of $2,500. While the booking was announced in June, the Aug. 24 Warren Observer said the Chautauqua Art Choir was to perform in the amphitheatre at 8 p.m.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated Feb. 1 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 2
                                            • The Post Standard, Syracuse, N.Y. 1960-06-12 p.30
                                            • The Observer, Warren, Penn. 1960-08-24 p.12
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-03-15
                                            1960 08 27
                                            Saturday
                                            .Wakefield, Mass.Outdoor Show Bowl
                                            Pleasure Island
                                            Rt. 128, Exit 21-A
                                            Second annual Boston Jazz Festival

                                            'PAMA Presents JAZZ FESTIVAL at PLEASURE ISLAND
                                            OUTDOOR SHOW BOWL
                                            Produced by GEORGE WEIN '

                                            Wakefield is north of Boston and Pleasure Island is an amusement park.
                                            In addition to Ellington and his orchestra, Dinah Washington, The Four Freshmen, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the Oscar Peterson Trio and Fred Kaz Trio were to appear.
                                            Reserved seats were $4 and $5; unreserved seats $3.
                                            Paul Herson, The Boston Globe:

                                            '...capacity audience...
                                              The only way to bring a jazz festival to a successful finish is with a big, driving band. Thus Duke Ellington.
                                              The veteran composer and pianist opened with his own [sic] "Take the A Train" – spoke a few suave words, then swung into the jazzman's favorite "Perdido." For the first time the crowd was on its feet, jitterbugging.
                                              Then he played one part of his unusual composition "A Drum Is a Woman," which wasn't as well received.
                                              Next came a medley of Ellington pices, including Mood Indigo and Satin Doll, stirring the audience into its most jubilant mood.
                                              Then the police stopped the show.'


                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              boston Jazz Festival
                                              Boston, Mass.
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              August 27, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              To appear between the hours of 9:30 P.M. and 1:00 A.M.
                                              One two hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($2500) FLAT GUARANTEE FOR ENGAGEMENT
                                            • To be paid IN CASH TO ARTIST AT CONCLUSION OF ENGAGEMENT
                                            • Employer:
                                              George Wein
                                              30 Central Park West
                                              New York, N.Y.
                                            • Signed by G. Wein
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated May 11, 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                            • Entertainment column, Lowell Sun, Lowell, Mass.
                                              1960-08-27 p.9
                                            • Boston Evening Globe and
                                              The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass.
                                              • 1960-08-18 p.32
                                              • 1960-08-25 p.7
                                              • 1960-08-29 p.12
                                            • Boston Daily Record,
                                              Boston, Mass.
                                              • 1960-08-24 p.32
                                              • 1960-08-26 p.42
                                            • Boston Evening American,
                                              Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-08-18 p.28
                                            • Concord Enterprise,
                                              Concord, Mass.
                                              • 1960-08-25 p.2
                                            • Stratemann, p.426
                                              citing Variety 1960-08-10 p.41
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-09
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 28
                                            Sunday
                                            8:30 PM
                                            .Lenox, Mass.Berkshire Music BarnConcert
                                            Notes from the Berkshire Eagle review:
                                            • Audience numbered 750
                                            • Sidemen named:
                                              Carney, Hodges, Procope, Brown, Nance, Woodyard, Bell, Woodman, Wood, Hamiltion, Gonsalves, Grayson, Gigi
                                            • Sound system troubled the singers.
                                            • Tunes named:
                                              Black and Tan Fantasy, Creole Love Call, The Mooch, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, Mood Indigo, Take the A Train, One More Time

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Berkshire Music Barn, Lenox, Massachusetts
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              August 28, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. - One two hour concert with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              concert
                                            • IT IS also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive hdadline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1500 (FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS) GUARANTEED, PRIVILEGE 50% OF GROSS RECEIPTS
                                            • To be paid IN FULL IN CASH TO ARTISTS NIGHT OF ENGAGEMENT
                                            • Employer:
                                              Berkshire Music Barn
                                              Lenox, Mass.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 14th March 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                            • Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass.
                                              • Ad, 1960-08-20, p.11A
                                              • Plug, 1960-08-25, p.6
                                              • Review, 1960-08-29, p.7
                                            • The Springfield Union, Springfield, Mass.
                                              1960-08-25 p.23
                                            • The Springfield Sunday Republican, Springfield, Mass.
                                              1960-08-28 p.13C
                                            • Stratemann p.426
                                              citing Variety 1960-06-29 p.62
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-15
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 08 29
                                            Monday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 30
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 08 31
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......

                                            September 1960

                                            1960 09 00...Personnel change
                                            Trombonist Britt Woodman leaves the band but will be recorded with it several times in 1962, 1963 and 1973

                                            Matthew Gee, trombone, rejoins the band
                                            New Desor vol.2...djpNew
                                            added 2012-10-25
                                            1960 09 01
                                            Thursday
                                            .Coshocton, OhioLake Park Dance Pavilion"Final dance of the current season"
                                            Presented by Coshocton Jaycees
                                            Tickets:
                                            advance $2.50;
                                            at door, $3.00
                                            Ads and Plugs, Coshocton Tribune
                                            • 1960-08-21,p.16
                                            • 1960-08-23, p.10
                                            • 1960-08-25,p.21
                                            • 1960-08-27,p.2
                                            • 1960-08-30,p.9
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-10
                                            1960 09 02
                                            Friday
                                            .Indianapolis, Ind.Coliseum
                                            Indiana Fairgrounds
                                            Jazz concert, Indiana State Fair
                                            The Terre Haute Star

                                            'Indianapolis, April 14 (AP)...A Friday, Sept. 2, jazz concert including the Les Brown and Duke Ellington orchestras, the Ahmad Jamal trio and the Dukes of Dixieland also has been booked.'

                                            The Billboard

                                            'An experiment being watched with interest will be the jazz concert night September 2 at the Indiana State Fair, Indianapolis, which was set by Paul Bannister of Associated Booking here, who also engineered the Saugatuck booking. The show, which will be staged in the Coliseum on the State fair grounds, includes Duke Ellington and Les Brown bands, the Dukes of Dixieland and the Ahmad Jamal Trio. Booking marks the first time that a major fair has utilized an all-jazz talent night as a feature of its entertainment program.'

                                            Fremont Power, The Indianpolis News:
                                            • 'Blues at the coliseum
                                              Man, That Duke Plays Cool Jazz
                                                ...The beams of three blue spotlights cut through the darkness of the Coliseum. From up there on the stage came the strange, soft harmonies of "Mood Indigo'": muted trumpet, bass clarinet and B-flat clarinet.
                                                And over there on a dark corner of the stage at the piano was the ageless Duke Ellington himself. Resplendent as ever in white suit, he swayed to his music, occasionally cutting through the blue harmonies with a strident chord...'
                                            • Ellington tunes named by Power:
                                              Mood Indigo, Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me, Don't Get Around Much Anymore, I'm Beginning to See the Light, It Don't Mean a Thing if You Ain't Got That Swing.
                                            • Official attendance, 5,106
                                            • Each performing group limited to 25 minutes.
                                            • Master of ceremonies was Dick Winters (WXLW)

                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              INDIANA STATE FAIR COLISEUM, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Friday, September 2 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m. (Artist to report to Paul Bannister 2-hours prior to starting time of performance)
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              CONCERT
                                            • It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive hdadline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • EMPLOYER GUARANTEES TO FURNISH GOOD PA SYSTEM AND HAVE PIANO TUNED TO A=440.
                                            • IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A PART OF THIS CONTRACT THE EMPLOYER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AS SET FORTH BY THE RULINGS OF THE LOCAL MUSICIANS UNION WITHIN WHOSE JURISDICTION THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PLAYED.
                                            • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2,500.00 guaranteed flat
                                            • To be paid in cash or Cashiers' check to Al Celley, Rd. Mgr., immediately upon conclusion of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              INDIANA STATE FAIR BOARD
                                              Chester R. Hackleman, Pres.
                                              Burl J. Bailey, Secy=Mgr.
                                              Robert H. Weedon, Rir., Publicity & Amusements
                                              Administration office
                                              State Fairgrojnds, Indianapolis, Ind.
                                            Observations:
                                            • Indiana State Fair paid only $2,477.50, having withheld $22.50 in Indiana gross income tax.
                                            • The August 17 Indiana State Fair ad in the The Rushville (Indiana) Replublican did not comply with the top billing clause in the Fair's contract with Ellington. Duke Ellington, Ahmad Jamal Trio, Les Brown and Dukes of Dixieland appear in a very small font beside a large title "Jazz Concert," whereas Pat Boone–Lennon Sisters, Tennessee Ernie Ford Show with Anita Bryant & The Vagabonds, Jane Morgan–Jan Garber's Orch., and Jack Kochman's Helldrivers are all in fonts that are several times larger.
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 16th MARCH 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 3
                                            • The Terre Haute Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
                                              1960-04-15 p.10
                                            • The Billboard
                                              1960-06-06 p.4
                                            • The Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis, Ind.
                                              • 1960-07-07, p.34
                                              • 1960-07-10 S.7 p.19
                                              • 1960-08-28 s.2 p.5
                                            • The Greenfield Daily Reporter, Greenfield, Ind.
                                              1960-07-08 p.6
                                            • Noblesfield (Ind.) Ledger, Noblesville, Ind.
                                              1960-07-14 p.12.png
                                            • Steuben Republican, Angola, Ind.
                                              1960-07-20 p.2
                                            • The Rushville (Indiana) Republican
                                              Rushville, Ind.,
                                              1960-08-17 p.3
                                            • The Pharos-Tribune and Logansport Press, Logansport, Ind.,
                                              1960-08-28 p.9
                                            • The Vidette-Messenger, Valparaiso, Ind.
                                              • 1960-08-25 p.14
                                              • 1960-08-29 p.1
                                            • The Terre Haute Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
                                              1960-09-03 p.2
                                            • The Indianpolis News, Indianapolis, Ind.
                                              1960-09-03 p.9
                                            • Stratemann p.426
                                              citing The Billboard 1960-09-12 p.59
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2016-07-08
                                            2019-02-27
                                            2019-03-04
                                            2019-03-15
                                            2019-03-18
                                            1960 09 03
                                            Saturday
                                            .Cannelton,
                                            Evansville, Ind.
                                            Mesker AmphitheaterConcert 8 p.m.
                                            Tickets $3, $2.50, $2
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of "DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              MESKER AMPHITHEATRE ... Evansville, Indiana
                                              (In case of Inclement weather engagement at COLISEUM, Evansville, Indiana)
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Saturday, September 3, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              Concert: 8:15 to 10:30 p.m. DAYLIGHT TIME
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • ELLINGTON TO RECEIVE 100% TOP BILLING.
                                              It is also agreed & understood ELLINGTON is to receive 100% sole star top headline billing on marquee & in any and all publicity releases & pd. adv. no one else to be billed at more than 25% type used for Ellington.
                                            • IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A PART OF THIS CONTRACT THE EMPLOYER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AS SET FORTH BY THE RULINGS OF THE LOCAL MUSICIANS UNION WITHIN WHOSE JURISDICTION THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PLAYED.
                                            • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,250.00 guarantee, priv. 50%. AFTER ALL TAX DEDUCTIONS
                                            • To be paid in cash to Al Celley, Rd. Mgr. intermission time night of engagement.
                                            • Employer:
                                              Illegible
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 18th July 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 7
                                            • The Evansville Courier, Evansville, Ind.
                                              • 1960-08-06 p.7
                                              • 1960-08-23 p.7
                                              • 1960-09-02 p.10
                                              • 1960-09-03 p.7
                                            • The Daily Register, Harrisburg, Ill.
                                              1960-08-26 p.10
                                            • The Sunday Look, The Sunday Courier and Press, Evansville, Ind.
                                              1960-08-28 p.10
                                            • Stratemann citing DESB
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-18
                                            1960 09 04
                                            Sunday
                                            .Leesburg, Ind.Tippecanoe BallroomDancing, 9 to 1
                                            Tickets $2.10 per person.
                                            All tables reserved ($1.00/table, seats 4)
                                            The ads in The South Bend Tribune don't name the ballroom, they just say Lake Tippecanoe.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians and vocalist under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS: DUKE ELLINGTON IN PERSON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              TIPPECANOE BALLROOM, LEESBURG, INDIANA
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              Sunday, September 4, 1940
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
                                            • EMPLOYER GUARANTEES TO FURNISH GOOD PA SYSTEM AND HAVE PIANO TUNED TO A=440.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Dance
                                            • IT IS AGREED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT AS A PART OF THIS CONTRACT THE EMPLOYER ASSUMES ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS AS SET FORTH BY THE RULINGS OF THE LOCAL MUSICIANS UNION WITHIN WHOSE JURISDICTION THIS ENGAGEMENT IS PLAYED.
                                            • ANY MECHANICAL REPRODUCTION OF THE ARTISTS PERFORMANCE ON THIS ENGAGEMENT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $1,250.00 guarantee, privilege 60%
                                            • To be paid
                                              in cash to Al or John Celly [sic] intermission time, night of engagement
                                            • Employer:
                                              Ken Morris
                                              P.O. Box 221
                                              South Bend, Indiana
                                            • Signed by
                                              Ken Morris
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 20th April 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 4
                                            • The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Ind.,
                                              1960-08-28 p.74
                                            • 1968-08-31 p.51
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-03-18
                                            1960 09 05
                                            Monday
                                            .Fremont, OhioSandusky County FairgroundsConcert - Sandusky County Fair

                                            The Sandusky County Fair is held in Fremont, Ohio, the county seat for Sandusky County (Fremont was formerly named Lower Sandusky, from its position 15 miles upriver from the mouth of the Sandusky River). Sandusky County is not to be confused with the city of Sandusky, which is 22 or so miles east-northeast, on the shore of Lake Erie.
                                            A collage of pictures of Ellington in concert was printed in The Fremont News-Messenger, 1960-09-06. Whether or not one of these is the same as the one Stratemann reports is in DESB has not been checked.
                                            Contract terms:
                                            • 15 musicians under the leadership of DUKE ELLINGTON, INC. PRESENTS DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            • Name and Address of Place of Engagement
                                              Sandusky County Fair, Fremont, Ohio
                                            • Date(s) of employment
                                              September 5th, 1960
                                            • Hours of employment
                                              1 concert - 7:30 p.m. - Two hours with the usual 15 minute intermission.
                                            • Type of engagement
                                              Concert
                                            • It is also understood and agreed that DUKE ELLINGTON is to receive headline billing in type equal to 100% on marquee and in any and all releases and paid advertising.
                                            • Wage agreed upon: $2000 (TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS)FLAT.
                                            • To be paid IN FULL IN CASH TO ARTIST NIGHT OF ENGAGEMENT
                                            • Employer:
                                              Ward Beam A[illegible] Inc.
                                              Sandusky County Fair Assoc'n
                                              Fremont, Ohio
                                            • Signed by
                                              Ward Beam
                                            • Associated Booking Corporation contract
                                              dated 20th May 1960, Archives Center, SI-NMAH, DEC301, Series III, Subseries A, Box 2, Folder 5
                                            • Sandusky Register,Sandusky, Ohio
                                              • 1960-08-05 p.10
                                              • 1960-08-30, p.13
                                            • The Fremont News-Messenger, Fremont, Ohio
                                              • 1960-06-16 p.14
                                              • 1960-08-04 p.1
                                              • 1960-09-03 p.1
                                              • 1960-09-06 p.2
                                            • Stratemann, p.426
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2013-07-10
                                            updated
                                            2019-02-27
                                            2019-03-15
                                            2019-03-19
                                            1960 09 06
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 07
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 08
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented
                                            Ellington was booked to play The Blue Note in Chicago for a fortnight beginning Sept. 8 but the club closed.
                                            ....djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-03-18
                                            1960 09 08
                                            Thursday
                                            .Copenhagen, DenmarkFrederiksberg HospitalPeripheral Event
                                            Ex-Ellington bassist Oscar Pettiford died at age 37. He had lived in Copenhagen about 15 months, touring Europe, including a Paris jazz festival with Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke. He became ill Sunday after playing at a Copenhagen art exhibition. The AP story said the doctors refused to disclose the cause of his death. As at the time of writing, Wikipedia says he died from a virus "closely related to polio."
                                            Ellington recalled first seeing him in Minneapolis in 1943, and last seeing him in Copenhagen in November 1959. He remarked that Pettiford had married a Danish girl and they had twins before Christmas.
                                            • AP wirestory
                                              The Bridgeport Telegram, Bridgeport, Conn. 1960-09-09 p.6
                                            • John McLellan in the Jazz Scene
                                              Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-15 p.B9
                                            • Obituary,
                                              Down Beat 1960-10-13 p.15
                                              courtesy S.Lasker 2021-11-19
                                            ...djpNew
                                            added
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2021-12-29
                                            1960 09 08
                                            Thursday
                                            .New York, N.Y.Nola Studios Peripheral event
                                            Johnny Hodges recording session
                                            ..DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 09 09
                                            Friday
                                            1969 09 12
                                            Sunday.
                                            Pennsauken, N.J.Red Hill
                                            7921 River Rd.
                                            Night club residency>

                                            HARVEY HUSTEH'S
                                            JAZZ IN JERSEY
                                            DUKE ELLINGTON
                                            and His Band

                                            FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY
                                            PLUS SUNDAY MATINEE 4 P.M.
                                          • Philadelhia Daily News, Philadelhia, Penn.
                                            • 1960-09-08 p.36
                                            • 1960-09-09 p.56
                                            • 1960-09-10 p.17
                                          • .....
                                            1960 09 10
                                            Saturday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 11
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 12
                                            Monday
                                            1960 09 19
                                            Monday
                                            Boston, Mass.George Wein's Storyville
                                            Bradford Hotel
                                            Nightclub residency

                                            The Boston Globe:

                                            George Wein has moved the Storyville jazz club from Copley Square tothe Bradford Hotel. The club's new location opens Sept. 12 with Duke Ellington and his orchestra, who will appear for one week.

                                            The band, delayed by Hurricane Donna, arrived late for the opening night at the new location on the ground floor of the hotel.

                                            Ellington stayed an extra day to make up for the late arrival.
                                            • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                                              • 1960-09-01 p.27
                                              • 1960-09-15 p.27
                                              • 1960-09-16 p.55
                                            • The Boston Globe, Boston, Mass.
                                              • 1960-09-02 p.15
                                            • Boston Traveler, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-16 p.17
                                            • The Boston Herald, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-16 p.22
                                            • Boston Eve. American, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-17 p.9
                                            • Stratemann p.426
                                            • Vail II
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-10
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 09 13
                                            Tuesday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 09 14
                                            Wednesday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 09 15
                                            Thursday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 09 16
                                            Friday
                                            ... Peripheral event
                                            Harry Carney recording session, Carney as leader. Sidemen included Willie Cook, Moon Mullins, Ray Nance, Booty Wood, Paul Gonsalves, Aaron Bell, Sam Woodyard, Rollins Griffith (p)
                                            • Stratemann p.426
                                            • Vail II
                                            ....New
                                            added 2013-07-10
                                            1960 09 16
                                            Friday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12

                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            1960 09 17
                                            Saturday
                                            ... Peripheral event
                                            Harry Carney recording session, Carney as leader. Sidemen included Willie Cook, Ray Nance, Fats Ford, Booty Wood, Paul Gonsalves, Aaron Bell, Sam Woodyard, Rollins Griffith (p)
                                            • Stratemann p.426
                                            • Vail II
                                            ....New
                                            added 2013-07-10
                                            1960 09 17
                                            Saturday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12.....Added
                                            2011
                                            1960 09 18
                                            Sunday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12
                                            Sunday jam session in the afternoon, advertised as a matinee, 3 to 6:30 p.m.
                                            • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-15 p.27
                                            • Boston Eve. American, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-16 p.52
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 09 19
                                            Monday
                                            .Boston, Mass.George Wein's StoryvilleNightclub residency - see 1960 09 12
                                            George Clarke, Boston Daily Record:

                                            '...Because of his delayed opening due to Hurricane Donna, the Duke and his men, including that great singer, Lil Greenwood, will stay over for an extra day, through next Monday night. '

                                            • Boston Daily Record, Boston, Mass.
                                              1960-09-15 p.27
                                            • Boston Eve. American, Boston, Mass.
                                              • 1960-09-06 p.52
                                              • 1960-09-17 p.9
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2024-04-08
                                            1960 09 20
                                            Tuesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 21
                                            Wednesday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 22
                                            Thursday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 23
                                            Friday
                                            .New York and San FranciscoTravelThe Oakland Tribune reported the Ellington and Mulligan orchestras, the Cannonball Adderley quartet, Gunther Schuller and J.J.Johnson were to arrive by special plane from New York.Oakland Tribune 1960-09-23 p.16-D..djpNew
                                            added 2013-07-10
                                            1960 09 24
                                            Saturday
                                            8:15 PM scheduled start
                                            .Monterey, Cal.Festival GroundsThird annual Monterey Jazz Festival
                                            Ellington and his orchestra with Jimmy Rushing. Cannonball Adderley and his group also perform in this concert. Stratemann shows a photo with tap dancer Bunny Briggs on stage during a Gonsalves solo.

                                            This recorded jazz festival recorded concert included the premiere of Suite Thursday. which the Arizona Republic announcement said Monterey Jazz Festival commissioned Ellington to compose and which had been three years of planning between Ellington and festival manager Jimmy Lyons.

                                            Although Down Beat commented about the Ellington concert having a rough start - the curtain opened too early when only 8 men were on stage, it tuned up in front of the audience, Ellington arrived a few minutes late and Hodges and Gee were quite late, the Ellington concert received a glowing review in the Oakland Tribune and after the initial grumbling, a pretty good review in Down Beat.
                                            Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Gee, Brown, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Jimmy Rushing

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • Perdido
                                            • Overture
                                            • Half The Fun
                                            • Jeep's Blues
                                            • Newport Up
                                            • Sophisticated Lady
                                            • SUITE THURSDAY
                                              • Misfit Blues
                                              • Schwiphti
                                              • Zweet Zurzday
                                              • Lay-By
                                            • Dance Of The Floreadores
                                            • Jam With Sam
                                            • Jones
                                            • On The Sunny Side Of The Street
                                            • Goin' To Chicago
                                            • Sent For You Yesterday
                                            • You Can't Run Around
                                            • Red Carpet
                                            • Oakland Tribune
                                              • 1960-08-28, p.2B
                                              • 1960-09-25, p.26
                                            • The Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Ariz.
                                              1960-08-28 s.2 p.11
                                            • Stratemann p.426-427,
                                              citing Down Beat 1960-11-10
                                            • Vail II with undated Down Beat review
                                            New Desor
                                            DE6029
                                            DEMS..Added
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-10
                                            2019-03-18
                                            2020-05-10
                                            1960 09 25
                                            Sunday
                                            ...activities not documented......
                                            1960 09 26
                                            Monday
                                            1960 10 09San Francisco, Cal.Club Névé
                                            960 Bush St.
                                            Initially called Névé San Francisco, this was formerly Facks II (see 1960 07 07). Stratemann says the new owners assumed the earlier Facks II contract and paid $10,500 through the AFM.

                                            The Bright Lights column in the San Mateo Times said

                                            Michel Dupont and Jerry Le Grand brought their Neve (former Fack's II, the Bush street jazz spot)to musical life" last Monday evening with the advent of Duke Ellington and his orchestra, who played to one of the largest crowds since former Owner George Andres opened the front doors.

                                            • Stratemann p.426 citing
                                              • Down Beat 1960-11-10
                                              • Duke Ellington Jazz Society newsletter 1960-11
                                            • Vail II with copy of ad.
                                            • San Mateo Times
                                              • 1960-09-23 p.22
                                              • 1960-09-30 p.20
                                              • 1960-10-07 p.2B
                                            • Oakland Tribune 1960-09-25, p.6-B
                                            ...djpAdded
                                            2011
                                            updated
                                            2013-07-10
                                            1960 09 27
                                            Tuesday
                                            .San Francisco, Cal.Club NévéClub date -see 1960 09 26
                                            Part of the performance was recordedDuke Ellington and His Orchestra
                                            Marenguito, Cook, Mullins, Nance, Gee, Brown, Hamilton, Procope, Hodges, Gonsalves, Carney, Ellington, Bell, Woodyard, Grayson

                                            Titles recorded:
                                            • Take The "A" Train (theme)
                                            • SUITE THURSDAY
                                              • Misfit Blues
                                              • Schwiphti
                                              • Zweet Zurzday
                                              • Lay-By
                                            • Prelude To A Kiss
                                            • C-Jam Blues
                                            • Lost In Loveliness
                                            • One More Once
                                            .New Desor
                                            DE6030
                                            DEMS