Crouch reflects on late Ellington

[Chrome]

From Slate:

The Late Show

Why Duke Ellington's late work deserves our attention.

By Stanley Crouch

Posted Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2005, at 3:36 PM PT

The late, great Ellington

Like most artists of heroic proportion, Duke Ellington's sweep is difficult to comprehend. His output of original compositions and co-compositions is estimated to number between 1,000 and 3,000 works, ranging from starkly simple pieces to complex adventures in long composition, from the lowest low-down blues (the swamp water virtually runs off the notes) to the most urbane renditions of the big city (its people, its architecture, its pulse, and its dreamy, private situations). His grand aesthetic vision was to bring work songs, spirituals, blues, and ragtime together with jazz, that aesthetic idiom of great latitude. Ellington combined his sources with more blistering force, imagination, and understatement than anyone had before him, inventing variations and grooves along the way. He produced music that would not only extend the reaches of jazz but would become one of the largest and most original bodies of American music ever created. Ellington's early classics, produced between 1927 and 1940, have been often and rightly praised; his late work has been largely neglected. But the late work offers plenty of masterworks for the listener of sufficiently refined taste, or the one willing to sophisticate his or her taste. Put simply, Ellington's late work is largely a secret treasure. Anyone purporting to be civilized, or who desires to be, should have as many late Ellington recordings as possible in his or her audio collection.

In conventional jazz writing, Ellington is said to have reached his musical peak in the three years of 1940 to 1942, when there is supposed to have been an unimpeachable balance between composition and personnel, resulting in stellar renditions and eloquent improvisation. But Ellington's ongoing evolution, from 1943 to the end of his life, runs counter to the standard critical take. In that last 30 years of band-leading and composing, Ellington achieved a remarkable range and authority. This was the result of both the time he had spent in the musical game and the vast technical and human experience his players were able to bring to the music, resulting in an abundance of varied tonal depth, emotional expansion, and subtlety—all of which is revealed in an increasing number of reissues and remixes now available. These recordings, stretching from the '40s to the '70s, demonstrate just how brilliantly Ellington and his band developed, decade by decade, almost right up to his death in 1974.

Given its remarkable variety (some of it due to the length made possible by compact discs), Ellington Uptown is a perfect place to enter the world of late Ellington. The basic areas of investigation and expression that Ellington would look into for the next quarter-century are laid out on this recording, made between 1947 and 1952. Ellington reveals how in control of his New Orleans blues roots he remained and the many refinements, extensions, and elaborations he was still bringing to them. Three different masterpieces appear in a row: "The Mooche," "Take the A Train," and "Harlem."

"The Mooche," made in 1928, is a piece that reflected Ellington's love of New Orleans and had been played in many versions by 1952. (Ellington constantly remade his pieces, and they are thus examples of how an inventive jazz composer works. He personally wrote or co-wrote new arrangements, commissioned new arrangements, or, upon listening to the improvisations of his players, found fresh material that could enrich or reinterpret a familiar part of his repertoire.) On "The Mooche," we hear the two colors that were essential to Ellington's sound. There's the clarinet, which Ellington never abandoned even though jazz orchestras usually set the instrument aside after the emergence of Charlie Parker in the middle '40s. Then there is the equally important plunger-muted brass (trumpet, on this track) that also remained a fundamental element of his style.

"Take the A Train," is an example of Ellington's jauntiness, his "boudoir" tenor saxophone, and his unexpected shift to a swift, high-tailing virtuosity. Written in 1940 by Billy Strayhorn (a longtime Ellington collaborator), it was once the most famous band theme in the world. This is Ellington's arrangement, which foreshadows the many forthcoming jazz pieces written by other musicians that would present more than one tempo and mood. This version is a puckish, medium-tempo swinger, boasting a vocal feature by Betty Roche that is so sensual and knowing it will show listeners what hip actually means. There is plenty of erotic suggestion but not one overworked note of vulgarity. This performance is also a two-part musical platform for the masterful tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, who first uses his breathy, seductive lyricism at a walking ballad tempo before he seems to snatch up his pants and his shoes, jump out the window, and exhibit his red-hot virtuosity at a champion sprinter's tempo.

"Harlem," an extended piece that was Ellington's favorite longer work, opens with a trumpet announcing the two-note theme. Wynton Marsalis considers this one of Ellington's great masterpieces. In this musical portrait, Ellington, always at war with limitations, seeks to create a varied set of musical images that goes beyond narrow, popular stereotypes. His Harlem is an epic community of endless, varied types. There is wistfulness, gravity, delight, mocking humor, sexual banter, mourning, hope, dancing, and calibrated power. In short, Ellington achieves an emotional fullness as inclusive of joy as of grief. It is a glorious moment in his output. " 'Harlem,' " says Marsalis, "shows how a musical genius can use his original, technical imagination in order to capture the vitality, humor, resourcefulness, spiritual depth and great sadness of the people he knew. No one has ever celebrated the humanity of Harlem as deeply as Duke Ellington did."

After 1950, Ellington's band went through many personnel changes, losing some of its unique voices such as alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges and trombonist Lawrence Brown. Hodges returned in 1956, at which point Ellington and Strayhorn seemed to step into another dimension of melodic, harmonic, formal, and rhythmic development that sustained itself for a decade. A clear high point of this period is the 1957 Such Sweet Thunder, which is Ellington's "Shakespearean Suite." (Three of these 12 pieces were written by Billy Strayhorn.) Here Ellington made the startling decision to challenge himself by creating a number of "real" musical sonnets, meaning 14 phrases of iambic pentameter (which equals 10 notes). "Sonnet to Hank Cinq" is a perfect example, but each one is unique in mood and execution. This is Ellington and his musicians at their very best, exhibiting their unmatched range.

1959 was the year before the decade when jazz began to struggle with its own identity, resulting in much experimentation, most of it hopeless noise and confusion. In that last year of the '50s, Ellington showed how firmly he had solidified his greatness with signal achievements in jazz parties, film scores, and suites.

Jazz Party (1959), with its variety of material and unexpected guests whom Ellington makes compatible, is unusual even for Ellington. It is an example of the ever-surprising repertoire that became characteristic of late Ellington from 1959 to the end of his music-making. The recording contains an intriguing six-part suite (Ellington's first six-part suite was the masterful 1948 "The Liberian Suite," on Ellington Uptown), some witty blues writing for concert percussion and jazz orchestra, and a classic Strayhorn vehicle—"Upper Manhattan Medical Group"—used to challenge an inspired Dizzy Gillespie who appears in a guest slot. There are also a couple of luscious, humorous features for Johnny Hodges, and a rousing blues finale in which the great Oklahoma blues singer Jimmy Rushing and the Bop King Gillespie are propelled by the soft-shoe strutting and declarative riffs of a brass-and-reed ensemble clearly enjoying the weight of its groove powers. (For several more examples of Ellington's talent and range in his late years click here.)

The 1966 Far East Suite (RCA Victor) finds Ellingtonia enriching itself with new Third World influences. (This remix, which brings absolute clarity to it, is an example of contemporary technological gifts.) This is probably the best jazz-orchestra recording of that decade, the most forcefully successful blending of jazz and outside music. The musicians are in masterful and inspired form, which allows Ellington to effortlessly remake his palette once again, this time with the influences of the Middle East and Asia. The superb And His Mother Called Him Bill (RCA Victor) is a salute to the then recently deceased Strayhorn, which finds Ellington the pianist outplaying everyone else on the album. Like the hero in winter, with death and retirement taking many of his finest voices, Ellington continued to make superior music, as revealed by the 1971 "Goutelas Suite" found on The Ellington Suites (Pablo). He remained busy remaking his past and taking in new influences, as revealed on The New Orleans Suite (Atlantic Records) and the especially impressive very late Ellington of Afro-Eurasian Eclipse(Fantasy). There is no thrill in the arts like hearing a grand master expand his palette, reinvigorate himself, and take on all of the challenges specific to an era. Ellington said to a relative when asked what he thought of the new generation: "It's not about this generation or that. In Art, the issue is regeneration." These records make that case as powerfully as it has ever been made.

Into the face of death Duke Ellington wrote music until the end, and we are all the better for it.

[maren]

aesthetic idiom of great latitude

This bears repeating. Perhaps by the writer himself, to himself, daily. "We [might all be] the better for it."

[JSngry]

1959 was the year before the decade when jazz began to struggle with its own identity, resulting in much experimentation, most of it hopeless noise and confusion.

He just can't help himself, can he...

Otherwise, a decent "primer" for people who know nothing (or very little) about the matter. No insight whatsoever, but it's not that kind of piece, I suppose.

However, he can take the revisionist/reactionary/self-serving dogma and stick it up his ass. And leave it there until the sun shines on it, or until I die, whichever comes first.

[Christiern]

Stanley, of course, was deeply involved in creating the "hopeless noise and confusion" he speaks of. I seriously have to wonder if there is any intellect at work in that head--it seems to me that Stanley either repeats the Wynton-promoted J@LC party line or latches on to some commonly accepted thought and strenuously spews the opposite viewpoint. I wonder why Slate accepts his stuff--so far, everything I've seen there by him has been of no substance.

Just looked at JC. They also have a thread on this and it is generating scorn and ridicule. Poor Lois, she wanted so to see Stanley become a regular poster--perhaps she will also send him the new thread.

[kh1958]

Are there really still many jazz fans who don't know that Ellington was great in the 1960s and early 1970s? The article seems built on a false premise that post 1940s Ellington is not appreciated.

I've been on an Ellington kick lately, going through all my Elllington CDs and picking selections for transfer to ipod. The volume and variety of amazing music is so inspiring. While there are of course many recurring selections, I've found that there is almost always something unique and special in every CD. Even being very selective and limiting duplications, the number of different compositions on my harddrive is astounding to observe.

[AllenLowe]

"Into the face of death Duke Ellington wrote music until the end, and we are all the better for it."

In addition to his other problems Stanley can't write - this is redundant and/or makes no sense as language.

[couw]

... for the listener of sufficiently refined taste, or the one willing to sophisticate his or her taste. ... Anyone purporting to be civilized, or who desires to be, should have as many late Ellington recordings as possible in his or her audio collection.

pffff.... and we're supposed to read on after this?

[AllenLowe]

I also didn't know "sophisticate" was a verb -

[jazzbo]

kh, I think this article is snoozarama and could hardly even read its first few paragraphs. . . .

BUT I do think that there are "still" jazz fans out there that need to be acquainted to the fact that the last years of Ellington were really fine ones.

[Guy Berger]

Are there really still many jazz fans who don't know that Ellington was great in the 1960s and early 1970s? The article seems built on a false premise that post 1940s Ellington is not appreciated.

Well, if you watch the Ken Burns documentary that didn't say much about Duke's work post-1960, then you might get the idea. Wait... who was the chief consultant for that documentary again?

Guy

[RDK]

His output of original compositions and co-compositions is estimated to number between 1,000 and 3,000 works,

I've seen such numbers quoted before, but surely the number of Duke's composition can be pinned down with a bit more accuracy. Really, 1,000-3,000 seems awfully broad...

[alankin]

His output of original compositions and co-compositions is estimated to number between 1,000 and 3,000 works,

I've seen such numbers quoted before, but surely the number of Duke's composition can be pinned down with a bit more accuracy. Really, 1,000-3,000 seems awfully broad...

Well, for one thing, there are some tunes with different names that are the same composition and some tunes that have the same name, yet are different compositions. There are also many stage tunes that hadn't been recorded...

[Christiern]

These are numbers derived at by people who guess because they can't be bothered doing their homework. Stanley has always been sloppy. The only thing he really has going for him is the association with Wynton and, thus, LC. If you think about it, he has not contributed anything original to the jazz field. All he is is Stanley Crouch, and that is proving not to be much.

[EKE BBB]

His output of original compositions and co-compositions is estimated to number between 1,000 and 3,000 works,

I've seen such numbers quoted before, but surely the number of Duke's composition can be pinned down with a bit more accuracy. Really, 1,000-3,000 seems awfully broad...

There´s some current work on this:

http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=15608

[Leeway]

Remarkable, unparalleled, unmatched, transcendent hyperbole. B-)

[marcello]

In addition to all of the above, I was wondering.... why didn't he mention"The Queen Suite" but he DOES mention "The Goutelas Suite" which, to my ears, is far supierior?

Does he have something against the Queen too? Wrong side of the pond, I guess!

I don't mean to state the obvious here but, my God, didn't Ellington have class?! He writes a fantastic work and records it, makes copies only for the Queen of England as a tribute and present, and then will not let it be released while he is alive.

A man of measure that Crouch with his pompus blabber and Wynton with his facile and limp "recreations", should not compare themselves to

[DrJ]

Crouch is a very poor writer, and a total windbag.

Recently I began reading through the booklet for the Don Pullen Mosaic Select...and as I read and found myself coming across a series of typical-sounding snipes (against rock music for example, and "most" of the avant-garde) I started to think "Damn, whoever wrote the crap is as insufferable as Stanley Crouch."

When I got to the byline...well, you guessed it.

It was quite a validating experience, confirming that I've been negatively reacting to his idiocy and ineptness all along and not just jumping on the bandwagon with the (growing) legion of people who also hate him.

[neveronfriday]

When I got to the byline...well, you guessed it.

Why do they actually choose someone like that to write the liner notes?

[AllenLowe]

1.000-3000 - a broad range I would say - and to think I've only written about 76 -

[Brad]

I don't think the review is badly written but what disturbs me is that it's clearly written for a non-jazz audience and the insertion of that paragraph about what happened after 1959 is an attempt to prejudice an unenlightened reader. That is clearly pathetic and does a disservice to everybody, especially the would be jazz fan.

[Alon Marcus]

Stanley is a talented writer.

Sorry guys, it is too easy to slay him on a board like Organissimo or JC.

If he was a worse writer maybe things could be better for jazz history. He is sloppy, arrogant, has strong prejudices against anything that came after 1959 and wasn't Wynton Marsalis and people that speak english much better than me have already mentioned his grammatical mistakes.

Nevertheless, the fact the we all read what he writes (and this thread is the best example) speaks for itself.

Don't you think that his expression "co-compositions" was entered on purpose to remind subconsciously of Ellington's Ko-KO?

Maybe he should become a science fiction writer or something like this. Simple historical facts are like a dry desert land for his flowering creativity.

Edited January 14, 2005 by ztrauq22

[Christiern]

Wherein does his talent lie? Other than in the field of flimflam, I mean.

[Spontooneous]

Saw the header "late Ellington" and thought he'd be talking about the time after Strayhorn died. Imagine my surprise in finding that "late Ellington" begins in 1943.

So at age 45, I've already entered my "late period"?

(Nothing polite to say about Mr. Crouch, especially after he came to the Charlie Parker Memorial Concert in Kansas City last year and delivered an incoherent address mainly focusing on Bird's sex life. It didn't exactly build hopes for the still-promised Parker bio.)

[AllenLowe]

Stanley's an intelligent guy but can't write to save his life -

[Joe]

Stanley's an intelligent guy but can't write to save his life -

And he throws a mean sucker-punch.

That is, "with blistering understatement".

Edited January 14, 2005 by Joe