Duke Ellington started to present his music in cathedrals in the nineteen sixties. It is easy to see why the cathedral was chosen. Coventry Cathedral has a special place in English history. The original cathedral was very badly damaged in the second world war as was the whole of Coventry. After rebuilding, the cathedral was consecrated on 25 May 1962, and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, composed for the occasion, was premiered in the new cathedral on 30 May. The ruins of the original cathedral were preserved at the side of the new church. The interior of the new building is dominated by Graham Sutherland’s tapestry ‘Christ in Glory’.
Ellington’s first sacred concert was introduced in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in1965. The second sacred concert (1968) was played in New York The third was presented in London at Westminster Abbey in 1973 only months before Ellington’s death. Where the Coventry version fits into this scheme is an open question. It has one number that is completely new and was never repeated and other numbers were changed quite markedly.
Ellington said at the time: ‘One may be accustomed to speaking to people. But suddenly to attempt to speak, sing and play directly to God -- that puts one in an entirely new and different position! . . . You can jive with secular music, but you can't jive with the Almighty.’
Undoubtedly, Ellington was sincere in these concerts, and in his religious beliefs. The gap between the sacred and the profane is thin in Ellington’s world. There are pieces played that were not particularly sacred. ‘West Indian Pancake’ at that time was a feature for Paul Gonsalves and he plays it with energy and that unique foggy tone. La Plus Belle Africaine’, played at the end of the concert, is quite simply one of the great compositions of Ellington's later years. It was premiered just three weeks earlier, and it reaches back into African roots and looks forward into a kind of world music. The piece, at one and the same time, is sparse, rich, simple, restrained and yet fierce.
The concert starts with ‘New World A ‘Comin’’ which Ellington composed in the 1940s. It is a meditative piece played just by Ellington. ‘Come Sunday’ is a non-vocal version which features Johnny Hodges and Cootie Williams. Cat Anderson is featured on ‘Light,’ a piece that was also taken from ‘Black Brown and Beige’.
‘Come Easter’ is a slow piece; it was composed for this occasion and never played again. There are short solos by Jimmy Hamilton Harry Carney and Paul Gonsalves. Tell Me It's The Truth’ is largely a feature for the band with solos by Johnny Hodges and Lawrence Brown.
‘In The Beginning God’ is the longest piece in the concert it features the majestic baritone of Harry Carney and the singers.
At this time the Ellington band was particularly strong and the recording shows off the power and subtlety. The magnificent saxophone section is particularly well represented.
Once again Bjarne Busk at Storyville Records has to be thanked for unearthing this unique slice of Ellingtonia.
https://www.jazzviews.net/duke-ellington---in-coventry-1966.html
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Duke Ellington empezó a presentar su música en catedrales en los años sesenta. Es fácil entender por qué se eligió la catedral. La catedral de Coventry ocupa un lugar especial en la historia de Inglaterra. La catedral original resultó muy dañada en la segunda guerra mundial, al igual que todo Coventry. Tras su reconstrucción, la catedral fue consagrada el 25 de mayo de 1962, y el 30 de mayo se estrenó en la nueva catedral el Réquiem de Guerra de Benjamin Britten, compuesto para la ocasión. Las ruinas de la catedral original se conservaron al lado de la nueva iglesia. El interior del nuevo edificio está dominado por el tapiz de Graham Sutherland "Cristo en la Gloria".
El primer concierto sacro de Ellington se presentó en la catedral Grace de San Francisco en1965. El segundo concierto sacro (1968) se interpretó en Nueva York El tercero se presentó en Londres, en la Abadía de Westminster, en 1973, sólo unos meses antes de la muerte de Ellington. Dónde encaja la versión de Coventry en este esquema es una cuestión abierta. Tiene un número que es completamente nuevo y que nunca se repitió, y otros números se cambiaron de forma bastante marcada.
Ellington dijo en su momento: "Uno puede estar acostumbrado a hablar con la gente. Pero, de repente, intentar hablar, cantar y tocar directamente a Dios... ¡eso le coloca a uno en una posición totalmente nueva y diferente! . . . Se puede bailar con la música secular, pero no se puede bailar con el Todopoderoso".
Sin duda, Ellington era sincero en estos conciertos y en sus creencias religiosas. La brecha entre lo sagrado y lo profano es delgada en el mundo de Ellington. Hay piezas interpretadas que no eran especialmente sagradas. 'West Indian Pancake', en aquella época, era una característica de Paul Gonsalves y la interpreta con energía y ese tono nebuloso único. La Plus Belle Africaine', interpretada al final del concierto, es simplemente una de las grandes composiciones de los últimos años de Ellington. Estrenada apenas tres semanas antes, se remonta a las raíces africanas y mira hacia adelante, hacia una especie de música del mundo. La pieza, al mismo tiempo, es escasa, rica, sencilla, contenida y a la vez feroz.
El concierto comienza con "New World A 'Comin'", que Ellington compuso en la década de 1940. Es una pieza meditativa interpretada sólo por Ellington. Come Sunday' es una versión no vocal en la que participan Johnny Hodges y Cootie Williams. Cat Anderson aparece en 'Light', una pieza que también fue tomada de 'Black Brown and Beige'.
Come Easter' es una pieza lenta; fue compuesta para esta ocasión y nunca se volvió a tocar. Hay breves solos de Jimmy Hamilton, Harry Carney y Paul Gonsalves. Tell Me It's The Truth' es en gran parte una característica de la banda con solos de Johnny Hodges y Lawrence Brown.
In The Beginning God' es la pieza más larga del concierto y cuenta con el majestuoso barítono de Harry Carney y los cantantes.
En esta época, la banda de Ellington era especialmente fuerte y la grabación muestra su potencia y sutileza. La magnífica sección de saxofones está especialmente bien representada.
Una vez más, hay que dar las gracias a Bjarne Busk de Storyville Records por haber desenterrado este trozo único de Ellingtonia.
https://www.jazzviews.net/duke-ellington---in-coventry-1966.html
1 - New World A-Comin' - 9:13
2 - Come Sunday - 5:56
3 - Light (Montage) - 5:42
4 - Come Easter - 3:38
5 - Tell Me It's The Truth - 3:22
6 - In The Beginning God - 20:39
7 - West Indian Pancake - 5:02
8 - La Plus Belle Africaine - 12:03
Creits:
Alto Saxophone – Johnny Hodges
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet – Russell Procope
Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Clarinet – Harry Carney
Bass – John Lamb
Choir – Cliff Adams Singers
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Hamilton
Drums – Sam Woodyard
Graphic Design – Craig Sharp
Photography – Jan Persson
Tenor Saxophone – Paul Gonsalves
Trombone – Buster Cooper, Chuck Connors, Lawrence Brown
Trumpet – Cat Anderson, Cootie Williams, Herbie Jones, Mercer Ellington
Written-By, Piano – Duke Ellington
Recorded live at Coventry Cathedral, Coventry, England on February 21, 1966.
Label: Storyville – 1018448
Genre: Jazz
Style: Big Band
https://www.discogs.com/release/12666760-Duke-Ellington-In-Coventry-1966
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Jorge, VERY nice! Thanks for this listen.
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