Duke Ellington and Marcus Roberts Trio
Most of us think of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington as the author of iconic, melodic jazz like “Satin Doll” and “Take the A Train.” In fact, his work extends to a genre combining the influence of European classical composers and jazz. Ellington’s own ensemble was comprised of 15 musicians. Tonight the full American Symphony Orchestra takes the stage.
“Black, Brown, and Beige Suite” (1943) written for his first concert at Carnegie Hall, was, in Ellington’s words, “a parallel to the history of the Negro in America.” As arranged here by Maurice Peress, the complex piece suffers from less than optimum acoustics and sound design as well, perhaps, as too many instruments. Strings can be an issue where jazz is concerned. The results are muddy.
“Harlem” or “A Tone Poem to Harlem” (1951) was commissioned by conductor Arturo Toscanni and the NBC Symphony. An arrangement by Luther Henderson and Maurice Peress gives the impression of opening doors, each allowing turbulent music to escape, then moving on to a relatively more subdued sound. Individual horn solos (the trumpet is said to “intone” the word Harlem) rise above and are sequentially swallowed.
“Night Creature for Jazz Band and Orchestra” (1955), arranged by Luther Henderson and Gunther Schuller, was commissioned by Don Gillis and The Symphony of the Air. Horns flex. This one paints a scenario evoking a private “dick” on the case; pimp cars, buying and selling in alley ways, smoke, tipped hats, shiny suits …the piece is dense and often raucous without transition between sotto and blast. Layers pulse. Tympani exerts itself. Two years before West Side Story, “Night Creatures” may have had impact on Leonard Bernstein.
A simply gorgeous, musically exhaled arrangement of “Sophisticated Lady” (1933) makes us long for more like this.
The Marcus Roberts Trio is joined by Catherine Russell in a mutual admiration performance of three Ellington classics. During a bright rendition of “I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart” (1938) Russell plays the air with her right hand. Drum solo is captivating, original. Piano showcases ease and style. Bass makes a turn his own. “Mood Indigo” (1930), a song Ellington performed every night for 27 years, offers molasses vocal, languid accompaniment. Piano hand is gentle, though sure. Percussive brushes circle. The song ends with a more recognizable blues sound.
“If my pulse and your pulse are connected, then we are swinging,” Roberts quotes Ellington. “It Don’t Mean a Thing –If It Ain’t Got That Swing” (1932 ) ends the set. Russell’s doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah emerges as if common contemporary scat. She bounces. It would be difficult to find a more authentic purveyor of the songs. Bass jitterbugs. Cymbals mark time. Piano darts in and out as if teasing. (All lyrics by Irving Mills.)
“New World A –Comin’” (1943) here arranged by Maurice Peress, is often referred to as a piano concerto companion to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Pianist Marcus Roberts is masterful. To me, the music evokes a newcomer, perhaps a rube, venturing into big city Harlem, tossed and torn, alternately full of fight and exhausted, finally finding his place. “I visualized this new world as a place in the distant future, where there would be no war, no greed, no categorization…” Ellington wrote.
The evening ends with “Three Black Kings” (1974) completed by Mercer Ellington, arranged by Luther Henderson. Of the three kings, I found the third, Martin Luther King, the most accessible and appealing. Once again Roberts exhibits prowess
A mixed bag, but fascinating.
Photos by Matt Dine
American Symphony Orchestra presents
Duke Ellington and Marcus Roberts Trio: Marcus Roberts piano, Rodney Jordan-bass, Jason Marsalis-drums
Leon Botstein, Conductor
Special Guest Catherine Russell
