Harold "Shorty" Baker - Duke's Lyrical Trumpeter - DUKE ELLINGTON SOCIETY OF SWEDEN
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BULLETIN NR 2, APRIL 2019, ÅRGÅNG 27
Harold ”Shorty” Baker
Duke’s Lyrical Trumpeter
I detta nummer – In this issue
Ledare och jazzatmosfär 2 The Eighth Veil 11
Harold ”Shorty” Baker 4 Kvinnornas Duke Ellington 12
Harold Baker remembered Jerome Kern, lite Gershwin och Duke 13
by Clark Terry 9 Al Sears – An original voice 14
Dukes födelsedag 29 april 1969 10 Nya böcker 19
Nya skivor 10 Kallelse 202-2019
”Duke is not dead”
Med de orden inledde Leonard Feather medlemsavgiften. Många har gjort det att man fordrade 500 exemplar för att
sitt anförande vid Ellingtonkonferensen och i skrivande stund är det 193 som distribuera vår Bulletin som Posttidning
i Köpenhamn 1992. Han hade så rätt. Jag betalat, varav 31 utlänningar. Med ut- B. Jag har svårt att förstå vad som hin-
deltog visserligen inte i den konferensen länningar menas de som bor utanför drar Postnord att distribuera en mindre
men har läst om den i efterhand. Den 29 Skandinavien. Skandinaviska medlem- mängd på samma villkor som för 500 ex.
april kan vi fira Dukes 120-årsdag och mar boende i Danmark, Norge och Fin- Deras beslut har lett till att vi nu tvingas
vid så hög ålder är han ändå i högsta land betalar samma medlemsavgift som skicka ut vår Bulletin som brev till en
grad levande för oss. Hans musik kom- svenskar. Emellertid tvingas vi betala avsevärt högre kostnad. Postnord för-
mer aldrig att dö. Hans namn kommer samma portoavgift för Bulletinen till alla klarar behovet av en högre taxa på ned-
alltid att nämnas i samma sammanhang utanför Sverige boende medlemmar. Det gången i brevförsändelser. Då ställer jag
som Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Cope- är således inte rimligt att medlemmar i mig frågan varför vår regering tillåter
land, James P. Johnson, Cole Porter och Danmark, Norge och Finland betalar att det finns flera distributörer utöver
Irving Berlin när det gäller de amerikan- ’svensk’ avgift eftersom portoavgiften Postnord. Både Bring, City Mail, DHL,
ska kompositörerna och det ligger natur- är högre för denna kategori. Inför 2020 Schenker och vanliga tidningsbud leve-
ligtvis nära till hands att även jämföra kommer vi därför att kategorisera dessa rerar numera post. Vore det inte bättre
honom med de stora europeiska kompo- nationaliteter som ’utlänningar’ och krä- att låta Postnord få ha monopol på post-
sitörerna. I en framtid tror jag att Dukes va medlemsavgift därefter. Allt för att få distribution resulterande i lägre avgifter
verk som Harlem, The River, New World täckning för våra portokostnader. för svenska folket? Det frågar sig er nå-
A-Comin’ och The Degas Suite kommer att Det har säkert inte undgått någon got irriterade ordförande.
framföras av symfoniorkestrar världen att Postnord ansökt hos regeringen om
över. På annan plats i denna Bulletin kan att få höja portot inom en nära framtid.
läsas om hur Duke firade sin 70-årsdag. Man kan inte längre påstå att företa-
Så över till mera triviala detaljer. Jag get Postnord är särskilt serviceinriktat.
är mån om vår förenings ekonomi och Utöver en portohöjning hotar man dess-
jag har under de senaste månaderna utom med brevutdelning endast 3 dagar
påmint våra medlemmar om att betala i veckan. Det som irriterat mig mest är Leif Jönsson, ordförande i DESS
Jazzatmosfär med pianoekvilibristik
skäl kom söderkisen Runes musikupple-
velser att i stor utsträckning präglas av
Duke´s Place Stockholmsjazzen. Men det var ju också
därifrån vi ’lantisar’ i övriga Sverige fick
rapporter om vad som var inne.
Några fler medlemmar än vanligt hade Vi fick en ingående presentation av
glädjande nog passat på tillfället att be- hur Rune upplevde jazzhistorien med
söka Ellingtonsällskapets senaste möte i de stora namnen, men också samvaron
Franska Skolan. Efter ett rutinmässigt års- med kompisar och scenupplevelser,
möte tog Rune Sjögren över med ett kåse- både i stort och smått, som präglat hans
ri om sitt liv med jazzen från tidiga tonår jazzliv och jazzuppfattning. Konsertjazz
till mogen ålder. Vi som är födda på 30- och musik på radio samt inspelningar
och 40-talet hade säkert lätt att anamma med dagens teknik är inte Runes melodi,
hans minnen och känsloupplevelser, dock eftersom han alltid strävat efter en spe-
kanske med andra variationer och val av ciell atmosfär i lyssnandet – och varför
jazzmusik och dess profiler. Men igenkän- inte? Vi hittar alla in i jazzen och dess
Rune Sjögren. ningsfaktorn var säkert hög! Av naturliga innersta väsen på olika sätt! Som kom-
2plement till Runes jazzberättelse fick no med självaste John Lewis i konserthu-
vi lyssna till ett antal inspelningar som set 1994 och den konserten sitter fortfa-
färgat hans jazzuppfattning: Slave to the rande i delar av min ryggrad.
Blues med Gertrude ’Ma’ Rainey, The Vad bjöds vi då på denna kväll? Jo, en
Things We Did Last Summer från 1949 fantastisk Ellingtonkavalkad, som om-
med Fats Navarro, gitarr- och mun- fattade nästan samtliga de kompositio-
spelsduon Lightnin’ Hopkins och Sonny ner, som vi normalt förknippar med ’the
Terry i Got To Move Your Baby, Benny Duke’: Take The ’A’ Train, Do Nothing till
Goodmans inspelning från 1939 av The You Hear From Me, Isfahan, Things Ain’t
Sheik of Araby, Really the Blues med Sid- What They Used To Be, In A Sentimental
ney Bechet, Count Basie i ett typiskt rif- Mood, Caravan, Don’t Get Around Much
figt svängnumer, Loose Wig med Lionel Anymore, Perdido, I Got It Bad, Satin Doll,
Hampton, den klassiska inspelningen Lush Life, Lotus Blossom och C Jam Blues.
av Yesterday med Billie Holiday, King Davors pianospel är generellt ett mycket
Oliver i sin Dippermouth Blues, Basie och kraftfullt tvåhandsspel och ibland blir
Herschel Evans-inspelningen av Lady Be man påmind om de gamla stridepia-
Good från 1937, Stardust med Louis Arm- nisterna, vilka en gång också präglade
Davor Kajfes.
strong och slutligen Black and Tan Fantasy Duke Ellingtons pianospel.
med Duke Ellington från 1943 års Carne- Isfahan, t.ex. omfattades av denna stil
gie Hall-framträdande. Se där en verklig med en kraftfull tolkning av hela kom-
jazzhistoria under några viktiga år! positionen. Även i In A Sentimental Mood Davor avslutade sitt framträdande
presenterades melodin kraftfullt, men med en hyllning till Alice Babs, som han
Piano à la carte också följd av mjuka och drömmande stått nära och samarbetat med i många
Kvällens levande musikinslag med passager. I Caravan såg i alla fall jag ka- år. Vi fick avslutningsvis lyssna till Come
pianisten Davor Kajfes blev exakt vad melerna komma knallande i öknen. ”Nu Sunday, Heaven och All Mighty God med
programbladet utlovade och kanske måste vi ta något aggressivt”, sade Da- ett emotionellt mjukt pianospel och stora
ännu mer: ”ett elegant pianospel som ni vor och presenterade en version av Per- känslosvängningar. Applåderna blev
inte får höra varje dag.” Själv hade jag dido så att t.o.m. Malmsjöflygelns ben många, långa och varma.
glädjen att få höra honom spela duopia- stampade takten. Thomas Harne
Skylten bakom East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
Stanley Dances bok ”The World of Duke ”Bubber had a habit of singing words
Ellington” (Charles Scribner’s Sons, from advertising signs that happened to
NYK) inleds med en intervju med Elling- suggest music to him. As the story goes,
ton där han talar om de formativa åren. there was a sign for a cleaner called Le-
Bl.a. säger han följande: wando that the band could see from train
”But Bubber and Tricky were the first windows as they went from New York to
to get really wide recognition for the Boston to begin their summer tours at
plunger thing. They had such beautiful Salem Willows. Bubber began singing,
teamwork together. As a matter of fact, ‘Oh, lee-wan-do, oh lee-wan-do,’ and
everything we used to do in the old days thus the theme was born”.
had a picture. We’d be riding along and Den situation som här beskrivs torde
see a name on a sign. We used to spend ha ägt rum senast 1926 om det stämmer
a lot of time up in New England, around att iakttagelsen gav upphov till East St.
Boston, and we’d see this sign, LEWAN- Louis Toodle-Oo, som första gången spe-
DO CLEANERS, and every time we saw lades in den 29 november 1926. Man
it we’d start singing: Oh, Lee-wan-do! Out kan ha en misstanke att Mileys ord ’Oh
Var det den här skylten som Bubber såg?
of that came East St. Louis Toodle-Oo. Pro- lee-wan-do’ kan ha en mening. Något på
bably it would have been better if we had den tidens Harlem-slang. I så fall säker-
called it Lewando and get some adverti- tuationen i sin bok “Duke Ellington” ligen ett något dubiöst uttryck. Svårt att
sing money from it”. (Michael Joseph Ltd, London) med föl- säga nu nästan hundra år senare.
James Lincoln Collier beskriver si- jande ord: Bo Haufman
3Harold ”Shorty” Baker
A first class musical craftsman
By Thomas Erikson
On June 30, 1951, Duke Ellington and his
Orchestra played at Birdland. Before one
of the numbers to be performed Duke
says ”and now Harold Baker, one of our
great trumpet players, plays a traditio-
nal thing brought forward from the late
thirties, Boy Meets Horn.” That number
was originally composed in 1938 for
cornetist Rex Stewart and had a recur-
rent place in the band´s repertoire until
1945, when Stewart left. Boy Meets Horn
with its quirky harmonic twists conse-
quently was strongly associated with
Rex Stewart and his special way of play-
ing, including half depressed valves and
strange wheezing low register sounds.
That this number was played relatively
often during Stewart´s stay can be seen
in The New DESOR discography, which
mentions eight recorded performan-
ces between 1938 and 1945. The next
recorded performance is the one made
at Birdland on June 30, 1951. The ar-
rangement for the orchestra remains the
same, but Harold Baker plays the solo
parts in his own more soft and lyrical
way quite different from Stewart´s more
audacious playing. To quote Eddie Lam-
bert in Duke Ellington A Listener´s Guide
Baker here finds ”some unexpected pockets
of lyricism.”
One may speculate how prepared
Baker was to perform Boy Meets Horn
on this occasion. In 1951 he had been
in the Ellington orchestra continuously
since 1946 but there is no other recorded
performance of the number from this pe- rament and makes it his own. As told by the Ellington band of 1958 in El Gato, a
riod. According to The New DESOR there Clark Terry and others, Duke would so- number showing off its mighty trumpet
is only one later performance by the El- metimes call up one of the musicians to section of the time, where Baker was one
lington band, from 1957 featuring Cat perform in a surprising and unprepared of the four members. The other three, Cat
Anderson. role. Duke of course was well aware of Anderson, Ray Nance and Clark Terry,
Baker´s sudden appearance in Boy Baker´s capacity. receive quite a lot of praise and attention
Meets Horn 1951 may have been a rare It has been said that Harold Baker in the comments to the cut, while only
and unexpected event, but it can be has been overlooked. He has even been one mentions Baker´s elegant solo.
heard as a fine example of how this very called one of the great underappreciated However, those who have heard
competent and personal musician hand- trumpeters of the jazz world. This may and followed Harold Baker closely have
les a solo marked by a different tempe- be illustrated by a cut on Youtube with commented on his playing with warmth
4and appreciation. Here are some of them: Duck´s Yas Yas Yas and Good Old Bosom Baker´s first professional contact
Duke Ellington (Music is my Mistress): Bread. Gunther Schuller mentions this with Duke Ellington happened in 1938.
”His way of playing a melody was absolutely session in his book The Swing Era, The According to early discographies, for in-
personal, and he had no bad notes at all.” development of Jazz 1931-1945 describing stance Benny Aasland´s The Wax Works of
Rex Stewart (his autobiography Boy Baker, not 18 years old at the time, as ”a Duke Ellington, Baker is even supposed
Meets Horn):” …that unbelievable brace of fine soloist in the Armstrong manner.” Ba- to have recorded with Ellington´s band
trumpeters Harold Baker, Adolphus Cheat- ker himself has told that he early on had a couple of times in early 1938. When
ham and Taft Jordan. These are trumpet fine professional offers but steadfastly Gunther Schuller listens to Ellington´s
players that most trumpet players consider said no to them in the beginning. ”I simp- Steppin´ Into Swing Society recorded on
”real” players.” January 13, 1938, he actually senses ”the
E. Lambert (Duke Ellington A Listener´s added big-toned voice of Harold ”Shorty”
Guide): ”Baker was a first class musical Baker” as a new part of the trumpet sec-
craftsman held in the highest esteem by his tion. However The New DESOR has Ba-
fellow musicians. As a lead player he was wit- ker recording with Ellington no earlier
hout peer, his superb tone and finely judged than on September 28, 1942, when the
phrasing made him an ideal first trumpet. On band recorded the music for the film Ca-
ballads Baker´s rich golden sound allied to his bin In The Sky.
lyrical phrasing and impeccable musicianship
made him an instantly recognizable soloist.” Meeting Mary Lou Williams
After leaving Redman and a few other
Career short engagements (including one with
Harold Baker, often called Shorty, Count Basie) Harold Baker joined Teddy
was born on May 26, 1914, in St. Louis, Wilson´s big band. This band lasted less
Missouri. Several trumpet players in ly didn´t feel ready. I wanted to feel comple- than a year, but was of the highest class
the history of jazz have a background tely sure of myself before going into music.” in Baker´s opinion. In 1940 he became a
in St. Louis. Some more or less well- At least it appears that Baker must member of Andy Kirk´s Clouds of Joy
known ones are Charlie Creath, Irving have sounded good around 1935 accor- where he also met his future wife Mary
Randolph, Leonard Davis, Joe Thomas, ding to Ray Nance. He has told about an Lou Williams. As a pianist and arranger
Clark Terry and Miles Davis. This town early meeting with Shorty, who was also she was the main force behind the suc-
had a tradition of brass band music roo- one of those in the Ellington band that cess and personality of Kirk´s orchestra.
ted in a big group of German immigrants Nance admired most. ”First time I heard While with the Clouds of Joy Baker re-
and there were also a number of skilled him was with the Crackerjacks in East St. corded for the first time in a small group
black teachers, who came to have as their Louis around 1935. I had enlarged my little setting. As Mary Lou Williams and her
pupils several future jazz musicians. One band for the occasion and we alternated in Kansas City Seven a group of musicians
of these teachers, P.G. Langford, taught the dance hall. It was a very tight and fine from the Kirk band recorded two pieces,
Harold Baker, Louis Metcalf and Joe group and when they started to play I heard a Baby Dear and Harmony Blues for the Dec-
Thomas among others. beautiful sound from across the room. I went ca label. This smaller setting of course
Baker himself has told about his early over and asked who the trumpet player was offers more space for Baker´s beautiful
difficulties when learning the trumpet: ”I and they introduced us to each other.” tone and distinct playing.
breathed all wrong and it strained the whole Both Harold Baker and Mary Lou
side of my face. It used to hurt so. I blew from With Don Redman Williams began to feel unhappy with
too low and I couldn´t learn to keep my sto- Anyhow, Baker must have felt ready the increasingly commercial focus of the
mach tight. I used to blow with my jaw as to accept a real professional offer in 1935. Clouds and eventually they both left the
hard as a wall and my teacher would walk up That year he joined Don Redman´s or- band in 1942. They planned a future to-
and bang the trumpet right out of my mouth. chestra, where he was to stay for three gether and married in November of that
I pressed so hard against my teeth that they years. Redman had an exceptionally year. Morning Glory, the biography of
were sore all the time. To cure myself, I hang fine band in the thirties according to Ba- Mary Lou Williams by Linda Dahl, gives
my trumpet on a string from the ceiling. Just ker who has described his time there as some insights into how the couple lived
walk up to it and blow it without touching it going to school. ”By having someone like during this time. Their life included for-
with my hands.” Don to sit down talking to you and explain- ming a group together and they started
Shorty´s older brother, Winfield Ba- ing things you automatically improved your to hire local musicians from Pittsburgh
ker, played trombone in a local group technique on the instrument immensely. If where they had settled. Mary Lou was
where Shorty himself also played early you like what you are doing you are atten- the one who did most of the work to find
on. As Eddie Johnson´s Crackerjacks tive and remember what you have learnt. musicians and build a repertoire for the
this group as early as February 25, 1932, Don was a big influence on my musical thin- group. Baker is described here as ”neither
recorded two numbers for Victor, The king.”. a practical man nor a man of much drive.
5Focused only on music and his horn, he was 1943. This was not exactly Mary Lou´s fied by Ellington into Trumpet No End, a
the quintessential improvising jazz musician view when she began to follow Baker number showing off the trumpet section.
and, like a good number of his contempora- and the Ellington band. She was not at Mary Lou has said that Baker was unhap-
ries, he liked the bottle too much.” all impressed. ”What a strange group. I py with Ellington’s modification since it
Baker´s and Mary Lou´s group, which guess there were too many stars, because robbed him of solo space originally allot-
included future well-known drummer so many of them weren´t speaking to each ted to him. Another of her arrangements
Art Blakey, never made any recordings. other. They´d go for months and months and was a variation on Stardust written espe-
The reason was the ban on recordings wouldn´t play anything much. Harold and I cially to feature Baker and played during
imposed in 1942 by ASCAP (the Ameri- hung out with Lawrence Brown, Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington´s Carnegie Hall Concert
can Society of Composers, Authors and Pu- Tricky Sam. For about three months, nothing in December 1943. This arrangement was
blishers). However, the group seems to happened. Really draggy music.” Although given to him as a present by Mary Lou
have been reasonably successful during she felt strongly for Ellington´s and Billy and is a fine example of his exquisite bal-
an engagement lasting some months at Strayhorn´s music she decided to leave lad playing. A later (1957) and equally
Mason´s Farm in Cleveland, where they for New York to find work and a place fine Stardust played by Baker with the
had followed Coleman Hawkins´s gro- to live for her and Baker. However she Ellington band can be found on Youtube,
up. Mary Lou has noted in her diary that
the musicians in her and Baker´s group
disliked him. The reason may have been
that Baker was already big time having
played with bands like Teddy Wilson´s
and Andy Kirk´s while the others had
only played around Pittsburgh. Anyhow,
they resented him and he was made to
feel the odd man out.
Joining Duke Ellington
In September 1942 Harold Baker joi-
ned Duke Ellington´s orchestra and left
the group started by him and Mary Lou.
His replacement in the group was Ma-
rion Hazel, a Pittsburgh musician. The
other members of the group, all Pitts-
burghers, considered Hazel ”the greatest
on trumpet” but Mary Lou was dissatis-
fied. In her opinion the newcomer could
not in any way be compared to Baker. In
her diary she noted: ”No one in the band felt like giving the Ellington band a last but the arrangement used here is not the
realized the value of Harold Baker. He could chance and stayed another night to listen. one written by Mary Lou.
play 10 solos and fall back in a fast moving That night, somewhere in Ohio, the band
ensemble without splitting notes. The new evidently hit on all cylinders. As Mary Military service
trumpet man would split a D in the staff.” Lou tells it: ”And I´m telling you, when This period of Harold Baker´s in the
But Ellington was satisfied. He had that band hit, I´ve never heard anything like Ellington band ended sometime early
received an excellent first trumpet player that before in my life. And I think everybody 1944, when he was called up for military
and in addition an excellent soloist, who else was just in hysterics or something. Duke service. He had actually ignored an ear-
with his beautiful tone was able to conti- was vamping. They played Caravan. It soun- lier draft notice and, as trumpeter Irving
nue a tradition earlier maintained by Ar- ded like Stravinsky and I said, well this is the Randolph tells it, was actually grabbed
thur Whetsel in the Ellington band. Mary greatest band on earth. It was. When they fi- off the bandstand at Apollo where the El-
Lou went on struggling with her group nished I screamed and everybody else in the lington band played.
but finally dissolved it. She joined Baker place screamed. Everything they played was During his military service Baker and
on his tours with the Ellington band. like that.” Mary Lou began to drift apart and they
In an interview made for the Swe- Mary Lou´s experience led to her ceased to be a couple. However, their
dish magazine Orkesterjournalen, during staying with Baker on the Ellington marriage was never formally dissolved
Ellington´s visit to Sweden in 1958, Ba- tours. She also started to write arrang- before Baker´s death in 1966. He left mi-
ker compared the current Ellington band ements for the band. One of her more litary service in 1946 and in July of that
to what it used to be. In his opinion the well-known ones was of Irving Berlin´s year reclaimed his seat in the Ellington
band reached its absolute peak in 1939- Blue Skies, an arrangement later modi- band using his right under the G.I. Bill
6of Rights, which gave former servicemen
the right to return to their earlier place
of work.
In late 1946, Harold Baker participa-
ted in a recording session for the Hot Re-
cord Society label by a small group led
by Russell Procope, who had recently joi-
ned Ellington´s band. The other partici-
pants, among them tenorist John Hardee
and Billy Kyle on piano, had no Elling-
ton connection. The session has much of
Baker´s clean beautiful playing. Com-
menting on this session in a reissue, Dan
Morgenstern writes that Baker´s playing
in one of the numbers, Four Wheel Drive,
”lets us hear why young Miles Davis was in-
fluenced by him – that vibratoless St. Louis
sound and taste.”
Returning to Ellington
After his return to Ellington in 1946
Baker was to remain until late 1951. His
beautifully controlled playing can be
heard in a number of recordings made
by the Ellington band during this period. Clark Terry, Paul Gonsalves och Harold Baker.
Good examples are his delicate muted
playing in two recordings for Victor in
1946, Pretty Woman and a version of W.C.
during Ellington´s tour of Europe in Rejoining Ellington
1950, Hodges had shown his indepen-
Handy´s Beale Street Blues. A remarkable During 1955 Johnny Hodges disban-
dence by doing four recording sessions
piece is Billy Strayhorn´s Hearsay, a move- ded his group and in August rejoined the
under his own name in Paris and Copen-
ment of Ellington-Strayhorn´s Deep South, Ellington Orchestra. After various shor-
hagen. Most of the musicians on these
a suite intended as a musical portrait of ter engagements Baker again rejoined
sessions are fellow Ellingtonians inclu-
the American South. Hearing Baker´s sad Ellington in May 1957, this time staying
ding the tenorist Don Byas, who toured
lonely trumpet against a somber back- until September 1959. His playing remai-
with Ellington in Europe. Baker is on all
ground it is possible to associate to the ned as fine as ever. Exquisite ballad play-
the recordings and shines whenever he
darker aspects of life in the South. Deep ing can be heard on Willow Weep For Me
is heard as a soloist. A typical example is
South was never recorded commercially, and Mood Indigo on the Columbia album
Last Legs Blues where he tells a little story
but recordings made 1946 from concerts Ellington Indigos. Also worth mentio-
on the blues harmonies in his solo. In the
in Carnegie Hall and The Civic Opera ning is Baker´s role in a new recording of
1958 interview for the Orkesterjournalen
House in Chicago have been issued. parts of Black, Brown and Beige made by
mentioned earlier Baker said that play-
There is more exquisite playing by Ellington for another Columbia album.
ing a solo is like telling a story. “You have
Baker on the version of Sophisticated Baker there recreates his solo parts from
to begin it and come to an ending and there
Lady arranged by Strayhorn for the 1950 the original performances of B, B and B in
must be a point or sense.”
album Masterpieces by Ellington. ”A bal- 1943, including his unaccompanied solo
Baker joined Hodges´s group in
lad solo of outstanding quality” to quote introducing the movement Light. Baker
1954 as a replacement for Emmet Berry.
Lambert´s A Listener’s Guide. was a relative newcomer to the band in
If you want to listen to Baker playing
1943 and the important parts already
With Johnny Hodges on recordings with the group you may
then given to him in B, B and B says so-
well start by Used To Be Duke, a lively
Early December 1951 Harold Baker mething of his competence and skill.
swinging piece with enthusiastic solos
again left the Ellington band. According A recurrent number in the repertoire
by most participants (although not from
to Willie Cook, who had just joined the of the Ellington band 1958-59 was Mr.
John Coltrane who is said to have been
band, Baker considered his pay too low. Gentle And Mr. Cool where Baker shared
on the session). Baker plays a biting ex-
Earlier that year Johnny Hodges had also solo space with Ray Nance. Normally it
citing solo changing into growling in the
left the Ellington band to form his own was not explained who of them was who
middle, a fine contrast to his often more
group together with Lawrence Brown of the two characters referred to in the
controlled ways.
and Sonny Greer among others. Already title, but Baker´s normally more control-
7led way of playing would have made him Baker´s album does not seem to have two trumpet players interchange solos
a likely candidate. Having heard the El- given him the economic lift he had ho- reflecting their different temperament.
lington band at the Newport Festival 1958 ped for and he stayed with Ellington un-
Quincy Jones wrote about this number til September 1959. During this period he Back with Ellington
”It´s fantastic how effective simplicity is. I´m can of course be heard here and there in Baker returned once more to Elling-
glad to see Harold Baker back in the band.” the recordings by the band. A typical ex- ton in December 1961, this time as a re-
Baker told about the strain of touring ample is his elegant solo in the fast tem- placement for Ray Nance, who was tem-
in the 1958 interview for the Orkesterjour- po of Red Shoes on the Columbia album porarily absent. His last officially released
nalen saying that Duke had been war- Jazz Party. His beautiful full tone presen- recording with the Ellington band is the
ned by his doctor that he should cease ting a melodious theme can be heard in version of the French song Under Paris
travelling. Baker´s view was that the Almost Cried in the Columbia album with Skies made for the Columbia album Mid-
endless touring drained Ellington of the Ellington-Strayhorn´s music to the film night In Paris on February 27, 1962. The
strength to write much of the music he Anatomy Of A Murder. number is a charming arrangement in
carried within himself. ”If Duke just had During 1959 Baker played in a recor- waltz time, probably by Billy Strayhorn,
the strength to write himself, he wouldn´t ding session organized by Stanley Dance with Baker and Harry Carney soloing.
need a man such as Strayhorn. That boy sits for the Felsted label and issued under Harold Baker left the Ellington band
for the last time in March 1962. During the
following years he performed in various
combinations. In June 1964 he participa-
ted in a jazz festival in Pittsburgh arrang-
ed by George Wein and Mary Lou Willi-
ams, with Art Blakey´s Jazz Messengers,
Dave Brubeck, Ben Webster and Thelo-
nious Monk among the other attractions.
Throughout the years Harold Baker and
Mary Lou Williams had maintained a ci-
vil, if distant contact. As work grew scarce
and his health deteriorated during the
sixties she even helped him economically
and in other ways, for instance bringing
food to him when he was hospitalized.
One of the greatest
Harold Baker belongs to a generation
of jazz trumpet players whose earliest
in New York and lives well. He seldom has Billy Strayhorn´s name as Cue For Saxo- and most decisive influence was Louis
to come along on the tours”. Baker went phone. Strayhorn of course was on piano Armstrong. Another influence mentioned
on to say that Duke for a long time had and the other blowers (Johnny Hodges, by Baker was Joe Smith, whose credits in-
been dreaming of settling down and so- Quentin Jackson and Russell Procope) clude playing with Fletcher Henderson´s
lely compose – write musicals, operettas, were fellow Ellingtonians. Contem- orchestra and accompanying Bessie
show music and all sorts of pieces. porary or ex/future Ellingtonians also Smith on a number of records. Smith was
surround Baker on two albums recorded a master according to Baker, who has said
Freelancing under Johnny Hodges´s name in 1959 that Smith´s playing sounded almost like
In the interview Baker also talked for Verve, but not issued until 1979 as a a human voice with its clean clear to-
about his plans to leave the Ellington double album named The Smooth One. nes. That description could apply also to
band. He wanted to form a small group The music on these recordings is fine Baker´s own playing. His full warm tone
of his own and play whatever he liked. throughout, not at least when Baker ap- is one the most beautiful in jazz, his solos
He hoped that his recently (September pears as a soloist. are well constructed and often melodious,
1958) recorded album The Broadway Beat Outside the Ellington sphere Ba- but also with powerful accents and occa-
for the King label would succeed in the ker recorded two albums for Prestige/ sional growls. He was certainly one of the
same way as the Capitol albums made Swingville in the early sixties, one with greatest and most dependable musicians
around that time by Jonah Jones, a trum- tenorist Bud Freeman, the other with ever to play in Duke Ellington´s orchest-
pet player of Baker´s generation. Jones´s trumpeter Doc Cheatham, his old collea- ra. He should be mentioned among the
recordings had been made with a quartet gue from the Teddy Wilson band. These jazz greats on trumpet. Harold Baker pas-
of just him and rhythm. Baker used the records provide much fine Baker, not sed away on November 8, 1966. The cause
same format in his album. least the one with Cheatham where the of death was throat cancer.
8Harold ”Shorty” Baker
remembered by Clark Terry
As told to Steve Voce
Everybody loved Shorty. I can’t start I remember on this particular trip,
to tell you just how he will be missed we had been on a particularly tough
around the New York scene. You see, stretch, the places we had played had
he was one of those real lovable guys. been hundreds of miles apart. One night
Wherever Shorty was, there was laugh- having slept in the bus, it was discove-
ter. He was always making jokes, even red that the food bought at our last stop
when things weren’t at their best. He had been left behind. Everybody was
even made a joke when I went to see dragged. No breakfast and no chance
him in hospital. He had had that terrible of a stop. There was no time. “Never
operation, and his voice was husky and mind” smiled Shorty, “now’s the time
barely audible. You had to bend over to to open up that parcel my mother sent
hear what he was saying. “I’m going to me. That lovely chicken and those lusci-
beat this thing”, he said. “I don’t sound ous devilled eggs, plenty for all!” It was
no worse than some of those old blues all a gag of course, but Shorty was able
singers, now do I?” to make everyone feel just that little bit
And he did beat it, you know. When better.
everybody had given him up for dead, Part of the reason for that personal
Shorty made it out of that hospital. All tone of his was the fact that he always
he wanted to do, was to play his horn used a Hein mouthpiece. It was a very
again. When just recently, he knew he unusual mouthpiece, very deep and
wasn’t ever going to be able to play thin, maybe only an eighth of an inch
again, then I think he kinda gave up. Photo by Bill Crow. in thickness. It was made in St. Louis
But not so long ago I was playing at Em- and not everyone could play with one.
bers West and in he came and asked if Miles Davis had one, which he lost, and
he could sit in. Of course we were de- always welcomed him “home” when he has never been able to replace. I used to
lighted and made room for him at once. returned to the band, because he was have one too. Shorty always had his.
He played that night with all his old fire the perfect trumpeter to give the right St. Louis, you know, is a town cele-
and that beautiful pure tone, which was expression to Duke’s music. A lyrical brated for trumpet players. Always has
his alone. No one has ever achieved a player, you know, with the clearest tone been from the start. Dewey Jackson, a
tone like that, and I should know for he imaginable and such impeccable taste. wonderful player, whom I heard when I
was my inspiration from the beginning. He was certainly one of the most popu- was a kid. Charlie Creath, the man they
We came from the same town, St. Louis, lar players ever to play with the Elling- knew as ‘The King of the Cornet’, Levi
and Shorty Baker was the man I always ton band, he always kept them in good Madison and Crack Stanley, two more
listened to when he was back home in humour. great players. The brothers Wendell and
between going on the road with such I remember once Duke’s band was Marvin Black, Joe Thomas and of course
bands as Fate Marable, Erskine Tate and on one of those long, long road gigs. Miles Davis. All really great trumpet
Don Redman. He played with so many Up early every morning, get in that bus, players. Well, some of them have gone
good bands, for he was an excellent sec- travel hundreds of miles, play a dance now, some of the real good ones, but
tion man, and they all loved having him or a concert, but mostly dances in tho- wherever they are I know they will wel-
around because as I said he was such se days, until the early hours and then come Shorty, because there was never a
a happy, humorous man. He was with drop into bed, which was often enough better trumpet player to come out of St.
Teddy Wilson when Teddy had that big your seat on the bus. Musicians are apt Louis, that city of trumpet players, than
band, he played with Andy Kirk, and to get a bit salty under these conditions, Harold ‘Shorty’ Baker.
of course married Andy’s pianist, Mary lack of sleep, lack of food and lack of
Lou Williams, and I really can’t count everything else that makes life worth li-
the times he was with Duke Ellington, ving. But not Shorty! He was always in This article was originally published in Jazz
he was always coming and going. Duke there with a smile and a joke. Journal, January, 1967.
9Dukes födelsedag 29 april 1969
Duke har nyligen firat sin 120-års dag, och
det finns anledning att erinra oss hur han
firade sin 70-årsdag 1969. Denna högtids-
dag celebrerade Ellington tillsammans
med sina närmaste och andra vänner i
musikvärlden i Vita Huset på inbjudan av
dåvarande presidenten Richard Nixon,
som tilldelade Duke den högsta ameri-
kanska civila utmärkelsen, Medal of Free-
dom. Vid tillfället hade en orkester av All
Star-karaktär samlats för att hedra Duke.
I bandet ingick storheter som Earl Hines,
Clark Terry, Gerry Mulligan, J.J. Johnson,
Louie Bellson, Billy Taylor, Bill Berry m.fl. Nixon, prior to the presentation, played lington och hans orkester gjorde sin Eu-
Händelsen finns noggrant beskriven i bo- “Happy Birthday” to Duke on the piano. After- ropaturné hösten 1969. Den 20 novem-
ken ”Ellington at the White House 1969” wards, he presented Ellington with the medal. ber uppträdde Ellington med orkestern
by Edward Allan Faine (IM Press). Elling- Duke, as was his custom à la francaise, på L’Alcazar i Paris och i anslutning till
tons reguljära orkester kunde inte närvara kissed Nixon four times, alternating twice on konserten hade George Wein och den lo-
pga engagemang på annan ort. each cheek. Nixon didn’t know how to take it, kale organisatören arrangerat för ett din-
Ellington tilldelades medaljen under especially when Ellington told him that the ner party med stor uppvaktning varvid
högtidliga former och Duke hade sitt four kisses were meant for each cheek! många franska dignitärer deltog, bl.a.
eget speciella sätt att tacka för utmärkel- I detta sammanhang kan det vara Maurice Chevalier. Rolf Ericson berät-
sen, vilket Rich Hargrove har skildrat på intressant att notera vilka övriga i den tade om det fantastiska evenemanget i
följande sätt i sin bok ”Anecdotal Jazz”: musikaliska underhållningsvärlden som sin intervju i vår Bulletin 3/2018. Hela
In 1969, Duke Ellington’s 70th birthday tilldelats Medal of Freedom: Marion An- festen filmades av fransk TV och sändes
was celebrated at the White House where El- derson, Pearl Bailey, Irving Berlin, Doris den 3 januari 1970 med titeln ”Les 70 ans
lington received the highest award granted to Day, Ella Fitzgerald och Frank Sinatra. du Duke”. Delar av konsertmaterialet har
a civilian, the Medal of Freedom. Attendees Fransmännen ville också gärna hylla senare getts ut på CD ”Sarpe Top Jazz –
ranged from President & Mrs. Nixon to mem- Ellington på hans 70-årsdag, men de fick Duke Ellington 4” (SJ-1024).
bers of Congress and the Administration. ingen möjlighet att göra detta förrän El- Bo Haufman
Nya skivor: teatermusik och live från 1964-1966
Denna gång har vi två nya CD-utgåvor december Strayhorn en inspelning av Tonk, som
att anmäla. I det första fallet rör det sig 1960 vid också finns med. Några dagar senare får
om en ny CD-skiva från vår systerför- en lång vi höra ett par utdrag ur pjäsen. Denna
ening i Frankrike, Maison du Duke. På inspel- sändes förmodligen i fransk radio, där
relativt kort tid, d.v.s. 2-3 år, har man nu nings- musiken hade valts ut från inspelning-
gett ut 11 volymer med Ellingtonmusik. session, en några dagar innan och med använ-
Den senaste, MDD 011 är betitlad DUKE som re- dande av play-back. Därefter får vi höra
ELLINGTON, THEATRE - TV - CINE- sulterade Turcaret Suite, som sammanställts från
MA, - Paris, Milan, New York – 1960- i ett antal den ursprungliga inspelningen.
66, och innehåller en hel del intressant musika- Resten av denna skiva består av fyra
material. I samband med inspelningen liska porträtt som skulle understryka ganska olika avsnitt. Det första är ett ut-
av filmen Paris Blues och hans vistelse karaktären hos de ledande rollerna i drag från Jean Sablon Show, (Paris Blues
i Paris, ombads Duke att skriva musik teaterpjäsen. Den första delen av ski- och Medley) från den 17 december 1960,
till en teaterpjäs från 1700-talet, Madame van består av denna inspelningssession, i det nästa får vi höra skådespelaren Vit-
Turcaret. Duke gjorde detta på sitt eget komplett med omtagningar och avbrott. torio Gassman recitera Hamlets monolog
sätt. Ett antal titlar spelades in den 30 Vid samma tillfälle gjorde Ellington och till ackompanjemang av Duke (30 janua-
10The Eighth Veil
Detta är en komposition av Duke Elling- otherwise can be placed alongside the great
ton och Billy Strayhorn, som skrevs 1946 Ellington LPs from any era.
och utgjorde ett featurenummer för Cat Man kan undra något över kompo-
Anderson. Numret fanns i Ellingtons re- sitionens titel. Hade Ellington och St-
pertoar fram till 1963 och det var fram- rayhorn någon mening med namnet The
för allt detta sista år som numret oftast Eighth Veil? Troligen grundar sig titeln
framfördes. Det spelades bl.a. vid Elling- på en 1946 mycket populär film med
tons inspelning för svenska SVT den 7 namnet The Seventh Veil, med de le-
februari 1963 på Circus i Stockholm. Pro- dande skådespelarna James Mason och
grammet sändes den 6 april i SVT med Ann Todd. Filmen fick en Oscar för Best
namnet ”Indigo”. Original Screenplay. Filmen handlar om
Första gången numret spelades in en kvinna som tvingas söka psykologisk
var den 28 mars 1946 då Ellington gjorde hjälp varvid hennes förflutna avslöjas
en serie inspelningar för Capitol Radio genom att ”veil” efter ”veil” lyfts. D.v.s.
Transcriptions. Cat Anderson spelade slöja efter slöja lyfts tills hon blir helt ku-
här med sordin, vilket han inte gjorde rerad och filmen får ett lyckligt slut. Man
på något av alla framtida framträdan- måste anta att både Ellington och Stray-
den med numret. Det var först den 24 horn såg filmen och blev så pass gripna
maj 1951, som numret spelades in kom- av den att de namngav ett nyligen kom-
mersiellt för Columbia. Sedan blev num- ponerat verk The Eighth Veil.
ret mer eller mindre bortglömt och det Filmen gick även på svenska biogra-
var först 1962 som det kom tillbaka på Not a great deal is new in the revival of The fer med titeln Sjunde Slöjan. James Mason
repertoaren. Arrangemanget var något Eighth Veil, with Cat Anderson in the solo gjorde senare lyckosam karriär i Holly-
justerat men det var fortfarande ett Cat role. It is difficult to imagine why this num- wood, men denna film var Ann Todds
Anderson-nummer. Detta år ingick El- ber was revived so frequently; perhaps Either enda större framgång även om hon fort-
lington ett kontrakt med Reprise Records Ellington or Anderson had a particular affec- satte inom branschen. 1981 skrev hon
och bolaget gav senare ut hans Afro Bos- tion for it, or maybe it was because its title sina memoarer och, troligen ovetande
sa, där The Eighth Veil ingick. allowed Ellington to make a witty introduc- om Ellingtons och Strayhorns komposi-
Eddie Lambert är inte särskilt positiv tion at concerts. The Eighth Veil, however, is tion, gav hon den titeln The Eighth Veil.
till numret i sin bok A Listener’s Guide: the one mediocre track in a collection which Bo Haufman
ri 1966). Därefter följer American Airlines Sounds Of Yester Year (DSOY2124) och samt på Vidjazz 50 (VHS) med Perdido,
Astrofreight System från 26 augusti 1964, har titeln Duke Ellington – Harlem Suite Caravan, Isfahan, The Opener, Harlem Sui-
ett PR-jippo för ett fraktkoncept från ”Live” 1964 in London, 1966 in Stock- te, Take The ‘A’ Train, Banquet Scene, Skil-
American Airlines. Skivan avslutas med holm. Det rör sig om material från TV- lipoop, Little African Flower, Kinda Dukish
en tidigare okänd inspelning från Today utsänd- och Rockin’ In Rhythm. Det finns ytterli-
Show den 30 juli 1963, bestående av Cara- n i n g a r, gare fem titlar från detta inspelningstill-
van, I Got It Bad, C-Jam Blues och Timon’s den ena fälle som ännu ej kommit ut på CD, men
Theme. Av ovanstående så finns den från Lon- som finns med på videon.
ursprungliga inspelningssessionen av don den Inspelningen från Stockholm har ald-
Turcaret utgiven på Azure CA-03. Astro- 20 febru- rig getts ut, men har visats i svensk TV på
freight finns också utgiven tidigare, men ari 1964, 60-talet. Den kommer från en konsert på
inte lätt att hitta. Jean Sablon Show och den an- Cirkus, där Ellington och hans orkester
Hamlets monolog kan man hitta på You- dra från hade första delen och Ella Fitzgerald och
Tube. En intressant sak med inspelning- den 8 fe- hennes trio den andra. Ellingtondelen
en av Turcaret är att inga Ellingtonmusi- bruari 1966 från Cirkus i Stockholm. består av Take The ’A’ Train, West Indian
ker förutom Duke själv och Strayhorn Inspelningen från London består av Pancake, Rockin’ In Rhythm, La Plus Belle
medverkar, men att orkestern ändå låter delar från en TV-sändning 1964 och som Africaine, The Opener, och har tidigare vi-
så ellingtonsk som man ändå väntar sig. tidigare finns på två CD-utgåvor: Music sats på ett av DESS klubbmöten.
Den andra nya CD:n är utgiven av Master 65106-2 och Limelight 518446-2, Anders Asplund
11Kvinnornas Duke Ellington
Fanns det någon i underhållningsvärl- karaktär ledde till kontakter med andra
den som hade en större utstrålning än kvinnor. Hans utveckling som musiker
Duke Ellington? Han befann sig alltid i och orkesterledare var säkert en bidra-
tingens centrum. När han trädde in i ett gande faktor. Det tog dock tio år innan
rum blev han genast dess centralgestalt. de separerade, vilket lär ha skett under
Hans aura var enorm. Människor flocka- uppseendeväckande former. När Duke
des runt omkring honom och ville sola tillkännagav sitt beslut att lämna Edna
sig i hans glans. Om man antar att Duke drog hon kniv och åsamkade Duke ett
hade ägnat sig åt politik eller varit en skärsår på vänster kind. Ärret kan ses på
religiös predikant skulle han med säker- flera bilder av Duke, t.ex. på omslagsbil-
het ha dragit massor av proselyter till sin den till Terry Teachouts bok. Emellertid
sak. Självfallet drogs kvinnor till honom. skildes de aldrig utan förblev formellt Beatrice ”Evie” Ellis.
gifta hela livet ut, även om de inte hade
särskilt många kontakter med varandra. rar och sonen Mercer. Men 1938 flaxade
Duke såg emellertid till att hon fick ett Duke vidare till en annan blomma.
underhåll hela sitt liv. Edna avled 1966. Beatrice Ellis, stundom kallad Bea
Redan under sitt äktenskap med men oftast Evie, hade även hon en kar-
Edna Thompson hade Duke en intensiv riär bakom sig som dansös på Cotton
relation med Fredi Washington. Hon var Club. Det var många i Ellingtons orkes-
skådespelerska och dansös och var en ter som startade långa förbindelser med
tid engagerad på Cotton Club, där hon de vackra dansöserna på nämnda eta-
träffade Duke. Hon gifte sig senare med blissemang. Evie och Duke levde tillsam-
Lawrence Brown. Mer om hennes karriär mans under resten av Dukes liv och hon
kan läsas i Bulletin 4/2017. blir ibland omnämnd som Mrs. Ellington
Duke och Fredi Washington levde även om det inte stämde med verklighe-
Edna Thompson. aldrig tillsammans, men det gjorde han ten. Hennes stora sorg var det faktum
senare med Mildred Dixon. Hon var att Duke aldrig ville gifta sig med henne
Hans många relationer med kvinnor kan likaledes dansös på Cotton Club. Duke och ge henne det officiella erkännande
säkert räknas i hundratal. Man säger att hade skaffat sig en större lägenhet på hon eftersträvade. Istället behandlade
en sjöman har en kvinna i varje hamn. I 381 Edgecombe Avenue och där flyttade Duke henne något okänsligt. Hon fick
så fall hade kanske Duke en kvinna på Mildred in någon gång kring 1929 när sällan eller aldrig stå vid Dukes sida i
varje ort där han framträdde med sin Duke hade separerat från Edna. Hon lev- officiella sammanhang. När en kvinna
orkester. Han hade faktiskt en relativt de där i ett lyckosamt familjeförhållande fordrades vid hans sida i mera officiella
fast relation i Stockholm, som han alltid med Duke tillsammans med hans föräld- sammanhang valde han i stället sin sys-
besökte vid sina turnéer i Sverige. Don ter Ruth. Duke var aldrig trogen någon
George, som en tid samarbetade med av sina förbindelser och detta ledde ofta
Duke och även skrivit en bok om honom, till stormande uppgörelser mellan Evie
påstod följande: ”Duke would check into och Duke, men de tycks alltid ha slutat
two, three or four hotels, hand out keys med att Evie förlät honom. Kanske fick
to different ladies, then, later on, pick out Evie ändå ett visst erkännande efter sin
the hotel room he wanted to go to.” Vilka död. Hon ligger begravd på Woodlawn
var då kvinnorna som omgav Duke? Låt Cemetary intill Duke Ellington och på
oss försöka studera några av dom: gravstenen står ”Eve Ellis Ellington
Edna Thompson gifte han sig med 1913-1976”.
1918, alltså vid 19 års ålder. Edna här- Duke älskade att omge sig med skön-
stammade från ett högre samhällsskikt het i alla dess former och när det gäller
i Washington och råkade bli med barn kvinnlig skönhet är man undrande till
med Duke, vilket framtvingade giftermå- varför han inte visade upp sig oftare
let. Med Edna fick Duke sitt enda barn, med den vackra Evie Ellis. Men ofta hade
sonen Mercer. Det påtvingade äkten- han vid sin sida en kvinna vid namn
skapet var troligen inte särskilt lyckligt, Fernanda de Castro Monte. Hon var
speciellt inte eftersom Dukes utåtriktade Mildred Dixon. av sydamerikanskt ursprung och upp-
12Jerome Kern, lite
trädde som sångerska i Las Vegas 1960,
samtidigt som Duke Ellington och hans
orkester uppträdde på The Riviera. Hon
hade tidigare bott i många länder, be-
härskade fem språk, var mycket belevad
och kände till etiketten i alla situationer.
Gershwin och Duke
Ellington gav henne namnet Contessa.
Vid tiden runt sekelskiftet och framåt
Hon var vid deras möte cirka 40 år gam-
fanns lite förenklat enbart populärmu-
mal och hon gav upp sin egen karriär
sik och symfonimusik. Populärmusiken
för att åtfölja Duke på de flesta av hans
bestod av musikalerna på Broadway och
turnéer runt om i världen. Hon utgjorde
jazz i främst danspalatsen men också
en ingrediens i Dukes lyxliv. Mercer El-
konsertant jazz. Symfonisk musik och
lington, som hade möjlighet att studera
opera spelades på Metropolitan och de
sin fars liv på nära håll, har beskrivit Du-
stora konserthusen.
kes första möte med The Contessa efter
Rassegregeringen var otäck och mest
det att de träffats i Las Vegas: ”She was
nedvärderade var de svarta. Inte heller
at the railway station to see Ellington off.
judarna var fullt accepterade. När det
She was very smartly dressed in a mink
gällde jazz kunde ingen, inte ens de vita,
coat. Just as the train was about to pull
förneka de färgades överlägsenhet med
sitt själfulla och gripande uttryck. Jaz- ma summor på sin musik. Hit hör även
zens främste var Duke Ellington, inte filmmusik, och filmatisering av hans
alltid för sin teknik utan för något annat musikaler med bl. a. Fred Astaire. Han
som satte hans musik i en speciell klass var närmast oberoende av pengar. Det
för sig. var inte Duke, som fick kämpa med sin
Jag kommer just på mig själv med att ekonomi.
jag aldrig betraktat Duke som ”neger” Inkomsterna gjorde att Kern hade råd
utan bara som människa. Själv var han att samla. Han byggde ett privatbibliotek
alltid stolt över sitt arv och skämdes inte av världsklass och var oerhört insatt. Det
det minsta för det. såldes till miljonbelopp. Han samlade
Av någon anledning kom judarna även antika silversaker, också mycket
att nästan totalt dominera musikalsho- imponerande. Gershwin skaffade, delvis
werna på Broadway: Irving Berlin, Ge- med hjälp av rådgivare, en förmögenhet
orge Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Richard i tavlor. Duke var intresserad av främst
Rodgers m.fl. Listan kan göras lång. Det de svartas historia och hade ett stort bib-
är märkligt att just de kunde skapa så liotek i ämnet. Det är dock inte jämför-
fina låtar och bestående musikaler. Var bart med Kerns och Gershwins.
Contessa. Som färgad hade Duke sin förmåga
Jerome Kern den främste? Omöjligt att
säga, men han var äldst, född 1885, och att skriva underbara melodier och spela
out, she opened the coat. She had no- påverkade tveklöst sina efterföljare. The dem med sin egen orkester. Då gällde
thing at all on under it, and she wrapped New York Times kallade honom “the key det att behålla sina unika solister och
it around him to give him his good-bye composer of the American musical thea- bevara orkesterns magi. Duke blev 75,
kiss. With that, she left him to cool off.” tre in the 20th century”. Kern 60 och Gershwin 39 år. Gershwin
Mercer har också uttalat sig om Du- Jag har en känsla av att man skulle hann mycket under sitt korta liv. Främst
kes syn på kvinnor på följande sätt: “De- vara vit för att komma in i musikal- kanske Porgy and Bess. Kern skrev Show
spite the fact that he was involved with marknaden på Broadway. Det är mest en Boat (Teaterbåten) med oförglömligt mäk-
so many women, I would say that, apart känsla. Duke kom inte in i någon större tiga Ol´ Man River. Bland enskilda låtar
from his mother and sister, he had a basic utsträckning, och jag tror inte han var skrev han All the things you are, Can´t help
contempt for women. He spent so much särskilt intresserad. Har lite svårt tänka loving that man, Smoke gets in your eyes, A
time celebrating and charming them, but mig Dukes band sitta i dessa shower fine romance och 700 därtill. Och Duke då
basically he hated them.” kväll efter kväll ibland med två föreställ- som fick lite fler år på sig? Jump for joy,
Duke Ellington var en aktiv “woma- ningar om dagen, även om han satt länge Black, Brown and Beige, My People, Sacred
nizer” även när han passerat en så pass på Cotton Club. Men det var lite annor- Conserts och låtar som Mood Indigo, Soli-
hög ålder som 70, om man skall tro vad lunda. tude, Ko-Ko, I Let A Song Go Out osv osv?
Lena Junoff berättar i sin biografiska Dukes föräldrar var knappast rika, Det är inte lätt att välja, men lätt att låta
kokbok. Se Bulletin 4/2015. men slapp lida nöd. Kerns var däremot sig charmeras.
Bo Haufman stenrika, och Jerome kom att tjäna enor- Erling Torkelsson
13You can also read
