Duke Ellington: Copenhagen 1964

All Duke Ellington concerts offered music of substance. Audiences listened patiently through the medleys and Tony Watkins' vocals. Some performances, however, stood apart because they contained material that was fresh—music not yet worn thin by repetition, where both the thinking and playing could still surprise.

Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and the orchestra toured Asia (the "Far East") in 1963. Rather than immediately writing new compositions, they deliberately allowed the impressions of the journey to settle, preferring that the process of transformation occur naturally rather than risk producing a mere pastiche.

Ellington's "The Far East Suite" (RCA 1966) was eventually recorded over three days, from December 19-21, 1966, at RCA Victor's Studio A in New York City. The Copenhagen recording discussed here includes five of the nine eventual pieces, a work in progress, capturing them before they reached their final form. Sam Woodyard, who was present in Copenhagen, would later be replaced by Rufus "Speedy" Jones on the studio recording. Likewise, Ernie Shepard's bass chair was taken by John Lamb. These personnel changes, subtle as they seem, affected the music's texture and balance in important ways.

The unusual feature of this Copenhagen performance is the inclusion of so many pieces that later appeared in The Far East Suite: "Amad," "Agra," "Bluebird of Delhi," "Depk" and "Isfahan."

"Amad" begins with Ellington's piano, supported by Shepard and Woodyard. The saxophones state the theme, while the full band responds with rich, 'oriental' inflections. Lawrence Brown takes the principal solo, his tone evoking, as has been observed, the call of a muezzin summoning the faithful to prayer.

"Agra," inspired by the Taj Mahal, Ellington described it as a "monument to love." Here, Harry Carney's baritone saxophone—an unmistakable voice within the orchestra—renders the theme with majestic breadth, resting securely on a cushion of trombones. Carney and the theme itself become inseparable, each magnifying the other's dignity.

In "The Bluebird of Delhi," bass and drums introduce Jimmy Hamilton's clarinet, whose graceful virtuosity mimics the bird that inspired the piece. A brief interjection from Cootie Williams' trumpet contrasts the scene before the bluebird  triumphs musically,  above the orchestra and nearly claiming the final phrase.  

Ellington noted that "Depk" was inspired by a lively dance he had witnessed—six boys and six girls performing together. The resulting arrangement is intricate, with themes circulating through the ensemble before yielding solos by Hamilton and Carney.

"Isfahan," performed here by Johnny Hodges, is Strayhorn's exquisite evocation of the Iranian city. Ellington described the city as "a place of poetry," and Strayhorn chose the most poetic of soloists to portray it.

Verbal poetry was never far from Ellington's stage presence. Alongside excerpts from the Far East Suite, this concert includes a performance of "Harlem," accompanied by Ellington's spoken description of the neighborhood and the searching opening trumpet lines of Williams.

"The Banquet Scene (from Timon of Athens)" was written for the 1963 Shakespearean Festival in Ontario. It is a languorous showcase for Hodges. Ellington links it here to "Skillipoop," another piece from the suite. He explained that "Skillipoop" means "making what you are doing look better than what you are supposed to be doing"—an apt Ellingtonian quip. The music is a brisk dance featuring Hamilton's clarinet and a closing drum solo from Woodyard that fades almost to a whisper.

"Happy Reunion," introduced at Newport in 1958, became a long-term feature of the band's repertoire. Paul Gonsalves, celebrated for his marathon solo at Newport 1956 on "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," revealed a different side of his artistry through this piece; he was a ballad player of remarkable depth and delicacy. Over the years, his interpretations of "Happy Reunion" grew richer and more profound.

The familiar crowd-pleasers are also present: "Take the 'A' Train," "Rockin' in Rhythm," and the medley of "Black and Tan Fantasy," "Creole Love Call," and "The Mooche." Even within these, Williams' trumpet retains all its bite and swagger, while Russell Procope's clarinet speaks in his singular, personal tone. Ellington's oft-repeated "Kind of Dukish," played thousands of times, still finds space for invention and wit.  

This is the Ellington orchestra, on the road, at its best. The recording captures the vitality, beauty, and complexity of the ensemble—the rich orchestrations, the imagination, and the fierce joy that made every Ellington concert an event.