I've recently completed a one-hour program about Duke Ellington's 1941 satirical, civil-rights-oriented musical, JUMP FOR JOY, which was staged in Los Angeles. A number of Hollywood luminaries floated around the edges of the production, including Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin, and John Garfield; the musical itself included Ellington classics such as “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good," “Rocks in My Bed," and the title song. The program will feature interviews with Patricia Willard, who worked as Ellington's assistant from 1949-74, and who wrote extensively about the musical for a 1988 Smithsonian LP; jazz educator David Baker; Ellington biographer and Smithsonian music curator John Hasse; and cultural historian Michael McGerr. The program will also include a promotional radio medley, a recreation of two Ellington speeches by IU poet Kevin Young, the Soundies version of “Bli-blip" with Marie Bryant singing, a portion of comedian Wonderful Smith's monologue, and all of the surviving Victor music recorded by the Blanton-Webster orchestra. It airs on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 9 p.m. on WFIU. (The “listen live" option is in the upper lefthand corner.) You can read another brief description here (I got Duke on the cover of our monthly public radio magazine):
Click here, for more information about the program. (see Page 2)
Here's a time-clock for those who live in different timezones. Bloomington, IN (US) is on the same time as Indianapolis: timeclock.
Enjoy!
David Brent Johnson
For more information contact All About Jazz.
