Ellington in the early to mid-1940s

Duke Ellington at the Hurricane Club in New York, May 1943 Some o the mu!ician! who "oine# Ellington at thi! at time create# a !en!ation in their own right$ %he !hort&li'e# (immy )lanton tran! orme# the u!e o #ouble ba!! in "a**, allowing it to unction a! a !olo rather than a rhythm in!trument alone$ %erminal illne!! orce# him to lea'e by late 1941 a ter only about two year!$ )en +eb!ter, the ,rche!tra-! ir!t regular tenor !a.o/honi!t, who!e main tenure with Ellington !/anne# 1939 to 1943, !tarte# a ri'alry with (ohnny Ho#ge! a! the ,rche!tra-! oremo!t 'oice in the !a. !ection$ %rum/eter 0ay Nance "oine#, re/lacing Cootie +illiam! who ha# 1#e ecte#1, contem/orary wag! claime#, to )enny 2oo#man$ 3##itionally, Nance a##e# 'iolin to the in!trumental color! Ellington ha# at hi! #i!/o!al$ 0ecor#ing! e.i!t o Nance-! ir!t concert #ate on No'ember 4, 1945, at 6argo, North Dakota$ 7ri'ately ma#e by (ack %ower! an# Dick )urri!, the!e recor#ing! were ir!t legitimately i!!ue# in 1948 a! Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live9 they are among the earlie!t o innumerable li'e /er ormance! which !ur'i'e$ Nance wa! al!o an occa!ional 'ocali!t, although Herb (e rie! wa! the main male 'ocali!t in thi! era :until 1943; while 3l Hibbler :who re/lace# (e rie! in 1943; continue# until 19<1$ ='ie 3n#er!on le t in 194> a ter ele'en year!? the longe!t term o any o Ellington-! 'ocali!t!$@3AB ,nce again recor#ing or Cictor : rom 1945;, with the !mall grou/! recor#ing or their )luebir# label, three&minute ma!ter/iece! on 48 r/m recor# !i#e! continue# to low rom Ellington, )illy Strayhorn, Ellington-! !on Mercer Ellington, an# member! o the ,rche!tra$ 1Cotton %ail1, 1Main Stem1, 1Harlem 3ir!ha t1, 1(ack the )ear1, an# #o*en! o other! #ate rom thi! /erio#$ Strayhorn-! 1%ake the 131 %rain1 a hit in 1941, became the ban#-! theme, re/lacing 1Ea!t St$ Doui! %oo#le&,o1$ Ellington an# hi! a!!ociate! wrote or an orche!tra o #i!tincti'e 'oice! who #i!/laye# tremen#ou! creati'ity$@34B Mary Dou +illiam!, working a! a !ta arranger, woul# brie ly "oin Ellington a ew year! later$ Ellington-! long&term aim though wa! to e.ten# the "a** orm rom that three&minute limit, o which he wa! an acknowle#ge# ma!ter$@38B +hile he ha# com/o!e# an# recor#e# !ome e.ten#e# /iece! be ore, !uch work! now became a regular eature o Ellington-! out/ut$ =n thi!, he wa! hel/e# by Strayhorn, who ha# en"oye# a more thorough training in the orm! a!!ociate# with cla!!ical mu!ic than Ellington$ %he ir!t o the!e, 1)lack, )rown, an# )eige1 :1943;, wa! #e#icate# to telling the !tory o 3 rican&3merican!, an# the /lace o !la'ery an# the church in their hi!tory$ Ellington #ebute# Black, Brown and Beige in Carnegie Hall on (anuary >3, 1943, beginning an annual !erie! o concert! there o'er the ne.t our year!$ +hile !ome "a** mu!ician! ha# /laye# at Carnegie Hall

be ore, none ha# /er orme# anything a! elaborate a! EllingtonE! work$ Fn ortunately, !tarting a regular /attern, Ellington-! longer work! were generally not well recei'e#$ 3 /artial e.ce/tion wa! Jump for Joy, a ull&length mu!ical ba!e# on theme! o 3 rican&3merican i#entity, #ebute# on (uly 15, 1941 at the Mayan %heater in Do! 3ngele!$ Hollywoo# luminarie! like actor! (ohn 2ar iel# an# Mickey 0ooney in'e!te# in the /ro#uction, an# Charlie Cha/lin an# ,r!on +elle! o ere# to #irect$@39B 3t one /er ormance though, 2ar iel# in!i!te# Herb (e rie!, who i! light !kinne#, !houl# wear make&u/$ Ellington ob"ecte# in the inter'al, an# com/are# (e rie! to 3l (ol!on$ %he change wa! re'erte#, an# the !inger later commente# that the au#ience mu!t ha'e thought he wa! an entirely #i erent character in the !econ# hal o the !how$@45B 3lthough it ha# !ol#&out /er ormance!, an# recei'e# /o!iti'e re'iew!,@41B it ran or only 1>> /er ormance! until Se/tember >9, 1941, with a brie re'i'al in No'ember o that year$ =t! !ub"ect matter #i# not make it a//ealing to )roa#way9 Ellington ha# un ul ille# /lan! to take it there$@4>B De!/ite thi! #i!a//ointment, a )roa#way /ro#uction o Ellington-! Beggar ! "oliday, hi! !ole book mu!ical, /remiere# on December >3, 194A@43B un#er the #irection o Nichola! 0ay$ %he !ettlement o the ir!t recor#ing ban o 194>G43, lea#ing to an increa!e in royaltie! /ai# to mu!ician!, ha# a !eriou! e ect on the inancial 'iability o the big ban#!, inclu#ing Ellington-! ,rche!tra$ Hi! income a! a !ongwriter ultimately !ub!i#i*e# it$ 3lthough he alway! !/ent la'i!hly an# #rew a re!/ectable income rom the ,rche!tra-! o/eration!, the ban#-! income o ten "u!t co'ere# e./en!e!$@44B

Early post-war years

%he mu!ic in#u!try-! ocu! wa! !hi ting away rom the big ban#! to the work o !olo 'ocali!t! !uch a! the young 6rank Sinatra gaining /o/ularity$ Ellington-! wor#le!! 'ocal eature 1%ran!blucency1 :194A; with Hay Da'i! wa! not going to ha'e a !imilar reach$ %he new !mall&grou/ orm o "a**, bebo/ allowe# club owner! o !maller 'enue! to #raw in the "a** au#ience at a raction o the co!t o hiring a big ban#$

Ellington /o!e! with hi! /iano at the H62 0a#io Stu#io No'ember 3, 19<4$ Ellington continue# on hi! own cour!e through the!e tectonic !hi t!$ +hile Count )a!ie wa! orce# to #i!ban# hi! whole en!emble an# work a! an octet or a time, Ellington wa! able to tour mo!t o +e!tern Euro/e between A 3/ril an# 35 (une 19<5, with the orche!tra /laying 44 #ate! o'er 44 #ay!$@4<B During the tour, accor#ing to Sonny 2reer, the newer work! were not /er orme#, though Ellington-! e.ten#e# com/o!ition, "arlem :19<5; wa! in the /roce!! o being com/lete# at thi! time$ Ellington later /re!ente# it! !core to mu!ic&lo'ing 7re!i#ent Harry %ruman$ =n 19<1, Ellington !u ere# a !igni icant lo!! o /er!onnel? Sonny 2reer, Dawrence )rown, an# mo!t im/ortantly (ohnny Ho#ge! le t to /ur!ue other 'enture!, although only 2reer wa! a /ermanent #e/artee$ Drummer Douie )ell!on re/lace# 2reer, an# hi! 1Skin Dee/1 wa! a hit or Ellington$ %enor /layer 7aul 2on!al'e! ha# "oine# in December 19<5@4<B a ter /erio#! with Count )a!ie an# Di**y 2ille!/ie an# !taye# or the re!t o hi! li e, while Clark %erry "oine# in No'ember 19<1$@4AB

3lthough Ellington-! career wa! generally at a low ebb in the early 19<5!, Ellington-! re/utation #i# not !u er in com/ari!on with younger igure! o the time$ 3n#rI 7re'in !ai# in 19<>? 1You know, Stan Henton can !tan# in ront o a thou!an# i##le! an# a thou!an# bra!! an# make a #ramatic ge!ture an# e'ery !tu#io arranger can no# hi! hea# an# !ay, JJ,h, ye!, thatE! #one like thi!$EE )ut Duke merely li t! hi! inger, three horn! make a !oun#, an# = #onEt know what it i!K1@44B Howe'er by 19<<, a ter three year! o recor#ing or Ca/itol, Ellington lacke# a regular recor#ing a iliation