Sacred Concert (Ellington)
Sacred Concert by Duke Ellington is one of the following realisations:
- 1965 - Concert of Sacred Music
- 1968 - Second Sacred Concert
- 1973 - Third Sacred Concert
Ellington called these concerts "the most important thing I have ever done". He said many times that he was not trying to compose a Mass. The critic Gary Giddins has characterized these concerts as Ellington bringing the Cotton Club revue to the church.[1]
Concert of Sacred Music
Concert of Sacred Music | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | 1966 | |||
Recorded | December 26, 1965 | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Duke Ellington chronology | ||||
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Grace Cathedral in San Francisco planned a "Festival of Grace", with a variety of cultural works and speakers, to occur during the first year the cathedral was open, and Ellington's concert was to be a part of it.[2] (The "festival" also included a performance by Vince Guaraldi.[3])
The concert premiered on September 16, 1965, and was recorded by
Reception
The
Ebony magazine called the piece "historic", situating it as part of a larger movement in the mid-'60s that brought together jazz and religion.[3]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Track listing
- All compositions by Duke Ellington[7]
- "In the Beginning God" - 19:36
- "Will You Be There?" - 1:23
- "Ninety Nine Percent" - 2:23
- "Ain't But the One" - 3:31
- "New World a'Coming" - 9:56
- "In the Beginning, God II" - 4:31
- "Heritage" - 3:42
- "The Lord's Prayer" - 3:16
- "Come Sunday" - 5:30
- "David Danced Before the Lord With All His Might" - 9:00
- "The Lord's Prayer II" - 4:56
The album was recorded at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church on December 26, 1965.
Personnel
- Duke Ellington – piano
- Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Herb Jones, Cootie Williams – trumpet
- Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Quentin Jackson – trombone
- Chuck Connors – bass trombone
- Russell Procope, Jimmy Hamilton – alto saxophone, clarinet
- Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone
- Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
- Harry Carney – baritone saxophone
- John Lamb – bass
- Louie Bellson – drums
- vocals
- The Herman McCoy Choir – choir
- Bunny Briggs – tap dancing (track 10)
Second Sacred Concert
Second Sacred Concert | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1968 | |||
Recorded | January 22 & February 19, 1968 | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Label | Prestige | |||
Duke Ellington chronology | ||||
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Ellington's Second Sacred Concert premiered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York on January 19, 1968, but no recording of this performance has surfaced. The Second Sacred Concert was then recorded on January 22 and February 19, 1968, at Fine Studio in New York and originally issued as a double LP on Prestige Records and reissued on one CD minus the tracks "Don't Get Down On Your Knees To Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone" and "Father Forgive".[8] All the tracks can be found in the 24-CD box set The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973).
This concert is the first time Swedish singer Alice Babs recorded with the Ellington Orchestra. In the concert she sang "Heaven" and the wordless vocal "T.G.T.T. (Too Good to Title)". Cootie Williams has a "growl" trumpet feature on "The Shepherd (Who Watches Over the Night Flock)". This piece is dedicated to Rev. John Garcia Gensel, Lutheran pastor to the jazz community. The climactic ending is "Praise God and Dance", which comes from Psalm 150.
At the invitation of the Harvard Episcopal Chaplaincy, Ellington gave the concert again at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Boston on April 20, 1969.
Reception
The
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Track listing
- All compositions by Duke Ellington
- "Praise God" - 3:09
- "Supreme Being" - 11:45
- "Heaven" - 4:55
- "Something About Believing" - 8:12
- "Almighty God" - 6:32
- "The Shepherd (Who Watches over the Flock)" - 7:10
- "It's Freedom" - 13:00
- "Meditation" - 3:10
- "The Biggest and Busiest Intersection" - 3:57
- "T.G.T.T. (Too Good to Title)" - 2:25
- "Don't Get Down On Your Knees To Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone" - 5:13 Omitted from CD reissue
- "Father Forgive" - 2:49 Omitted from CD reissue
- "Praise God And Dance" - 10:49
- Recorded at Fine Studio in New York on January 22 (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10 & 13) and February 19 (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11 & 12), 1968.
Personnel
- Duke Ellington – piano, narration
- Cat Anderson, Mercer Ellington, Money Johnson, Herb Jones, Cootie Williams – trumpet
- Lawrence Brown, Buster Cooper, Bennie Green – trombone
- Chuck Connors – bass trombone
- Russell Procope – alto saxophone, clarinet
- Johnny Hodges – alto saxophone
- Jimmy Hamilton – clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Paul Gonsalves – tenor saxophone
- Harry Carney – baritone saxophone
- Jeff Castleman – bass
- Sam Woodyard, Steve Little – drums
- vocals
- The AME Mother Zion Church Choir, Choirs Of St Hilda's and St. Hugh's School, Central Connecticut State College Singers, The Frank Parker Singers – choirs
Third Sacred Concert
Third Sacred Concert | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | 1975 | |||
Recorded | 24 October 1973 | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Duke Ellington chronology | ||||
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The Third Sacred Concert was built around the skills of Alice Babs, Harry Carney, and Ellington himself on the piano. It was premiered at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom on October 24, 1973, and released on LP in 1975 but has only been issued on CD as part of the 24-disc The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973) collection.[10]
At this point in his life, Ellington knew he was dying. Author Janna Tull Steed has written that of all the concerts that Ellington is addressing God facing his mortality.
Reception
The
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Track listing
- All compositions by Duke Ellington
- Introduction By Sir Colin Crowe - 1:28
- Duke Ellington's Introduction - 1:26
- "The Lord's Prayer: My Love" - 7:49
- "Is God A Three-Letter Word For Love? (Part I)" - 4:27
- "Is God A Three-Letter Word For Love? (Part II)" - 3:46
- "The Brotherhood" - 5:46
- "Hallelujah" - 3:32
- "Every Man Prays In His Own Language" - 11:10
- "Ain't Nobody Nowhere Nothin' Without God" - 4:20
- "The Majesty Of God" - 7:27
- Recorded at Westminster Abbey, London on October 24, 1973.
Personnel
- Duke Ellington – piano, narration
- Barrie Lee Hall, Money Johnson – trumpet
- Art Baron, Vince Prudente – trombone
- Chuck Connors – bass trombone
- Harold Minerve – alto saxophone, flute
- Russell Procope – alto saxophone
- Harold Ashby – clarinet, tenor saxophone
- Percy Marion – tenor saxophone
- Harry Carney – baritone saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
- Joe Benjamin – bass
- Quentin Whit – drums
- vocals
- John Alldis Choir – choir
Notes
- ISBN 0195076753) p. 491.
- ^ a b c "From the Club to the Cathedral: Revisiting Duke Ellington's Controversial 'Sacred Concert'". KQED. 2015-09-14. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ a b Johnson, David Brent (2011-05-19). "Sacred Blue: Jazz Goes To Church In the 1960s". Night Lights Classic Jazz - Indiana Public Media. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ "Duke Ellington". The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
- ^ a b Ginell, R. S. Allmusic Review accessed June 8, 2010
- ^ ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Moore, Richard; Ellington, Duke (1966), A Concert of Sacred Music by Duke Ellington. USA – via Library of Congress
- ^ A Duke Ellington Panorama accessed May 17, 2010
- ^ a b Ginell, R. S. Allmusic Review accessed June 8, 2010
- ^ "Earshot Jazz :: Ellingtons Sacred Music Concert". Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
- ^ Steed page 148
- ^ a b Ginell, R. S. Allmusic Review accessed June 8, 2010
References
- Steed, Janna Tull Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies) ISBN 978-0-8245-2351-0