Blue Light - the Duke Ellington Society UK magazine

Last year, Cormac Loane contributed a beautiful post re the screening of Ellington's 1962 Sacred Concert in Coventry Cathedral.

The Duke Ellington Society UK printed Cormac's article in the Spring 2019 edition of their house organ - Blue Light - acknowledging BSH as the source of the material.

The DESUK's then editor, Ian Bradley, who has since stepped down, kindly acceded to my request to view the magazine - I was delighted when Vice Chairman/Editorial Consultant Roger Boyes kindly sent me the current one plus the previous issue - Winter  2018.

The magazines are an absolute joy for anyone who is Ellington inclined - is there a jazz fan who isn't?  A super glossy production that reduces fashion magazines such as Vogue to the level of a daily tabloid by comparision. Naturally, the content is 100% Ellington ranging from a 1940, somewhat unusual interview/portrait by Jack Sher, that first appeared in the Detroit Free Press on March 10 of that year, to an in-depth look at Duke's Peer Gynt Suite.

Anna Celenza discusses the initial reactions in both Norway and America to Ellington's, or, as was later revealed, Strayhorn's masterpiece. It was banned for many years in Norway and dismissed in the US by classicists. Ms Celenza gives a description of Ibsen's play that inspired Greig and, not only Ellington, but a group called the Six Brown Brothers who recorded a piece called Peter Gink! There were others but, surprisingly, the writer doesn't write about the actual players on the Ellington recording causing me to wonder if she'd actually listened to it.

Nevertheless, it's an interesting article and essential reading for Ellingtonians (or should that be Dukists?) along with more on the Coventry Cathedral gig (is referring to a concert in a cathedral as a gig sacrilege?)

To find out more about this wonderful organisation click here.

Lance