The Ellington Effect workshops take place once a month, and David picks a different Ellington composition to analyze for each one.  In about two hours, he talks through the piece note by note, line by line, analyzing the piece at both macro and micro levels.

David Berger has studied the music of Duke Ellington for over 50 years, and has transcribed over 500 Ellington and Strayhorn arrangements and compositions.  Because of this, he is able to make connections to Ellington's other pieces, talk about trends and eras in Ellington's writing, and discuss the influences of changing personnel on the music over time.

At the end of each workshop, David answers questions for a half hour or so.  These are always lively and fascinating, as workshop attendees tend to include some highly knowledgable Ellingtonians as well as plenty of intelligent musicians who ask insightful questions.

 

Recorded August 14, 1947 Hollywood

 

Personnel:

Hodges, Procope, Hamilton, Sears, Carney

Hemphill, Baker, Francis Williams, Wilber Bascomb, Nance

Brown, Tyree Glenn, Claude Jones

Guy

Ellington

Pettiford

Greer

 

Lady Of The Lavender Mist celebrates the addition of two key people to the Ellington world. First was clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton. After the departure of Barney Bigard, there were a few temporary replacements, but none of them panned out. Finally, Duke offered the job to Eddie Barefield. Eddie had been on the road with Cab Calloway and was now settled down with a wife and young family in New York. He told Duke that he had no desire to go back on the road. He recommended Jimmy Hamilton, who Duke didn’t know.

 

Duke called Jimmy on the phone and invited him to audition, which consisted of Duke sitting at the piano and playing chords for Jimmy to improvise over. According to Jimmy, Duke was mostly interested in finding out if Jimmy had a good ear. 

 

But more importantly, Duke was imagining how he could write for Jimmy. Where Bigard was a master of New Orleans style jazz and blues, Jimmy had more of a classical approach having studied with Leon Russianoff. If it wasn’t for the racism of the time, he surely would have had a great career playing with symphony orchestras. 

 

Jimmy’s technique was impeccable, but it was his sound that set him apart from all other clarinetists. His tone was pure and so centered and resonant, that even when the full band was screaming, he could play mezzo forte and be easily heard. 

 

The other new addition was producer George Avakian. A childhood Ellington fan, George was an intern at Columbia Records while at Yale in the late 1930s. After his war service, he returned to Columbia and spent the next few decades bringing major jazz musicians to the label. George was supportive and encouraging to his artists without interfering in their creativity. 

 

In the post-war period Ellington continued to play dances, but much less that before. His main focus was on composing suites for the concert hall and recordings. By this time, Billy Strayhorn’s more classical influence was inspiring Ellington. Pieces like Liberian Suite, Transblucency, and On A Turquoise Cloud expanded the tonal range of the orchestra.

 

Lady Of The Lavender Mist was meant to be the first movement of the French Suite. Unfortunately, there were no further movements. The soloists are Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Hamilton, and Lawrence Brown. Both Hodges and Brown provide their usual smooth romanticism while Hamilton’s clarinet adds delicate noble gentility—like keeping one’s pinky in the air while sipping tea. 

 

Harmonically, Ellington explores the simple diatonic stepwise harmonies, often one’s first piano lesson, and creates a most sensitive and moving story—the epitome of 1947 sophistication, when manners and romance permeated our culture.