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.

Duke Ellington’s brilliant 1935 short film Symphony in Black started out with the concept of Ellington composing a symphony for his band depicting Negro life in America. Unfortunately, he ran out of time and only composed the intro, transitional fanfare, and two of the short segments, The Laborers and Hymn Of Sorrow. The rest of the vignettes used excerpts from previously composed pieces: Ducky Wucky, Saddest Tale, and Merry Go-Round. Billie Holiday makes her screen debut on Saddest Tale.

 

Aside from the improved coda, the previously issued sound recording of the entire piece is superior. It’s difficult to feel satisfied with less than three minutes of music. We need more repetition and development. The 1934 recording gives us all that and so much more. 

 

Duke was an outstanding narrator as Monologue: Pretty And The Wolf and A Drum Is A Woman proved. Saddest Tale is his first foray into this arena. He states the premise in the intro and reprises it in the outro. He said he was considering someone else for the job, but he felt he was the saddest person he knew.

 

The essence of the blues is that my life is hard, but I’m hopeful—the sun will shine on my back door one day. These two opposite feelings exist and flourish in every moment of this piece. 

 

The basic melody couldn’t be simpler—a 4-note descending blues pentatonic from the dominant down to the tonic: 5, 4, b3, 1. The soloists take some liberties, but stay pretty close to home. 

 

After the double intro—clarinet solo and then fanfare and narration, there are four choruses of 12-bar Bb blues pitting a soloist against a background from the opposite choir. The reharmonizations of each chorus are imaginative while staying deep within the feeling of the blues. 

 

Personnel

 

Recorded September 12, 1934 NYC Brunswick B15911-A

 

Reeds: Marshall Royal (alto), Johnny Hodges (alto), Barney Bigard (tenor/clarinet), Harry Carney (alto/bass clarinet)

Trumpets: Arthur Whetsol, Cootie Williams, Freddy Jenkins

Trombones: Lawrence Brown, Tricky Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol

Guitar: Fred Guy

Piano/Narration: Duke Ellington

Bass: Wellman Braud

Drums: Sonny Greer

 

Soloists: Bigard, Nanton, Hodges, Jenkins, Carney

 

Form

 

6 bars:             Intro #1: Clarinet solo

6 bars:             Intro #2: Fanfare and Narration

12 bars:           Trombone Solo w/sax bkd

12 bars:           Brass call-and-response w/allto solo

12 bars:           Trumpet Solo w/sax bkgd

12 bars:           Bass Clarinet Solo w/muted brass bkd

6 bars:             Coda (Intro #2): Fanfare and Narration and final chord