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

[edit]

Concert of Sacred Music

Live album by

Duke Ellington

Released| 1966
Recorded| December 26, 1965
Genre| Jazz
Label| RCA
Duke Ellington chronology
| Ella at Duke's Place
(1965)  | Concert of Sacred Music
(1966)  | The Stockholm Concert, 1966
(1966)

|
|

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 KQED, a local public television station.[2] The performance was released on CD as A Concert of Sacred Music Live from Grace Cathedral and on DVD as Love You Madly/A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral. The official album on RCA, A Concert of Sacred Music, was recorded at two concerts at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York on December 26, 1965. Additional material from these concerts, not found on the original album, can be found on the 24-CD box set The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition: The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (1927-1973). The concert mixed existing and new material, with "New World A-Comin'" and "Come Sunday" from Black Brown and Beige and "Heritage (My Mother, My Father)" from the show My People. A new piece, the song "In the Beginning God", was awarded a Grammy Award in 1967.[4] It was performed again at Grace Cathedral on its 25th and 50th anniversaries, in 1990 and 2015.[2]

### Reception

[edit]

The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album five stars and stated "the concert taps into Ellington's roots in showbiz and African-American culture as well as his evidently deep religious faith, throwing it all together in the spirit of universality and sealing everything with the stamps of his musical signatures".[5]

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]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings| [6]

### Track listing

[edit]

All compositions by Duke Ellington[7]

1. "In the Beginning God" - 19:36
2. "Will You Be There?" - 1:23
3. "Ninety Nine Percent" - 2:23
4. "Ain't But the One" - 3:31
5. "New World a'Coming" - 9:56
6. "In the Beginning, God II" - 4:31
7. "Heritage" - 3:42
8. "The Lord's Prayer" - 3:16
9. "Come Sunday" - 5:30
10. "David Danced Before the Lord With All His Might" - 9:00
11. "The Lord's Prayer II" - 4:56

The album was recorded at the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church on December 26, 1965.

### Personnel

[edit]

* 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
* Brock Peters, Queen Esther Marrow, Jimmy McPhail – vocals
* The Herman McCoy Choir – choir
* Bunny Briggs – tap dancing (track 10)

## Second Sacred Concert

[edit]

Second Sacred Concert

Studio album by

Duke Ellington

Released| 1968
Recorded| January 22 & February 19, 1968
Genre| Jazz
Label| Prestige
Duke Ellington chronology
| Yale Concert
(1968)  | Second Sacred Concert
(1968)  | Studio Sessions New York, 1968
(1968)

|
|

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

[edit]

The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 4 stars and stated "the material is fresh, not a patchwork of old and new like the first concert — and in an attempt to be as ecumenical as possible, Ellington reaches for novel techniques and sounds beyond his usual big band spectrum".[9]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [9]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings| [6]: 438

### Track listing

[edit]

All compositions by Duke Ellington

1. "Praise God" - 3:09
2. "Supreme Being" - 11:45
3. "Heaven" - 4:55
4. "Something About Believing" - 8:12
5. "Almighty God" - 6:32
6. "The Shepherd (Who Watches over the Flock)" - 7:10
7. "It's Freedom" - 13:00
8. "Meditation" - 3:10
9. "The Biggest and Busiest Intersection" - 3:57
10. "T.G.T.T. (Too Good to Title)" - 2:25
11. "Don't Get Down On Your Knees To Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone" - 5:13 Omitted from CD reissue
12. "Father Forgive" - 2:49 Omitted from CD reissue
13. "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

[edit]

* 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
* Alice Babs, Devonne Gardner, Trish Turner, Roscoe Gill – 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

[edit]

Third Sacred Concert

Live album by

Duke Ellington

Released| 1975
Recorded| 24 October 1973
Genre| Jazz
Label| RCA
Duke Ellington chronology
| It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
(1973)  | Third Sacred Concert
(1975)  | Eastbourne Performance
(1973)

|
|

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.[11] Alice Babs sings "Is God a Three Letter Word for Love?" and "My Love". Tenor saxophonist Harold Ashby is featured on "The Brotherhood", which is a tribute to The United Nations.

### Reception

[edit]

The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 3 stars and stated "the weakest of the sacred concerts. It lacks the showbiz kick and exuberance of the first concert and even more eclectic impulses of the second, now burdened with a subdued solemnity and the sense that the ailing Ellington knew his time was drawing to a close (he would be dead exactly six months later)".[12]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
Allmusic| [12]

### Track listing

[edit]

All compositions by Duke Ellington

1. Introduction By Sir Colin Crowe \- 1:28
2. Duke Ellington's Introduction \- 1:26
3. "The Lord's Prayer: My Love" - 7:49
4. "Is God A Three-Letter Word For Love? (Part I)" - 4:27
5. "Is God A Three-Letter Word For Love? (Part II)" - 3:46
6. "The Brotherhood" - 5:46
7. "Hallelujah" - 3:32
8. "Every Man Prays In His Own Language" - 11:10
9. "Ain't Nobody Nowhere Nothin' Without God" - 4:20
10. "The Majesty Of God" - 7:27

*     * Recorded at Westminster Abbey, London on October 24, 1973.

### Personnel

[edit]

* Duke Ellington – piano, narration
* Johnny Coles, Mercer Ellington, 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
* Alice Babs, Tony Watkins – vocals
* John Alldis Choir – choir

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Giddins, Gary Visions of Jazz: The First Century (ISBN 0195076753) p. 491.
2. ^ a b c "From the Club to the Cathedral: Revisiting Duke Ellington's Controversial 'Sacred Concert'". KQED. 2015-09-14. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ "Duke Ellington". The GRAMMYs. Retrieved 2015-09-18.
5. ^ a b Ginell, R. S. Allmusic Review accessed June 8, 2010
6. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 437\. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
7. ^ Moore, Richard; Ellington, Duke (1966), A Concert of Sacred Music by Duke Ellington. USA - via Library of Congress
8. ^ A Duke Ellington Panorama accessed May 17, 2010
9. ^ a b Ginell, R. S. Allmusic Review accessed June 8, 2010
10. ^ "Earshot Jazz :: Ellingtons Sacred Music Concert". Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
11. ^ Steed page 148
12. ^ a b Ginell, R. S. Allmusic Review accessed June 8, 2010

## References

[edit]

* Steed, Janna Tull Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies) ISBN 978-0-8245-2351-0

* v
* t
* e

Duke Ellington

Discography

Studio albums|

* Harlem Jazz, 1930
* Ellingtonia, Vol. One
* Ellingtonia, Vol. Two
* Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year
* The Blanton–Webster Band
* Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
* Smoke Rings
* Liberian Suite
* Great Times!
* Masterpieces by Ellington
* Ellington Uptown
* The Duke Plays Ellington
* Ellington '55
* Dance to the Duke!
* Ellington Showcase
* Historically Speaking
* Duke Ellington Presents...
* The Complete Porgy and Bess
* A Drum Is a Woman
* Studio Sessions, Chicago 1956
* Such Sweet Thunder
* Studio Sessions 1957 & 1962
* Ellington Indigos
* Black, Brown and Beige
* Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
* The Cosmic Scene
* Happy Reunion
* Jazz Party
* Anatomy of a Murder
* Festival Session
* Blues in Orbit
* The Nutcracker Suite
* Piano in the Background
* Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G.
* Unknown Session
* Piano in the Foreground
* Paris Blues
* Featuring Paul Gonsalves
* Midnight in Paris
* Studio Sessions, New York 1962
* Afro-Bossa
* The Symphonic Ellington
* Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session
* Studio Sessions New York 1963
* My People
* Ellington '65
* Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins
* Ellington '66
* Concert in the Virgin Islands
* The Popular Duke Ellington
* Far East Suite
* The Jaywalker
* Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York
* ...And His Mother Called Him Bill
* Second Sacred Concert
* Studio Sessions New York, 1968
* Latin American Suite
* The Pianist
* New Orleans Suite
* Orchestral Works
* The Suites, New York 1968 & 1970
* The Intimacy of the Blues
* The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse
* Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971
* The Intimate Ellington
* The Ellington Suites
* This One's for Blanton!
* Up in Duke's Workshop
* Duke's Big 4
* Mood Ellington

Live albums|

* Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live
* Black, Brown, and Beige
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1946
* The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947
* Ellington at Newport
* Dance Concerts, California 1958
* Dance Dates, California 1958
* Newport 1958
* Jazz at the Plaza Vol. II
* Duke Ellington at the Alhambra
* Live at the Blue Note
* Hot Summer Dance
* The Great Paris Concert
* A Concert of Sacred Music
* In the Uncommon Market
* Soul Call
* Yale Concert
* 70th Birthday Concert
* Togo Brava Suite
* Live at the Whitney
* Third Sacred Concert
* Eastbourne Performance

Collaborations|

* Blue Rose
* Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
* Side by Side
* Back to Back
* The Great Summit
* First Time! The Count Meets the Duke
* Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins
* Money Jungle
* Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
* Serenade to Sweden
* Ella at Duke's Place
* The Stockholm Concert, 1966
* Ella and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
* Francis A. & Edward K.
* It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing

Compositions|

* "African Flower"
* "All Too Soon"
* "Azure"
* "Black and Tan Fantasy"
* "Black, Brown and Beige"
* "C Jam Blues"
* "Come Sunday"
* "Cotton Tail"
* "Creole Love Call"
* "Day Dream"
* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue"
* "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me"
* "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
* "Drop Me Off in Harlem"
* "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo"
* "Echoes of Harlem"
* "Everything but You"
* "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues"
* "I Didn't Know About You"
* "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)"
* "I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart"
* "I'm Beginning to See the Light"
* "I'm Just a Lucky So-and-So"
* "In a Mellow Tone"
* "In a Sentimental Mood"
* "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)"
* "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'"
* "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)"
* "The Mooche"
* "Mood Indigo"
* " Prelude to a Kiss"
* "Rocks in My Bed"
* "(In My) Solitude"
* "Sophisticated Lady"
* Queenie Pie (unfinished opera)

| by Billy Strayhorn|

* "Take the 'A' Train"
* "Lush Life"
* "Chelsea Bridge"
* "Something to Live For"
* "Satin Doll"
* "Blood Count"

|

by Juan Tizol|

* "Caravan"
* "Perdido"

Orchestra
members|

* Hayes Alvis
* Cat Anderson
* Ivie Anderson
* Harold Ashby
* Alice Babs
* Shorty Baker
* Butch Ballard
* Art Baron
* Aaron Bell
* Louie Bellson
* Joe Benjamin
* Barney Bigard
* Lou Blackburn
* Jimmy Blanton
* Wellman Braud
* Lawrence Brown
* Harry Carney
* Johnny Coles
* Willie Cook
* Buster Cooper
* Kay Davis
* Wild Bill Davis
* Wilbur de Paris
* Bobby Durham
* Mercer Ellington
* Rolf Ericson
* Jimmy Forrest
* Victor Gaskin
* Peter Giger
* Tyree Glenn
* Paul Gonsalves
* Sonny Greer
* Fred Guy
* Jimmy Hamilton
* Otto Hardwick
* Shelton Hemphill
* Rick Henderson
* Al Hibbler
* Johnny Hodges
* Major Holley
* Charlie Irvis
* Quentin Jackson
* Hilton Jefferson
* Herb Jeffries
* Freddie Jenkins
* Money Johnson
* Herbie Jones
* Wallace Jones
* Taft Jordan
* Al Killian
* Queen Esther Marrow
* Wendell Marshall
* Murray McEachern
* Louis Metcalf
* James "Bubber" Miley
* Harold "Geezil" Minerve
* Ray Nance
* Tricky Sam Nanton
* Oscar Pettiford
* Eddie Preston
* Russell Procope
* Junior Raglin
* Betty Roché
* Ernie Royal
* Al Sears
* Joya Sherrill
* Willie Smith
* Elmer Snowden
* Rex Stewart
* Billy Strayhorn
* Billy Taylor
* Clark Terry
* Juan Tizol
* Norris Turney
* Ben Webster
* Arthur Whetsel
* Cootie Williams
* Nelson Williams
* Skippy Williams
* Booty Wood
* Jimmy Woode
* Britt Woodman
* Sam Woodyard

Related|

* Mercer Ellington (son)
* Sacred Concerts
* Duke Ellington Bridge
* Duke Ellington Circle
* Duke Ellington Memorial
* Duke Ellington House
* Duke Ellington School of the Arts
* Luther Henderson
* Irving Mills
* Sophisticated Ladies
* Play On!
* Jam Session
* Steve Ellington

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