''Jump for Joy'' is a 1941

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

that opened on July 10, 1941, at the

Mayan Theater The Mayan Theater in Los Angeles, California is a landmark former movie palace and current nightclub and music venue. History The Mayan Theater opened in August 1927 as a performance arts theater. Leon Hefflin Sr. rented out the Mayan Theater d ...

of Los Angeles and ran for nine weeks (122 performances). It included many songs by Ellington, including the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

standard "

I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" is a pop and jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1941. It was introduced in the musical revue ''Jump for Joy'' by Ivie Anderson, who also provided the v ...

" and the title track, "Jump for Joy."

Reception

The musical received rave reviews, and both

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

and

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

considered buying the show, but were refused, as the show was collaborative in nature and the writers did not want it to be owned. Despite the original success, "it never made it to Broadway, but it made it to history"."Jump For Joy: Duke Ellington’s Celebratory Musical", David Johnson, February 6, 2008, ''Indiana Public Media'', consulted on 26 March 2017. http://indianapublicmedia.org/nightlights/jump-for-joy-duke-ellingtons-celebratory-musical/

Political message

Contrary to other all-

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

revues of the time, it was very outspoken on racial matters, with the songs "Jump for Joy" ("Fare thee well, land of cotton /

Cotton lisle Cotton lisle or fil d'Ecosse cotton is a finely-spun, tightly twisted type of cotton that is noted for being strong and durable. Lisle is composed of two strands that have each been twisted an extra twist per inch than ordinary yarns and combined to ...

is out of style"), "Same Old South" ("It's a regular children's heaven / Where they don't start to work until they're seven" and "I got a Passport from Georgia (And I'm Going to The USA)" ("Goodbye Jim / And I do mean Crow"). The production team received protestations and death threats. Duke Ellington described it later in his life as "the first 'social significance' show".

References

* ''The Duke Ellington Reader'', Mark Tucker, Oxford University Press, 1995
preview available on Google Books.
Revues 1941 musicals Compositions by Duke Ellington {{musical-theat-stub