''Sacred Concert'' by

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 ...

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" (liturgy). The critic

Gary Giddins Gary Giddins is an American jazz critic and author. He wrote for ''The Village Voice'' from 1973; his "Weather Bird" column ended in 2003. In 1986 Gary Giddins and John Lewis created the American Jazz Orchestra which presented concerts using a j ...

has characterized these concerts as Ellington bringing the Cotton Club revue to the church.

''Concert of Sacred Music''

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. (The "festival" also included a performance by

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; birth name, né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this s ...

.) The concert premiered on September 16, 1965, and was recorded by

KQED KQED may refer to: * KQED (TV), a PBS member station in San Francisco * KQED-FM KQED-FM (88.5 MHz) is a NPR-member radio station in San Francisco, California. Its parent organization is KQED Inc., which also owns its television partners, both ...

, a local public television station. 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 Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) church in New York City. The church, on Fifth Avenue at 7 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, has approximately 2,200 members and is one of the larger PCUSA congregations. The ...

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-Commin" 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. It was performed again at Grace Cathedral on its 25th and 50th anniversaries, in 1990 and 2015.

Reception

The

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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".Ginell, R. S.

Allmusic Review AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

accessed June 8, 2010 ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...

'' magazine called the piece "historic", situating it as part of a larger movement in the mid-60s that brought together jazz and religion.

Track listing

:''All compositions by Duke Ellington'' # "In the Beginning God" - 19:36 # "Will You Be There?" - 1:23 # "Ninety Nine Percent" - 2:23 # "Ain't But the One" - 3:31 # "New World a'Coming" - 9:56 # "In the Beginning, God II" - 4:31 # "Heritage" - 3:42 # "The Lord's Prayer" - 3:16 # "Come Sunday" - 5:30 # "David Danced Before the Lord With All His Might" - 9:00 # "The Lord's Prayer II" - 4:56 The album was recorded at the

on December 26, 1965.

Personnel

–

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

Cat Anderson William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo ...

Mercer Ellington Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was Duke Ellington, whose band Mercer led for 20 years after his father's death. Biography Early life and education Ellin ...

, Herb Jones,

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

* Lawrence Brown,

Buster Cooper George "Buster" Cooper (April 4, 1929 – May 13, 2016) was an American jazz trombonist. Career A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, Cooper played in a territory band with Nat Towles in Texas in the late 1940s and with Lionel Hampto ...

Quentin Jackson Quentin "Butter" Jackson

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

*Chuck Connors -

bass trombone The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...

Russell Procope Russell Keith Procope (August 11, 1908 – January 21, 1981) was an American clarinetist and alto saxophonist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Before Ellington Procope was born in New York City, United States, and grew up in S ...

Jimmy Hamilton Jimmy Hamilton (May 25, 1917 – September 20, 1994) was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, who was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Biography Hamilton was born in Dillon, South Carolina, United States, and grew up in Phi ...

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

- alto saxophone *

Paul Gonsalves Paul Gonsalves ( – ) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Harry Carney Harry Howell Carney (April 1, 1910 – October 8, 1974) was a jazz saxophonist and clarinettist who spent over four decades as a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He played a variety of instruments but primarily used the baritone saxopho ...

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

* John Lamb -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

Louie Bellson Louie Bellson (born Luigi Paulino Alfredo Francesco Antonio Balassoni, July 6, 1924 – February 14, 2009), often seen in sources as Louis Bellson, although he himself preferred the spelling Louie, was an American jazz drummer. He was a composer, ...

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Brock Peters Brock Peters (born George Fisher; July 2, 1927 – August 23, 2005) was an American actor and singer, best known for playing the villainous "Crown" in the 1959 film version of ''Porgy and Bess'', and the wrongfully convicted Tom Robinson in th ...

Queen Esther Marrow Queen Esther Marrow (born February 12, 1941) is an American soul and gospel singer. Biography Queen Esther Marrow was born in Newport News, Virginia. She began her career at the age of 22, when her vocal gifts were discovered by Duke Ellington a ...

, Jimmy McPhail -

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*The Herman McCoy Choir -

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

Bunny Briggs Bunny Briggs (February 26, 1922 – November 15, 2014) was an American tap dancer who was inducted into the American Tap Dancing Hall of Fame in 2006. Briggs was born under the name Bernard Briggs in Harlem, New York on February 26, 1922. When aske ...

tap dancing Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm (jazz) tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely perfo ...

(track 10)

''Second Sacred Concert''

Ellington's ''Second Sacred Concert'' premiered at the

Cathedral of St. John the Divine The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (sometimes referred to as St. John's and also nicknamed St. John the Unfinished) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue in the Morningside Heights neighborhood ...

in New York on January 19, 1968, but no recording of this actual 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 Prestige Records is a jazz record company and label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock in New York City which issued recordings in the mainstream, bop, and cool jazz idioms. The company recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz music ...

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".A Duke Ellington Panorama
accessed May 17, 2010 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 Hildur Alice Nilsson (26 January 1924 – 11 February 2014), known by her stage name Alice Babs, was a Swedish singer and actress. She worked in a wide number of genres – Swedish folklore, Elizabethan songs and opera. While she was best known i ...

recorded with the Ellington Orchestra. In the concert she sang "Heaven" and the wordless vocal, "T.G.T.T. (Too Good to Title)".

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 Emmanuel Episcopal Church, a historic church at 15 Newbury Street in Boston, Massachusetts, was founded in 1860 as part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts. History Designed by architect Alexander Rice Esty and constructed in 1861, it was t ...

on April 20, 1969.

Reception

The

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".Ginell, R. S.

accessed June 8, 2010

Track listing

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

–

narration Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to storytelling, convey a narrative, story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deli ...

Money Johnson Harold "Money" Johnson (February 23, 1918 – March 28, 1978) was an American jazz trumpeter. Early life Johnson was born in Tyler, Texas, on February 23, 1918. He first played trumpet at age 15. Primarily a trumpeter, he also recorded with the tr ...

, Herb Jones,

* Lawrence Brown,

Bennie Green Bennie Green (April 16, 1923 – March 23, 1977) was an American jazz trombonist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, Green worked in the orchestras of Earl Hines and Charlie Ventura, and recorded as bandleader through the 1950s and ...

*Chuck Connors -

- alto saxophone *

- clarinet,

- tenor saxophone *

*Jeff Castleman -

Sam Woodyard Sam Woodyard (January 7, 1925 – September 20, 1988) was an American jazz drummer. He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. Woodyard was largely an autodidact on drums and played locally in the Newark, New Jersey area in the 1940s. ...

, Steve Little -

, Devonne Gardner, Trish Turner, Roscoe Gill -

*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 -

''Third Sacred Concert''

The ''Third Sacred Concert'' was built around the skills of

, and Ellington himself on the piano. It was premiered at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

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. 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.Steed page 148 Alice Babs sings ''Is God a Three Letter Word for Love?'' and ''My Love''. Tenor saxophonist

Harold Ashby Harold Ashby (March 27, 1925, in Kansas City, Missouri, United States – June 13, 2003, in New York City) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He worked with Duke Ellington's band, replacing Jimmy Hamilton in 1968. In 1959, he recorded backing ...

is featured on ''The Brotherhood'', which is a tribute to

The United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Reception

The

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)".Ginell, R. S.

accessed June 8, 2010

Track listing

:''All compositions by Duke Ellington'' # ''Introduction By Sir Colin Crowe'' - 1:28 # ''Duke Ellington's Introduction'' - 1:26 # "The Lord's Prayer: My Love" - 7:49 # "Is God A Three-Letter Word For Love? (Part I)" - 4:27 # "Is God A Three-Letter Word For Love? (Part II)" - 3:46 # "The Brotherhood" - 5:46 # "Hallelujah" - 3:32 # "Every Man Prays In His Own Language" - 11:10 # "Ain't Nobody Nowhere Nothin' Without God" - 4:20 # "The Majesty Of God" - 7:27 **Recorded at Westminster Abbey, London on October 24, 1973.

Personnel

–

Johnny Coles John Coles (July 3, 1926 – December 21, 1997) was an American jazz trumpeter. Early life Coles was born in Trenton, New Jersey on July 3, 1926. He grew up in Philadelphia and was self-taught on trumpet. Later life and career Coles spent his ...

Barrie Lee Hall Barrie Lee Hall Jr. (June 30, 1949 – January 24, 2011) was an American trumpeter, music director, and band leade of the Duke Ellington Small Band. He was known for his use of the plunger mute to affect the tone of his trumpet. Early life B ...

Art Baron Arthur John Baron (born January 5, 1950) is an American jazz trombonist. He also plays didgeridoo, conch shell, penny-whistle, alto and bass recorder, and tuba. Career overview Baron is an alumnus of the Berklee College of Music. He joined ...

, Vince Prudente -

*Chuck Connors -

Harold Minerve Harold "Geezil" Minerve (January 3, 1922 - June 4, 1992) was a Cuban-born jazz alto saxophonist and flautist. Minerve was raised in Florida and began playing music at age 12. He played with Ida Cox early in his career, then worked as a freelance mu ...

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

*Percy Marion - tenor saxophone *

, clarinet,

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

Joe Benjamin Joseph Rupert Benjamin (November 4, 1919 – January 26, 1974) was an American jazz bassist. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Benjamin played with many jazz musicians in a variety of idioms. Early in his career he played in the big bands of Art ...

*Quentin Whit -

, Tony Watkins -

John Alldis Choir John Alldis (10 August 192920 December 2010) was an English chorus-master and conductor. Biography Alldis was educated at King's College School, Cambridge and Felsted. He then returned to King's College, Cambridge as a choral scholar under Bo ...

Notes

References

*Steed, Janna Tull ''Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography (Lives & Legacies)'' {{Authority control America Records albums Sacred Concerts 1966 live albums 1968 albums America Records live albums 1975 live albums Duke Ellington albums Live album series Duke Ellington live albums