''Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live'' is a live album by the Duke Ellington Orchestra that won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1980. The album was recorded at a dance in

Fargo, North Dakota Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...

Background

In 1939, two

cooperative extension service The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) was an Extension agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), part of the executive branch of the federal government. The 1994 Department Reorganization Act ...

workers and former South Dakota State College students, Jack Towers and Richard Burris, sought permission from the

William Morris Agency The William Morris Agency (WMA) was a Hollywood-based talent agency. It represented some of the best-known 20th-century entertainers in film, television, and music. During its 109-year tenure it came to be regarded as the "first great talent ...

representing Duke Ellington to record an upcoming concert in Fargo, North Dakota.Martin Fredricks
The Duke was Here
". ''NDSU Magazine''. Fall 2001. Retrieved 1 January 2011. Permission was granted to the two Ellington fans provided they receive permission from Ellington and the venue's manager before the show. The show was held on 7 November 1940 at the Crystal Ballroom on the second floor of the Fargo City Auditorium at the corner of First Avenue South and Broadway. The building was demolished in 1962. The concert was a dance, a normal venue for jazz bands at that time but an unusual setting for a live recording, most of which would have been made of concerts, nightclubs, or radio broadcasts.Whitney Balliett.
Collected Works: A Journal of Jazz 1954-2001
'. St. Martin's Griffin, 2002. p.543. The Crystal Ballroom featured a glass ball two feet in diameter hanging from the ceiling that reflected the dancehall's lights.

Recording

The original recording of ''At Fargo'' was effectively an amateur, bootleg recording, albeit approved. The recording equipment included a Presto portable turntable that cut the recording into 16-inch, 33-

rpm Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

acetate An acetate is a salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. alkaline, earthy, metallic, nonmetallic, or radical base). "Acetate" also describes the conjugate base or ion (specifically, the negatively charged ion called ...

-covered aluminum disks.Matt Schudel.
Jack Towers dies at 96; USDA Broadcaster Won Grammy for Rare Ellington Recording
. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

''. 28 December 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2011. The recording turntable was set up next to Ellington's piano. Five and one-half of six disks with a recording capacity of 15 minutes per side were used in the recording. A Fargo radio station, KVOX (now KVXR), broadcast part of the show live. Ellington's orchestra played several warm-up pieces before Ellington came out to his piano. The band then played "Sepia Panorama", the band's theme song before adoption of " Take the 'A' Train" in 1941. In addition to Ellington himself, notable soloists included

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor Saxophone, saxophonist. He performed in the United States and Europe and made many recordings with Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Johnny Hodges, a ...

Jimmy Blanton James Blanton (October 5, 1918 – July 30, 1942) was an American jazz double bassist. Blanton is credited with being the originator of more complex pizzicato and arco bass solos in a jazz context than previous bassists. Nicknamed "Jimmie," Blant ...

Johnny Hodges Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophone, 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 sop ...

Rex Stewart Rex William Stewart Jr. (February 22, 1907 – September 7, 1967) was an American jazz cornetist who was a member of the Duke Ellington orchestra. Career As a boy he studied piano and violin; most of his career was spent on cornet. Stewart dro ...

, and

Tricky Sam Nanton Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton (February 1, 1904 – July 20, 1946) was an American trombonist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. A pioneer of the plunger mute, Nanton is notable for his use of the distinctive wah-wah effect. Early life He was born ...

. Trumpeter

Ray Nance Ray Willis Nance (December 10, 1913 – January 28, 1976) was an American jazz trumpeter, violinist and singer. He is best remembered for his long association with Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Early years Nance was born in Chicago on D ...

had recently joined the band after

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 ...

had left to play with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader, known as the "King of Swing". His orchestra did well commercially. From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing bi ...

and, the night of the concert, Ellington told Towers that his trumpet section was in "rough shape". The concert included the first performance of " Star Dust" by the band as a whole. After the show, Towers and Burris played parts of the recording for Ellington and his bandmates. Jack Towers later said, "When Dick and I recorded this Fargo performance, we did it just for the excitement and pleasure of it all. We had no idea that people all over the world would be listening to it 60 years later."Jack Towers Donates Fargo Discs to Smithsonian
. ''Ellingtonia''. 17.3 (March 2009). Page 1. Retrieved 1 January 2011. Jack Towers was interviewed in 1980 for NPR's ''Morning Edition'', following receiving the Grammy Award.

Later history

Burris and Towers had promised the William Morris Agency not to use the live recording for commercial purposes and it was heard only from the original disks until the 1960s. Towers dubbed a tape for an acquaintance and subsequent copies eventually appeared as a bootleg in Europe. Towers was in charge of radio broadcasting at the

U.S. Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production ...

from 1952 to 1974 but remastering recordings remained a hobby and became a career after his retirement. In the 1970s, Towers made a reproduction of the recording from areas of the

groove Groove or Grooves may refer to: Music * Groove (music) * Groove (drumming) * The Groove (band), an Australian rock/pop band of the 1960s * The Groove (Sirius XM), a US radio station * Groove 101.7FM, a former Perth, Australia, radio station ...

that were less worn. In 1978, Towers' master of ''At Fargo'' was finally officially released by Book-of-the-Month Records as a

Book-of-the-Month Club Book of the Month (founded 1926) is a United States subscription-based e-commerce service that offers a selection of five to seven new hardcover books each month to its members. Books are selected and endorsed by a panel of judges, and members ch ...

selection. The original acetate disks have since been donated to the Archives Center of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...

Commercial releases

Duke Ellington at Fargo 1940 Special 60th Anniversary Edition cover

The album was released on three

LP record The LP (from long playing or long play) is an Analog recording, analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of revolutions per minute, rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use ...

s by Book-of-the Month Records as ''Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940''. The record sides were sequenced for use with a record changer (1/6, 2/5, 3/4). This version was also issued with different cover art as ''Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live'' by Jazz Heritage. Since the album was released in 1978, it has been reissued in varying combinations with different album covers. In 1990, the first digital release of the concert (on two CDs) was by Vintage Jazz.Scott Yanow
"North Dakota, November 7, 1940."
at

Allmusic.com 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 data ...

. Retrieved 1 January 2011. On 23 July 1996, these discs were released again as ''Fargo 1940'' on Jazz Classics. On 3 April 2001, another CD release with additional tracks was made on Storyville as ''The Duke at Fargo, 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition''.Ken Dryden.
The Duke at Fargo 1940: Special 60th Anniversary Edition
at

. Retrieved 1 January 2011. Both CDs of this release were also included in Storyville's 2006 eight-CD box set, ''The Duke Box'' as discs two & three. In 2002, a two-CD release similar to the Storyville one was made on Definitive as the ''Complete Legendary Fargo Concert''.

Critical reception

Allmusic.com reviewer

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

posits that "there was no better orchestra at the time, and rarely since". ''

JazzTimes ''JazzTimes'' was an American print magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store. Coverage After a decade ...

'' writer Harvey Siders says, "the real star, of course, is the band, with its organized chaos, its sophistication, its jungle heat, its ability to respond to the improvisational genius of Duke". A Storyville Records reviewer argues "the Fargo performance still resonates as one of the greatest concert recordings in all of jazz, on a par with Benny Goodman at Carnegie, Coltrane at the Vanguard, or Ellington at Newport in 1956".

The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

awarded the album four stars, its maximum rating, plus a special "crown" rating.

Track listing

Side 1

The Mooche "The Mooche" is an American jazz song, composed in 1928 by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, with scat singing by vocalist Gertrude "Baby" Cox. The song is considered to be one of Ellington's signature pieces and "he performed it frequently and ...

" #"Sepia Panorama (theme)" #"Ko-Ko" #"There Shall Be No Night" #"Pussy Willow" #"Chatterbox" #"Mood Indigo"

Side 2

#"Harlem Air Shaft" #"The Ferryboat Serenade" #"Warm Valley" #"Stompy Jones" #"Bojangles" #"You Took Advantage of Me" #"Rumpus in Richmond"

Side 3

#"The Flaming Sword" #"Never No Lament" #"Clarinet Lament" #"Slap Happy" #"Sepia Panorama"

Side 4

#"Boy Meets Horn" #" 'Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" #"Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday" #"Five O'Clock Whistle" #"Rockin' in Rhythm" #"Sophisticated Lady"

Side 5

#"Cotton Tail" #"Whispering Grass" #"Conga Brava" #"I Never Felt This Way Before" #"Across the Track Blues"

Side 6

#"Honeysuckle Rose" #"Wham" #"Star Dust" #"Rose of the Rio Grande" #"St. Louis Blues"

60th anniversary edition track listing

CD 1

#"It's Glory" (Duke Ellington) – (0:47) #"The Mooche" (

Irving Mills Irving Harold Mills (born Isadore Minsky; January 18, 1894 Odessa, Ukraine – April 21, 1985) was a music publisher, musician, lyricist, and jazz promoter. He often used the pseudonyms Goody Goodwin and Joe Primrose. Personal life Mills ...

, Duke Ellington) – (5:23) #"

The Sheik of Araby "The Sheik of Araby" is a song that was written in 1921 by Harry B. Smith and Francis Wheeler, with music by Ted Snyder. It was composed in response to the popularity of the Rudolph Valentino feature film '' The Sheik''. "The Sheik of Araby" w ...

" ( Harry B. Smith,

Ted Snyder Theodore Frank Snyder (August 15, 1881 in Freeport, Illinois – July 16, 1965 in Woodland Hills, California), was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. His hits include " The Sheik of Araby" (1921) and " Who's Sorry Now?" (1923). ...

, Francis Wheeler) – (2:55) #"Sepia Panorama" (Duke Ellington) – (1:15) #"

Ko-Ko "Ko Ko" (also spelled "Ko-Ko" or "Koko") is a 1945 bebop recording composed by Charlie Parker. The original recorded version lists Parker on alto saxophone with trumpeter Miles Davis, double bassist Curley Russell and drummer Max Roach. Due to ...

" (Duke Ellington) – (2:22) #"There Shall Be No Night" (

Abner Silver Abner Silberman (28 December 1899 in New York City, New York, United States – 24 November 1966) as pen name Abner Silver, was an American songwriter who worked primarily during the Tin Pan Alley era of the craft. Career Usually composing the ...

Gladys Shelley Gladys Shelley (née Shaskan, December 15, 1911 – December 9, 2003) was an American lyricist and composer, who was responsible for over 300 songs. Early life Gladys Shaskan was born in Lawrence, New York, to George Fried and Fannie Shaskan. S ...

) – (3:09) #"Pussy Willow" (Duke Ellington) – (4:34) #"Chatterbox" (

, Irving Mills, Duke Ellington) – (3:22) #"

Mood Indigo "Mood Indigo" is a jazz song with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard and lyrics by Irving Mills. Composition Although Irving Mills—Jack Mills's brother and publishing partner—took credit for the lyrics, Mitchell Parish claimed in a ...

" (Irving Mills,

Barney Bigard Albany Leon "Barney" Bigard (March 3, 1906 – June 27, 1980) was an American jazz clarinetist known for his 15-year tenure with Duke Ellington. He also played tenor saxophone. Biography Bigard was born in New Orleans to Creoles of color, Cr ...

, Duke Ellington) – (4:15) #"Harlem Air Shaft" (Duke Ellington) – (3:42) #"Ferryboat Serenade" (

Harold Adamson Harold Campbell Adamson (December 10, 1906 – August 17, 1980)Larkin, pp. 41-42 was an American lyricist from the 1930s through the 1960s. Early life Adamson, the son of building contractor Harold Adamson and Marion "Minnie" Campbell Adamson, ...

, Eldo Di Lazzaro) – (1:33) #"Warm Valley" (Duke Ellington) – (3:36) #"Stompy Jones" (Duke Ellington) – (2:42) #"

Chloe Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...

" (

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

Neil Moret Neil is a masculine name of Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. As a surname ...

harles N. Daniels – (4:03) #"Bojangles" (Duke Ellington) – (4:02) #"On the Air" (Duke Ellington) – (5:08) #"Rumpus in Richmond" (Duke Ellington) – (2:36) #"Chaser" (Duke Ellington) – (0:15) #"

The Sidewalks of New York "The Sidewalks of New York" is a popular song about life in New York City during the 1890s. It was composed in 1894 by vaudeville actor and singer Charles B. Lawlor (June 2, 1852 – May 31, 1925) with lyrics by James W. Blake (September 23, 18 ...

" ( James W. Blake, Charles B. Lawlor) – (5:07) #"The Flaming Sword" (Duke Ellington) – (4:59) #" Never No Lament (Don't Get Around Much Anymore)" (Duke Ellington, Bob Russell) – (4:21) #"

Caravan Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Caravan (trail ...

" (Irving Mills, Duke Ellington,

Juan Tizol Juan Tizol Martínez (22 January 1900 – 23 April 1984) was a Puerto Rican jazz trombonist and composer. He is best known as a member of Duke Ellington's big band, and for writing the jazz standards " Caravan", "Pyramid", and " Perdido". ...

) – (3:44) #"Clarinet Lament (Barney's Concerto)" (Barney Bigard, Duke Ellington) – (3:28)

CD 2

#"Slap Happy" (Duke Ellington) – (3:24) #"Sepia Panorama" (Duke Ellington) – (5:11) #"Boy Meets Horn" (Rex Stewart, Duke Ellington) – (5:36) #"

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" is a popular song with music by Turner Layton and lyrics by Henry Creamer. First published in 1922, it was advertised by Creamer and Layton as "A Southern Song, without A Mammy, A Mule, Or A Moon", a dig at some of ...

" (

Henry Creamer Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was a popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborat ...

Turner Layton Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. He frequently worked with Henry Creamer. Life Born in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1894, he was the son of ...

) – (1:27) #"Oh, Babe! Maybe Someday" (Duke Ellington) – (2:17) #"Five O'Clock Whistle" (

Josef Myrow Josef Myrow (February 18, 1910 – December 24, 1987 in Los Angeles, California) was a Russian-born composer, known for his work in film scores in the 1940s and 1950s. He was twice nominated for an Academy Award: in 1947 for the song "You Do" from ...

Kim Gannon James Kimball "Kim" Gannon (November 18, 1900 – April 29, 1974) was an American songwriter, more commonly a lyricist than a composer. Biography Gannon was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Irish-American family from Fort Ann in upstate Ne ...

, Gene Irwin) – (2:00) #"Fanfare" (Duke Ellington) – (0:32) #"The Call of the Canyon/All This and Heaven Too" ( Billy Hill,

Eddie DeLange Eddie DeLange (''né'' Edgar DeLange Moss; 15 January 1904 – 15 July 1949) was an American bandleader and lyricist. Famous artists who recorded some of DeLange's songs include Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Duk ...

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television, and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Award for Best Original Song, Academy Awards for ...

) – (1:33) #"Rockin' in Rhythm" (Irving Mills,

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 saxophon ...

, Duke Ellington) – (4:54) #"

Sophisticated Lady "Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by Duke Ellington. Background Additional credit is given to publisher Irving Mills whose words were added to the song by Mitchell Parish. The words met with approval f ...

" (Irving Mills, Duke Ellington,

Mitchell Parish Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen. Biography Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...

) – (5:11) #"

Cotton Tail "Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording (4 May 1940) is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally a ...

" (Duke Ellington) – (3:06) #"

Whispering Grass "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The notion of "whispering grass" which reveals a person's secrets extends back to Greek mythology, notably the myth of Midas. The ...

" (

Fred Fisher Fred Fisher (born Alfred Breitenbach; September 30, 1875 – January 14, 1942) was a German-born American songwriter and Tin Pan Alley music publisher. Biography Fisher was born in Cologne, Germany. His parents were Max and Theodora Breitenbach ...

) – (2:29) #"Conga Brava" (Duke Ellington, Juan Tizol) – (4:07) #"I Never Felt This Way Before" (

Al Dubin Alexander Dubin (June 10, 1891 – February 11, 1945) was an American lyricist. He is best known for his collaborations with the composer Harry Warren. Life Al Dubin came from a Russian Jewish family that immigrated to the United States from Sw ...

, Duke Ellington) – (5:29) #"Across the Track Blues" (Duke Ellington) – (6:44) #" Honeysuckle Rose" (

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

Andy Razaf Andy Razaf (born Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo; December 16, 1895 – February 3, 1973) was the American lyricist of such well-known songs as " Ain't Misbehavin'" and " Honeysuckle Rose". He was also a composer, poet and vocalist. Biograph ...

) – (5:08) #"Wham" (

Eddie Durham Edward Durham (August 19, 1906 – March 6, 1987) was an American jazz guitarist, trombonist, composer, and arranger. He was one of the pioneers of the electric guitar in jazz. The orchestras of Bennie Moten, Jimmie Lunceford, Count Basie, ...

, Taps Miller) – (2:49) #"

Stardust Stardust may refer to: * A type of cosmic dust, composed of particles in space Entertainment Songs * “Stardust” (1927 song), by Hoagy Carmichael * “Stardust” (David Essex song), 1974 * “Stardust” (Lena Meyer-Landrut song), 2012 * ...

" (

Hoagy Carmichael Hoagland Howard "Hoagy" Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American musician, composer, songwriter, actor, author and lawyer. Carmichael was one of the most successful Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the 1930s and 1940s, a ...

, Mitchell Parish) – (4:15) #"Rose of the Rio Grande" (

Harry Warren Harry Warren (born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna; December 24, 1893 – September 22, 1981) was an American composer and the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song ...

, Ross Gorman,

Edgar Leslie Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter. Biography Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a ...

) – (3:33) #"

St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. Th ...

" (

W. C. Handy William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 – March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who referred to himself as the Father of the Blues. He was one of the most influential songwriters in the United States. One of many musician ...

) – (5:39) #"Warm Valley" (Duke Ellington) – (0:50) #"

God Bless America "God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run-up to World War II in 1938. The later version was recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song. "Go ...

" (

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

) – (0:28)

Personnel

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

– piano *

Otto Hardwick Otto James "Toby" Hardwicke (May 31, 1904 – August 5, 1970) was an American saxophone player associated with Duke Ellington. Biography Hardwick began on string bass at the age of 14, then moved to C melody saxophone and finally settled on ...

– alto saxophone *

– tenor saxophone *

– baritone saxophone *

– clarinet *

– cornet *

Wallace Jones Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones (July 14, 1926 – July 27, 2014) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the Indianapolis Olympians. Biography Jones was born ...

– trumpet *

, Lawrence Brown – trombone *

– bass *

Fred Guy Frederick L. Guy (May 23, 1897 – December 22, 1971) was an American jazz banjo player and guitarist. Born in Burkeville, Virginia, Guy was raised in New York City. He played guitar and banjo with Joseph C. Smith's Orchestra. In the early 192 ...

– guitar *

Sonny Greer William Alexander "Sonny" Greer (December 13, – March 23, 1982) was an American jazz drummer and vocalist, best known for his work with Duke Ellington. Early life and career Greer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. There has been long-sta ...

– drums *

Ivie Anderson Ivie Anderson (sometimes Ivy) (July 10, 1905 – December 28, 1949) was an American jazz singer. Anderson was a member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for more than a decade. Personal life Ivie Anderson was born July 10, 1905, in Gilroy, Ca ...

Herb Jeffries Herb Jeffries (born Umberto Alexander Valentino; September 24, 1913 – May 25, 2014) was an American actor of film and television and popular music and jazz singer-songwriter, known for his baritone voice. He starred in several low-budget "ra ...

– vocalsSamuel Chell.
Complete Legendary Fargo Concert
. ''

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

''. 15 March 2006. Retrieved 1 January 2011.

References

External links

Jack Towers on Restoring his Award-Winning Duke Ellington Recording, in 1980
Audio Interview at NPR.org. (08:54) Retrieved 1 January 2011. {{Authority control Duke Ellington live albums 1978 live albums Fargo–Moorhead Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album