Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Jazz that makes you MOVE and MOVE and MOVE

I just listened to some DUKE ELLINGTON tunes from the 1930s while working up a sweat on the treadmill.
Actually, during the slower songs I tried to think of all the sources I should try to call for the two stories I need to write for the newspaper today.
Then, a TRAIN WHISTLE blew, 1933's "DAYBREAK EXPRESS" barreled out of the iPod, and I had to increase the treadmill speed to keep up.
"Daybreak Express" features solos by saxophonist Johnny Hodges and trumpeters Freddie Jenkins and Cootie Williams, but this great rollicking song is really an ensemble piece for the ages.
Ellington composed and arranged the song to fantastically mimic the sounds of a locomotive from chugging beginning, through breakneck full speed to sighing conclusion.
Trains whisked Ellington and his orchestra from gig to gig during his tours in the 1930s. They also served another purpose, because of the sickening racism of the times. When the orchestra toured the South in the 1930s, Ellington and his band were forced to sleep in private rail cars because they were barred from hotels.
Here's a thought for BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Ellington's wonderful music has survived, the stupid racist divide he endured has faded. ELLINGTON WINS!

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