The Duke Ellington Society (TDES), which I joined more than 20 years ago, has an annual holiday concert of Ellington and Strayhorn music. It is music with great depth and sublime beauty which I deeply enjoy.
Ellington began writing and performing his music in the 1920s, influenced, among many, by Willie "The Lion" Smith and Jellyroll Morton, and Fats Waller; in time, Duke developed his own style, his own voice, and he expressed it best through his orchestra. There is wonderful Ellington music from the 1920s (Creole Love Call and Black and Tan Fantasy, both largely composed by his trumpeter Bubber Miley) and 1930s (Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, In a Sentimental Mood, and Solitude), all of which remained part of the repertoire for decades.
Yet in 1939, Billy Strayhorn, a young man from Pittsburgh, played a song he had composed for Duke which changed the trajectory of Ellington, of the Orchestra, of Strayhorn himself, and of American music: Take the A train.
There are many stories, some apocryphal, some doubtlessly true, about the two men. The proof, for me, is in the music. Ellington composed hundreds of songs, Strayhorn many dozens, perhaps hundreds. Some aficionados debate whether Strayhorn could have been a great success without Ellington; some argue Duke was made better by Strays. What is true is that for the 28 years they collaborated the music they produced is in the pantheon of the Great American Songbook. As much as I adore George Gershwin's music, I consider Duke Ellington the greatest American composer (for, alas, Gershwin died very young, and thus produced far less than did Duke).
TDES meets in Saint Peter's Church, which stands at the corner of 54th Street and Lexington Avenue, in the borough of Manhattan. Looming over it is the Citicorp Building. The two structures have a woven history; both are also New York City landmarks. Saint Peter's has a tradition of ministering to jazz musicians, and of hosting TDES. Over the years I have seen numerous concerts and memorial services there, and the most memorable took place in the sanctuary. The immensity of the space and the acoustics are, dare I, not a Lutheran and an agnostic, say it? — divine (there, I said it).
For 2018, the TDES holiday party featured a quintet plus a singer: David Durrah, piano; Harold Robinson, alto saxophone; Waldron Ricks, trumpet; Larry Roland, bass; John Yaya Brown, drums; and Susan Giles, vocals. To begin the concert, Mister Durrah played Daydream with nothing less than an angelic touch, setting the tone for a wonderful evening of music. Mister Roland's bass playing was masterful. And Ms. Giles sang a handful of songs with exquisite timing and a beautiful voice. Her rendition of Chelsea Bridge, a song some consider one of the ten best jazz pieces ever written (myself included), was just superb.Inside St. Peter's, affectionately known as the Jazz Church, in its sanctuary, a picture of La Morena, the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Before the concert , Laura and I had dinner at Paname, a darling French bistro on 2nd Avenue. We had 5.30 reservations (concert started at 7.30). Needless to say, the restaurant wasn't at all crowded, though by 6 quite a few tables were taken. Our waitress was very nice, friendly (if inexplicably a bit shy). After letting us sit for a bit, she brought over complimentary servings of mushroom mousse, which were delicious. Of course, a colorful swirl accompanied the mousse; this one was quite attractive and tasty, too.
We ordered a bottle of Malbec, and with a basket of warm baguette we were served soft (but of course) butter. We both had the prix fixe menu. I ordered escargot de bourbogne in baby potatoes: delicious, but you had better like garlic! Laura order the crab cakes with remoulade. We were then given complimentary lemon sorbet as a palette cleanser. As an entree I ordered the pork scallopini, a twist on a classic dish, served with a thick gravy; Laura ordered the cod a la nicoise tomato fondant. For dessert I ordered flourless chocolate cake and Laura ordered the Crème brûlée. everything was delicious, perfectly cooked, nicely presented. Service was outstanding and unobtrusive. I have come to prefer bistros of this sort over 'hot spots' featuring the star-chef-inspired cuisine which so often disappoints but never fails to be expensive. Paname is a New York gem.