Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - 1934

Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - perform "Ebony Rhapsody" - 1934

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Jazz
• Duke
• Ellington
• 1930's

[DarbyRangers]

What's he going to do with sub machine gun?

[perfectjazz78]

"shoot" all the performers. A bad ending to a great revue sequence, so I left it off.

[bubba9166]

Best jazz composer of all time...

[ToddCMorgan]

That solo that duke takes is crazy-awesome in my opinion, especially when he slams those low C's! Duke was the man, and his band was always top-notch, and that's a real understatement!

[CaliAllyE]

Thanks Hebnah for the lyrics.  "Murder at the Vanities" was made at Paramount Studios between 5 Feb - late March 1934, released May 23, 1934. While there the manager, Irving Mills, mentioned to Mae West that she should have him in her movies. So she called up the studio, said she wanted him, and she got him! "Belle of the Nineties" was made between March 12 -June 5, '34, premiered Sept 21. From "Reminiscing in Tempo: a portrait of Duke Ellington" by Stuart Nicholson (comprised almost entirely o

[CaliAllyE]

@RollaArtist. I think Liszt would have loved it! His rhapsodies are all based on folk music (why his Hungarian rhapsody #2(?) is Brahms Spanish Rhapsody in A) and I've alway claimed that Liszt WAS a jazz musician; people at his concerts would complain when he played and started improvising, "where's the melody? I can find the melody!" Sounds like jazz to me!

[Alioud96]

Rest in peace Mr. Enllington.. you and the essence of what good music once was.

[goghwatch]

@DarbyRangers  ROFLMAO

[JCJasion]

@perfectjazz78

Hence the title, I guess, "Murder At The Vanities".

[aakurara]

@perfectjazz78 Ugh seriously??? That is a DISGUSTING ending to this fabulous performance. My gosh.

[JazzJonnie]

Shocking! Those crazy jazz cats!

[bobsong7]

Surrealism ain't got nuttin' on dis Jazz

[davidpalmquist]

Klaus Stratemann, in his Duke Ellington Day by Day and Film by Film writes that Murder At the Vanities was among the earliest white Hollywood films to have a chorus of black girls rather than white girls in blackface, and that the girls were contracted from the Culver City Cotton Club.

[JCsaxophile]

Now that's what I call a coup in the highest with willing converts to boot!! Post part 2 so that everbody knows the overall vibe of the establishment, we already see the tommy gun!