The Duke Ellington Society UK’s purpose is to further the study, appreciation and dissemination of the music of Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington.
We meet regularly in London to listen and socialise, and new arrivals are always welcome.
Our house publication Blue Light is released quarterly. The content is wide ranging and we are fortunate to have amongst our members jazz authors, journalists and critics, and equally fortunate to have many enthusiastic members who, because of their own deep interest, have become expert in particular niches of Ellingtonia.
Due to recently announced rail strikes, we will be postponing our AGM, which had been due to take place on Saturday the 13th of May, at the Model Railway Club in London. We’re very sorry for the disruption and look forward to booking a later date. Please come see us! You also don’t have to wait till the AGM if you want to get involved - drop us an email!
Episodes are available on YouTube.
For more details on how to view and participate, or to make a donation to support the show, are on the Uptown Lockdown page.
We’re chatting online using Discord - join us at https://discord.gg/efQNUMa.
Got a gig coming up with an Ellington element? Pop us an email and we can publicise via our website.
Many of our members are musicians who perform Ellington material: * Frank Griffith: saxophonist, clarinettist, composer and educator. Find out more at www.frankgriffith.co.uk. * Quentin Bryar plays for the Louisiana Rhythm Kings. See louisianarhythmkings.co.uk.
Date/Time:7 October, 7:30PM
Venue: Bridport Arts Centre. 9 South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR.
Featuring: “Benny Vibes Again”-Tribute to the music of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton. Frank Griffith- clarinet, and Roger Beaujolais- Vibes.
Info: www.bridport-arts.com. 01308 424901
Admission: £20
Date/Time: 10 October, 9.30PM
Featuring: Frank Griffith Nonet with Abbie Fairchild
Location: Frederiks Bar. 32 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BX. www.frederikshopestreet.com
Admission: Free
Date/Time: 21 October, 8PM
Featuring: Frank Griffith Trio with Mike Hughes- vibraphone
Venue: Zeffirelli’s. Compston Road, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9AD
www.zeffirellis.com. 01539 433845
Admission: £4
Date/Time: 28 October, 8.30PM
Venue-Ma Boyles, 7 Tower Gardens, Water Street, Liverpool, L3 1LG.
Featuring- Frank Griffith Trio, w/John McCormick- bass, John Wheatcroft- guitar
Info: 0151 236 0070
Admission- Free
Date/Time: 29 October , 3-5PM
Venue: Hightown Pub and Kitchen, Alt Road,Hightown, Liverpool, L38 0BA.
Featuring: Frank Griffith Trio
Info: 0151 929 2492
Admission: Free
Date/Time:5 November, 7PM
Venue: The Richmond Tavern, 23A Church Road, Liverpool, L15 9EA
Featuring: Frank w/Penny Lane Jazz
Info: 0151 733 9025
Admission: Free
Date/Time: 8 November 7PM
Featuring: Frank Griffith Quartet with Abbie Fairchild- vocal
Venue: Christ The King Social Club. Score Lane, Liverpool, L16 6AW
Info: lesleyscholes@blueyonder.co.uk 07762 360591
Admission: £12.50
Date/Time: 10 December , 3-5PM
Venue:Hightown Pub and Kitchen, Alt Road,Hightown, Liverpool, L38 0BA.
Featuring: Frank Griffith Trio
Info: 0151 929 2492
Admission: Free
Pigfoot (Facebook, Bandcamp) presents an imaginative reworking of a range of Duke Ellington’s iconic compositions, from the early Cotton Club blues material to Swing hits and through to the exotica that was inspired by Ellington’s extensive travels.
Pigfoot was formed by Chris Batchelor in 2013 to play classic 1920’s New Orleans material, spontaneously re-invented through the band’s wild musicality and wry humour. Their inquisitive exploration of repertoire then led them further afield, through a series of gigs entitled Pigfoot Play… Here they extended in all directions, with sets dedicated to Opera, Motown, Elvis, Bacharach and the hits of 1972.
The members of Pigfoot are all devotees of the Ellington sound - the muted rasp of trumpeter Cootie Williams, the poised grace of Harry Carney’s baritone, the dense crunch of Duke’s piano voicings and the buoyant bounce of drummer Sonny Greer are all reflected in the engaging and individual approaches of Chris Batchelor, James Allsopp, Liam Noble and Paul Clarvis. An entertainingly riotous, swinging, delicate and atmospheric account of Ellington’s legacy is promised.
Lineup:
Upcoming dates:
The Duke Ellington Society Of Sweden (DESS) has announced a virtual Ellington conference for 2022.
Following up on the success of Ellington Meeting 2021, DESS and DESScafé have decided to organize an Ellington Meeting also in 2022.
It will take place in the last week of April and have sessions on April 25, 26, 28 and 29. Each session will be from 7 to 10 PM CEST.
More details on the DESS website. See you there!
Annual General Meeting 2021, Model Railway Club, London
Our much-delayed Annual General Meeting 2021 took place at the Model Railway Club, London, on Saturday the 16th of October. There was unfortunately no AGM in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Congratulations to our newly-elected committee, consisting of:
We’re all particularly delighted to see Gareth Evans take over the reins as editor of Blue Light.
After the formalities, members were entertained by the Frank Griffith Trio with Frank on tenor sax and clarinet, Colin Oxley guitar and Dave Green on bass. Jazz Journal’s Leon Nock was there and you can read his review here.
Update: we have a new editor :)
Another Blue Light should be on its way to our members, if it hasn’t arrived already. Hopefully you’ve also received an email with our latest news. Just in case, here are some of the links and news items included.
The Duke Ellington Society Of Sweden (DESS) has announced a virtual Ellington conference for 2021.
Duke Ellington Society of Sweden (DESS) and DESScafé will organise an Ellington 2021 Meeting April 29 and May 3, 5, 7.
It is a Zoom-based event building on the experience of DESScafé launched in October last year as a place for DESS members to meet and listen to Ellington music.
More details on the DESS website. See you there!
The latest Blue Light should hopefully be on its way to you by now. In the meantime, here are a few links from across the wider world of Ellingtonia:
To keep in touch with our membership in between issues of Blue Light, and to share news between issues, we have started an email mailing list. We will provide updates about mailings of Blue Light and other society events as and when they occur, and promise not to bombard our membership with excessive spam. The list is open to paid subscribers and the general public alike, and you can unsubscribe at any time. More details on the mailing list page.
Matthias Heyman has launched a new site devoted to seminal bassist and Ellingtonian Jimmie Blanton at https://www.mattheyman.com/pitter-panter-chatter featuring
… regular posts with tidbits, little-known facts, and deep dives on jazz bassist Jimmie Blanton (1918– 1942), best known for his tenure with composer and big band leader Duke Ellington between 1939 and 1941.
While we’re here, don’t forget to listen in to our Paul Gonsalves 100th Anniversary special Uptown Lockdown at https://www.pscp.tv/AP64740207/1YqKDpOWYXAKV.
