Poster \u2013 Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and their Show
\nSeton Hall University, 1966
\nStudent Life Vertical Files \u2013 Arts & Music, Music Programs 1949 \u2013 1987
\nRG#10.3.4.4
\nCourtesy of Archives and Special Collections<\/p>\n
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APRIL IS JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>On the evening of Saturday October 22, 1966, jazz giants Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington performed at Seton Hall University\u2019s Student Center.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 Fitzgerald, one of America\u2019s pre-eminent jazz vocalists, was widely recognized for her versatility, but especially for her scat singing style which she explains as:\u00a0 “I just tried to do [with my voice] what I heard the horns in the band doing.”[2]<\/a>\u00a0 Scatting is an improvised vocal style incorporating exuberant outbursts in play with the musicians.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a distinguished composer, pianist and band leader whose career, like Fitzgerald\u2019s, spanned more than six decades.\u00a0 He was noted for his inventive use of the orchestra.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 \u00a0Ellington, a known perfectionist with a theatrical stage presence and flair for fashion, insisted on playing the accompaniments to Fitzgerald flawlessly.\u00a0 His admiration for Fitzgerald is evinced in his humble quip, \u201cWith Ella up-front, you\u2019ve got to play better than your best.\u201d[5]<\/a><\/p>\n Ellington and Fitzgerald first met in the mid-1930s when she was performing at Harlem\u2019s legendary Savoy Ballroom.[6]<\/a>\u00a0 They began a decades-long friendship that led to numerous collaborations, recording sessions, and performances, including the series of concert dates with a show at Seton Hall University.\u00a0 In 1956, the duo teamed up in the studio to record Ella Fitzgerald Sings the<\/em> Duke Ellington Song Book.\u00a0 <\/em>These landmark sessions were released on vinyl in 1957 and featured musical back-up by Ellington and jazz stars like Dizzy Gillespie<\/a>, Clark Terry<\/a>, Ben Webster<\/a>, Oscar Peterson<\/a>, Billy Strayhorn<\/a> and Johnny Hodges<\/a>.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 The video below of Ella and Duke performing was captured in 1965, just one year prior to their engagement at Seton Hall and shows what audiences might have experienced that Saturday evening in 1966.<\/p>\n \n\n