Los Angeles favorite Thomas Wilkins returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall for a holiday inflected program Duke Ellington merged the Tchaikovsky ballet with his own aesthetic transforming the Sugar Plum Fairy into Sugar Rum Cherry and “The Dance of the Reed-Pipes” into “Toot Toot Tootsie Toot” creating an instant American classic with his spin on the Russian chestnut But Tchaikovsky gets his full due with his enchanting First Symphony which the composer lovingly called “a sin of my sweet youth.” From its chilly opening along a winter journey and through misty landscapes the composer eventually arrives in a spring filled with the blooms of flowers and young love In between Carlos Simon’s Four Black American Dances takes off on a wildly clever and musically rich ride through African American history that The Washington Post described as “a testament to his talent as one of the most dynamic composers going.” The musical opens at the Imperial Theatre on April 10 Get the best deals and latest updates on theater and shows by signing up for TheaterMania's newsletter today Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight A lonely whistling accompanies a wistful guitar strum Jackets of all shapes and sizes drape over mismatched chairs abundant and variant in their opinions and experiences and the chairs promise a story a story that needs to be heard Duke Ellington School of the Arts presents a compelling and contemplative performance of “The Laramie Project.” Devised in 2000 by Moisés Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project this documentary-style verbatim theatre piece tracks the aftermath of the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard a gay University of Wyoming student living in Laramie This play ruminates on the implications of hatred and homophobia in America and the consequences of passive tolerance The most stand out aspect of Duke Ellington's impactful moving performance was the cohesion and shared focused intention of the ensemble as a whole In a piece that relied on quickly bouncing between different characters and perspectives as well as little to no transition time when shifting scenes the ensemble upheld an incredibly balanced pacing that contributed to the play's fluidity the cast conquered the challenge of performing a piece in which every actor played multiple roles by creating clean distinctions between characters whether background acting to indicate setting in a performance with very little set or silently watching the main action of the scene the ensemble demonstrated a vigilant engagement even when not speaking This specific intention and focus served to unite the actors in their common goal of storytelling demonstrated his acting affinity by transitioning between roles with apparent ease he would portray the matter-of-fact Doc O'Connor with a leaned back posture and swaggering stride his thumbs in his pockets and a toothpick between his teeth using fast paced speaking and clicking a pen to convey the nervous bar owner especially revealing Matt's panic when he realized the connection between the murder and his bar Amira Miller-Muro boasted an ability to show off a range of emotions subtly and genuinely When reading the final statement from Matthew Shepard's family to the public as Rulon Stacey her voice caught and thinned with chocked back tears which simply and effectively emphasized the great grief of the situation Miller-Muro conveyed a young man attempting to mask his nervous fidgets with bro-y and with only her expression portrayed his growing sickening guilt during Dennis Shepard's final monologue Ambriah Jenkins too showed a wide emotional range especially when portraying the first cop who responded to Matthew Jenkins attempted to hide her character's obvious distress with a wobbling voice pauses for gulps and sharp inhales and closing her eyes for brief moments to block out extra senses The show would've been incomplete without the work of compositional creativity whose punk rock power chords and low grunge guitar sounds introduced the audience to the world of the characters set the tone for the piece and smoothed over transitional moments The compositions were at once raw and solemn In a performance that was both haunting and hopeful Duke Ellington reminds us of our human obligations to each other To not "live and let live," but to acknowledge and accept Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Browse Departments & Services News Achievements collegedeansoffice@american.edu Battelle-Tompkins, Room 200 on a map Back to top This year’s College of Arts and Sciences commencement at American University will feature the inspiring voices of undergraduate student Taraji Ellington and PhD candidate Sidney Murray who have been selected as the student speakers for the Class of 2025 Representing the range and depth of the College of Arts and Sciences’ academic community—from environmental justice and global advocacy to neuroscience and mental health—Taraji and Sidney embody what it means to be an AU Eagle they will take the stage to share their stories with fellow graduates We chose to study not just to know but to understand—to understand people And in a world that is constantly changing this kind of understanding is not just important—it’s essential." Taraji is graduating with dual degrees in Environmental Science and Political Science with a focus on public policy Passionate about environmental justice and African affairs Taraji’s academic journey has been driven by a commitment to dismantling structural inequalities and advocating for marginalized communities which gave him an opportunity to explore his identity and expand his understanding of global environmental challenges Taraji believes in the power of communication to bridge cultural divides he is dedicated to community engagement and has actively participated in voter mobilization initiatives Taraji will be attending law school this fall to pursue a career in environmental law he wants to play a role in creating impactful policies that address the intersection of environmental sustainability and social equity With a passion for justice and a vision for change Taraji is ready to make a difference on a global scale We are not afraid of the cutting edge and yet pursue it with good will and art to heal and improve the world." Sidney Murray is a graduate of American University’s PhD program in Behavior, Cognition, and Neuroscience. For three years, she worked in Professor Kathleen Holton’s Nutritional Neuroscience Lab running a clinical trial for veterans with Gulf War Illness to test how a low-glutamate diet can reduce PTSD and affect related biomarkers including cortisol and electroencephalography (EEG) Sidney received her BA in Psychology from Wake Forest University her MA in Psychology from Appalachian State University and her MS in Neuroscience from American University For more information about the College of Arts and Sciences’ commencement ceremonies, visit American University’s official commencement website Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker The standard biographical approach in which the subject is born then died gets upended by Jack Chambers’s new Duke Ellington book it satisfies that promise by looking at the man in terms of his music Acknowledging Ellington’s own preference for terming much of what he did as “beyond category,” the book nevertheless proposes a number of categories that become lenses through which particular pieces of music are studied Chambers makes it a very accessible journey Take “Forty-Eight Years with the Duke on Trains.” It serves the dual purpose of acknowledging Ellington’s love of that mode of travel (his most frequent use of which “coincided with the golden age of rail travel in the United States,” as Chambers notes) and the many effective songs he wrote that captured an essence of rail travel “Take the ‘A’ Train,” was written by Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn but the Ellington-written catalogue includes the beginner effort “Choo Choo (Gotta Hurry Home),” from 1924 just after he arrived in New York; “Lightnin’” from 1932; “Happy-Go-Lucky Local” (1946); and the dazzling “Daybreak Express” (1932) the hoot of the whistle—no detail is missing for all its spot-on imitation of a vehicle in motion a complex of musical effects arranged with almost unimaginable precision on an exemplary bedrock of swing rhythm We are thus introduced to Ellington’s remarkable ability to capture natural and mechanized sounds using only the palette of his orchestra’s instruments and to invest those compositions with a simultaneous emotional weight Ellington’s romance with trains took on an aspect of necessity when he eventually relented about touring in the Deep South To avoid the humiliation of being denied rooms and meals he hired Pullman cars in which the band could travel and parked on a siding in each destination city “Echoes of Harlem,” the chapter which opens the book gets the necessary early biography out of the way even as it offers a look at the genesis of many of the numbers that would cement his fame such as “Black and Tan Fantasy” and “East St Louis Toodle-Oo,” but especially those intended to portray the exciting area of upper Manhattan in which he was living and working—“Jungle Nights in Harlem,” “Drop Me Off at Harlem,” and “Echoes of Harlem” among them Even after this area was no longer central to his life—or showing the creative spirit of its most formative decade—Ellington wrote nostalgic numbers like “Harlem Air Shaft” (1940) and “A Tone Parallel to Harlem” (1951) we’re treated to a look at Ellington’s creative process as it applied to emotionally laden places in his life a phenomenon we’ll revisit later in the book as Ellington’s peregrinations take him much further afield “The Lotus Eaters,” we have a singular departure specifically: Billy Strayhorn and Johnny Hodges and the remarkable symbiosis they developed The title comes from Strayhorn’s “Ballade for Very Tired and Very Sad Lotus Eaters,” which he recorded with Hodges in 1956 alongside an Ellington-free group of Ellingtonians Chambers lauds the cut as “a hitherto unheard impressionistic dream sequence in which Hodges’s incomparably sensuous alto saxophone glides over Strayhorn’s incomparably lush harmonies in a kind of late-night absinthe haze.” Chambers notes that the recording (of a song never to be re-visited by the artists involved) “is a showpiece an example of the magic that can and did occur in the Ellington orbit The bios of the two (quite temperamentally different) artists remind us of an inscrutable nature that they shared—both of them offering whatever essence they wished to share through their music “Warm Valley” kicked off this collaboration in 1940 especially as performed (twice!) at the famous Fargo concert “Day Dream” and “Passion Flower” furthered this showcase for Strayhorn via Hodges less-successful efforts until “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing” in 1947 and “Lotus Blossom,” developed from 1947 through 1956 The glum-looking Hodges was known for his sensuous tone; it can be conjectured that Hodges bottled it up in life and let it out only through music Ellington’s relationship with lyrics was uneven Those he wrote himself could come off as pretentious juvenalia; those affixed to his memorable tunes by lesser scribes invite us to ignore the cringeworthy moments But there’s no question that the best of his songs put them solidly in the Great American Songbook The chapter “Ellington’s Music with Words” includes a lengthy look at Ivie Anderson who made her name with “It Don’t Mean a Thing” in 1932 and went on to make a breathtaking recording of “I Got It Bad (and That Ain’t Good)”; she was succeeded by Joya Sherrill who put her stamp on “I’m Beginning to See the Light.” Chambers identifies “Solitude” as another Ellington classic although the vocal recording he prefers (with good reason) is by Billie Holiday Capping this chapter is a look at the collaboration between Ellington and Mahalia Jackson for the 1958 album “Come Sunday,” for which Jackson sang the title song with the band But Duke also persuaded her to record an almost-a cappella take with just a few chords from piano behind her an emotionally wrenching version that didn’t see the light until a 1999 CD reissue as fans of the 1927 “Creole Love Call” can attest Adelaide Hall provided the vocalise that’s since been regarded as essential to the haunting song and Kay Davis took up its challenge for a 1944 Carnegie Hall concert The chapter “Wordless Articulation” names other examples including an unexpected entry by Rosemary Clooney on the title song of her album “Blue Rose,” recorded with Ellington and His Orchestra in 1956 One of the missions of this book is to look at the less-celebrated aspects of Ellington’s career which unfortunately means just about anything he did beyond the 1940s as he developed into a more ambitious composer even while keeping his band going while others packed it in Chambers makes some references to the Ellington Medley that became a staple of his performances throughout the later years of his relentless touring speculating that Duke hung onto it as a kind of safe haven it was a shrewd move that brought in extra royalty payments in order to finance this expensive band.) “Accidental Suites: Duke Ellington’s Hollywood Scores” looks at Duke’s four film scores the most successful of which were written for “Anatomy of a Murder” and “Paris Blues”—reminding us that a movie had to be a success in order for the score to gain popularity “Ellington in the Global Village” examines the journeys that took Ellington to what he called “the other side of the world” in the 1960s Ten weeks in the near- and middle-east caused him to write “The look of the natural country is so unlike ours and the very contours of the earth seem to be different and the exotic beauty of all these countries make a great impression.” He put this impression into his “Far East Suite,” but far from borrowing eastern scales or trying to imitate those exotic sounds his 1966 trip to the Negro Arts Festival in Senegal and subsequent stops in the Orient inspired 1971’s “Afro-Eurasian Eclipse” and “Togo Brava Suite.” least-understood suite was probably 1957’s “Such Sweet Thunder,” inspired by visits to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and sending him and Strayhorn through the complete plays and sonnets of Shakespeare as well as ancillary material in order to craft a twelve-movement work celebrating the spirit of those works The chapter “Diamonds in a Glittering Heap” examines the work in enough detail to demonstrate that like the best works in the classical-music canon A shade of melancholy sets in over the book’s last two chapters Reluctantly” is the story of a 1970 commission for the American Ballet Theatre that Alvin Ailey would choreograph Ellington was on the road as compulsively as ever and tending to devote more time to the one-nighters than to the large-scale commissions he never could refuse “The River” became a frustrating deadline-buster existing in three different versions—solo piano and symphony orchestra—but the orchestral version has carried Ellington’s name into the classical-music halls where he deserves a presence “He wrote with the orchestra—the orchestra was his instrument,” said Ailey “He composed in the recording studio; his band was his Stradivarius.” Chambers believes that Ellington could have earned a solid perch among the composer greats had he not fragmented his schedule so much in later years and speculates that poor critical reception to some of Ellington’s earliest extended pieces (like “Reminiscing in Tempo” in 1935) planted seeds of discouragement commended elsewhere in this issue for the jazz recordings he produced for the Vanguard label resenting the fact that Duke saw no need to heed his intrusive suggestions and publishing bitchy attacks on the bandleader The book finishes with an imaginative construction of a formal concert featuring both orchestra and band featuring some of Ellington’s finest later works but I’m already sold on Duke’s immortal greatness and so So I’m finishing by going back to Chambers’s Chapter Three: “The Piano Player.” He lauds Ellington’s 1953 Capitol album “Piano Reflections,” and I couldn’t agree more Because I found a copy of it early in my Ellington-discovery period I wasn’t aware of how rarely Duke featured himself solo at the keyboard Chambers escorts us through an appreciation of those recordings which include “Piano in the Foreground,” recorded for Columbia in 1961 the unexpected “Money Jungle,” with Max Roach and Charlie Mingus Chambers suggests that when he was at the piano the otherwise elusive Ellington revealed more about his inner world than came through anywhere else And you need no more proof of that than to listen to the unplanned “Lotus Blossom,” captured during a memorial-album session for Billy Strayhorn in 1967 Nilsson is a freelance writer and actor who lives in rural New York His interest in vintage jazz long predates his marriage to a Paul Whiteman relative and greatly helped in winning her affections Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content In an age where the term "relevance" feels like the single dominant tenant of nearly all of us in the education community the significance of the work of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington continues to be felt by thousands of students worldwide Composing and arranging one of the most diverse bodies of work of any composer Ellington's music endures as the foundation for modern jazz and as a challenge for educators at all levels As the world celebrates the 126th birthday of our greatest composer we should mark the lessons Ellington's music teaches us Ellington's music was written for his unique group of musicians and he tailored each piece to their personal idiosyncrasies The luscious upper register of Harry Carney's baritone saxophone and the sinuous lyricism of Johnny Hodges were all considered when composing music They inspired Duke to the heights of creativity and his work exhibited the best of his genius—the ability to create a canvas of colors that allowed his collaborators to be the best version of themselves he was the greatest musical painter of our time The combination of colors in Mood Indigo from 1930—low register clarinet and muted high trombone—went against all convention and produced a revolution in the experimental nature of jazz composition the cyclical A-B-C-C-B-A form includes an otherworldly chorus of piano and bass call and response that predates bebop by half a decade and includes whole-tone scales and unheard of melodic bass played by 21-year-old Jimmy Blanton is a three-movement composed tome jazz poem tour de force of thematic development that utilizes a simple four-note motif as the basis for an 11-minute romp this piece is now being recognized as one of the greatest works for jazz orchestra the 10-bar modal melody harmonized in intervals of fourths is accompanied by a bass and drum groove that predates the "world music" movement by more than a decade Jazz at Lincoln Center has played a major role in spreading the gospel of Ellington we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our signature education program Essentially Ellington a high school jazz band program and national festival that has distributed nearly 400,000 copies of his music and played by over 1 million young people worldwide Decades of Essentially Ellington have taught us that this music offers valuable lessons that are "deeper than notes." Duke understood that the individuals in his band were greater as a unit and that sacrifice was required the impact of a group of like-minded people is more profound and more important than that of an individual To hear Ellington's band stomping through the opening of Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue or the sax soli of Cotton Tail is to experience a sublime understanding of the power of a group Compositions featuring his greatest soloists including Johnny Hodges and Paul Gonsalves are portraits of artists that became archetypes for jazz The freedom of expression that Ellington gave his musicians is nearly unprecedented from his own stride-based piano to the bebop influence of Clark Terry to Gonsalves' pre-Coltrane harmonic adventurousness—it's all there for one to experience and to make one's own and loss is an inevitable part of the human condition and Duke wrote the blues into everything he created His most sophisticated works incorporate the blues sometimes in their "Sunday Best." He teaches us that it's OK to feel and this music can help us get through some of life's toughest moments By using the blues in various forms—in rhythms and musical elements—Ellington established a personal philosophy of self or the ability to be oneself in all situations who may feel constantly bombarded to be something different than who they are to be themselves in any situation—and thrive Music education is in a challenging moment The increased pressure on educators and the cultural divides that saturate media continue to frighten And this has created a critical moment of inflection The music of Duke Ellington has the power of multi-generational relevance The lessons he taught the world nearly a century ago can still help us today All of us responsible for educating our young people can continue to unapologetically seek out the very best of our art and use the music of our greatest composer to elevate and challenge them for generations to come He serves as the vice president of education at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) in New York City which continues to afford him the opportunity to bring jazz education programs to people of all ages JALC has produced nearly 50,000 education events in the U.S and around the world and an online educational portal that has attracted over 30 million views The views expressed in this article are the writer's own Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that is factual and fair We value your input and encourage you to rate this article Newsletters in your inbox See all Jason Moran Unpacks Duke Ellington’s Greatness in a Single Song Watch as the pianist distills the “joyful tragedy” of “Black and Tan Fantasy” into a stirring solo piece By Hank Shteamer Video by Ariel Fisher and Tim Schutsky Share full article2929Jason Moran has spent the past year living with the music of Duke Ellington playing a series of concerts honoring the 125th anniversary of the great pianist a forward-thinking pianist with a deep historical grounding the experience has only deepened his appreciation for Ellington’s greatness “This music for me still feels so vital,” he said Moran took some time at the Apollo Theater — where he would perform a spellbinding Ellington-themed solo concert the following night — and reflected on what he called the “knotty nature” of Ellington’s works highlighting the way they lean into emotional complexity Moran broke down one of the staples of his tribute shows “Black and Tan Fantasy,” an early Ellington masterpiece written with the trumpeter Bubber Miley Ellington recorded “Black and Tan Fantasy” several times in 1927 with a small orchestra which he called “one of the great things to do — to reduce something down to its essence.” Replay with sound Moran’s solo version skillfully translates the rich group texture of the original to the keys His take on “Black and Tan Fantasy” shows how he both honors and expands on the works he interprets “A Joyful Tragedy” Ellington’s own “Black and Tan Fantasy” shows his ability to convey a wide range of moods in a brief span of time the composition evokes a feeling of what he called “joyful tragedy.” He likens the piece’s opening section to a funeral procession Replay with sound One of the most striking features of Moran’s interpretation is when he leans into the piano’s low register Ellington was “unafraid to make that instrument rumble.” Accordingly Then … A Celebration Moran relishes the way the mood of the piece lifts about halfway through when Ellington takes the lead with a whimsical piano theme brings to mind a dance “where you celebrate that person’s life.” Replay with sound Moran’s interpretation leans into the word “fantasy” in the title of the piece the feeling of tension that’s inherent in a work like “Black and Tan Fantasy” carries with it a lesson for the listener “wants us to have more than one side of ourselves.” “He’s able to take us to the darkness and to the light,” Moran added As he’s reckoned with Ellington’s music against the backdrop of what he described as a “weird” and unsettling time in history Moran said he has found solace in Ellington’s mingling of darkness and light: “I couldn’t ask for a better companion.” Share full article2929Produced by Tala Safie and Amanda Webster Additional audio production by Michael Beswetherick.Photos: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images; Lennart Steen/JP Jazz Archive via Getty Images; Franz Hubmann/Imagno/Getty Images There are no statistics available for this player Thanks for visiting We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse, you agree to saving BSO and third-party cookies on your device. See our privacy policy The summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra vocalistThe Duke Ellington Tribute SingersChristina DeVaughn ALL-ELLINGTON PROGRAMThree Black KingsNight CreatureSelection from the Sacred Concerts  This concert is performed without intermission Presented in association with Greater Roxbury Arts & Cultural Center and Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help We strongly urge all guests attending this concert to take public transportation to the venue The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a short walk from the Brigham Circle stop on the Green Line’s E branch nearby private lots and garages are available celebrates two Biblical kings and one then recently departed Ellington’s 1955 symphonic work Night Creature is a joyful group portrait of those who dance the night away Created in the last decade of Ellington's life his three Sacred Concerts programs brought together his lifelong engagement with his faith and his wide musical experience WKCR is thrilled to announce a special 24-hour broadcast on April 29th celebrating the 126th anniversary of the birth of Duke Ellington (1899-1974) we can continue to bring you innovative live-hosted radio Give Today board@wkcr.org Public File Band students from Dreyfoos School of the Arts will compete in the Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival May 7-11 Students from West Palm Beach’s Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts are headed to New York City to compete in the thirtieth annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival culminating in a final concert at the Metropolitan Opera House I have been incredibly fortunate to work with many outstanding students who are deeply committed to their group’s growth and collective success,” says band director Christopher M who is in his fifth year at Dreyfoos and fifth time as an Essentially Ellington finalist director “They share a strong sense of togetherness and a special bond that allows them to be both supportive and constructively critical of one another Building a strong jazz family and fostering a true musical community is at the heart of who we are as a band Being selected as one of just 30 groups [out of 127] from around the world is a testament to their dedication and further fuels their drive to be the best they can Last year’s Essentially Ellington experience was life-changing for our students and this year’s festival promises to be even more impactful.”  » SUBSCRIBE Tweets by pbillustrated Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions Search autocomplete is currently not responding the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to NC Hwy 47 the deputy observed a victim with signs of an assault  EMS responded to evaluate the victim... the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office is again offering a C.A.R.E Camp to homeschoolers and private school children at no cost Camp is for students in grades 2nd-4th and D.A.R.E the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Worthville Rd. at the request of NC Wildlife Resources Commission for an agency assist call for service.  Alejandro Guevara-Reyna was arrested and transported .. while assisting with a license checkpoint on Unity St. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office identified Justin Brent Moran who did not have an active driver’s license members of the Invictus Task Force initiated an investigation related to a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Earl David Rivers was identified as a suspect.&n.. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office initiated a traffic stop on Jordan Road in Ramseur and a pursuit began and continued into Moore County where the Moore County Sheriff's Office and NC Highway P.. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Olivers Chapel Rd. in reference to the discharge of a firearm into a dwelling and a vehicle deputies observed a vehicle with damage consistent .. 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Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Deputies conducted a traffic stop at Sealy Dr.   The driver was identified as Bryan Christopher Shell the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office received a report of potential child abuse that had taken place on US Highway 64 East the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop at Mendenhall Rd during the booking process of Michael Edward Henderson Detention Staff located an illegal substance in his possession  Charges were sought against Henderson Jr for Felony Possession Schedule IV Controlled Substance and .. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Pilot Mtn at the request of NC Probation and Parole for an agency assist call for service  During a routine search of the residence of Nathan David Je.. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Mill Pond Dr. deputies located Matthew Antonio Lampkins and Kenneth Wayne Linton a Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Deputy encountered a female subject who was visibly injured and wished to report an assault Deputies searched the area but were unable to locate the assailant The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Vice Narcotics Unit has concluded an investigation relating to the distribution of Fentanyl in Randolph County warrants for arrest were issued on Lesley Marie Ball and Chri.. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Electronic House Arrest (EHA) Officers conducted a compliance drug screening on Christian Jacob McDowell with the Adult Daily Reporting Center per the conditions set forth by Randolph Coun.. the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Electronic House Arrest (EHA) Officers were notified of a potential violation committed by Kelly Lamar Faircloth Kenneth Sean Gray was charged with (7) seven additional counts of second-degree exploitation of a minor  Further investigation found that Gray had received and was in possession of CSAM the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division received a referral from the Randolph County Department of Social Services regarding the welfare of a child the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Vice Narcotics Enforcement Team conducted a traffic stop near Archdale Rd  The driver was identified as Kenny Ardon.  the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on I-73 near McDowell Rd. The driver was identified as Jessica Suzanne Ellington who had an outstanding criminal summons.  The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender Registry Detective received information that registered sex offender Kirby Kennedy was no longer living at the address he had registered in Randolph County.  the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Archdale Rd.   The caller advised a passenger car was in the driveway and an unknown male subject was lying in the yard the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Union Church Rd. methamphetamine and paraphernalia were located.  The April meeting of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners included two retirement recognitions consideration of several contracts/agreements the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office responded to Earnhardt Rd. it was determined that no assault had taken place; just a verbal argument had oc.. Jason Brian Faircloth was identified as a suspect.&a.. 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Are you a parent of a student eager to explore a rewarding career in public service The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Community-Based Programs Division is excited to announce the 2025 Junior Sheriff’s Academy 2025 –The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office announces the launch of a new program for youth:  This program is designed to recognize school-aged children/youth within our community who are .. is a great time to talk with your family about staying safe online SNAPCHAT allows users to send photos and vides that disappear after they’re received In an effort to promote Randolph County as a great place to live county leaders have been working with “VIEWPOINT with Dennis Quaid” for the past several months to convey the charm of our community ***UPDATE***  The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office Launches Phase 2 of the Guardian Project -Vulnerable Population Registry to Enhance Their Safety and Support.The Randolph County Sheriff’s Office announces Phase 2 of the Guar.. Notify Me allows you to subscribe to an unlimited number of email lists. Receive email or text message updates regarding the information you have requested. Check out Notify Me today The Randolph County Register of Deeds officially began accepting passport applications on behalf of the U.S Hours will be 9 am to 3:30 pm daily (excluding Holidays) County AdministrationRandolph County Office Building 2nd Floor 725 McDowell Road Asheboro, North CarolinaDepartment Directory Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application peacefully passed away surrounded by family on January 24 IN to the late Reverend Ralph and Linnie Pearl Ellington (Gibson) Michael grew up with two brothers and eventually gained more as he dutifully served his country as a Seaman with the United States Navy from 1958-1963 He had four children and remained friends with their mother up until her passing Mike eventually met and married the love of his life Carol Jean Ellington (Lloyd) in the Spring of 1978 many nieces and nephews saw Michael as a type of father figure He worked as a stone setter for 34 years with Herff Jones Even after retirement many people would still reach out and reminisce with him Michael was also well known for his love of golf He could outdrive almost everyone and could easily win money at the course and even well into his 80’s preferred to walk and carry his golf bag Mike also loved to make golf clubs and enjoyed doing that as a hobby Faith had always been a foundation in Michael’s life Michael taught the word of Jesus Christ “officially” from July 1978-July 2001 The ending date on the card did not mean he stopped sharing the love and word of God though Michael was well known in many churches and participated in several missions’ trips He had a way about preaching the gospel even to others who did not share the same belief system He participated in choir and praised the Lord even up until his passing Michael knew and understood that his physical body would not last forever but that his spiritual one would live on forever in the house of the Lord it would be to celebrate the life he lived For he is with everlasting love and to go preach the word of God Brittany (David) Michelle; great granddaughter William Lloyd and Harold Lloyd and many other nieces and grandchildren from the Lloyd's and Ellington families.  brother Ralph Ellington (Norma); sister-in-law 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm at River of Life Church Memorial contributions can be made online to Dementia Society at https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInNASHVILLE (WSMV) - Concrete repairs will be closing two Ellington Parkway ramps this week according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation TDOT said the northbound on and off ramps of Ellington Pkwy at Trinity Lane will close Thursday Here are instructions on how to watch WSMV4 live on various platforms. both the southbound on and off ramps of Ellington Parkway at Trinity Lane will also close for concrete repairs The southbound ramp closures will last until 5 a.m Detour signs will be in place during both phases of repair TDOT said no traffic lanes on Trinity Lane will be affected by these closures and move over when traveling through a work zone The penalty for violating the law in Tennessee can be up to 30 days in jail and a maximum fine of up to $500,” TDOT said Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) is anticipated to post its Q1 2025 quarterly earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday Analysts expect Ellington Financial to post earnings of $0.38 per share and revenue of $107.06 million for the quarter Ellington Financial (NYSE:EFC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday The financial services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.07 The firm had revenue of $38.13 million during the quarter compared to the consensus estimate of $112.88 million Ellington Financial had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 106.40% analysts expect Ellington Financial to post $1 EPS for the current fiscal year and $2 EPS for the next fiscal year Shares of NYSE:EFC traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Monday 181,085 shares of the stock were exchanged The business's 50-day moving average price is $12.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $12.60 Ellington Financial has a 12 month low of $11.12 and a 12 month high of $14.40 The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.87 a quick ratio of 37.04 and a current ratio of 37.04 The stock has a market capitalization of $1.22 billion a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.89 and a beta of 1.57 The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.05% The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday Ellington Financial's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 113.04% EFC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports Riley upgraded Ellington Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday Bruyette & Woods increased their price target on Ellington Financial from $13.75 to $14.50 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Ellington Financial in a research note on Thursday Check Out Our Latest Report on EFC MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on.. and Ellington Financial wasn't on the list While Ellington Financial currently has a Buy rating among analysts top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys View The Five Stocks Here Explore Elon Musk’s boldest ventures yet—from AI and autonomy to space colonization—and find out how investors can ride the next wave of innovation Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools Ellington spent last season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Itawamba Community College CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Dan Ellington has joined the Illinois coaching staff as the program's assistant wide receivers coach, head coach Bret Bielema announced Friday Ellington spent last season as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Itawamba (Miss.) Community College after previously spending four seasons on the offensive staff at his alma mater "It is great to bring in another bright young coach who has experience coaching multiple positions and has been a coordinator at the junior college level," said Bielema "Coach Ellington comes highly recommended from around the coaching world "I'm extremely excited to join Coach Bielema's staff and the Illinois football program," said Ellington "I'm so thankful for the opportunity Coach Bielema has given me and I have seen nothing but greatness from him Big things are happening here in Champaign and I am honored to be a part of this program My fiancée Angela and I are very thrilled to be here!" Ellington helped Itawamba to a 6-3 record as the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2024 when Ellington was a standout player for ICC Ellington was the 2017 MACCC Player of the Year and a junior college All-American as a player at Itawamba before he finished his standout playing career at Georgia State Ellington helped Georgia State to some of its best seasons in program history when he was on the offensive staff from 2020-23 and a player from 2018-19 Georgia State won 25 games over Ellington's four-year stretch on staff including victories in the 2020 LendingTree Bowl He coached the team's running backs for his first two seasons from 2020-21 before transitioning to tight ends coach from 2022-23 Ellington coached three All-Sun Belt Conference running backs who each gained over 750 yards his All-Sun Belt backs Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams combined for more than 1,800 yards rushing as the Panthers ranked No 8 in FBS in rushing with 226.4 yards per game Gregg (953 yards) and Williams (859) produced GSU's second and third-highest season totals and Williams set a school record with 6.7 yards per carry Ellington was part of an offensive staff that led Georgia State to a school-record scoring average of 33.3 points along with nearly 200 rushing yards per game Ellington was named to the Panthers' staff in May 2020 after completing his playing career as the Panthers' starting quarterback for two seasons from 2018-19 A two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection as a dual-threat quarterback Ellington set numerous program records and milestones He finished with Georgia State's highest career completion percentage (62.0%) while ranking second all-time with 34 touchdowns passes He ranks third in program history in nearly every other major passing category including 4,566 career yards passing on 401 career completions with just 13 interceptions He also finished fourth on the Georgia State career rushing list with 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns during his career Ellington passed for 2,447 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for 668 yards and six scores to lead Georgia State to seven victories and a bowl berth He authored one of the signature moments in Georgia State sports history when he led the Panthers to their season-opening 38-30 victory at Tennessee in 2019 with 200 yards of total offense Ellington was known as a tremendous leader who displayed remarkable selflessness and grit He played the final four games of his Georgia State career with a torn ACL in his right knee Ellington starred at Center Hill High School He graduated from Georgia State University with a degree in education in 2020 There are currently no upcoming BIG+ streams Thanks for visiting (The story was updated to add new information.) Jimmy Ellington, the longtime owner of Hampstead skateboarding destination The Skate Barn, which had closed abruptly Feb. 13 who had been battling cancer for nearly five years But his face and name never stopped being associated with the business that became a local institution and a home away from home for two generations of skateboarders "Jimmy created an environment of inclusivity regardless of skating ability or even your belief system," said James "Sonny" Russell a former Skate Barn employee and a longtime member of Wilmington's music scene Ellington especially encouraged younger skaters and taught countless kids how to "drop in" on a ramp instilling life lessons in a beautiful way." the Skate Barn "was the cheapest daycare in town Moms would drop their kids off with $10 and let them skate all day (Ellington) would go out and say hi to everyone throw down his board and make a run and go back to work." The Skate Barn: Legendary Hampstead skateboarding facility closes abruptly after nearly three decades a former competitive body boarder who bought the Skate Barn previously known as Middle School skate park running the Pender County hub was a labor of love 'This is going to be a business for 20 years and it's about profits,'" Ellington said in a 2018 YouTube video Ellington's uncle was famed NASCAR driver and team owner Charles Everett "Hoss" Ellington who used to work on cars on the property that later became the Skate Barn "My main motivation is to keep this thing going so kids have a positive place to come," Jimmy Ellington told the StarNews in 2005 "The gratification of seeing kids grow up and knowing you had an effect on their lives is just a great feeling A former frontman of costume-wearing Wilmington punk rock act The Stuntdoubles Ellington was big into music and often brought in bands Members of Wilmington sludge metal act Weedeater lived in a house next to the Skate Barn circa 2000 and would sometimes play impromptu shows there, and Russell's band with Charles Smith, Reason to Ignite, got its start there as well, as did younger Wilmington acts including Narah the vibe (at the Skate Barn) definitely changed "Jimmy Ellington was an example of the grace of God "But he had the punk rock spirit of a full-on Christian." In a world where some people think "you need to look a certain way or dress a certain way" to be a Christian "His faith was an authentic faith that's so needed today He gave so many kids a reprieve from a bad home According to former Skate Barn employee Charles Smith Ellington had a full-time job working for his family's company for most if not all of the time he ran the Skate Barn Ellington also opened a since-closed chain of surf and skate shops called Doublewide that was tied to the Skate Barn "He couldn't survive off just the skate park being open," Smith said If a kid didn't have money (for park admission) he was like Russell said that during his time working at the Skate Barn which included helping run skate camps for kids during the summer but there were probably years we broke even," he said At one time the Skate Barn was the only skate park in the area Even so, said Dean Grey, a former bandmate of Ellington's in The Stuntdoubles who also helped organize an ongoing GoFundMe to offset costs of his friend's cancer treatments Ellington played fundraisers for the skate park at Greenfield Lake despite knowing it would compete with The Skate Barn "He was so involved with the skate community that it didn't matter to him," Grey said calling Ellington "a local legend" who was "a pillar of the community." Ellington sold the Skate Barn to Wes Corder about a year ago to focus on his fight against cancer and Russell asked that people upset over the recent closure of the business give Corder some grace Business had been very slow at the Skate Barn since the pandemic and especially in recent months Information on funeral services wasn't immediately available, but Russell said the Good News Sk8 Night ministry he runs with help from others is having what will be the final event at the Skate Barn 6-9 p.m The event was actually set up before Ellington's passing but will now amount to a final send-off for the man who created the Skate Barn and the culture around it Russell added that he will say a few words before giving people one last chance to skate the Barn "It will be to celebrate skateboarding and Jimmy," Russell said "This one's going to be one for the books." KY -- Murray State senior forward Nick Ellington became the latest Racer to enter his name into the transfer portal on Monday afternoon has started 62 games with the Racers over the last two years since transferring in from Eastern Illinois He will have one year of eligibility remaining to play college basketball This past season Ellington saw his production drop just a bit averaging 9.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg in 30 starts His most production game during his junior season with Murray State He also shot nearly 60% from the floor that season Ellington is the third Murray State player to enter into the transfer portal since the season ended and Steve Prohm was removed as head coach KyeRon Lindsey and Chaing Ring entered the portal earlier this month New Murray State head coach Ryan Miller said he planned on meeting with each member of the team in the days following his introductory press conference last Thursday Each year, the top high school jazz bands from around the country are invited to compete at Essentially Ellington at New York's Lincoln Center The Seattle area is known for making a strong showing over the years a reputation further cemented by the number of bands that qualified for the 30th edition of the competition and festival to compete in the finals and extended the competition from three to five days The competition will include international high schools for the first time too "So many great musicians have come through the program and many of them have had a profound impact on the scene,” said Wynton Marsalis Jazz at Lincoln Center managing and artistic director Essentially Ellington is the apex of their high school jazz band career It's an exciting trip across the country with their ensemble; it's a goal to work towards; and "The music performed on stage is difficult, so the pressure can create an environment similar to playing in a competitive sports setting," wrote two Garfield High School students, Peter Strickland and Gianni Maisano-Torres, in an article for KNKX last year "The kids who play at this festival are skilled and work incredibly hard." Learn more what it takes to practice, prepare and perform at Essentially Ellington from KNKX's 2024 series Behind-the-scenes with Garfield Jazz. And check out KNKX's School of Jazz performances for sessions with these student jazz bands from around Western Washington Priscilla Ellington joins Business Insider as Vice President of BI Live, the company's new live events business that brings its award-winning journalism to global audiences through interactive event formats Business Insider will hire an Editorial Director to co-lead BI Live alongside Ellington interactive events that showcase the best of Business Insider's reporting across our core coverage in business and industry leaders will come together to have meaningful discussions "The launch of BI Live marks a milestone for Business Insider. Over a year ago, we returned to Business Insider we are positioned perfectly to create a unique live events business that sets us apart from the rest," says Business Insider Chief Revenue Officer "BI Live will bring our award-winning journalism to partners on a global scale and we are thrilled to debut BI Live at Cannes Lions Festival this year." "There's never been a more opportune time to build a live events business that truly stands out Business Insider is known for bold storytelling and innovation making it the perfect place to build a thriving events business BI Live is set to disrupt the saturated events market I look forward to shaking things up and building a high quality deeply engaging portfolio that delivers results for Business Insider partners," says Ellington Priscilla has a deep passion for bringing journalism to life through live experiences Prior to Business Insider Priscilla led groundbreaking initiatives at Bloomberg Live Experiences and The Wall Street Journal Barron's Group conference business BI Live's debut coincides with a major moment on the global marketing calendar: the 2025 Cannes Lions Festival in June where Business Insider will host its flagship CMO Insider breakfast — a high-impact gathering that brings together marketing's most influential voices for intimate WFIU Public Radio WTIU Public Television Across the arc of his spectacular 20th-century career Duke Ellington was a pianist At the beginning of the 1950s his Mercer Records imprint released a fascinating array of recordings that have remained relatively obscure and that marked Ellington’s formal return to the small-group format after a decade-long pause. On this episode of Night Lights we’ll hear piano duets by Ellington and writing partner Billy Strayhorn Strayhorn-led dates featuring saxophonist Johnny Hodges and other Ellingtonians and notable sides recorded by saxophonist Coleman Hawkins Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn barreling away on two pianos with “Great Times,” recorded for Ellington’s Mercer label in 1950.  Strayhorn before that leading an Ellingtonian small group on another Mercer label date doing “Britt and Butter Blues.” then subsiding into silence as their leader bears his grief through the compositional pathway left behind by Strayhorn has become a powerful and iconic moment in the Ellington discography that also elevated the stature of Strayhorn’s piece I had long thought that that 1967 album marked “Lotus Blossom’s” first appearance on record.* (see note from Ellington scholar Steven Lasker at the bottom of this post.) But Ellington saxophonist Johnny Hodges had recorded the tune 20 years prior short-lived record label owned by Ellington himself called Sunrise and which eventually morphed into the Ellington-underwritten label Mercer Records who along with jazz critic Leonard Feather managed and promoted the label Mercer Records is a fascinating chapter in Ellington’s career yet another example of a 20th-century Black jazz artist pursuing what decades later would come to be down as the “DIY” or Do It Yourself movement in which musicians founded their own record labels to give them more commercial and creative control of their music On this edition of Night Lights I’ll be exploring the output and story of Ellington’s venture into this realm which yielded a treasure trove of musical riches featuring pianist and writing partner Billy Strayhorn as well as other musicians in the Ellington orbit little-known 1947 debut of “Lotus Blossom,” then called “Charlotte Russe,” on Night Lights: Saxophonist Johnny Hodges and the first-ever recording of Billy Strayhorn’s composition “Lotus Blossom,” originally titled “Charlotte Russe,” made for Duke Ellington’s short-lived 1947 Sunrise record label and subsequently included on a 1950 Mercer Records 10-inch LP The Sunrise label was not the only precedent for Ellington’s interest in developing more business control over his music In 1940 Ellington founded his own music-publishing company that marked Ellington’s most significant venture into what is now called “DIY,” artists attempting to empower themselves and their work through increased ownership of the means of musical production and distribution Among the highlights of the small but notable Mercer discography are recordings made by Billy Strayhorn-led small groups an array of duets featuring Strayhorn and Ellington on two pianos the last glimpses of singer Al Hibbler in an Ellingtonian setting and some sides from bassist and cellist Oscar Pettiford who had held the bass chair in the Ellington orchestra for several years during the mid-1940s While playing with the Woody Herman big band in 1949 Pettiford had broken his arm and a lengthy rehabilitation process temporarily prevented him from continuing on the instrument and in 1950 made his debut with it on Ellington’s Mercer label producing what are among the earliest jazz cello recordings beginning with a track that adds Billy Strayhorn to the mix on celeste—Oscar Pettiford and “Oscarlypso,” on Night Lights: Oscar Pettiford performing Juan Tizol’s “Perdido,” with Pettiford on cello recorded for Ellington’s Mercer label in September of 1950 Pettiford before that doing his composition “Oscalypso” with the same group also recorded for Mercer Records in Sept 1950.          One of the most interesting Mercer recordings is an Ellington-led small-group date that includes two young artists from the late-1940s bebop movement—drummer Max Roach and trumpeter Red Rodney The tune “New Piano Roll Blues” was played by Ellington on what’s called prepared-piano when small objects are placed on the strings or hammers of the piano to alter the instrument’s sound Some listeners find that the resulting recording presciently evokes the legendary Money Jungle album that Ellington would record with Roach and bassist Charles Mingus more than ten years later and writer and musician Allen Lowe cites it in his jazz history That Devilin’ Tune as Ellington’s appreciative nod to the bebop school praising the pianist’s adaptation to Roach’s “playing (that) was like a metallic maze of straight cymbal time and broken-field accents…  together they showed how irrelevant specific ‘schools’ of jazz playing could be meeting not on some stylistically nebulous middle ground but on the common ground of inspired improvisation.” In this set we’ll also hear the first of several Duke Ellington-Billy Strayhorn duets that were recorded for the Mercer label—a blazing revisitation of Ellington’s 1940 “Cottontail” showcase for saxophonist Ben Webster.  First and “The New Piano Roll Blues,” on Night Lights: Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn on two pianos doing Ellington’s “Cottontail” for Mercer Records in 1950 Ellington before that on prepared piano performing the modernistic “The New Piano Roll Blues,” joined by some Ellingtonians plus young beboppers drummer Max Roach and trumpeter Red Rodney Something else notable about Ellington’s Mercer Records era—it marked the resumption after a decade-long pause of Ellington and others in the band making small-group dates under the Ellingtonian umbrella in addition to full-orchestra recordings When Ellington’s then-manager Irving Mills established the Master and Variety labels in 1936s it sparked a run of recordings by Ellington-related small groups that lasted into the beginning of the 1940s That activity largely ceased throughout the 1940s (though there are excellent scattered dates by Ellingtonians across the Keynote in addition to the records that Hodges cut for Mercer's predecessor Sunrise) he was already under contract to Columbia and forbidden from recording under the moniker of the Ellington big band on any other label the records made for Mercer returned the Ellingtonians more frequently to a small-group setting with “Night Walk,” on Night Lights: performing Cat Anderson’s “Night Walk,” featuring Anderson on trumpet recorded for Duke Ellington’s Mercer label in 1951 Mercer’s output included musicians outside of the Ellington orbit as well but nearly all of the sessions were led or rostered by Ellington-associated artists At the heart of the label's discography are eight piano duets featuring Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn Although Ellington and Strayhorn reportedly had a penchant for sometimes performing two-piano duets the two in this format had only been recorded once for Strayhorn’s composition “Tonk” at a 1946 Victor session For Mercer they made what proved to be an album’s worth melding together so seamlessly that Strayhorn himself later confessed “I really have to sit down at a keyboard and play it out for myself to know for sure who is playing.” Duke Ellington The dynamic duo of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn in double-piano action performing Strayhorn’s composition “Johnny Come Lately,” and “Tonk” before that both recorded for Duke Ellington’s Mercer record label in November of 1950 Our next set of Mercer Records selections features “She,” a tune written by drummer Louis Bellson and trombonist Juan Tizol who joined the Ellington orchestra in 1951 along with saxophonist Willie Smith All three had been members of Harry James’ popular orchestra and Ellington’s luring away of them came to be known as “the Great James Robbery.” Ellington made his move after longstanding Ellingtonians Johnny Hodges Lawrence Brown and Sonny Greer all parted ways with their leader Once again we’ll hear Ellington musicians directed by Billy Strayhorn in the small-group format a musical context that Ellington had largely abandoned after a strong run of such recordings between 1936 and 1941 We’ll also hear an extended solo on a piece titled “The Happening”  by the band’s then-new tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves who in just a few years would make jazz history with his 27-chorous tour de force at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival the Coronets and “She,” on Night Lights: “The Happening,” written by and featuring then-new-to-the-ranks tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves recorded by the Coronets led by pianist Billy Strayhorn in April 1951 for Duke Ellington’s Mercer label from the same date we heard the Coronets performing newly-minted Ellingtonians drummer Louis Bellson and trombonist Juan Tizol’s “She.” Singer Al Hibbler was an Ellington veteran when he made his recordings for Ellington’s Mercer label in 1950 and 1951 a baritone who’d been blind since birth had joined the orchestra in 1943 and would leave around the time of his final sessions for Mercer soulful delivery worked especially well in slow and medium-tempo contexts for the Ellington orchestra and he occupies pride of place as a male singer in the Ellington discography.  After his departure from the band’s orbit he scored some hits with Decca and became a civil-rights activist One of his last albums was a 1972 pairing with fellow blind artist and multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.  We’ll hear two of the recordings that Hibbler made for Mercer showcasing him on songs that are now considered American songbook classics.  At least I think I can say that with confidence about this one—Al Hibbler in 1950 with a Billy Strayhorn-led group that included non-Ellington jazz notables Benny Carter on alto sax and Dave Barbour on guitar doing “Stardust,” on Night Lights: Al Hibbler performing “Summertime,” recorded for Duke Ellington’s Mercer record label in the summer of 1951 backed by a small group of Ellingtonians including pianist Billy Strayhorn… and Hibbler before that in 1950 doing “Stardust” for the Mercer label as well accompanied by another Strayhorn-directed combo including alto saxophonist Benny Carter with Mercer Ellington suspending recording activities by 1952 writing decades later in the Ellington memoir Music Is My Mistress that he was acting at the behest of his father after the operation finally broke even Mercer partner and jazz writer Leonard Feather later cited the label’s rocky timing as the record market began to shift from 78s to LPs for its failure to take off outside of an Al Hibbler waxing of “White Christmas” and one of the Ellington-Oscar Pettiford sides that have been noted as having made any kind of impact in the marketplace In 1957 Billboard reported the sale of Mercer's catalogue to Coral Records Although the label’s masters had been  destroyed in a fire much of the Ellington-related material was eventually reissued in the CD era scattered across several individual releases In his book Duke Ellington’s America Harvey G Cohen notes Mercer’s low sales and writes that “The effort failed financially but artistically and in terms of promotion The story of Mercer Records provides another example of how Ellington and his associates developed creative and aggressive ways to keep his name before the public refusing to be relegated to the periphery of the rapidly shifting music business that claimed so many of his peers.”  The story of Mercer Records also includes some of the most interesting small-group recordings in the Ellington discography We’ll hear a real Mercer Records obscurity in this last set—a 1949 recording that saxophonist Coleman Hawkins made of Duke Ellington’s standard “Sophisticated Lady" in Paris the Coronets performing a tune described by Ellington scholar Eddie Lambert as “Strayhorn exotica”--“Swamp Drum,” on Night Lights: Nick Rossi,the late Phil Schaap,the Duke Ellington Society Facebook group Duke Ellington, Music Is My Mistress Harvey G. Cohen, Duke Ellington's America (Night Lights review: He, Too, Was America: Duke Ellington's Sepia Panorama) Eddie Lambert, Duke Ellington: A Listener's Guide Duke Ellington, On Mercer: Great Times (a new single-CD collection of the Mercer catalogue) Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn, Piano Duets: Great Times Johnny Hodges/Duke Ellington All Stars/Billy Strayhorn All Stars, Caravan Al Hibbler, 1950-1952 Listen to the late Phil Schaap's 2018 Ellington birthday tribute broadcast which delves into Ellington's attempts to gain more control of his music throughout his career including the establishing of Mercer Records in 1950 one of the world's foremost Ellington scholars and several others pointed me to several discographical appearances of "Lotus Blossom" between Hodges' 1947 Mercer version (then called "Charlotte Russe," and initally copyrighted by Strayhorn as "Hominy," according to Strayhorn scholar Walter van de Leur) and Ellington's 1967 revisitation for ...And His Mother Called Him Bill though none of them were released at the time In response to my query about the origins of "Lotus Blossom," Lasker writes:  Charlotte Russe was recorded in Detroit in late October 1947 I believe this was the only recording of the piece under this title It was issued in France on Jazz Selection JS 645 (78 rpm) with composer's credit to "B released in 1950 or 1951 on Mercer LP 1000 ("mercer records proudly presents johnny hodges and his orchestra") The earliest recording of the title Lotus Blossom was made in NY for Verve on April 7 and was first released in 1979 on Verve VE-2-2532 (Johnny Hodges But despite the composer's credit to Strayhorn the melody doesn't resemble Charlotte Russe to my ears: Note that while Charlotte Russe is in 4/4 in its original recording Ellington played it in 3/4 as Lotus Blossom One supposes that Ellington was behind the change in time signature but this isn't mentioned either in Stanley Dance's notes to "A Smooth One," or in John Clement's notes to the Mosaic set "The Complete Verve Johnny Hodges Small Group Sessions 1956-61 Ellington first recorded Lotus Blossom at Radio Recorders in Hollywood on March 2 Ellington is joined by Aaron Bell and Sam Woodyard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpkac71mO5E (It's in print as a bonus track on the CD of Piano in the Foreground.) The same trio recorded the piece at a concert held Jan https://www.maison-du-duke.com/c7j8vr2v58/fichiers/CD_Fiche_MDD001.pdf The first solo version of Lotus Blossom was recorded by Duke in Copenhagen on Jan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKVOytNRAx4 Musician and Ellington scholar Nick Rossi concurs with Lasker about the 1959 recording by Hodges titled "Lotus Blossom" not being the same composition: I very much agree that the title recorded by Hodges in April 1959 and first issued in 1979 by Verve as Lotus Blossom is very much dissimilar to the titles you mention below I will go a step further and say that it is a different tune entirely The online version of the Lord Jazz Discography appears to have corrected this and currently lists it as Untitled Original.  Even without transcribing the compositions at least) is whether or not this tune crops up elsewhere in the Hodges discography I cannot recall hearing it anywhere else.  Some of Strayhorn's other food titles: Tapioca; Clementine (named after the citrus fruit); Brown Betty; Pomegranate Night Lights is a weekly one-hour radio program of classic jazz hosted by David Brent Johnson, and produced by WFIU Public Radio. Learn More » David Brent Johnson hosts two of WFIU's long-running jazz programs, Night Lights and Just You & Me. Learn more » Indiana Public Media is the home of WFIU Public Radio WTIU Public Television, including your favorite programming from NPR and PBS. Learn More © 2025, The Trustees of Indiana University • Copyright Complaints she was the daughter of the late McFee and Loree West Baker Rosalee was a dedicated member of the Laurel Hill Baptist Church where she drew strength and community throughout her life her true passion was found in cooking and caring for her family Her meals were more than sustenance; they were expressions of her love and devotion bringing everyone together around her table She is survived by her brother Hal Baker Sr and her niece Melissa Lancaster and husband Russell as well as niece Vanessa Mitchell and husband Roger Rosalee also leaves behind her sister-in-law Ann Baker and her great-nieces Katie Baker along with her great-nephews Nathan Baker and Mitchell Loftis Rosalee is preceded in death by her beloved husband Charles Ellington A private family graveside will be held at a later date at Laurel Hill Baptist Church Cemetery will forever be remembered by all who had the privilege to know her She will be deeply missed but fondly remembered for her contributions to her family and community Navigate every nook and cranny in DC’s oldest Get the scoop on what's happening in Georgetown Learn more about the organization that enhances Georgetown’s commercial district Duke Ellington School of the Arts (DESA) is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Saturday a showcase of all eight arts departments featuring student performances The event will be hosted by DESA alumni and actor Lamman Rucker and proceeds will benefit current students by funding master classes from highly regarded artists travel opportunities to learn from major production houses/exhibitions and procurement of industry-standard equipment The school is a five-minute walk from Wisconsin Avenue so grab an early dinner before the main event but there are dozens’ more restaurants within walking distance Get the weekly scoop on sales & events in Georgetown Pfc. Willie Ellington who was assigned to Marine Aviation Training Support Group-23 (MATSG-23) was initially arrested in December 2024 for allegedly killing Tshey Bennett at a Sweet Dream Inn and dumping her body across state lines in Alabama During the arrest, law enforcement discovered videos on his phone depicting the sexual abuse of girls ranging in age from 11 to 16 years old. He was then arrested on 35 felony charges related to the child sex abuse material he is officially only charged with five felony counts related to the abuse material The Office of the State Attorney officially filed their information Feb taking no action on the 35 counts and instead charging the Marine with four counts of possessing material that includes sexual conduct by a child and one count of using a two-way device to facilitate a felony According to court records, all five of Ellington's charges are third-degree felonies punishable up to five years in prison for each count That potential prison time excluded his murder charge Ellington's attorney James Burns filed a plea of not guilty on his behalf Ellington's next court date is scheduled for March 18 Willie Ellington?Willie Ellington is a private first class in the U.S Jacoby Getty from the branch's Training and Education Command The Marine Corps told the News Journal that Ellington was assigned to Marine Aviation Training Support Group-23 (MATSG-23) MATSG-23 specializes in training Marines in aviation explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) and combatant dive communities Getty told the News Journal that "training command is aware of the ongoing investigation and is committed to working closely with local authorities to support their efforts." Ellington is also charged with first-degree premeditated murder for Bennett's death a first-degree premeditated murder charge is a capital felony punishable by a minimum of life in prison without the possibility of parole Ellington has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge who worked worked at strip clubs and as a traveling escort had met Ellington at the Sweet Dream Inn in Escambia County investigators believe Ellington paid for Bennett's services and they met at the Sweet Dreams Inn on Plantation Road where he "murder(ed) Bennett in her hotel room #130." Investigators discovered that Ellington allegedly used Turo a vehicle rental service that allows owners to rent out their cars to others investigators found he "was seen coming and going to Mobile and was found at a local gas station for a short period of time." "investigators located Bennett deceased in a small body of water in a wooded area." he told them "he would not talk to them so that his phone would not get taken." "After the statement provided by Ellington his phone was then seized," an arrest report said "After Investigator Andre provided some information on the case such as advising that there was a missing person reported and his rental vehicle was found parked in front of the missing persons hotel room at the time she went missing they uncovered possibly incriminating Google searches "Ellington was also making Google searches such as 'What state is a corpse in after 2 days,' on Dec 'Can a murderer be convicted without a body,' on Dec "Searches also included Ellington searching 'How many prostitutes murders go unsolved,' on Dec Ellington's cell phone also showed he purchased a 36-inch rolling duffle bag from the Navy exchange 55 minutes before he met Bennett at Sweet Dreams Inn buzzer-beating ‘Run to the Sun’ fell one game short The No. 4 Wolverines were upended by top-seeded Ellington in the CIAC Division IV boys basketball state tournament semifinals Tuesday night before a sold-out crowd at Xavier High School in Middletown Griswold, which raised an Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament championship banner two weeks ago “If you win 20 games and get to the state semifinals a lot of coaches would take that,” Griswold coach Rob Mileski said Unbeaten Ellington (26-0) advanced to meet No 23 Sheehan for the state championship on Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Arena “We don’t think about being undefeated,” Knights coach Robert Freitas said “We just think about what our next game is We came out tonight and executed and played some defense Ellington sophomore forward Jack Curtis poured in a game-high 32 points while freshman guard Reese Nicol scored 17 points and senior forward Andrew Flickenschild added 14 points who were the champions of the North Central Connecticut Conference “We were trying to push them off the 3-point line and they scored some points in the paint,” Freitas said “Number 11 (Kaiden Kazlauskas) is very quick and athletic so we made a switch and put Andrew (Flickenschild) on him who is a little bit more stronger guy Ellington blitzed Griswold with an 11-1 run late in the third quarter and led 61-43 after three Griswold juniors Kaiden Kazlauskas and Kolby Mills each finished with 13 points “We lived and died by the three and tonight it didn’t go down for us,” Mileski said Griswold reached the semifinal round with stirring victories over Tolland and Rockville More: Griswold's Matheson reaches 1,000 career point milestone You’re not 26-0 by accident,” Mileski said