Duke Jazz Ensemble
This article traces the history of the Duke Jazz Ensemble. Jazz at Duke University began in the late 1920's when musical director, Jelly Leftwich formed a jazz band[1]. Leftwich's inspiration led to the formation of numerous talented student-run bands. Many of these band leaders became national stars, such as Johnny Long, Nick Laney and Les Brown, who brought singers Doris Day[2] and Tony Bennett to national stardom[3]. One popular student group was Sonny Burke and the Duke Ambassadors that ran from 1934-1964 [4]. By 1964, the student directors could no longer take on the burden of running the Ambassadors and the group went on a hiatus for five years.
In 1969, Prof. Paul Bryan provided faculty support and student John Howell reactivated Duke’s big band tradition by forming the student-run jazz band known as the Duke Stage Band. The band was renamed the Duke Jazz Ensemble. Bruce Klitzman led the band from 1971-2 until May, 1974. Under Klitzman's leadership, the Duke Jazz Ensemble was very popular on campus. They performed at many student gatherings each semester, including in Duke Gardens, on the main quad, and in Indoor Stadium (named Cameron Indoor Stadium in 1974) at halftime at many Duke Basketball games. Attendance was always high, admission was always free, and the group was much loved by the student body[5]. Bill Sando and Steve Goldsmith led the group in 1974-5. While director, Klitzman encouraged increased Music Department support and appreciation for the rich jazz heritage at Duke. Jesse Holton, a local High School Band Director, was invited to be guest conductor for a few concerts from 1973-4.
In late 1974, the music department decided that jazz should be fully embraced as a musical form and saxophonist-educator Jerry Coker was recruited from Miami. Coker's arrival marked the transition from the student led Jazz Ensemble to jazz groups led by professional musician-educators at Duke. The Duke Jazz Ensemble has been led by faculty directors including Jerry Coker (1974-1975), Willie Ruff/Dan Bonsanti (1975-6), Mary Lou Williams (1977-1981), Paul Jeffrey (1982-2003), and John Brown (2003-present).
References[edit]
- ↑ LP liner notes. “Duke’s 50 Year Tradition of Big Bands,” prod. Sonny Burke, 1976.
- ↑ http://www.dorisday.com/about
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Brown_%28bandleader%29
- ↑ http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/030404/signature-swing1.html
- ↑ http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/030404/signature-swing1.html
^ LP liner notes. “Duke’s 50 Year Tradition of Big Bands,” prod. Sonny Burke, 1976.
^ http://www.bandofrenown.com/
^ http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/030404/signature-swing1.html
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