Duke Ellington meets the Queen

I felt it was time to share with you the story behind how the legend Duke Ellington met with the Queen and was then inspired to write The Queen's Suite.

The following extract is taken from Peter's dissertation.

The Leeds Music Festival was a triennial event begun in 1858 to celebrate the opening of the Leeds Town Hall. Queen Victoria was guest of honour and it was proposed that a music festival be organised to mark the event.

George Lacelles, The Earl of Harwood and cousin of Queen Elizabeth II, became the musical director of the Leeds Music Festival in 1958 and wanted to make the centenary a grand royal affair. Once he had confirmation that the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh would join in the celebrations he set about programming for the event.

Lord Harewood was a keen jazz fan and wanted the programme to reflect the music of the times. It was his brother, the music critic Gerald Lascelles, who first suggested the Duke Ellington orchestra, and once they had agreed Lord Harewood set about booking the band.

To mark the end of the Centenary of the Leeds Music Festival the Mayor of Leeds had organised a gala reception on the 18th October 1958. The Queen and Prince Philip were to be guests of honour. The royal party had arrived in Leeds on the 17th October and after performing royal duties, arrangements had been made for them to attend some of the concerts at the festival.

The Duke Ellington Orchestra had two shows scheduled on 18th October 1958 at the Odeon Theatre in the city centre. There were two performances scheduled at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

The Queen was not able to attend the performances, however, Prince Philip, accompanied by British composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), attended the afternoon performance. The Prince arrived late to the performance unannounced in order to keep a low profile.

Later that evening Duke Ellington was invited to join other distinguished performers and composers who featured in the festival, to the mayor’s reception at Leeds Civic Hall.

Ellington arrived in a limousine dressed in white tie and tails and showered the waiting crowds outside the hall with kisses.

After a round of speeches, the group invited to meet the royal party were assembled in a line. Ellington was at the end of the line and the Queen spoke at length with him. Duke wrote about being presented to this royal party:

"The tension in one respect was while waiting in the entrance. You are astonished by the applause and then struck speechless by the grace of the beautiful Queen, followed by HRM Prince Philip, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Harewood, and the Hon. Gerald Lascelles. H.M’s (Her Majesty’s) general tone reflects the contentment of a normally happy married life, in contradiction of all the rumors and accounts of monarchs, which restores your faith in people as people. A handsome couple with careers. Two young people trying to get along.

Then when it happens, and you are presented by Lord Harewood, H.M. with an air of understanding calms your tuned up nerves, your knees stop knocking and your feeling of insecurity is gone, and you say to yourself “So it was not necessary to take that tranquilizer after all”. Then I think of all the things I should have said, if I could only have gotten my feet on the ground.

Duke Ellington spoke with the Queen for a few minutes and then with Prince Philip. She had expressed her disappointment in not being able to attend the concert but she told Ellington that Prince Philip had enjoyed seeing the performance. Ellington’s reply would sow the seed for what would become ‘The Queen’s Suite’.

She was great. She told me she was sorry she couldn’t see the concert herself. I told her that meeting her made me feel tremendously inspired, and I must write something to mark the occasion. I haven’t got anything down but I’m sure it will come. He (Prince Philip) was most complementary. He told me his only disappointment was that he had missed ‘Take the A train’. He said it was his favourite number.

In a 1961 interview Ellington is directly links the meeting with the Queen to the conception of ‘The Queen’s Suite.’ "I told her that she [Queen Elizabeth II] was so inspiring and that something musical would come out of it. She said she would be listening, so I wrote an album for her."

Ellington also had the opportunity to speak about his long association with the Royal Family

"As a matter of fact I was the last person on line and she was sort of relaxed when she got to me, and we talked about her family, her father King George, her uncle Prince Edward and the Duke of Kent, whom I had an occasion to meet. The Duke of Kent and I used to play four-hand at the piano at night, and Prince Edward was at several parties at which we played when we were there is 1933. Then one night, we had to hold the show for him in Liverpool. At another party he sat in on drums…. Then she told me about all the records of mine her father had. The she asked me when was your first time in England? Oh I said, oh my first time in England was in 1933, way before you were born. She gave me a real American look; very cool man, which I thought was too much."

Upon his return from the reception Ellington gave an account of what he had just experienced:

"I got stage fright-first time in my life. Couldn’t think of a thing to say. She’s wonderful! She did ask me now long it was since I last brought a band to England. I told her before she was born – twenty five years ago. That made the Prince laugh."

Despite his nerves, the Queen and prince seemed to be at ease in Ellington’s company. It is clear that meeting with the Queen had a profound effect on Ellington. It would inspire him to write a suite in her honour.

The suite is in six movements. The first movement is ‘Sunset and the Mockingbird,’ here Ellington captures the beauty and simplicity of a birdcall. The second movement is ‘Lightning Bugs and Frogs,’ a musical depiction of fireflies and croaking frogs. This is followed by the epic ‘Northern lights’ which was inspired by a natural light display the orchestra witnessed whilst on tour in Canada. The tempo is slowed down with ‘Single petal of a Rose,’ a piano and double bass section, which is followed by the romantic ‘Le Sucrier Velours,’ a movement led by the saxophone section. The suite ends with the explosive ‘Apes and Peacocks.’

Here's a link to Le Sucrier Velours sent to me from a friend in the States. Duke Ellington performs it alone, which is very different to how the TMJO (Tomorrow's Warriors Jazz Orchestra) performs it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Enjoy and THANK YOU for supporting The Queen's Suite, it's wonderful. Knowing you are there helps my feet do the walking, my fingers do the typing and my face SMILE.

And for those of you who want to find out more go to

http://kck.st/cbGGo1   Thanks Corine