Duke Ellington - Three Black Kings (1974)

0:00 King of the Magi. A vigorous percussive drive
1:36 An exotic grandiose theme takes over (2:24) (2:54) (3:35)
4:05 The percussive drive returns, but with wilder energy

5:13 King Solomon. A mysterious introduction before...
5:25 A luscious, soulful string melody and trumpet solo
6:51 An upbeat bossa nova, soon returning to (7:25) sultry strings with renewed soul
8:15 A cool swing beat under solo tenor sax
10:01 Double speed!
10:54, 11:13 Sweet strings and trumpet bookend the movement

12:36 Martin Luther King. A joyful gospel eulogy featuring solo tenor sax
16:25 A soaring climax (17:39)

Composer: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974)
Arranger: Maurice Peress
Orchestra: American Composers Orchestra conducted by Maurice Peress

(King of the Magi sounds remarkably like Zhu Jian'er)

Collaboration, one might say, is the essence of jazz. Even Ellington’s Three Black Kings, his final composition, proves the point in its own way. Ellington had nearly completed the piece before he died. But he rarely wrote the final notes of a composition until the day of the premiere, leaving his son Mercer, a successful bandleader and composer in his own right, to guess how it should ultimately be completed. The great composer and arranger Luther Henderson orchestrated a version that Mercer premiered at a tribute concert for his father in 1976 – where First Lady Betty Ford gave the downbeat. Alvin Ailey choreographed a ballet to accompany the piece, which his troupe performed throughout the 1976/77 season. And Ellington’s longtime friend Maurice Peress, an esteemed conductor, eventually rescored it for symphony orchestra. It took many hands to create the piece as we know it today.

Intended (in Mercer’s words) as a “eulogy for Martin Luther King, Jr.,” Three Black Kings continues Ellington’s series of narrative pieces on a grand symphonic scale – a series that includes Black, Brown, and Beige (1943), Harlem (1950), and Night Creature (1955). Traversing centuries, each movement captures the psychological depth of its respective subject. The first, depicting King Balthazar (the black king of the Nativity), features propulsive percussion sounds that explode into ravishing, exotic melodies in the strings. The episodic second, which fluctuates between sultry strings accompanied by harp and upbeat passages reminiscent of Ellington’s jazz orchestra, evokes King Solomon’s taste for love more than his fabled wisdom. The gospel-inflected third, complete with subtle tambourine backbeats, is a fitting tribute to the Reverend Doctor King himself – a man who, as Nina Simone put it in her own music eulogy, “had seen the mountaintop, and knew he could not stop, always living with the threat of death ahead.” — Douglas Shadle

[Olivier-Jaquet]

One of the greatest composer of the 20th century, yet often neglected in the classical realm. Thank you for posting !

[Darrylizer]

I've often thought that Frank Zappa and Duke Ellington had a lot in common. They both wrote in several different idioms, starting with popular music and moving on to orchestral and more experimental music that often combined several different forms. Both wrote for ensembles of various sizes. Both had band members that they specifically wrote for and many of their band members went on to create music of their own as leaders. Ellington was something more than a jazz musician and Zappa something more than a rock musician.

[Scriabin_fan]

Amazing, I need to listen to more of Duke Ellington's orchestral music.

[osutuba]

I did not know Duke Ellington wrote orchestral works! WOW!

[ziqizhu]

Ellington employed so many pop elements convincingly in his late career is something that I didn’t know I need

[cywiringwlad]

What I love about this channel is the variety; it leads to so much discovery and expansion of my musical palette. 🙏🏽 Thanks for all the rabbit holes you've sent me down!

[Jimyblues]

Amazing, the minimalism of the opening, the beauty of the Melodies, great orchestral arraignment, cool solos—thanks

[dac]

How did I not know that Duke Ellington wrote orchestral music?? Awesome!

[WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

1:36 told me exactly when this was written, definitely those rich harmonic chords of the mid century era.

[Dylonely_]

It’s a nice orchestral work from Ellington, I appreciate it.

[elrichardo]

first learned of this work when i heard it at a concert by my university's orchestra last semester -- what an absolute gem

[dennyduranflores]

Absolutely incredible work. Never heard it before, but it’s so good!

[cassiaduma]

i love your transcription!!! thank you for uploading this, have been listening to a lot of feldman-esque classical recently so this was the refreshment i sorely needed!!! one thing i want to complement that not many others might is your always citing which recorded performance you use, which is something i really love!!! i catalogue all the music i listen to so it's really helpful to see it all cited so i can find which performance to add!!! keep on keeping on <3

[filmscorefreak]

I wonder if Danny Elfman was aware of the first movement of this piece when he did the score to Pee Wee's Big Adventure lol. Very much enjoyed this, thanks.

[celtic]

Its hard to describe the range of Ellington's music - though this is not nearly a perfect composition - it bursts of genius in places - Ellington's richest music is not his hit standards by a long shot.. Listen to 'Blues for New Orleans' which to me foreshadows a whole genre of music - and he probably composed it in a day - Unbelievable Talent....

[AndromedaCripps]

I was enchanted by the first two kings, but found the third movement lacking in the drive necessary for a climax of a piece. I liked the concept of a gospel March, combining King’s physical marches for freedom with the gospel ad spiritual music from his background as a Reverend which propelled him to do all he did, but the execution of the idea fell short for me, which was disappointing after the first two movements!! I think to pinpoint exactly what it was for me, it was that it, in a way, felt almost too genuine, like a Disney movie or sonething… but that could just be a product of the times. Perhaps if I was a product of the 60’s and 70’s and heard this at the premiere, in that context, it might have been a moving tribute to a moving man. If that is the case though, it sadly didn’t hold up to the rest of time.

[alonsoordonez]

was it originally for piano? I see somebody else orchestrated it

[prodbygumzzz]

Can you do Frank Martin's concerto for 7 winds please?

[andrewmciver]

Are my ears going crazy or is that rhythm at the downbeat of Martin Luther King is just being played differently? Either the notes or the players are wrong somehow

[Arlyn-sc]

I would have added the poster to my cool list...then an ad poped up in the middle. Sorry you get a thumbs down for that. But enjoy your 1/4 of a penny.