On 18th November 2014, Richard Pite’s Jazz Repertory Company in conjunction with The London Jazz Festival continues its series of concerts at Chelsea’s Cadogan Hall with a celebration of the early years of the Newport Jazz Festival, one of the hottest events on the global jazz calendar to this day and this year celebrating its 60th anniversary.
In 1956 Duke Ellington’s Orchestra came to Newport and presented a concert which George Wein, organiser of the festival, described as “the greatest performance of Ellington’s career… it stood for everything that jazz had been and could be.”
The Newport Jazz Festival 60th Anniversary Concert at
November’s concert at Cadogan Hall will feature the Echoes of Ellington Orchestra directed by Pete Long (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Orchestra / Jools Holland’s Rhythm And Blues Orchestra), and will feature music from the best-selling Ellington at Newport 1956 album including Jeep’s Blues and the legendary Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue famous for its 27 choruses from Ellington’s sax star Paul Gonsalves in a performance that created pandemonium on the night and subsequently revived the fortunes of the Duke. Echoes of Ellington will also perform Manteca and Cool Breeze, performed by the Dizzy Gillespie Band at their 1957 Newport appearance.
Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue - Paul Gonsalves
The show also features music from two classic films of the 1950’s which celebrate Newport. 'Jazz On A Summer’s Day' was Bert Stern’s beautifully photographed celebration of the 1958 festival and the timeless classic ‘High Society’ features Cole Porter’s delightful music and features Louis Armstrong alongside Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.
'High Society' with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby
Pete Long’s Echoes of Ellington and singers Iain Mackenzie, Tom Langham and Georgina Jackson capture the magic of these historical milestones, performing them with a level of authenticity that is second to none and November 18th 2014 is set to be their best concert yet.
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