SONGBOOK SUNDAYS’ SWINGIN’ SALUTE
TO TWO GIANTS OF JAZZ
If you’re a student of British royals, hearing the names Thomas and Edward might make you think of brothers from the lineage; and if you grew up watching the children’s TV show Thomas the Tank Engine, you would know Thomas and Edward as faces of trains that choo-choo-chugged along. But who are the famous Thomas and Edward in the world of music? Well, jazz fans know they are the given names of two giants from the Harlem Renaissance–both composers, pianists, bandleaders–better known by their nicknames: Thomas “Fats” Waller and Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. They were the subjects of the edition of the series Songbook Sundays that got the new month of June off to a lively start with talented performers delivering jolts of jazz and some sizzle at Dizzy’s Club.
As usual, the repertoire choices were very much among the most famous songs associated with the subjects at hand. So, even though it was the first of June, and Ellington wrote and recorded a number called “June” and Waller recorded an item titled “Where Were You on the Night of June the 3rd?” such facts weren’t sufficient reason to include them and bump one of the standards. These Songbook Sundays are really not about deep dives, but rather material that both casual and devoted music lovers can hum on the way in. Regular attendees of the ongoing ever-other-month concerts may have had a case of déjà vu as the icons du jour have been part of other Songbook Sundays in the Jazz at Lincoln Center complex: just two years ago there was a bigger wallow through Waller in a program not splitting time with the music of someone else–the always welcome Karrin Allyson was in that 2023 event and was back for Fats and the Duke. She sang “Honeysuckle Rose” both times. And there was a separate all-Ellington edition in the inaugural year of these soirees—2022. And last year, too. Most of the musicians in this most recent Songbook booking have been part of one or more of these other outings, too: pianist/music director Richard Cummings, sax player Ed Jackson, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Damon DueWhite. As always, Deborah Grace Winer served as host and curator, sprinkling in some tidbits of biographical information and plenty of enthusiasm and compliments to those on the stage.
Karrin Allyson
Standout Benny Benack III, doing double duty as trumpeter and vocalist, brought charisma and feistiness, truly enlivening these oldies, whether he was the “star” focus for a number or “merely” playing with the other very skillful band members. He heated things up with the Ellington gem that espouses the pithy guide to life philosophy that “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” but was equally effective with the cozy, relaxed pace of the sinuous and slinky “Jitterbug Waltz” of Waller’s.
The women turned in especially strong work with sadder Duke drama: Miss Allyson with “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But the Blues” (lyric by Don George) and the vocalist (whose first name is the same as her surname, although spelled differently), Allison Blackwell, offering the gloriously glum grouse of “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (lyric by Bob Russell). She was even more marvelously miserable with “Mean to Me.”
Now, that standard was not composed by either Ellington or Waller (it was written by Fred E. Ahlert and lyricist Roy Turk in 1929), nor was another number performed splendidly by Mr. Bennack, “Two Sleepy People,” which would have been a good candidate for a duet. That piece is a collaboration of two writers who’ve also been subjects of Songbook Sundays: Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser. But both these old favorites were included in the revue centered around the fabulous Fats, Ain’t Misbehavin’ (bowing on Broadway in 1978, revived ten years later). In fact, all the non-Ellington-related choices were heard in that revue which spawned six different cast albums. So, that stage project is undoubtedly the reference point for many more theatre-leaning music fans not deep into jazz and the world of Waller, who died way back in 1943.
In an unnecessary and rather silly effort to stimulate audience involvement, the chipper Miss Winer asked the listeners in the packed room, after taking in most of the material, to think about whether they were more impressed with Waller or Ellington and later requested a decision be indicated via applause. While the songfest showcased both composers quite well, a finale that might have been the climactic conclusion–a potential jam session pull-out-the-stops topper with all singers and musicians at their polished best, it was underwhelming and underprepared (and this review is based on the second set of the night). There was dependence on eyes glued to the sheet music/lyrics for a medley and while “Take the A Train” wasn’t truly a train wreck and “The Joint Is Jumpin’” didn’t jump with joy. However, with rich voices and a solid band (which also got an impressive all-instrumental medley), the valentine called Fats and the Duke had much that was fine and dandy.
And now for some “bonus” information of possible interest…
- “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” was used in six different Broadway shows. Various songs Ellington composed were recycled in a total of 12 Broadway productions after his death in 1974. Many had good runs. During his lifetime, he wrote scores for three Broadway shows. Beggar’s Holiday did well with 111 performances, but Blue Holiday lasted for only eight showings, and Pousse-Café, with lyrics by Once Upon a Mattress‘s Marshall Barer, closed after a mere three performances.
- Songs with music by Waller or Ellington have been featured in various Broadway shows, but BOTH were represented in the numbers appearing in three productions: Black and Blue, Bubbling Brown Sugar, and this past season’s entry, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical.
- Speaking of Louis Armstrong, among the albums he recorded are Satch Plays Fats: A Tribute to the Immortal Fats Waller and collaborations with Ellington (with Duke material).
- And we’ll “squeeze” in one more tidbit: Among these two composers’ works were songs with similar titles, posed as requests. Ellington’s “Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me)” and Waller’s simply called “Squeeze Me”–included in the program at Dizzy’s.
Fats and The Duke
Songbook Sundays
Dizzy’s Club, Jazz at Lincoln Center (5th Fl.) Columbus Circle, NY
reviewed on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 7:30
for future shows, visit Jazz
