Latest news with #MoodIndigo
Perth Now
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Justin Hayward doesn't expect Moody Blues comeback
Justin Hayward doubts that the Moody Blues will return. The 'Nights in White Satin' group have been inactive since 2018 and Justin admits that it is difficult to see the band returning following the passing of drummer Graeme Edge – the last surviving original member – in 2021. Speaking to Mojo magazine, the 78-year-old singer said: "There's only me and Lodgy (bassist John Lodge) left. "When Graeme died, it really affected me. He loved the group so much. Me and John, we always had things outside of the band, but Graeme devoted his whole life to it. And I just think some of that particular magic is gone. "I don't want to be in a tribute band – actually, that's not fair – I'm just saying that when Graeme passed the enthusiasm for it changed. And I'm really liking what I do now." Justin has been in the music business for 60 years but feels fortunate never to have felt the "pressure" of being a celebrity. He said: "The one thing with the Moodies was, people knew the music, but we were never celebrities. We were a bit snooty about letting the music do the talking, so there was never star pressure. "I did have my time when I would get recognised, particularly around when 'Forever Autumn' was a hit, but that passes." Hayward and Lodge enjoyed the hit 'Blue Guitar' away from the Moody Blues and the musician joked that the colour has followed him throughout his career. He explained: "It's something that a promoter will hang on you. "But I remember right at the beginning, Mike (Pinder, keyboardist) was hung up with a record called 'Mood Indigo'. And so there was always that aura around us, of blue, that stuck. "My life is colour coded, though – certain things on certain days, and I don't think I'm unusual in that. Today is green. What's tomorrow? Orange. "Is there a blue day? Oh, yes... but I'm gonna have to leave it hanging there."
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
The Continued Relevance of (Teaching) Duke Ellington
In an age where the term "relevance" feels like the single dominant tenant of nearly all of us in the education community, the significance of the work of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington continues to be felt by thousands of students worldwide. Composing and arranging one of the most diverse bodies of work of any composer, Ellington's music endures as the foundation for modern jazz and as a challenge for educators at all levels. As the world celebrates the 126th birthday of our greatest composer, we should mark the lessons Ellington's music teaches us. Ellington's music was written for his unique group of musicians, and he tailored each piece to their personal idiosyncrasies. The luscious upper register of Harry Carney's baritone saxophone, the growling trumpet of Cootie Williams, and the sinuous lyricism of Johnny Hodges were all considered when composing music. They inspired Duke to the heights of creativity, and his work exhibited the best of his genius—the ability to create a canvas of colors that allowed his collaborators to be the best version of themselves. Trumpeter Marcus Printup (center) performs with students from Seattle's Roosevelt High School at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition in 2012. Trumpeter Marcus Printup (center) performs with students from Seattle's Roosevelt High School at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition in 2012. Photo Courtesy of Frank Stewart for Jazz at Lincoln Center As a young man, Duke was known as a painter. As an adult, he was the greatest musical painter of our time, creating portraits of places, people, and experiences. The combination of colors in Mood Indigo from 1930—low register clarinet, muted trumpet, and muted high trombone—went against all convention and produced a revolution in the experimental nature of jazz composition. In 1940's Sepia Panorama, the cyclical A-B-C-C-B-A form includes an otherworldly chorus of piano and bass call and response that predates bebop by half a decade and includes whole-tone scales and unheard of melodic bass played by 21-year-old Jimmy Blanton. His masterwork, The Tattooed Bride (1948), is a three-movement composed tome jazz poem tour de force of thematic development that utilizes a simple four-note motif as the basis for an 11-minute romp. Elegant, stomping, then tender, this piece is now being recognized as one of the greatest works for jazz orchestra. Composer Duke Ellington poses for a portrait at the piano in circa 1930. Composer Duke Ellington poses for a portrait at the piano in circa 1930. MichaelIn 1971's Chinoiserie, the 10-bar modal melody harmonized in intervals of fourths is accompanied by a bass and drum groove that predates the "world music" movement by more than a decade. Jazz at Lincoln Center has played a major role in spreading the gospel of Ellington. This year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our signature education program Essentially Ellington, a high school jazz band program and national festival that has distributed nearly 400,000 copies of his music. That music has been performed, studied, and played by over 1 million young people worldwide. Decades of Essentially Ellington have taught us that this music offers valuable lessons that are "deeper than notes." First, it's about the group. Duke understood that the individuals in his band were greater as a unit and that sacrifice was required. Often, the impact of a group of like-minded people is more profound, more lasting, and more important than that of an individual. To hear Ellington's band stomping through the opening of Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue or the sax soli of Cotton Tail is to experience a sublime understanding of the power of a group. The Duke Ellington Orchestra performs "Take the A Train" with singer Betty Roché in the film "Reveille with Beverly," released January 1943. The Duke Ellington Orchestra performs "Take the A Train" with singer Betty Roché in the film "Reveille with Beverly," released January 1943. Bettmann / Getty Images Second, your voice is unique and significant. Compositions featuring his greatest soloists including Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Jimmy Hamilton, and Paul Gonsalves are portraits of artists that became archetypes for jazz. The freedom of expression that Ellington gave his musicians is nearly unprecedented. All styles of jazz were encouraged, from his own stride-based piano to the bebop influence of Clark Terry to Gonsalves' pre-Coltrane harmonic adventurousness—it's all there for one to experience and to make one's own. Third, the blues is always with us. Pain, suffering, and loss is an inevitable part of the human condition, and Duke wrote the blues into everything he created. His most sophisticated works incorporate the blues, sometimes in their "Sunday Best." He teaches us that it's OK to feel, and this music can help us get through some of life's toughest moments. By using the blues in various forms—in rhythms, colors, and musical elements—Ellington established a personal philosophy of self, or the ability to be oneself in all situations. This can help young people today, who may feel constantly bombarded to be something different than who they are to be themselves in any situation—and thrive! Music education is in a challenging moment. The increased pressure on educators and the cultural divides that saturate media continue to frighten, isolate, and separate us. And this has created a critical moment of inflection. The music of Duke Ellington has the power of multi-generational relevance. The lessons he taught the world nearly a century ago can still help us today. All of us responsible for educating our young people can continue to unapologetically seek out the very best of our art and use the music of our greatest composer to elevate, inspire, and challenge them for generations to come. Todd Stoll is an experienced performer, Duke Ellington expert, author, and educator. He serves as the vice president of education at Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) in New York City, which continues to afford him the opportunity to bring jazz education programs to people of all ages. Since he joined the organization, JALC has produced nearly 50,000 education events in the U.S. and around the world and an online educational portal that has attracted over 30 million views. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
