Arnold J. Smith
Ellington at Newport 1956

Special Guest Arnold J. Smith will speak about this legendary performance that took place on July 7, 1956 at the Newport Jazz Festival and was released on record by Columbia Records.

Some writer said that 1956 was the year they stopped taking Duke Ellington for granted. The Ellington '56 LP was on its way to becoming legendary. The Paul Gonzales 27 choruses solo was taking on a life of its own. As for the actual show NJF producer George Wein had told me that under no circumstances was Duke to play "the medley" and leave. Ellington told me that he was working on the Newport Suite, new to his repertoire, right up to showtime. Little did we know that it would be a 1930's warhorse, Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue would become the star of the Festival. In 1957 A teen-aged autograph hound –moi– went down to his fave haunt, Birdland, the original on Broadway near 52nd St. to have the band sign the album of the '56 Fest.

Oscar Goodstein, Birdand's manager, was a family friend, got me pass the door and up to a celebratory bandstand. The guys passed the album around. Did I mention that it was an invitation only welcome home night for Duke? The result of that fateful night is what you see.
 
Arnold Jay Smith, a former editor of DownBeat Magazine, publicist, blogster, professor at the New School for 26 years, now teaches at New Jersey City University since 2000.

Sunday, June 30th 4pm to 5pm
Bob Porter & Tad Richards
Listening To Prestige
 
Bob Porter is a record producer, writer and broadcaster in the fields of Jazz and Blues.  He has worked for such prominent record labels a Prestige, Savoy and Atlantic.  He has produced more than 175 albums and several hundred reissues.  He has contributed to DownBeat, JazzTimes, Jazz Journal (London).  He is a two-time Grammy winner, was awarded the Marion McPartland Award for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting and is a member of the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.  He currently is the host of three separate radio programs on WBGO Newark. His most recent book is Soul Jazz a history of jazz and its reception in the black community in the period from the end of World War II until the end of the Vietnam War. 
 
James (Tad) Richards, creator of the  Listening To Prestige Blog is an American writer and visual artist. He is also artistic director and former president of  the Opus40 sculpture park Saugerties, New York.
 
His portraits of jazz musicians illustrate his most recent books,Listening to Prestige, Vols 1, 2 & 3, a history of jazz of the bebop era through listening closely to, and investigating, the recordings on one of the most important independent jazz labels Prestige Records.
 

Jim Eigo OriginalVinylRecords@gmail.com
The Original Vinyl Records Story
Check out my Interview in Goldmine Magazine

Good Places To Eat Right Nearby The Store:

The Grange

Mom's Home Style Deli