The Duke Ellington Orchestra

Conducted By

Mercer Ellington

 

 

Mercer Kennedy Ellington, composer, arranger and trumpet
player, was born in Washington, D.C., on November 3rd,
1919. An association with his father’s orchestra began when
he was eight years old. When he formed his first band in 1939,
it included Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie and Calvin Jackson,
and some of the band’s arrangements were written by the 7T
soon-to-be-famous Billy Strayhorn.

The day after his father’s funeral in May 1974, Mercer took
the orchestra to Bermuda as previously committed to play at
IBM’s Golden Circle Convention. It was a*hard decision to
make, and hard to fulfill, but in doing so Mercer faithfully
maintained a tradition established by Duke Ellington during
his five triumphant decades as a bandleader. Since that time,
Mercer has been at pains to maintain that tradition musically,
as well as professionally and ethically.

Conducted by Mercer, the band’s performances have re-
sulted in tremendous enthusiasm at such diverse venues as
the Wolf Trap in Washington, the Ravinia Festival in [llinois, _
Robin Hood Dell in Pennsylvania, Duke University in North "¢
Carolina, and the Steel Pier in Atlantic City.

With the Ellington Orchestra under Mercer’s leadership,
Duke Ellington’s music will continue to be a healthy and joy-

ous element on the American musical scene. §

 

 

 

Personnel
Alto Sax/Clarinet Harold Minerve Trombone Charlie Connors

Alto Sax Vincent York Trombone Ray Harris 2

Tenor Sax Percy Marion* Trombone Malcolm Taylor

Tenor Sax Dave Young Piano Lester Jordan®

Baritone Sax Bobby Eldridge* Bass Milt Suggs

Trumpet Jimmy Bolden Drums Rocky White
Trumpet Barry Hall Guitar Edward K. Ellington* s
Trumpet Willy Singleton Vocalist Anita Moore

Trumpet Bobby Rutledge* *Berklee alumnus