On Nov. 2, 1969 a legendary concert was held at Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. At that time, Duke Ellington was celebrating his 70th birthday and had been leading his orchestra for 44 years. His band featured such jazz icons as trumpeters Cootie Williams and Cat Anderson, trombonist Lawrence Brown, altoist Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves on tenor and Rufus ‘Speedy’ Jones on drums.
Here are three of my favorites from that concert, celebrating the Duke’s African roots. The uppermost video is a haunting, very Ellington piece called “La Plus Belle Africaine,” At the lower left is “Black Butterfly” with a tender Johnny Hodges solo that takes you soaring with the butterfly itself … lower right is “Black Swan” featuring a duel between Duke’s piano and Wild Bill Davis’ Hammond organ..
