THE INTERNATIONAL DEMS BULLETIN DUKE ELLINGTON MUSIC SOCIETY 08/3 December 2008 - March 2009 Our 30th Year of Publication FOUNDER: BENNY AASLAND HONORARY MEMBER: FATHER JOHN GARCIA GENSEL EDITOR: SJEF HOEFSMIT ASSISTED BY: ROGER BOYES

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Duke's Itinerary

Additions to Duke’s Itinerary by Roger Boyes

DEMS 08/3-8

I spent three days in the Ellington Archive in Washington DC in late September, and unearthed some additions to the listings in Stratemann (p241) and Vail 1 (pp231-2). There are also anomalies. The dates below are all listed on the weekly financial statements.
Sunday 21Feb43, Toledo Ohio. (Ellington Archive, Smithsonian, Series 3, Box 55, Folder 28).
Tuesday 23Feb43, Warren Ohio. This is a second night, presumably at the Robin Theatre. (Same Folder).
Thursday 4Mar43 (my first birthday!). Newark, NJ. (Folder 30).
Stratemann and Vail 1 describe Friday 12 to Thursday 18Mar43 as a week-long engagement at the Boston Roseland, but the weekly statement lists the following:
Friday 12Mar43, Boston.
Saturday 13Mar43, Portland, Maine.
Sunday, 14Mar43, Holyoke Mass.
Tuesday 16Mar43, Cumberland, Maryland.
Wednesday 17Mar43, Greensburg, Penna.
Thursday 18Mar43, Johnstown, Penna. (weekly statements in Box 55, though I didn't note the Folder number; it should be Folder 33 or thereabouts).
The weekly statements list the receipts, but they don't name the venues in the towns visited.
Capitol Theatre, Steubenville Ohio, one-nighter during the weekend following the week at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh. This must have been on Saturday 27Mar43, since we know they were in Washington on Friday and travelled across to play New Haven in Connecticut on Sunday. So it meant they had to go from Pittsburgh to Washington, and then almost all the way back again, since Steubenville, though in Ohio, is quite near Pittsburgh. I gleaned this information, along with the others, from the weekly financial statements in the Ellington Archive, Smithsonian, Series 3, Box 55.
I'm beginning to see why Otto took leave of absence during the Hurricane residency. It turns out that Sax Mallard subbed for him during much of March as well.


Additions to Duke’s Itinerary by Arne Neegaard

DEMS 08/3-9

1950:
10Jan    Shine Paramount, NYC, New York
11Jan    Shine Paramount, NYC, New York
12Jan    Shine Paramount, NYC, New York
13Jan    Shine Paramount, NYC, New York
02Feb    Parkway Theater, Madison, Wisconsin
10Feb    Junior Hop, University of Michigan
11Feb    Junior Hop, University of Michigan
12Feb    Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
Returning from Europe and on the road again
20Jul    Old Orchard Pier, Portland, Maine
28Jul    Geneva´s Club 86, NYC, New York
29Jul    Geneva´s Club 86, NYC, New York
30Jul    Geneva´s Club 86, NYC, New York

         

27Oct    Three Rivers Inn, Syracuse, New York
28Oct    Three Rivers Inn, Syracuse, New York
29Oct    Three Rivers Inn, Syracuse, New York

1951:
31Mar    The Oasis, Austin, Minnesota
01Apr    The Armar Ballroom, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
03Apr    The Guild´s Page-One Ball, Washington DC
05Apr    Lincoln University Gymnasium, Jefferson City, Missouri
07Apr    The Terp, Austin, Iowa
08Apr    Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa
09Apr    Great Hall, Memorial Union, Ames, Iowa
20Apr    Owensboro, Illinois
11May    Canobie Lake Park Ballroom, Salem, New Hampshire

         

21Sep   ”Biggest Show of 1951” tour until 29Nov
15Dec    White City Park, Harrisburg, Illinois

1952:
04Jan    Riverview Ballroom, Sauk City, Wisconsin

1954:
04Mar    Madison, Wisconsin – UWIS Stock Pavilion
        (with Dave Brubeck Quartet )
12Mar    NYC, Louis Armstrong´s opening night at Basin Street
14Mar    Edgewater Park, Celina, Ohio
??Mar    Newcastle, Indiana

The last entry (Newcastle) is based on a story that appeared in several newspapers in Mar54:
“Ellington, the Gourmet, had been travelling all around the world and eaten at the best restaurants but never had tasted a really good ice cream. This prompted the owner of North Star Ice Cream, Muncie, Ind., to drive the 15 miles to Newcastle and presented Duke and his men with 5 gallons of fresh pear ice cream.


Additions to Duke’s Itinerary by Ken Steiner

Club Harlem

DEMS 08/3-10

New research in an untapped source - the Inter-State Tattler - indicates that "Duke Ellington and His Band" played Sunday afternoon matinees at Club Harlem throughout the first four months of 1929, while working nightly at the Cotton Club. The Tatter contained ads for black clubs in Harlem and lively social coverage missing from New York's other black papers. Unfortunately, microfilm collections of the Tattler contain many gaps. The first issue with an ad for Ellington at Club Harlem was in the 4Jan29 issue, and ads ran through 24Mar29. From 31Mar - 14Apr the venue switched to the Lenox Ave. Club, and the last ad was 28Apr in a return to Club Harlem.
The 22Mar29 issue indicated Ellington's performance were popular: "the taxis are lined up for two blocks from Club Harlem."