| "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Duke Ellington | |
| Written | 1937 |
| Songwriter(s) | Duke Ellington |
"Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" is a jazz composition written in 1937 by Duke Ellington and recorded for the first time on May 15, 1937 by the Duke Ellington Orchestra with Wallace Jones, Cootie Williams (trumpet), Rex Stewart (cornet), Barney Bigard (clarinet), Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick (alto saxophone), Laurence Brown, Joe Nanton (trombone), Harry Carney (clarinet, baritone saxophone), Sonny Greer (drums), Wellmann Braud (bass), Freddie Guy (guitar), and Duke Ellington (piano). No tenor saxophone was present in this recording section, nor in "Crescendo in Blue," which was recorded the same day. In its early form, the two individual pieces, "Diminuendo in Blue" and "Crescendo in Blue," were recorded on opposite sides of a 78 rpm record.[1] The 1956 performance at the Newport Jazz Festival revitalized Ellington's career, making newspaper headlines when seated audience members chaotically began rising to dance and stand on their chairs during Paul Gonsalves's tenor saxophone solo.[2][3][4]
- ^ Crawford, Richard (15 October 1993). The American Musical Landscape: The Business of Musicianship from Billings to Gershwin, Updated With a New Preface. University of California Press. pp. 199–. ISBN 978-0-520-92545-8.
- ^ Welch, Catherine. "'As Long As They Want To Play': Newport Jazz At 60". NPR. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ Smith, Andy. "Newport Jazz Fest highlights through the years". Providence Journal. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
- ^ Cordle, Owen. "100 years of Duke Ellington: Diminuendo, crescendo, resonance". The News & Observer. Retrieved 13 May 2015.