Jazz Workshop: Listening Guide to Ellington's Black, Brown and Beige - Part 1, "Black" - Page 3

(7:29)
Secondary theme on trombone (solo), with variation by full orchestra at 7:45.

(7:55)
Trombone coda to secondary theme and eight-measure turnaround (8:07).

(8:28)
Restatement of secondary theme on trombone with reed accompaniment
and horn punctuation.

(8:48)
Reeds play diminuendo transition into “Come Sunday”

ii. Come Sunday (theme and variations)

(9:18)
(Church) bell sounds (with very, very soft accompaniment), repeated at
9:28, then at higher pitch at 9:31. At 9:34 the ensemble, barely audible, enters in the middle of the “Come Sunday” theme.

(9:38)
Trombone (Otto Hardwicke) enters, leading ensemble in “Come Sunday” theme; at 9:43, reeds and bells resolve into tonic with Hardwicke emerging at 9:48.

(9:56)
Trombone and bells play dissonant eight-note phrase, again resolved by
reeds at 9:59; then,

(10:01)
Reeds and trombone, in slow, meditative pace, modulate into new chord

(10:11)
Another trombone (Juan Tizol) plays “Come Sunday” theme, subsumed by reeds at 10:37.

(10:37) Reeds passage with same marching rhythm as "Work Song", with modulations; descent begins at 11:05 and spirals into

(11:13)
Violin solo (Ray Nance) with ensemble accompaniment, modulating again (Tizol variating the "Come Sunday" theme); pizzicato section 12:15-12:21.

(12:22)
Low piano note reintroduces horns, repeats, modulates into reed statement (12:34); piano returns to introduce alto sax.

(12:48)
Alto (Johnny Hodges) modulates again and begins first full AABA statement of “Come Sunday,” solo with spare accompaniment. B-section of “Come Sunday” at 13:54, return to A at 14:32.

iii. Light (quodlibet)

(15:20)
Trumpet (Harold Baker) plays lyrical, unaccompanied line fanfare that descends until 15:38; plays ascending fanfare phrase at 15:40-15:42; repeats and extends, 15:44-15:48; repeats twice more until ascending into high register and playing Armstrongian syncopated phrase at 16:00.

(16:03)
Horns respond; begins call-and-response between Baker and horn ensemble, with steady bass drum pounding (Greer). Baker plays a variation on “Work Song”'s secondary (coda) theme at 16:11; ensemble plays another at 16:13.

(16:18)
Horns crescendo with a riff, then immediately diminuendo with the same riff. Reeds pick up riff at 16:25; muted trumpet (Wallace Jones) punctuates with "Work Song" quote, then moves into improvisation at 16:34.

(16:49)
Reeds shift into accompaniment of horns, which play a theme based on the secondary “Work Song” theme.

(17:01)
Dissonant passage of ostinato swing rhythm, a transition that diminuendos into horn vamps against bass pulse.

Article Author: Michael J. West

Michael J. West is a writer, editor, and dilettante jazz critic in Washington, D.C. In addition to BlogCritics, he writes for JazzTimes, Washington City Paper, and AllAboutJazz.com. He occasionally writes at Pop Musicology, too. He's very cute. …

Visit Michael J. West's author page — Michael J. West's Blog