Word: ellington
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WHITSUNDAY SPECIAL (CBS, 10-11 a.m.). Highlights of Duke Ellington's Sacred Con cert, featuring the timeless Ellington, his orchestra, four vocalists and three choirs. Repeat...
Agnew's Style. It was not Ellington's first contact with the White House. His father was a part-time butler in Harding's day, and in the past the Duke himself has been honored with membership on the National Arts Council. But it was by far his most pleasant experience with a President. Besides Nixon's Happy Birthday, played on the eagle-legged piano of the East Room stage, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew sat down to play two of Ellington's own compositions, Sophisticated Lady and In a Sentimental Mood, in a surprisingly...
...manner. The chances are that they would be wrong in this case. The idea for the party was suggested by Nixon's old New York associate Charles McWhorter, a jazz buff, and Nixon, no jazz fan but the first piano-playing President since Harry Truman, enthusiastically endorsed it. Ellington did not participate in anyone's campaign and, in fact, had not even met Nixon until the day of the party. The traditional political types were not invited, and the guest list was limited almost entirely to the Duke's old friends. Most of them are musicians...
...crowd that "the night is still young." No one needed a second invitation, and before long the black-tied and begowned guests, who could hardly sit still for the fast rhythm, pushed back their gilt chairs and began dancing. The floor did not empty until 2:15 a.m. Ellington had set the pace himself in one of his songs: "Praise God with the sound of the trumpet./Praise God with the psaltery and harp/And dance, dance, dance, dance, dance...
Nixon-or his successor-may have a chance for another party in the White House when Ellington celebrates his 75th. The Duke is far from retired. He has just about finished one opera, is planning another and thinking about new ballet and orchestra pieces. "I don't know where I'm going," he said, "but you know, I'm going like crazy." There was only one complaint among the guests who helped him celebrate. Soul Singer Lou Rawls joshed the President that "the hors d'oeuvres could have at least been fricasseed chitlins on toothpicks." Still...