Ebony Concerto (Stravinsky)
Igor Stravinsky wrote the Ebony Concerto in 1945 for the Woody Herman band known as the First Herd. It is one in a series of compositions commissioned by the bandleader/clarinetist featuring solo clarinet. Herman recorded the concerto in the Belock Recording Studio at Bayside New York,[1] calling it a "very delicate and a very sad piece".[2] Stravinsky felt that the jazz musicians would have a hard time with the various time signatures. Saxophonist Flip Phillips said "during the rehearsal [...] there was a passage I had to play there and I was playing it soft, and Stravinsky said 'Play it, here I am!' and I blew it louder and he threw me a kiss!'"[3]
In 1946, Herman and Stravinsky recorded the concerto. Years later, Stravinsky recorded it again with Benny Goodman and the Columbia Jazz Combo.
Movements
- Allegro moderato
- Andante
- Moderato. Con moto
A typical performance lasts about nine minutes.
References
- ↑ Liner notes of the re-release by the Everest Recording Group Inc. in 1959, and released in January 1959 as SDBR 3009. The recording has been released on a CD by Everest, EVC 9049.
- ↑ Clancy and Kenton, 88
- ↑ Clancy and Kenton, 89
Sources
- Clancy, William D., and Audree Coke Kenton. Woody Herman: Chronicles of the Herds, with a foreword by Steve Allen. New York: Schirmer Books; London: Prentice Hall International, 1995. ISBN 9780028704968.
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