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IBEN | 01/21/24 – A Tribute to Duke Ellington
Gretchen R. Iben Arts

“A TRIBUTE TO DUKE ELLINGTON”

PROGRAM

Join David Hoffman and the Westminster Jazz Band
Jamika Welch – vocals  |  Dan Burke – saxophone
Derel Monteith – piano  |  Andy Crawford – bass
Nick Fairley – drums

FEATURING:
In a Mellow Tone (Duke Ellington)
Cottontail (Duke Ellington)
Isfahan (Billy Strayhorn)
Drop Me off in Harlem (Duke Ellington/ Nick Kenny)
Mood Indigo (Duke Ellington/Barney Bigard)
I’m Beginning to See the Light (Duke Ellington/Johnny Hodges/Harry James/Don George)
Solitude (Duke Ellington/Eddie De Lange)
Caravan (Juan Tizol)
Things Ain’t What They Used to Be (Mercer Ellington)
Prelude to a Kiss (Billy Strayhorn)
Do Nothin Til You Hear From Me (Duke Ellington/Bob Russell)
Jump for Joy (Duke Ellington)
Take the A Train (Billy Strayhorn)

DUKE ELLINGTON was one of the most important creative forces in the music of the twentieth century. His influence on classical music, popular music, and, of course, jazz, simply cannot be overstated.
  He was born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899, into a middle-class black family. His father was a butler in a wealthy household, and he is said to have sometimes worked at White House affairs. Ellington originally had ambitions of becoming a painter, but he became interested in music in his early teens and learned James P. Johnson’s “Carolina Shout” from a piano roll. Soon he was part of a small jazz band in Washington.
  In 1923 he moved to New York and early in 1924, he became the leader of his band. Soon he was recording, and in 1927 Ellington’s band was hired to play regularly at the Cotton Club, where he stayed for five years. Cotton Club performances were broadcast almost nightly, and by 1930 Ellington and his band were famous. And even as early as this, Ellington was beginning to be recognized as an important serious composer.
  In 1931, he was invited to visit the White House, and in 1933 his band made its first European tour, a huge triumph. In the years that followed, Ellington continued to grow musically, and the quality of his band continued to improve, reaching what many consider to be a peak from 1939 through the early 1940s.
  After the end of World War II, big bands went out of fashion, and, like other bands, Ellington’s band suffered financially. Nevertheless, Ellington continued to keep the band together through all the years that followed, subsidizing the band from his royalties as a composer.

“Satin Doll” was one of more than 50 top hits

 

THE WESTMINSTER JAZZ BAND

David Hoffman
Since 1991 David has toured as a trumpet soloist with Ray Charles, terrorizing over 40 different countries and 45 of the states.  David splits the rest of his time between San Diego, CA, where he plays with several jazz and Brazilian groups, and Central Illinois, where he imposes his presence on the Central Illinois Jazz Society, as well as making unscheduled appearances at local jazz hangouts such as Panache, One World, Martini’s, and any other place that will tolerate him for brief periods.  Occasionally he will book a gig with his own band, the David Hoffman Quintet. David has not shaved since 1973.  (PeoriaJazz.com)

Dan Burke
Since the age of nineteen, Daniel Burke has kept a dynamic performance schedule within the Chicagoland and greater Central Illinois area.  His distinctive musical approach has awarded him the experience to perform with some of the country’s foremost musical acts including the Clark Terry Big Band, Jason Marsalis, the Heritage Jazz Orchestra, the Heisenberg Uncertainty Players, the Temptations, rock band Fort Frances, blues band Mississippi Heat, and jazz-metal fusion band Conflux…In addition to his demanding performance schedule, Burke maintains a thriving private lesson studio and teaches at Bradley University.  Daniel Burke holds a B.M. in Saxophone Performance with an Emphasis in Jazz Studies from Northern Illinois University and an M.M. with distinction in Jazz Studies from DePaul University.  (Bradley University)

Andy Crawford
Originally from the Minneapolis area, Andy Crawford first cut his jazz chops as a guitarist and bassist at Knox College.  At Knox, his jazz chops developed into jazz mindibles.  Andy still resides in Galesburg with his lovely and talented wife Erin.  He teaches at Knox College, inculcating our future leaders in the ways of music and, particularly, jazz.  As a member of the Defenestration Quartet (Seminary St. Pub), he is giving the people of Galesburg an excuse to go out on Sunday night.  He is also a member of Cassie and Friends.  Any friend of Cassie surely is a friend of yours and mine.  Ever heard of the Swing Daddies? You should. Like to get the funk out now and then? Check Andy out as a member of the Lubricats.  Chances are, you will find him around town, either with these groups or out freelancing with others.  You will find him, and you will be pleased.     (Peoriajazz.com)

Nick Fairley
Nick Fairley is a musician and educator whose career has spanned nearly two decades across multiple continents.  After spending years on the road, touring as a professional drummer in several bands, he earned an associate degree in arts at Illinois Central College and began his work as an educator.  He quickly became one of Central Illinois’ most in-demand private instructors, while achieving both a bachelor’s in music business, as well as a master’s in jazz performance at Illinois State University.  Having begun his graduate studies under the tutelage of Joel Spencer at the University of Illinois, he came to discover a love for research of performance, including the live and recorded practice of improvised music.  Nick frequently works in the studio as a session drummer and performs live, both locally and nationally. At present, he is focused on his educational roles at Kidder Music, as well as at Bradley University and Illinois Central College, where he directs the percussion ensemble and teaches applied lessons in percussion.     (Bradley University)

Derel Monteith
Derel Monteith has played the piano since second grade, and jazz has been his primary musical focus for over 20 years. Jazz pianists in East Coast small groups active during the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s —Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, Thelonious Monk, Herbie Hancock, and McCoy Tyner—are among Derel’s biggest musical influences, as well as more recent pianists such as Keith Jarrett, Kenny Kirkland, Mulgrew Miller, and Bobo Stenson.  Derel arrived in Peoria in late September 1007 from his home state of North Carolina and began performing with Central Illinois jazz luminaries such as David Hoffman and Todd Kelly shortly thereafter.  Derel spends his spare time hanging out with his wife and daughter and practicing intellectual property law at Caterpillar.   (Peoriajazz.com)

 Jamika Welch
Jamika Welch is no novice to the microphone.  A Peoria native, this singer-songwriter has left an indelible thumbprint on the pulse of music, and she is just getting started.  Jamika understood her passion for singing and performing at an early age was more than just a passing craze.  She began honing her craft as a young child and remains both a teacher and student to this day. With nearly flawless intonation, accuracy, and pure feeling, Jamika grabs you with the first note and takes you the full length of the journey. Her highly anticipated debut album this fall promises to confirm what we know.  Jamika is a gift.  And the true gift is that she shares her gift with the world.     (ePressKitz)