Duke Ellington, Sophisticated Ladies - Inside Broadway

Michael Presser, Executive Director
Presents
Duke Ellington's
Sophisticated
Ladies
Duke Ellington’s
SOPHISTICATED LADIES
Concept by DONALD McKAYLE
Based on music of
DUKE ELLINGTON
Musical and Dance Arrangements by
LLOYD MAYERS
Vocal Arrangements by
MALCOLM DODDS and LLOYD MAYERS
Original Music Direction by
MERCER ELLINGTON
Adaption by CORINNE AQUILINA
Originally Produced on Broadway by
Roger S. Berlind, Manheim Fox, Sondra Gilman,
Burton Litwin and Louise Westergaard
In Association with Belwin Mills Publishing Corp. and Norzar Productions, Inc.

Michael Presser, Executive Director
Board of Directors
Irwin Fingerit,
Chairman
Michael Presser
President
Howard Zipser,
Vice President
Elliot Altman,
Treasurer
William Tung,
Secretary
Richard Basini
David I. Cohen
Joseph V. Cozza
John Diaz
Anthony W. Guido
Eric Gural
Mark Irgang
Mary Landolfi
Alan Momeyer
George Stonbely
Honorary Members
Barbara J. Fife
Mrs. Bernard B. Jacobs
James L. Nederlander
Vicki Singer
Teaching Artists
Clark Ausloos
Jen Faith Brown
Michael Flanagan
BJ Gandolfo
Camille Gaston
Dan Gordon
Samantha Hancock
Adam Hose
Angela Jamieson
Abigail Jones
Mark Lingenfelter
Braddon Mehrten
Evan Paquette
Kerry Prep
Wende Pollack
Ethan Schlesser
Shay Saint Victor
Ethan Wagner
Britton Williams
Worth Williams
Advisory Board
Carol Channing,
Honorary Chair
Mary Ellin Barrett
Laura Benanti
Theodore S. Chapin
Kristin Chenoweth
Barbara Cook
Tovah Feldshuh
Sutton Foster
Joel Gray
Nathan Lane
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Study Buddy written by Katie McAllister
Design by Cybill Conklin

Apollo
Uptown
Improvisation
Opportunity
Sugarhill
crisis
Jazz
Savoy
swing
harlem
lennoxavenue
subway
tap
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Who Are We?
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Across
2. where young singers compete
3. famous Jazz musician
5. what the Nicholas Brothers were famous for
6. the period in Harlem from 1918-1929
9. type of suit worn by young men
10. popular swing dance
Down
1. first African American record label
4. variety of African dance steps
7. Douglas famous African American painter
8. home of Jazz

We Now Present…
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5,6,7,8 – Dance!
H E
C C U B
H E E U G R O
T C H D N O T A
R A L D L K I S N A
O E L N I S T T T O N T
Step Back in Time
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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1 19 15 19 10 7 3 15 14 7 15 23 10 16 18 18 10 23 12 15

Sophisticated Ladies
On Broadway
A collection of songs by Duke Ellington, Sophisticated Ladies
opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontaine Theatre on March 1,
1981.. The production which starred Gregory Hines, won 2 Tony
awards and ran had 767 performances. Sophisticated Ladies
was not a traditional “book” musical, it was a “musical revue”
which simply meant that it had only singing and dancing and no
storyline. The show used tap, swing and jazz dance to help tell
the “story” through song. Some of the songs in the show were;
“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)”, “Hit Me
With a Hot Note and Watch Me Bounce”, “Take the A Train”,
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”, “I’m Beginning to See the
Light” and “Satin Doll”.
Jazz Hot
What exactly is Jazz and where
did it come from?
An original American artform, Jazz music was created in New Orleans around the turn
of the century by African Americans with its roots based in ragtime, blues and spirituals.
The cornerstone of Jazz is improvisation which lets the musician “make up” their own
notes and rhythms so that the music sounds spontaneous and new. While Jazz started
around the turn of the 20th Century, its popularity reached its height in the 1920’s and
30’s as the Great Depression plunged many into economic hard times. While people
could not afford to go to clubs and shows, they could listen to the radio at home for
free. Jazz not only survives these decades, it flourished and became even more popular
with the public. As Jazz music spreads across the country, it changed slightly from region
to region, from the urban sound of Chicago Jazz, to the loose, spontaneous swing of
Kansas City Jazz. Even with all of the different “improvisations”, Jazz becomes a recognized
style that is still changing and thriving today.
To Learn More About…
Black
Swan
Records
Founded by Harry Herbert Pace in 1921, Black Swan Records
became the first African American owned recording company
in the United States. The company’s first office was located at
257 West 138th Street, which also happened to be Harry Pace’s
home. The name “Black Swan Records” was chosen to honor
the accomplishments of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, a talented
African American singer know as “The Black Swan”.
With the signing of a young singer by the name of Ethel Waters,
Pace turned the record label into a success that led to the
purchase of a building on 135th Street and Seventh Avenue that
employed 30 people in its offices and shipping rooms. By this
time, Black Swan had expanded its recording and selling of music
to various genres including opera and symphony orchestras.
In 1922, Black Swan Records found it increasingly hard to sign
Black artists for its roster as record labels such as Columbia, Okeh
and Paramount began to see the benefit in producing Jazz and
Blues records and began to pursue these artists. Around this time
the popularity of radio broadcasts came about which hurt record
sales around the country.
In December of 1923, Black Swan Records declared bankruptcy
and in 1924, leased the song catalog to Paramount Records.
The Harlem Renaissance visit www.jcu.edu/harlem/index.htm
Tap Dancing visit http://atdf.org
Jazz Music visit http://www.pbs.org/jazz
The New York City Transit System visit http://www.nycsubway.org

The Cotton Club
Opened in 1920 under the name Club Deluxe, it changed
owners in 1922 and was renamed The Cotton Club. Located
on 142nd Street and Lennox Avenue, it hosted some of
the best entertainment of the day including Duke Ellington
and his orchestra, who became the house band in 1927. Some other notable performers of
the day included Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Louis Armstrong, Ethel Waters and the Nicholas
Brothers. While the performers at the Cotton Club were of African American descent the club
was segregated and admitted only white patrons. The Cotton Club enjoyed immense success
from 1922 to 1936 at its Harlem location and then moved downtown to West 48th Street
where it stayed until 1940. You can still visit the Cotton Club at its current location on 125th
Street in Harlem or watch a recreation of it on film Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Cotton Club”
Stompin
at the
Savoy
During the 1920’s and 30’s, Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom was the place to
go for dancing. Located on Lenox Avenue between 140th and 141st
streets the Savoy was known downtown as the “Home of Happy Feet”
while in Harlem is was simply known as “The Track”. Unlike the Cotton
Club, the Savoy was an integrated club where both white and black
dancers shared the floor. When you came to the Savoy, the color
of your skin didn’t matter, what people really wanted to know was
“Can you dance?” The Savoy was the hot spot for dance from the
day it opened on March 12th 1926 until it closed on July 10th 1958.
A plaque was placed on the site of the original ballroom in 2006.
It’s Showtime…
At the Apollo
Known as the place “Where Stars are Born and Legends
are Made”, the Apollo Theatre was built in 1914 and was
originally called the Hurtig and Seamon Theatre. In 1934,
Ralph Cooper decided to do a live version of his popular
radio show “Amateur Hour at the Apollo” at the Apollo
Theatre. Singer Ella Fitzgerald was one of the first winners.
In 1935 Bessie Smith made her first appearance at the
Apollo as did a young singer by the name of Billie Holiday.
The Apollo quickly became a launching pad for many groups
and performers including The Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder,
James Brown and Lauryn Hill. Today, the Apollo is still
going strong with its “Showtime at the Apollo” talent show
and hosting major performers
from around the world.
Suit Yourself
Toward the end of 1930’s, zoot suits began to make their way onto the scene.
In the urban Jazz culture of Harlem, the word “zoot” meant something
exaggerated, either in style, sound or performance. Zoot suits were favored
by young men who liked an extravagant way of dressing and considered
themselves “hip cats”. The suit was for having fun, with baggy pants for
dancing, and a long coat and wide brimmed hat to make the wearer look
“grown up”. When Duke Ellington performed the song “Jump for Joy” at
the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles in 1941, all of the performers wore zoot
suits. However, the musician most identified with the zoot suit is fellow jazz
great Cab Calloway. Today we see similar trends in style with young men
wearing baggy pants and shirts as a way to express themselves.
Take the A Train
A TRAIN

Duke Ellington
1899-1974
Duke Ellington is considered one of America’s greatest
composers. Born Edward Kennedy Ellington on April
29, 1899 in Washington D.C., Duke’s involvement with
music didn’t start until his teens. At the age of fourteen, Ellington went to Asbury
Park, NJ to work as a dishwasher at a summer resort where he heard his first ragtime
composition. The music set off a light in Duke and he began to pursue music with a
passion. After playing with bands in Washington D.C. and teaching himself piano by
watching and imitating other players, he became a professional musician by the age
of 16 and began to see the changes that he could make jazz music to create his own
style. In 1923, Duke received a job offer in New York City from band leader Wilbur
Sweatman. Ellington moved to Harlem during an era known as the Harlem Renaissance,
a French word meaning “rebirth”. He made his mark in Harlem as he and his
band became regulars at nightclubs such as the Savoy Ballroom and Cotton Club.
After leaving the Cotton Club in 1931, Ellington capitalized on his fame by touring
the United States and England. Toward the end of his life, Duke Ellington received
many honors, awards and honorary degrees in celebration of his music.
Ethel Waters
1896 – 1977
Growing up in poverty in Chester, Pennsylvania, Ethel
Waters became one of the most successful and highly paid
entertainers of the early 20th century. The singer’s career
began in 1911, where at the age of 15 she sang at a local
Halloween party and wowed the crowd with her voice. Ethel
found steady work as a singer and dancer on the vaudeville circuit with the
nickname “Sweet Mama Stringbean”. In 1919, Waters moved to Harlem
where she became the first artist to record for Black Swan Records in 1921.
Her recordings of “Down Home Blues” and “Oh Daddy” became overnight
hits and helped to make her a national star. Ethel sang at Carnegie Hall and
headlined at the famed Cotton Club with Duke Ellington where she introduced
her trademark song “Stormy Weather”, she also appeared on Broadway
in “Blackbirds” and “As Thousands Cheer” as well as several other
revues. In 1929, she made her film debut in “On with the Show” and later
appeared in “Check and Double Check”. In 1949, Ethel was nominated
for an Academy Award for her performance in “Pinky”, a controversial film
about American race relations. She received her 2nd nomination in 1950 for
her performance in “The Member of the Wedding” based on the book by
Carson McCullers. Ethel Waters died in
Los Angeles in 1977 at the age of 81.
Aaron Douglas
1899- 1979
Considered the father
of African American Art,
Aaron Douglas was born
in Topeka, Kansas in
1899. Like many young
African American men,
Douglas came north
during the Great Migration at the turn of
the 20th century in search of a better life.
In 1922, he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree from the University of Nebraska and
began teaching in Kansas City. In 1925, he
moved to Harlem, which was quickly becoming
the center of a new movement toward
African American cultural pride and identity.
In Harlem he found great success, he was
published in many magazines and books
and was commissioned to create murals for
the Countee Cullen Library as well as Fisk
University.
Douglas was the first artist to depict African
Americans as proud, strong people with a
rich African heritage in his artwork and to explore
African art with contemporary themes.
Emphasizing the need for a solid education,
he continued to study and create art
throughout his lifetime and in 1940 began to
teach art at Fisk University where he eventually
became Chair of the Art Department.
The Harlem Renaissance
Countee Cullen
1903- 1946
Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Poet
Countee Cullen moved to New York
City with his grandmother as a small
child. After her death, he was adopted
by Harlem minister Reverend Frederick
A. Cullen and his wife Carolyn.
Cullen, who became the most popular
African American poet in America,
began writing poetry in high school
where he won his first literary contest
with the poem “I Have a Rendezvous
with Life”. After graduating from Harvard
in 1927, he was frequently published
in “Opportunity” and “Crisis”
magazines where much of his poetry
spoke of the strength and resolve of
African American creativity and intellect
in the face of racial discrimination
as well as a feeling of alienation in
his homeland. Countee Cullen died
at the age of 43 in 1946. To honor his
contribution to the Harlem Renaissance,
a branch
of the New York
City Library
was named The
Countee Cullen
Regional Library
in 1951.
By the end of the 1920’s, Harlem had become the center of African American culture in the
United States. Looking for the better life that the northern urban cities promised due to the
boom in the industrial jobs and the flourishing economy following World War I, many African
Americans migrated from the south in search of good jobs. Harlem was originally called Nieuw
Haarlem by Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of New York when it was established
in 1658. In the early 1900’s, with vacancy in apartments on the rise, and landlords looking
for tenants who could pay rent, a young realtor by the name of Philip A. Payton saw this as a
great opportunity to fill those apartments with African Americans. Soon Harlem became the
largest Black community in the world and the new arrivals brought with them their culture,
music and art. From 1918 to the 1929, the extraordinary number of artists, writers and musicians
living in Harlem gave birth to a time in history called “The Harlem Renaissance”.

Read All About It
During the Harlem Renaissance, there
were two important magazines providing
an outlet for art and literature.
Opportunity, published by the National
Urban League and Crisis a monthly
periodical published by the NAACP,
were dedicated to African American
issues, art and literature. Through their
literary contests they were able to give voice to several
important writers of the day including Countee Cullen and Nora
Zeale Hurston along with publishing the artwork of Aaron
Douglas. Many publishing companies looked to these magazines
to find young Black writers with new
ideas and perspectives which led to
a wider audience.
It Don’t Mean a Thing
if it Ain’t Got That Swing…
The history of swing dancing dates back to the
early 1920’s. During this time dancers discovered the
Charleston and Lindy Hop while dancing to Jazz music.
By the 1930’s the Jitterbug had joined these dances to
form the basis of swing dancing as we know it today.
Swing dancing was a hit with the people, but not with
dance teachers. Dance schools such as The New York
Society of Teachers an Arthur Murray did not begin
teaching these dances until the early 1940’s.
“Take the A Train” is one of Duke Ellington’s best know
recordings and a great way to get home if you happen to live
uptown. At 31 miles, the “A” train is the longest subway line
in the New York City Transit System and spans from Queens
to Brooklyn to the tip of Manhattan. Opened in 1932, the
“A” was the first subway route operated by New York City as
part of the Independent (IND) subway system and originally
spanned only 12 miles, from Chambers Street in lower Manhattan
to Harlem. As the lyrics state “If you miss the A train,
you’ll find you missed the quickest way to Harlem”.
On Tap
Even though tap dancing has its roots in Irish
step dancing and clogging, it is an original
American art form. Between the 1600’s and
1800’s tap evolved from European step dances
and a variety of African steps that were labeled
“juba” and “ring shout” dances.
After the Civil War, new steps were added
to the tap vocabulary including “stop time”,
“soft shoe” and “time step”. At the turn of
the 21st century, tap gained prominence in
vaudeville with performers such as Bill “Bojangles”
Robinson and John Bubble and later
in film musicals staring such renowned dancers
as Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers. As
the 1950’s approached, tap began to lose its
popularity as dance styles changed and new
dances were introduced. In the 1960’s several
public tap dance events reignited an interest in
what was now considered an art form. Starting
in the 1980’s, tap reappeared on the Broadway
stage in such musicals as Jelly’s Last Jam, Black
and Blue, The Tap Dance Kid and 42nd Street.
In 1989, Congress designated May 25th as
“National Tap Dance Day”, which is celebrated
by people across the United States.
Art Deco
During the roaring twenties and the
early thirties, Art Deco architecture
was all the rage. Like many styles it
is a combination of different influences
from many sources. You can
easily see the influence of Egyptian
design in Art Deco style which many
attribute to the discovery of King
Tutankhamen’s tomb by English
Egyptologist Howard Carter in 1922.
Other influences include Roman,
Greek and other Middle Eastern
styles. Jewelry, clothing, artwork and
buildings made during the 1920’s
and 30’s often reflect this unique
style, especially here in New York
City. Many apartment buildings have
crown moldings, arched doorways
and feature “Egyptian” style tile
work and statues on the outside and
entryways. The Empire State Building,
Chrysler Building and Radio
City Music Hall are three of the most
famous examples of Art Deco design
here in the city.