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Concert as Catalyst: Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert and Its Lasting Impact in Phoenix, Arizona

abstract: A poster advertising two 1966 performances of Duke Ellington’s First Sacred Concert at Trinity Cathedral catalyzed research into several storylines that stem from the jazz great’s time in Phoenix, Arizona. Ellington’s arrival on the weekend of November 10th, 1966, was surrounded by controversy within Trinity Cathedral, the Diocese of Arizona, and the diocesan relationship to the national Episcopal Church. Because Phoenix had recently passed civil rights legislation, race relations remained on unstable footing when Ellington’s sacred jazz music—performed by Ellington’s black band members—filled the nave of the historic cathedral. This concert stimulated research into Duke Ellington’s connection to the Episcopal Church; from Ellington’s influential reading of the Episcopal publication Forward Day by Day (1935 – current) to his lifelong friendships with Episcopal clergy, his connection to the Episcopal Church illuminates a spirituality that was influenced by a denomination in constant transformation. Rather than homing in on a single topic throughout this work, this study brings together the distinct, but interrelated, spheres of church, artist, jazz, and locale in a politically and socially charged moment in recent history. Informed by documents not before examined, this research adds a new spiritual dimension to the existing Ellington biography and contributes to the local history of Phoenix and Trinity Cathedral in the 1960s. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2017

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:asu.edu/item:44041
Date January 2017
ContributorsDowney, Ryan (Author), FitzPatrick, Carole (Advisor), Norton, Kay (Committee member), Ryan, Russell (Committee member), Arizona State University (Publisher)
Source SetsArizona State University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeDoctoral Dissertation
Format170 pages
Rightshttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/, All Rights Reserved

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