The Past is Prologue: Black, Brown and Beige

Words by Captain Paul Creighton

                On the night of January 23, 1943, Duke Ellington premiered his jazz symphony Black, Brown and Beige at Carnegie Hall.  The piece was performed at a preview on the previous night and once more just a few days later.  Those three performances are the only known complete performances of the work by Ellington, yet “B, B & B,” which was how Ellington referred to the work, continues to echo into the 21^st century by its mere influence alone.  The symphony is subtitled tone parallel to the American Negro.  Ellington intended the symphony to tell the story of African-Americans in the United States up to the present time, 1943.

                The symphony, presented in three movements, begins with Black. The theme of Work Song, contains a complex structure that relates the repetitive nature of the work while still maintaining the uplifting nature of an actual work song.  Come Sunday juxtaposes this with the idea of spirituality, and the position of both themes suggests the close ties between work and spirituality.  The movement ends with Light, which really swings, bringing the movement to a fulfilling conclusion, while still setting the stage for the next two movements.

                Brown begins with, in Ellington's words, “the salute to West Indian Influence.”  The theme alternately known as West Indian Dance, commemorates the participation of Haitian Negroes in the Siege of Savannah, 1779.  The movement continues with Emancipation Celebration, which weaves the two sides of emancipation into the theme.  First the hope of promise of emancipation is highlighted.  Then, by duets between two saxophones and then by a trumpet and trombone, the plight is remembered of those former slaves who had earned a retirement that was lost through emancipation..   The movement ends with Blues, although the theme does not take that musical form.  It parallels the experience of the African-American community through the Spanish-American war and the period following.

                Beige finishes the symphony, taking the listener through the 1920's, 30's and up to the then current conflict.  The movement reminds us of the African-American socialites in Harlem and elsewhere.  The entire movement is very much a statement on the times, the situation of the “black, brown, and beige” which Ellington references in the title of the symphony and a short hand for the pecking order in the ghetto.
                At the time of the concert, a recording ban was in place, so there was not a proper recording made of the event.  However, sound technicians at the concert did make a recording which survives to this day.  Ellington recorded studio versions of many of the themes and some became part of his regular performances.
                Ellington's master work received mixed reviews at the time.  It is said that because of this, Ellington never performed the entire symphony again.  At a later concert at Carnegie Hall, in December of 1943, Ellington would introduce the one theme from the symphony, "We thought we wouldn't play it [Black, Brown and Beige] in its entirety tonight because it represents an awfully long and important story and that I don't think too many people are familiar with the story.”  70 years later, appreciation has only grown for the work, which is now counted as among his greatest musical contributions.