Duke Ellington chose me (randallkeithhorton.com). I will conduct my original re-creation of his full-length "Black, Brown and Beige".
This project is the culmination of a long term effort to commercially-record a live concert reflecting my unique musical relationship to Duke Ellington Mr. Ellington personally chose me to serve as his composing and conducting assistant approximately one year before he passed away. Please visit my Web site, www.randallkeithhorton.com for the story of my life experience with Duke Ellington, his orchestra, this music and his family.
Mr. Ellington was not received well by the general press in 1943 when he presented his orchestra in the premiere of his tone poem, "Black, Brown and Beige" (sub-titled , "A Tone Parallel to the History of the American Negro"), at Carnegie Hall.
Four results of his 1943 experience are important to recognize as they relate to this project:
1) Maestro Ellington never performed the piece in its entirety again, because of the negative reviews in the press. This is a widely recognized historical fact.
2) He created new music for "BBB" in 1958, and recorded it with the great gospel-music singer, Mahalia Jackson.
3) He never finished putting the 1943 music with the 1958 music into a single, unified musical whole. In other words, until his family and his (my) publisher, G. Schirmer, Inc., asked and commissioned me (in 1987) to create my new re-construction (i.e., "re-creation") of the FULL LENGTH composition - which brings the 1943 and 1958 music together in a unified big band - symphonic whole - the public did not hear the complete "BBB". It has never been recorded!
4) I have conducted two local premieres of my re-creation of "BBB": (1) The world premiere with the Camellia Symphony Orchestra and my big band, in Sacramento, CA (1988); and (2) at the centennial of Ellington's birth (1999), with the University of North Texas Symphony Orchestra and my big band, in Dallas. 2013 will mark the seventieth-year anniversary of the Carnegie hall concert. If funded through this Kickstarter project, the music will be recorded for CD and DVD marketing, internationally, and will be marketed to professional, college-university and community symphony orchestras for future concert performances (internationally). This seventieth-year anniversary concert would, if funded, occur in New York City or in upstate New York in April, 2013, as near as possible to Mr. Ellington's birthday (April 29).
I attempted to produce this concert recording project in 1999 and in 2009,but could not raise enough backing. The 1999 concert was videotaped, however. To review excerpts of that concert, please visit my Web site. Also please read "My Concerto Grosso Orchestration of Duke Ellington's "Black, Brown and Beige" on the site. I have notable orchestra management and media management training and experience, and enjoy a wide network of potential "in kind" support service to produce and market this concert and its resulting CD and DVD products. My name is known and respected in New York. My publisher, G. Schirmer, Inc., has been very understanding in this long process of bringing this concert/recording project to fruition. They commissioned me to mwrite it. It's my independent vision to concertize and record it.
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Funding Unsuccessful This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on June 12, 2012.
Funding period
Apr 13, 2012 -
Jun 12, 2012
(60 days)
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- Randall Keith Horton 126 friends
- Website: randallkeithhorton.com
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"Special Thanks" mentioning of your name in the CD jacket liner notes and in the DVD jacket liner notes and in the DVD rolling credits from the April, 2013, New York Premiere concert.
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A special videotaped reception for ALL backers and for Kickstart employees will be held immediately following the concert, at a location TBA. This video tape will be edited into the closing portion of the DVD, with thanks.
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1 backer Limited (99 of 100 left)
ONE complimentary CD or ONE copy of the DVD from the April, 2013 New York Premiere concert, AND "Special Thanks" mentioning of your name in the jacket liner notes of the CD and in the DVD jacket liner notes, and in the DVD rolling credits from that concert.
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ONE complimentary admission ( "will call" only ) at the ticket window for the April, 2013, New York Premiere concert, AND "Special Thanks" mentioning of your name in the concert program booklet for that concert, AND see Reward # 5, below.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013Pledge $250 or more
0 backers Limited (300 of 300 left)
ONE complimentary CD and ONE complimentary DVD from the recorded April, 2013 New York Premiere concert,, AND "Special Thanks" mentioning of your name in the CD jacket liner notes and in the DVD jacket liner notes , and in the rolling credits of the DVD from that concert.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2013Pledge $500 or more
0 backers Limited (100 of 100 left)
TWO complimentary CDs and TWO complimentary DVDs of the recorded April, 2013 New York Premiere concert, AND "Special Thanks" mentioning of your name in the CD jacket liner notes, and in the DVD jacket liner notes, and in the rolling credits of the DVD from that recorded concert.
Estimated delivery: Jul 2013Pledge $500 or more
0 backers Limited (100 of 100 left)
TWO complimentary admissions ( "will call" only ) at the ticket window, for the April, 2013 New York Premiere concert, AND "Special Thanks" mentioning of your name in the concert program booklet for that concert, AND see "Reward # 6, above.
Estimated delivery: Apr 2013
