Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation

Recordings

The Montpelier Arts Center’s JAZZMONT Records is proud to present its sixth live recording, Dick Morgan, Live at Montpelier.

The recording faithfully captures the jazz legend’s mastery of the piano and the incredible range and variety of his arrangements and features a superb Quartet: Dick Morgan on piano, Steve Abshire on guitar, Dave Einhorn on bass, and Bertell Knox on drums. Morgan’s group performs in perfect unity, despite wild and sudden shifts in volume and cadence. The recording also captures the boundless energy of the performance from the driving version of Boston Chicken that opens the concert to the closing Amen. Other selections include jazz standards like “Don’t Be That Way,” as well as jazz treatments of popular songs like “the Windmills of Your Mind,” and “Autumn Leaves.” There is also a beautiful rendition of the traditional gospel tune “This Little Light of Mine” with Dick and the audience doing the vocals.

Dick Morgan, Live at Montpelier is available at www.cdbaby.com It can also be purchased by phone (301- 377-7800) with Visa or MasterCard; by mailed check (payable to M-NCPPC); or purchased at the Montpelier Arts Center, 10 AM –5 PM seven days per week. The cost is fifteen dollars including tax. Inquiries are also welcome via email: Montpelier.Arts@pgparks.com.

JazzMont Records

JazzMont Records Montpelier Arts Center's award winning record label is called JazzMont Records. Our CDs can be ordered over the telephone using a credit card, ordered by mail with a check payable to M-NCPPC, or bought in person at the Montpelier Arts Center, 10 am-5 pm seven days per week. The cost is $15 including tax.

JazzMont releases include:
Royal Essence
Royal Essence, an Evening of Ellington
featuring Sir Roland Hanna & Davey Yarborough
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios
Buck Hill
Uh-Huh! Buck Hill Live at Montpelier
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios
Pinky's Waltz
Pinky's Waltz, Keter Betts Live at Montpelier
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios
Ron Holloway
Ron Holloway and Friends, Live at Montpelier
featuring Julia Nixon
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios
Ethel Ennis Ethel Ennis CD Ennis Anyone? - Ethel Ennis Live at Montpelier
Winner of the Best Jazz Recording of 2005!
Click here to see album liner notes, song list and bios

Royal Essence, An Evening Of Ellington (1999)
Sir Roland Hanna & Davey Yarborough

(Song List)
1. Royal Essence
2. I Let a Song Go out of My Heart
3. Daydream
4. Everything but You
5. Prelude to a Kiss
6. Cottontail
7. Azure
8. Black & Tan Fantasy
9. In a Sentimental Mood
10. Awesome Eyes
11. Silky
12. Flamingo
13. What Am I Here For?
Sir Roland Hanna: Piano on all cuts. Solo on “Flamingo”
Davey Yarborough: Flute and Saxophones

(Liner Notes)
In celebration of the Ellington Centennial, The Montpelier Arts Center is proud to present a recording of a concert by legendary pianist/composer Sir Roland Hanna and exciting saxophonist, flutist and composer Davey Yarborough.

On April 29,1999, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington would have been 100 years old. Born in Washington, DC, he was undoubtedly the City’s most famous native son and arguably the greatest of all jazz composers. Charlie Cassell, of the Charlin Jazz Society, initiated The Duke Ellington Centennial Commission in 1997 to plan the Washington Area Celebration in 1999. The Montpelier Arts Center was among the many Washington Area Jazz organizations to participate. In addition to planning three special Ellington concerts at Montpelier in the month of April 1999, I felt the project also demanded a recording, preferably one that could be released at the time of the celebration.

Selecting the artists for the recording project was easy. Sir Roland Hanna, a regular performer at Montpelier since 1991, is the most knowledgeable and distinguished of all Ellington scholars, as demonstrated by his breathtakingly sophisticated interpretations of Ellington compositions in concert as well as in his astute commentary in lectures and workshops. An especially memorable lecture at Montpelier in 1994 included incisive and eloquent analysis of Ellington’s “ Single Petal of a Rose” from The Queen’s Suite, an analysis that participants are still talking about!

That memorable afternoon was followed by a fabulous duet concert that evening featuring Hanna with woodwind player Davey Yarborough (another artist who had frequently performed at Montpelier especially with Montpelier favorite Ronnie Wells). I had asked Davey to join incomparable Mr. Hanna that night because I knew theirs would be the perfect sound for our tiny but acoustically perfect hall. Although this was true, an even more stunning development was the amazing unanimity of their collaboration especially on Mr. Yarborough’s compositions.

Theirs would also be the perfect sound for an Ellington CD, I reasoned, and who better to select for an Ellington recording than the Director of Jazz Studies at the Duke Ellington School of Arts (Yarborough) and the greatest Ellington scholar (Hanna).

- Richard Zandler, 1999

SIR ROLAND HANNA
Sir Roland Hanna was recognized as one of the major figures in Jazz today. His diverse experiences as a musician (pianist and cellist), composer, group leader, soloist, accompanist, arranger, teacher, recording and broadcast media artist, world-wide touring artist/diplomat, and humanitarian, made him a dynamic driving force in the continued development of the art form. His long and distinguished career clearly qualified him as a national treasure.

Born in Detroit in 1932, Roland Hanna’s first Musical influence was the gospel and rhythm and blues heard in his preacher father’s church. This was coupled with formal training in classical piano from an early age. His musical evolution continued beyond graduation from Cass Technical High School and through a two-year assignment to the United States Army Band. After discharge from the Army in 1954, he studied at the Eastman School and subsequently at Julliard. He played with the Benny Goodman Orchestra in 1958, appearing at the Newport Jazz Festival and on a European tour ending at the Brussels World’s Fair. In 1959 he played with Charles Mingus at the Half Note and then appeared with his own trio at the Five Spot.

Since the 1960s, he traveled all over the world appearing as the pianist for major orchestras (e.g., the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – Europe and Japan in 1967, the Soviet Union in 1972), leading his own groups or appearing as a soloist. He performed solo concerts for two months at the Olympia Theatre in Paris in 1968, and then embarked on a benefit tour in Africa for music students in 1969. Because of his commitment to education in Africa and in recognition of his humanitarian efforts, he was knighted by Liberian President William Tubman in 1970.

His amazingly varied history included serving Sarah Vaughan’s musical director, anchoring the Rosengarden Orchestra on the Dick Cavett Show, touring with a classical quartet performing his own compositions on cello, and, perhaps most notably, forming the New York Jazz Quartet. He did all this while composing over 400 compositions and making more than 40 albums.

In addition to his active touring schedule (especially with his trip- Eddie Locke: Drums & Paul West: bass), Sir Roland Hanna taught at the Aaron Copeland School of Music at Queens College in New York City.

(Sir Roland Hanna passed away in the fall of 2002.)

DAVEY YARBOROUGH
Davey Yarborough is a native of Washington, DC who has been dazzling audiences for 20 years. He is a fine flutist and saxophonist as well as a distinguished composer, arranger, bandleader, studio musician and teacher.

After formal training at the University of the District of Columbia (BA) and Howard University (MA), Yarborough studied flute with the master, Frank Wess, and saxophone with the great Sonny Stitt. These intensive and challenging studies have served him well not only as a performer but also as a composer and teacher.

Throughout his career he has performed with some of the greatest stars in the Jazz constellation: Dizzie Gillespie, Lena Horne, Clark Terry, Bill Eckstine, Slide Hampton, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Witherspoon, Louie Bellson, and Joe Williams. In addition to his own quartet (Bill Joyner, Everett Brooks and Steve Walker), he has appeared in several collaborative groups including “Eternal Equinox” (with Joe Harris, Hilton Felton and Nasar Abadey) and “Covington-Seals-Yarborough” (Charles Covington, Richard Seals, and Davey Yarborough). The later group’s recording “It’s Time For Love” is a tour de force for all three musicians.

His versatility as a performer, composer and arranger propelled him to such interesting projects as creating and performing the background music for “The Cosby Show,” writing the musical soundtrack for the movie “Uptown Angel,” and writing and arranging a musical tribute to Sonny Stitt and John Malachi. Besides playing at numerous Washington area clubs and concert halls, Yarborough has also played at major jazz festivals including the East Coast Jazz Festival and the Blues/Jazz festival of San Remo, Italy.

Davey Yarborough is helping to shape a whole new generation of exciting jazz performers through his dedicated and inspiring work as a distinguished teacher at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts in Washington, DC. He not only teaches saxophone but also serves as the Coordinator of Jazz Studies, and the Director of the Jazz Orchestra.

Davey Yarborough appears courtesy of Swing Records.


Uh Huh! Buck Hill, Live at Montpelier!(2000)

Recorded 1999/ Released 2000 (This second CD on the JazzMont label is currently SOLD OUT)


(Song List)
1. You Don’t Know Me Like You Think You Do
2. Blue Five
3. Minor Mode Blues
4. Insomnia
5. Huh? Unh-uh. Uh Huh!
6. Total Beauty
7. Jasing
8. Instant

(Liner Notes)
In 1984, a soft-spoken, distinguished looking gentleman walked into my office and asked me if the Arts Center ever rented out the Main Gallery for jazz performances. I explained that while we did occasionally rent the Main Gallery for public performances, we could do so only when the exhibition scheduled permitted. I mentioned that the center did, however, present concerts itself including a chamber music series, which would include one jazz concert in the following season. I added that I had been thinking of possibly offering a separate jazz series as well, and suggested he send me a tape and resume if he would like to be considered. The gentleman said he lived just down the street and said he would drop something by soon.

The next day I received the promised cassette tape and promotional materials. I listened to the first four bars and became at once awestruck and embarrassed: a genius had visited me the day before and I had not recognized him. Yes, despite several recent and highly successful engagements in New York, many superb records on a good label, and several acclaimed European tours, Buck Hill was still not well known, as he should have been
outside the Washington, D.C. area. Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I was completely unaware of the brilliance of his artistry, and of his fascinating life story. To my credit, I wasted no time in calling him to apologize for my ignorance and begged him to play in our new jazz series.

From that point, it was not long before Buck Hill became an essential member of the Montpelier community of artists, and was recognized as the “Dean of Montpelier Musicians.” From his first performance in 1985, his powerful, driving style has electrified Montpelier audiences. He has developed a loyal following who demands that he play here at least 3 times per year, including at the Annual Spring Music Festival, which attracts over 15,000. Because of his selfless, generous devotion to his art and his colleagues, he helped me develop the Montpelier Jazz Series into a significant showcase for regional musicians. It was
he who suggested such great local performers as: Abdu Raschid Ya Ya, The Howard University Jazz Ensemble, The UDC Jazz Ensemble, Art Monroe, and Keter Betts, another essential member of the Montpelier community. It was he who helped me make contact and then convince Charlie Byrd to play at Montpelier. It was on the solid foundation of Buck Hill, Keter Betters, and Charlie Byrd that the Montpelier Jazz Series was built. I came to know Buck as the dedicated family man and consummate artist who continued the arduous discipline of endless practice, composition, and performance at the most challenging level of
the Jazz idiom while working a demanding full-time job with the postal service. Besides earning him the moniker “The Pulsating Postman,” his life serves as a model of the hardworking artist who maintains a solid family life and sincere commitment to his community.

- Richard Zandler, 2000

(Bio)
Buck Hill is a living treasure. He is the consummate artist, possessing both extraordinary discipline and compelling passion for his craft. His talent as a performer is equaled only by his own prowess as a composer and arranger. His music is a perfect blend of be-bop, swing, and straight- ahead jazz which has been dazzling audiences for over 40 years. Born in 1927, Buck Hill started playing the saxophone when he was 13 years old. While attending Armstrong High School, he studied the instrument both in school and on stage in local D.C. jazz clubs. In 1948 he married the lovely Helen Weaver. In a few years they had
three small children, making it necessary for Buck to take two jobs: taxi driving and mail delivery. Despite the demands of family and work, Buck continued a rigorous regimen of practice and performance. His appearances in the 50s were so impressive that his reputation grew dramatically, leading to gigs with great jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie as they passed through town. After a while, he was in such demand that he quit the post office to maintain his schedule of performances. By 1957, he was often performing with other local jazz greats Charlie Byrd and Keter Betts. In that same year he made his first recording
with Charlie Byrd as the leader.

As a result of the dominance of rock music in the 1960’s, Buck returned to the Postal Service. He continued to perform at local clubs and devoted himself to teaching jazz as well. Many years later, one of his most successful students, renowned drummer Bill Hart, arranged for Buck to re launch his recording career with the Danish recording Company Steeplecase. In 1978 they recorded “This is Buck Hill,” and later “Scope” which featured Hill’s superb compositions.

Before long, Hill’s career soared, including numerous appearances at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland and a triumphant engagement in New York City (1982) hailed by the Village Voice and the New York Post. He went on to play in France, Canada, throughout the eastern United States. Other great albums also followed, including the classic, “Buck Hill Uphill,” and the fabulous “Capitol Hill.” He has recorded albums for Poly-gram-Verve, Turning Point, Muse and Improv Records. He now plays regularly at Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. as well as yearly at the East Coast Jazz Festival.


Pinky’s Waltz: Keter Betts, Live at Montpelier!

(Recorded in 2001 and released in 2002)


(Song List)
1. BDK Blues
2. Pinky’s Waltz
3. Like Someone in Love
4. Take the ‘A’ Train
5. But Beautiful
6. Us
7. Vivi’s Waltz
8. Dancing in the Dark
9. G Blues

(Liner Notes)
The Montpelier Arts Center’s jazz series was built on the strong foundation provided by Buck Hill and Keter Betts. Buck Hill’s first concert was in 1984 and Keter Betts’ first concert was in 1985; to everyone’s great delight they have returned every year since. It is only fitting that Keter should be featured on this, our third live recording project.

Anyone who attends a Keter Betts concert has come to expect not only the most sophisticated and polished musicianship, but also an extraordinarily entertaining evening, thanks to his remarkable sense of humor. In addition to bringing exciting, experimental artists like O’Donnell Levy, Grady Tate, Bertell Knox, Charles Covington, Bill Charlap, and Dennis Mackrel to the stage, Keter always brings along an extra surprise. One year, after he played a solo, he excused himself to get his bow and presumably returned to his trio. Instead a young man (Joe Webb) came up on stage and started moving instruments around. While moving the piano his foot made a loud tap and he instantly broke into an amazingly exuberant tap dance. Another year, Keter explained that the trio (Keter, Charles Covington, and Bertell Knox) needed to make a wardrobe change. Thirty seconds after they left the stage three beautiful young women appeared and launched into a medley of exquisite string pieces. After their performance, they left the stage and when Keter returned, he asked if the audience liked his other outfit (later he introduced the members of the jazz string trio, Hue). It is typical of Keter to end a concert with a comment like: “I guess we will be back in January because I head Richard say that it’ll be a cold day in winter before I have those guys back.”

In addition to his great sense of humor, the evocative, emotional power of Keter’s music also connects with every audience. This recording captures one of the most sensitive of these connections with the performance of his tribute to his wife, “Pinky’s Waltz.”

The Montpelier Arts Center is very appreciative of Keter Bett’s immeasurable contributions to the success of the Montpelier Jazz Series, and is honored to have the opportunity to release this recording.

- Richard Zandler, 2002

(Bio)
Keter Betts was one of the finest bassists of the second half of the Twentieth century. He was born on June 22, 1928 in Port Chester, New York, studied music in New York City, and began his professional career in Washington D.C. in 1947, a year after graduating from high school. Post war Washington was one of the country’s best incubators for new talent and young Keter made the most of the opportunity, sitting in with all the jazz legends who came
to town. As he honed his skills in Washington, his reputation spread and bandleaders in New York regularly sought his services. Early jobs were with Earl Bostic (1949) and Dinah Washington. In 1957, he began working with Charlie Byrd in groups that included musicians like Buck Hill, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Stan Getz. During the same period he also worked with Nat and Julian (Cannonball) Adderley.

Keter Betts began his long-time association with Ella Fitzgerald in 1965 at a concert in Hamburg, Germany, as a member of the Tommy Flanagan Trio. He became her full time bassist in 1971 and stayed with her band through her final performance in 1992. With Ella he collaborated with giants like Tommy Flanagan, Count Basie, Joe Pass, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington.

During his long career Keter Betts traveled all over the world (many times over), but kept the Washington area his home, marrying and raising five children here. In addition to his demanding tour schedule, Keter devoted much of his time to performing and presenting workshops in schools, especially in the Washington D.C. area. Besides performing at least once a year at Montpelier, he regularly performed for the Maryland- National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Arts Alive program, as well as at Montpelier’s sisters facilities, The Public Playhouse and the Harmony Hall Regional Center’s John Addison Concert Hall. Keter Betts is featured on many classic jazz recordings by the great names in jazz (e.g., Cannonball Adderley- Verve Jazz Masters 31 and Count Basie – Golden Years). He has recently released two of his own albums with fabulous results – Bass, Buddies and Blues and Bass, Buddies, Blues and Beauty Too (Ethel Ennis is the Beauty).


(Mr. Betts passed away in August 2006.)


Ron Holloway and Friends, Live at Montpelier! (2003)

Featuring vocals by Julia Nixon


(Song List)
1. Sidewinder
2. Poinciana
3. At Last
4. Cantaloupe Island
5. Chameleon
6. Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On
7. All Blues

(Liner Notes)
Ron Holloway’s powerful tenor sax style has delighted Montpelier audiences for many years. For his first live recording here, Ron pulled out all the stops and presented a concert that last well over three hours, involved two groups of musicians, and celebrated two genres of jazz (straight-ahead and funk). Prior to the performance, I worried that it would be logically difficult to make the stage set-up changes in a timely manner, that Ron’s recording honorarium would be completely consumed by paying so many musicians, ad that the audience would have difficulty staying for more than two hours. Luckily, Ron did not follow
my advice.

The result was a concert that produced more than three hours of compelling music, all of it worthy of release. In addition, the audience was completely enthralled, not only staying to the end, but demanding an encore.

Given the superb results of Ron’s planning and the masterful engineering by John Yeh and Jon Miller, it was difficult to eliminate more than half of the tracks recorded and pare the selections down to the number that would fit on one CD. IN fact, we are considering restoring the deleted cuts and releasing the whole concert as a two-CD set when we produce subsequent editions.

- Richard Zandler, 2003

(Bio)
Ron Holloway is on a musical quest. Born August 24, 1953, Ron grew up in a household where listening to jazz was a favorite pastime. His parents, Winston and Marjorie Holloway were, and are, avid jazz listeners. “My parents met while attending Howard University in Washington, D.C. They both loved jazz, and would frequently go to concerts at the Howard Theatre. I’m sure I heard jazz in the womb. In my pre-teen years, I remember my Dad coming home from work at least a couple of times a week with the latest Prestige or Blue Note albums. He’s a big fan of saxophone and trumpet-led groups, so I heard all of
the great horn players.” During these early years, Ron heard and enjoyed his father’s albums, but had no interest in becoming a musician himself.

In 1966, Ron attended Carter G. Woodson Jr. High School. It was there that he was introduced to playing a musical instrument only because there were not enough students to organize a band and Band Director Arthur Capehart was forced to ask for volunteers. When the volunteers were given a choice of several instruments, Ron chose the alto saxophone over the clarinet and French horn. “I started taking the horn home everyday, so I could practice. As soon as I’d get home I’d start playing, and before I knew it three hours would’ve gone by!” A few months later, Mr. Capehart switched Ron to he larger tenor
saxophone. In December of 1966, the Holloways moved from Washington D.C., to Takoma Park, Maryland. “It almost seemed as though fate had a hand in timing. We had been living in a modest apartment in D.C., and suddenly we were in a house with a nice roomy basement. It was the perfect place for me to practice. From that point on I felt an urgency to pursue music and reach my full potential. This became my quest.”

After graduation from Montgomery Blair High School, Ron would practice anywhere from eight to twelve hours a day and then would sit in with a wide variety of bands. It was not unusual to find him sitting in with jazz, R&B, funk, rock, fusion, blues, or even country bands, all in the space of a week. His first Top 40/R&B band was “The Speculations.” In the summer of 1973, he sat in with trumpet great Freddie Hubbard. In 1975, Ron sat in with his mentor and friend, tenor saxophone legend and recent Grammy Award winner, Sonny Rollins.

By late 1977, Ron was making his living playing music. That year a new club, the Showboat Lounge, opened about a mile from where Ron was living. Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, and Dizzy Gillespie were among the first performers. Ron arrived about 45 minutes before show time, armed with a tape player. As he approached the dressing room, he could hear Dizzy warming up. “He was holding out long tones, starting with the lowest notes, and coming up the scale by half steps. When I got to the door, I stood in the frame for a second. Dizzy looked up, and immediately said, ‘whatcha got on the tape?’ I said, ‘Mr.
Gillespie, this is a tape of myself sitting-in with Sonny Rollins at Howard University.’ He said, ‘Let’s hear it!.’ He patted the chair next to him with his hand, as if to say: ‘sit here.’ I sat down, pressed play, and Dizzy listened very intently. After he’d heard my solo, he whirled around in his chair, and with all the enthusiasm of a child asked: ‘You got your horn?’ I said, ‘No sir, I didn’t want to appear presumptuous.’ Dizzy grinned widely, and said, ‘Presumptuous – now THERE’S a word!’ We both burst out laughing.” Ron performed with Dizzy that whole week, and afterwards had a standing invitation to sit in with the band
whenever they came to town.

Later that same year, Ron joined alternative rocker Rootboy Slim’s band. Rootboy’s band wasn’t a jazz group, but it gave Ron plenty of freedom to develop his improvisational skills. Ron was an active member of Rootboy’s band from 1977 to 1987. His tenure with Rootboy overlapped with several other groups: the funk band, Osiris, from 1979 to 1981, and Gil Scott-Heron’s group from 1982 until 1989.

Ron had continued sitting in with Dizzy while a member of Scott-Heron’s band. “In June of ’89, while performing with Dizzy at Blues Alley, he asked me if I’d like to join his quintet! I responded with a question. ‘When do I start?’ ‘I think you already have,’ was Dizzy’s reply.” Ron toured the world, appeared on the Johnny Carson and Arsenio Hall shows, and recorded two CDs with Dizzy. Ron was a member of Dizzy’s quintet until the passing of the great trumpeter on January 6, 1993.

Ron’s first CD was Slanted, released in early 1994 on the Fantasy/Milestone label. This was followed by Struttin’ in 1995, Scorcher in 1996, and Groove Update in 1998. Ron not only leads his own groups at clubs and festivals, but also plays with Taj Mahal, Little Feat, Derek Trucks, Grammy Award nominee Shemekia Copeland, Grammy Award winner Delbert McClinton, Eddie from Ohio, as well as Julia Nixon. Ron is the proud recipient of no less than 38 Washington Area Music Awards, two of them for Musician of the Year. “Among the many things I would like to do is reflect the entire history of the tenor saxophone in my playing. The saxophone is a relatively young instrument but what an illustrious legacy it has already. There’s much to be done.”


Ennis Anyone? Ethel Ennis, Live at Montpelier! (2005)

Winner of the Washington Area Music Association Award BEST JAZZ RECORDING OF 2005!

Stef Scaggiari, Piano
Ryan Diehl, Drums
Mark Russel, Bass


(Song List)
1. It’s a Wonderful World
2. When You’re Around
3. Mr. Roachman Blues
4. In the Days of Our Love
5. Honeysuckle Rose
6. Danny Boy
7. Brother Bill (The Last Clean Shirt)
8. Everything Must Change
9. Livin’ in the Shadows
10. Hey You
11. Tomorrow
12. But Beautiful

(Liner Notes)
“Hey you!
Are you doing what you want to do?”
Ethel Ennis is a force of nature. The purity of her voice is a phenomenon of biology and physics. Her compositions, perfect in meter, tone and melody are like mathematical formulae, yet her performances are philosophical, emotional, even spiritual. Although her lyrics and her in-concert song introductions deal with the most critical issues of life including death and aging, she overwhelms the issues with wit and wisdom. Because of her remarkable ability as a comic actress, she forces the audience to consider these difficult issues while they roar with laughter.

Along with Buck Hill, Keter Betts, and Charlie Byrd, Ethel Ennis was instrumental in building the reputation of the Montpelier Jazz Series by performing here at least once per year since 1988. The Montpelier Cultural Arts Center and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission are eternally grateful. I am grateful that once a year she asks that question- “Are you doing what you want to do?” It certainly helps me take time to reflect on my choices and to focus on what is important in my life. One thing is sure: no reflection is needed to consider the question if one narrow it to the moment it is asked: “Are you doing what you want to do right now (listening to Ethel)?” I and the entire audience would answer with a resounding “YES!”

- Richard Zandler, 2005

(Bio)
Baltimore native Ethel Ennis is a national treasure. Critics have hailed her as the “most accomplished jazz singer performing today.” That stature was earned by her magnificent voice, her brilliant compositions, her joyful performances, and her collaborations with the finest musicians.

No other living singer possesses her credentials. Ethel Ennis first won national recognition for her recording “Lullaby for Losers” in 1955. She won international acclaim in 1958 when she was selected by Benny Goodman as the female vocalist for his all-star band which toured Western Europe. Later, she was chosen as a featured singer on the Arthur Godfrey Show where she worked for eight years. After performing at the 1964 Newport Jazz Festival (backed by Billy Taylor, Cozy Cole and Slam Stewart), she appeared with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra on television’s “Bell Telephone Hour.” She followed those amazing achievements by wowing them at the Monterey Jazz Festival in duets with Joe Williams. She returned to her hometown to perform in concerts with the Count Basie Band and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Suring the same period she shared the bill with Cab Calloway at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre and played supper clubs and concert halls all over the country including appearances in Las Vegas.

In the 1970’s, she continued to perform in great music venues including the Persian Room at New York’s Plaza Hotel. She founded the practice of singing the National Anthem a capella at Richard Nixon’s 1973 presidential inauguration. She also performed at the White House for both the Nixon and Carter administrations. Acting as Baltimore’s official cultural ambassador, she not only presented American jazz, but also sang Chinese folk songs at the
International Music Festival in Xiamen, China. Through the Sister Cities program, Ethel represented Baltimore by performing in Rotterdam several times. In the 1980’s Ethel ran Ethel’s Place, an internationally known music club, with her husband, writer Earl Arnett. They presented the world’s greatest jazz musicians and broadcast live concerts to national audiences. After selling the club in 1988, the couple returned to music and writing full-time. Ethel Ennis continues to perform all over the world including trips to Turkey for the Ankara Music Festival, and the to US Embassy in Bonn, Germany for a farewell gift concert
to the city before the Embassy moved to Berlin (in 1999). Ennis has recorded more than a dozen major albums and a dozen singles for the major labels (Capitol, Atlantic, RCA, and BASF) as well as several under her own label.

In addition to her collaborations with the jazz greats of the past (e.g., Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Joe Williams, Louis Armstrong, Gerry Mulligan, Stephane Grappelli, Ray Brown, and Milt Jackson), she continues to work with today’s jazz icons (e.g., Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Turner, Phil Woods, and Keter Betts). The late Ella Fitzgerald praised Ethel as her favorite; Billie Holiday personally encouraged her; Frank Sinatra described Ethel as “my kind of singer,” and Joe Williams called her “little sister.” A Chicago Sun-Times critic raved about her “…smoldering jazz contralto with phrasing that leaps, lifts, and melts in to a lovely dying fall…” A Downbeat reviewer said it best, “her voice runs deeps, exuding the personality of a sage who has lived many lives.” Learn more about Ethel by reading her biography, Ethel Ennis, the Reluctant Jazz Star by Sallie Kravetz (Gateway Press, 1984).