Ellington followed the Travis show with a performance March 5, 1958, at Mather Air Force Base, an installation near Sacramento which closed in 1993, and concluded the trio of shows March 6, 1958, at Hamilton Air Force Base, California, which was inactivated in 1973, decommissioned in 1974 and operated by the Army from 1983 to 1988. The 1958 Travis appearance kicks off a three-night run of weeknight shows at Air Force bases in Northern California. 'Ellington was a genius surrounded by his sidemen, most of them musical geniuses, and his incredible collaborator, Billy Strayhorn.'

'Would they have made it without Newport? Of course,' Palmquist said. Excitement about the performance, captured in The Duke's 1956 album 'Ellington at Newport,' landed him on the cover of Time magazine and started a late-career resurgence in popularity. A tenor saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves, who also appeared at the 1958 Travis show, drove the crowd into a frenzy.

The show came during a late-career renaissance for Ellington, sparked by a 1956 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island. Terry later went on to a prolific solo career of his own. Many of his band members appearing that night had played with him for decades, such as saxophonists Harry Carney and Russell Procope, as well as trumpeters Harold 'Shorty' Baker and Clark Terry. 'That was 'Take the 'A' Train' and you were bouncing,' he says after perhaps the best-known composition of his career.ДЄccording to David Palmquist, an Ellington aficionado in British Columbia, Canada, who hosts a slate of websites dedicated to chronicling Ellington's career and recordings in detail, the 1958 gig comes during what he calls 'EllingtonвЂ™s mature period,' his age just shy of 60. Its tracks have appeared in a variety of formats throughout the years, including compact disc, audio cassette, vinyl record and streaming platforms.Д®llington played some of his signature tunes that night, such as 'The Mooch' and 'Autumn Leaves.' The crowd cheers and claps throughout, with Ellington introducing band members and song titles.ДЄt the conclusion of 'Sophisticated Lady,' he tells the crowd, 'You've been so wonderful, so inspiring, that we have to grant your wish by giving you a coffee break.' It stayed unreleased for nearly 30 years until it popped up in 1987 as 'Dance Concerts California, 1958,' one installment in a 10-part set titled 'The Private Collection.' The set was licensed by The Duke's son, Mercer, who died in 1996 after following in his father's footsteps as a musician and composer.Д«ecause Ellington's 1958 show at Travis contained 37 titles in two sets during a four-hour period, the live album is a collection of highlights from the night. However, the 1958 performance was recorded. 20, 1964 - is just one brief beat in the long song of his career.Дetails of the shows have been lost over time.

It's a legacy so expansive that his 1958 show at Travis - the first of three at the base, with others Oct. A pianist and prolific composer, Ellington's career spanned 60 years, from his early, steady appearances at the Cotton Club in New York City in the 1920s to decades as the leader a touring ensemble around the world. 'The Duke,' who died in 1974, was one of the most important figures in the history of American jazz. Get on your finest rags because tonight we're trucking over to the NCO Club tonight to see Duke Ellington. Let's swing on back to March 4, 1958, at Travis Air Force Base, California. All right, all you hep cats and kittens.

Duke ellington band members