Mike Westbrook – On Duke’s Birthday

Last week I attended a sold-out performance at Ronnie Scott’s in London by Mike Westbrook’s Uncommon Orchestra of his early-80’s masterwork – On Duke’s Birthday. Mike Westbrook’s tribute to Duke Ellington.

It was an emotional occasion both for Mike Westbrook who this year is celebrating his 85th birthday and for much of the audience. It was my first return since the pandemic to Ronnie’s where I have experienced so much live jazz since Blakey, Mingus and Rollins in the very early 1970’s.

I have been listening to Westbrook’s music ever since I started to appreciate jazz and have most of his classic recordings going back to the mid-1960s. Mike is a world-class writer, arranger, bandleader, educator and pianist. He is far better known in Europe than in the U.K. I hope that the tour he has embarked on to celebrate his own birthday will shift perceptions- although I doubt it. 

I will return to Mike Westbrook’s unique and extensive body of work in future episodes, for now, I want to focus on this performance which captured the essence of Mike Westbrook’s very personal approach to jazz and his deep veneration for Duke Ellington. All I will say for now is that Westbrook’s original contribution to our music, particularly but by no means exclusively his writing for large ensembles is equivalent in quality and range to such jazz luminaries as Gil Evans, Oliver Nelson, George Russell and Maria Schneider.

On the night Mike fielded a huge orchestra- at least 20 musicians including violin, cello, two guitarists, three alto players in a large multi-instrumental reed section, four trombones and four trumpets. Plus, the two vocalists who have been a distinctive part of Mike’s work since the very early days; Kate Westbrook, Mike’s wife wearing her trademark opera gloves, and the glove-less Phil Minton.  The Uncommon Orchestra’s age range stretched from a trombonist barely out of his teens to a sprinkling of players in their 70s whose association with Mike goes back many years. The band’s younger members were probably drawn from Mike’s work in Devon where he and Kate are now based developing local jazz talent.

In his opening enouncement, Mike emphasized with some emotion the significance of both Ronnie Scott and his club as a laboratory for his early writing for large ensembles, drawing on the cream of modern jazz players on the 60s London scene. On Duke’s Birthday’s scale is almost symphonic and was prompted by a visit to New York by the Westbrooks which coincide with the 10th anniversary of Duke’s death when the New York airwaves were exclusively devoted to Ellingtonia. Typically, for Westbrook, the piece kicked off with an elongated, hectic, rocky interplay between the two guitars, before the first theme began to emerge. The writing is complex, and contemporary while retaining echoes of Ellington’s writing and orchestrations. Particularly distinctive were the growling, free-flowing vocals by Kate Westbrook and Phil Minton.

Throughout the performance Westbrook’s focus was laser-like, encouraging soloists to start or extend their improvisations, indicating when new orchestral passages should begin. His conducting style reminded me to some degree of Gil Evans.

Following their sell-out 2-night engagement at Ronnie Scott’s the band will move on to appear at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival on May 1st, playing in a much larger venue. I was so pleased to experience the gig in the more intimate surroundings of London’s premier jazz club.

The playlist offers a full rendition of On Duke’s Birthday. On the night Mike concluded with a light-hearted encore, Duke Ellington’s Tulip or Turnip whose lyrics could easily have been attributed to Slim Gaillard and his “vout-Orenee” jazz language.  I’ve added Duke’s performance from his classic appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956.

Here are the lyrics. Sing-a-long if you like;

Tulip or turnip, rosebud or rhubarb
Fillet or plain beef stew
Tell me, tell me, tell me, dream face
What am I to you?

Diamond or doorknob, sapphire or sawdust
Champagne or just home brew
Tell me, tell me, tell me, dream face
What am I to you?

Do I get the booby prize
Or will you be the hero?
Am I heading for blue skies
Or is my ceiling zero?

Tulip or turnip, moonbeam or mud pie
Bankroll or IOU
Tell me, tell me, tell me, dream face
What am I to you?

Diamond or doorknob, sapphire or sawdust
Champagne or just home brew
Tell me, tell me, tell me, dream face
What am I to you?

Do I get the booby prize
Or will you be the hero?
Am I heading for blue skies
Or is my ceiling zero?

Tulip or turnip, moonbeam or mud pie
Bankroll or IOU
Tell me, tell me, tell me, dream face
Am I diamond or sawdust, tulip or turnip
What am I to you?