The 13th Ellington program broadcasted by the Danish Radio in the mid-1980s based on the Mercer Ellington donation is the third “Goodie” for the month of February.
As usual, it is available in the “Goodies of the Month” section of the DESS Lobby (DESS-rummet).
It was broadcasted on February 22, 1985 and this time the program presenter was Bjarne Busk. He use the program to bring the listerners more of the interviews he had done with Mercer Ellington and composer/arranger Billy Moore when preparing the Danish Radio Ellington broadcasts.
The program starts with a section on “Take The “A” Train”. After a short excerpt of the first take of tune from the “stockpile session” on March 29, 1966, Billy Moore tells Busk a little story on how “Take The “A” Train” come about. Then take 3 from the stockpile session is played.
Next, Mercer Ellington has some interesting things to say about Duke as a piano player before Moore and Mercer tells Busk about Billy Strayhorn and “Portrait of Pea” from January 5, 1966 is heard.
The program ends with five selections from the January 14, 1964 broadcast from Basin Street East, including Strayhorn playing and singing “Lush Life”.