In March 1980, Mercer Ellington visited Chicago and Dick Buckley of radio station WBEZ and an active member of the local Ellington community took the opportunity to make a long interview with him.
The entire interview was used by Buckley in his Jazz Forum program on April 29 1980, which celebrated Ellington’s 81st birthday.
37 years (and some months) later DESS members and other Ellington fans can enjoy this quite personal interview while they prepare for Christmas.
My photo of Mercer from 1975