The fall issue of the DESS Bulletin should have arrived in the mailbox of DESS members by now.

As usual, it provides a lot of good reading contributed by Bulletin editor and DESS President, Bo Haufman and others.

The cover artist in the fall issue is Django Reinhardt – A Gypsy with a Song.

In a six-page article Bo Haufman gives a detailed account of the contacts between Django and Duke Ellington but also of other contacts between him and other American jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong and Rex Stewart. In particular, Bo gives a detailed account of Reinhardt’s appearances with Ellington during his October-November 1946 visit to the U.S.A.

A highly recommended article!

Another contribution by Bo is a three-page article about Ellington’s many failed efforts to establish himself on Broadway and have a musical performed there.

For those who did not attend the Zoom-based Ellinton 2021 Meeting, Bo’s summary of the event  is also good reading. All the presentations with the exception of three are also available to watch and listen to on the DESS website.

In the new issue, there is also an article by DESS-member Peter Lee about his favorite Johnny Hodges and a condensed version of an article by Mike Zirpolo on the Swing and Beyond website about Billy Strayhorn’s Clementine.

These major articles are supplemented by a lot of shorter ones like a reprint of an interview of Sonny Greer and tributes to Sven Tollin and Ted Hudson – two pillars in the Ellington community, who have left us.

The first DESS meeting since January 2020 is also announced in the Bulletin. It will take place on 13 September 2021 and starts with the Annual meeting. It is followed by Erik Persson talking about his view of Duke Ellington and musical entertainment by Jazz MaTazz.