[Figaro]

This is one my favorite moments in Jazz. Paul Gonsalves delivering 27 blistering choruses at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival in Duke Ellington's band. This solo relaunched Duke's popularity which up to that point had been falling off. The power of music.

 

[A Greene]

Is there a story behind the solo? Was he waiting for a cue or another soloist?

 

[Saxydude]

Is there a story behind the solo? Was he waiting for a cue or another soloist?

You really don't know the story, or are you jivin'? It's one of those classic jazz tales.

This video does a good job of covering it:

 

[lesacks]

This video does a good job of covering it:

Useful video. So is the recording, as posted by Figaro, from the correct microphone?

 

[A Greene]

If you don't ask, you'll never know. Thanks for the video link. Hearing the audience on the video provides the rest of the story.

You really don't know the story, or are you jivin'? It's one of those classic jazz tales.

This video does a good job of covering it:

 

[J-Moen]

That is a fantastic story, one that I had never known! As a duke fan, I didn't realize his popularity had diminished so much in that era - especially knowing of the later musics he did like with Coltrane. But this is very interesting, props to Gonsalves! I dunno If I could do 27 choruses of any solo lol.

 

[LateNiteSax]

I knew someone who was there. They gave me the first hand account.
It was late, and it was cold on the bandstand. Things were dragging, the audience was starting to leave.
Ellington saw Gonsalves nodding off and was annoyed, so he called Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue as it was one of Gonsalvez' big features.
The rest is history.

 

[LiAm84]

The story is nicely told in the Ken Burns Jazz programme (starting around 15:20 here):

 

[MLucky]

Is there a story behind the solo? Was he waiting for a cue or another soloist?

Actually, there are many stories. Some of them are probably true!

My favorite, and the one that seems most likely to me to be true, is that there was an attractive young women who got up and started dancing during Gonsalves's solo, and that caused a commotion, as photographers started to crowd around to try to get a picture, and then other people started dancing in the aisles, and the energy level went up, and the rest is history. Her name was Elaine Anderson, she studied dance and liked jazz, and spontaneously got up and started dancing, first with a partner and then on her own. I've seen how sometimes the actions of one person can transform a crowd, so this story has a ring of truth for me.

There are other stories, such as the one about Jo Jones having been seated just offstage and having sparked the band by smacking a rolled up magazine against his thigh, but I like the story about Elaine Anderson better. What really happened? You probably had to be there.