In his long musical career, bandleader Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington devoted a special place to uniting jazz with sacred music. Like his other works, the result helped to elevate jazz from entertainment to art. In the 1940’s and ’50’s, when African American culture was still viewed by mainstream America as inferior to European traditions, Ellington challenged this assumption by writing extended jazz suites, such as “Black, Brown, and Beige,” which showcased the complexity and beauty of the music. These musical experiments formed the basis of his later Sacred Concerts.

On Sunday, March 12, the Austin Singers, under the direction of Lanier Bayliss, honored Ellington’s sacred music with a special performance at Austin’s First Baptist Church. Culled from the Duke’s three Sacred Concerts, Sunday’s performance featured a 40-member chorus and some of the best jazz musicians in town. For Bayliss, it was the culmination of a longtime dream as a vocal director to bring Ellington’s sacred music to the concert stage. The dream started to become reality last year when the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra came to Austin and led a clinic at McCallum High School, where Bayliss is Fine Arts Coordinator.

“Members of the jazz group not only put me in touch with important contacts, they invited me to hear their own performance of the Sacred Concerts at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York,” Bayliss recalls. From there she went to the Smithsonian archives in Washington, D.C. where many of Ellington’s original manuscripts are stored. Next she was fortunate to find enthusiastic support from Southwest Texas University’s Keith Winking, who contracted the musicians for the concert, trumpeter Pat Murray, who edited the musical parts, and local legend Martin Banks, who actually played trumpet in the Ellington orchestra and had previously performed in the Sacred Concerts.

Playing to a capacity crowd in the modern chapel on 9th and Trinity, chorus and players rose to the occasion, giving a worthy tribute to Ellington’s vision and legacy. The concert began with a medley of Ellington’s popular secular works, such as “Mood Indigo” and “Satin Doll,” setting the tone of the day with spirited exchanges between the singers and instrumentalists. Much of the Duke’s arrangements revolved around the individual styles of the players in his band, and in the call-and-response structure of African American music, which creates a conversational interaction between the players. This approach was carried off well, both within the jazz band conducted by Keith Winking, and the chorus directed by Bayliss.

The highlight of the concert was the strong gospel-inflected vocal solos of mezzo-soprano Melanie Wilkinson. Coupling an impressive range with power and sensitivity, she enthralled the audience, particularly on “Come Sunday” in which her emotive phrasing evoked the archetypal gospel singing of Mahalia Jackson (who set the standard in her 1958 recording with Ellington).

Other standout moments were solos by John Mills on clarinet, Paul Baker on baritone saxophone, and a riveting high register trumpet finale by Chip Krotts. Throughout the show the featured vocal and instrumental soloists were supported by an enthusiastic and well-rehearsed ensemble. Halfway through the concert Bayliss paused to introduce the bandmembers, and to bring veteran musician Martin Banks to the microphone to talk about his experience of playing with Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Ray Charles, and other music legends. It was a wonderful moment, connecting the Austin community to the jazz legacy through one of our own.

A recording of the concert will be available on CD. For information on that and future events, go to the Austin Singers website at www.geocities.com/austinsingers, or call (512) 452-3107.