Jazz at Carnegie Hall with Gerald Clayton
Langree Conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke's
By: Susan Hall - Mar 28, 2026
St. Luke’s Orchestra under the baton of Louis Langree gave a splendid performance of classic American music on March 26. Starting with Charles Ives’ Unanswered Question (on the solo trumpet that begins the work and is answered indefinitely by flutes) Duke Ellington’s iconic works which had their premieres at Carnegie Hall over a half century ago followed. They still feel fresh.
The orchestra seemed to enjoy the thick textures of sound created by piles of harmonies and extended chords whose movements often danced. In Night Creatures,we w have the buggy wuggy–creeping creatures, stalking big guys aHe also gives us the delicious notes called grace in classic music and spice and nd then tk. The dotted eighths so prevalent in this music captivate and conductor shows them off. by additions to the percussion section and the jazzy use of brass. Gerald Clayton performed on the piano. His role is unusual. Elegant, slightly aloof and definitely cool.
Ever modest and supportive, the conductor leaned against one side of the stage and listened attentively to Clayton's delicious encore, A Single Petal on a Rose by Ellington. It was written for Queen Elizabeth II, and not released until after Ellington’s death. Space expanded as Clayton stretched time and the harmonies breathed. r
Langree had pointed out the irony of conducting Gerswhin’s American in Paris. He is a Frenchman conducting work in America. Even without the taxi horns which Gershwin had brought from Paris for the work’s premiere, we were transported across the ocean.
The program ended with Leonard Bernstein’s symphonic orchestration of his score for OnThe Waterfront. It was the only original film music score Bernstein ever undertook. He had viewed a rough cut of the film and thought Kazan's direction was wonderful. He did not realize that sound is the last item to be addressed in any film budget and there is seldom enough money to do the right thing.
Bernstein admired the performance of Marlon Brando and the solo French horn playing the actor mysteriously starts the work.
Bernstein was not about to add paint and fill space. His score is turbulent and lyrical. The theme that begins tentatively turns back on itself and gathers strength roaring and soaring. The music is often emotionally overpowering, full of pathos and violence. Hurling figures and fugue-like passes chase vulnerable characters down alleys into disaster.
Clive Gillenson, a cellist and artistic and executive manager of Carnegie, succeeds in producing first-rate programming on budget and also on educating new audiences. Other venues in New York are trying to become ‘agoras’---Carnegie has been one under Gillenson.