21 july 1968 & ella fitzgerald headlines @carter barron, lorton jazz festival

#OTD 21 July 1968 Ella Fitzgerald ended a week of performances in the city. She headlined at the Carter Barron Amphitheatre (4850 Colorado Ave, NW) beginning 15 July and on 17 July she participated in the 13th Annual Lorton Jazz Festival. The Carter Barron Amphitheatre is a performance space operated by the National Park Service. Lorton, Va was the location of the former DC Reformatory, the city's main prison for men.

Fitzgerald was joined at Carter Barron by the Charlie Byrd Trio and the Herbie Mann Quintet. Her accompanying musicians were Tee Carson on piano, Keter Betts on bass, and Joe Harris on drums. Both Carson and Betts lived in DC.

Carter Barron was filled to capacity. Audience members delighted in hearing Fitzgerald sing:

"I'm Beginning to See the Light"
"Lady is a Tramp"
"Sunny"
"Goin' Out of My Head"
"Up Up and Away"

At the Lorton Jazz Festival, Fitzgerald sang for 30 minutes and ended with "Mack the Knife." Perhaps she also sang, "It's Up to Me and You," a song she wrote in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, soon after his assassination. According to an Evening Star journalist, the audience members--prisoners--thoroughly enjoyed her performance.

In addition to Fitzgerald, other performers included Roberta Flack Trio, Lloyd McNeill, Wynton Kelly Trio, Bill Siegman (guitarist), and the New Breed. 

Your comments are welcome below. Did you, family members and neighbors see Ella Fitzgerald at Carter Barron or the Lorton Jazz Festival? Did you see her perform elsewhere c1968? Do you have photographs? What was your favorite Fitzgerald song? The Lorton Jazz Festival was organized by Catholic Chaplains of the Department of Corrections. Do you know more about its history? You may comment privately here.

Photo source:  Courtesy the Fraser MacPherson estate c/o Guy MacPherson, c1968. CC BY 2.0
Retrieved from Wikipedia on 20 July 2018.
John Segraves, "Ella Charlie, Herbie Pack Carter Barron," Evening Star 16 July 1968.
John Sherwood, "Lorton Jazz Festival: Ella Sends Temperatures Soaring," Evening Star 18 July 1968.
Maurice Jackson and Blair A. Ruble, eds. DC Jazz: Stories of Jazz Music in Washington, DC 2018.