Duke Ellington - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Duke Ellington. Ellington c. Background information. Birth name. Edward Kennedy Ellington. ![]() Born(1. 89. 9- 0. April 2. 9, 1. 89. Washington, D. C. Died. May 2. 4, 1. New York City, New York. ![]() Genres. Swing, orchestral jazz. Occupation(s)Bandleader, musician, composer, conductor, songwriter. Instruments. Piano. Years active. 19. In the 1. 93. 0s, his orchestra toured in Europe. Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, Ellington embraced the phrase . Ellington melded them into the best- known orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Some members stayed with the orchestra for several decades. Such Sweet Thunder: Music of the Duke EllingtonYear Of Release:2004Label.A master at writing miniatures for the three- minute 7. Ellington often composed specifically to feature the style and skills of his individual musicians. Often collaborating with others, Ellington wrote more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, with many of his works having become standards. Ellington also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, for example Juan Tizol's . After 1. 94. 1, Ellington collaborated with composer- arranger- pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. Following an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, in July 1. Ellington and his orchestra enjoyed a major career revival and embarked on world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era, performed in several films, scoring several, and composed stage musicals. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and thanks to his eloquence and charisma, Ellington is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other more traditional musical genres. His reputation continued to rise after he died, and he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize for music in 1. Both his parents were pianists. Daisy primarily played parlor songs and James preferred operatic arias. DukeEl.2000.Duke Ellington – Sir Duke . Such Sweet Thunder; Ellington Indigos; Black, Brown and Beige; Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington. Duke's Big 4 (get the XRCD) Piano in the Foreground Piano Reflections. Such Sweet Thunder (1957). Like the Count Basie Orchestra, this group continued to release albums long after Duke Ellington's death. And His Mother Called Him Bill / 1967 BLUEBIRD. Duke Ellington / Ellington at Newport / 1956 CBS 33. Duke Ellington / Such Sweet Thunder. Such Sweet Thunder (Columbia/Legacy) 1958: Black, Brown. They lived with his maternal grandparents at 2. Ida Place (now Ward Place), NW, in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D. C. When Ellington was a child, his family showed racial pride and support in their home, as did many other families. African Americans in D. C. Daisy surrounded her son with dignified women to reinforce his manners and teach him to live elegantly. Ellington's childhood friends noticed that his casual, offhand manner, his easy grace, and his dapper dress gave him the bearing of a young nobleman. ![]() Duke Ellington - Original Album Classics (3 CD) (2011) (FLAC). CD 1 - Such Sweet Thunder (1957) . Such Sweet Thunder (Cleo) 02. Sonnet for Caesar 03. So he called me Duke. He gained his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senators baseball games. In the summer of 1. Poodle Dog Caf. He created the piece by ear, as he had not yet learned to read and write music. I was established as having my own repertoire. Hearing the poolroom pianists play ignited Ellington's love for the instrument, and he began to take his piano studies seriously. Among the many piano players he listened to were Doc Perry, Lester Dishman, Louis Brown, Turner Layton, Gertie Wells, Clarence Bowser, Sticky Mack, Blind Johnny, Cliff Jackson, Claude Hopkins, Phil Wurd, Caroline Thornton, Luckey Roberts, Eubie Blake, Joe Rochester, and Harvey Brooks. With the additional guidance of Washington pianist and band leader Oliver . Ellington was also inspired by his first encounters with stride pianists. James P. Johnson and Luckey Roberts. Later in New York he took advice from Will Marion Cook, Fats Waller, and Sidney Bechet. Ellington started to play gigs in caf. His attachment to music was so strong that in 1. Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Three months before graduating he dropped out of Armstrong Manual Training School, where he was studying commercial art. In 1. 91. 9 he met drummer Sonny Greer from New Jersey, who encouraged Ellington's ambition to become a professional musician. Ellington built his music business through his day job: when a customer asked him to make a sign for a dance or party, he would ask if they had musical entertainment; if not, Ellington would offer to play for the occasion. He also had a messenger job with the U. S. Navy and State departments, where he made a wide range of contacts. Ellington moved out of his parents' home and bought his own as he became a successful pianist. At first, he played in other ensembles, and in late 1. His first play date was at the True Reformer's Hall, where he took home 7. The band included childhood friend Otto Hardwick, who began playing the string bass, then moved to C- melody sax and finally settled on alto saxophone; Arthur Whetsol on trumpet; Elmer Snowden on banjo; and Sonny Greer on drums. The band thrived, performing for both African- American and white audiences, a rarity in the segregated society of the day. New dance crazes such as the Charleston emerged in Harlem, as well as African- American musical theater, including Eubie Blake's Shuffle Along. After the young musicians left the Sweatman Orchestra to strike out on their own, they found an emerging jazz scene that was highly competitive and hard to crack. They hustled pool by day and played whatever gigs they could find. The young band met stride pianist Willie . They played at rent- house parties for income. After a few months, the young musicians returned to Washington, D. C., feeling discouraged. In June 1. 92. 3, a gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey, led to a play date at the prestigious Exclusive Club in Harlem. This was followed in September 1. Hollywood Club . He was known to play the bugle at the end of each performance. The group was initially called Elmer Snowden and his Black Sox Orchestra and had seven members, including trumpeter James . They renamed themselves The Washingtonians. Snowden left the group in early 1. Ellington took over as bandleader. After a fire, the club was re- opened as the Club Kentucky (often referred to as the Kentucky Club). Ellington made eight records in 1. Duke Ellington and his Kentucky Club Orchestra grew to a group of ten players; they developed their own sound by displaying the non- traditional expression of Ellington's arrangements, the street rhythms of Harlem, and the exotic- sounding trombone growls and wah- wahs, high- squealing trumpets, and sultry saxophone blues licks of the band members. For a short time soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet played with them, imparting his propulsive swing and superior musicianship to the young band members. Cotton Club engagement. After recording a handful of acoustic titles during 1. Mills often took a co- composer credit. From the beginning of their relationship, Mills arranged recording sessions on nearly every label including Brunswick, Victor, Columbia, OKeh, Path. On OKeh, his records were usually issued as The Harlem Footwarmers, while the Brunswick's were usually issued as The Jungle Band. Whoopee Makers and the Ten Black Berries were other pseudonyms. In September 1. 92. King Oliver turned down a regular booking for his group as the house band at Harlem's Cotton Club. At the Cotton Club, Ellington's group performed all the music for the revues, which mixed comedy, dance numbers, vaudeville, burlesque, music, and illegal alcohol. The musical numbers were composed by Jimmy Mc. Hugh and the lyrics by Dorothy Fields (later Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler), with some Ellington originals mixed in. In October 1. 92. Ellington and his Orchestra recorded several compositions with Adelaide Hall. One side in particular, . An alcoholic, Miley had to leave the band before they gained wider fame. He died in 1. 93. Cootie Williams, who replaced him. In 1. 92. 9, the Cotton Club Orchestra appeared on stage for several months in Florenz Ziegfeld's Show Girl, along with vaudeville stars Jimmy Durante, Eddie Foy, Jr., Ruby Keeler, and with music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Gus Kahn. Will Vodery, Ziegfeld's musical supervisor, recommended Ellington for the show, and, according to John Hasse's Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, . It has become customary to ascribe the classical influences upon Duke . Actually his serious appreciation of those and other modern composers, came after his meeting with Vodery. He also appeared in the Amos 'n' Andy film Check and Double Check released in 1. That year, Ellington and his Orchestra connected with a whole different audience in a concert with Maurice Chevalier and they also performed at the Roseland Ballroom, . Australian- born composer Percy Grainger was an early admirer and supporter. Unfortunately Bach is dead, Delius is very ill but we are happy to have with us today The Duke. By 1. 93. 2 his orchestra consisted of six brass instruments, four reeds, and a four man rhythm section. A complex, private person, he revealed his feelings to only his closest intimates and effectively used his public persona to deflect attention away from himself . Ellington signed exclusively to Brunswick in 1. She is the vocalist on . Sonny Greer had been providing occasional vocals and continued to do in a cross- talk feature with Anderson. Radio exposure helped maintain Ellington's public profile as his orchestra began to tour. The other records of this era include: . The British visit saw Ellington win praise from members of the serious music community, including composer Constant Lambert, which gave a boost to Ellington's interest in composing longer works. Those longer pieces had already begun to appear. He had composed and recorded Creole Rhapsody as early as 1. Symphony in Black (also 1. A Rhapsody of Negro Life'. It introduced Billie Holiday, and won an Academy Award as the best musical short subject. On the band's tour through the segregated South in 1. African- Americans by touring in private railcars. These provided easy accommodations, dining, and storage for equipment while avoiding the indignities of segregated facilities. Competition was intensifying though, as swing bands like Benny Goodman's, began to receive popular attention. Swing dancing became a youth phenomenon, particularly with white college audiences, and danceability drove record sales and bookings.
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