| Duke Ellington brought a level of style and sophistication to Jazz that it hadn't seen before.Like Jelly Roll Morton before him, he considered himself to be a composer and arranger, rather than just a musician.His piano technique was influenced by stride piano players like James P.He first visited New York in 1922 playing with Wilbur Sweatman, but the trip was unsuccessful.He returned to New York again in 1923, but this time with a group of friends from Washington D.During this time Sidney Bechet played briefly with the band (unfortunately he never recorded with them), but more significantly the trumpet player Bubber Miley joined the band, bringing with him his unique plunger mute style of playing.Oo," debuted "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "Creole Love Call", songs that would be associated with him the for rest of his career, but what really put Ellington's Orchestra over the top was becoming the house band at the Cotton Club after King Oliver unwisely turned down the job.For example, saxophone player Harry Carney would remain with Duke nonstop from 1927 to Ellington's death in 1974.In 1929 Bubber Miley, was fired from the band because of his alcoholism and replaced with Cootie Williams.The Duke Ellington Orchestra left the Cotton Club in 1931 (although he would return on an occasional basis throughout the rest of the Thirties) and toured the U.The band continued to produce Jazz standards like "Take the 'A' Train", "Perdido", "The 'C' Jam Blues" and "Satin Doll".In the 1960s Duke wrote several religious pieces, and composed "The Far East Suite".In the 1970s many of Ellington's long time band members had died, but the band continued to attract outstanding musicians even after Ellington's death from cancer in 1974, when his son Mercer took over the reins of the band.Born: April 29, 1899, Washington, D.Died: May 24, 1974, New York CityBorn Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke Ellington was one of the founding fathers of jazz music.He started playing piano at the age of seven, and by the time he was 15, he was composing.Ellington and his band played together for 50 years.He is considered by many to be America's greatest composer, bandleader, and recording artist.The extent of Ellington's innovations helped to redefine the various forms in which he worked.His blues writing resulted in new conceptions of form, harmony, and melody, and he became the master of the romantic ballad and
created numerous works that featured the great soloists in his jazz orchestra.Ellington studied piano from age seven and was influenced by
stride piano masters such as James P.He later formed the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which by 1930 had grown to include 12 musicians and achieved national prominence through radio
broadcasts, recordings, and film appearances.By the early 1940s, Ellington experimented with extended composition and his orchestra toured the US and Europe
extensively.He continued to expand the
scope of his compositions and activities as a bandleader throughout his life.He wrote nearly two thousand compositions before his death in 1974.NPR's Jazz Profiles: Duke Ellington, part 2
In this second part of our Ellington profile, host Nancy Wilson discusses how the Duke reconciled his popularity with the country's racial climate prior to civil rights.NPR's Jazz Profiles: Duke Ellington, part 4
Host Nancy Wilson introduces a few of the key players in the Duke Ellington orchestra, including Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Harry Carney, and Clark Terry.NPR's Jazz Profiles: Duke Ellington, part 5
In the final part of the NPR Jazz profile of the Duke, host Nancy Wilson features a roundup of the Duke Ellington songbook, including tracks like Don't Get Around Much Anymore and Satin Doll.Mini Biography:
Composer ("It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing", "Sophisticated...Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.Rocks Off (TV title) ...I'll Pick a Star (reissue title) ...Anatomy of a Murder (1959) (uncredited) ....Drum Is a Woman (1957) TV episode ....Department:Nutcracker Sweeties (2006) (TV) (musical adaptation) Self:2000s1980s1970s1960s1950s1940s1930s1920sRhapsody in Black (2002) (TV) ...HimselfOn the Road with Duke Ellington (1974) ....HimselfTimex All Star Swing Festival (1972) (TV) ....TV episode (as Duke Ellington and His Orchestra) ....Episode dated 29 November 1969 (1969) TV episode ....HimselfNewport Jazz Festival (1968) (TV) ....On the Road with Duke Ellington (1967) TV episode ....The Music of Harold Arlen (1965) TV episode (as Duke Ellington and His Orchestra) ....American Festival (1959) TV episode ....Episode dated 23 July 1966 (1966) TV episode ....HimselfThe Strolling '20s (1966) (TV) ....The 1st Annual Grammy Awards (1959) TV episode ....Harlem Rock 'n' Roll (UK) ...HimselfUpbeat in Music (1943) ....March of Time: Volume X, No.Upbeat in Music (USA) Cabin in the Sky (1943) ....HimselfReveille with Beverly (1943) (as Duke Ellington and His Orchestra) ....I'll Pick a Star (reissue title) ...Himself, Duke EllingtonBlack and Tan (1929) ....Duke Ellington home page
Duke Ellington...Duke Ellington personified elegance and sophistication.More importantly, he was a workaholic creative genius who never stopped exploring new dimensions of his musical world.Mark Tucker, from The Duke Ellington Reader.Smithsonian's traveling Duke Ellington exhibition.Your complete guide to Ellingtonia on the Web, a wealth of links collected and organized by David Smith.Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and Mercer Ellington, with discographical information.When we speak of Duke Ellington's vast body of work, we are really speaking of the product of
a collaborative process of creation, which Ellington shared over the decades with many of
his musicians, and especially with Billy Strayhorn.Every one of those individuals is a part of the musical legend and the
legacy we refer to as Duke Ellington.Strayhorn it would be vastly different and missing some crucial
pieces.But without them all, there would still be Ellington himself and his undeniable urge to
create, and there would still be an Ellington body of work, different but distinctive and
personal.He did not just
give his name to a musical sound, he shaped it and defined it and caused it to happen.Rude Interlude honors Edward Kennedy Ellington as well as the many men and women
who helped him to create what we know as the musical legacy of Duke Ellington.About Rude Interlude
The photo on this page is a publicity shot of Duke Ellington, taken before his 1933 tour of Britain.At one of Duke's concerts during that first British tour, the wife
of composer Constant Lambert misunderstood his introduction of
Mood Indigo.She thought he said Rude Interlude.Ellington obligingly composed a new piece with that title, and
recorded it later that year.Rude Interlude was selected as the Fun Site of the Day for January 16, 1997 by Rick's American Cyber Grill.However, I also have attempted to verify that all images are available for use in this manner, and to the best of my knowledge, this is true.Rude Interlude, a Duke Ellington home page is the work of Robb Holmes,
and was first placed on the Web on May 24, 1996
(which turned out to be the 22nd anniversary of Duke Ellington's death).The most recent major update was completed on April 29, 1997,
the 98th anniversary of Ellington's birth.CD configurations, then moves ahead nearly a decade for an expanded edition of a 1959 classic.Festival Session is one of the Duke Ellington Orchestra's most consistently invigorating albums.The newly remastered set is completed by a pair of previously unreleased tracks, making this an additionally exciting Festival Session."The Tattooed Bride," and for the swansongs of three Ellingtonian giants of longstanding: drummer
Sonny Greer, trombonist Lawrence Brown, and alto saxist Johnny Hodges.CK 87043
J A Z Z M A S T E R P I E C E
One of Duke's absolute gems!Vocalists also take star turns herein, with Betty Roche's jauntily bopping rendition of "'A' Train," and Al Hibbler's moving "I Like The Sunrise," the first movement of "The Liberian Suite."Now expanded by six bonus cuts, and remastered to enhance the album's already spectacular sound, Uptown is a high water mark in the annals of Elingtonia.AOL Users: You must be running AOL 2.Windows to use Netscape (Keyword: UPGRADE). |
![Duke Ellington : The Blanton-Webster Band [disc 1]](/covers/50/5026/alb_87636_th.jpg "Duke Ellington : The Blanton-Webster Band [disc 1]")
![Duke Ellington : The Blanton-Webster Band [disc 2]](/covers/50/5026/alb_87637_th.jpg "Duke Ellington : The Blanton-Webster Band [disc 2]")
