Transcript Duke Ellington

He played for the royalty and for the common
people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he
had played over 20,000 performances worldwide.
He was The Duke - Duke Ellington.
Edward Kennedy Ellington
was born into the world on
April 28, 1899 in
Washington, D.C. Duke’s
parents, Daisy Kennedy
Ellington and James
Edward Ellington, served
as ideal role models for
young Duke, and taught
him everything from
proper table manners to
an understanding of the
emotional power of music.
Beginning keyboard
studies at the age of
seven, Ellington's earliest
influences were the
ragtime pianists. (Can you
name one?)
Duke heard of a hot pianist
named Harvey Brooks.
Duke sought Harvey out in
Philadelphia where he
showed Duke some piano
tricks and shortcuts.
Duke later said,
"When I got home I
had a real yearning
to play. I hadn’t
been able to get off
the ground before,
but after hearing
him I said to
myself, ‘Man you’re
going to have to do
it.’" Thus the music
career of Duke
Ellington was born.
Duke was taken under the
wings of Oliver "Doc" Perry
and Louis Brown who taught
Duke how to read music
and helped improve his
piano playing skills. Duke
found piano playing jobs at
clubs and cafes throughout
the Washington area. Three
months shy of graduation,
he dropped out of school
and began his professional
music career.
Duke formed his first
band in 1917. By 1919,
they were playing all
around Washington D.C.
In 1923, Duke moved his band to New York City, where
he got a lot of radio play from performing in local
establishments, most notably the famous “Cotton Club”.
The radio was becoming more popular, and Duke’s
“Washingtonian’s” were soon one of the most
popular bands in America.
Ellington understood the
commercial value of singers.
You are listening to Nat
King Cole, who made
such hits as “Mood Indigo”
and “Caravan” popular
with his smooth, elegant
style.
Some other singers that performed with Ellington’s band included:
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Sarah Vaughn
Louis Armstrong
Ellington also
understood
the value of
music for
home use.
While listening to his group
perform, he would often
alter his songs using
instruments not usually in
his group so as to produce
a better record. Click on
the green camera to see a
video of Duke in the
recording studio.
Video: Record Making with
Duke Ellington
By creating recordings made especially for listeners at
home, he and his group became very popular.
His band’s singers
brought the group to
the top of the pop
charts – successfully
plugging popular
selections while he
also wrote more
serious music.
Ellington wrote many other kinds of pieces besides just
music for his Big Band. This is a scene from a musical he
composed.
Duke Ellington was a composer in the truest sense.
He wrote chamber music, concertos, and a musical –
“Sophisticated Ladies.”
Duke Ellington and
his band went on
to play everywhere
from New York to
New Delhi,
Chicago to Cairo,
and Los Angeles to
London.
When many
other Big
Bands called it
quits in the
early 50’s,
Ellington’s
band
continued on
strong.
Video: Duke Ellington
It Don’t Mean a Thing (1943)
Ellington and his band
played with such greats
as Miles Davis, Cab
Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie,
Ella Fitzgerald, Tony
Bennett, and Louis
Armstrong.
They entertained
everyone from Queen
Elizabeth II to President
Nixon.
Video: Duke Ellington
Satin Doll
Over the course of his career,
Duke Ellington would come to
be recognized not just as a
great band leader and
performer, but as one of the truly
great composers of American
Music.
The Smithsonian museum has an exhibit dedicated to
his life.
By the time of his passing, he was
considered amongst the world’s
greatest composers and
musicians. The French
government honored him with
their highest award, the Legion of
Honor, while the government of
the United States bestowed upon
him the highest civil honor, the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Duke Ellington died
of cancer in 1974.
Listening:
• Take the “A” Train
• Satin Doll
The End