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Edward Kennedy " Duke " Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. [1]
Jun 24, 2024 · Duke Ellington, American pianist who was the greatest jazz composer and bandleader of his time. One of the originators of big-band jazz, Ellington led his band for more than half a century, composed thousands of scores, and created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in all of Western music.
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- Duke Ellington grew up in Washington, D.C., in a secure middle-class family that encouraged his interests in the fine arts. He began studying piano...
- Benefiting from the expertise of a large ensemble that included several important jazz artists, Duke Ellington broke away from the conventions of b...
- Often collaborating with his longtime composing-arranging partner Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington was responsible for big-band jazz classics such a...
- Duke Ellington was the greatest jazz composer and bandleader of his time. One of the originators of big-band jazz, he led his band for more than 50...
Feb 8, 2024 · A major figure in the history of jazz music, Duke Ellington's career spanned more than half a century, during which time he composed thousands of songs for the stage, screen...
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Dec 12, 2002 · Considered one of the greatest jazz composers of all time, Duke Ellington had an enormous impact on the popular music of the late 20th century. Among his more than two thousand songs are such...
- Early Life & Career. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C. to a middle-class African-American family. While he had some piano lessons when he was seven, he did not take the music seriously until he was a teenager.
- Duke Ellington & The Cotton Club. On December 4, 1927, Irving Mills helped secure the band an audition for a prized spot in the Cotton Club which they won.
- The Swing Era. The rise of the swing era, which started in 1935, resulted in many other big bands being formed, but Ellington was already considered a musical genius who was above any real competition.
- The 1940s & Carnegie Hall. While the onset of World War II. made traveling difficult for big bands, Ellington continued working including appearing with his band in the Los Angeles civil rights play Jump For Joy and at special Carnegie Hall concerts.
Duke Ellington. Born in Washington, D.C., Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington rose to fame at Harlem's Cotton Club in the late 1920s. His career as a musician, composer, and bandleader spanned more than 50 years.
Duke Ellington was one of the most important creative forces in the music of the twentieth century. His influence on classical music, popular music, and, of course, jazz, simply cannot be overstated. He was born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899, into a middle class black family. His father was a butler in a wealthy ...
