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Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington

American jazz musician, composer and band leader

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Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.

Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. In the 1930s, his orchestra toured Europe several times.

Some of the jazz musicians who were members of Ellington's orchestra, such as saxophonist Johnny Hodges, are considered among the best players in the idiom. Ellington melded them into the best-regarded orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Some members stayed with the orchestra for several decades. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. At the end of the 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed multiple extended compositions, or suites, as well as many short pieces. For a few years at the beginning of Strayhorn's involvement, Ellington's orchestra is considered to have been at its peak, with bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster briefly members. Following a low-profile period (Hodges temporarily left), an appearance by Ellington and his orchestra at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956 led to a major revival and regular world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era, performed in and scored several films, and composed a handful of stage musicals.

Although a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, in the opinion of Gunther Schuller and Barry Kernfeld, "the most significant composer of the genre", Ellington himself embraced the phrase "beyond category", considering it a liberating principle, and referring to his music as part of the more general category of American Music. Ellington was known for his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, as well as for his eloquence and charisma. He was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award for music in 1999.

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Is a
Person
Person

Person attributes

Birthdate
April 29, 1899
Birthplace
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Date of Death
May 24, 1974
Place of Death
New York City
New York City
Nationality
United States
United States
Educated at
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Armstrong High School (Virginia)
Awards Received
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Grammy Trustees Award
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Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
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Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Occupation
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film score composer
Pianist
Pianist
Composer
Composer
‌
Bandleader
Record producer
Record producer
Musician
Musician
‌
Arrangement
‌
Lyricist
...

Other attributes

Birth Name
Edward Kennedy Ellington
Child
Mercer Ellington
Mercer Ellington
Citizenship
United States
United States
Genre
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Swing music
Jazz
Jazz
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Vocal music
Gospel music
Gospel music
Industry
Nickname
Dumpy
The Duke
Notable Work
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Harlem (Ellington)
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(In My) Solitude
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Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)
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It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
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Black, Brown and Beige
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Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue
Official Name
Edward Kennedy Ellington
Pseudonym
Duke Ellington
Дюк
Wikidata ID
Q4030

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