Duke Ellington

FULL NAME: Edward Kennedy “Duke” EllingtonDATES: 1899 – 1974

He was a composer, a pianist and big band leader and wrote over 1,000 compositions.

He was a prominent figure in the history of jazz and his music also delved into other genres (including BLUES, GOSPEL, FILM SCORES, POPULAR and CLASSICAL)

His career was longer than 50 years and it involved leading his orchestra, composing a vast songbook, scoring films, composing musicals and world tours.

Many of his instrumental works were adapted to become songs which became standards.

He is considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form at a similar level to other traditional genres, due to his inventive use of orchestra and big band.

Ellington himself called his music “American Music”, as opposed to jazz, and often composed specifically for the styles and skills of the band members, such as:

JEEP’S BLUES for Johnny HodgesCONCERTO FOR COOTIE for Cootie WilliamsTHE MOOCHE for Tricky Sam Nanton and Bubber Miley.

He led his band from 1923 until he died in 1974.

HIS LIFE:

At the age of seven, he began to take piano lessons from Marietta Clinkscales – his mother surrounded him with ‘dignified’ women to reinforce his manners.

His childhood friends noticed that his manners and dress gave him the appearance of a nobleman, and so started calling him Duke – Ellington credited Edgar McEntree for the nickname.

Although he had piano lessons, Ellington was more interested in baseball, and got his first job selling peanuts at Washington senators baseball games.

In 1914, when he was working as a soda jerk at the Poodle Dog Café, he wrote his first composition, ‘SODA FOUNTAIN RAG’, by ear as he hadn’t learnt to read and write music.

He played it as a ONE-STEP, TWO-STEP, WALTZ, TANGO and FOX TROT, recalling that “listener’s never knew it was the same piece”

He missed more of his lessons than he attended feeling that playing the piano wasn’t his talent.He started sneaking into Frank Holiday’s Poolroom at the age of 14, and hearing the poolroom pianists play inspired him and caused him to take his piano lessons seriously.

He began listening to and imitating ragtime pianists, and with the guidance of band-leader Oliver Perry, he learnt to read sheet music, project a professional style and improve his technique.

From 1917-1919 he launched his musical career, painting signs by day and playing piano at night. He would use his job painting signs to get opportunities to play the piano - when people came asking for signs for dances or parties, he would ask if they had musical entertainment and offer to play for them.

His work has come to be recognised as a cornerstone of American culture and heritage and he is widely regarded as one of the most important composers in jazz.

He was also an inspirational band leader, inspiring many of his musicians to produce their best work, whilst being a significant exponent of jazz piano.

His son, MERCER ELLINGTON, kept his band alive after he died, and when Mercer died, Paul Elliington kept the Orchestra going.