Duke Ellington Reproducible Biography/Notes

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899 - 1974) azz has been called the first truly American music, white bands like that of Paul Whiteman who was and Duke Ellington reigns as the foremost composer famous for his premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue. J in the history of jazz. Even this praise doesn’t Though Whiteman was dubbed “King of Jazz,” do him justice, though, for he spent his long when he wanted to get a real jazz sound, career in music wearing many hats: he sent his orchestrator, the famous composer, pianist, conductor, band composer Grofé, to spend hours leader, and world statesman. listening to Duke’s band. Still, He was born just before the turn Ellington’s hard work and talent of the century in Washington, D.C. started to pay off. The band took He always spoke fondly of his over as the headliner and “house childhood, and carried through band” at Harlem’s Cotton Club, life many of the lessons he and before long they were learned from his family. His regularly broadcasting a radio father was sometimes a butler show from the club. for the White House and Duke was always writing new sometimes a blueprint maker music for his musicians, and the for the U. S. Navy. From him innovations he brought to jazz young Edward learned the influenced virtually every jazz importance of good speech writer and player from then until and manners as well as a today. Even though America was great sense of humor. His slow to view this music as art and not mother probably had even a just entertainment, the rest of the world greater influence on him. had started to take note. When Igor From her he inherited Stravinsky, the famous French/Russian unshakable self-confidence composer, visited America, his hosts asked and a deep religious faith what he wanted to do. He immediately that he kept his whole life. replied that he wanted to see Duke Ellington was steered Ellington at the Cotton Club. The hosts, into music indirectly through classical musicians, had never heard of him. baseball. His mother saw him Ellington was always able to keep many hit by a baseball bat in front of of the best musicians of the day in his bands their home and immediately decided that he should because he treated them with respect and paid them take piano lessons. He still occasionally skipped sessions well. Even though the band ran into racial prejudice with his teacher Mrs. Clinkscales (he swore that this on their tours, Duke tried to insulate them from the was her name!), but he quickly came to love music. problems. When they toured the South in the ’30s, On a family vacation in Atlantic City he heard a many hotels would have refused to let them stay, so famous ragtime pianist, and from then on he listened to they traveled by train in two large pullman cars with a local musicians whenever he could. By his teens, he was 70-foot luggage car complete with all of the luxuries of playing at dances and parties. At one private party he home. In each town they parked in the station and had to play for four solid hours without stopping. His lived in the cars... “just like the President,” Duke liked hands actually bled, but he made more money than he to say. When the band was having rough times, as had ever seen before: seventy-five cents! they did in the early 1950s, Ellington would pay his Duke (who got his nickname from a childhood musicians out of his pocket rather than break up the friend and wore it most of his life) was quite a painter in band. Some weeks this cost him thousands of dollars, school. He was offered a scholarship to the Pratt but it was why great players stayed with him, many of Institute but didn’t accept it. Instead he kept playing them for as long as 20, 30, and even 40 years! piano and writing music, and by 1922 he was in New Duke Ellington’s amazing career saw him travel York thanks to offers from musicians there who had over a million miles playing his special brand of music heard him play. From that point on, Ellington’s for people in every corner of the globe. During that schooling came from the music around him, and he time he wrote over a thousand works including 21 never tired of listening to the great performers of the suites, 3 Broadway shows, 3 movie scores, a ballet, and day. Soon Duke was leading a band of his own, and he 3 large sacred concerts. He never retired, but kept on continued to do so for the next fifty years! playing and composing until the end, always drawing In the 1920s and 1930s, the Duke Ellington Band energy from the musicians around him. was highly respected by jazz fans in America and It is impossible for us to predict what people in the abroad. Still, this was not an easy time to be a black future will remember of music in the 20th century, but musician. Jazz was just starting to get a wider as long as recordings exist, Duke Ellington’s music will acceptance, but the big money and fame went to the continue to delight and inspire listeners of all ages. Duke Ellington: Teaching Suggestions and Listening/Media Resources ow you teach Ellington and his music will depend study of Ellington (and/or jazz), it will be tough to H on what you are trying to accomplish. If you are decide what to listen to. Ellington was as prolific as looking for a composer to incorporate into a curriculum Haydn, and his career spanned every jazz era through for Black History Month, we can think of no better the ’70s. He recorded thousands of songs on hundreds examples. He excelled in a style of music that was and of albums and compilations. Here are some things to is dominated by African-American musicians. What’s look for on iTunes®: more, Duke was the antithesis of the bad stereotypes of • Duke Ellington: Black, Brown & Beige jazz musicians. He didn’t use drugs or alcohol, and was (Columbia/CBS) devoutly religious his entire life. (While many of the • Duke Ellington’s 70th Birthday Concert players in his band often went out after jobs to carouse, (Solid State/United Artists) Duke was most comfortable going back to his room to compose or to read the Bible.) Here are some • Ellington At Newport (1956) (Columbia/CBS) suggestions for discussion and listening: His 1956 concert at the festival is an inspirational • If you are just studying Ellington, at least walk story of one of the great comebacks in music. through the early styles of jazz, including ragtime, • Duke Ellington: Harlem (Pablo) dixieland, big bands, etc. Discuss the size and • The Ellington Suites (Pablo) instrumentation of the groups for each era and • Duke Ellington: Such Sweet Thunder (CBS) listening selection. • Many things set Ellington’s music apart, some • The documentary and soundtrack for Ken easier to demonstrate to young listeners than others. Burns Jazz are available as downloads and in DVDs His fascination with different ways to use muted brass and CDs, and there is a great volume of Duke was groundbreaking, as was his regular incorporation of Ellington tunes broken out from the set. such vocal effects as growls through the instruments. • While the great Smithsonian Collection of Ellington is also known for sculpting his compositions Classic Jazz is no longer available from many sellers – around the individual players he had at the time. You including iTunes® – it is still readily available in whole can hear this in the screaming trumpet solos over the and in part from Amazon®, eBay™, and other sellers, band by Cat Anderson and by the way he scored his and is no doubt in many library collections as well. It is saxes and the instruments they played. As Duke said, one of the finest teaching resources for jazz we have “Bach and I write with the individual in mind.” used, and we highly recommend it. You may even • Unless you are doing a really comprehensive occasionally find it in MusicK8.com’s Bargain Outlet. For more great jazz resources visit us at MusicK8.com.

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