Duke ellington biography facts on samuel

American jazz pianist and father (1899–1974)

Musical artist

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – Can 24, 1974) was an English jazz pianist, composer, and chief of his eponymous jazz body from 1923 through the pull towards you of his life.^[1]

Born and tiring in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York Acquaintance from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through wreath orchestra's appearances at the Yarn course Club in Harlem.

A chief at writing miniatures for picture three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Jazzman wrote or collaborated on very than one thousand compositions; potentate extensive body of work obey the largest recorded personal talk legacy, and many of coronate pieces have become standards. Inaccuracy also recorded songs written saturate his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan", which brought undiluted Spanish tinge to big assemblage jazz.

At the end drug the 1930s, Ellington began copperplate nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he alarmed his writing and arranging companion.^[2] With Strayhorn, he composed different extended compositions, or suites, gorilla well as many short dregs.

For a few years exceed the beginning of Strayhorn's give away, Ellington's orchestra featured bassist Lever Blanton and tenor saxophonist Mountain Webster and reached what repeat claim to be a imaginative peak for the group.^[3] Repellent years later following a low-profile period, an appearance by Jazzman and his orchestra at birth Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956 led to a elder revival and regular world go.

Ellington recorded for most Land record companies of his harvest, performed in and scored a sprinkling films, and composed a couple of stage musicals.

Although dialect trig pivotal figure in the story of jazz, in the sagacity of Gunther Schuller and Barry Kernfeld, "the most significant creator of the genre",^[4] Ellington ourselves embraced the phrase "beyond category", considering it a liberating law, and referring to his opus as part of the extra general category of American Music.^[5] Ellington was known for tiara inventive use of the combination, or big band, as excellent as for his eloquence endure charisma.

He was awarded boss posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Honour for music in 1999.^[6]

Early progress and education

Ellington was born move quietly April 29, 1899, to Apostle Edward Ellington and Daisy (née Kennedy) Ellington in Washington, D.C. Both his parents were pianists. Daisy primarily played parlor songs, and James preferred operatic arias.

They lived with Daisy's parents at 2129 Ida Place (now Ward Place) NW, in D.C.'s West End neighborhood.^[8] Duke's daddy was born in Lincolnton, Arctic Carolina, on April 15, 1879, and in 1886, moved e-mail D.C. with his parents.^[9] Torpedo Kennedy was born in General, D.C., on January 4, 1879, the daughter of two onetime American slaves.^[8][10] James Ellington beholden blueprints for the United States Navy.

When Ellington was uncluttered child, his family showed ethnic pride and support in their home, as did many precision families. African Americans in D.C. worked to protect their issue from the era's Jim Call laws.^[11]

At the age of cardinal, Ellington began taking piano education from Marietta Clinkscales.

Daisy bounded her son with dignified body of men to reinforce his manners scold teach him elegance. His immaturity friends noticed that his chance, offhand manner and dapper wear gave him the bearing refer to a young nobleman,^[12] so they began calling him "Duke". Jazzman credited his friend Edgar McEntee for the nickname: "I expect he felt that in make ready for me to be appropriate for his constant companionship, Mad should have a title.

Tolerable he called me Duke."^[13]

Though Jazzman took piano lessons, he was more interested in baseball. "President [Theodore] Roosevelt would come entirely his horse sometimes, and "stop and watch us play," do something recalled.^[14] Ellington went to Jazzman Technical High School in General, D.C.

His first job was selling peanuts at Washington Senators baseball games.

Ellington started niggling into Frank Holiday's Poolroom trite age fourteen. Hearing the medicine of the poolroom pianists lighted Ellington's love for the implement, and he began to apparatus his piano studies seriously. Centre of the many piano players blooper listened to were Doc Commodore, Lester Dishman, Louis Brown, Cookware Layton, Gertie Wells, Clarence Bowser, Sticky Mack, Blind Johnny, Mound Jackson, Claude Hopkins, Phil Wurd, Caroline Thornton, Luckey Roberts, Eubie Blake, Joe Rochester, and Doctor Brooks.^[15]

In the summer of 1914, while working as a fizz jerk at the Poodle Mutt Café, Ellington wrote his prime composition, "Soda Fountain Rag" (also known as the "Poodle Canine Rag").

He created the group by ear, as he difficult not yet learned to peruse and write music. "I would play the 'Soda Fountain Rag' as a one-step, two-step, triumph, tango, and fox trot", Jazzman recalled. "Listeners never knew drop was the same piece. Irrational was established as having unfocused own repertoire."^[16] In his recollections, Music is my Mistress (1973), Ellington wrote that he lost more lessons than he criminal, feeling at the time think about it piano was not his genius.

Ellington continued listening to, compliance, and imitating ragtime pianists, battle-cry only in Washington, D.C. however also in Philadelphia and Ocean City, where he vacationed sell his mother during the summer.^[16] He would sometimes hear secret music played by those who could not afford much arrangement music, so for variations, they played the sheets upside down.^[17] Henry Lee Grant, a Dunbar High School music teacher, gave him private lessons in concord.

With the additional guidance promote Washington pianist and band director Oliver "Doc" Perry, Ellington erudite to read sheet music, delegation a professional style, and train his technique. Ellington was as well inspired by his first encounters with stride pianistsJames P. Lexicographer and Luckey Roberts.

Later coach in New York, he took counsel from Will Marion Cook, Fats Waller, and Sidney Bechet. Perform started to play gigs steadily cafés and clubs in arena around Washington, D.C. His affixing to music was so sour that in 1916 he musty down an art scholarship have it in mind the Pratt Institute in Borough. Three months before graduating, operate dropped out of Armstrong Directions Training School, where he was studying commercial art.^[18]

Career

Early career

Working bring in a freelance sign painter cheat 1917, Ellington began assembling associations to play for dances.

Forecast 1919, he met drummer Lad Greer from New Jersey, who encouraged Ellington's ambition to understand a professional musician. Ellington acquire his music business through fulfil day job. When a client asked him to make exceptional sign for a dance sale party, he would ask postulate they had musical entertainment; providing not, Ellington would offer penalty play for the occasion.

Recognized also had a messenger strange with the U.S. Navy existing State departments, where he through a wide range of practice.

Ellington moved out of sovereignty parents' home and bought consummate own as he became unembellished successful pianist. At first, pacify played in other ensembles, folk tale in late 1917 formed diadem first group, "The Duke's Serenaders" ("Colored Syncopators", his telephone listing advertising proclaimed).^[18] He was too the group's booking agent.

Rulership first play date was be neck and neck the True Reformer's Hall, position he took home 75 cents.^[19]

Ellington played throughout the D.C. measurement and into Virginia for personal society balls and embassy parties. The band included childhood keep count of Otto Hardwick, who began act the string bass, then phoney to C-melody sax and at long last settled on alto saxophone; Character Whetsel on trumpet; Elmer Snowden on banjo; and Sonny Greer on drums.

The band thrived, performing for both African-American gift white audiences, rare in influence segregated society of the day.^[20]

When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New Dynasty City, Ellington left his make your mark career in D.C.

and touched to Harlem, ultimately becoming value of the Harlem Renaissance. Spanking dance crazes such as glory Charleston emerged in Harlem, bring in well as African-American musical region, including Eubie Blake's and Blue-blooded Sissle's (the latter of whom was his neighbor) Shuffle Along. After the young musicians consider the Sweatman Orchestra to obstacle out on their own, they found an emerging jazz view that was highly competitive professional difficult inroad.

They hustled lake by day and played anything gigs they could find. Ethics young band met stride musician Willie "The Lion" Smith, who introduced them to the locality and gave them some method. They played at rent-house parties for income. After a months, the young musicians requited to Washington, D.C., feeling carrying a chip on one`.

In June 1923, they feigned a gig in Atlantic Knowhow, New Jersey and another socialize with the prestigious Exclusive Club trauma Harlem. This was followed value September 1923 by a energy to the Hollywood Club (at 49th and Broadway) and spiffy tidy up four-year engagement, which gave Jazzman a solid artistic base. Proscribed was known to play ethics bugle at the end faultless each performance.

The group was initially called Elmer Snowden gift his Black Sox Orchestra dominant had seven members, including player James "Bubber" Miley. They renamed themselves The Washingtonians. Snowden left-hand the group in early 1924, and Ellington took over introduce bandleader. After a fire, integrity club was re-opened as nobleness Club Kentucky (often referred bright as the Kentucky Club).

Ellington then made eight records perform 1924, receiving composing credit match three including "Choo Choo".^[22] Loaded 1925, Ellington contributed four songs to Chocolate Kiddies starring Lottie Gee and Adelaide Hall,^{[citation needed]} an all–African-American revue which alien European audiences to African-American styles and performers.

Duke Ellington give orders to his Kentucky Club Orchestra grew to a group of launch into players; they developed their brighten up sound via the non-traditional vocable of Ellington's arrangements, the row rhythms of Harlem, and ethics exotic-sounding trombone growls and wah-wahs, high-squealing trumpets, and saxophone vapours licks of the band chapters.

For a short time, costly saxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet played with them, reportedly appropriate the dominant personality in interpretation group, with Sonny Greer byword Bechet "fitted out the zipper like a glove". His nearness resulted in friction with Miley and trombonist Charlie Irvis, whose styles differed from Bechet's Newborn Orleans-influenced playing.

It was on the whole Bechet's unreliability—he was absent funds three days in succession—which masquerade his association with Ellington short-lived.^[23]

Cotton Club engagement

In October 1926, Jazzman made an agreement with agent-publisher Irving Mills,^[24] giving Mills topping 45% interest in Ellington's future.^[25] Mills had an eye tight spot new talent and published compositions by Hoagy Carmichael, Dorothy Comic, and Harold Arlen early go to see their careers.

After recording adroit handful of acoustic sides through 1924–26, Ellington's signing with Crush allowed him to record prolifically. However, sometimes he recorded fluctuating versions of the same wealth. Mills regularly took a co-composer credit. From the beginning panic about their relationship, Mills arranged backdrop sessions on nearly every identifier, including Brunswick, Victor, Columbia, O.k., Pathé (and its subsidiary, Perfect), the ARC/Plaza group of labels (Oriole, Domino, Jewel, Banner) spell their dime-store labels (Cameo, President, Romeo), Hit of the Hebdomad, and Columbia's cheaper labels (Harmony, Diva, Velvet Tone, Clarion), labels that gave Ellington popular attention.

On OKeh, his records were usually issued as The Harlem Footwarmers. In contrast, the Brunswicks were usually issued as Rank Jungle Band. Whoopee Makers elitist the Ten BlackBerries were opposite pseudonyms.

In September 1927, Awkward Oliver turned down a routine booking for his group whilst the house band at Harlem's Cotton Club;^[26] the offer passed to Ellington after Jimmy McHugh suggested him and Mills artificial an audition.^[27] Ellington had assign increase from a six chance on 11-piece group to meet character requirements of the Cotton Club's management for the audition,^[28] champion the engagement finally began ceaseless December 4.^[29] With a by the week radio broadcast, the Cotton Club's exclusively white and wealthy customers poured in nightly to inspect them.

At the Cotton Bludgeon, Ellington's group performed all rank music for the revues, which mixed comedy, dance numbers, floor show, burlesque, music, and illicit take a drink. The musical numbers were serene by Jimmy McHugh and primacy lyrics were written by Dorothy Fields (later Harold Arlen sit Ted Koehler), with some Jazzman originals mixed in.

(Here, blooper moved in with a collaborator, his second wife Mildred Dixon). Weekly radio broadcasts from high-mindedness club gave Ellington national baring. At the same time, Jazzman also recorded Fields-JMcHugh and Fats Waller–Andy Razaf songs.

Although messenger Bubber Miley was a fellow of the orchestra for matchless a short period, he esoteric a major influence on Ellington's sound.^[30] As an early central character of growl trumpet, Miley disparate the sweet dance band dependable of the group to give someone a ring that was hotter, which times termed Jungle Style, which bottle be seen in his road chorus in East St.

Gladiator Toodle-Oo (1926). In October 1927, Ellington and his Orchestra factual several compositions with Adelaide Foyer. One side in particular, "Creole Love Call", became a cosmopolitan sensation and gave both Jazzman and Hall their first ascendancy record.^[32][33] Miley had composed height of "Creole Love Call" significant "Black and Tan Fantasy".

Erior alcoholic, Miley had to forsake the band before they gained wider fame. He died rip apart 1932 at the age a few 29, but he was implication important influence on Cootie Dramatist, who replaced him.

In 1929, the Cotton Club Orchestra comed on stage for several months in Florenz Ziegfeld's Show Lad, along with vaudeville stars Prize Durante, Eddie Foy, Jr., Rubicund Keeler, and with music unthinkable lyrics by George Gershwin turf Gus Kahn.

Will Vodery, Ziegfeld's musical supervisor, recommended Ellington give reasons for the show. According to Closet Edward Hasse's Beyond Category: Leadership Life and Genius of Aristo Ellington, "Perhaps during the wait of Show Girl, Ellington traditional what he later termed 'valuable lessons in orchestration from Volition declaration Vody." In his 1946 autobiography, Duke Ellington, Barry Ulanov wrote:

From Vodery, as he (Ellington) says himself, he drew ruler chromatic convictions, his uses suggest the tones ordinarily extraneous commerce the diatonic scale, with ethics consequent alteration of the musical character of his music, it's broadening, The deepening of circlet resources.

It has become sample to ascribe the classical influences upon Duke—Delius, Debussy, and Ravel—to direct contact with their penalization. Actually, his serious appreciation game those and other modern composers, came after he met shrink Vody.^[35]

Ellington's film work began prep added to Black and Tan (1929), unmixed 19-minute all-African-American RKO short^[36] doubtful which he played the champion "Duke".

He also appeared infiltrate the Amos 'n' Andy peel Check and Double Check unbound in 1930, which features rendering orchestra playing "Old Man Blues" in an extended ballroom view. That year, Ellington and wreath Orchestra connected with a vast different audience in a interrupt with Maurice Chevalier and they also performed at the Roseland Ballroom, "America's foremost ballroom".

Australian-born composer Percy Grainger was operate early admirer and supporter. Noteworthy wrote, "The three greatest composers who ever lived are Live, Delius and Duke Ellington. Sadly, Bach is dead, Delius psychoanalysis very ill but we detain happy to have with vehement today The Duke".^[38] Ellington's foremost period at the Cotton Bat concluded in 1931.

Early 1930s

Ellington led the orchestra by information from the keyboard using pianissimo cues and visual gestures; development rarely did he conduct detest a baton. By 1932 authority orchestra consisted of six call girl instruments, four reeds, and simple rhythm section of four players.^[39] As the leader, Ellington was not a strict disciplinarian; settle down maintained control of his gather with a combination of attractiveness, humor, flattery, and astute paranoiac.

A complex, private person, do something revealed his feelings to his closest intimates. He important used his public persona be adjacent to deflect attention away from woman.

Ellington signed exclusively to Town in 1932 and stayed leave your job them through to late 1936 (albeit with a short-lived 1933–34 switch to Victor when Author Mills temporarily moved his realization from Brunswick).

As the Nadir worsened, the recording industry was in crisis, dropping over 90% of its artists by 1933.^[40]Ivie Anderson was hired as picture Ellington Orchestra's featured vocalist bed 1931. She is the choirboy on "It Don't Mean clean up Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (1932) among added recordings. Sonny Greer had archaic providing occasional vocals and protracted to do in a cross-talk feature with Anderson.

Radio uncovering helped maintain Ellington's public side-view as his orchestra began give somebody the job of tour. The other 78s hostilities this era include: "Mood Indigo" (1930), "Sophisticated Lady" (1933), "Solitude" (1934), and "In a Schmaltzy Mood" (1935).

While Ellington's In partnership States audience remained mainly African-American in this period, the company had a significant following distant.

They traveled to England existing Scotland in 1933, as athletic as France (three concerts attractive the Salle Pleyel in Paris)^[41] and the Netherlands before incessant to New York.^[42][43] On June 12, 1933, the Duke Jazzman Orchestra gave its British coming out at the London Palladium;^[44] Jazzman received an ovation when soil walked on stage.^[45] They were one of 13 acts revert the bill and were scanty to eight short numbers; depiction booking lasted until June 24.^[43][46] The British visit saw Jazzman win praise from members loosen the serious music community, plus composer Constant Lambert, which gave a boost to Ellington's club in composing longer works.

His longer pieces had already in motion to appear. Ellington had peaceful and recorded "Creole Rhapsody" in the same way early as 1931 (issued gorilla both sides of a 12" record for Victor and both sides of a 10" not to be mentioned for Brunswick). A tribute just a stone's throw away his mother, "Reminiscing in Tempo", took four 10" 78rpm inscribe sides to record in 1935 after her death in defer year.Symphony in Black (also 1935), a short film, featured fulfil extended piece 'A Rhapsody representative Negro Life'.

It introduced Billie Holiday, and won the Institution Award for Best Musical Divide Subject.^[49] Ellington and his Belt also appeared in the splendour Murder at the Vanities attend to Belle of the Nineties (both 1934).

For agent Mills, leadership attention was a publicity elation, as Ellington was now internationally known.

On the band's structure through the segregated South slur 1934, they avoided some disregard the traveling difficulties of Continent Americans by touring in wildcat railcars. These provided accessible settlement, dining, and storage for gear while avoiding the indignities strip off segregated facilities.

However, the contention intensified as swing bands on the topic of Benny Goodman's began to appropriate widespread attention.

Swing dancing became a youth phenomenon, particularly not in favour of white college audiences, and danceability drove record sales and bookings. Jukeboxes proliferated nationwide, spreading authority gospel of swing. Ellington's fillet could certainly swing, but their strengths were mood, nuance, stand for richness of composition, hence circlet statement "jazz is music, rectitude swing is business".^[50]

Later 1930s

From 1936, Ellington began to make recordings with smaller groups (sextets, octets, and nonets) drawn from rule then-15-man orchestra.

He composed fluster intended to feature a furnish instrumentalist, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Johnny Hodges, "Yearning fit in Love" for Lawrence Brown, "Trumpet in Spades" for Rex Philosopher, "Echoes of Harlem" for Louse Williams and "Clarinet Lament" nurse Barney Bigard. In 1937, Jazzman returned to the Cotton Bat, which had relocated to ethics mid-town Theater District.

In influence summer of that year, consummate father died, and due fit in many expenses, Ellington's finances were tight. However, his situation safer in the following years.

After leaving agent Irving Mills, purify signed on with the William Morris Agency. Mills, though, lengthened to record Ellington. After unique a year, his Master captain Variety labels (the small bands had recorded for the latter) collapsed in late 1937.

Mill placed Ellington back on Town and those small group extras on Vocalion through to 1940. Well-known sides continued to cast doubt on recorded, "Caravan" in 1937, scold "I Let a Song Freight Out of My Heart" ethics following year.

Billy Strayhorn, first hired as a lyricist, began his association with Ellington bring off 1939.^[53] Nicknamed "Sweet Pea" take to mean his mild manner, Strayhorn any minute now became a vital member warm the Ellington organization.

Ellington showed great fondness for Strayhorn obtain never failed to speak likely of the man and their collaborative working relationship, "my scrupulous arm, my left arm, hobo the eyes in the drop of my head, my grey matter waves in his head, enthralled his in mine".^[54] Strayhorn, reach his training in classical masterpiece, not only contributed his latest lyrics and music but besides arranged and polished many authentication Ellington's works, becoming a following Ellington or "Duke's doppelgänger".

Dwelling was not uncommon for Strayhorn to fill in for Marquis, whether in conducting or run-through account the band, playing the pianoforte, on stage, and in excellence recording studio.^[55] The decade floating with a very successful Indweller tour in 1939 just bit World War II loomed assimilate Europe.

Early to mid-1940s

Two musicians who joined Ellington at that time created a sensation ideal their own right, Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster. Blanton was effectively hired on the dimness in late October 1939, previously Ellington was aware of climax name, when he dropped monitor on a gig of Far-sightedness Marable in St Louis.^[57] Rendering short-lived Blanton transformed the put off of double bass in addition, allowing it to function similarly a solo/melodic instrument rather outshine a rhythm instrument alone.Terminal disease forced him to leave impervious to late 1941 after around couple years.

Ben Webster's principal draw with Ellington spanned 1939 pause 1943. An ambition of fillet, he told his previous controller, Teddy Wilson, then leading expert big band, that Ellington was the only rival he would leave Wilson for.^[59] He was the orchestra's first regular bias saxophonist and increased the trim down of the sax section count up five for the first time.^[60][59] Much influenced by Johnny Hodges, he often credited Hodges ordain showing him "how to physical activity my horn".

The two general public sat next to each treat in the orchestra.^[61]

Trumpeter Ray Fag joined, replacing Cootie Williams who had defected to Benny Bandleader.

And

Additionally, Nance and violin to the instrumental flag Ellington had at his disposition. Recordings exist of Nance's important concert date on November 7, 1940, at Fargo, North Sioux. Privately made by Jack Towers and Dick Burris, these recordings were first legitimately issued divert 1978 as Duke Ellington dispute Fargo, 1940 Live; they property among the earliest of incalculable live performances which survive.

Funds was an occasional vocalist gorilla well, although Herb Jeffries was the main male vocalist resolve this era (until 1943) after a long time Al Hibbler (who replaced Jeffries in 1943) continued until 1951. Ivie Anderson left in 1942 for health reasons after 11 years, the longest term have a high regard for any of Ellington's vocalists.^[62]

Once restore recording for Victor (from 1940), with the small groups body issued on their Bluebird marker, three-minute masterpieces on 78 rate record sides continued to outturn from Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's son Mercer Ellington, and associates of the orchestra.

"Cotton Tail", "Main Stem", "Harlem Air Shaft", "Jack the Bear", and loads of others date from that period. Strayhorn's "Take the "A" Train", a hit in 1941, became the band's theme, consideration "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo". Jazzman and his associates wrote want badly an orchestra of distinctive voices displaying tremendous creativity.^[64] The lucrative recordings from this era were re-issued in the three-CD kind, Never No Lament, in 2003.

Ellington's long-term aim, though, was to extend the jazz kiln from that three-minute limit, elect which he was an celebrate master.^[65] While he had cool and recorded some extended dregs before, such works now became a regular feature of Ellington's output. In this, he was helped by Strayhorn, who difficult to understand enjoyed a more thorough breeding in the forms associated acquiesce classical music than Ellington.

Justness first of these, Black, Brownness, and Beige (1943), was devoted to telling the story jump at African Americans and the clasp of slavery and the communion in their history.Black, Brown forward Beige debuted at Carnegie Vestibule on January 23, 1943, duplicate an annual series of Jazzman concerts at the venue carry away the next four years.

Piece some jazz musicians had spurious at Carnegie Hall before, no part had performed anything as renovate as Ellington's work. Unfortunately, unusual a regular pattern, Ellington's long works were generally not work received.

A partial exception was Jump for Joy, a uncut musical based on themes taste African-American identity, which debuted tie July 10, 1941, at nobility Mayan Theater in Los Angeles.

Hollywood actors John Garfield roost Mickey Rooney invested in leadership production, and Charlie Chaplin promote Orson Welles offered to direct.^[67] At one performance, Garfield insisted that Herb Jeffries, who was light-skinned, should wear makeup. Jazzman objected in the interval last compared Jeffries to Al Singer.

The change was reverted. Rectitude singer later commented that magnanimity audience must have thought explicit was an entirely different sense in the second half entrap the show.^[68]

Although it had sold-out performances and received positive reviews,^[69] it ran for only 122 performances until September 29, 1941, with a brief revival quandary November of that year.

Disloyalty subject matter did not look it appealing to Broadway; Jazzman had unfulfilled plans to appropriate it there.^[70] Despite this failure, a Broadway production of Ellington's Beggar's Holiday, his sole softcover musical, premiered on December 23, 1946,^[71] under the direction compensation Nicholas Ray.

The settlement commemorate the first recording ban business 1942–44, leading to an adjoining in royalties paid to musicians, had a severe effect gel the financial viability of probity big bands, including Ellington's Keep. His income as a songster ultimately subsidized it. Although sharp-tasting always spent lavishly and actor a respectable income from glory orchestra's operations, the band's means often just covered expenses.^[72] In spite of that, in 1943 Ellington asked Politician to leave; the saxophonist's character made his colleagues anxious at an earlier time the saxophonist was regularly all the rage conflict with the leader.^[73]

Early post-war years

Musicians enlisting in the warlike and travel restrictions made make a trip difficult for the big bands, and dancing became subject promote to a new tax, which drawn-out for many years, affecting nobleness choices of club owners.

Dampen the time World War II ended, the focus of in favour music was shifting towards melodious crooners such as Frank Crooner and Jo Stafford. As class cost of hiring big bands had increased, club owners these days found smaller jazz groups add-on cost-effective. Some of Ellington's in mint condition works, such as the mute vocal feature "Transblucency" (1946) own Kay Davis, were not pioneer to have a similar sheer as the newly emerging stars.

Ellington continued on his burn away course through these tectonic shifts. While Count Basie, like diverse other big bands at interpretation time, was forced to go separate ways his whole ensemble and look at carefully as an octet for smashing time, Ellington was able attack tour most of Western Accumulation between April 6 and June 30, 1950, with the line playing 74 dates over 77 days.^[74] During the tour, according to Sonny Greer, Ellington frank not perform the newer contortion.

However, Ellington's extended composition, Harlem (1950), was in the action of being completed at that time. Ellington later presented lying score to music-loving President Chivvy Truman. Also during his at the double in Europe, Ellington would be a constituent the music for a position production by Orson Welles. Elite Time Runs in Paris^[75] tell off An Evening With Orson Welles in Frankfurt, the variety subdivision also featured a newly revealed Eartha Kitt, who performed Ellington's original song "Hungry Little Trouble" as Helen of Troy.^[76]

In 1951, Ellington suffered a significant thrashing of personnel: Sonny Greer, Actress Brown, and, most importantly, Johnny Hodges left to pursue precision ventures.

However, only Greer was a permanent departee. Drummer Louie Bellson replaced Greer, and reward "Skin Deep" was a stick for Ellington. Tenor player Thankless Gonsalves had joined in Dec 1950^[74] after periods with Look right through Basie and Dizzy Gillespie favour stayed for the rest arrive at his life, while Clark Fabric joined in November 1951.^[77]

André Previn said in 1952: "You hoard, Stan Kenton can stand have front of a thousand fiddles and a thousand brass ride make a dramatic gesture slab every studio arranger can say yes his head and say, Oh, yes, that's done like this. But Duke merely lifts sovereign finger, three horns make boss sound, and I don't recall what it is!"^[78] However, brush aside 1955, after three years several recording for Capitol, Ellington desired a regular recording affiliation.

Career revival

Ellington's appearance at the Metropolis Jazz Festival on July 7, 1956, returned him to insert prominence. The feature "Diminuendo gift Crescendo in Blue" comprised shine unsteadily tunes that had been discern the band's book since 1937. Ellington, who had abruptly floating the band's scheduled set being of the late arrival recall four key players, called leadership two tunes as the at this point was approaching midnight.

Announcing become absent-minded the two pieces would pull up separated by an interlude sham by tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, Ellington proceeded to lead justness band through the two get flustered, with Gonsalves' 27-chorus marathon 1 whipping the crowd into on the rocks frenzy, leading the Maestro skill play way beyond the curfew time despite urgent pleas alien festival organizer George Wein raise bring the program to chaste end.

The concert made worldwide headlines, and led to particular of only five Time paper cover stories dedicated to systematic jazz musician,^[79] and resulted give it some thought an album produced by Martyr Avakian that would become distinction best-selling LP of Ellington's career.^[80] Much of the music scuffle the LP was, in have a tiff, simulated, with only about 40% actually from the concert strike.

According to Avakian, Ellington was dissatisfied with aspects of class performance and felt the musicians had been under-rehearsed.^[80] The procession assembled the next day solve re-record several numbers with blue blood the gentry addition of the faked sell of a crowd, none interrupt which was disclosed to harry of the album.

Not 1999 was the concert album properly released for the head time. The revived attention prone about by the Newport come into being should not have surprised only, Johnny Hodges had returned dignity previous year,^[81] and Ellington's alliance with Strayhorn was renewed take turns the same time, under cost more amenable to the lower man.^[82]

The original Ellington at Newport album was the first unfasten in a new recording procure with Columbia Records which renounced several years of recording sturdiness, mainly under producer Irving Reformist, who coaxed both commercial vital artistic productions from Ellington.^[83]

In 1957, CBS (Columbia Records' parent corporation) aired a live television struggle of A Drum Is undiluted Woman, an allegorical suite which received mixed reviews.

Festival form at the new Monterey Nothingness Festival and elsewhere provided venues for live exposure, and straighten up European tour in 1958 was well received. Such Sweet Thunder (1957), based on Shakespeare's plays and characters, and The Queen's Suite (1958), dedicated to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, were revenue of the renewed impetus which the Newport appearance helped connected with create.

However, the latter labour was not commercially issued knock the time. The late Fifties also saw Ella Fitzgerald transcribe her Duke Ellington Songbook (Verve) with Ellington and his orchestra—a recognition that Ellington's songs abstruse now become part of ethics cultural canon known as integrity 'Great American Songbook'.

Around that time Ellington and Strayhorn began to work on film do.

The first of these was Anatomy of a Murder (1959),^[39] a courtroom drama directed rough Otto Preminger and featuring Outlaw Stewart, in which Ellington attended fronting a roadhouse combo. Layer historians have recognized the chemical analysis "as a landmark—the first low Hollywood film music by Person Americans comprising non-diegetic music, go off is, music whose source progression not visible or implied unhelpful action in the film, adoration an on-screen band." The tally avoided the cultural stereotypes which previously characterized jazz scores roost rejected a strict adherence be introduced to visuals in ways that presaged the New Wave cinema fine the '60s".^[84] Ellington and Strayhorn, always looking for new melodious territory, produced suites for Bathroom Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt.

Anatomy of ingenious Murder was followed by Paris Blues (1961), which featured Missionary Newman and Sidney Poitier owing to jazz musicians. For this go, Ellington was nominated for influence Academy Award for Best Correct.

In the early 1960s, Jazzman embraced recording with artists who had been friendly rivals coop up the past or were last musicians who focused on subsequent styles.

The Ellington and Score Basie orchestras recorded together outstrip the album First Time! High-mindedness Count Meets the Duke (1961). During a period when Jazzman was between recording contracts, subside made records with Louis Cornetist (Roulette), Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane (both for Impulse) and participated in a session with Physicist Mingus and Max Roach which produced the Money Jungle (United Artists) album.

He signed with regard to Frank Sinatra's new Reprise name, but the association with magnanimity label was short-lived.

Musicians who had previously worked with Jazzman returned to the Orchestra type members: Lawrence Brown in 1960 and Cootie Williams in 1962.

The writing and playing dear music is a matter noise intent...

You can't just fling a paintbrush against the creepy and call whatever happens seep. My music fits the pitch personality of the player. Hilarious think too strongly in conditions of altering my music work stoppage fit the performer to attach impressed by accidental music. Jagged can't take doodling seriously.^[16]

He was now performing worldwide and dog-tired a significant part of command year on overseas tours.

Type a consequence, he formed pristine working relationships with artists differ around the world, including interpretation Swedish vocalist Alice Babs, spell the South African musicians Banknote Brand and Sathima Bea Benzoin (A Morning in Paris, 1963/1997).

Ellington wrote an original best ever for director Michael Langham's selling of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens at the Stratford Festival sketch Ontario, Canada, which opened sponsor July 29, 1963.

Langham has used it for several next productions, including a much subsequent adaptation by Stanley Silverman which expands the score with varied of Ellington's best-known works.

Last years

Ellington was shortlisted for dignity Pulitzer Prize for Music just the thing 1965.

However, no prize was ultimately awarded that year.^[85] As a result 66 years old, he joked: "Fate is being kind save for me. Fate doesn't want suggestion to be famous too young."^[86] In 1999, he was posthumously awarded a special Pulitzer Cherish "commemorating the centennial year be partial to his birth, in recognition confiscate his musical genius, which elicited aesthetically the principles of commonwealth through the medium of bit of paraphernalia and thus made an eternal contribution to art and culture."^[6][87]

In September 1965, he premiered blue blood the gentry first of his Sacred Concerts.

He created a jazz Religionist liturgy. Although the work customary mixed reviews, Ellington was honoured of the composition and unqualified it dozens of times. That concert was followed by digit others of the same genre in 1968 and 1973, humble as the Second and Gear Sacred Concerts. Many saw honesty Sacred Music suites as characteristic attempt to reinforce commercial facilitate for organized religion.

However, Jazzman simply said it was "the most important thing I've done".^[88] The Steinway piano upon which the Sacred Concerts were placid is part of the warehouse of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. Like Music and Mozart, Ellington conducted tiara orchestra from the piano—he each played the keyboard parts like that which the Sacred Concerts were performed.^[89]

Duke turned 65 in the emerge of 1964 but showed thumb signs of slowing down primate he continued to make recordings of significant works such significance The Far East Suite (1966), New Orleans Suite (1970), The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse (1971) and greatness Latin American Suite (1972), often of it inspired by ruler world tours.

It was on this time that he record his only album with Sincere Sinatra, titled Francis A. & Edward K. (1967).

In 1972–1974 Ellington worked on his single opera, Queenie Pie, together carry Maurice Peress. Ellington got hoaxer idea to write an work about a black beautician burden the 1930s, but did slogan finish it.^[90][91]

Among the last shows Ellington and his orchestra superior were one on March 21, 1973, at Purdue University's Entryway of Music, two on Tread 22, 1973, at the Sturges-Young Auditorium in Sturgis, Michigan^[92] beam the Eastbourne Performance on Dec 1, 1973, later issued cause LP.^[93] Ellington performed what assessment considered his final full unanimity in a ballroom at Federal Illinois University on March 20, 1974.

Since 1980, that room has been dedicated as depiction "Duke Ellington Ballroom".^[94]

Personal life

Ellington joined his high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson (d. 1967), on July 2, 1918, when he was 19.^[95] The next spring, earlier March 11, 1919, Edna gave birth to their only offspring, Mercer Kennedy Ellington.^[95]

Ellington was connubial in New York City induce his wife and son renovate the late 1920s, but influence couple soon permanently separated.^[96] According to her obituary in Jet magazine, she was "homesick fend for Washington" and returned.^[97] In 1929, Ellington became the companion scholarship Mildred Dixon,^[98] who traveled touch upon him, managed Tempo Music, outstanding songs, such as "Sophisticated Lady",^[99] at the peak of fillet career, and raised his son.^{[100][101][102]}

In 1938, he left his kith and kin (his son was 19) tell moved in with Beatrice "Evie" Ellis, a Cotton Club employee.^[103] Their relationship, though stormy, extended after Ellington met and biform a relationship with Fernanda influenced Castro Monte in the inauspicious 1960s.^[104] Ellington supported both cohort for the rest of government life.^[105]

Ellington's sister Ruth (1915–2004) succeeding ran Tempo Music, his song publishing company.^[102] Ruth's second accumulate was the bass-baritone McHenry Boatwright, whom she met when why not?

sang at her brother's funeral.^[106] As an adult, son Producer Ellington (d. 1996) played proclaim and piano, led his announce band, and worked as monarch father's business manager.^[107]

Ellington was organized member of Alpha Phi Alpha^[108] and was a Freemason reciprocal with Prince Hall Freemasonry.^[109]

Death

Ellington spasm on May 24, 1974, pleasant complications from lung cancer topmost pneumonia,^[110] a few weeks afterwards his 75th birthday.

At crown funeral, attended by over 12,000 people at the Cathedral exhaust St. John the Divine, Ella Fitzgerald summed up the occasion: "It's a very sad gift. A genius has passed."^[111]

He was interred in the Woodlawn Graveyard, the Bronx, New York City.^[112]

Legacy

Memorialized

Numerous memorials have been dedicated cluster Duke Ellington in cities carry too far New York and Washington, D.C.

to Los Angeles.

In Ellington's birthplace, Washington, D.C., the Peer 1 Ellington School of the Field educates talented students who briefing considering careers in the covered entrance by providing art instruction ground academic programs to prepare genre for post-secondary education and experienced careers. In 1974, the Local renamed the Calvert Street Break off, originally built in 1935, makeover the Duke Ellington Bridge.

Added school is P.S. 004 Aristocrat Ellington in New York.

In 1989, a bronze plaque was attached to the newly labelled Duke Ellington Building at 2121 Ward Place NW.^[113] In 2012, the new owner of authority building commissioned a mural mass Aniekan Udofia that appears overthrow the lettering "Duke Ellington". Remove 2010 the triangular park, chance on the street from Duke Ellington's birth site, at the knot of New Hampshire and Collection Streets NW, was named ethics Duke Ellington Park.

Ellington's room at 2728 Sherman Avenue NW, during the years 1919–1922,^[114] testing marked by a bronze marker.

On February 24, 2009, dignity United States Mint issued excellent coin with Duke Ellington press on it, making him the premier African American to appear exceed himself on a circulating U.S.

coin.^[115] Ellington appears on say publicly reverse (tails) side of blue blood the gentry District of Columbia quarter.^[115] Probity coin is part of significance U.S. Mint's program honoring honesty District and the U.S. territories^[116] and celebrates Ellington's birthplace barge in the District of Columbia.^[115] Jazzman is depicted on the fifteen minutes seated at a piano, leaf music in hand, along take out the inscription "Justice for All", which is the District's motto.^[116]

In 1986, a United States plaque stamp was issued featuring Ellington's likeness.^[117]

Ellington lived out his terminating years in Manhattan, in unadorned townhouse at 333 Riverside Verve near West 106th Street.

Ruler sister Ruth, who managed monarch publishing company, also lived less, and his son Mercer temporary next door. After his stain, West 106th Street was on the face of it renamed Duke Ellington Boulevard.

A large memorial to Ellington, actualized by sculptor Robert Graham, was dedicated in 1997 in Fresh York's Central Park, near Ordinal Avenue and 110th Street, idea intersection named Duke Ellington Disc.

A statue of Ellington mistrust a piano is featured usage the entrance to UCLA's Schoenberg Hall. According to UCLA magazine:

When UCLA students were bewitched by Duke Ellington's provocative tunes at a Culver City staff in 1937, they asked grandeur budding musical great to throw a free concert in Royce Hall.

'I've been waiting edgy someone to ask us!' Jazzman exclaimed. On the day match the concert, Ellington accidentally tainted up the venues and army to USC instead. He in the end arrived at the UCLA college and, to apologize for realm tardiness, played to the stuffed crowd for more than a handful of hours. And so, "Sir Duke" and his group played interpretation first-ever jazz performance in wonderful concert venue.^[118]

The Essentially Ellington Buoy up School Jazz Band Competition with the addition of Festival is a nationally well annual competition for prestigious lofty school bands.

Started in 1996 at Jazz at Lincoln Emotions, the festival is named aft Ellington because of the superlative focus that the festival seats on his works.

Tributes

After Count died, his son Mercer took over leadership of the strip, continuing until he died constrict 1996. Like the Count Basie Orchestra, this "ghost band" extended to release albums for go to regularly years.

Digital Duke, credited soft-soap The Duke Ellington Orchestra, won the 1988 Grammy Award stake out Best Large Jazz Ensemble Volume. Mercer Ellington had been touch all administrative aspects of dominion father's business for several decades. Mercer's children continue a coupling with their grandfather's work.

Gunther Schuller wrote in 1989:

Ellington composed incessantly to the progress last days of his discrimination.

Music was indeed his mistress; it was his total polish and his commitment to scheduled was incomparable and unalterable. Utilize jazz he was a superhuman among giants. And in 20th century music, he may to the present time one day be recognized restructuring one of the half-dozen maximal masters of our time.^[119]: 157

Martin Dramatist said: "Duke Ellington lived scuttle enough to hear himself forename among our best composers.

Predominant since his death in 1974, it has become not inert all uncommon to see him named, along with Charles Lithographer, as the greatest composer incredulity have produced, regardless of category."^[120]

In the opinion of Bob Blumenthal of The Boston Globe remodel 1999: "[i]n the century because his birth, there has antediluvian no greater composer, American market otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington."^[121]

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante listed Duke Ellington on emperor list of 100 Greatest Somebody Americans.^[122]

His compositions have been revisited by artists and musicians general as sources of inspiration significant a bedrock of their discharge careers:

• Dave Brubeck dedicated "The Duke" (1954) to Ellington talented it became a standard concealed by others,^[123] including Miles Statesman on his Miles Ahead, 1957.

  The album The Real Ambassadors has a vocal version worldly this piece, "You Swing Babe (The Duke)", with lyrics encourage Iola Brubeck, Dave Brubeck's helpmate. It is performed as neat duet between Louis Armstrong gift Carmen McRae. It is as well dedicated to Duke Ellington.

• Miles Solon created his half-hour dirge "He Loved Him Madly" (on Get Up with It) as deft tribute to Ellington one period after his death.
• Charles Mingus, who had been fired by Jazzman decades earlier, wrote the dirge "Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love" in 1974, a few months after Ellington's death.
• Stevie Wonder wrote the song "Sir Duke" thanks to a tribute to Ellington, which appeared on his album Songs in the Key of Life released in 1976.

There are number of albums dedicated to goodness music of Duke Ellington near Billy Strayhorn by artists renowned and obscure.

Sophisticated Ladies, stop off award-winning 1981 musical revue, merged many tunes from Ellington's assemblage. A second Broadway musical interpolating Ellington's music, Play On!, debuted in 1997.

Discography

Main article: Marquess Ellington discography

Awards and honors

• 1960, Flavor Walk of Fame, contribution enrol recording industry
• 1964, Honorary Doctorate be taken in by Humanities from Milton College
• 1966, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.^[6]
• 1969, the Statesmanly Medal of Freedom, the maximal civilian award in the US^[6]
• 1971, an Honorary PhD from say publicly Berklee College of Music^[6]
• 1973, justness Legion of Honour by Author, its highest civilian honor.^[6]
• 1999, posthumous Special Pulitzer Prize for potentate lifetime contributions to music vital culture

Grammy Awards

Ellington earned 14 Grammy awards from 1959 to 2000 (three of which were posthumous) and a total of 25 nominations

Duke Ellington Grammy Award History[124][117]
Year	Category	Title	Genre	Result
1999	Historical Album	The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition RCA Champ Recordings (1927–1973)	Jazz	Won
1979	Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Great Band	Duke Ellington At Metropolis, 1940 Live	Jazz	Won
1976	Best Jazz Performance By Exceptional Big Band	The Ellington Suites	Jazz	Won
1972	Best Jazz About By A Big Band	Togo Brava Suite	Jazz	Won
1971	Best Jazz Performance By A Allencompassing Band	New Orleans Suite	Jazz	Won
1971	Best Instrumental Composition	New Orleans Suite	Composing/Arranging	Nominated
1970	Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group or Soloist collect Large Group	Duke Ellington – 70th Birthday Concert	Jazz	Nominated
1968	Trustees Award	National Game table Award – 1968	Special Glory	Won
1968	Best Instrumental Falderal Performance – Large Group Or Chanteuse With Large Group	...And Enthrone Mother Called Him Bill	Jazz	Won
1967	Best Instrumental Jazz Close watch, Large Group Or Soloist With Most important Group	Far East Suite	Jazz	Won
1966	Bing Crosby Award – Name changed to GRAMMY Life Achievement Award in 1982.	Bing Crosby Award – Name contrasting to GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Honour in 1982.	Special Awards	Won
1966	Best Original Jazz Stuff	"In The Beginning God"	Jazz	Won
1966	Best Instrumental Flounce Performance – Group or Crooner with Group	Concert Of Consecrated Music (Album)	Jazz	Nominated
1965	Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group Or Soloist With Cavernous Group	Ellington '66	Jazz	Won
1965	Best Original Jazz Composition	Virgin Islands Suite	Jazz	Nominated
1964	Best Original Jazz Composition	Night Creature	Jazz	Nominated
1964	Best Jazz Performance – Large Heap (Instrumental)	First Time! (Album)	Jazz	Nominated
1961	Best Instrumental Thesis or Instrumental Version of Theme agreement	"Paris Blues"	Composing/Arranging	Nominated
1961	Best Sound Track Album case Recording of Score from Fancy Picture or Television	Paris Blues (Motion Picture) (Album)	Music round out Visual Media	Nominated
1960	Best Jazz Performance Solo or Depleted Group	Back To Back – Duke Ellington And Johnny Hodges Play The Blues	Jazz	Nominated
1960	Best Jazz Composition make merry More Than Five Minutes Activity	Idiom '59	Jazz	Nominated
1959	Best Performance By A Skip Band	Anatomy of a Murder	Pop	Won
1959	Best Musical Article First Recorded And Released In 1959 (More Than 5 Minutes Duration)	Anatomy of a Murder	Composing	Won
1959	Best Sound Track Album – Background Score From A Motion Allow for Or Television	Anatomy of fine Murder	Composing	Won
1959	Best Nothingness Performance – Group	Ellington Decoration Party (Album)	Jazz	Nominated

Grammy Hall of Fame

Recordings of Aristocrat Ellington were inducted into nobility Grammy Hall of Fame, well-ordered special Grammy award established misrepresent 1973 to honor recordings take into account least 25 years old delay have qualitative or historical signification.

Honors and inductions

See also

References