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Duke Ellington
1899-1974
“My biggest kick in music – playing or
writing – is when I have a problem.
Without a problem to solve, how much
interest do you take in anything."
- Duke Ellington
By:
Joe Hollis
Heather Brown
Kwan Sadler
The Early Years
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington
•Born April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C.
•Was taught the emotional power of music by his parents
•First piano lessons at age seven or eight
•First job selling peanuts at Washington Senators Baseball
games
•Armstrong Manual Training School
•Began listening to rag-time pianists
•Harvey Brooks
•Dropped out of school three months before graduation to pursue
music career
Influences and
Mentors
James P. Johnson
Willie “The Lion” Smith
Oliver “Doc” Perry
Louis Brown
Harvey Brooks
“If Jazz means
anything it is a freedom
of expression”
Duke Ellington
The Duke Ellington Orchestra
•His orchestra was the principle instrument
•Considered himself a composer rather than a musician
•House Band at the Cotton Club
•Transitioned from “Hot Jazz” to “Swing” music in the 1930’s
•Grew to 12 musicians in 1927-1932
•“You can take the man out of the Ellington band, but you
couldn’t take the Ellington out of the man”
• Irving Mills became manager
•The band was lead by Duke Ellington until his death, then his
son Mercer took over
Bands
•1917- Duke Serenaders
•1923- Washingtonians
•1925- Duke Ellington and the Kentucky Club Orchestra
•1927- Duke Ellington and the Cotton Club Band
•1929- Duke Ellington and his Memphis Men
•1932- The Duke Ellington Orchestra
Some
Accomplishments
•Considered “America’s greatest living composer
•1963 Honorary doctorate from Harvard
•1967 Yale University
•Presidential Male of Honor
•1970 made a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters
•1971 became the first jazz member of he Royal Music Academy in Stockholm
•1973 Honorary degree from Columbia University
What others have said about “the Duke”
•"In the royalty of American music, no man swings more or stands higher than
the Duke." - President Richard Nixon
•"The wit, taste, intelligence and elegance that Duke Ellington brought to his
music have made him, in the eyes of millions of people both here and abroad,
America’s foremost composer." - President Richard Nixon
•"Duke Ellington is the quintessential American composer." - critic and novelist
Albert Murray
•"Duke Ellington did not want to sound like anyone else; he wanted to sound
like himself." - novelist John Edward Murray
•"For me, he was always in the panthon of great musicians along with Bach and
Beethoven and Schoenberg." - musician Gunther Schuller
•"He has nurtured the reputation he has made for always being late, because it
allows him the freedom to time his entrance to suit his sense of drama… In our
years of recording together, I’ve known Duke to arrive an hour early, two hours
late, and at every point between these two extremes. I have never known him
to arrive anywhere at the wrong moment." - artist Irving Townsend
Duke Ellington with
Willie “the Lion”
Smith
Duke Ellington and
Orchestra
Duke Ellington with
President Richard
Nixon
Duke Ellington with Louis Armstrong
Sources
www.dukeellington.com
www.redhotjazz.com
www.duke-ellington.com