Duke Ellington
From Harlem Renaissance
Duke Ellington was Born in April 29, 1899, Washington, D.C. Duke Ellington was one of the people who founded jazz music. He started playing piano at the age of seven and by the time he was 15, he was already composing. [Duke Ellington biography] Here are some of Duke Ellingtons songs [Satin Doll] [Take the A Train] This last one is Duke Ellington playing in 1973 [Duke Ellington in 1973]
Over the course of his life, Edward Kennady Ellinton (The Duke)would compose 6,000 songs and many musical pieces. He would perform over 20,000 times over his 50 year career world wide. He was givin the legon of Honor from the french goverment and the united states gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. These were the two greatist honors from each country.
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Life of "The Duke"
The Early life of Duke Ellington was surprisingly non musical. His real name was Edward Kennedy Ellington. He received the name Duke from his friends as a teenager. This name was fitting even then. He was tall slim and good looking.
He played piano as a child but quit after finding the classical style of play unappealing. But Duke’s fate was tied to the piano. As an older teen he heard ragtime for the first time and fell in love with the music. He was soon back at the piano composing his own ragtime. He took piano lessons at Armstrong high school. He soon joined a band and had mild success in Washington. But some of the band members wanted to go to New York. Duke Returned to Washington in defeat after a while. The band tried to go again and was successful for a year and then was forced to go Back to Washington. Then duke took control of the band and headed back to New York for a third try.
Music of "The Duke"
Ellington is considered by many to be America's greatest composer, bandleader, and recording artist. He worked with many different elements of American music, including the minstrel song, ragtime, Tin Pan Alley tunes, and the blues. He wrote music that was performed in many different places, such as theaters, nightclubs, and concert halls. In his jazz orchestra, he liked to write songs that had solos in them for members of the band. One music critic gives ellington credit for being the first to use the human voice as a jazz instrument. before him instrumental vaudevile acts and jazz had tried to make instruments sound like voices. Ellington had used this approach in his 1st band some times called " the jungle band," with a trumpet player named Bubber Miley. made the trumpet sound like it was growling but later he had singers who tried to sound like a trumpet and other instruments
Some of the Duke's most famous compositions are: Satin Doll, Mood Indigo, It Don't Mean A Thing, Sophisticated Lady, Take the A Train, and In a Sentimental Mood.
Vocab
Swing = easy flowing but vigorise rythm. Ragtime = music acompanied by brass rythm.
Quotes
"Create, and be true to yourself, and depend only on your own good taste...."
"Critics have their purposes, and they're supposed to do what they do, but..."
"Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be too famous too young...."
"Gray skies are just clouds passing over."
"Music is my mistress, and she plays second fiddle to no one...."
"New music? Hell, there's been no new music since Stravinsky...."
"People do not retire. They are retired by others."
"Roaming through the jungle of "oohs" and "ahs,"..."
"Somehow I suspect that if Shakespeare were alive today, he might be a jazz..."
"The Europeans who went to Africa came back with "modern' art. What is..."
Bibliography
Black music in America Haskins, James happer collins 1987 New York
[Redhotjazz.com/duke.html] Scott alexander
www.schirmer.com/default.aspx?TabId=2419&State_2872=2&ComposerId_2872=2311 Peter Lieberson
The Harlem Renaissance Kallen Stuart, Joseph Paul Edina MN 2001.
Artical : http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=6521
