Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Music critic Ralph J.
Gleason called him "America's most important composer".
real name: Edward Kennedy Ellington
labels: Columbia Records, Decca, Philips Records
genres: jazz, swing, gospel music, vocal music
awards: Spingarn Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Grammy Trustees Award, German Film Award for best original music, Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards
plays: piano
member of: American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Royal Swedish Academy of Music, Alpha Phi Alpha, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Duke Ellington and his Washingtonians, The Oscar Pettiford Quartet
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, to James Edward Ellington and Daisy (née Kennedy) Ellington in Washington, D.C. Both of 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. Duke's father was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina, on April 15, 1879, and in 1886, moved to D.C. with his parents. Daisy Kennedy was born in Washington, D.C., on January 4, 1879, the daughter of two former American slaves. James Ellington made blueprints for the United States Navy.
Working as a freelance sign painter from 1917, Ellington began assembling groups to play for dances. In 1919, he met drummer Sonny Greer from New Jersey, who encouraged Ellington's ambition to become a professional musician. Ellington built his music business through his day job. When a customer asked him to make a sign for a dance or party, he would ask if they had musical entertainment; if not, Ellington would offer to play for the occasion. He also had a messenger job with the U.S. Navy and State departments, where he made a wide range of contacts.
Ellington led the orchestra by conducting from the keyboard using piano cues and visual gestures; very rarely did he conduct using a baton. By 1932, his orchestra consisted of six brass instruments, four reeds, and a rhythm section of four players. As the leader, Ellington was not a strict disciplinarian; he maintained control of his orchestra with a combination of charm, humor, flattery, and astute psychology. A complex, private person, he revealed his feelings to only his closest intimates. He effectively used his public persona to deflect attention away from himself.
Two musicians who joined Ellington at this time created a sensation in their own right: Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster. Blanton was effectively hired on the spot in late October 1939, before Ellington was aware of his name, when he dropped in on a gig of Fate Marable in St. Louis. The short-lived Blanton transformed the use of double bass in jazz, allowing it to function as a solo and melodic instrument rather than a rhythm instrument alone. Terminal illness forced him to leave by late 1941 after around two years. Ben Webster's principal tenure with Ellington spanned 1939 to 1943. An ambition of his, he told his previous employer, Teddy Wilson, then leading a big band, was that Ellington was the only rival he would leave Wilson for. He was...
Are you them, or do you know them? The mail slot is open.