Although people called it jazz, Duke Ellington liked to call his style ‘American Music’. Since 1927, Ellington’s orchestra began performing in one of the richest and most prestigious clubs of Harlem – Cotton Club (Gutman 15). Duke ellington Biography January 18, 2021 Duke Ellington (Edward Kennedy Ellington; Washington D.C., 1899-New York, 1974) American jazz pianist, composer, arranger and leader of a jazz group.He began practicing music by taking piano lessons at the age of seven.Already in its … They quit and formed their own band. His autobiography was published in 1973. He did not just receive composing credits for three of the eight records but also got noticed. Gunther Schuller, The History of Jazz (1968), includes the most perspicacious and scholarly study of Ellington's recordings of the 1920s. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than six decades. The former got him national exposure. Alongside these developments, Ellington grew his Kentucky Club Orchestra and started developing their own sound. Oscars Best Picture Winners Best Picture Winners Golden Globes Emmys Black History Month STARmeter Awards San Diego Comic-Con New York Comic-Con Sundance Film Festival Toronto Int'l Film Festival Awards Central Festival Central All Events They got to play in Atlantic City and the limited exposure they got earned them a gig at Exclusive Club in Harlem. He called it ‘Music Is My Mistress’. Territories Quarters Program. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899. Further Reading on Edward Kennedy Ellington. Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G. Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971, The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944, The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947, It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me), Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Pulitzer Prize Special Citations and Awards, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duke_Ellington&oldid=1005449182, Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York), Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners, Short description is different from Wikidata, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Articles with Encyclopædia Britannica links, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group or Soloist with Large Group, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group, Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Large Group. One of the greatest composers of the 20th century, and the leader for 50 years of a band that became the greatest of all jazz orchestras. D.C. and U.S. It took Duke and his fellow band mates a while to get noticed. Duke Ellington (Edward Kennedy Ellington) pianist, composer, orchestra leader Born: 4/29/1899 Birthplace: Washington D.C. Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist, composer, and orchestra leader considered the most prolific composer and best-known figure in jazz history. Award won for the movie Jonah with fellow composer, This page was last edited on 7 February 2021, at 18:41. Although people called it jazz, Duke Ellington liked to call his style ‘American Music’. His parents were James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. As a bandleader, his orchestra during 1926-74 was always among the top five, whether it be 1929 or 1969. May 24, 1974 Duke's Death As a composer, Ellington ranked with George … He won nine Grammies while alive and three posthumously. Ellington often found musicians with a unique style. Duke Ellington Biography; A DUKE NAMED ELLINGTON - Duke Ellington Biography. He was born Edward Kennedy Ellington on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C., to James Edward Ellington and Daisy (Kennedy) Ellington. Ellington appeared in and scored the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder, and its soundtrack won him three of the newly instituted Grammy Awards, for best performance by a dance band, best musical composition of the year, and best soundtrack. The band was then known as ‘Elmer Snowden and his Black Sox Orchestra’ which changed to ‘The Washingtonians’. He was commemorated by Stevie Wonder with “Sir Duke,” a song Wonder wrote in 1976. They raised Duke as an only child, until his sister, Ruth, was born when Duke … As the name would suggest, this Washington D.C. school is dedicated to arts education. Ellington’s final compositions were ‘In the Beginning God’, ‘Second Sacred Concert’ and ‘Third Sacred Concert’. The main genre associated with Duke Ellington is jazz, although he did branch out into gospel, blues and classical music. Duke Ellington Biography. A noted pianist, bandleader and composer of unparallel prowess, Duke Ellington had a humble beginning and scaled the echelons in the mercurial world of music. In 1995, The New York Times called it "one of the great Ellington albums, one of the great Hawkins albums and one of the great albums of the 1960s." Duke Ellington was an American jazz musician who composed thousands of musical scores during a career that spanned more than 50 years. His image is part the central design on the reverse of the District of Columbia 25¢ commemorative coin issued in 2009, as part of the USA's Statehood Quarters series. See also Barry Ulanov, Duke Ellington (1946), and George E. Lambert, Duke Ellington (1961). Duke Ellington discography and songs: Music profile for Duke Ellington, born 29 April 1899. Alongside these developments, Ellington grew his Kentucky Club Orchestra and started developing their own sound. Ellington was the recipient of numerous Grammy Awards throughout his career, and in 1959 he was awarded the Springarn Medal from the National Association for … Birth Place: Washington, District of Columbia, United States. Duke Ellington was one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. Some notable ones are ‘Solitude’, ‘Mood Indigo’, ‘Sophisticated Lady’ and ‘In a Sentimental Mood’. Learn More. December 12, 2002. He was the leader of a band of five other musicians, which eventually grew into a 10-piece ensemble. Read Full Biography. From his perch at the Cotton Club during the Roaring Twenties through the Vietnam era, Duke Ellington was a towering figure in American music. Both of his parents played the piano, and he began to take piano lessons at the age of seven. Duke Ellington married his high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson, in 1918. One of American jazz’s most influential figures. He was a prolific writer, composing over 1000 pieces during his lifetime. Records. Duke Ellington Biography Duke Ellington was a 20th century African American musician and composer. Duke Ellington on IMDb: Awards, nominations, and wins. Duke Ellington's biography and life story. Duke Ellington and his orchestra braved through the Great Depression despite more than nine out of ten artists being compelled to quit. Complete Duke Ellington 2017 Biography. Duke Ellington School of the Arts was established in 1974, the year when Ellington passed away. He led his own orchestra, known as 'The Duke Ellington Orchestra', for over 50 years. In the. Within a year, Duke composed four songs and contributed to Chocolate Kiddies. One of his most recognized compositions is a famous song called 'It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)' which is still played throughout the world today. It was Chocolate Kiddies that introduced Europeans to a different style of music and performance. His bandmates included Bubber Miley with his signature “wa-wa” sound, and Joe Nanton, who was known for his trombone “growl.” With his bands, Ellington made hundreds of recordings. A number of memorials are dedicated to Ellington in Washington D.C, New York and Los Angeles. He was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, DC. He was awarded the Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6535 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. About The Mint", "Ellington Comes Out Ahead in Coin Tossup", "Recipients of Honorary Degrees (By Year)", "The Duke & I: A professor explains how jazz legend Duke Ellington became a doctor in 1967", Art Pilkington collection relating to Duke Ellington, 1919-1974, Jerry Valburn Collection on Duke Ellington, 1924-1974, Duke Ellington Legacy Big Band & Duke Ellington Legacy Band, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: Jazz Composers, Duke Ellington: 20th International Conference, FBI file on Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington. He led his famed orchestra from 1923 until his death. In his 1946 biography, Duke Ellington, Barry Ulanov wrote: “From Vodery, as he (Ellington) says himself, he drew his chromatic convictions, his uses of the tones ordinarily extraneous to the diatonic scale, with the consequent alteration of the harmonic character of … Over the following year, Duke got Mills to record his compositions prolifically and he eventually managed to bag a weekly radio broadcast as well as an opportunity to be the house band at Cotton Club in Harlem. Filed Under: Major Accomplishments Tagged With: List of Contributions and Achievments, © 2021 HealthResearchFunding.org - Privacy Policy, 14 Hysterectomy for Fibroids Pros and Cons, 12 Pros and Cons of the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, 14 Pros and Cons of the Cataract Surgery Multifocal Lens, 11 Pros and Cons of Monovision Cataract Surgery. It was during this time that Ellington recorded his only album with […] Genres: Big Band, Jazz, Swing. Duke came up with some amazing compositions during this time. Here are some of Duke Ellington major accomplishments. Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins is a jazz album by Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins that was recorded on August 18, 1962 and released in February 1963 by Impulse! Duke Ellington: Biography. We will write a custom Essay on Jazz Musicians: Duke Ellington’s Biography specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page. Duke Ellington Family, Childhood, Life Achievements, Facts, Wiki and Bio of 2017. Duke Ellington : biography April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974 Ellington continued to make vital and innovative recordings, including The Far East Suite (1966), the New Orleans Suite (1970), and The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse (1971), much of it inspired by his world tours. It was Chocolate Kiddies that introduced Europeans to a different style of music and performance. Biography. He was nominated for an … Ellington was 1/5 jazz artist in the world to make the cover of time magazine after a concert of which he preformed Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue and the crowd went nuts! Ellington became widel… Explore more from this episode More “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing. By 1924, Duke Ellington had composed eight records, one of which was ‘ChooChoo’. Duke and his orchestra managed to stay afloat courtesy the radio show and the popularity was further maintained by tours. Duke Ellington is on my favorites shelf because it literally leapt of the page and into my heart and soul with the palpably joyful ability to take the reader right into the music, story, and culture of the time. Duke Ellington Biography Summary: Duke Ellington was a famous American musician who excelled as a composer, pianist and bandleader. “Digital Duke” won Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 1988 and the credits for the same were given to ‘The Duke Ellington Orchestra’. Duke Ellington Biography Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington (Born: April 29, 1899 in Washington, DC - Died: May 24 , 1974 in New York City ) was an American jazz composer , pianist and bandleader. They moved back to Washington D.C. and struggled for a while. Duke Ellington's contributions to jazz and American music were simply enormous. Bing Crosby Award - Name changed to GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 1982. Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the greatest figures in the history of American music. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions. Duke Ellington is best known as a Pianist. Image of Wayne King, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Bill Elliot at Big Band Festival at Disneyland, Anaheim, 1964. Albums include Money Jungle, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, and Duke Ellington… Within a year, Duke composed four songs and contributed to Chocolate Kiddies. Appropriate for both 2nd and 3rd grade, this biography tells the story of Duke Ellington … They separated in 1938 but never divorced. Duke Ellington was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966. He was later awarded several other prizes, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969, and the Legion of Honor by France in 1973, the highest civilian honors in each country. Ellington's orchestra featured jazz's biggest names and achieved an almost perfect unity of style, making tremendous … 1919), became a well-known jazz trumpeter, composer and bandleader… Stevie Wonder‘s pop hit “Sir Duke” is a tribute to Duke Ellington. Within two years of his first records being produced and released, Duke Ellington signed an agreement with Irving Mills, an influential agent and publisher of the time. 301 certified writers online. Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. His work has appeared in films and radio, and in the 1930s, he toured Europe twice. A short biography of Duke Ellington, the American jazz legend known for his hits like "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Take the A As a young artist, he accompanied his band member and drummer Sonny Greer to join New York’s Wilber Sweatman Orchestra. Birth Name: Edward Kennedy Ellington. Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Group or Soloist with Group, Best Jazz Performance – Large Group (Instrumental), Best Instrumental Theme or Instrumental Version of Song, Best Sound Track Album or Recording of Score from Motion Picture or Television, Best Jazz Performance Solo or Small Group, Back To Back - Duke Ellington And Johnny Hodges Play The Blues, Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration, Best Sound Track Album – Background Score. Peter Gammond, ed., Duke Ellington: His Life and Music (1958), contains some first-rate essays on Ellington. Their only son, Mercer Ellington (b. He did not just receive composing credits for three of the eight records but also got noticed. Biography. Duke Ellington Biography by William Ruhlmann + Follow Artist. In the 1920s, Duke Ellington began to perform in Broadway nightclubs. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and in 1973 , the Legion of Honor by France . 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