Who is Duke Ellington - 533 Words

Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 and died on May 24, 1974. He was born in Washington D.C but later on he moved to New York City. He was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader. He had that career for 50 years. He was known as one of the greatest composers. He had more than two thousand songs that where a hit at that time. He began to play the piano as a child his mom played that piano as well. She over saw his education. Duke played professional at age 17. When he moved to New York at the year he made his own band. Ellington was more interested in baseball, but he took piano lessons instead. In 1914 he wrote his first composition, ‘’Soda Fountain Rag’’, he created by ear because he still didn’t know how to read and write music. His generations were orchestral jazz, swing, and big band. The instrument he played was the piano. He started on 1914 and ended at 1974. Ellington melded some of the his group members and they were one of the best players in jazz. He gained a national profile through his Orchestra appearances at the cotton club. Ellington recorded songs written by his bandsmen. His reputation increased after he died and he got awarded in 1999. In jazz he was a giant among giants. When Ellington made the decision to leave Washington D.C he moved to Harlem and he became one of the figures of the Harlem Renaissance. He made eight records in 1924. Ellington had to increase from a six to eleven piece group to meet the requirement of the audition. EllingtonShow MoreRelatedDuke Ellington Essay746 Words   |  3 PagesDuke Elington Duke Ellington was an American jazz bandleader, composer, and pianist. He is thought of as one the greatest figures in jazz. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States awarded him with the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. HeRead MoreEssay On Duke Ellington1506 Words   |  7 PagesDuke Ellington: 1899-1974 Edward â€Å"Duke† Kennedy Ellington was born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Duke Ellington was born into a typical family with average income and growing up, the future musician was home-schooled by his parents. His father James Edward Ellington and mother Daisy Kennedy Ellington were both pianist. His father played operatic arias while parlor songs were his mother’s first choice. It is an interesting fact that Duke is not actually Ellington’s name, but it is only hisRead MoreDuke Ellington Essay1260 Words   |  6 PagesDuke Ellington Duke Ellingtons pre-eminence in jazz is not only because of the very high aesthetic standard of his output and not simply due to his remarkable abilities as a pianist, composer and bandleader, but also to the fact that he has extended the boundaries of jazz more than any other musician, without abandoning the true essence of the music. Perhaps no other American musician left such a massive and challenging legacy in composition and performance. Edward Kennedy Duke EllingtonRead MoreDuke Ellington Essay1129 Words   |  5 PagesDuke Ellington The Harlem Renaissance was an era full of life, excitement, and activity. The world in all aspects was in gradual recovery from the depression. The world of music was expanding, sharing it’s enthusiasm throughout the world. The evolution of jazz aroused the curiosity of the nation. 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Duke Ellington brought some specific innovations to jazz in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Ellington was in time known as the greatest composer in jazz, he wrote roughly 2,000 compositions that had arranged from solo piano pieces, to works for orchestra’s, to highly symphonic concert music, etc. Ellington made a lot of changes to make the perfect sound, he used a variety of mutesRead MoreAlvin Ailey And The Civil Rights Movement1233 Words   |  5 Pagesactivist whose work focused on the narrative of the African American during the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement. Informed and inspired by black church services, gospel music, and everything spiritual, the collaborations between him and Duke Ellington come as no surprise. Ellington’s career also focused on depicting â€Å"the character and mood and feeling of [his] people†, except he executed this artistry through musicianship in composing, conducting, songwriting, and bandleading. Together, t heyRead MoreThe Most Influential African American Composers Of The Twentieth Century976 Words   |  4 PagesEdward Kennedy â€Å"Duke† Ellington Duke Ellington is considered to be one of the most influential African-American composers of the twentieth century. He was a composer, bandleader, songwriter, and a musician.   Duke Ellington was born in Washington D.C on April 29, 1899 and died on May 24, 1974 in New York, New York. Often times,   Duke’s music was called â€Å"American Music† because it was for America, later his music was placed under the category of Jazz. After his death, Duke’s musical reputation wasRead More Duke Ellington: An American Legacy Essays1818 Words   |  8 Pages Duke Ellington: An American Legacy nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Where would music be had it not been for the men that stepped before him. The Motzarts and Beethovens, who wrote the music that today is known as the classics. These men were naturals in their own right, but these people wrote their music in the 17th and 18th century. Many people dont realize all of the changes that music had to go through between that period of music and the present day. One such musician stands alone at the topRead MoreEssay on Biography of Edward Kennedy Ellington2081 Words   |  9 PagesBiography of Edward Kennedy Ellington â€Å"I’m just an up and coming musician struggling to find another new note.† -Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy Ellington was born April 29th 1899 in Washington, DC. From an early age, Ellington was instilled with solid, conservative morals. He was taught to pride himself and his family and to achieve to the utmost of his dreams. At such a crucial time in the history of the African American, there was a struggle to be accepted and