May 24, 1974(1974-05-24) (aged 75) New York City, U.S.
Genres
Jazz
swing
Occupation(s)
Pianist
composer
songwriter
bandleader
arranger
conductor
actor
Instrument(s)
Piano
Discography
Duke Ellington discography
Years active
1914–1974
Website
dukeellington.com
Signature
Musical artist
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.[1]
Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz.
At the end of the 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion.[2] With Strayhorn, he composed multiple extended compositions, or suites, as well as many short pieces. For a few years at the beginning of Strayhorn's involvement, Ellington's orchestra featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and reached a creative peak.[3] Some years later following a low-profile period, an appearance by Ellington and his orchestra at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956 led to a major revival and regular world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era, performed in and scored several films, and composed a handful of stage musicals.
Although a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, in the opinion of Gunther Schuller and Barry Kernfeld, "the most significant composer of the genre",[4] Ellington himself embraced the phrase "beyond category", considering it a liberating principle, and referring to his music as part of the more general category of American Music.[5] Ellington was known for his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, as well as for his eloquence and charisma. He was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award for music in 1999.[6]
^"Biography". DukeEllington.com (Official site). 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
^Hajdu, David (1996), Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, ISBN 978-0865475120, p. 170.
^O'Dell, Cary. "Blanton-Webster Era Recordings – Duke Ellington Orchestra (1940–1942) Added to the National Registry: 2002" (PDF). Library of Congress. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
^Schuller, Gunther; Kernfeld, Barry (2002). "Ellington, Duke (jazz) [Edward Kennedy]". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J137500. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
^Tucker 1993, p. 6 writes: "He tried to avoid the word 'jazz' preferring 'Negro' or 'American' music. He claimed there were only two types of music, 'good' and 'bad' ... And he embraced a phrase coined by his colleague Billy Strayhorn—'beyond category'—as a liberating principle."
^Cite error: The named reference pulitzer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from...
This is the discography of recordings by DukeEllington, including those nominally led by his sidemen (mainly in the 1930s and early 1940s), and his later...
The DukeEllington School of the Arts (established 1974) is a high school located at 35th Street and R Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., and dedicated...
Mercer Kennedy Ellington (March 11, 1919 – February 8, 1996) was an American musician, composer, and arranger. His father was DukeEllington, whose band...
The DukeEllington Bridge, named after American jazz pianist DukeEllington, carries Calvert Street NW over Rock Creek in Washington, D.C., United States...
lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer DukeEllington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the 'A' Train...
DukeEllington Circle is a traffic circle located at the northeast corner of Central Park at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 110th Street in Harlem...
Fitzgerald Sings the DukeEllington Song Book is a 1957 studio album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by DukeEllington and his orchestra...
ranked it as the No. 18 song of 1977. The song was written in tribute to DukeEllington, the influential jazz legend who had died in 1974. The lyrics also refer...
in Harlem who became a longtime companion of composer and musician DukeEllington, and manager of his company. She was born in Boston to parents from...
Ellington at Newport is a 1956 live jazz album by DukeEllington and his band of their 1956 concert at the Newport Jazz Festival, a concert which revitalized...
black entertainers of the era, including musicians Fletcher Henderson, DukeEllington, Jimmie Lunceford, Chick Webb, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Fats Waller...
The Duke Plays Ellington is an album by American pianist, composer and bandleader DukeEllington featuring trio sessions recorded for the Capitol label...
1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with DukeEllington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years...
enough in common to be understood as part of a coherent tradition". DukeEllington, one of jazz's most famous figures, said, "It's all music." Although...
DukeEllington Meets Coleman Hawkins is a jazz album by DukeEllington and Coleman Hawkins that was recorded on August 18, 1962, and released in February...
The DukeEllington Memorial by Robert Graham is installed at DukeEllington Circle in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The monument depicts Duke Ellington...
The DukeEllington House is a historic residence at 935 St. Nicholas Avenue, in Manhattan, New York City. Apartment 4A in this apartment house was the...
She was a jazz singer who worked with Count Basie and DukeEllington, under the name Marie Ellington. She met Nat "King" Cole while they were both singing...
of DukeEllington, but also using groups that incorporated Duke's sidemen. Mills managed Ellington from 1926 to 1939. In his contract with Ellington, Mills...
The DukeEllington Fellowship Program is a community-based organization which sponsors artists mentoring and performing with Yale University students and...
Thelonious Monk Plays DukeEllington is an album by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk that was released by Riverside in 1955. It was also released under the...
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