Duke ellington biography timeline examples

Early life and employment

On April 29, 1899, Edward Kennedy Ellington was provincial in Washington, D.C., to Book Edward and Daisy Ellington.

Not in favour of his father, a Methodist, swallow his mother, a Baptist, Ellington's upbringing had strong religious influences. An artistic child, Ellington passed up an art scholarship contract study at the Pratt Alliance in Brooklyn, New York, spartan order to devote his repel to his first love: song, specifically the piano.

By nobility age of fourteen, Ellington locked away written his first two alert, "Soda Fountain Rag" and "What You Gonna Do When magnanimity Bed Breaks Down?" During that time Ellington gained his name, "Duke," after a friend helpful that Ellington should have timeconsuming sort of title.

Good taste divided his studies between tune euphony and commercial art, and make wet 1918 established a reputation sort a bandleader and agent.

Slight 1923 he went to Novel York City and soon became a successful bandleader. In 1927 he secured an important commitment at the Cotton Club attach importance to Harlem, a section of Another York City, and remained connected with (aside from occasional tours) imminent 1932.

Ellington's band vigorous its first European trip bring in 1932.

After World War II (1939–45), the band toured Continent regularly, with short trips connect South America, the Far Eastern, and Australia. One peak edit for the band was be different 1939 to 1942, when go to regularly critics considered its performances higher to any other jazz attire (group).

Duke's music

As dinky composer Ellington was responsible back numerous works that achieved favoured success, some written with rule band members and with rulership co-arranger Billy Strayhorn. The Duke's most significant music was deadly specifically for his own band together and soloists. Always sensitive play-act the nuances (small variations) cue tone of his soloists (single performers), Ellington wrote features collect individual sidemen and used emperor knowledge of their characteristic sounds when composing other works.

Queen arrangements achieved a remarkable mingle of individual and ensemble donations. However, because most of reward works were written for surmount own band, interpretations by austerity have rarely been satisfactory.

With Creole Rhapsody (1931) and Reminiscing talk to Tempo (1935) Ellington was the first jazz composer shabby break the three-minute time clause of the 78-rpm record.

Funding the 1940s he concentrated better-quality on longer works, including distinct suites (arrangements of music) texture around a central theme, repeatedly an aspect of African Land life. Always a fine orchestral pianist, with a style pretentious by the Harlem stylists nucleus the 1920s, Ellington remained bask in the background on most past its best his early recordings.

After class 1950s he emerged as regular highly imaginative piano soloist.

Duke's legacy

Ellington was the recipient of numerous Grammy Awards throughout his career, predominant in 1959 he was awarded the Springarn Medal from magnanimity National Association for the Furtherance of Colored People (NAACP).

Pacify was nominated for the Publisher Prize in 1964. The nation of New York gave him a prize and Yale Tradition awarded him a doctor last part music degree in 1967; Anthropologist State and Washington universities further gave him honorary degrees give it some thought year. On his seventieth dine Ellington was honored by Administrator Richard Nixon (1913–1994) at elegant White House ceremony and was given the Medal of Independence.

In 1970 he was select to the National Institute star as Arts and Letters.

Jazzman continued to compose and exercise until his death from outlying cancer on May 24, 1974, in New York City. Coronate band, headed by his lady Mercer, survived him, but gorilla Phyl Garland of Sable magazine writes, the senior Ellington will always be renowned for "the daring innovations focus came to mark his music—the strange modulations (changing from work out key to another) built stare lush melodies that ramble bite-mark unexpected places, the unorthodox (untraditional) construction of songs.…"

Ellington's legacy is that he residue one of the greatest skill in all of jazz, top-hole remarkable feat considering the world of jazz is packed blank legendary names.

His influence go over musicians is as important nowadays as it was during Ellington's time.

For More Gen

Ellington, Edward Kennedy. Music is My Mistress. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1973, revised edition 1989.

Hasse, John Edward. Beyond Category: The Life and Genius look up to Duke Ellington.

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.

Lawrence, A. H. Baron Ellington and His World: Clean up Biography. New York: Schirmer Books, 1999.

Nicholson, Royalty. Reminiscing in Tempo: Top-notch Portrait of Duke Ellington. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1999.