Duke Ellington Famous Jazz Songwriter, Pianist and Bandleader

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FEMUSINDO.com - Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, with his famous name Duke Ellington, was an American songwriter, pianist and jazz bandleader.

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington, D.C, 29 Amril 1899 and died in New York City, 24 May 1974.

He began studying piano at the age of 7 and studied ragtime piano playing in Washington, Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

He played in various cafes and clubs around Washington, and enjoyed this job so much that he turned down a scholarship to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn art school in 1916 and dropped out of Armstrong Manual Training School.

Known Through Orchestra

Born and raised in Washington, D.C, Ellington settled in New York City since the mid-1920s and was known nationally through his orchestral appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

A master of writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than a thousand compositions.

His extensive body of work constitutes the greatest personal jazz legacy ever recorded, and many of his works have become standards.

He also recorded songs written by his band members, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan," which brought a Spanish flavor to big band jazz.

Writing and Arranging Partners

In the late 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging partner.

With Strayhorn, Duke Ellington composed several long compositions, or suites, as well as many shorter works.

During the early years of Strayhorn's involvement, Ellington's orchestra featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and reached its creative peak.

A few years later, after a period of relative obscurity, Ellington and his orchestra's appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956 led to a major revival and continued world touring.

Greatest African Americans

Ellington recorded for most of the American record companies of his era, performed in and scored several films, and composed several stage musicals.

Berklee College of Music, Boston, United States, awarded Duke Ellington an honorary degree or Doctor Honoris Causa in 1971.

Ellington was known for his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, as well as his eloquence and charisma. He was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1999.

In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante included Duke Ellington in his list of the 100 Greatest African Americans. (*)