Duke Ellington
“The composer and bandleader who elevated jazz to a sophisticated, distinctly American art form.”
On December 4, 1927, Duke Ellington's orchestra began a residency at Harlem's Cotton Club. The nightly radio broadcasts from the club carried his sophisticated 'jungle' sound across America and made him a national star, launching one of the longest careers in jazz history.
The Washington Duke
Edward Kennedy Ellington earned the nickname 'Duke' as a boy for his refined manners and dress. He grew up in Washington's middle-class Black community before chasing a music career in New York.
Cotton Club Fame
His 1927 Cotton Club residency, broadcast live on radio, turned the orchestra into a national sensation. There he developed the atmospheric 'jungle' style that set him apart from rivals.
An American Composer
Beyond dance hits, Ellington wrote ambitious suites, film scores, and sacred concerts. He kept his orchestra touring almost continuously for half a century until his death in 1974.
Career Timeline
- 1899Born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington.
- 1927The Cotton Club.
- 1939Strayhorn joins.
- 1956Newport. Twenty-seven choruses.
- 1974Dies in New York at seventy-five. Dates still on the book.
Biggest Hits
- Nightly radio broadcasts from the Cotton Club carried his music nationwide and built his early fame.
- He composed an estimated 1,000 or more works, many co-written with Billy Strayhorn.
The Moment You Remember
His 1956 appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival is the moment most often recalled: a thrilling, extended performance of <em>Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue</em>, propelled by a long saxophone solo, that brought the crowd to its feet and revitalized his career at midlife.
Portrait: Unknown author · Public domain (PD-US, published 1931-1977 without notice) · via Wikimedia Commons