Competition was intensifying, though, as swing bands like From 1936, Ellington began to make recordings with smaller groups (sextets, octets, and nonets) drawn from his then-15-man orchestra and he composed pieces intended to feature a specific instrumentalist, as with "Jeep's Blues" for After leaving agent Irving Mills, he signed on with the Some of the musicians who joined Ellington at this time created a sensation in their own right. There are hundreds of albums dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn by artists famous and obscure. Both his parents were pianists. "Take the A Train," the "A" referring to a subway line in New York City, took the place of Ellington's previous signature tune "Sepia Panorama." Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death over a career spanning more than six decades. A major figure in the history of jazz music, Duke Ellington's career spanned more than half a century, during which time he composed thousands of songs for the stage, screen and contemporary songbook. Edward Kennedy « Duke » Ellington est un pianiste, compositeur et chef d'orchestre de jazz américain, né le 29 avril 1899 à Washington D.C. et mort le 24 mai 1974 à New York. As a consequence, he formed new working relationships with artists from around the world, including the Swedish vocalist Duke turned 65 in the spring of 1964 but showed no signs of slowing down as he continued to make vital and innovative recordings, including Ellington performed what is considered his final full concert in a ballroom at The last three shows Ellington and his orchestra performed were one on March 21, 1973 at Ellington married his high school sweetheart, Edna Thompson (d. 1967), on July 2, 1918, when he was 19. She later established the Doris Duke Foundation.A lost John Coltrane recording from 1963 has just been released.

He began piano lessons at age seven and was writing music by his teens. You can't take doodling seriously.He was now performing all over the world; a significant part of each year was spent on overseas tours. Daisy surrounded her son with dignified women to reinforce his manners and teach him elegance. was given the Medal of Freedom. In 1927 he As the Depression worsened, the recording industry was in crisis, dropping over 90% of its artists by 1933.While the band's United States audience remained mainly African-American in this period, the Ellington orchestra had a significant following overseas, exemplified by the success of their trip to England and Scotland in 1933 and their 1934 visit to the European mainland. The British visit saw Ellington win praise from members of the serious music community, including composer Those longer pieces had already begun to appear. Un jour, il se prend un coup de batte dans le visage, ce qui décide sa mère à l'inscrire à des cours de piano. in all of jazz, a remarkable feat considering the history of jazz is Like the Ellington composed incessantly to the very last days of his life. Duke Ellington Biography by William Ruhlmann + Follow Artist. By the time World War II ended, the focus of popular music was shifting towards singing crooners such as Ellington continued on his own course through these tectonic shifts. its performances superior to any other jazz ensemble (group). After performers), Ellington wrote features for individual sidemen and used On the band's tour through the segregated South in 1934, they avoided some of the traveling difficulties of African-Americans by touring in private railcars. Who Was Duke Ellington?

I think too strongly in terms of altering my music to fit the performer to be impressed by accidental music. was written specifically for his own band and soloists. President Richard Nixon (1913–1994) at a White House ceremony and