Duke Ellington
During the 1920’s, jazz became the new, hot thing. Many musicians and composers made their mark during this time period. Duke Ellington was one of them. He turned America on their heads and got them on their feet. Many will agree that he was what made jazz unique.
“Duke Ellington was born April 29, 1899, in Washington , D.C” (Biography.com Editors). “His parents are James Edward and Daisy Ellington” (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Duke grew up very religious. His mother was a Baptist and his father a Methodist. Duke’s parents were very musically talented. At 7, Ellington started to study on how to play the piano. He began to play professionally at age seventeen. Duke spent most of the time studying music and commercial art.
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He performed as the band leader in Broadway night clubs, during the 20’s. The band started small, only being a six piece orchestra. Then grew to a ten-piece ensemble. Ellington like unique musicians that had a rare style and sound. Ellington’s band made thousands of recordings. They appeared on radio and films. During the 30’s, the band toured Europe on two occasions. It was the sense of musical drama that made Ellington stand out. Ellington’s fame soared in the 1940’s, when he composed new masterworks. After WWII, the band toured Europe on regularly bases, even went on brief trips to South America, the Far East, and Australia.
“Duke Ellington’s composition was a musical history of African Americans, ‘Black, Brown, and Beige”(Pop Culture of 20th-Century America). He took jazz in a new direction. Duke wrote more elaborate pieces of music that mixed classical and jazz music together. The popularity of jazz led younger black musicians to break into new techniques. Soon after jazz became popular, African American musicians soon became very successful. Playing to audiences of all races. During the depression, big jazz bands gave an upbeat and lively beat for dancing. People often danced to it to forget the