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When The Bed Breaks: Duke Ellington's Life And Music

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Duke Ellington was an African American composer, pianist and bandleader who composed thousands of songs over his 50-year career during the World War 1, The Great Depression and World War 2. Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, his parents were James Edward and Daisy Ellington. With his father, a Methodist, and his mother, a Baptist, Ellington 's upbringing had strong religious influences. An artistic child, Ellington passed up his art scholarship to study at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in order to devote his time to his first love: music, specifically the piano. By the age of fourteen, Ellington had written his first two songs, "Soda Fountain Rag" and "What You Gonna Do When the Bed Breaks Down?" During this time Ellington gained his nickname, "Duke," for being very gentlemen like. Duke Ellington followed his passion for ragtime and began to play professionally at age 17. Ellington was different from other people at this time because he was like the first voice for African Americans, not just for jazz music, but he was able to spread African culture and arts through his music.
Ellington wrote more than one …show more content…

Duke Ellington was a musician active during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s, Ellington moved to Harlem and started to play shows at The Cotton Club. Though he mainly focused on jazz, Ellington 's music spanned many genres, including blues, gospel, and classical. During his 50-year career Ellington composed over a thousand pieces and was a widespread influence on jazz music. Duke Ellington represents the Harlem Renaissance theme of pride. He believed that representing African-American culture in a positive way was the best way to fight racisms. Duke Ellington played his music during World War 1, the Great Depression and World War 2. After World War 1, many whites took up an interest in African American culture. Harlem nightclubs thrived, spotlighting numerous artists such as jazz musicians, Duke Ellington being one of the main

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Justin McCauley Dear Diary, My name is Duke Ellington I was born on April 29,1899. My parents names are Daisy Kennedy Ellington, James Edward Ellington. I had one brother his name was Ruth Ellington. My birth name was Edward kennedy Ellington

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The Harlem Renaissance helped to promote a renewed source of black cultural pride through self-expression by people like Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Some of Duke Ellington’s contributions to the Harlem Renaissance is his long musical career. He made swing a very popular style of jazz to play, and his band was a huge local hit. He inspired many musicians today, with his piano playing skills, and his band’s attributes (Trombone plunger, etc.). This shows that Duke Ellington added many things during the Harlem Renaissance.

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They played many performances and recorded many songs until the band went their separate ways. Jelly, Oliver, Sidney, Louis, and Duke all moved to New York since the city is the capital of mainstream. They all traveled around the country and even the world. These musicians had many similarities, but they also had differences too. One difference is that Duke Ellington was born in Washington DC.

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Duke Ellington was a jazz author, conductor, and entertainer amid the Harlem Renaissance. During the developmental Cotton Club years, he explored different avenues regarding and built up the style that would rapidly bring him overall achievement. Ellington would be among the first to concentrate on melodic shape and sythesis in jazz. Ellington composed more than 2000 pieces in his lifetime. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was the "house" symphony for various years at the Cotton Club.

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Harlem, after all, was the capital of jazz music. Jazz music united Blacks and whites because this was a new, fun type of music that they had never seen. Performers like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington would perform in the Cotton Club. The Cotton Club would only accept whites to go in, even though many of the performers were African American, but they would still perform. Jazz music was so new and unique to the country because it used many new beats, sounds, and rhythms that were unheard of to the whites.

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