Duke Ellington Essays

  • Duke Ellington Bibliography

    1051 Words  | 5 Pages

    Introduction: Duke Ellington was a pioneer in the jazz movement, and helped turn what was considered shoddy dance music into an acclaimed art form. Once a young, musically inclined boy eventually found himself caught up in the center of the Harlem renaissance, giving him the connections, knowledge and opportunity he needed to pioneer a different kind of jazz music. The man always considered himself a composer over a musician, and his body of work remains the largest personal jazz legacy. Biography:

  • Duke Ellington Biography

    1680 Words  | 7 Pages

    Name Instructor Course Date Duke Ellington Career and adult life Duke Ellington was a real innovator; he used his band to influence the growth of jazz and the American music sector. Like Hajdu noted, I believe Duke Ellington’s music made the real sound of America (72). He was an American bandleader, jazz composer, and pianist, who served for long as leader of big-band jazz. Born to a negro Butler, Ellington took up his the piano at the age of seven searching for dignity, attention, and generational

  • Duke Ellington Essay

    751 Words  | 4 Pages

    who is well known for their talents and contributions towards their genre. Duke Ellington was a big hit during his time and continues to inspire people in the jazz industry. His career lasted about 50 years allowing him to move the souls of many with his ear for wonderful music. During this time he wrote many songs and even a contemporary songbook. Ellington was an amazing composer, pianist, and conductor. Ellington was born April 29th1899 in Washington, D.C. His parents were also musically

  • Duke Ellington Essay

    627 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kaleb Diers Duke Ellington's Musical Mark Duke Ellington was a popular pianist in the 1920’s whose ambition led him throughout his career. It is important to learn about musicians like Duke, because the music world will never leave a person's daily life. It’s also important to compare and contrast techniques from the 1920’s to that of the present day. Duke Ellington was one of the greatest musicians to remember, because of his childhood, actual career, and his legacy. To begin with, it is clear

  • Duke Ellington Essay

    566 Words  | 3 Pages

    Peets AP US History 3/20/22 Duke Ellington Duke Ellington was the most well-known musician composer and bandleader during the Harlem Renaissance. Born on April 29, 1899, in Washington D.C, Edward Kennedy Ellington group up in a stable middle-class family. His parents, Daisy and James Ellington, both were talented musicians, playing piano. They strongly encouraged him to play piano, and he began piano lessons at the age of seven. Throughout his young life, Ellington began interested in the arts and

  • Duke Ellington Bibliography

    524 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 29, 1899 Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was born. Ellington grew up in Washington D.C and was always surrounded by music. Both his parents would play the piano and he would begin taking lessons at seven years old. Ellington was also taught to be respectful and elegant. Due to his manners and grace his friends started calling him “Duke”, a nickname that would stick for the rest of his life. In 1914, Ellington wrote his first composition while working at a the Poodle Dog Cafe. Doing so before

  • Duke Ellington Bibliography Essay

    404 Words  | 2 Pages

    rule 1.” This quote was said by a famous pianist and jazz singer, Duke Ellington. One of the founding fathers of jazz music. Duke Ellington was a pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. He composed thousands of scores and created one of the most distinctive ensemble sounds in all of western music. He influenced millions of people around the world and at home, giving America its own sound for the first time. Today, Duke Ellington is seen as one of the biggest originators of big-band jazz and an

  • Edward Kennedy: Duke Ellington

    339 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a phenomenal bandleader and composer, who rose to fame by pioneering jazz, a style of music that has stood the test of time today. It is evident that the theme of the biography, “Duke Ellington: Bandleader and Composer,” written by Ron Frankl, is that Duke Ellington has left behind with him a long lasting legacy on the musical style of jazz. For instance, text states, “Today, his majestic name still reigns over the jazz world as surely as it did a half century

  • Duke Ellington Annotated Bibliography

    585 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

  • Duke Ellington Research Papers

    2098 Words  | 9 Pages

    Duke Ellington had a successful career and musicians and jazz fans all around the world. Whenever musicians young or old bring up jazz music in a discussion, jazz fan or classicist in any part of the world the name Duke Ellington is mentioned. Starting young after maturing he had a lot of memorable events throughout his life. Duke Ellington had a big impact on music during his time. He is considered by many to be the most brilliant Jazz composers in American history. Edward Kennedy

  • Duke Ellington Poetic Style

    1632 Words  | 7 Pages

    Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was a famous American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader of a jazz orchestra. He was born April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. He pursued his career in music from the 1920’s all the way until his death on May 24, 1974 in New York, NY (aged 75). He earned the nickname “Duke” as a child because of his gentlemanly demeanor, graceful manner, and the fancy clothes that he wore, and he used it as a title at the suggestion of a friend, Edgar McEntree. He

  • Duke Ellington Research Paper

    578 Words  | 3 Pages

    Duke Ellington was a celebrated pianist and composer of a jazz orchestra. Born in 1899, Ellington proved himself to be an ardent American composer through his numerous orchestra functions until the end of his life in 1974. He is known to have made several collaborations with other jazz musicians through his world tours. Among Ellington’s achievements include changing the attitude of jazz and making it to be accepted as a form of art. Benny Goodman was also a jazz maestro who was born in 1909 and

  • Duke Ellington Research Papers

    1007 Words  | 5 Pages

    Duke Ellington was a renowned personality in the music industry as he had been very successful and notable composer and pianist. He also had been band leader of jazz orchestra and throughout his professional career of fifty years; he had been leader of the orchestra from the year 1923. He was born in 1899 and passed away in 1974. He had been a notable figure in the music industry and spent an active professional career in the field. That is why; his personality is worth to be studied so that lessons

  • Duke Ellington: Annotated Bibliography Essay

    1025 Words  | 5 Pages

    Duke Ellington was a renowned personality in the music industry, as he was a very successful and notable composer and pianist. He also was a band leader of jazz orchestra throughout his professional career of fifty years; he had been the leader of the orchestra from the year 1923. He was born in 1899 and passed away in 1974. He was a notable figure in the music industry and had an active professional career in the field. That is why his personality is worthy of study so that lessons might be drawn

  • 'Music Analysis: Duke Ellington At Newport'

    441 Words  | 2 Pages

    Born in Washington D.C in 1899, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader of a jazz orchestra. He settled in New York City from the mid-1920s and earned a national profile for his Cotton Club performances in Harlem. In 1930’s, Ellington toured in Europe and became a pivotal figure in the history of Jazz. One of the many albums he has recorded is Ellington at Newport which was a live jazz album from 1956 and it was performed by his band at the Newport Jazz Festival. It’s producers

  • Review: It Don 'T Mean A Thing' By Duke Ellington

    725 Words  | 3 Pages

    Duke Ellington was an American pianist. He made many songs such as “It Don’t Mean A Thing.” He was a very famous jazz player during the 1900’s. Duke Ellington once said, “A problem is a chance for you to do your best,” which means that problems push you to be better, and I agree with that statement because it helps you to your brain, it builds tolerance, and it helps you understand things better. Firstly, Duke Ellington once said, “A problem is a chance for you to do your best,” which means that

  • Jazz: Duke Ellington During The Harlem Renaissance

    912 Words  | 4 Pages

    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. The revues highlighted

  • Edward 'Duke' Ellington: Most Influential Big Band Swing Composers

    620 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edward ‘Duke’ Ellington, a name synonymous with jazz, is considered still to one of the most influential Big Band Swing composers and arrangers. Ellington identified himself as a composer and arranger primarily and then a musician, although he played in bands before becoming an arranger. Ellington’s work and arrangements were instrumental in shaping Big Band Swing and helped to create the longevity of this sound. Ellington learned to lead a band and arrange pieces when he formed his first band, the

  • Duke Ellington Research Papers

    1077 Words  | 5 Pages

    Duke Ellington and The 1920’s The most important part of the roaring 20’s would have to be the “cultural Civil War,” from the conflicting religions, Harlem renaissance, Women's rights, “the new woman,” versus the old fashioned housewife, all played a key role in the roaring twenties. At the height of the Harlem Renaissance in the late 1920s, Duke Ellington was a pioneer of a new form of jazz music that can be heard in the song “Black and Tan Fantasy.” The 1920’s were full of cultural and economic

  • Duke Ellington Research Paper

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of these jazz legends is Duke Ellington: a pianist, bandleader, and composer. Born on April 29, 1899, in Washington D.C., he grew up listening to all genres. His musical journey began at Garnet Elementary in Chestertown, Maryland, where he started piano lessons at 7. After pursuing other artistic endeavors, he settled on music being his passion and moved to New York to play in the Cotton Club with his band. As the College Music Society suggests, Duke Ellington influenced many pianists today