Duke Ellington

Biography

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899–1974) had a career as a composer, pianist, and bandleader that spanned more than 50 years, during which he created nearly 2,000 compositions and appeared in more than 20,000 performances around the world.

Born to musical parents, Ellington grew up in a house filled with the sound of popular songs. At the age of seven, he began taking piano lessons. His formal training ended soon after when he became more interested in visual arts and enrolled at the Armstrong Manual Training School to study commercial art. By 14, his exposure to ragtime music drew him to jazz and ignited a desire to become a professional musician.

Ellington began composing music and playing in ensembles throughout his hometown of Washington, D.C. Before long, Ellington formed his own group, The Duke's Serenaders, and the band began playing in both the Black and white communities.

Having had much success in Washington, the young Ellington moved to New York City. After a rocky start, he found work playing in both theater orchestras and jazz bands. He soon became the bandleader of a small jazz band, but his need to push musical boundaries quickly grew his band into an orchestra. It wasn't long before Ellington's orchestra hit the stage at Harlem's famous Cotton Club, New York's most prestigious nightclub.

His "Concerto for Cootie"—named to honor trumpet player Charles "Cootie" Williams—was the first jazz composition in the form of a concerto (a three-movement piece of music for one or more solo instruments and an orchestra). Ellington did not stop breaking musical conventions there; he also invented his own harmonic language.

As the country sank into the Great Depression in October 1929, many bandleaders had trouble making ends meet. But Ellington flourished. The 1930s found him caught up in a musical and social whirlwind. In addition to touring, playing Broadway shows, and appearing in movies like Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life (1935), Ellington also broadcast on radio, which brought the musician worldwide recognition.

Ellington and his orchestra broke racial barriers, performing in hotels and theaters that once barred Black artists. He became a cultural ambassador for the State Department as a result of his world tours.

Duke Ellington had a versatile style of music that was all his own. From the jungle music of the Cotton Club to the swing played on the dance floor, Ellington's music goes beyond the category of jazz. Ellington was known for showcasing the talent of his band members and wrote entire songs for individual players. He was also experimental, always pushing boundaries and constantly reinventing himself as a musician.

Even today, Ellington's music is a study of contrasts—dramatic and personal, traditional and innovative, strictly composed and loosely improvised—music that was often based on a highly personal memory, mood, or image.