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Date of Birth
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29-April-1899
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Place of Birth
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Washington, D.C.
(United States of America, United States, with Territories, Contiguous United States, Area code 202)
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Nationality
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United States of America
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Also know as
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Duke Ellingtton, The Duke, Duke Elinton, Duke Ellinton, Edward Kennedy Ellington, Elligton, Duke, Edward Ellington, Duke Ellington , Sir Duke, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, Duke Elligton, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke, Edward Kennedy Ellington, Edward Kennedy « Duke » Ellington, Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Edward Kennedy Ellington, Sir Duke
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Profession
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Bandleader, Lyricist, Musician, Composer, Film Score Composer, Actor, Pianist
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Quotes
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- â€No man, let her hang loose…!!! It`s great !!!â€
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Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. His career spanned over 50 years, leading his orchestra from 1923 until he died.
Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, Ellington himself embraced the phrase "beyond category" as a "liberating principle", and referred his music to the more general category of "American Music", rather than to a musical genre such as "jazz". Born in Washington, D.C., he was based in New York City from the mid-1920s, and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club. In the 1930s they toured in Europe.
Some of the musicians who were members of Ellington's orchestra, such as saxophonist Johnny Hodges, are still, in their own right, considered to be among the best players in jazz, but it was Ellington who melded them into the best-known jazz orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Several members of the orchestra remained members for several decades. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm record format, Ellington often composed specifically for the style and skills of his individual musicians, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Hodges, and "Concerto for Cootie" for trumpeter Cootie Williams, which later became "Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me" with Bob Russell's lyrics.
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