Duke Ellington: the story on HearLore

Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on the 29th of April 1899, into a family that would shape his early sense of dignity and racial pride in Washington, D.C. His parents, James and Daisy Ellington, were both pianists who instilled in him a love for music, yet it was his childhood nickname, Duke, that would define his public persona for the rest of his life. The nickname was bestowed upon him by a friend, Edgar McEntee, who felt that in order for Duke to be eligible for his constant companionship, he should have a title. This early moniker stuck, and by the time he was a teenager, he was already known as the Duke. His early years were marked by a fascination with baseball, which he played with such enthusiasm that President Theodore Roosevelt would sometimes stop on his horse to watch them play. However, it was the music he heard in the poolrooms of Washington that truly ignited his passion for the piano. He began sneaking into Frank Holiday's Poolroom at the age of fourteen, where he heard the music of the poolroom pianists and began to take his piano studies seriously. Among the many piano players he listened to were Doc Perry, Lester Dishman, Louis Brown, Turner Layton, Gertie Wells, Clarence Bowser, Sticky Mack, Blind Johnny, Cliff Jackson, Claude Hopkins, Phil Wurd, Caroline Thornton, Luckey Roberts, Eubie Blake, Joe Rochester, and Harvey Brooks. It was from these influences that he developed his unique style, which would later become the foundation of his legendary orchestra.

The Cotton Club Era

In the late 1920s, Ellington's career took a dramatic turn when he was invited to play at the Cotton Club in Harlem. This was a pivotal moment that would launch him to national fame. The Cotton Club was a venue that catered to an exclusively white and wealthy clientele, and Ellington's orchestra was the house band. The club's management required him to increase his band from six to eleven pieces to meet their requirements. The engagement began on the 4th of December 1926, and from that point on, Ellington's group performed all the music for the revues, which mixed comedy, dance numbers, vaudeville, burlesque, music, and illicit alcohol. The musical numbers were composed by Jimmy McHugh and the lyrics were written by Dorothy Fields, with some Ellington originals mixed in. At the Cotton Club, Ellington's group performed all the music for the revues, which mixed comedy, dance numbers, vaudeville, burlesque, music, and illicit alcohol. The musical numbers were composed by Jimmy McHugh and the lyrics were written by Dorothy Fields, with some Ellington originals mixed in. Weekly radio broadcasts from the club gave Ellington national exposure. At the same time, Ellington also recorded Fields-McHugh and Fats Waller-Andy Razaf songs. One of the most significant recordings from this period was Creole Love Call, which became a worldwide sensation and gave both Ellington and Hall their first hit record. The recording was a collaboration with Adelaide Hall, and it was a testament to the unique sound that Ellington was developing. The band's sound was characterized by the non-traditional expression of Ellington's arrangements, the street rhythms of Harlem, and the exotic-sounding trombone growls and wah-wahs, high-squealing trumpets, and saxophone blues licks of the band members. This period marked the beginning of Ellington's rise to international stardom, and it was at the Cotton Club that he truly found his voice as a composer and bandleader.

When was Duke Ellington born and where did he grow up?

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on the 29th of April 1899 in Washington, D.C. He grew up in a family that instilled in him a sense of dignity and racial pride while his parents James and Daisy Ellington were both pianists.

What was the significance of Duke Ellington's engagement at the Cotton Club?

The engagement began on the 4th of December 1926 and launched Ellington to national fame through weekly radio broadcasts. The venue required him to expand his band from six to eleven pieces to perform music for revues that mixed comedy, dance, and vaudeville.

Who was Billy Strayhorn and how did he collaborate with Duke Ellington?

Billy Strayhorn began collaborating with Duke Ellington in 1939 and became a vital member of the Ellington organization. Strayhorn contributed original lyrics and music while arranging and polishing many of Ellington's works to extend the jazz form beyond the three-minute limit.

What happened during Duke Ellington's performance at the Newport Jazz Festival on the 7th of July 1956?

Paul Gonsalves played a 27-chorus marathon solo during the performance of Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue which whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The concert made international headlines and led to the best-selling LP of Ellington's career despite the band re-recording several numbers the next day.

When did Duke Ellington premiere his first Sacred Concert and what did it involve?

Ellington premiered the first of his Sacred Concerts in September 1965 creating a jazz Christian liturgy. He performed it dozens of times and conducted his orchestra from the Steinway piano while playing the keyboard parts for the work.

The Strayhorn Partnership

The collaboration between Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, which began in 1939, was one of the most significant partnerships in the history of jazz. Strayhorn, originally hired as a lyricist, quickly became a vital member of the Ellington organization. Ellington showed great fondness for Strayhorn and never failed to speak glowingly of the man and their collaborative working relationship, describing him as his right arm, his left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine. Strayhorn, with his training in classical music, not only contributed his original lyrics and music but also arranged and polished many of Ellington's works, becoming a second Ellington or Duke's doppelgänger. It was not uncommon for Strayhorn to fill in for Duke, whether in conducting or rehearsing the band, playing the piano, on stage, and in the recording studio. The decade ended with a very successful European tour in 1939 just as World War II loomed in Europe. This partnership allowed Ellington to extend the jazz form from the three-minute limit, of which he was an acknowledged master. While he had composed and recorded some extended pieces before, such works now became a regular feature of Ellington's output. In this, he was helped by Strayhorn, who had enjoyed a more thorough training in the forms associated with classical music than Ellington. The first of these, Black, Brown, and Beige, was dedicated to telling the story of African Americans and the place of slavery and the church in their history. Black, Brown and Beige debuted at Carnegie Hall on the 23rd of January 1943, beginning an annual series of Ellington concerts at the venue over the next four years. While some jazz musicians had played at Carnegie Hall before, none had performed anything as elaborate as Ellington's work. Unfortunately, starting a regular pattern, Ellington's longer works were generally not well received. However, the partnership with Strayhorn allowed Ellington to explore new musical territories and create some of his most enduring works.

The Newport Revival

In the mid-1950s, Ellington's career was in a state of flux, with the big band era waning and the focus of popular music shifting towards solo singers. However, his appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival on the 7th of July 1956, returned him to wider prominence. The feature Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue comprised two tunes that had been in the band's book since 1937. Ellington, who had abruptly ended the band's scheduled set because of the late arrival of four key players, called the two tunes as the time was approaching midnight. Announcing that the two pieces would be separated by an interlude played by tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, Ellington proceeded to lead the band through the two pieces, with Gonsalves' 27-chorus marathon solo whipping the crowd into a frenzy, leading the Maestro to play way beyond the curfew time despite urgent pleas from festival organizer George Wein to bring the program to an end. The concert made international headlines, and led to one of only five Time magazine cover stories dedicated to a jazz musician, and resulted in an album produced by George Avakian that would become the best-selling LP of Ellington's career. Much of the music on the LP was, in effect, simulated, with only about 40% actually from the concert itself. According to Avakian, Ellington was dissatisfied with aspects of the performance and felt the musicians had been under-rehearsed. The band assembled the next day to re-record several numbers with the addition of the faked sound of a crowd, none of which was disclosed to purchasers of the album. Not until 1999 was the concert recording properly released for the first time. The revived attention brought about by the Newport appearance should not have surprised anyone, Johnny Hodges had returned the previous year, and Ellington's collaboration with Strayhorn was renewed around the same time, under terms more amenable to the younger man. The original Ellington at Newport album was the first release in a new recording contract with Columbia Records which yielded several years of recording stability, mainly under producer Irving Townsend, who coaxed both commercial and artistic productions from Ellington.