Gourt > Arts > Music > Composition > Composers > E > Ellington, Duke
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29 1899 – May 24 1974), also known simply as Duke (see Jazz royalty), was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader.
Many regard Duke Ellington as the most important figure to emerge from the U.S. jazz scene in the twentieth century, although Ellington himself might have quibbled with the description, as he was reluctant to describe his work as anything more specific than "music". The word "jazz" was too narrow for Ellington, a man whose greatest compliment was to describe others who had impressed him as "beyond category". Indeed, Ellington has proved to be enigmatic, slipping through the easy classifications of biographers. Musicians run into much the same kind of problem when dealing with Ellington's compositions. Musically, he wore many hats, and he could never settle on just one. Through the ranks of Duke Ellington's Orchestra passed some of the biggest names in jazz, including Johnny Hodges, Cootie Williams, Bubber Miley, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Barney Bigard, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwick, Clark Terry, Jimmy Blanton, Ray Nance, Paul Gonsalves, and Wellman Braud.
Many of these musicians played in Ellington's orchestra for decades, and while most were noteworthy in their own right, it was Ellington's musical genius that melded them into one of the most well-known orchestral units in the history of jazz. Ellington and his band (in its various incarnations) were prolific.
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TDES: The Duke Ellington Society - Official site. Includes biographical information plus appreciation, his interpreters, sound clips, information about the society, links.
Ellington - Biography, works, selected discography, articles, links.
Meta Description: [ Edward K. (Duke) Ellington ]
Ellington - Wikipedia article with photographs, biographical and musicological details, OGG audio samples, and internal references to related topics and people, including other jazz royalty.
A Duke Ellington Panorama - Project of the Washington, D.C. Ellington Society. List of compositions, sessions, information on joining other societies and Love You Madly, an e-mail discussion group, glossary, time line, centennial remembrances, news, and links.
Artists: Duke Ellington - (1899-1974) Biography, discography, links, reviews, mailing list information.
DownBeat.com: Duke Ellington - Includes a biography, a photo gallery, lengthy discography with audio clips, four classic Down Beat magazine articles, and a message board.
Duke Ellington - Official site maintained by CMG Music. Includes biography, photos and quotes by and about Ellington.
Meta Description: [ Duke Ellington ]
Duke Ellington - Biography, portrait photographs, pictures of his tombstone, cemetery details, and interactive homage.
Duke Ellington - Biography, filmography noting movies and TV programs based on or using his works, and musician, actor, and guest appearance credits from the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
Meta Description: [ Duke Ellington - Filmography, Awards, Biography, Agent, Discussions, Photos, News Articles, Fan Sites ]
Duke Ellington - CDs, sound file: 'Caravan,' videos, DVD, and books.
Meta Description: [ Artist Duke Ellington ]
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Duke Ellington at PeanutsJazz - Biography, discography, record reviews, and internal links to related artists and members of his orchestra.
Duke Ellington. A Survey of His Music. - Compositions and arrangements by him and by Ellingtonians plus lists and commentaries, essays, literature, and links. By Hans-Joachim Schmidt.
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Ellington - Appreciative essay by Fred Barrett, contrasting his style with that of Fletcher Henderson and Don Redman and tracing his movement into orchestral composition.
Ellington, Duke - Biography tracing his movement from small bands through the jungle big band style and on to extended compositions, including orchestral pieces, and noting other types of works. From the Grove Concise Dictionary of Music entry at WQXR radio.
Ellington, Duke (1899 - 1974), United States - Biographical data and essay, recommended CDs, books and sheet music, bibliography, and link to biography from Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers.
Meta Description: [ This page contains basic and accurate biographical information and links to essays about the Early 20th Century composer Ellington. ]
Jerry Jazz Musician - Interactive catalog offers sound samples, quiz questions, quotes, original art and products featuring Duke Ellington.
PopMatters: Duke Ellington - Overview of Ellington's career and review of the collection The Duke.
Meta Description: [ Duke Ellington, The Duke: The Essential Collection, 1927-1961 (Sony/Legacy) review by Mark Anthony Neal - It is only now that we are seriously beginning to explore the complexities of African-American performance., PopMatters . . . the magazine of global culture. ]
Round About Jazz - German musicologist Jørgen Mathiasen offers research paper on Duke Ellington's known works, with lengthy bibliography and alphabetical list of 1,770 titles.
Rude Interlude: Duke Ellington - Biography, discography, essays, articles, links, and a personal memory of the author's daughter and the composer's music.
Meta Description: [ Rude Interlude -- a Duke Ellington home page dedicated to the memory and musical legacy of Edward Kennedy Ellington -- Duke. Rude Interlude is intended to provide a resource that will be useful to students, fans, and others with an interest in Ellington. ]
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Wildness and Order in Duke Ellington - A contrast of the wildness of many of his works with their underlying order using Happy Go Lucky Local as his example. By Alan Shapiro.
Meta Description: [ An examination of Duke Ellington's wonderful 1946 recording, with Aesthetic Realism as the critical basis ]
| Ellington talking about how his inspiration works, from the documentary On The Road With Duke Ellington directed by ... | |
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