Well-known jazz critic Vladimir Feiertag in his article called Duke Ellington "a jazz minion." No wonder - luck has been with him throughout his career. Having successfully started in an era when the popularity of large swing bands peaked, Duke and his orchestra very quickly achieved success. And even after the war, when an uncomplicated dance swing went into the shadows, Ellington not only stayed afloat with his large ensemble, but also continued to enjoy the love of the public of the whole world, touring and recording until the last days.
With absolute certainty, we can say that the reason for this popularity lies in the originality and at the same time the great flexibility of Duke's talent, who always knew how to catch new things in music, without stopping within the framework of traditional jazz. This biography of Duke Ellington is a summary of his extensive activities, which left a huge mark not only in jazz music, but also in the world cultural heritage.
Childhood and youth
Edward Kennedy Ellington - this is the real name of the musician - was born April 29, 1899 in Washington. His father, James Edward Ellington, at one time served as a butler in the White House, and in general the family in which the boy grew up was prosperous and led a much more relaxed life in relation to the conditions in which most famous jazz figures of that time grew up. Ellington had a happy childhood - he was brought up, surrounded by care and parental love.
His mother played the piano well and from the very early years began to teach her son the basics of this art. He made great strides, and he was hired by an experienced music teacher. At age eleven, Ellington begins to write his own compositions, the first of which we know is the 1914 Soda Fountain Rag.
At first, the young man was going to become an artist and even studied at a specialized school. However, after working for some time as a poster artist, in 1917 he came to the decision to choose music as his main occupation and therefore quit his previous job. Now the only source of income was playing in local jazz orchestras, while Ellington, without wasting time, improved his skills with famous musicians.
Carier start
Already in 1922, Ellington had its own quartet, consisting of close friends, called The Wasingtonians ("Washingtonians"). From them he received the nickname Duke (from the English Duke - Duke). In 1923, they received a long engagement at New York's Barron Club, and from there they moved to The Kentucky Club.
A little later - from 1924 - their first records began to come out. Ellington, unlike some of his predecessors, recorded quite willingly.
In 1926, Ellington became acquainted with Irving Mills, who, after some time, became his manager. It is he who proposes to expand the ensemble to ten people and turn it into a full-fledged orchestra - Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.
In 1927, they began performing in a more prestigious than previous Cotton Club. Their play was widely broadcast on the radio, which made the orchestra famous throughout the country.
In 1931, Duke Ellington with the orchestra, without stopping to record records, went to the first concert tour. This brought him additional fame. Then he managed to participate in the Broadway music show Show Girl (summer 1929), and a year later - in the film Check and Double Check.
Form style
Duke Ellington is rightfully considered the discoverer of such a thing as a sound orchestra. This is a unique sound that allows you to accurately separate one band from another. Ellington achieved this by skillfully using the individual capabilities of each of the musicians of his orchestra: at different times - trumpeter Babber Miley, Charlie Ervis, Trikki Sam Nanton, Kuti Sam Williams, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, baritone saxophonist Harry Carney and others.
In the early years, Duke Ellington’s orchestra and jazz of the time were associated with the “jungle style” - these are complex arrangements and the “visiting card” is the sharp, loud trumpet of James Babber Miley. Examples of this style include East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Black Beauty, Black And Tan Fantasy, Harlem Speaks and others. East St. Louis Toodle-oo is also the first song authored by Duke Ellington himself, released in 1926 and then re-recorded in 1927.
Another characteristic of the Ellington band is the “mood style”, which is largely related to the sound of the alto saxophone by Johnny Hodges. It includes Mood Indigo, which in 1931 became one of the top five hits. In the same year, It Don't Mean A Thing and Sophisticated Lady appeared, also taking first place in the charts.
It is worth noting that compositions such as Sophisticated Lady and Stormy Weather, which appeared at least three years before the “swing boom”, were actually ahead of their time and anticipated the appearance of this style.
World Tour
In 1933, the team first went abroad: he toured Europe with concerts, performed at the famous London Palladium Theater, including before the members of the royal family, with whom he was privileged to talk. The next tour took place in South America, and in 1934 the orchestra traveled to North America too.
In addition to the tour, work on recording new compositions did not stop: in the fall of 1934, on the first lines of the charts, his song Saddest Tale, next year among the best - Merry-Go-Round, Accent Of Youth, Cotton. In 1936, the collection of hits was replenished with such things as Love Is Like a Cigarette and Oh Babe! Maybe Someday. In parallel, music by Duke Ellington is also written for films: Many Happy Returns, Hollywood offspring of A Day at the Races and Hit Parade (1937), boast soundtracks for his authorship.
Many compositions belonging to the orchestra were not personally invented by Ellington: he wrote some of his best things together with other musicians or artistically processed the ideas of his friends. Such, for example, is the fate of the already jazz standard The Caravan, whose author was the trombone player Juan Tizol.
However, not everything was cloudless in the life of Duke: in 1935 his mother died, and this was a big blow for the musician. That period was marked by a crisis and prolonged stagnation in his work. It was allowed by the composition Reminiscing in Tempo, released in 1935, which was much calmer than his previous swing things, without a dance rhythm and improvisation characteristic of jazz.
Music development
The end of the 1930s turned out to be significant both for the biography of Duke Ellington and for his orchestra: the team was replenished with new people. Firstly, in 1939, a talented pianist, composer and arranger Billy Streichorn appeared. He did not play with the orchestra at concerts - this was done by Duke, but he did incredibly much for the development of the group's music. Co-authored with Streyhorn Ellington, many hits were written, among which one of the most famous is Take The A Train of 1941.
Also, this time was marked by the arrival of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and double bass player Jimmy Benton. Their influence on the “sound” of the Ellington Orchestra was so powerful that some began to call this era in the existence of the orchestra by their names.
The Second World War
With the outbreak of World War II, the US government issued a number of restrictions on the development of the entertainment industry: many clubs and venues were closed, musicians were banned. This greatly undermined the activity of the orchestra: not being able to actively record, Duke Ellington turns to other forms and genres. He creates great musical works - for example, Black, Brown and Beige, one of his longest and most serious things - and also performs with a number of recitals at Carnegie Hall (1943).
After the war, a difficult situation arose. On the one hand, the ban on the recording was lifted - Ellington again got the opportunity to actively create, and he immediately took advantage of it, releasing the hit I'm Beginning to See the Light, recorded with Johnny Hodges.
On the other hand, this prolonged stagnation turned out to be disastrous for large swing bands: they were the embodiment of dance jazz, light, entertaining music. Now, the places of popular light music were actively won by singers, and jazz became more serious and complex art, entering a new stage of development - bebop. The swing was not needed, and most swing bands broke up. Musicians also began to leave the Duke orchestra.
Newport Festival
However, the biography of Duke Ellington gave a sharp turn on July 7, 1956 at the Newport Jazz Festival. There, the Ellington Orchestra performed with the old hit Dimuendo and Crescendo in Blue, culminating in the longest solo on the saxophone of Paul Gonzales. The musicians got a standing ovation; Duke was again at the pinnacle of fame. A photo of Duke Ellington appears on the cover of Time magazine, and the Columbia record label is again signing a contract with him.
New sound
At a new stage in his work, Duke Ellington brings to his music many third-party trends. For example, he makes extensive use of elements of new jazz styles, such as bebop and cool, in small compositions. However, much more attention is paid to large-scale works. Ellington creates a number of orchestral suites, and the sound of some of them is inspired by the works of classical composers: Shakespearean Suite (1957), Nutcracker Suite (1960), Per Gynt Suite (1962), The Far East Suite (1965), New Orleans Suite (1971) and a lot others. In parallel, he continues to write music for films: the soundtracks for his authorship include the Asphalt Jungle (1950), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Paris Blues (1961) and others.
Ellington also turns to completely different genres: for example, by order of the great Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, he writes music for a symphony orchestra, and in 1965, 1968 and 1973 he creates three concerts of sacred music.
Concert activity
Despite writing, Duke Ellington continues to tour extensively, mostly with his old hits. In 1958 he went on a tour to Europe and after that he would spend almost the rest of his life on the road. So, in 1963 he will again go to Europe, then to the countries of the Middle and Far East, in 1964 he will visit Japan.
The biography of Duke Ellington of that time is replete with the history of recordings and joint performances together with many famous jazz artists: Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, County Basie, Coleman Hawkins (1961-1962). he gave two series of concerts with Ella Fitzgerald in Europe.
In September 1971, Ellington toured the Soviet Union. He visited Leningrad, Moscow, Kiev, Minsk and Rostov-on-Don.
Leaving life
Back in 1973, doctors diagnosed Duke Ellington with lung cancer. Despite him, until the last days of his life he recorded a lot and performed with concerts, continuing to lead an active life. However, in 1974 he contracted pneumonia and died on May 24.
This prominent jazz composer is buried at the Woodlon Cemetery in the Bronx, New York.