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Duke Ellington
Big band orchestrator, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, legitimized jazz music in the eyes of the world as a musical art form. By bridging the gap between such varied genres as gospel, blues, and classical music, "Sir Duke's" influence continues to be felt today. Please place all questions regarding "Duke" Ellington into this category.
92 Questions
Did Duke Ellington play at the cotton club?
Yes, he had quite a long residency at the uptown Cotton Club in Harlem before the club changed premises and moved downtown. That was in the late 20's and early 30's.
What were Duke Ellington's hobbies?
Some of Duke Ellington's hobbies were studying The Bible and reading philosophy.
Why was Duke Ellington awarded the French Legion of Honor?
He was very popular in France and the French president said that he was "a great musician, a great American and a great friend of our country." That was why they wanted to give him the award.
What were Duke Ellington's favorite hobbies when he was a kid?
Duke Ellington really liked playing baseball when he was a kid.
What were Duke Ellington's notable accomplishments?
Undeniably one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century, Ellington has also been recognized as one of the most important innovators in the history of music. Duke Ellington re-invented harmonic and rhythmic vocabularies. The Duke’s popular songs, Dance tunes, Big Band songs, Broadway Scores, Sacred Works, Film Scores and Symphonies brought the full breadth of the African-American sensibility to the center of American music, and defined what we now call jazz. These Ellington songs are popular standards, classics for all time, and they make Duke Ellington's Sophisticated Ladies an evening of musical elegance and pure entertainment.
By paying homage to Ellington’s legacy we champion his role as a pioneer of 20th century American music and to the Duke Ellington Orchestra as one of the foremost American cultural institutions. The Duke Ellington Orchestra achieved American fame through playing the Cotton Club, the Apollo, the Kennedy Center, touring the American circuit, and having a wide reach through its vast recording career. Ellington’s universal scope widened as he toured Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the influence of each destination’s cultural expression enriched his subsequent compositions. Furthermore, while Ellington and his orchestra toured the world during the 60s and 70s his recordings were more widely reissued in Europe than in the United States. The Alliance Theatre champions Ellington and his collaborators for expressing, through their musical genius, a reality of American culture that deepens, sculpts, and inspires the world-at-large.
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the only major jazz artist I know of who is blind is george shearing.
one very special lady. And Duke Ellington's daughter from his second family.
What is the transport in duke ellington's theme song?
"Take the 'A' Train" is a Jazz standard by Billy Strayhorn, that was the of the orchestra.
