American jazz pianist and composer Duke Ellington - iconic figure musical Olympus of the 20th century. His work had a huge influence on world jazz culture.

Young Duke Ellington

Childhood

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in the Colored Quarter. His family differed from its neighbors in its fairly high income. His father worked in decent houses and earned good money, so the boy’s childhood was well-fed and calm.

Duke Ellington was destined to become a musician from childhood -

His close relationship connected him not with his father, but with his mother. She was a delicate nature, very pious and ardent loving music. From an early age, his mother shaped the boy’s worldview. It was she who first began to teach him how to play the piano, and from the age of 7 he began taking lessons from a teacher.

At the age of 11, little Edward began to compose his first compositions. The boy not only studied music, he lived with it early childhood. It often happened in class that he would forget about his assignments and beat out rhythms on his desk, choosing the music.

It is interesting that Ellington did not come up with the sonorous nickname Duke (translated from English as “Duke”) for himself, as many jazz players did in those years. This nickname stuck with him since childhood, as his neighbor-pianist jokingly called him, emphasizing his neat appearance and ability to keep himself on top.

In 1914, the boy entered Armstrong High School. In the evenings after classes he sits and plays the piano for hours. But it is interesting that with all his talent and passion for music, Duke was never limited only to it.

The guy was very successful in painting, and for a long time dreamed of becoming a professional artist. In 1917, Ellington entered art school and won a prestigious poster competition. This victory changed something in the soul of the future maestro. He gives up drawing and begins to study only music.

Youth years

The beauty of jazz music is that it was not created behind the closed doors of conservatories under the strict supervision of professional teachers. It seemed that jazz was simply flowing through the streets and everyone could draw from this sea.

Duke Ellington often visited musical apartments, listened to records and tried to adopt musical techniques. Constant rotation in the circle of musicians gave Duke something that the best teacher could not have given - he learned to feel ragtime.

The first, almost accidental, performances fell in love with the public, and the name of Duke Ellington began to gain popularity in narrow circles. Duke begins to collaborate as a pianist with the successful orchestras of Sam Wooding and Doc Perry.

Music career

At the end of 1918, Duke Ellington and several friends formed the ensemble The Washingtonians. For now, they play more for themselves, boldly experimenting with music, and are already beginning to dream of success. The ensemble goes to New York, but the first attempt to conquer the big city ends in failure and the group returns back.

In 1923, Ellington made a second attempt to conquer New York. Gradually, Ellington takes over the leadership role and transforms the team to his taste. New instruments are added and old members are replaced.

All the transformations only benefited the team and its fame grew more and more. Ellington experiments with arrangements and sounds, achieving an amazing level of music. By 1930, Duke Ellington's orchestra became a model for musicians of that time. The team travels a lot throughout America and Europe.

Career decline

But in the life of a jazz player there were not only dizzying ascents. The early 1950s were a difficult time, when public interest in jazz music disappeared. For a long time, Duke kept the group afloat only thanks to his own financial contributions from his income as a composer.

People begin to leave the team in search of a better life. Duke Ellington stops performing for several years only to return again and conquer the whole world with his serious works, which have become much more complex and interesting.

In the summer of 1956, at a jazz festival, he triumphantly returned to big stage. His photograph graces the cover of Time, a new contract is signed with him, and the album Ellington at Newport becomes the most successful in the musician’s career.

Find out how Ellington transformed Tchaikovsky's music -

Duke Ellington's visit to the USSR

On his 1971 world tour, Ellington and his band visited several cities in the USSR. These performances made a great impression both on the audience and on the musician himself.

Duke himself recalled that many of his concerts there lasted several hours. Time after time, people called the musicians for an encore, and the flattered performers tirelessly repeated their beautiful melodies.

Personal life

Charming and seductive Duke Ellington has always attracted many women. He never turned down one-night stands. Duke did not strive to find the perfect girl; many of his girlfriends were not beauties from a generally accepted point of view.

The brilliant Ellington charmed women so much that many of them left their spouses in the hope of becoming a permanent girlfriend of the great musician. But only a few beauties managed to captivate the heart of the fickle ladies' man for a long time.

Edna Thompson is the official wife of the maestro, whom he married in 1918. The couple had a son, Mercer. Although the artist’s constant connections on the side quickly destroyed the marriage, Edna remained Duke’s official wife until her death.

Ellington's other serious passion was Mildred Dixon, with whom he lived for 10 years.

Mildred was forced out of his life by another beauty - Beatrice Ellis. She lived in New York for almost 40 years, considering herself Ellington's wife.

She expected that after Edna's death, she would receive a formal marriage proposal. But even the death of her wife did not change her status. Evie spent her entire life in a relationship with Ellington, showered with gifts in anticipation of rare visits from her beloved.

In 1959, another life burst into the musician’s life. bright woman Fernanda de Castro Monte. They had a very bright romance, but Duke refused to marry her under the pretext that he was already married to Evie.

Despite a large number of women in his life Duke Ellington said that his only lover is music, and only music can play the first violin in his life.

last years of life

Almost until his death, Duke Ellington had no intention of retiring. He composed a lot and traveled with concerts all over the world. In 1973, doctors diagnosed him with lung cancer.

The great musician died on May 24, 1974 from pneumonia. That's how he died famous musician, which brought jazz to a new level of sound. Even death did not stop the flow of awards, which continued to be awarded to him posthumously.

Cultural heritage

The importance of Duke Ellington's contribution to jazz is difficult to overestimate. He was not just a talented musician who performed jazz well and attracted audiences.

He was a reformer of the old and the discoverer of a new sound style. He managed to combine musical instruments in such a way that each of them revealed itself to the maximum, without overshadowing the others.

Duke Ellington, as a composer, composed a lot for musicals and films. For his work, he has repeatedly received prestigious awards, such as the Grammy and the Pulitzer Prize.

On our website you will find a fragment written by James L. Collier.

Music is what helps you take your mind off the hustle and bustle of gray days and find strength even in the most difficult situations. Therefore, it is not surprising that composers, musicians and singers have been revered at all times - both in moments of joy and in hours of turmoil.

It would be fair to say that upbeat rhythmic music, in particular jazz, works best to lift your mood. This fact explains why the names of such musicians as Ray Brown, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington are known to this day.

Childhood and youth

Edward Kennedy (that is the actual name of the outstanding jazzman) was born in the capital of the United States of America. This happened on April 29, 1899. The boy was lucky enough to be born into the family of White House butler James Edward Ellington and his wife Daisy Kennedy Ellington. His father's position protected the boy from the problems that the black population of America faced in those years.

Literally from the cradle, Edward’s mother began teaching him how to play the keyboard (she herself played quite well, and sometimes even performed at church and parish meetings). At the age of nine, a more experienced piano teacher was hired for the child.

The boy began to write his own works already in 1910. The first work that has survived to this day is called Soda Fontain Rag. This composition was written in 1914. In Soda Fontain Rag you can see Kennedy's interest in dance music(in particular, to ragtime).

After completing the specialized art school Edward got a job as a poster artist. The work was not dusty, the income was sufficient - the young guy was regularly entrusted with orders coming from the state administration, but this activity did not bring Kennedy the same pleasure that playing the piano brought. As a result, Edward gave up art, even refusing a position at the Pratt Institute.

Since 1917, young Kennedy has made his living from music, while simultaneously learning the nuances of the skill from professional metropolitan piano players.

Music

Edward put together his first team in 1919. In addition to Kennedy himself, the band included saxophonist Otto Hardwick and drummer Sonny Greer. A little later they were joined by trumpeter Arthur Watsol.

One day, their performance was heard by the owner of a New York bar, who came to the capital on business. He offered the guys a contract, according to which they would have to perform for him for several years, and the owner of the bar would guarantee the musicians an audience and good remuneration. Kennedy and the company agreed and already in 1922 began performing at Barron's bar in Harlem as the Washingtonians quartet.

They started talking about the guys. They began to be invited to perform in other institutions, for example, at the Hollywood Club, located in Time Square. The fees allowed Edward to continue studying with local recognized keyboard masters.

The success of the Washingtonians provided the quartet members with the opportunity to meet the local public - both creative and influential people. To fit in with the New Yorkers, Kennedy began to dress in bright and expensive clothes, for which he received the playful nickname “Duke” (translated as “Duke”) from his comrades.

In 1926, Edward met Irwin Mills, who later became the musician's manager. It was Mills who advised the guy to use a creative pseudonym, based on his father’s nickname and surname, instead of his real name. Also on Irwin's advice, Duke renamed the sprawling jazz ensemble "The Washingtonians" to "Duke Ellington and His Orchestra."

In 1927, Ellington and his team moved to the New York jazz club Cotton Club, where he performed until his first concert tour across the country. Songs such as Creole Love Call, Black and Tan Fantasy and The Mooche were written during this time period.

In 1929, Duke Ellington and His Orchestra performed in musical theater Florenz Ziegfeld. At the same time, the hit composition Mood Indigo was recorded at the recording studio RCA Records (now part of Sony Music Entertainment), and other compositions of the orchestra could often be heard on the radio live.

In 1931, the first tour of Ellington's jazz ensemble took place. A year later, Duke performed with the orchestra at Columbia University. It is believed that this period of the musician’s life was the entrance to the peak of his career, since it was then that he wrote his legendary works It don`t mean a thing (“Everything is meaningless”) and Star-crossed lovers (“Unhappy lovers”).

In fact, Duke became the progenitor of the swing genre, writing the compositions Stormy Weather and Sophisticated Lady in 1933. Skillfully using the personal characteristics of the musicians, Ellington achieved an individual, incomparable sound. The main musicians in Duke's team are saxophonist John Hodges, trumpeter Frank Jenkins and trombonist Juan Tizol.

In 1933, Duke and his musicians went on their first European tour, the main event of which was a performance at the London Palladium concert hall. During the performance of Duke Ellington and his orchestra, royalty was present in the hall, with whom Duke had the opportunity to communicate afterwards.

Inspired by the success of the European tour, the musicians set off on a new one - this time first in South America and then in North America. At the end of the tour, Ellington writes a new hit - the composition Caravan. After its release, Duke receives the title of the first truly American composer.

But the lingering white streak was replaced by a black one - in 1935, Duke’s mother died. This seriously affected the musician - Ellington began to experience a creative crisis. However, Duke managed to overcome it by writing the composition Reminising in Tempo, which was seriously different from anything Duke had done before.

In 1936, Ellington wrote music for the first time for a film - this film was a comedy by Sam Wood starring the comedians the Marx Brothers. In 1938, Duke worked as a conductor of the Philharmonic symphony orchestra, who performed at the St. Regis Hotel.

A year later, new musicians joined Ellington's team in the person of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and double bassist Jim Blanton. The two guys changed the sound of Duke's orchestra, which inspired a new European tour. The musician's skill was highly appreciated by the English conductor Leopold Stokowski and Russian composer.

In 1942, Ellington wrote music for the film “Cabin in the Clouds,” and in January of the following year he collected a full concert hall"Carnegie Hall". Proceeds from the concert went to support the Soviet Union during World War II.

After World War II, public interest in jazz began to decline - people were plunged into a state of depression and constant fear. For some time, Duke managed to perform and pay royalties to the artists (sometimes even from his own pocket), but in the end, the musicians, disillusioned with everything, went their separate ways. Ellington began making a living by doing part-time work writing music for films.

However, in 1956, Duke managed to make a spectacular return to jazz, performing at the Newport genre festival. Together with arranger William Strayhorn and new performers, Ellington delighted listeners with such compositions as Lady Mac and Half the Fun, based on the works of .

The sixties of the last century became the second peak in the musician’s career - during this period Duke was awarded eleven Grammy awards in a row. In 1969, Ellington was awarded the Order of Liberty. The US President himself presented the award to Duke. It is worth noting that three years earlier, Ellington was personally awarded by another president -.

Personal life

Duke got married quite early - on July 2, 1918 (at that time the guy was nineteen). His wife was Edna Thompson, with whom Ellington lived until the end of his days.

Death

Duke first felt ill while working on the music for the film “Mind Swap,” but the musician did not pay serious attention to it then. In 1973, Ellington was diagnosed with lung cancer. The next year he caught pneumonia and fell ill.

On May 24, 1974, the jazzman passed away. Ellington was buried three days later in New York's oldest cemetery, Woodlawn Cemetery, located in the Bronx.

Duke was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1976 the Center in his name was created at St. Peter's Lutheran Church. The center is decorated with photographs highlighting bright moments biography of the musician.

Discography

• 1940 – The Okeh Ellington
• 1944 - Black, Brown & Beige
• 1952 - This Is Duke Ellington And His Orchestra
• 1957 - In A Mellotone
• 1959 - Festival Session
• 1964 - The Great London Concerts
• 1964 - One O'Clock Jump
• 1968 - And Mother Called Him Bill
• 1972 - The Ellington Suites

The composer aims for more complex musical subjects. Working on "Creole Rhapsody". In 1931-33, his plays “Limehouse Blues” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” with vocals by Ivy Anderson became popular. Three years before the official start of the swing era, Duke Ellington had already, in fact, laid the foundation for a new style. Important milestones along this path were the 1933 themes “Sophisticated Lady” and “Stormy Weather” (by Harold Arlen and Ted Kohler).

The first compositions of the Duke Ellington Orchestra are associated with the “jungle style” (East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Black Beauty, Black And Tan Fantasy, Ducky Wucky, Harlem Speaks), as well as with the “mood style” (Mood Indigo, Solitude, Sophisticated Lady ). In them, Ellington uses the individual capabilities of the musicians: trumpeters Charlie Ervis, Bubber Miley, Tricky Sam Nanton, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, baritone saxophonist Harry Carney. The skill of these performers gives the orchestra a special “sound”.

A tour in Europe (1933) brought great success. The orchestra performs at the London Palladium, and Duke meets with the Prince of Wales, Duke of Kent. Then performances in South America (1933) and a tour of the USA (1934). The repertoire consists mainly of compositions by Ellington.

At that moment, the orchestra is played by saxophonists Johnny Hodges, Otto Hardwick, Barney Bigard, Harry Carney, trumpeters Cootie Williams, Frank Jenkins, Arthur Whetsall, trombonists Tricky Sam Nanton, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown. Ellington has been called the first truly American composer, and his swing standard “Caravan,” co-written with trombonist Juan Tizol, has traveled around the world.

The composition Reminiscing in Tempo, written in 1935, unlike most of the author’s other melodies, did not have a dance rhythm. The reason was that Ellington wrote this song after the loss of his mother and a long period of stagnation in his creativity. As the composer himself later said, while writing this melody, the sheets of his music notebook were wet with tears. Reminiscing in Tempo was played by Duke with virtually no improvisation. According to the musician, his main desire was to leave everything in this song as he originally wrote.

The year 1938 was significant for his joint performance with the musicians of the Philharmonic Orchestra at the St. Regis Hotel in New York.

At the end of the 1930s, new musicians joined the orchestra - double bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Their influence on Ellington's "sound" was so fundamental that their relatively short tenure earned them the name Blanton-Webster Band among jazz fans. With this line-up, Ellington makes his second European tour (excluding Britain).

The updated "sound" of the orchestra is recorded in the 1941 composition "Take the "A" Train" (written by Billy Strayhorn). Among the composer's works of this period, instrumental works “Diminuendo in Blue” and “Crescendo in Blue” occupy an important place.

The skill of the composer and musician is recognized not only by critics, but also by such outstanding academic musicians as Igor Stravinsky and Leopold Stokowski.

After the end of the war, despite the decline of the big band era, Ellington continued to tour with his new concert program. Collections from performances, which began to gradually fall, he supplements with fees that he receives as a composer. This allows you to save the orchestra.

The beginning of the 1950s was the most dramatic period in the life of the Ellington band. Feeling a decline in interest in jazz, key musicians leave the orchestra one after another. For several years, Duke Ellington went into the shadows.

Duke Ellington is once again becoming a sought-after concert performer. His tour routes expanded, and in the fall of 1958 the artist again traveled around Europe on a concert tour. Duke is presented to Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret at an arts festival in England.

In 1961 and 1962, Ellington recorded with Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane and other outstanding jazz masters.

In 1963, the Ellington Orchestra made a new trip to Europe and then to the Middle and Far East at the request of the US State Department.

1964 Another European tour and the orchestra's first visit to Japan.

Last years (1965-1975)

Since the mid-1960s, the composer has walked away from the Grammy Awards as a winner 11 times.

In 1965, he received the award in the category “Best Large Jazz Ensemble” for the album “Ellington “66”. The track “In the Beginning, God" was awarded in 1966 as the best jazz composition. The band performs at the White House, the Virgin Islands and again in Europe. Performs with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

In September he begins a series of sacred music concerts. The artist will regularly hold these concerts under the vaults of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

In 1966 and 1967, Ellington performed two series of European concerts with Ella Fitzgerald.

With his team he goes on a long tour of the Middle and Far East. This tour coincided with the release of the album “Far East Suite”, which brought its author a victory in the category “best large jazz ensemble”.

With the same wording, Ellington carried away Grammy from the 1968 ceremony for the album “And His Mother Called Him Bill.” The composer dedicated this album to his colleague and to a close friend Billy Strayhorn, who died in 1967.

A reception at the White House in 1969 to celebrate Duke's 70th birthday. Presentation of the Order of Liberty by President Richard Nixon. New European tour. In Paris, in honor of Duke Ellington's seventieth birthday, a banquet was held at which he was greeted by Maurice Chevalier.

Performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival (1970) with new compositions "River", "New Orleans Suite" and "The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse". Visiting Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East.

On April 16, 1971, the premiere of the composition “Suite For Gutela” took place at the Lincoln Center in New York. Performance at the Newport Jazz Festival. Visits the USSR with concerts (Moscow, Leningrad, Minsk, Kyiv, Rostov). In Leningrad he plays in front of the future founder of the State Jazz Philharmonic, David Semenovich Goloshchekin. And then he goes to Europe and makes a second tour to South America and Mexico.

Tours in the USSR

The orchestra that Ellington took with him to the Soviet Union in 1971 consisted of six saxophones: Russell Prokop, Paul Gonzalves, Harold Ashby, Norris Turney, Harold Geezil Minerv and Harry Carney. Trumpets: Cootie Williams, Mercer Ellington, Harold Money Johnson, Eddie Preston and Johnny Coles. Trombones: Malcolm Taylor, Mitchell Booty Wood and Chuck Connors. The bassist was Joe Benjamin, the drums were Rufus Speedy Jones, and the two vocalists were Nell Brookshire and Tony Watkins.

When the plane carrying Duke landed in Leningrad, he was greeted by a large orchestra marching across the airfield and playing Dixieland music. Everywhere he performed with his band, tickets were completely sold out. There were ten thousand people at each of Ellington's three concerts in Kyiv and more than twelve thousand at each of his performances in Moscow. During his visit to the USSR, Ellington visited the Bolshoi Theater, the Hermitage and met with composer Aram Khachaturian. Ellington conducted the Moscow Radio Jazz Orchestra. The newspaper Pravda was very generous in its praise of Ellington and his orchestra. A music critic writing in a newspaper was amazed “their priceless sense of lightness. They came on stage without any special ceremony, just one after another, like friends usually gather for a jam session." [ ]

Duke Ellington liked the Soviet Union and later recalled:

“Did you know that some of our concerts lasted four hours there? Yes, and no one complained - neither the audience, nor the stage workers, nor even the orchestra members. Russians came to listen to our music, and not for any other reason. They called us for an encore ten or twelve times.”

1973 Third "Concert of Sacred Music", premiered at Westminster Abbey, London. European tour. Duke Ellington takes part in the royal concert at the Palladium. Visit to Zambia and Ethiopia. Awarded the “Imperial Star” in Ethiopia and the Order of the Legion of Honor in France.

Duke Ellington publishes his autobiography, Music is My Beloved.

Death

Until the last months of his life, Duke Ellington traveled and gave concerts a lot. His performances, filled with inspired improvisations, attracted not only numerous listeners, but also received high praise from professionals. [ ]

The “New Orleans Suite” disc, published based on materials from concerts in New Orleans, again deserves a Grammy Award in the “Best Large Jazz Ensemble” category.

Three more times the musician finds himself out of competition in this category (twice posthumously): in 1972 for the record “Toga Brava Suite”, in 1976 for “Ellington Suites”, in 1979 for “Duke Ellington At Fargo, 1940 Live” .

In 1973, doctors diagnosed him with lung cancer. In early 1974, Duke Ellington fell ill with pneumonia. A month after his 75th birthday, in the early morning of May 24, 1974, he died.

• "Duke Ellington, M.A., America's greatest composer, dies at age seventy-five." [ ]

As a pianist, Duke Ellington spent his life modernizing his style, demonstrating his art of "percussive piano" and retaining the characteristics of a stride pianist (influences of James P. Johnson, Willie Lion Smith and Fats Waller), but moving towards more complex chords and harmonies.

As an arranger, Ellington was noted for his creativity. Many of Ellington’s works were small “concerts” created specifically to better reveal the individual talent of a particular improviser. He wrote for the orchestra musicians, taking into account their individual style and, together with them (or with those who replaced them), periodically returned to old works, essentially creating them anew. Duke never allowed his pieces to be performed the same way they sounded before. None of Ellington's compositions recorded by his orchestra were ever considered by him as something final and not in need of further improvement and development. Everything that Ellington's orchestra performed expressed his individuality, which simultaneously absorbed the individuality of each of his orchestra members.

His legacy is enormous. According to M. Robbins, an employee of the Tempo Music publishing house, Duke Ellington had about a thousand plays registered, most of which constitute the golden fund of jazz. Thirty-eight major works intended for concert performance, spiritual concerts, music for theatrical productions and films by Barney Bigard, Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope, Paul Gonzales, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown, Cootie Williams, Ray Nance, Quentin Jackson. For some time, the orchestra featured soloists such as Clark Terry, Kat Anderson, saxophonist Willie Smith, drummers Louis Bellson and Sam Woodyard. In the second half of the 60s, musicians of the young and middle generations came to the orchestra - saxophonists Norris Tierney, Harold Ashby, trumpeter Johnny Coles, double bassist Joe Benjamin, drummer Rufus Jones.

Then, to support his orchestra, Duke again takes on major musical forms and creates the musical "Beggar's Holiday" for production on Broadway. After the premiere in December 1946, 108 performances were given.

In 1950, the composer wrote the entire soundtrack for the first time. feature film"Asphalt Jungle".

The soundtrack to the 1959 film Anatomy of a Murder, written and orchestrated by him, was nominated for the newly established Grammy Award. Ellington walked away from the awards ceremony with three awards - for best instrumental composition and best musical composition of the year (the film's title tune) and best soundtrack.

1960 Music was written for the film “Paris Blues” and for the drama “Turkish Woman”. An "Asphalt Jungle" theme for television is being created.

Duke Ellington's next collaboration with the film industry was the score for the film "Paris Blues" (1961 ISBN 978-5-8114-1229-7, ISBN 978-5-91938-031-3

Of course, it would not be an exaggeration to say that if there had been no Duke Ellington in jazz music of the 20th century, its fate could have been completely different. His strong-willed character and unshakable belief in his own exclusivity were so strong that they elevated Ellington to the very top, from where he looked down on other performers. Possessing tenacity, desperate determination and a complex character, he did not recognize authorities, and this is what allowed him to rise above everyone and leave behind a huge layer of jazz music, in demand and still performed all over the world. Ellington's extraordinary charisma and subtle sense of style did their job - there is no more revered jazz musician. And this is quite natural, because this is exactly what he strived for all his life - to become a world celebrity, a person whom the whole world worships.

short biography

Oddly enough, “Duke” is not the musician’s native name. The family into which the boy was born on January 5, 1897 named him Edward Kennedy Ellington. It was with this name that he lived throughout his childhood and youth, feeling his superiority over those around him. Considering himself an outstanding personality, the little boy called himself a noble duke (noble title), and this nickname firmly stuck to him for the rest of his life. So strong that it actually became his real name.

Ellington's childhood passed in an atmosphere of universal love and prosperity. Father - James Edward, spared no effort to earn as much as possible more money, which he spent truly with incredible ease. Mother, Daisy Kennedy, never needed for anything, so it is quite natural that Duke Ellington’s childhood was more prosperous than that of many “colored” people of that time. It was Daisy Kennedy who inspired the boy that he would become a world celebrity, and it was thanks to this suggestion that he succeeded.

At the age of seven, Duke began to be taught music and playing the piano, in which he showed absolutely no interest, studying exactly as much as they asked. However, these classes contributed to the fact that when Ellington finally became interested in music and chose this particular musical instrument.

At the age of 14, he began to really get involved in music and achieved some success. Lacking virtuoso technique and sufficient education, Duke Ellington nevertheless became a regular in the bars where he had considerable success as a performer.

Duke never showed interest in studying, so he was never able to receive a normal education. While studying at Armstrong Technical High School, Duke quit his classes and began to live for his own pleasure.

At the age of 17, he began visiting the House of True Reformers, where a small ensemble gathered. Soon the young man became a regular participant and at the same time gradually learned some of the basics of the theory. It was with this team that in 1922 Ellington set off to conquer New York.

Thanks to clarinetist Will Sweatman, the entire ensemble already in 1923 worked at the most prestigious institution in New York - the Lafayette Theater. Unfortunately, they failed to gain a foothold in the city, so the team had to return to their native Washington with nothing.

Deciding to continue what they started, the ensemble takes the sonorous name “Washington Black Sox Orchestra” and soon they manage to find work in Atlantic City. Soon, thanks to their acquaintance with singer Ada Smith, the ensemble moved to New York again, this time to the Barrons Exclusive Club, a place of concentration of the black elite. After some time, they get a job at the Hollywood Inn, and Duke Ellington becomes the leader of the ensemble, who begins to work on changing the composition and style of the music performed. Looking for performers primarily from New Orleans, he followed the influence of the times, since people who played in a hot style style were in vogue. At the same time, he tried to compose music, meeting Joe Trent, a well-connected poet and composer. On February 22, 1924, Ellington became the official leader of the Washingtonians ensemble.

Unfortunately, all outstanding black musical groups and individual performers of that time were under the patronage of gangsters. So Ellington had to think about how to get out of this bondage. It couldn’t have come at a better time when he met Irving Mills, a very energetic publisher who saw a future celebrity in Duke. He became a powerful patron for Ellington, and he eventually made him a star known throughout the world. Without his help, the Washingtonians would have been content with performing in nightclubs and doing odd jobs. It was thanks to Mills that Ellington began to compose his own compositions in much more, which played an important role in the popularity of the team. By 1927, the group began to be called “Duke Ellington and His Orchestra” - now all decisions were made only by Ellington, and the members had no voting rights. But not one of them left the orchestra, and this fact alone speaks of Duke’s great skill as a leader.

Soon the orchestra's performances moved to the Cotton Club, the most popular nightclub in Harlem.

In 1929, Ellington's orchestra became very famous, his name often appeared in newspapers, and the musical level of the group was rated very highly. Since 1931, the orchestra began touring, traveling and giving concerts throughout Europe. Duke begins to write his own works and gains recognition, including as a composer.

In 1950, an irreparable thing happened for Ellington - due to the fact that jazz was gradually falling into oblivion, his orchestra turned out to be of no use to anyone, and talented musicians began to leave it. But after 6 years everything changed - a renewed interest in jazz allowed Duke to regain its former glory. New contracts, tours and concert recordings bring Ellington worldwide fame.

In all subsequent years, Elington performed with his orchestra throughout to the globe, giving performances in Japan, Great Britain, Ethiopia, USA, Soviet Union and many other countries.

Ellingon lived to be 75 years old, remaining faithful to music until the very last moment, considering it the only thing worthy of love. He died in 1974 from lung cancer, and this death was a tragedy for the whole world.

Interesting Facts

• The first teacher who taught Duke music was Marietta Clinkscales, who lived in a neighboring house (clink - clinking glasses, scale - musical scale).
• Duke hated formal education. Therefore, in response to proposals to finish some kind of musical educational institution always refused.

• Often he chose soloists for specific works solely because of their inherent manner of performance.
• Ellington's first musical mentor was pianist Willie "Lion" Smith. From him Duke adopted some of the characteristic features of his performance.
• Touring all over the world, he considered New York his home - the place where he first felt part of an elite society.
• His wife was Edna Thompson, a neighbor girl whom he met in school. Having married in 1918, a year later they celebrated the birth of their son, whom they named Mercer.
• The playing style of Ellington's ensemble "The Washingtonians" was largely shaped by the influence of trumpeter Bubber Miley - it was he who became a source of new ideas for Duke, producing magnificent musical phrases and turns.
• Duke simply adored power and his position as a leader. The musicians who worked with him noted that he always remained in control, no matter what happened around him.

• Freddy Guy - performer banjo – played with Ellington for 24 years. He was the only one of the participants whom Duke allowed to visit him.
• Duke rarely praised his musicians.
• Thanks to clarinetist Sidney Bechet, Ellington's ensemble was able to master the New Orleans jazz style, which contributed to the rapid success of this group.
• Ellington was an excellent driver, but preferred to use the driving services of his musician, Harry Carney.
• Duke's impresario, Irving Mills, profited ungodly from Ellington, receiving money not only for publishing activities, but also for copyrights. Every piece Duke composed was contractually owned by Mills.
• At one time his manager was Joe Glaser, a man with criminal connections who worked with such stars as Louis Armstrong And Billie Holliday .
• He won 11 times and was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Music.

• Ellington wrote his only book, an autobiography, Music is My Beloved. For it he received a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.
• The famous trombonist and composer Juan Tizol worked for 15 years in the Duke Ellington orchestra. Possessing vast musical experience, he often conducted orchestra rehearsals instead of Duke.
• Many of Duke's musicians came from poor families, spoke slang, and did not shy away from alcohol and drugs. But because of their performance skills and Ellington's generosity, they worked in his orchestra for many years.
• In his last days, Ellington held on only thanks to injections, continuing to continuously work on music.

Best compositions

"Take The "A" Train"- a wonderful melody with an easily recognizable imitation of a train at the very beginning of the brass instruments immediately fell in love with the audience and became one of the things in the repertoire of every jazz band.

"Take The "A" Train" (listen)

"Satin Doll"– the leisurely theme of the saxophones, interrupted by inserts of brass, and then a sudden “tutti”, leaves the impression of some kind of understatement. A truly unusual jazz composition.

"Satin Doll" (listen)

"C-Jam Blues"– the title itself already contains the essence of the work – these are simple chants and sequences around the note “C”, performed by various instruments.

"C-Jam Blues" (listen)

"Caravan"- the most famous composition written in 1936.

"Caravan" (listen)

As happens quite often, people who have not been associated with religion all their lives become ardent adherents of the faith in adulthood. The same thing happened with Duke. Of course, as a child he attended church quite often, and his mother loved to talk with him about God. But until early 1950 there was not the slightest hint that Ellington was interested in religion. No matter how strange it may sound, in the mid-50s, Duke declared that he was “God’s messenger” and was simply obliged to devote the rest of his life to serving the Lord. According to numerous testimonies of his friends, he actually began to sit with the Bible until late at night.

For that time, a special understanding of faith in God was adopted - a person had to be all-forgiving, kind and not remember the evil done to him by other people. This is exactly what Ellington became. In some of his works he promoted these ideas, for example in the composition "Black, Brown and Beige". But there was no systematic order until 1965, when he was offered what he dreamed of. He received a large order for sacred music from a priest from San Francisco, rector of the Cathedral of Our Lord's Grace. The church had just opened, and it needed an advertising campaign, and a concert by such a star as Duke, and even with specially composed works, was supposed to create a sensation.

Taking up the work, he composed his First Brass Concerto, performed in church in 1965. The plays included in it are written in various styles: jazz, choral music and vocal arias. Despite some awkwardness of the numbers, the concert was, on the whole, a success and inspired Ellington to write the next cycle.

In 1968, the premiere of the Second spiritual concert. Unfortunately, due to the enormous length (as much as 80 minutes), boring drawn-out works and primitive music, the concert was a failure. In addition, Ellington, acting as a poet and libretto writer, turned out to be a rather poor writer. All the texts of the concert are extremely banal and are replete with inappropriate jokes and witticisms.

The third brass concerto was performed in 1973. Ellington was asked to host the premiere at Westminster Abbey and he immediately agreed. This speech was timed to coincide with United Nations Day. All works of the concert are permeated with themes of love, and the music in it has become much more best quality than before.

Films with Duke Ellington and his music

Like anyone who respects himself jazz musician, Ellington has appeared in many films, shows and TV series. This was a mandatory condition of that time, otherwise it was simply impossible to remain at the zenith of fame. In addition, he wrote 7 complete soundtracks for films, and in 1952 he even tried himself as one of the directors in the TV series “Today”.

• "Check and Double Check" (1930)
• "Advice to the Lovelorn" (1933)
• "Murder at the Vanities" (1934)
• "Air Force" (1943)
• "The Mouse Comes to Dinner" (1945)
• "This Could Be the Night" (1957)
• "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959)
• "Paris Blues" (1961)
• "Change of Consciousness" (1969)
• "Teresa la ladra" (1973)
• "Reborn" (1981)
• "Envoyez les violons" (1988)
• "Minority Report" (2002)
• "Nature Photographs" (2016)
• "Darker Than You Think" (2017)

Despite his obvious contribution to world art, Ellington's legacy is highly controversial. Along with brilliant things that come from the depths of the soul, one can find works from him that are very superficial both in terms of music and in terms of text. And some, such as Spiritual concerts or large author's suites, are usually completely ignored by music critics, as if they do not exist.

The thing is that Duke rarely listened to anyone's advice. He always did what his heart told him to do - and he produced amazing music that made him a jazz master of the first magnitude. But sometimes another part of him came into play, which wanted to compete with the classical musicians of Europe, recognized by the world. Then things came out from his pen in which he did not invest himself. You can’t call them copied, but you don’t feel Ellington’s inner world in them either.

Where the composer's skill truly showed itself was in the dozens, if not hundreds, of short jazz works. Here he fully revealed his creative potential and it was for these compositions that he became a recognized music legend, a person without whom modern jazz would look completely different.

Ellington received enormous help from his musicians. Many ideas, melodies, and sometimes entire works were born in the minds of its performers. And Duke masterfully created outstanding works based on them, full of jazz fire and inner strength. The very works for which we love him.

Video: listen to Duke Ellington

Edward Ellington was born in 1899, in Washington, into a respectable African-American family. He had a very affectionate relationship with his mother, who instilled in the boy a sense of confidence and self-esteem, as well as religiosity. At school, for his self-confidence and a certain foppishness, he was given the nickname “Duke” (Duke). While still at school, he wrote his first composition, and this attracted the attention of 3 girls at once. ... Read all

Edward Ellington was born in 1899, in Washington, into a respectable African-American family. He had a very affectionate relationship with his mother, who instilled in the boy a sense of confidence and self-esteem, as well as religiosity. At school, for his self-confidence and a certain foppishness, he was given the nickname “Duke” (Duke). While still at school, he wrote his first composition, and this attracted the attention of 3 girls at once. Then he decided to become a jazz pianist.

In the early 20s, he organized his own orchestra “Washingtonians” (Washingtonians). After several years of struggle, luck smiled on him - their team was taken to play “Cotton Club”. He was extremely popular in England, where he was even accepted by the Royal Family. After this meeting he wrote the Queen Suite, which he wrote down in one copy and sent to Elizabeth II.

Duke Elligton wrote not only jazz music, but also spiritual music (Sacred Concerts). His piano compositions are on a par with the works of Debussy, Chopin and Ravel. In terms of the total number of works ever performed, he is the absolute leader in the world. In 1971, Duke came to Moscow and even tried to accompany Alexei Kozlov on the balalaika.

Duke Ellington died in 1974 from lung cancer.