Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 - May 24, 1974) American Composer Pianist Bandleader Modern Era Blues and Jazz   Duke Ellington is often considered one of America's greatest composers and performers. He helped create a truly "American" style of music by taking elements from a variety of types of American music. He wrote all kinds of music and also had a group, the Duke Ellington Orchestra, that was known around the world through radio broadcasts, recordings, and film.

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Learn a Bit About Jazz Here  media type="custom" key="25517434" Duke Ellington and his orchestra 1943 "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a 1931 composition by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills, now accepted as a jazz standard. The music was written and arranged by Ellington in August 1931 during intermissions at Chicago's Lincoln Tavern and was first recorded by Ellington and his orchestra for Brunswick Records (Br 6265) on February 2, 1932. Ivie Anderson sang the vocal and trombonist Joe Nanton and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges played the instrumental solos. The title was based on the oft stated credo of Ellington's former trumpeter Bubber Miley, who was dying of tuberculosis. The song became famous, Ellington wrote, "as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time." Probably the first song to use the phrase "swing" in the title, it introduced the term into everyday language and presaged the Swing Era by three years. The Ellington band played the song continuously over the years and recorded it numerous times, most often with trumpeter Ray Nance as vocalist.

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The First Lady of jazz, Ella Fitzgerald, performs one of her signature tunes live in Europe in 1957. Her stellar bands includes Ray bBrown on bass, Oscar Peterson on piano, Papa Jo Jones on drums, Herb Ellis on guitar and Roy Eldridge on trumpet.

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Take the A Train  This is a segment from the film Reveille with Beverly from 1943; the song was composed in 1939.

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Diminuendo and Crescendo Trumpet - Wynton Marsalis

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Caravan, I Got It Bad, That Ain't Good Ellington "All Stars" Octet Sanremo Jazz Festival, Italy - March 22 1964 Duke Ellington - Piano Rolf Ericson - Trumpet Lawrence Brown - Trombone Johnny Hodges - Alto Sax Paul Gonsalves - Tenor Sax Harry Carney - Baritone Sax Bibi Rovére - Bass Sam Woodyard - Drums

media type="custom" key="25552776" Duke Ellington Live At The Berlin Philharmonic 1969 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">- Duke Ellington: Piano - Harry Carney: Clarinet - Russell Procope: Clarinet - Paul Gonsalves: Tenor Sax - Cootie Williams: Trumpet - Norris Turney: Tenor Sax - Harold Ashby: Tenor Sax - Money Johnson: Vocals, Trumpet

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Tracklist: 01. Things Are Not What They Used To Be 02. Mood Indigo 03. Mack The Knife 04. Don't Get Around Much Any More 05. Triplicate 06. Happy Reunion 07. Take The A Train

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">In the early 1960s five jazz films were commissioned by a corporate sponsor -- one of which featured the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">This piece includes a remarkable sequence with Ellington and bassist Aaron Bell.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Personnel:

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Ray Nance, Shorty Baker, Cat Anderson, Bill Berry, Ed Mullens (t), Lawrence Brown, Leon Cox, Chuck Connors (tb), Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts), Jimmy Hamilton (cl, ts), Harry Carney (bars), Duke Ellington (p), Aaron Bell (b), Sam Woodyard (d). NYC, Jan 9, 1962.

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<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Ellington called his style and sound "American Music" rather than jazz

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Here in Stormy Weather singed by Ivie (Ivy) Anderson

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">While at a party in 1933, Arlen and Koehler created yet another hit tune for the Cotton Club. With Cab Calloway in mind for the song, Harold opened the song with what he calls a "front shout." In as little as half an hour, he and Koehler had completed their respective ends of the collaboration and, relieved to have one more tune out of the way, left the party to get a sandwich. Thus, simply and without fanfare, the unforgettable Stormy Weather was created.

media type="custom" key="25552836" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Wynton Marsalis & Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra play The Mooche at San Javier Jazz Festival 2011

media type="custom" key="25552856" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">C Jam Blues - Ella at Duke's Place

media type="custom" key="25936564" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Billie Holliday, singer <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">"(In My) Solitude" is a 1934 jazz standard, composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange, Irving Mills.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Billie's accompanied by Chris Griffin, Joe Guy tp; Bill Stegmeyer as; Hank Ross, Bernard Kaufman, Armand Camgros ts; Joe Springer p; Tiny grimes g; John Simmons b; Sidney Catlett ds. Recorded on January 22, 1946, New York City. (Decca Records)

media type="custom" key="25936578" Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo