Today we remember the late great Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (April 29, 1899–May 24, 1974) an American composer, pianist and bandleader of jazz orchestras. His career spanned over 50 years, leading his orchestra from 1923 until he died. Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, Ellington himself embraced the phrase beyond category as a liberating principle, and referred his music to the more general category of American Music, rather than to a musical genre such as jazz. Born in Washington, D.C., he was based in New York City from the mid-1920s, and gained a national profile through his orchestras appearances at the Cotton Club. In the 1930s they toured in Europe. Some of the musicians who were members of Ellingtons orchestra, such as saxophonist Johnny Hodges, are still, in their own right, considered to be among the best players in jazz, but it was Ellington who melded them into the best-known jazz orchestral unit in the history of jazz. Several members of the orchestra remained members for several decades. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm record format, Ellington often composed specifically for the style and skills of his individual musicians, such as Jeeps Blues for Hodges, and Concerto for Cootie for trumpeter Cootie Williams, which later became Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me with Bob Russells lyrics. Often collaborating with others, Ellington originated over a thousand compositions and his extensive oeuvre is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, with many of his extant works having become standards. Ellington also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, for example Juan Tizols Caravan, and Perdido, which brought Spanish tinge to big-band jazz. After 1941, Ellington collaborated with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion.With Strayhorn, he composed many extended compositions, or suites, as well as further shorter pieces. Following an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, Rhode Island in July 1956, he enjoyed a major career revival and, with his orchestra, embarked on world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era at some point, and appeared in several films, scoring several, and composed stage musicals. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big-band, and thanks to his eloquence and charisma, he is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional genres of music. His reputation increased after his death and he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize in 1999. Gunther Schuller wrote in 1989: Ellington composed incessantly to the very last days of his life. Music was indeed his mistress; it was his total life and his commitment to it was incomparable and unalterable. In jazz he was a giant among giants. And in twentieth century music, he may yet one day be recognized as one of the half-dozen greatest masters of our time. Ellington died from lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974, a month after his 75th birthday. His last words were, Music is how I live, why I live and how I will be remembered. At his funeral, attended by over 12,000 people at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Ella Fitzgerald summed up the occasion, Its a very sad day. A genius has passed. He was interred in the Woodlawn Cemetery, The Bronx, New York City.
Posted on: Sat, 24 May 2014 07:36:46 +0000
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