Duke Ellington

3 Pages 668 Words

Edward Ellington "The Duke"
The style of jazz made famous by The Duke came to define a decade. He
considered himself to be a composer and arranger, rather than just a musician. Although
he was a gifted piano player, his orchestra was his real weapon. The Duke never could
have imagined the impact his vision would have on the future of music.
Duke began playing music professionally in Washington, D.C. in 1917. His piano
technique was influenced by stride piano players like James P. Johnson, and Willie "The
Lion" Smith. He first visited New York in 1922 playing with Wilbur Sweatman, but the
trip was unsuccessful. He returned to New York again in 1923, but this time with a group
of friends from Washington D.C. They worked for a while with banjoist Elmer Snowden
until there was a disagreement over missing money. Ellington then became the leader. This
group was called The Washingtonians.
The Washingtonians worked at "The Hollywood Club" in Manhattan. During this
time the trumpet player Bubber Miley joined the band, bringing with him his unique
plunger mute style of playing. This sound came to be called the "Jungle Sound", and it was
largely responsible for Ellington's early success. The group recorded their first record in
1924, but the band didn't hit the big time until after Irving Mills became their manager and
publisher in 1926. In 1927 the band re-recorded versions of "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo,"
debuted "Black and Tan Fantasy" and "Creole Love Call", songs that would be associated
with him the rest of his career.
What really put Ellington's Orchestra over the top was becoming the house band at
the Cotton Club after King Oliver unwisely turned down the job. Radio broadcasts from
the club made Ellington famous across America and also gave him the financial security to
assemble a top notch band that he could write music specifically for. This gave him a new
sense of freedom and variety in his music.
Ellingt...