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Duke Ellington

By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatestcomposers and musicians. The French government honored him with theirhighest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the UnitedStates bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal ofFreedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by theend of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 performancesworldwide. He was The Duke, Duke Ellington.

Edward Kennedy Ellington was born into the world on April 29, 1899 inWashington, D.C. Duke’s parents, Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James EdwardEllington, served as ideal role models for young Duke, and taught himeverything from proper table manners to an understanding of the emotionalpower of music. Duke’s first piano lessons came around the age of seven oreight and appeared not to have had that much lasting effect upon him. Itseemed as if young Duke was more inclined to baseball at a young age.

Duke got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senator’s baseballgames. This was the first time Duke was placed as a "performer" for a crowdand had to first get over his stage fright. At the age of 14, Duke begansneaking into Frank Holliday’s poolroom. His experiences from the poolroomtaught him to appreciate the value in mixing with a wide range of people.

As Duke’s piano lessons faded into the past, Duke began to show a flare forthe artistic. Duke attended Armstrong Manual Training School to studycommercial art instead of going to an academics-oriented school. Dukebegan to seek out and listen to ragtime pianists in Washington and, duringthe summers, in Philadelphia or Atlantic City, where he and his mothervacationed .

While vacationing in Asbury Park, Duke heard of a hot pianist named HarveyBrooks. At the end of his vacation, Duke sought Harvey out in Philadelphiawhere Harvey showed Duke some pianistic tricks and shortcuts. Duke laterrecounted that, "When I got home I had a real yearning to play. I hadn’t beenable to get off the ground before, but after hearing him I said to myself, ‘Manyou’re going to have to do it.’" Thus the music career of Duke Ellington wasborn.

Duke was taken under the wings of Oliver "Doc" Perry and Louis Brown, whotaught Duke how to read music and helped improve his overall piano playingskills. Duke found piano playing jobs at clubs and cafes throughout theWashington area. Three months shy of graduation, Duke dropped out ofschool and began his professional music career.

In late 1917, Duke formed his first group: The Duke’s Serenaders. Between1918 and 1919, Duke made three significant steps towards independence.First, he moved out of his parents’ home and into a home he bought forhimself. Second, Duke became his own booking agent for his band. By doingso, Ellington’s band was able to play throughout the Washington area and intoVirginia for private society balls and embassy parties. Finally, Duke marriedEdna Thompson and on March 11, 1919, Mercer Kennedy Ellington was born.

In 1923, Duke left the security that Washington offered him and moved toNew York. Through the power of radio, listeners throughout New York hadheard of Duke Ellington, making him quite a popular musician. It was also inthat year that Duke made his first recording. Ellington and his renamed band,The Washingtonians, established themselves during the prohibition era byplaying at places like the Exclusive Club, Connie’s Inn, the Hollywood Club(Club Kentucky), Ciro’s, the Plantation Club, and most importantly the CottonClub. Thanks to the rise in radio receivers and the industry itself, Duke’sband was broadcast across the nation live on "From the Cotton Club." Theband’s music, along with their popularity, spread rapidly.

In 1928, Ellington and Irving Mills signed an agreement in which Millsproduced and published Ellington’s music. Recording companies likeBrunswick, Columbia, and Victor came calling. Duke’s band became the mostsought-after band in the United States and even throughout the world.

Some of Ellington’s greatest works include "Rockin’ in Rhythm," "Satin Doll,""New Orleans," "A Drum is a Women," "Take the 'A' Train," "Happy-Go-LuckyLocal," "The Mooche," and "Crescendo in Blue."

Duke Ellington and his band went on to play everywhere from New York toNew Delhi, Chicago to Cairo, and Los Angeles to London. Ellington and hisband played with such greats as Miles Davis, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie,Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Louis Armstrong. They entertained everyonefrom Queen Elizabeth II to President Nixon. Before passing away in 1974,Duke Ellington wrote and recorded hundreds of musical compositions, all ofwhich will continue to have a lasting effect upon people worldwide for a longtime to come.

The Jazz legend, Ellington become the first blackAmerican to be prominently featured on a U.S. coin in circulation with therelease of a quarter honoring the District of Columbia.

U.S. Mint and D.C. officials celebrated the release of the coin February 2009,during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Museum of AmericanHistory.

“Like many great Americans who succeed in what they love doing,Duke Ellington was equal parts talent, hard work, passion and perseverance,"U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy said.

The coin with Ellington resting his elbow on a piano was officially releasedJan. 26,2009 but officials took time February to hand out some of the “mintcondition" quarters to D.C. schoolchildren.

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Plays Duke, Part III: More contemporary covers of Ellington's best loved tunes.

by Larry Slater
April 3, 2026

Duke Ellington's legacy lives on today largely through his compositions, and musicians from around the globe continue to embrace his music, finding new ways to re-interpret his songs.In this hour, you'll hear some immortal selections from the Ellington canon, including “Cotton Tail," “Solitude," “In A Sentimental Mood," “Come Sunday," “Reflections in D," and “The Feeling of Jazz."Featured artists include Emmet Cohen, Wes Montgomery, the gypsy jazz guitarist Angelo DeBarre, Shai Maestro, Sean Jones, Delfeayo Marsalis, Enrico ...

Radio & Podcasts

Plays Duke, part II: Contemporary Covers of Ellingtonia from the Swing Era

by Larry Slater
March 27, 2026

Duke Ellington always said his orchestra was his instrument, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra was at the peak of its power and popularity in the 1930s and 40s. Many famous Ellington masterpieces were penned during this era; “It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," “Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me," “I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good,""Sophisticated Lady," I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart" and “Warm Valley" are just a few ...

Radio & Podcasts

Plays Duke: Contemporary Covers of Early Ellington Classics

by Larry Slater
March 20, 2026

Duke Ellington is unquestionably the most important and prolific jazz composer. He composed over 1,500 tunes and quite a few have become both jazz standards and part of Americana. Even folks who don't listen to jazz know Ellington tunes like “ It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing," “Mood Indigo" and “Caravan."Ellington waxed his first recordings in 1923 . Remarkably, quite a number of Ellington compositions from his early period remain popular with jazz ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Symphonic Ellington

by Larry Slater
March 13, 2026

Pianist Ethan Iverson wrote, “Every Ellington record I've ever heard has a unique ambience. Thick harmonic complexity sits deep inside blues and swing. There are larger Ellington compositions where he is stretching the form and apparently putting his hat into the ring as a great composer."In this hour, you'll hear Duke Ellington's most impressive symphonic works. “The Harlem Suite" was originally commissioned by Arturo Toscanini and was performed by both the Ellington Orchestra and symphony orchestras. “A New ...

Radio & Podcasts

The Duke Ellington Collaborations

by Larry Slater
March 6, 2026

Miles Davis once said, “I think all the musicians in jazz should get together on one certain day and get down on their knees and thank Duke."Duke Ellington often remarked that the Ellington Orchestra was his instrument, but occasionally Duke stepped out of his role as maestro to collaborate with jazz artists in different musical settings. There were rare instances when he shared the limelight with one of the band's musicians, like Johnny Hodges and Ray Nance.

Album Review

Duke Ellington: Copenhagen 1964

Read "Copenhagen 1964" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
March 3, 2026

All Duke Ellington concerts offered music of substance. Audiences listened patiently through the medleys and Tony Watkins' vocals. Some performances, however, stood apart because they contained material that was fresh--music not yet worn thin by repetition, where both the thinking and playing could still surprise. Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, and the orchestra toured Asia (the “Far East") in 1963. Rather than immediately writing new compositions, they deliberately allowed the impressions of the journey to settle, preferring that the process ...

Interview

Luca Bragalini: gli inediti di Duke Ellington e Gerry Mulligan

by Angelo Leonardi
February 16, 2026

Musicologo e docente di Storia del Jazz al conservatorio Verdi di Milano Luca Bragalini è da anni un appassionato studioso a cui dobbiamo preziosi saggi e importanti scoperte sulla musica afroamericana e i suoi protagonisti. Ricordiamo la monografia Storie poco standard. Le avventure di 12 grandi canzoni tra Broadway e jazz (EDT 2013) e il saggio Luca Bragalini: Dalla Scala a Harlem. I sogni sinfonici di Duke Ellington. (EDT 2018). Mentre quest'ultimo volume viene pubblicato negli Stati Uniti ...

Video / DVD

Duke Ellington at Grinnell College, 1957

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 30, 2024

On January 10, 1957, during a snowy Thursday evening, the Duke Ellington Orchestra played a concert at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. The performance was taped by the school with sophisticated gear, and the subsequent LP was released in limited supply. As a result, it has always been a highly sought-after album. Last week, Carl Woideck emailed with news that all the tracks were up on YouTube. Which is great to hear, since copies of vinyl copies very hard to ...
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Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Duke Ellington

Source: Michael Ricci
April 29, 2023

All About Jazz is celebrating Duke Ellington's birthday today!

By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 ...
read more

Video / DVD

Count, Duke, Stan, Harry, Gerald and Tubby in '65

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
May 25, 2022

Thought to be over and done in 1965, big bands staged a comeback. Most of their acclaim came on tours in Europe and and on TV, but the truth is that bands led by top names were undergoing a renaissance. With their kids in college or out of the house and rock starting to dominate, many older listeners in the U.S. began paying attention again to artists who had shaped their youth. Abroad, a generation of young adults marveled at ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Duke Ellington

Source: Michael Ricci
April 29, 2022

All About Jazz is celebrating Duke Ellington's birthday today!

By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 ...
read more

Video / DVD

Duke Ellington: Berlin 1959

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 10, 2021

After my post last week on 16 jazz geniuses, I predictably received a flood of emails asking why Duke Ellington was missing from my list. As I explained, while Duke was exceptional, his piano didn't change the direction of jazz nor did a school emerge that emulated his approach. But the emails did give me pause. Perhaps Duke's influence was more subliminal, I thought. That's when it came to me. Ellington's genius was beauty and greater artistic self-worth. Prior to ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Duke Ellington

Source: Michael Ricci
April 29, 2021

All About Jazz is celebrating Duke Ellington's birthday today!

By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 ...
read more

Video / DVD

Videos: Three Ellington Reeds

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
August 28, 2020

Duke Ellington was a tonal impressionist. Each musician in his band had two functions—to be able to play and to have a special sound. Taken as a whole, his orchestral pieces were like canvases, with different hues layered on top of each other. Here are three of Ellington's top saxophonists on solo showcases, providing an opportunity to hear their distinct sounds isolated: Here's Ben Webster on Chelsea Bridge... Here's Harry Carney on Sophisticated Lady... And here's Johnny Hodges on I ...
read more

Birthday

Jazz Musician of the Day: Duke Ellington

Source: Michael Ricci
April 29, 2020

All About Jazz is celebrating Duke Ellington's birthday today!

By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world’s greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his 50-year career, he had played over 20,000 ...
read more

Video / DVD

New Duke Ellington Videos

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
January 30, 2020

Yesterday, I was craving Duke. You know how it is. You find yourself in the mood for Ellington's earthy compositions, elegant arrangements, crisp horns, mournful trombones and mink-like reeds, and you have to hear it. So you listen to his Blanton-Webster band of the early 1940s and the Gonsalves-Terry band of the early '50s and beyond, and suddenly you feel alive in a different way. A day of Ellington inspired me to share five recently posted YouTube clips of the ...
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Video / DVD

Five Videos: Duke Ellington

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
October 9, 2019

The rise of swing and jazz's sophisticated elegance starts with Duke Ellington. His first recordings were with Wilbur Sweatman and His Acme Syncopators in August 1924. His first leadership 78 was recorded in November of that year, billed as the Washingtonians. His first Columbia recording came in March 1927, with East St. Louis Toodle-oo, Hop Head and Down in Our Alle Blues. From there, he would go on to compose beautiful jazz songs and change the direction of the music, ...
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Recent Releases

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Duke Ellington

Instrument: Piano
Born: April 29, 1899
Died: May 24, 1974