Where would music be had it not been for the men that stepped before him. The Motzarts
and Beethovens, who wrote the music that today is known as the classics. These men were
naturals in their own right, but these people wrote their music in the 17th and 18th
century. Many people don't realize all of the changes that music had to go through
between that period of music and the present day. One such musician stands alone at the
top as one of the movers and innovators of the 20th century. He is Duke Ellington.
Along with his band, he alone influenced millions of people both around the world and at
home. He gave American music its own sound for the first time. Winton Marsalis said it
best when he said "His music sounds like America." (Hajdu,72). These days you can find
his name on over 1500 CS's(Illistated Encyclopedia of Jazz,254). Duke's legacy will live
on for generations to come.
Duke Ellington was born Edward Kennedy Ellington, April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C(The
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,330). His father at the time was employed as a butler yet
always wanted the best for Duke. At the young age of seven Ellington took up the piano,
because his father had always wanted him to become an artist(330). But how was Duke to
become an artist in a time when blacks weren't given the same rights as everyone else.
They went to separate schools. They were forced to the back of the bus and to use
separate bathrooms. If Duke were to become some one he had much to come over.
One thing that we do know is that Duke was always looking for attention and dignity.
There are even stories of how he would announce from the top of the stairs in the morning
that he was coming down and demand that his parents applaud(Collier,9). Also when his
cousins would come over he would stand on the front porch as they arrived and make them
curtsy in front of him(9). Of course they didn't like that but they played along(10).
From the beginning Duke Ellington wanted to be remembered by generations to come, That
would be difficult being the son of a butler and black(The New Grove Dictionary of
Jazz,330); in a time when Negroes had many obstacles including the racism that plagued
the United States.
About ten years after he started to play piano, he made his professional debut. It was
nothing glitzy just a pub in uptown(330). Back in Ellington's time black performers had
to enter through back doors. He was on his way, or was he? In 1923 he experienced
failure due to financial instability(330). Most people would have given up by now but
not the Duke. He kept on looking for work. His relentless perseverance payed off. In
1924 Elmer Snowden asked Duke Ellington to join his band and he accepted without
question(Collier,45). So Duke moved north to New York and joined the Washingtonians(46).
Elmer Snowden was so impressed by his natural ability, that in 1927 he handed his band
over to Ellington(Collier,72). It was the turning point in Ellingtons life. He was now
the leader of a headlining bank at the Cotton Club. "The Cotton Club--smack dab in the
middle of Harlem-but Black people couldn't go there. It was for whites only," says Joe
Louis(Gales,1995). Imagine the prestige of being a Black in the midst of White people.
Ellington was finally rubbing shoulders the upper class. However he was not allowed to
share his talent with his own kind. His inspiration for all his wonderful compositions
never were heard by them. It's like writing a love song for someone and not being
allowed to share it. His feelings and ideas were never expressed to the people that
meant the most to him, his people(Johnson,59). At the time his legacy was only known by
the whites who went to see him perform. It wasn't until later when Blacks began to hear
the Duke's music for the first time.
Being headlined wasn't the only fame that the band brought Duke Ellington. In 1930 he
took the group to Hollywood to appear in the movie, Check and Double Check(The New Grove
Dictionary of Jazz,330). Ellington was becoming a household name. The attention and
dignity that he had always strived for as a kid had finally come.
Ellington was not going to let opportunity get away from him. During the time from 1933
to 1939 he went on a huge world tour that spanned the globe. His tours took him from
Japan, to Europe, to Africa, and Austria(330)(The New Grove Encyclopedia of Music and
Musicians,658). Often times, Ellington supported his dreams out of his own pocket or
from royalties collected from his ever growing and equally popular songbook(Duke is Still
Tops...,1). Duke Ellington showed Black Americans today that you could be someone, if
you wanted it badly enough. He was willing to put himself on the line in order to gain
respect in a time when blacks received little respect in America. DeSable probably put
it best when he said, "yet the man who was sent to the Colored People's Waiting Room at
the same time was the toast of Paris!"(Hajdu,72). America was truly disregarding one of
the greatest Americans there ever will be. His legacy is part of the America that we
want people around the world to see, the Cinderella story, from relative obscurity to
fame.
Duke will probably be remembered most for the over 3000 songs that he composed during
his lifetime. The most amazing part about Ellington was the most creative while he was
on the road and busy.(The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,330) It was during this time when
he wrote his most famous piece, "Mood Indigo" which brought him world wide fame. When
asked what inspired him to write, Ellington replied, "My men and my race are the
inspiration of my work. I try to catch the character and mood and feeling of my people"
(Johnson 58). Duke wrote from the heart. Unlike now adays when writers write for money,
Duke's music was at the next level of musicianship. One of feel and love for what he was
doing.
The other aspect about Duke that makes his writings so great was his wide range of
styles that he could write in. During his lifetime, Ellington was able to sign his name
to a Broadway musical, "Beggers Holiday", a ballet, "The River", and a full length movie
score, Anatomy of a Murder.(Hajdu,73). Some of his more interesting music came from the
period when he wrote in a classical style. What makes his music so interesting is how it
sounds so much like Beethoven yet, there is an underlying jazz feel to the music. This
is something that is very unique to his writing. What is even more amazing is knowing
that Duke basically taught harmony to himself and that his vast knowledge of arranging
music came from experimenting with his band(The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz,331). Just
as a chemist learns and creates in a lab, Ellington used his band to learn and create.
Duke was no match for Father Time though. As death crept up on Duke Ellington, he began
writing liturgical music. His most famous piece was, "In the Beginning God," which was
written for orchestra chorus and soloist. Again he was still able to keep an underlying
jazz feel.
People began to take note of one the greatest composers that ever lived. Duke once used
the phrase "beyond category" to describe singer Ella Fitzgerald (Johnson,58). Who would
ever think that people would ever think of Duke in that category as well. One of New
York University's Music Department Chairmen Percy Granger ranked Ellington as on the
three greatest composers in the history of music, sharing honors with J. S. Bach and
Frederick Delius. (58) What makes Ellingtons accomplishments even more significant is
that despite being the first Negro to gain such a distinction, he was the first and only
American to do so. More and more people began to give Duke the respect that he always
strived for.
In the very beginning, Duke wanted to be respected but now awards and other recognitions
filled his life. Finally, in 1967 he received Honorary Doctorates from both Harvard and
Yale and later became the only jazz musician to receive an honorary degree from Columbus
University(The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz,244). Greatness in his own country was
now upon him. Later in 1969, Nixon awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
highest civilian medal of honor(244). The American government wasn't the only government
to honor this truly great man. Duke was so revered after a trip to Togo that the
government issued a stamp in his honor. (The New Grove Encyclopedia of Music and
Musicians,658) Above all, his greatest distinction had to have been, being the first
jazz musician to be named to the Royal Academy of Music in Sweden(658). With all of
Ellington's awards, Honorary Doctorates, and honors, he still remained humble. When
asked about not winning American's top prize for composers, Duke replied, "fate is just
being kind to me. It doesn't want me to become famous to young." (Johnson 59)
His music will surely live on for generation to come but more importantly will the man
behind the music be remembered? In a day and age when people are on the go, will they
listen to his music done by another artist and not realize that the artist they are
listening to is not the author?13 Saying Tony Bennett wrote Satin Doll is like saying
Disney wrote the Nutcracker. Duke Ellington had to go through a lot just to be heard
when America was keeping their African American artists under a cover. Not only should
Ellington be remembered as a great composer, but he should be remembered as a leading
figure of Civil Rights like Martin Luther King Jr. who always saw the glass half full
instead of half empty. In his autobiography he writes,"Gray skies are just clouds
passing over." (Gayles, 1995). That sums up the man. Optimistic and always striving to
accomplish more.
An American Legacy
Danny Swartz
College Prep 14-16
Wright
Dec. 18, 1996
Works Cited
Camus, Albert. Gales Quotaions. Who said What. December 1995. Detroit: Gale Research
Inc. 1995. CD-ROM.
Collier, James Lincoln. Duke Ellington. New York:MacMillan. 1991.
"Duk is Still Tops. Ellington's Relevance goes Beyond Music." Chicago Tribune, 13
December 1995, Tempo, p.1.
"Ellington, Duke." The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz. 1978 ed.
"Ellington, Duke." The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 1988 ed.
"Ellington, Duke." The New Grove Encyclopedia of Music and Musicians. 1980 ed.
Hajdu, David. "Sofisticated Gentleman" Entertainment Weekly. 31 May 1996. p.72-73.
Johnson, Robert. "On his 96th Birthday, Duke Ellington Proclaimed 'BEYOND CATAGORY' by
Critics of his Great Music." Jet. 15 May 1995. p.58-61.
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