to 1939
to 1957
to Featured Artists
to 1939
to 1957
to Featured Artists
| DUKE ELLINGTON (b. Washington, DC, April 29, 1899; d. NY, NY 1974) shaped the history of jazz with his orchestral arrangements that were both ambitious and catchy. With a band of childhood friends from Washington, Ellington relocated to New York and in 1927 took a stand at Harlem's famous Cotton Club, where white socialites came for a taste of black jazz culture. There, his swinging big band developed the "jungle" sound, playing dirty, gritty dance music with great energy. In addition to these concerts uptown, frequent radio performances helped to popularize Ellington and the classics that he had penned, such as "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" (1927), "Creole Love Call" (1928), and "Mood Indigo" (1930). He wrote not only shorter hits, but also longer orchestral works like the extended "Creole Rhapsody" (1931). In 1933 the band made its first tour of Europe with a roster of 14 performers--a group that would remain fairly stable for years. This stability gave Ellington a firm foundation to build on, allowing him to achieve great success in the early 40's, and enabling him to tour and create and incredible volume of work until his death in 1974.
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