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Duke Ellington

File:Duke_Ellington_-_publicity.JPG · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Duke Ellington

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Also known as Edward Kennedy Ellington, Duke Elington, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, Mood Ellington

American jazz pianist and composer (1899–1974)

OverviewAI-generated

Duke Ellington, born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington, D.C., was an American pianist, composer, and jazz musician. He was a member of the Harlem Renaissance and performed in genres including jazz, swing, gospel music, and vocal music. Ellington was a student of Willie "The Lion" Smith and recorded for labels such as Columbia Records, Decca, and Philips Records. He was also an autobiographer and had a child named Mercer Ellington.

Ellington received several awards, including the Spingarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Grammy Trustees Award. He was recognized in the Pulitzer Prize collection and the Hollywood Walk Of Fame collection. His notable works include "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "Solitude." He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and Alpha Phi Alpha.

Ellington died of lung cancer in New York City on May 24, 1974. His manner of death was natural causes, and he is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. He was an African American male known by the nicknames "The Duke" and "Dumpy."

Synthesized by Vinony from 38 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Film & TV

Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem.

Known for

  • Steve e il Duca — Self (archival)2024
  • Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat — Self (archive footage)2024
  • I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story — Self (archive footage)2024
  • Charlie Parker: Bird Songs — Self (archive footage)2022
  • Duke Ellington in Isfahan — Self (archive footage)2021
  • The Apollo — Self (archive footage)2019
  • The Green Book: Guide to Freedom — Self - Musician (archive footage)2019
  • Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Live — Himself2019
  • The Jazz Ambassadors — Self (archive footage)2018
  • Duke Ellington & Sarah Vaughan Live At The Berlin Philharmonic Hall 1989 — Self2014

via TMDB

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
1,587,371
Total plays
24,936,861

Tags

jazzswingBig Bandpianoblues

Similar artists

Duke Ellington & His OrchestraCount BasieThelonious MonkCharlie ParkerLouis Armstrong

Duke Ellington (Edward Kennedy Ellington, April 29, 1899 - May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader, one of the most influential figures in jazz, if not in all American music. Duke Ellington composed over 3000 songs, including: "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing", "Sophisticated Lady", "Mood Indigo", “Solitude", "In a Mellotone", and "Satin Doll". Through the ranks of Duke Ellington & His Orchestra passed some of the biggest names in jazz <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Duke+Ellington">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Duke Ellington

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Given name
Edward
Gender
male
Citizenship
United States
Place of birth
Washington, D.C.
Place of death
New York City
Child
Mercer Ellington
Occupation
orchestra leader
Languages spoken
English language
Award
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Student of
Willie "The Lion" Smith
Genre
vocal music
Movement
Harlem Renaissance
Instrument
piano
Record label
Philips Records
Official website
www.dukeellington.com
Image
Duke Ellington at the Hurricane Club 1943.jpg
Show 20 more facts
place of burial
Woodlawn Cemetery
Commons category
Duke Ellington
cause of death
lung cancer
date of death
1974-05-24
date of birth
1899-04-29
topic's main category
Category:Duke Ellington
ethnic group
African Americans
manner of death
natural causes
nickname
Dumpy
birth name
Edward Kennedy Ellington
Commons gallery
Duke Ellington
name in native language
Duke Ellington
start of work period
1922-00-00
pseudonym
Duke Ellington
copyright representative
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
medical condition
synesthesia
P8168
Communes of the Haut-Rhin department
end of work period
1974-00-00
P12674
Stephan Genz
Commons Creator page
Duke Ellington
Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Music critic Ralph J. Gleason called him "America's most important composer".

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Duke Ellington” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (13)

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