96-520: The William Grant Still Arts Center is located at 2520 S West View Street in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1977, WGSAC has offered music and art classes for adults and youth, an exhibition space, concerts, and space for community meetings and gatherings for its surrounding neighborhood. The William Grant Still Arts Center was established with in collaboration with the local community and then-councilman David S. Cunningham Jr. . The building
192-452: A 19-minute all-African-American RKO short in which he played the hero "Duke". He also appeared in the Amos 'n' Andy film Check and Double Check released in 1930, which features the orchestra playing "Old Man Blues" in an extended ballroom scene. That year, Ellington and his Orchestra connected with a whole different audience in a concert with Maurice Chevalier and they also performed at
288-456: A 45% interest in Ellington's future. Mills had an eye for new talent and published compositions by Hoagy Carmichael , Dorothy Fields , and Harold Arlen early in their careers. After recording a handful of acoustic sides during 1924–26, Ellington's signing with Mills allowed him to record prolifically. However, sometimes he recorded different versions of the same tune. Mills regularly took
384-428: A Song Go Out of My Heart" the following year. Billy Strayhorn , originally hired as a lyricist, began his association with Ellington in 1939. Nicknamed "Sweet Pea" for his mild manner, Strayhorn soon became a vital member of the Ellington organization. Ellington showed great fondness for Strayhorn and never failed to speak glowingly of the man and their collaborative working relationship, "my right arm, my left arm, all
480-463: A bachelor of science degree program at Wilberforce University , a historically black college in Ohio. Still became a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He conducted the university band, learned to play various instruments, and started to compose and to do orchestrations. He left Wilberforce without graduating. Upon receiving a small amount of money left to him by his father, he began studying at
576-486: A big band, that Ellington was the only rival he would leave Wilson for. He was the orchestra's first regular tenor saxophonist and increased the size of the sax section to five for the first time. Much influenced by Johnny Hodges, he often credited Hodges with showing him "how to play my horn". The two men sat next to each other in the orchestra. Trumpeter Ray Nance joined, replacing Cootie Williams who had defected to Benny Goodman . Additionally, Nance added violin to
672-506: A brief revival in November of that year. Its subject matter did not make it appealing to Broadway; Ellington had unfulfilled plans to take it there. Despite this disappointment, a Broadway production of Ellington's Beggar's Holiday , his sole book musical, premiered on December 23, 1946, under the direction of Nicholas Ray . The settlement of the first recording ban of 1942–44 , leading to an increase in royalties paid to musicians, had
768-650: A co-composer credit. From the beginning of their relationship, Mills arranged recording sessions on nearly every label, including Brunswick , Victor , Columbia , OKeh , Pathé (and its subsidiary, Perfect), the ARC/Plaza group of labels (Oriole, Domino, Jewel, Banner) and their dime-store labels (Cameo, Lincoln, Romeo), Hit of the Week, and Columbia's cheaper labels (Harmony, Diva, Velvet Tone, Clarion), labels that gave Ellington popular recognition. On OKeh, his records were usually issued as The Harlem Footwarmers. In contrast,
864-502: A cross-talk feature with Anderson. Radio exposure helped maintain Ellington's public profile as his orchestra began to tour. The other 78s of this era include: " Mood Indigo " (1930), " Sophisticated Lady " (1933), " Solitude " (1934), and " In a Sentimental Mood " (1935). While Ellington's United States audience remained mainly African-American in this period, the orchestra had a significant following overseas. They traveled to England and Scotland in 1933, as well as France (three concerts at
960-641: A few months, the young musicians returned to Washington, D.C., feeling discouraged. In June 1923, they played a gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey and another at the prestigious Exclusive Club in Harlem. This was followed in September 1923 by a move to the Hollywood Club (at 49th and Broadway) and a four-year engagement, which gave Ellington a solid artistic base. He was known to play the bugle at
1056-604: A few years at the beginning of Strayhorn's involvement, Ellington's orchestra featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and reached a creative peak. Some years later following a low-profile period, an appearance by Ellington and his orchestra at the Newport Jazz Festival in July 1956 led to a major revival and regular world tours. Ellington recorded for most American record companies of his era, performed in and scored several films, and composed
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#17327941492431152-475: A gig of Fate Marable in St Louis. The short-lived Blanton transformed the use of double bass in jazz, allowing it to function as a solo/melodic instrument rather than a rhythm instrument alone. Terminal illness forced him to leave by late 1941 after around two years. Ben Webster's principal tenure with Ellington spanned 1939 to 1943. An ambition of his, he told his previous employer, Teddy Wilson , then leading
1248-410: A group of ten players; they developed their own sound via the non-traditional expression of Ellington's arrangements, the street rhythms of Harlem, and the exotic-sounding trombone growls and wah-wahs, high-squealing trumpets, and saxophone blues licks of the band members. For a short time, soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet played with them, reportedly becoming the dominant personality in
1344-413: A handful of stage musicals. Although a pivotal figure in the history of jazz , in the opinion of Gunther Schuller and Barry Kernfeld , "the most significant composer of the genre", Ellington himself embraced the phrase "beyond category", considering it a liberating principle, and referring to his music as part of the more general category of American Music. Ellington was known for his inventive use of
1440-509: A leading figure in the field of American classical music as the first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra , have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra, have an opera performed by a major opera company, and have an opera performed on national television. The papers of Still and his second wife, the librettist and writer Verna Arvey , are currently held by the University of Arkansas. William Grant Still Jr.
1536-402: A new recording contract with Columbia Records which yielded several years of recording stability, mainly under producer Irving Townsend , who coaxed both commercial and artistic productions from Ellington. In 1957, CBS (Columbia Records' parent corporation) aired a live television production of A Drum Is a Woman , an allegorical suite which received mixed reviews. Festival appearances at
1632-524: A regular pattern, Ellington's longer works were generally not well received. A partial exception was Jump for Joy , a full-length musical based on themes of African-American identity, which debuted on July 10, 1941, at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. Hollywood actors John Garfield and Mickey Rooney invested in the production, and Charlie Chaplin and Orson Welles offered to direct. At one performance, Garfield insisted that Herb Jeffries, who
1728-427: A roadhouse combo. Film historians have recognized the score "as a landmark—the first significant Hollywood film music by African Americans comprising non-diegetic music, that is, music whose source is not visible or implied by action in the film, like an on-screen band." The score avoided the cultural stereotypes which previously characterized jazz scores and rejected a strict adherence to visuals in ways that presaged
1824-404: A severe effect on the financial viability of the big bands, including Ellington's Orchestra. His income as a songwriter ultimately subsidized it. Although he always spent lavishly and drew a respectable income from the orchestra's operations, the band's income often just covered expenses. However, in 1943 Ellington asked Webster to leave; the saxophonist's personality made his colleagues anxious and
1920-593: A short film, featured his extended piece 'A Rhapsody of Negro Life'. It introduced Billie Holiday , and won the Academy Award for Best Musical Short Subject. Ellington and his Orchestra also appeared in the features Murder at the Vanities and Belle of the Nineties (both 1934). For agent Mills, the attention was a publicity triumph, as Ellington was now internationally known. On the band's tour through
2016-604: A short-lived 1933–34 switch to Victor when Irving Mills temporarily moved his acts from Brunswick). As the Depression worsened, the recording industry was in crisis, dropping over 90% of its artists by 1933. Ivie Anderson was hired as the Ellington Orchestra's featured vocalist in 1931. She is the vocalist on " It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) " (1932) among other recordings. Sonny Greer had been providing occasional vocals and continued to do in
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#17327941492432112-595: A specific instrumentalist, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Johnny Hodges , "Yearning for Love" for Lawrence Brown , "Trumpet in Spades" for Rex Stewart , " Echoes of Harlem " for Cootie Williams and "Clarinet Lament" for Barney Bigard . In 1937, Ellington returned to the Cotton Club, which had relocated to the mid-town Theater District . In the summer of that year, his father died, and due to many expenses, Ellington's finances were tight. However, his situation improved in
2208-579: A thousand brass and make a dramatic gesture and every studio arranger can nod his head and say, Oh, yes, that's done like this. But Duke merely lifts his finger, three horns make a sound, and I don't know what it is!" However, by 1955, after three years of recording for Capitol , Ellington lacked a regular recording affiliation. Ellington's appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 7, 1956, returned him to wider prominence. The feature " Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue " comprised two tunes that had been in
2304-476: A work by an African American was performed by a major orchestra. By the end of World War II, the piece had been performed in orchestras located in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, Paris, and London. During this time, the symphony was arguably the most popular of any composed by an American so far. As a result of a close professional relationship with Hanson; many of Still's compositions were performed for
2400-801: A worldwide sensation and gave both Ellington and Hall their first hit record. Miley had composed most of " Creole Love Call " and " Black and Tan Fantasy ". An alcoholic, Miley had to leave the band before they gained wider fame. He died in 1932 at the age of 29, but he was an important influence on Cootie Williams , who replaced him. In 1929, the Cotton Club Orchestra appeared on stage for several months in Florenz Ziegfeld 's Show Girl, along with vaudeville stars Jimmy Durante , Eddie Foy, Jr. , Ruby Keeler , and with music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Gus Kahn . Will Vodery , Ziegfeld's musical supervisor, recommended Ellington for
2496-525: A youth phenomenon, particularly with white college audiences, and danceability drove record sales and bookings. Jukeboxes proliferated nationwide, spreading the gospel of swing. Ellington's band could certainly swing, but their strengths were mood, nuance, and richness of composition, hence his statement "jazz is music, the swing is business". From 1936, Ellington began to make recordings with smaller groups (sextets, octets, and nonets) drawn from his then-15-man orchestra. He composed pieces intended to feature
2592-514: Is Art, Music is Philosophy, Music is History: The Legacy of Dr. William Grant Still 2018 – How the West Got Funked Up! 2017 – Nearly Gone Gal: The Rescued Archives of Nellie Lutcher 2016 – So What! The Artistry of Miles Davis 2015 – Love You Madly – A Portrait of Duke Ellington 2014 – I Got My Pride – The Blues Tales of Lead belly William Grant Still William Grant Still Jr. (May 11, 1895 – December 3, 1978)
2688-539: Is considered to be part of the Harlem Renaissance . Often referred to as the "Dean of Afro-American Composers," Still was the first American composer to have an opera produced by the New York City Opera . He is known primarily for his first symphony, Afro-American Symphony (1930), which was, until 1950, the most widely performed symphony composed by an American. Still was able to become
2784-1327: Is the Place 2011 – 31st Annual - The Politics of Imagery 2010 – 30th Annual - The 3Rs - Remember, Recycle, Revive 2009 – 29th Annual - I’ve got a Story to Tell 2008 – 28th Annual - Dolls of Color Around the World 2006 – 26th Annual - Lemons to Lemonade 2005 – 25th Annual - Lemons to Lemonade 2004 – 24th Annual - From the Cotton Fields to the New Millennium 2003 – 23rd Annual - A Salute to Doll Artists 2002 – 21st Annual - A Salute to Doll Artists 2000 – 20th Annual - Futuristic Dreams and Fantasies 1999 – 19th Annual - A Century of African American Dolls: The Pride and Politics of Portrayal 1998 – 18th Annual - Dolls: Social-Political Images, Collectibles & Toys 1997 – 17th Annual - Past to Present 1996 – 16th Annual - Adventures in Dollhouse Land 1995 – 15th Annual Black Dolls Are Maker’s Wonder 1994 – 14th Annual - Doll as Companion, Image and Treasure 1993 – 13th Annual – Handmade Dolls 1992 – 12th Annual - Moving Parts - Puppet Images of
2880-513: 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. At the end of the 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn , whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed multiple extended compositions, or suites, as well as many short pieces. For
2976-492: The Oberlin Conservatory of Music . Still worked for the school assisting the janitor, along with a few other small jobs outside of the school, yet still struggled financially. When Professor Lehmann asked Still why he wasn't studying composition, Still told him honestly that he couldn't afford to, leading to George Whitfield Andrews agreeing to teach him composition without charge. He also studied privately with
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3072-474: The Roseland Ballroom , "America's foremost ballroom". Australian-born composer Percy Grainger was an early admirer and supporter. He wrote, "The three greatest composers who ever lived are Bach , Delius and Duke Ellington. Unfortunately, Bach is dead, Delius is very ill but we are happy to have with us today The Duke". Ellington's first period at the Cotton Club concluded in 1931. Ellington led
3168-726: The Salle Pleyel in Paris) and the Netherlands before returning to New York. On June 12, 1933, the Duke Ellington Orchestra gave its British debut at the London Palladium ; Ellington received an ovation when he walked on stage. They were one of 13 acts on the bill and were restricted to eight short numbers; the booking lasted until June 24. The British visit saw Ellington win praise from members of
3264-442: The diatonic scale , with the consequent alteration of the harmonic character of his music, it's broadening, The deepening of his resources. It has become customary to ascribe the classical influences upon Duke— Delius , Debussy , and Ravel —to direct contact with their music. Actually, his serious appreciation of those and other modern composers, came after he met with Vody. Ellington's film work began with Black and Tan (1929),
3360-464: The pit orchestra for Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake 's musical, Shuffle Along and another pit with Sophie Tucker , Artie Shaw , and Paul Whiteman . Under Henderson, he joined Henry Pace 's Pace Phonograph Company, known as Black Swan Records . Later in the 1920s, Still served as the arranger of Yamekraw , a "Negro Rhapsody", composed by the Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson . In
3456-635: The segregated society of the day. When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New York City, Ellington left his successful career in D.C. and moved to Harlem , ultimately becoming part of the Harlem Renaissance . New dance crazes such as the Charleston emerged in Harlem, as well as African-American musical theater , including Eubie Blake 's and Noble Sissle 's (the latter of whom
3552-474: The 1930s, Still worked as an arranger of popular music, composing works for popular NBC Radio broadcasts like Willard Robison 's Deep River Hour and Paul Whiteman's Old Gold Show. Still's first major orchestral composition, Symphony No. 1 "Afro-American" , was performed in 1931 by the Rochester Philharmonic , conducted by Howard Hanson . It was the first time the complete score of
3648-912: The African Diaspora 1991 – 11th Annual – Dolls: Past and Present 1990 – 10th Annual - Black Dolls of the World: 10th Anniversary 1989 – 9th Annual - Symmetry - A Comparison of Dolls and Puppets 1988 – 8th Annual - The Genius of the Black Doll - From Slavery to the Twenty First Century 1986 – 6th Annual - Puppets and Puppeteers, The African American Image 1985 – 5th Annual - Time Capsule of Dolls 1984 – Historical Odyssey of Black Dolls 1983 – 3rd Annual – It's A Small World 1982 – 2nd Annual – Black Doll Exhibit 1981 – 1st Annual – African American Dolls 2020 – Spanish Grease – Willie Bobo 2019 – Music
3744-529: The Brunswicks were usually issued as The Jungle Band. Whoopee Makers and the Ten BlackBerries were other pseudonyms. In September 1927, King Oliver turned down a regular booking for his group as the house band at Harlem's Cotton Club ; the offer passed to Ellington after Jimmy McHugh suggested him and Mills arranged an audition. Ellington had to increase from a six to 11-piece group to meet
3840-665: The United States Navy to serve in World War I in 1918, and eventually moved to Harlem after the war, where he continued to work for Handy. During this time, Still was involved with many cultural figures of the Harlem Renaissance including the likes of Langston Hughes , Alain Locke , Arna Bontemps , and Countee Cullen . He recorded with Fletcher Henderson 's Dance Orchestra in 1921, and later played in
3936-1102: The William Grant Still Arts Center has presented the Annual Black Doll Show, an original exhibition of Black dolls from artists, collectors, and the local community. 2022 – 42nd Annual - Fun and Games 2021 – 41st Annual - Black Doll Magic 2020 – 40th Annual - All Dolled Up: A 40 Year Celebration of the WGSAC Annual Black Doll Show 2019 – 39th Annual - Psychedollia 2018 – 38th Annual - Double Dutch: A Celebration of Black Girlhood 2017 – 37th Annual - Jubilee, Celebrations in Color 2016 – 36th Annual - Paper Plastic Ceramic and Wood 2015 – 35th Annual - Trench Art Retrospective: The War Against HIV/AIDS – Women Of The African Diaspora In The Trenches 2014 – 34th Annual - A League Supreme 2013 – 33rd Annual - Dolls Gone Wild 2012 – 32nd Annual - Space
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4032-416: The band's book since 1937. Ellington, who had abruptly ended the band's scheduled set because of the late arrival of four key players, called the two tunes as the time was approaching midnight. Announcing that the two pieces would be separated by an interlude played by tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves , Ellington proceeded to lead the band through the two pieces, with Gonsalves' 27-chorus marathon solo whipping
4128-612: The boy greatly enjoyed. The two attended a number of performances by musicians on tour. His maternal grandmother Anne Fambro sang African-American spirituals to him. Still started violin lessons in Little Rock at the age of 15. He taught himself to play the clarinet , saxophone, oboe , double bass, cello and viola , and showed a great interest in music. At 16 years old, he graduated as class valedictorian from M. W. Gibbs High School in Little Rock in 1911. His mother wanted him to go to medical school, so Still pursued
4224-629: The ceremony because interracial marriage was illegal in California. They had a daughter, Judith Anne, and a son, Duncan. Still's granddaughter is journalist Celeste Headlee , a daughter of Judith Anne. On December 1, 1976, his home was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #169. It is located at 1262 Victoria Avenue in Oxford Square, Los Angeles . In 1916, Still worked in Memphis for W.C. Handy 's band. He then joined
4320-402: The cost of hiring big bands had increased, club owners now found smaller jazz groups more cost-effective. Some of Ellington's new works, such as the wordless vocal feature "Transblucency" (1946) with Kay Davis , were not going to have a similar reach as the newly emerging stars. Ellington continued on his own course through these tectonic shifts. While Count Basie , like many other big bands at
4416-484: The crowd into a frenzy, leading the Maestro to play way beyond the curfew time despite urgent pleas from festival organizer George Wein to bring the program to an end. The concert made international headlines, and led to one of only five Time magazine cover stories dedicated to a jazz musician, and resulted in an album produced by George Avakian that would become the best-selling LP of Ellington's career. Much of
4512-895: The end of each performance. The group was initially called Elmer Snowden and his Black Sox Orchestra and had seven members, including trumpeter James "Bubber" Miley . They renamed themselves The Washingtonians. Snowden left the group in early 1924, and Ellington took over as bandleader. After a fire, the club was re-opened as the Club Kentucky (often referred to as the Kentucky Club). Ellington then made eight records in 1924, receiving composing credit on three including "Choo Choo". In 1925, Ellington contributed four songs to Chocolate Kiddies starring Lottie Gee and Adelaide Hall , an all–African-American revue which introduced European audiences to African-American styles and performers. Duke Ellington and his Kentucky Club Orchestra grew to
4608-414: The era's Jim Crow laws. At the age of seven, Ellington began taking piano lessons from Marietta Clinkscales. Daisy surrounded her son with dignified women to reinforce his manners and teach him elegance. His childhood friends noticed that his casual, offhand manner and dapper dress gave him the bearing of a young nobleman, so they began calling him "Duke". Ellington credited his friend Edgar McEntee for
4704-400: The eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine". Strayhorn, with his training in classical music, not only contributed his original lyrics and music but also arranged and polished many of Ellington's works, becoming a second Ellington or "Duke's doppelgänger". It was not uncommon for Strayhorn to fill in for Duke, whether in conducting or rehearsing the band, playing
4800-431: The first opera by an African-American composer to be performed on national television. Still composed almost 200 works, including nine operas, five symphonies, four ballets, plus art songs, chamber music, and works for solo instruments. He composed more than thirty choral works. Many of his works are believed to be lost. Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy " Duke " Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974)
4896-792: The first time in Rochester. In 1934, Still moved to Los Angeles after receiving his first Guggenheim Fellowship , allowing him to start work on the first of his nine operas, Blue Steel . Two years later, Still conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, the first African American to conduct a major American orchestra in a performance of his own works. Still arranged music for films such as Pennies from Heaven , starring Bing Crosby and Madge Evans , and Lost Horizon , starring Ronald Colman , Jane Wyatt and Sam Jaffe ,
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#17327941492434992-514: The following years. After leaving agent Irving Mills, he signed on with the William Morris Agency . Mills, though, continued to record Ellington. After only a year, his Master and Variety labels (the small groups had recorded for the latter) collapsed in late 1937. Mills placed Ellington back on Brunswick and those small group units on Vocalion through to 1940. Well-known sides continued to be recorded, " Caravan " in 1937, and "I Let
5088-456: The group, with Sonny Greer saying Bechet "fitted out the band like a glove". His presence resulted in friction with Miley and trombonist Charlie Irvis , whose styles differed from Bechet's New Orleans-influenced playing. It was mainly Bechet's unreliability—he was absent for three days in succession—which made his association with Ellington short-lived. In October 1926, Ellington made an agreement with agent-publisher Irving Mills , giving Mills
5184-438: The instrumental colors Ellington had at his disposal. Recordings exist of Nance's first concert date on November 7, 1940, at Fargo, North Dakota . Privately made by Jack Towers and Dick Burris, these recordings were first legitimately issued in 1978 as Duke Ellington at Fargo, 1940 Live ; they are among the earliest of innumerable live performances which survive. Nance was an occasional vocalist as well, although Herb Jeffries
5280-404: The latter of which, he arranged the music of Dimitri Tiomkin . Still was also hired to arrange music for the 1943 film Stormy Weather , but left because " Twentieth-Century Fox 'degraded colored people.'" For the 1939 New York World's Fair , Still composed Song of a City for the exhibit "Democracity," which played continuously during the fair's run. Despite writing music for the fair, he
5376-406: The lyrics were written by Dorothy Fields (later Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler ), with some Ellington originals mixed in. (Here, he moved in with a dancer, his second wife Mildred Dixon ). Weekly radio broadcasts from the club gave Ellington national exposure. At the same time, Ellington also recorded Fields-JMcHugh and Fats Waller – Andy Razaf songs. Although trumpeter Bubber Miley was a member of
5472-474: The modern French composer Edgard Varèse and the American composer George Whitefield Chadwick . On October 4, 1915, Still married Grace Bundy, whom he had met while they were both at Wilberforce. They had a son, William III, and three daughters, Gail, June, and Caroline. They separated in 1932 and divorced February 6, 1939. On February 8, 1939, he married pianist Verna Arvey , driving to Tijuana for
5568-571: The music for a stage production by Orson Welles . Titled Time Runs in Paris and An Evening With Orson Welles in Frankfurt , the variety show also featured a newly discovered Eartha Kitt , who performed Ellington's original song "Hungry Little Trouble" as Helen of Troy . In 1951, Ellington suffered a significant loss of personnel: Sonny Greer, Lawrence Brown, and, most importantly, Johnny Hodges left to pursue other ventures. However, only Greer
5664-460: The music on the LP was, in effect, simulated, with only about 40% actually from the concert itself. According to Avakian, Ellington was dissatisfied with aspects of the performance and felt the musicians had been under-rehearsed. The band assembled the next day to re-record several numbers with the addition of the faked sound of a crowd, none of which was disclosed to purchasers of the album. Not until 1999
5760-926: The negative reviews it received. Still was also the first African American to conduct a major orchestra in the Deep South , doing so in 1955 where he conducted the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra. Still's works were performed internationally by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra , the London Symphony Orchestra , the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra , and the BBC Orchestra . He died in Los Angeles in 1978. Three years after his death, A Bayou Legend became
5856-480: The new Monterey Jazz Festival and elsewhere provided venues for live exposure, and a European tour in 1958 was well received. Such Sweet Thunder (1957), based on Shakespeare's plays and characters, and The Queen's Suite (1958), dedicated to Britain's Queen Elizabeth II , were products of the renewed impetus which the Newport appearance helped to create. However, the latter work was not commercially issued at
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#17327941492435952-478: The nickname: "I think he felt that in order for me to be eligible for his constant companionship, I should have a title. So he called me Duke." Though Ellington took piano lessons, he was more interested in baseball. " President [Theodore] Roosevelt would come on his horse sometimes, and "stop and watch us play," he recalled. Ellington went to Armstrong Technical High School in Washington, D.C. His first job
6048-402: The occasion. He also had a messenger job with the U.S. Navy and State departments, where he made a wide range of contacts. Ellington moved out of his parents' home and bought his own as he became a successful pianist. At first, he played in other ensembles, and in late 1917 formed his first group, "The Duke's Serenaders" ("Colored Syncopators", his telephone directory advertising proclaimed). He
6144-669: The orchestra by conducting from the keyboard using piano cues and visual gestures; very rarely did he conduct using a baton. By 1932 his orchestra consisted of six brass instruments, four reeds, and a rhythm section of four players. As the leader, Ellington was not a strict disciplinarian; he maintained control of his orchestra with a combination of charm, humor, flattery, and astute psychology. A complex, private person, he revealed his feelings to only his closest intimates. He effectively used his public persona to deflect attention away from himself. Ellington signed exclusively to Brunswick in 1932 and stayed with them through to late 1936 (albeit with
6240-528: The orchestra for only a short period, he had a major influence on Ellington's sound. As an early exponent of growl trumpet, Miley changed the sweet dance band sound of the group to one that was hotter, which contemporaries termed Jungle Style, which can be seen in his feature chorus in East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (1926). In October 1927, Ellington and his Orchestra recorded several compositions with Adelaide Hall . One side in particular, " Creole Love Call ", became
6336-500: The orchestra, or big band, as well as for his eloquence and charisma. He was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize Special Award for music in 1999. Ellington was born on April 29, 1899, to James Edward Ellington and Daisy (née Kennedy) Ellington in Washington, D.C. Both his parents were pianists. Daisy primarily played parlor songs , and James preferred operatic arias . They lived with Daisy's parents at 2129 Ida Place (now Ward Place) NW, in D.C.'s West End neighborhood. Duke's father
6432-513: The orchestra. " Cotton Tail ", "Main Stem", " Harlem Air Shaft ", "Jack the Bear", and dozens of others date from this period. Strayhorn's " Take the "A" Train ", a hit in 1941, became the band's theme, replacing " East St. Louis Toodle-Oo ". Ellington and his associates wrote for an orchestra of distinctive voices displaying tremendous creativity. The commercial recordings from this era were re-issued in
6528-455: The piano, on stage, and in the recording studio. The decade ended with a very successful European tour in 1939 just as World War II loomed in Europe. Two musicians who joined Ellington at this time created a sensation in their own right, Jimmy Blanton and Ben Webster . Blanton was effectively hired on the spot in late October 1939, before Ellington was aware of his name, when he dropped in on
6624-456: The requirements of the Cotton Club's management for the audition, and the engagement finally began on December 4. With a weekly radio broadcast, the Cotton Club's exclusively white and wealthy clientele poured in nightly to see them. At the Cotton Club, Ellington's group performed all the music for the revues, which mixed comedy, dance numbers, vaudeville, burlesque, music, and illicit alcohol . The musical numbers were composed by Jimmy McHugh and
6720-417: The saxophonist was regularly in conflict with the leader. Musicians enlisting in the military and travel restrictions made touring difficult for the big bands, and dancing became subject to a new tax, which continued for many years, affecting the choices of club owners. By the time World War II ended, the focus of popular music was shifting towards singing crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Jo Stafford . As
6816-400: The segregated South in 1934, they avoided some of the traveling difficulties of African Americans by touring in private railcars. These provided accessible accommodations, dining, and storage for equipment while avoiding the indignities of segregated facilities. However, the competition intensified as swing bands like Benny Goodman 's began to receive widespread attention. Swing dancing became
6912-624: The serious music community, including composer Constant Lambert , which gave a boost to Ellington's interest in composing longer works. His longer pieces had already begun to appear. Ellington had composed and recorded "Creole Rhapsody" as early as 1931 (issued as both sides of a 12" record for Victor and both sides of a 10" record for Brunswick). A tribute to his mother, "Reminiscing in Tempo", took four 10" 78rpm record sides to record in 1935 after her death in that year. Symphony in Black (also 1935),
7008-427: The show. According to John Edward Hasse's Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington , "Perhaps during the run of Show Girl , Ellington received what he later termed 'valuable lessons in orchestration from Will Vody." In his 1946 biography, Duke Ellington , Barry Ulanov wrote: From Vodery, as he (Ellington) says himself, he drew his chromatic convictions, his uses of the tones ordinarily extraneous to
7104-561: The summer of 1914, while working as a soda jerk at the Poodle Dog Café, Ellington wrote his first composition, "Soda Fountain Rag " (also known as the "Poodle Dog Rag"). He created the piece by ear, as he had not yet learned to read and write music. "I would play the 'Soda Fountain Rag' as a one-step , two-step , waltz , tango , and fox trot ", Ellington recalled. "Listeners never knew it
7200-450: The summer. He would sometimes hear strange music played by those who could not afford much sheet music, so for variations, they played the sheets upside down. Henry Lee Grant, a Dunbar High School music teacher, gave him private lessons in harmony . With the additional guidance of Washington pianist and band leader Oliver "Doc" Perry, Ellington learned to read sheet music , project a professional style, and improve his technique. Ellington
7296-512: The three-CD collection, Never No Lament , in 2003. Ellington's long-term aim, though, was to extend the jazz form from that three-minute limit, of which he was an acknowledged master. While he had composed and recorded some extended pieces before, such works now became a regular feature of Ellington's output. In this, he was helped by Strayhorn, who had enjoyed a more thorough training in the forms associated with classical music than Ellington. The first of these, Black, Brown, and Beige (1943),
7392-553: The time, was forced to disband his whole ensemble and work as an octet for a time, Ellington was able to tour most of Western Europe between April 6 and June 30, 1950, with the orchestra playing 74 dates over 77 days. During the tour, according to Sonny Greer, Ellington did not perform the newer works. However, Ellington's extended composition, Harlem (1950), was in the process of being completed at this time. Ellington later presented its score to music-loving President Harry Truman . Also during his time in Europe, Ellington would compose
7488-499: The time. The late 1950s also saw Ella Fitzgerald record her Duke Ellington Songbook (Verve) with Ellington and his orchestra—a recognition that Ellington's songs had now become part of the cultural canon known as the ' Great American Songbook '. Around this time Ellington and Strayhorn began to work on film scoring . The first of these was Anatomy of a Murder (1959), a courtroom drama directed by Otto Preminger and featuring James Stewart , in which Ellington appeared fronting
7584-515: Was a permanent departee. Drummer Louie Bellson replaced Greer, and his "Skin Deep" was a hit for Ellington. Tenor player Paul Gonsalves had joined in December 1950 after periods with Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie and stayed for the rest of his life, while Clark Terry joined in November 1951. André Previn said in 1952: "You know, Stan Kenton can stand in front of a thousand fiddles and
7680-609: Was also inspired by his first encounters with stride pianists James P. Johnson and Luckey Roberts. Later in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook , Fats Waller , and Sidney Bechet . He started to play gigs in cafés and clubs in and around Washington, D.C. His attachment to music was so strong that in 1916 he turned down an art scholarship to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn . Three months before graduating, he dropped out of Armstrong Manual Training School, where he
7776-610: Was also the group's booking agent. His first play date was at the True Reformer's Hall, where he took home 75 cents. Ellington played throughout the D.C. area and into Virginia for private society balls and embassy parties. The band included childhood friend Otto Hardwick , who began playing the string bass, then moved to C-melody sax and finally settled on alto saxophone; Arthur Whetsel on trumpet; Elmer Snowden on banjo; and Sonny Greer on drums. The band thrived, performing for both African-American and white audiences, rare in
7872-623: Was an American jazz pianist , composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. 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
7968-693: Was an American composer of nearly two hundred works, including five symphonies , four ballets, nine operas, over thirty choral works , art songs , chamber music , and solo works. Born in Mississippi and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas , Still attended Wilberforce University and Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a student of George Whitefield Chadwick and then Edgard Varèse . Because of his close association and collaboration with prominent African-American literary and cultural figures, Still
8064-588: Was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina , on April 15, 1879, and in 1886, moved to D.C. with his parents. Daisy Kennedy was born in Washington, D.C., on January 4, 1879, the daughter of two former American slaves . James Ellington made blueprints for the United States Navy . When Ellington was a child, his family showed racial pride and support in their home, as did many other families. African Americans in D.C. worked to protect their children from
8160-693: Was born on May 11, 1895, in Woodville, Mississippi . He was the son of two teachers, Carrie Lena Fambro Still Shepperson (1872–1927) and William Grant Still Sr. (1871–1895). His father was a partner in a grocery store and performed as a local bandleader. William Grant Still Sr. died when his infant son was three months old. Still's mother moved with him to Little Rock, Arkansas , where she taught high school English. She met, and in 1904 married, Charles B. Shepperson, who nurtured his stepson William's musical interests by taking him to operettas and buying Red Seal recordings of classical music, which
8256-538: Was constructed in 1929 to for the City of Los Angeles Fire Department Engine Company No. 67. In 1976, the building was renovated to serve as a community arts facility for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs . In 1977, it was transformed into a community arts center with a central exhibition space in the main rotunda, exhibition and meeting rooms, offices, kitchen, and outdoor patio and amphitheater. The center
8352-423: Was dedicated to telling the story of African Americans and the place of slavery and the church in their history. Black, Brown and Beige debuted at Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1943, beginning an annual series of Ellington concerts at the venue over the next four years. While some jazz musicians had played at Carnegie Hall before, none had performed anything as elaborate as Ellington's work. Unfortunately, starting
8448-515: Was his neighbor) Shuffle Along . After the young musicians left the Sweatman Orchestra to strike out on their own, they found an emerging jazz scene that was highly competitive with difficult inroad. They hustled pool by day and played whatever gigs they could find. The young band met stride pianist Willie "The Lion" Smith , who introduced them to the scene and gave them some money. They played at rent-house parties for income. After
8544-407: Was light-skinned, should wear makeup. Ellington objected in the interval and compared Jeffries to Al Jolson . The change was reverted. The singer later commented that the audience must have thought he was an entirely different character in the second half of the show. Although it had sold-out performances and received positive reviews, it ran for only 122 performances until September 29, 1941, with
8640-441: Was named in honor of composer Dr. William Grant Still . " Troubled Island ," the opera Dr. Still wrote with a libretto by Langston Hughes , is commemorated on the south side of the building in the alleyway in a 2003 mural created by artist Noni Olabisi , with assistance from Brother Boko. The center’s calendar operates in four quarters, each one dedicated to specific cultural themes and artistic disciplines. For nearly 40 years,
8736-578: Was selling peanuts at Washington Senators baseball games. Ellington started sneaking into Frank Holiday's Poolroom at age fourteen. Hearing the music of the poolroom pianists ignited Ellington's love for the instrument, and he began to take his piano studies seriously. Among the many piano players he listened to were Doc Perry, Lester Dishman, Louis Brown, Turner Layton , Gertie Wells, Clarence Bowser, Sticky Mack, Blind Johnny, Cliff Jackson , Claude Hopkins , Phil Wurd, Caroline Thornton, Luckey Roberts , Eubie Blake , Joe Rochester, and Harvey Brooks . In
8832-469: Was studying commercial art. Working as a freelance sign painter from 1917, Ellington began assembling groups to play for dances. In 1919, he met drummer Sonny Greer from New Jersey, who encouraged Ellington's ambition to become a professional musician. Ellington built his music business through his day job. When a customer asked him to make a sign for a dance or party, he would ask if they had musical entertainment; if not, Ellington would offer to play for
8928-403: Was the concert recording properly released for the first time. The revived attention brought about by the Newport appearance should not have surprised anyone, Johnny Hodges had returned the previous year, and Ellington's collaboration with Strayhorn was renewed around the same time, under terms more amenable to the younger man. The original Ellington at Newport album was the first release in
9024-498: Was the main male vocalist in this era (until 1943) while Al Hibbler (who replaced Jeffries in 1943) continued until 1951. Ivie Anderson left in 1942 for health reasons after 11 years, the longest term of any of Ellington's vocalists. Once more recording for Victor (from 1940), with the small groups being issued on their Bluebird label, three-minute masterpieces on 78 rpm record sides continued to flow from Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Ellington's son Mercer Ellington , and members of
9120-494: Was the same piece. I was established as having my own repertoire." In his autobiography, Music is my Mistress (1973), Ellington wrote that he missed more lessons than he attended, feeling at the time that piano was not his talent. Ellington continued listening to, watching, and imitating ragtime pianists, not only in Washington, D.C. but also in Philadelphia and Atlantic City , where he vacationed with his mother during
9216-422: Was unable to attend the fair without police protection except on "Negro Day" . In 1949, his opera Troubled Island about Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti, was performed by the New York City Opera a decade after its original composition. It was the first opera by an American to be performed by the company and the first by an African American to be performed by a major company. Still was, however, upset by
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