Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24,
1974) was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader.
Duke Ellington became one of the most influential artists in the
history of recorded music, and is largely recognised as one of the
greatest figures in the history of jazz, though his music stretched
into various other genres, including blues, gospel, movie
soundtracks, popular, and classical. His career spanned 50 years
and included leading his orchestra, composing an inexhaustible
songbook, scoring for movies, and world tours.
Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and in part
to his refined public manner and extraordinary charisma, he is
generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an
artistic level on a par with that of classical music. His
reputation increased after his death, and he received a special
award citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 1999.
Ellington called his music "American Music" rather than jazz, and
liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category."
These included many of the musicians who were members of his
orchestra, some of whom are considered among the best in jazz in
their own right, but it was Ellington who moulded them into one of
the most well-known orchestras in the history of jazz. He often
composed specifically for the style and skills of these
individuals, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Johnny Hodges, "Concerto
for Cootie" for Cootie Williams, which later became "Do Nothing
Till You Hear from Me" with Bob Russell's lyrics, and "The Mooche"
for Tricky Sam Nanton and Bubber Miley.
He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan
Tizol's "Caravan" and "Perdido" which brought the 'Spanish Tinge'
to big-band jazz.
After 1941, he frequently collaborated with
composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, recorded for many
American record companies, and appeared in several films.
Ellington led his band from 1923 until his death in 1974. His son
Mercer Ellington, who had already been handling all administrative
aspects of his father's business for several decades, led the band
until his own death from cancer in 1996. At that point, the band
dissolved.
Paul Ellington, Mercer's youngest son and executor of the Duke
Ellington estate, kept "The Duke Ellington Orchestra." going from
Mercer's death onwards.