... , There were no jobs. Finally, Brick Top' Ada Smith convinced a nightclub owner to hire them (Turkell 88). They became an immediate success. Duke was beginning to find the "color and shading- he strived for in his music. His music was what club goers called "conversation music- (Turkell ... was Henry Carney on baritone sax. After a while, they were hired to play at Harlem's premier nightclub, the Cotton Club (Turkell 89-90). Duke's orchestra changed the cotton club. Owner Owney Madden usually had "sultry chorus girls, sensual choreography- and "hot jazz- (Ellington Biography). During the...

• Word Count: 1581
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... considered jazz something to radical, new and vulgar though for there sophistication so it did not have a strong presence in his early childhood. When Duke was about seven his parents had arranged for him to take piano lessons. This at the time was seemingly not for him as it did not ... actually came as a peanut concession sales men for the Washington Senators, this served as a valuable experiance as good practice for the boy entertaining people. Duke's interest in becoming involved in music developed around the age of thirteen when he realized that music could be used to gain populari...

• Word Count: 942
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• Grade Level: High School

... been studying about Schyler and while she was digging through articles and other pieces that Schyler had written, she stumbled upon a magazine by the name of Duke. While I waited for the lecture, that was going to be presented by Dr. Adenike Davidson, I was sitting around and looking for the room. ... . She explained with passion about how it entered into the African-American market as a male, masculinity magazine. Davidson then went on to canvass about how Duke was possibly providing a venue for up and coming writers. She talked about how the magazine had articles written by small, unh...

• Word Count: 913
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... . So, let us take a ride and enjoy some Jazz. One of those pioneers that exemplify the traditions of Jazz was Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899. Ellington came from a middle class African-American family who made sure that ... It definitely didn't have the form and polish it acquired later on." (Collier, 80) The Cotton Club was the ideal setting for the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Its "jungle" atmosphere was perfect for the style of music Ellington was expected to play. Ellington remarks about the setting of the...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Blacks received their freedom, they were able to express themselves as talented individuals. Certain blacks contributed immensely to the era of jazz, for example, Duke Ellington. Ellington entered a brand-new, exciting era as he grew up. As Ellington became an adolescent, the entertainment world was undergoing rapid, change ... It definitely didn't have the form and polish it acquired later on." (Collier, 80) The Cotton Club was the ideal setting for the Duke Ellington Orchestra. It's "jungle" atmosphere was perfect for the style of music Ellington was expected to play. Ellington remarks...

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• Grade Level: High School

... the Jazz Era had increased tremendously and had been taking over. Billie loved singing and so she would spend her time at different public and private parties where musicians like Duke Ellington would come and perform. But in order to survive in New York, Billie and her mother worked in a Brothel as prostitutes. Once caught, they both were arrested for prostitution ... such as "What a Little Moonlight Can Do" and "Miss Brown to You." The next breakthrough for Billie's career came from the short Duke Ellington film in which she played the role of a rejected woman abused by her lover in D...

• Word Count: 2313
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• Grade Level: High School

... in which the jubilance of earlier stories is juxtaposed with tragedy. In example after performing in Burd's tour he ends up not getting paid, and also he is removed from Duke Ellington's orchestra almost immediately after joining it because of an altercation with another band member. Mingus sings songs about these events such as "never play jazz for money" ... life lessons from his experiences such as "we trade out essence for acceptance," when thinking about his mixed heritage and "just like Duke" in realizing his lifelong passion to play like Duke Ellington and his new found secur...

• Word Count: 815
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... flavors of jazz. One of the most important figures in twentieth century American music, Charles Mingus was a virtuoso bass player, accomplished pianist, bandleader and composer. He was most influenced by Duke Ellington another important composer in the history of jazz. He liked to use Negro gospel music, and Mexican folk music, as well as traditional jazz and 20th-century concert music ... a 22-piece orchestra with Gunther Schuller conducting. This established him as one of the leading jazz composers of his day. As a bassist, Mingus was a powerhouse of technical command and invention. D...

• Word Count: 871
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ensembles, including ones led by clarinetist Cecil Scott, pianist Charlie Johnson, saxophonist Teddie Hill, and Fletcher Henderson. He earned the nickname "Little Jazz" from Otto Hardwick, a sax player with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 1936 Roy married Viola Lee Fong, and he moved to Chicago. While he was there, he took up residency at the Three Deuces Club. Eldridge came to ... , even though he didn't know the music. In 1982, Roy was named the American Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts. Roy was known as the link between Duke Ellington's New Orleans style and Dizzy G...

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• Grade Level: High School

... audience. However, he did bring drums into the combos, an addition that would make drums an inseparable part of popular music. Probably the most popular of the Big Band leaders, Duke Ellington was one of the first to be heard by a nationwide audience. Many of his performances at the Cotton Club in Harlem were broadcast. Such broadcasts were responsible for both ... popularizing the music, and making its performers household names. Also, as the role of solo improvisation diminished, the bandleader played a much more important role. Thus, Duke Ellington, in conjunction with Billy Strayhorn...

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... the big bands that became so popular in the 1930s and early 1940s, (the swing era). The development of the big band can be majorly credited to the achievement of Duke Ellington and his revolutionary song, "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing". This soon became the new word for music played with a happy, relaxed beat. A new style ... phrases with many notes. In the 1940's and 1950's, jazz began to lose its reputation as a "lowdown" music, and gained acceptance among intellectuals and college students. Jazz concerts became popular. Duke Ellington and other big band leaders ga...

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... and makes this type of jazz accessible to a larger public. With swing, jazz quit his origin to be really popular in Europe. The most famous artists in this style are Duke Ellington, Count Bosie, Fats Waller, Gene Krupuk and Benny Goodman. Swing come back in the forties even if it was declining before. This is in reaction to bop that some ... and again. This is music that is extraordinarily orderly, balanced and elegant, but still, like the finest of jazz, is always full of risk and surprise East St. Louis Toodle O Duke Ellington recorded this old recording of "east st louis toodle o". E...

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• Grade Level: High School

... Tennessee.(Morrison 49) The first Big Jazz Band came about 1923. It was called King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Within Oliver's Band many musicians came to surface like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Armstrong was known for his ability to improvise and play be-bop ... . Duke Ellington was a big band arranger and composed over 150 tunes. Count Basie was known for the song "Down Basie Street." Charlie Parker was a great Jazz pianist. (Morrison 51) Louis Armstrong, ... ...

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... York of the post-war era."(Rhodes, Page 64)) Musicians like Buddy Bolden, Clarence Williams, King Oliver, and Kid Ory laid the groundwork for jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington who followed them and helped produce the Jazz Age. These musicians helped the African American culture by producing a type of free music that was a culture strike to many whites ... of jazz musicians began to play together, after the model of society dance bands. The development of the big band as a jazz medium was strongly influenced by the achievements of Duke Ellington and Fletcher Henderson. ...

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... to identify with many of the artists that we had discussed throughout the week. I was able to make a more accurate transition in the swing era. Artists such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman evolved the impression that I had, and elevated me to the abstract freedom and individuality each artist embodied during their particular era. Swing afforded an emotional and ... of blacks (100). The quote that I feel is very true in the since of swing, but the emotional and physical release was also a frenzy throughout white youths during that time. Duke Ellington stood out abov...

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... culture, but of African culture as a whole. Its chronological and thematic episodes provided a history of the jazz emphasizing innovative composers and musicians and American history. Swing musicians Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington are the central figures. Several episodes discussed the later contributions of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie to bebop, and of Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, and John Coltrane to free ... ...

• Word Count: 530
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the violin. For several years, young Coltrane played the clarinet, however it wasn t his passion. It was only after he heard the great alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges playing with the Duke Ellington band on the radio, that he became enthusiastic about music. He dropped the clarinet to take up the alto saxophone, before long he had mastered it. At the young ... ...

• Word Count: 1680
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• Grade Level: High School

... the church choir. Coltrane in his early teens played the clarinet, but with little interest in it. It was the alto saxophone sound produced by Johnny Hodges playing in the Duke Ellington band on the radio that inspired him to drop the clarinet and begin playing the alto saxophone. Coltrane with the alto saxophone immediately became a competent musician. In 1939, at ... ...

• Word Count: 1528
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• Grade Level: High School

... and those that conveyed less swing feeling and improvisation. The former were called swing bands or hot bands for example, the bands of Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Andy Kirk and Duke Ellington. The latter were called sweet bands for example the bands of Glenn Miller, Wayne King, Freddy Martin and Guy Lombardo. Many listeners so not make distinctions between the two ... ...

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... to match every suit he owned. In 1938, "Peg Leg" headlined a performance at the infamous Cotton Club. He also performed with many orchestras at big clubs, and even performed with Duke Ellington at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York. Bates" tap dancing style was so unique he was also invited to dance on "The Ed Sullivan Show" 22 times, where ... ...

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... , passion and sorrow, freedom of expression and unjust repression. However, in spite of these things, jazz has become the formidable musical form it is today and will continue to be. Duke Ellington put it well when he called jazz a "barometer of freedom." The African musical practices that remained a part of the slave culture were superimposed on the dominant white musical culture ... ...

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... commitment of many Charters to embracing no conventional methods in which they operate. In light of the international interest of Charter Schools, you may be interested in my background. I attended Duke Ellington School of Arts in Washington DC, which initially tested my energy, creativity, and initiative. My interest in Art quickly grew to be competitive as a result of innovative teaching strategies ... ...

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... lucrative night life of Harlem because many had more money to spend and more time to waste. A popular night spot called the Cotton Club Hosted many famous artists, such as Duke Ellington. The Cotton club catered only to whites, and employed only blacks. The night clubs of Harlem were filled with illegal liquor, witch drew wealthy whites into the neighborhood. Speakeasies ... ...

• Word Count: 1365
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• Grade Level: High School

... . And if jazz has undeniably accrued status and respect over the years, it has also consistently provoked controversy. The term itself has often carried negative associations, which is partly why Duke Ellington and other musicians spurned the label, and why Max Roach once told an interviewer, "I resent the word unequivocally" (Taylor, H1977, p.110). Several factors account for the volatility of jazz ... ...

• Word Count: 481
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Charles Sheeler. There was timeless literature written by famous authors such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Robert Frost. It was the Jazz Age. Artists such as Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington dominated the jazz music profession. The 20's were a time of woman evolution and a whole new way of life for woman. Youth ruled everything. Younger was better. Flapper dress style ... ...

• Word Count: 257
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• Grade Level: High School