Duke Ellington: African American Music

African American influence in music has been an ever present and controversial subject in American history. Stemming from many different cultures, religions and backgrounds, large portions of American music was introduced by, and credited to African Americans. Although in many cases, this music was used for entertainment by the masses or majority, contrary to popular belief, black music served a greater purpose than just recreation. Dating all the way back to the beginning of slavery in the U.S. during the 17th century, music has been used to make a statement and send a message. As African American music progressed over the years, there were common themes expressed as the genres evolved. It has been an open letter to the world, documenting and protesting the ongoing oppression faced by blacks in the United States, as well as an outlet for frustration. For many African Americans, the music gave them the only voice that couldn’t be silenced by their oppressors.

He was born in Washington D.C but later on he moved to New York City.

music while others had a taste for the old, more familiar styles. Ned Williams, who became Ellington’s publicist, commented on Ellington’s first performance at the Cotton

Alvin Ailey was a phenomenal choreographer, dancer, and activist whose work focused on the narrative of the African American during the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement. Informed and inspired by black church services, gospel music, and everything spiritual, the collaborations between him and Duke Ellington come as no surprise. Ellington’s career also focused on depicting “the character and mood and feeling of [his] people”, except he executed this artistry through musicianship in composing, conducting, songwriting, and bandleading. Together, they were both able to uplift and celebrate the Black American and their rich culture, during a time of trauma and the unforgivable horrors of slavery, meanwhile revolutionizing and

Duke Ellington had an early start into the world of music. At the age of four, he listened to his mother play a tune known as “ The Rosary” and cried after stating how pretty the music was (Gottlieb 2012). This was the beginning of his interest in music. At the age of fifteen, while working at a soda fountain, he wrote his first song “Soda Fountain Rag,” and at his late teens was making enough music to help his parents afford a better house. He was even witnessed as playing his first professional gig so long

Duke Ellington is one of the most influential jazz figures. Although, he preferred to call his genre of play “American Music” rather than jazz. He and his band were known for creating very distinctive styles of music which influenced much of the Western music. Ellington earned much recognition and given rewards for feats in his lifetime.

Duke Ellington was an African American pianist during the Harlem Renaissance period at a time known as the “Roaring 20s.” Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C to a middle class family to where both of his parents were musicians as well. Ellington is known for his contributions to primarily to Jazz, the creation of Big Band Music, and also revolutionized what he would call “American Music” until his death in 1974. Ellington was known to be a virtuoso as he began his piano career at the age of 7. Throughout Ellington’s musical career, he was known to be a revolutionary and a professional.

One of the biggest names in jazz, even 118 years after his birth. Edward “Duke” Ellington was born on April 29 1899 in Washington D.C. (PBS.org). He was an only child to his mother and father (PBS.org). His mother started teaching him piano at age 7 (Biography.com), and his gentlemanly way of dress and action earned him the nickname Duke from his friends (Biography.com).

During the 1920’s a new movement began to arise. This movement known as the Harlem Renaissance expressed the new African American culture. The new African American culture was expressed through the writing of books, poetry, essays, the playing of music, and through sculptures and paintings. Three poems and their poets express the new African American culture with ease. (Jordan 848-891) The poems also express the position of themselves and other African Americans during this time. “You and Your Whole Race”, “Yet Do I Marvel”, and “The Lynching” are the three poems whose themes are the same. The poets of these poems are, as in order, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Claude Mckay.

Duke Ellington managed his band for almost 50 years making prodigious music and using amazing instruments. He toured all over Europe, he managed to compose an orchestra without a baton, how amazing is that. In his whole music career, he composed about 2000 pieces and won 12 Grammy

This judgment began unexpectedly to spread as African American music, especially the blues and jazz, became a worldwide sensation. Black music provided the pulse of the Harlem Renaissance and of the Jazz Age more generally. The rise of the “race records” industry, beginning with OKeh’s recording of Mamie Smith’s

Jazz is one of few purely American art forms. Its creation came out of the southern United States and the social conditions associated with the relationship between the white and African American communities there (Larson 1). African American musicians in particular were the key proponents in the development of jazz in the early 20th century. The creation and shaping of jazz music came from a combination of the musical styles of spirituals, the blues, ragtime, and Western European classical music (Larson 37-38). Although jazz originated from these four styles, defining jazz itself cannot be done so plainly. Since its origin, jazz has continued to progress and branch out into a wide variety of musical styles and genres. At its root, jazz is about the individual expression of the musician (Larson 2). John Coltrane was one of many musicians that used jazz as this medium. Through his early works in the bebop and hard bop styles to free form and more spiritual styled music later in his career, Coltrane pursued deeper expression from his music (Wikipedia). John Coltrane’s upbringing and early interest in music led to a successful career of highly innovative works that have left a lasting legacy and influence on the jazz community.

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader who has been one of the most influential musicians in jazz. The Duke has released countless albums and songs, but not many know of his triumph as a musical theatre composer. Duke Ellington’s 1941 Jump For Joy was the first theatre show to openly discard the African- American stereotypes which prevailed in the arts at the time. In fact Jump for Joy openly discussed these stereotypes and praised African- American stereotypes. Ellington composed all of the songs in the musical and his own orchestra played during the show in the pit.

The Blue Cee is a two key standard blues contains C and B flat (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNHZWMo-J6s). Blues is a genre and musical form in-vented by Africa America in 19th century. Even though it ends up in C, it is not obviously. Opening part is also started by a bass solo, and then the piano joins in, it takes the inspiration of Duke Ellington’s “C Jam Blues,” a standard jazz which was composed Duke Ellington. It is a twelve bar blues in C major, contains several improvised solos, the last one plays the upper regis-ter when ensemble comes to push the entire music into the climax. The piano plays the main theme before the saxophonist first. My favorite part is the solo bass part in 3:33 minutes, especial-ly the until same solo

In the January/February 2017 edition of The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates takes a look at the last eight years of American history, a time when the Commander in Chief of the United States of America was an African American. The article, entitled “My President Was Black” focused on the implications of having an African American in office. Within the first subheading, which focused on the different styles of music that were being performed at the White House, my mind was off on a number of tangents. This article really showcased how much music can matter to an African American.