Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader whose orchestra and compositions shaped jazz from the 1920s through the 1970s.
Billy Strayhorn: Billy Strayhorn was an American composer, pianist, and arranger who collaborated closely with Duke Ellington. His compositions and arrangements became integral to Ellington’s repertoire and orchestra.
Jungle style: Jungle style is an early jazz orchestral approach using growling brass, mutes, and other effects to evoke an exoticized atmosphere. Ellington’s early Cotton Club sound made this style a signature of his orchestra.
Mood Indigo: “Mood Indigo” is a 1930 jazz composition by Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard, and Irving Mills. Its unusual low-register blend of trumpet, trombone, and clarinet showcases Ellington’s orchestral imagination.
Cotton Club: The Cotton Club was a Harlem nightclub where Black performers entertained predominantly white audiences during the Prohibition era. Ellington’s residency there from 1927 brought his orchestra national radio exposure.
Jazz at Lincoln Center: Jazz at Lincoln Center is a New York performing arts organization dedicated to jazz performance and education. Its repertory work and performances keep Ellington’s compositions central to the jazz canon.
Johnny Hodges: Johnny Hodges was an American alto saxophonist known for his expressive tone and long tenure in Ellington’s orchestra. His lyrical alto sound became one of the orchestra’s defining voices.
Jazz orchestra: A jazz orchestra is a large ensemble organized into sections of saxophones, brass, and rhythm instruments. Ellington composed and arranged for this ensemble, shaping its sections around particular players.
It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing): “It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)” is a 1931 song composed by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Mills. Its refrain gave a concise musical expression to swing’s rhythmic identity.
Harlem Renaissance: The Harlem Renaissance was a flourishing of African American art, literature, and intellectual life during the 1920s and 1930s. Ellington’s Harlem career developed amid this broader cultural flowering.
Sacred jazz: Sacred jazz combines jazz music with religious themes and forms of worship. Ellington’s Sacred Concerts brought his orchestral language into concert settings centered on faith.