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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Duke Ellington

APRIL 29, 1899- MAY 24,1974
Photo by ky_olsen

DUKE ELLINGTON

  • He was 75 when he died from lung Cancer and pneumonia.
  • His nickname was Duke.
  • He was born in and raised in Washington DC.
  • He was one of the best jazz artists ever!

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  • He earned the nickname Duke for his gentle manly ways.
  • His real name was Edward.
  • He wrote and played jazz for about 50 years.
  • He is remembered as a composer and band leader who brought jazz to the world.

FAMILY

  • His father’s name was James Edward Ellington.
  • His mom’s name was Daisy Kennedy.
  • His sister’s name was Ruth Boatwight Ellington.
  • His parents where both talented pianists and they lived in a middle class neighborhood in Washington DC.

EARLY LIFE

  • He went to Armstrong Technical high school in Washington DC.
  • His first job was selling peanuts at Washington Senators’ baseball games.
  • Maritta Clinkscales was the person who taught him how to play piano.

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  • Though he took piano lessons when he was younger he was more interested in baseball.
  • He missed more lessons than he attended and he felt that playing the piano was not his talent.
  • At age 14 his love for piano was sparked by hearing poolroom pianists play.

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  • He worked as a freelance sign painter after college and built his music business through the people he meet.
  • He formed his first musical group in 1917 called “The Duke’s Serenaders”.
  • Ellington played throughout the DC area for private society balls and embassy parties.

ACHIEVEMENTS

  • In the summer of 1914 he wrote his first composition as known as Soda Fountain Rag.
  • He composed thousands of songs and made hundreds of albums in his career covering a wide range of music.

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  • He began playing piano professionally at age 17
  • He received a total of 12 Grammy awards - 9 while he was alive.

COMPOSITIONS

Take The A Train
I like it because it has a smooth beat and a catchy tune. It was written in 1939 by pianist Billy Strayhorn and became the national anthem of the New York City subway transit system. It became the signature number for Duke Ellington and his orchestra and the official song of New York City.

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