Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) American composer, pianist and bandleader.

Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington’s career spanned over 50 years.  Based in New York City, Ellington led his orchestra from 1923 until his death in 1974.  Initially, Ellington gained national prominence through appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem and through constant touring. In the 1930s, his orchestra toured Europe to great success. Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of Jazz, Ellington himself embraced the phrase “beyond category” as a “liberating principle“, and referred to his music to the more general category of “American Music”, rather than to a musical genre such as “Jazz“.

SOUNDTRACKS
Ellington, with Strayhorn, scored several film soundtracks, including:

Anatomy of a Murder (1959), with James Stewart, in which Ellington appeared fronting a roadhouse combo.

Paris Blues (1961), which featured Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier as jazz musicians.

AWARDS include:

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award – 1966
Presidential Medal of Freedom – 1969
Honorary PhD from the Berklee College of Music in 1971
Legion of Honor by France in 1973 (the highest civilian honors)

“Beyond Category”
Photographer: Maurice Seymour
Year Photo Taken: 1935

Photo appeared in Metronome Magazine in the June, 1960 issue on page 17, article Title: “89 Swinging Years Of Surprise and Americana.”

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn “The Collaborators“

Photographer: Barry Kramer
Year Photo Taken: 1948

Photo appeared in Metronome Magazine in the June, 1949 issue on page 12, in an article entitled, “The Duke At 50” with a caption that read, Duke lampoons some of the myths associated with his famous name: supposed to write his music on his cuff and steal some of it from Billy Strayhorn…..

Back to Artist List

Back to Metronome Main Page