Duke Ellington

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. He is regarded as one of the greatest jazz composers and a prolific performer of his time. Most of his musical works on instruments set standards for others, which were later adapted into songs. This renowned jazz musician exhibited his excellence in film scores and classical compositions too. Considered a very important personality in the history of jazz music, he liked to call his music ‘American Music’ instead of jazz. A bandleader, pianist and a composer, Ellington was nicknamed ‘Duke’ by his childhood friends for his gracious and well-mannered behavior. He was truly a genius in the sense of instrument combinations, arranging jazz and improvising music that made Ellington stand unique among other composers of his time. His reputation as a composer and bandleader is intact even after his death. He collaborated with many others and wrote more than one thousand compositions and many of his extant works became a standard in jazz music. Ellington and his orchestra saw a major career revival after an appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival, Rhode Island, in July 1956. He recorded for most American record companies of his time and performed in several films and composed several stage musicals. With his creative genius, Ellington elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional musical genres.