Twenty Interesting Facts Sbout Duke Ellington

1. Nickname Origin: Although Edward Kennedy Ellington was his actual name, his elegant behavior and fashionable clothes helped him to get the moniker “Duke” in youth.


2. Early Years of Art Career: Young Ellington dreamed of being a visual artist and even had a scholarship to study commercial painting before she took music seriously.

3. First Composition at Fifteen – Inspired by his work at a Washington, D.C. soda shop, his debut piece, Soda Fountain Rag, was written entirely by ear before he could correctly read music.

4. Created ‘Jungle Style’ Jazz——At the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became well-known nationally, Ellington developed a rough, growling brass sound known as “jungle style late in the 1920s.

**He wrote around 3,000 songs—and created thousands of compositions, including sacred music and orchestral suites, although many know his masterpieces, Take the “A” Train and Mood Indigo..

6. Snub of a Presidential Award Though he made enormous contributions to American music, he was controversially denied the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1965. The criticism resulted in later Pulitzer Board recognition of jazz.
7. First Jazz Musician on American Monetary System—rst African American and first jazz musician featured on a U.S. quarter (DisDistrict Columbia quarter, 2009). Ellington

Sometimes he included secret messages in his works utilizing musical symbols and rhythms influenced by Morsecode.

9. Very Large Repertory of Unrecorded Music Many of Ellington’s pieces, despite his great productivity, were never published or performed publicly.

llington wrote film compositions, including Anatomy of a Murder (1959), one of the first full-length jazz soundtracks in a Hollywood movie.

11. Wrote an Opera——ugh never completely realized, he once tried to write an opera.

12. Hated the Term ‘Jazz’ Ellington thought the name was too restrictive; hence,, he wanted to describ his music as “American music,” not jazz.

13. Multilingual Composer——He also penned songs in Spanish and French and had a working understanding of many languages.

Between 1943 and 1955, Ellington and his orchestra gave yearly concerts at Carnegie Hall, presenting important pieces such as as Black, Brown,, and Beige..

15. Refused to Retire—Unlike—Unlikehis contemporaries, he continued performing into his seventies, usually writing songs on the road and running his band until his death in 1974.

Ellington carried a small portable piano to compose on the road throughout his travels.

17. CollaboratedCollaboratedwith Classical Composers** He recorded an album with classical violinist Stéphane Grappelli and collaborated with composers including Dmitri Shostakovich.

18. Had a Major Sweet Tooth—Especially custard and ice cream; he adored sweets and often indulged while writing.

19. refused to fly for years—early in his career, he liked train travel above flying and made cross-country excursions on rail rather than aircraft.

20. Was buried with a love note—an unidentified admirer apparently left a heartfelt love note in his casket following his death.

Duke Ellington was an intriguing and endlessly fascinating person in addition to a trailblazing musician. Tell me whether you would like further in-depth exploration of his life.