I decided to do my research paper on Duke Ellington who was a famous jazz composer, and pianist. Ellington gained national fame in the mid-1920s, through his appearances at the Cotton Club with his orchestra. Ellington is considered one of the most famous jazz composers of his time. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington D.C. His mother Daisy, surrounded Edward with her very polite friends which taught him to have respect and manners for people. After a while his friends started beginning to notice his politeness and his dapper style and gave him the nickname “duke.” When Ellington was seven years old he started taking piano lessons and found his love for music, although his love for baseball was more potent at the time. Ellington recalls President Roosevelt coming by on his horse at times and watching the boys play baseball. Ellington wound up getting his first job selling peanuts at baseball games. While working at the Soda Jerk in the Poodle Café in the summer of 1914, Ellington wrote his first composition and called the piece “Soda Fountain Rag”, he created it by ear because he had not yet learned how to write or read the music. Ellington recalls playing the “Soda Fountain Rag” as a one-step, two-step, waltz tango and fox trait, he said, “listeners never knew it was the same piece. I was established as having my own repertoire.” In Ellington’s autobiography, Music is my Mistress (1973), Ellington wrote about missing more piano lessons than he had attended because he felt that at the time playing piano wasn’t his talent and that he wasn’t very good at it. At the age of fourteen Ellington started sneaking into Frank Holiday's Poolroom. After hearing the poolro... ... middle of paper ... ...ience and exposed his music to great heights. Ellington was a Pulitzer Prize for Music nominee in 1965, although he didn’t receive the award. Then 67 years old, Ellington reacted by saying, "Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be famous too young." Ellington played his last three shows in 1973 before he passed away at the age of seventy-five, a month after his birthday on May 24, 1974 from lung cancer and pneumonia. In conclusion, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was of the most talented jazz composers and pianists of the 20th century and did amazing work and composed some of the most famous compositions of jazz. He has gave so many jazz composers motivation to do what they love and think outside the box, he was a genius. His compositions will live through the decades inspiring musicians and composers, his talent will live forever.
After high school, from 1927-1934, Louis played throughout New Orleans and recorded more than 70 titles for various labels, and at the age of 24, he took his considerable talents as a trumpet player and bandleader to New York City. It was at around this time that Louis coined the expression "Swing," as well as many others, and once The Louis Prima Band played their version of Big Band inspired, Dixieland Jazz infused "Swing" music at the Famous Door Club, the entire 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway was dubbed "Swing Street." Thus, a whole new era of music began. Even the "King Of Swing," Benny Goodman wouldn't have near the notoriety without the Prima penned "Sing Sing Sing," which is still considered a Swing Era classic.
One way fletcher henderson influenced the Harlem renaissance is by leading one of the most successful jazz bands of the 1920s. Though he developed into a skilled pianist, Henderson did not intend to pursue a career in music, opting instead to study chemistry and math at Atlanta University( biography.com). After graduating from college, Fletcher Henderson planned to work with his chemistry degree, but racism restricted his chance. So Henderson turned to the musical world.
...and Carmen McRae and dedicated to Duke Ellington. Miles Davis created "He Loved Him Madly" as a tribute to Ellington one month after his death. Stevie Wonder wrote the song "Sir Duke" as a tribute to Ellington in 1976. A song by Judy Collins called “Sir Duke” was written in 1975 honoring and describing his funeral. Ellington appeared publicly up until a couple of months before he died from lung cancer and pneumonia on May 24, 1974. He was 75 year old. It is recorded that his last words were, "Music is how I live, why I live and
Ray Charles one of the greatest African-American artists of all time. He left a legacy of hits and Grammy awards, but the musicians he influenced were very diverse in genre as the music he wrote, arranged, performed, and recorded. Ray Charles died at the age of 73 on June 10, 2004 from acute liver disease. Months after his death on October 29, 2004 the movie Ray was released to the U.S on a budget of forty million dollars. The film went on to become a box-office hit, earning over $100 million dollars with an additional $75 million internationally. It ended up with a worldwide gross of over $175 million.
Though Jelly Roll Morton began his career without formal training, he grew to live an influential life. His piano style, musical notations on paper, and creative compositions thrived in the 1910s and the 1920s and even weaved its way into the later eras as musicians used Morton’s music as the foundation for their own. Even past his death, Jelly Roll Morton remains a legendary figure. His works are meticulously preserved and displayed in the prestigious Smithsonian Museum and universities around the world continue his legacy by teaching students about Jelly Roll Morton and his influential career.
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of this time. His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal you (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonists of Jazz. His most famous work was a piece named Body and Soul (http://library.thinkquest.org…). Hawkins has also recorded with artists such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Other people such as Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and “Dizzie” Gillespie have also made many contributions to the development of Jazz.
Langston Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 and died May 22, 1967. Among many of his other accomplishments, Hughes was primarily known for his contribution to Jazz music in the early 20th century. His colorful, artistic, and descriptive works of literature was published and sold all throughout New York City, making him a contributor to the Harlem Renaissance movement as well. Interestingly enough I got the chance to attend a Jazz band performance by the Jazz Big Band at Westfield State University. This band showcased multiple different styles of Jazz such as swing, cool, experimental, and big band. They also played a lot of blues music, which is its own genre but incorporates Jazz elements into the songs. When observing the performance and reading a few of Hughes poems I can see that there are a few parallels between the two, such as repetition, race collaboration and rhythm.
	On February 15, 1965 the music world lost one of its greats. By the time his life was over, he was already a legend, having influenced the likes of Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal. Nat had performed with some of the best including Duke Ellington and performed for some of the best, including the Queen¨, he was even friends with John F. Kennedy. Though he is often remembered today as a great singer, he was also one of history’s greatest jazz pianists. It is said that as a pianist, he developed the intricate right-hand style of initiated by Hines and the sparse left-hand of Count Basiel. His records have been released and re-released and even to this day they are still popular. Through the marvels of modern technology, Nat and his daughter, Natalie (who is also a well-known artist) were reunited for a rendition of the classic, "Unforgettable", which he certainly is.
this paper I will discuss Gershwin’s life as a child and his upbringing and how his music
Various people triggered the movement such as: artists Jacob Lawrence and Charles Alston; musicians Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith; writers Langston Hughes, W.E.B Du Bois, Jean Toomer, Rudolf Fisher, Countee Cullen and Zora Neale Hurston. Some older writers served as mentors like Claude Mckay, Alian Locke, James Weldon and Charles S. Johnson (Harlem Renaissance.) Two of the thousand persons who played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance were W. E. B Du Bois and Marcus Garvey. W. E. B Du Bois was a Black historian; sociologist, Harvard scholar and he wrote books such as, “The Souls of Black Folk” and “Returning Soldiers.” In New York Du Bois and a group of prominent African Ameri...
In the New York City neighbourhood of Harlem in particular attracted many african americans intellectuals and artists. Jazz first became popular in the nightclub cultures of big cities, but it wasn't Harlem clubs that one could see the artists fresh and uniquely american music. Jazz came to view in the African American. Jazz was from the mixed influences of ragtime, blues, hot jazz, and even band music that played in Funerals. Works produced during the Harlem Renaissance appealed not just to African Americans but it crossed over to white audiences as well as the musical “Shuffle Along” which in fact became a smash hit on Broadway. The rapid growing record industry who quickly became interested in performers such as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Fletcher Henderson, Cab Calloway, etc. One of the many great legends was Edward Kennedy Ellington but his friends simply called him Duke. Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington orthodoxe black jazz orchestras that began performing at nightclubs in Chicago and for a long run the Cotton Club in New York. They both employed some of the most accomplished Jazz Musicians such as Louis
A single artist can have a very strong impact on a whole genre of Music. We have seen this time and time again through artists such as Charlie Parker, David Brubeck, John Coltrane, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, and various others. All of these artists had tremendous influences on the different eras that evolved throughout the history of Jazz. Bill Evans, and American jazz pianist, was no different. Just as Charlie Parker had started the evolution of Bebop and influenced the subsequent generations of Jazz Artists, Bill Evans has influenced Modern Jazz and the generations of artists that followed him. Throughout his career and his works with various other artists, Bill Evans has cemented himself as one of the great influences on modern day Jazz.
During the 1920's and 30’s, America went through a period of astonishing artistic creativity, the majority of which was concentrated in one neighborhood of New York City, Harlem. The creators of this period of growth in the arts were African-American writers and other artists. Langston Hughes is considered to be one of the most influential writers of the period know as the Harlem Renaissance. With the use of blues and jazz Hughes managed to express a range of different themes all revolving around the Negro. He played a major role in the Harlem Renaissance, helping to create and express black culture. He also wrote of political views and ideas, racial inequality and his opinion on religion. I believe that Langston Hughes’ poetry helps to capture the era know as the Harlem Renaissance.
Langston Hughes is the author of the poem ‘trumpet player’ among other poems that weaves in the contemporary ideas relating to racial issues, past memories and jazz music (Alexander and Ferris 55). Essentially, his themes centered on African- American made him an important figure in the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The poet was born in Joplin, Missouri in the year 1902. His first work on poetry was published in the year 1921 (Baird 599). From there on, he wrote innumerable works of poetry, plays as well as proses (Baird 599). The poet died in the year 1967 out of prostate cancer complications. The trumpet player is one of the most important works done by Hughes. The title of the poem introduces the scene but it is quite figurative. At its face value, the title
...to jazz with modal jazz and chord voicing was extremely influential to the modern jazz scene. These new technique brought variations to new musicians, influencing their personal style yet also pushing them to strive for their own freedom of improvisation. Bill Evan’s contribution to the jazz world is vast and he still continued to influence the jazz pianists until this day.