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More handpicked essays just for you.
Duke Ellington's influence on jazz music
Duke Ellington's influence on jazz music
Biographical essay on duke ellington
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Duke Elington
Duke Ellington was an American jazz bandleader, composer, and pianist. He is thought of as one the greatest figures in jazz. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States awarded him with the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was the Duke, Duke Ellington.
Edward Kennedy was his real name; he was born on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Duke’s parents Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington served as ideal role models for Duke and taught him everything from table manners to an understanding of the emotional power of music.
Duke’s first piano lessons were when he was around seven or eight and they didn’t have much of an effect upon him. Duke was more into baseball when he was younger. Duke got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senator’s baseball games. This was the first time Duke was placed as a performer for a crowd and had to get over his stage fright. When Duke was fourteen he began sneaking to Frank Holliday’s poolroom. His experiences from the poolroom taught him to appreciate the value in mixing with a lot of people.
As duke’s piano lessons faded into the past, Duke began to show an interest for the artistic. Duke went to Armstrong Manual Tra...
The Piano Lesson written by August Wilson is a work that struggles to suggest how best African Americans can handle their heritage and how they can best put their history to use. This problem is important to the development of theme throughout the work and is fueled by the two key players of the drama: Berniece and Boy Willie. These siblings, who begin with opposing views on what to do with a precious family heirloom, although both protagonists in the drama, serve akin to foils of one another. Their similarities and differences help the audience to understand each individual more fully and to comprehend the theme that one must find balance between deserting and preserving the past in order to pursue the future, that both too greatly honoring or too greatly guarding the past can ruin opportunities in the present and the future.
The last dance is, "The Spanish-American War", and it features a song called, "The Blues". It is about the homecoming of heroes and romantic love triangles.12 Finally, the last section of this symphony is Beige. Beige is about the stereotypes of the people who live in Harlem. People were considered to just sing, dance and respond to Tom Tom's.13
The Duke takes his place in history. John Wayne, one of America’s greatest actors and directors of all time. His fame and superstardom led to many problems in his career. His image as an icon of American individualism and the frontier spirit has overshadowed his career to such an extent that it is almost impossible for the fans and writers to separate Wayne the legend from Wayne the actor and Wayne the man.
John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1917 on the 29th of May. His parents were, Rose Fitzgeralad and Joseph P. Kennedy. Both the Fitzgeralads and the Kennedys were wealthy and prominent Irish catholic Boston families. John F. Kennedy was the second oldest child out of the nine children.
John Philip Sousa’s life started on November sixth, 1854 in Washington. “Philip was a rugged individualist at the age of four.”(9). His early stubborn nature prevented him from attending school due to catching pneumonia from sleeping outdoors when his mother denied him sweets. Sousa’s home-schooling left him craving for an activity and John Esputa started to teach young Philip music. A variety of music lessons took place, leaving Sousa frustrated with critical teachers and challenging new instruments. Eventually he enrolled in school, mainly for safety from the upcoming war, but the young musician excelled in his studies. Meanwhile, trouble with his music lessons occurred, leading him to quit music and attempt baking instead. His heart already belonged to music though, and he returned to music as the child prodigy who fearlessly performed at age ten for large audiences. He already conducted a band of grown men, accepted offers to play in a circus band, and ended up joining the Marine Band before his late teens. The Marine Band a...
Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 to his middle-class parents James Edward Ellington and Daisy Kennedy Ellington, who were both pianist. At the age of 7 his parents put him in piano lessons and enforced the necessity for sophistication and etiquette, which is actually where his nickname Duke came from because his style of dress and his mannerisms reminded his friends of that of a nobleman. He attended At age 15 although he was a talented pianist, he was rough around the edges and could not read or write music, but that did not stop him from composing his first piece “Soda Fountain Rag”, which he created by ear while working as a soda jerk. Upon viewing various ragtime artists while vacationing with his mother Duke felt encouraged to better his piano skills and through the help of Dunbar High School’s Henry Lee Grant and local big band leader Oliver “Doc” Perry, Duke learned to read and write music, become far more polished in his playing techniques, and overall raise his playing ability. While by professional at this point he was a sign painter, he played party gigs and dances ...
His Father never had any formal training musically, but whatever gifts he did possess he p[assed unto his son with the most fervent passion even if they were only musical basics.
Edward Kennedy Ellington, American jazz composer, orchestrator, bandleader, and pianist, is considered to be the greatest composer in the history of jazz music and one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. He composed over 2000 works and performed numerous concerts during his musical career. A compilation of some of his most popular music is collected on a CD called "The Popular Duke Ellington."
The Piano Lesson by August Wilson is taking place in Pittsburg because many Blacks travelled North to escape poverty and racial judgment in the South. This rapid mass movement in history is known as The Great migration. The migration meant African Americans are leaving behind what had always been their economic and social base in America, and having to find a new one. The main characters in this play are Berniece and Boy Willie who are siblings fighting over a piano that they value in different ways. Berniece wants to have it for sentimental reasons, while Boy Willie wants it so he can sell it and buy land. The piano teaches many lessons about the effects of separation, migration, and the reunion of
Dr. King was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His real name was Michael King Jr., but legally changed it to Martin Luther King Jr. When he was older, he graduated from Boston University and later attended Morehouse College
The Jazz Singer, released in 1927, is a black and white film that centers on a young man who wishes to conquer his dreams in becoming a professional jazz singer. This film, directed by Alan Crosland, demonstrates new developments from the decade of the 1920’s. During the decade, many new advances; such as the introduction of musicals and other technological advancements, were created. The Jazz Singer utilized these new advances of the decade and incorporated them into each scene. This is evident due to the elements of being the first talkie film, the introduction of the new musical genre and the introduction of the Hollywood stars system. By utilizing the new advances of the decade, Crosland’s film, changed the way cinema would be seen forever.
For Sherlock Holmes, his partner in crime is Dr. John H. Watson. Not only is he a trusted friend, but also he is Holmes’ associate and the first person narrator of the Sherlock tales. The stories of Sherlock Holmes are a collection of short stories and fictional novels created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are based on a famous and most notorious detective all throughout London, Sherlock Holmes. Along his side, Dr. Watson narrates his and Holmes’ detective cases and reveals Sherlock’s abilities and knowledge of solving cases and fighting deadly crimes. For the duration of the stories, Watson and Holmes share a particular relationship where Holmes verbally dominates Watson, “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is very clear” (Doyle 241). When he isn’t insulting Dr. Watson he talks about how much he relies on his partner, “I am lost without my Boswell” (Doyle 243).
Akins, M. L. 1982 An analysis and Evaluation of selected methods for the beginning Private Piano student. PhD, Peabody College for Teachers, Vanderbilt University, USA.
Heroism can be found in everyone. In anything. Heroism can be in any form, in any way. Everyone has a hero, and everyone is a hero. A hero has been expounded in different varieties. Many people search for a hero for their entire lives, but a hero can just be right in front of them. Heroism can be seen within an act, a phrase, or a feeling. A hero can force many people to do the better, for them, and everyone surrounding their life. Everyone has different variations of a hero, some people have the same hero. A hero might not be the highest one of all, but they are something that touches your heart. A hero is someone who comes back and comforts you, who fights through every obstacle to achieve their goal and yours, and who faces their own challenges for the better.
Many people say that a hero is a supernatural being with special powers that they use in order to help society and defeat an evil villain; others may say that a hero has to wear a cape and have a cool name. These things can be concluded from various stories, movies, or fairy tales and can be very commonly dispersed among people all over the world. Heroes of today, such as firefighters, policemen, or doctors, don’t have to be these things and might never be. Never less, they are heroes because they all want to help people no matter what the cost, even their lives. This is called being selfless and wanting what’s best for others, not yourself. Anyone can be a hero to someone if they do something to help another person who is unable to do a certain task,but this is not the only quality of a hero. This can include taking the trash out for the elderly. Some, like John Barth, say “Everyone is necessarily the hero of his own life story.” This also means that one does not have to defeat anyone to be a hero because one could be having an internal conflict with oneself. The characteristic being selfless is a prime example of how the heroes of today are and what they do for society through their selfless acts.