FREE ESSAY ON DUKE ELLINGTON

DUKE ELLINGTON

The Harlem Renaissance was an era full of life, excitement, and activity. The world in all
aspects was in gradual recovery from the depression. The world of music was
expanding, sharing it's enthusiasm throughout the world. The evolution of jazz aroused
the curiosity of the nation. As Blacks received their freedom, they were able to
express themselves as talented individuals. Certain blacks contributed immensely to the
era of jazz, for example, Duke Ellington. Ellington entered a brand-new, exciting
era as he grew up. As Ellington became an adolescent, the entertainment world was
undergoing rapid, change. The change was driven by the deep, persuasive shift in the
American spirit. The country was anxious to recover what it lost during the Depression.
Ellington's jazz creations were unknown and alien to the world, however, Ellington
received the chance to succeed at the Cotton Club. The results of Ellington's
achievements at the Cotton Club were extensive, leading him to success and to national
fame. The reasons for his outcome need to be revealed because Ellington was one of the
most important figures in the era of jazz. During the Harlem Renaissance, some
of the clubs were segregated and some mixed. The Cotton Club's patrons were mostly whites
and the club employed mostly blacks. The Cotton Club was the centerpiece
of New York's entertainment business. It was the springboard to fame for many singer,
dancers, and performers and was indeed the board Ellington jumped from. The club
management decided what audiences wanted to see in their clubs. As a result of the Harlem
Renaissance and the growing interest in black entertainment, audiences
enjoyed watching the many talented black performers. To have such a name as the Cotton
Club brings to mind images of the Old South. Ellington auditioned at the Cotton
Club because he found it to be an opportunity that he would most likely never stumble
upon again. In December 1927, Ellington presented one of the most famous
openings in jazz history. During the time of the Harlem Renaissance, everyone had
different opinions on the new style of music. Some enjoyed listening to the new style of
music while others had a taste for the old, more familiar styles. Ned Williams, who
became Ellington's publicist, commented on Ellington's first performance at the Cotton
Club, "I can't say I was too much impressed with the Ellington crew on that visit. It
definitely didn't have the form and polish it acquired later on." (Collier, 80) The
Cotton
Club was the ideal setting for the Duke Ellington Orchestra. It's "jungle" atmosphere was
perfect for the style of music Ellington was expected to play. Ellington remarks
about the setting of the club: "During one period at the Cotton Club, much attention was
paid to acts with an African setting, and to accompany these we developed what
was termed a 'jungle style' jazz" (93) 
The Cotton Club lost some of its freshness as performers played dazzling, yet emotionless
jazz but Ellington brought his own style of music which interested the nation's
people. During the Cotton Club years, the Duke Ellington Orchestra began to win
distinction for its thorough musicians and homogeneity. Ellington was fighting to be
admired in the popular music business and because of the Cotton Club opportunity, he was.
Ellington's first break came when Ted Husing, one of the band's fan, arranged
for a national broadcast from the Cotton Club. This was critically important for
development of the band and led to national recognition. The Cotton Club radio
performances by Ellington contributed to the club's popularity, for it was becoming one
of the most famous night clubs in the country. These daily broadcasts gave the
Cotton Club and Ellington national reputation. By 1929, the band's name was widely known.
Ellington liked all the attention and continued to play. He did not care what he
played, as long as his audiences liked it. He stated, "Good music is music that sounds
good" (Southern, 387) This was Duke's constantly reiterated statement. Ellington
had no intent to play over the radio but as the chance came, he realized it would help
increase the popularity of the band. Ellington was composing his music for the
people. He wrote it to persuade, influence, entertain, disturb, amuse, and excite the
people, which it certainly did. After the many broadcasts, Ellington received magazine
and newspaper attention. Soon after, because Ellington was so popular in the
entertainment business, he moved on to Hollywood. He started touring and traveling until
he
retired from the entertainment business. What was it in Ellington's music that people
admired him for and that gave him a chance to develop his talents at the Cotton
Club? First of all, the change of music in general and the country's enthusiasm brought
on a nationwide excitement. During the Jazz years, people thought the party would
never stop. People were excited about Ellington's music which gave the encouragement that
he needed to succeed further in the music world. Music is not everything in a
musicians career for Ellington's personality and character brought unique overtone to his
tunes. Ellington was very confident. Without this he would not have been able to
compose the way he did because he would have questioned his own judgment. A musician who
was shy and without perception, would have gotten nowhere. The next trait
that was important was his drive to succeed. An artist who does not care about being
admired or being successful is not likely to produce works that people like.
Ellington's trait of needing to dominate the people around him was important because
without it he would have not been able to organize the chaos that all musicians must
deal with in order to be successful. Yet at the same time Ellington had a willingness to
endure disorder and without it the band would not have played with the looseness
needed to play simple jazz. Ellington often broke rules in order to reach new heights.
The way Ellington related to other people was also critical to his success. He was
known to be generous and sympathetic. He was loyal to other musicians, as well as his own
band members. Most importantly though, Duke was devoted to his work.
Without such devotion, he probably would not have had such a full career. All of these
character traits were part of the reason why people liked him so much. His
personality was most definitely visible in his music and that is why the nation enjoyed
listening to Ellington for decades. Ellington's style of playing in front of an audience
was unique in that he used improvisation for most of it. It was believed that this was
the method Ellington preferred. Most musicians did not use this because it often led to
trouble. This system depended on a lead man fully in control and who had firm ideas.
Ellington had the ability to trust his own taste, therefore he was comfortable playing
for an audience. Not only was it the method he used which enabled him to succeed, but the
style of how he did it. "Skillipooping" was the use of flashy effects to obscure
lack of substance which Ellington rarely used. In order to make his band famous,
Ellington had to have a identifiable and consistent style, which he did. His "jungle
music"
was obviously a key to popularity. Ellington died as one of America's foremost composer
of his era. Although not as influential as Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker, he
left a much larger body of work than any other musician in the history of jazz. Actually
Ellington disliked the term "jazz". He considered the term limiting but believed that
there was no limit when composing music. He does not understand how such great extremes
in jazz can be contained under such one heading. He quotes: 
"I am not playing jazz. I am trying to play the natural feelings of a people. I believe
that music, popular music of the day, is the reflection of the nations feelings...theses
men [Beethoven, Bach, Wagner] have not portrayed the people who are about us today, and
the interpretation of these people is our future music." (Haskins, 74) 
Ellington did not like his music categorized and enjoyed freedom of expression when
presenting his music. He believed composition, arrangement, and performance were
all interdependent on one another. As he was composing, he kept this in mind. In any
case, he was a jazz musician, whether he liked being called one or not. His gift to
the world was immeasurable, leaving more than two thousand compositions. Ellington left
behind a legend, all which started the day he stepped into the Cotton Club. If it
had not been for the Cotton Club opportunity, the results of Ellington's achievements
would not have been as immense, memorable, and impressive. He left the Cotton
Club not sure of what lay ahead, but showed that success is gradual and exists only as
what you make of it.