"President Roosevelt (Teddy) would come by on his horse sometimes, and stop and watch us play", he recalled. As a composer, arranger, pianist . It was during this time that he recorded his only album with Frank Sinatra, entitled Francis A. At his funeral, attended by over 12,000 people at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Ella Fitzgerald summed up the occasion: "It's a very sad day. . "District of Columbia Deaths, 1874-1961", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X2KW-5L9: 3 December 2014), Daisy K Ellington, 1935. On April 29, 1899, in a middle-class neighborhood of Washington D.C., Edward Kennedy Ellington was born to two musically-inclined parents. By the time World War II ended, the focus of popular music was shifting towards singing crooners such as Frank Sinatra and Jo Stafford. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. The esteemed bandleader had given Strayhorn directions to Harlem, including the recommendation that he take the A train. Some regard Duke Ellington as the most important figure to emerge from the U.S. jazz scene in the twentieth century. . Strayhorn composed Take the A Train to impress Ellington, which it did, and Strayhorn relocated from Pittsburgh to New York to join Ellingtons orchestra soon afterwards. I said, Whats wrong with this? And he said, Thats an old thing I was trying to do something with, but its too much like Fletcher Henderson. I flattened it out anyway and put it in the pile with the rest of the stuff.. Terminal illness forced him to leave by late 1941 after only about two years. cemeteries found in Bronx, Bronx County, New York, USA will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Although trumpeter Bubber Miley was a member of the orchestra for only a short period, he had a major influence on Ellington's sound. [43] At one performance though, Garfield insisted Herb Jeffries, who was light-skinned, should wear make-up. Daisy primarily played parlor songs, and James preferred operatic arias. Login to find your connection. He was the son of James Edward Ellington (father) and Daisy Kennedy Ellington (mother). Wife: He married his girlfriend from high school at age 19. The loss of her first pregnancy partly contributed to her depression. 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. His mother's name was Daisy Kennedy Ellington and his father's name was James Edward Ellington. By 1932 his orchestra consisted of six brass instruments, four reeds, and a four-man rhythm section. Learn more about merges. They lived with Daisy's parents at 2129 Ida Place (now Ward Place), NW, in D.C.'s West End neighborhood. According to UCLA magazine: When UCLA students were entranced by Duke Ellington's provocative tunes at a Culver City club in 1937, they asked the budding musical great to play a free concert in Royce Hall. She was Duke's business manager. [34] Ellington and his Orchestra also appeared in the features Murder at the Vanities and Belle of the Nineties (both 1934). To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Nance was also an occasional vocalist, although Herb Jeffries was the main male vocalist in this era (until 1943) while Al Hibbler (who replaced Jeffries in 1943) continued until 1951. Edward was raised in a middle-class home in the Northwest section of Washington described by his sister Ruth--younger by sixteen years--as a "house full of love." . In June 1923, a gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey, another at the prestigious Exclusive Club in Harlem. Mills though continued to record Ellington. The other records of this era include: "Mood Indigo" (1930), "Sophisticated Lady" (1933), "Solitude" (1934), and "In a Sentimental Mood" (1935). To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, This work is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person's official duties. Duke worshiped Daisy, but his 1932 masterpiece was not written about her or any one woman in particular. Ellington told music critic Nat Hentoff that he was hardly surprised at the snub: By and large, in this country, jazz has always been the kind of man you wouldnt want your daughter to associate with.. The Bronx, Bronx, New York, United States, Jazz legend, composer, pianist, and big-band leader. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. From the beginning of their relationship, Mills arranged recording sessions on nearly every label including Brunswick, Victor, Columbia, OKeh, Path (and its Perfect label), the ARC/Plaza group of labels (Oriole, Domino, Jewel, Banner) and their dime-store labels (Cameo, Lincoln, Romeo), Hit of the Week, and Columbia's cheaper labels (Harmony, Diva, Velvet Tone, Clarion) labels which gave Ellington popular recognition. At one point [Strayhorn] was having some sort of trouble and I pulled a piece out of the garbage. Try again. Will Vodery, Ziegfeld's musical supervisor, recommended Ellington for the show, and, according to John Hasse's Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, "Perhaps during the run of Show Girl, Ellington received what he later termed 'valuable lessons in orchestration from Will Vodery. In his 1946 biography, Duke Ellington, Barry Ulanov wrote: From Vodery, as he (Ellington) says himself, he drew his chromatic convictions, his uses of the tones ordinarily extraneous to the diatonic scale, with the consequent alteration of the harmonic character of his music, its broadening, The deepening of his resources. Daisy Kennedy Ellingtons son was an American jazz pianist, composer, and jazz orchestra leader from 1923 to his death. On February 24, 2009, the United States Mint issued a coin with Duke Ellington on it, making him the first African American to appear by himself on a circulating U.S. A complex, private person, he revealed his feelings to only his closest intimates and effectively used his public persona to deflect attention away from himself. Try again later. [5][7] James Ellington made blueprints for the United States Navy. Inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2017. While some jazz musicians had played at Carnegie Hall before, none had performed anything as elaborate as Ellington's work. Daisy married James Ellington on January 3, 1898. He is considered by many to be America`s greatest composer. Daisy was beautiful and dignified. "Cotton Tail", "Main Stem", "Harlem Air Shaft", "Jack the Bear", and dozens of others date from this period. That song, of course, was Take the A Train, which the orchestra recorded the following month. So Strayhorn and Ellingtons son, Mercer, holed up in a room and came up with all new material for the orchestra. I cannot tell you what that music did to me, Ellington later said. Both of Ellington . The British visit saw Ellington win praise from members of the serious music community, including composer Constant Lambert, which gave a boost to Ellington's interest in composing longer works. Add to your scrapbook. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Ellington was also inspired by his first encounters with stride pianists James P. Johnson and Luckey Roberts. Duke was born Edward Kennedy Ellington on April 29, 1899, to Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington in Washington, DC-the capital of the United States of America. While the band's United States audience remained mainly African-American in this period, the Ellington orchestra had a significant following overseas, exemplified by the success of their trip to England and Scotland in 1933 and their 1934 visit to the European mainland. The feature "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" comprised two tunes that had been in the band's book since 1937 but largely forgotten until Ellington, who had abruptly ended the band's scheduled set because of the late arrival of four key players, called the two tunes as the time was approaching midnight. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. His mother, Daisy Kennedy Ellington, was a singer. Inducted into the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers (ISJAC) Hall of Fame in 2017 (inaugural class). Ellington began playing it for his peers at parties, along with his second song, What You Gonna Do When the Bed Breaks Down?, which he described as a pretty good hug-and-rubbin crawl.. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. At age 7, Daisy started sending him to piano lessons. History tells us that she was a beautiful, intelligent, educated woman who doted on her son, Edward Kennedy Ellington (1899-1974). Duke Ellington lived in New York City in the mid-1920s and gained popularity through his appearances at the Cotton Club Harlem. Parents: Both of his parents were musical and talented. That swings because Duke Ellington, an American musical titan and true exemplar of artistic integrity and creative energy, was born in Washington, D. C. in 1899. By 1927, Ellington's band had found a small base of fans and secured an engagement at Harlem's famous Cotton Club. [37] Strayhorn, with his training in classical music, not only contributed his original lyrics and music, but also arranged and polished many of Ellington's works, becoming a second Ellington or "Duke's doppelganger". IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. Working as a freelance sign-painter from 1917, Ellington began assembling groups to play for dances. [1] Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his . Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington is one of the greatest jazz composers, performers, and bandleaders in American history. Via Wikimedia Commons at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jazz_musician_Duke_Ellington.JPEG, Washington, District of Columbia, United States, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States, The Tribune Independent of Michigan - June 1 1935, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1791-1963. Miles Davis created his half-hour dirge "He Loved Him Madly" (on Get Up with It) as a tribute to Ellington one month after his death. A genius has passed. Ellington performed what is considered his final full concert in a ballroom at Northern Illinois University on March 20, 1974. [8], At age seven, Ellington began taking piano lessons from Marietta Clinkscales. When his drummer Sonny Greer was invited to join the Wilber Sweatman Orchestra in New York City, Ellington left his successful career in D.C. and moved to Harlem, ultimately becoming part of the Harlem Renaissance. The next spring, on March 11, 1919, Edna gave birth to their only son, Mercer Kennedy Ellington. Ellington was born to J.E. Hearing the music of the poolroom pianists ignited Ellington's love for the instrument, and he began to take his piano studies seriously. He and his pals could often be found playing ball on a 16th Street tennis court, where then-President Theodore Roosevelt would stop by during one of his frequent horseback rides. In the summer of that year, his father died, and due to many expenses, Ellington's finances were tight, although his situation improved the following year. Strayhorn composed many songs famously performed by Ellingtons orchestra, including jazz standard Take the A Train. It was 1939, before the two began working together, and Strayhorn was planning to visit Ellington in New York in the hopes that Ellington would take him on. They made time between performances to appear on Broadway and film a movie, and the group eventually concluded their Cotton Club run in February 1931 to go on tour. There was an error deleting this problem. In Music Is My Mistress, Ellington neatly summarized his relationship with frequent collaborator Billy Strayhorn as such: Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine.. Daisy Kennedy was born in Washington, D.C., on January 4, 1879, the daughter of a former American slave. They lived with his maternal grandparents in the West End neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His father, James Edward Ellington was born in Lincolnton, North Carolina and Daisy Kennedy, was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of a former . In the early 1940s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. Decent Essays. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? With his father, a Methodist, and his mother, a Baptist, Ellington's upbringing had strong religious influences. Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington D.C. on April 29, 1899. Ellington was noted for his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and for his eloquence and charisma. preferred operatic arias. His family, like other families, fostered racial pride and encouraged him as a child. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Daisy Kennedy Ellington I found on Findagrave.com. His parents, James Edward and Daisy Kennedy Ellington, both played the piano. In 1965, the three jurors of the Pulitzer Prize for Music couldnt decide on a standalone work they felt was worthy of the prize, so they presented the Pulitzer Prize Board with an alternative: that a special citation be awarded to Duke Ellington, who has made many notable contributions to American music over a period of 30 years or more with compositions of high artistic quality couched mainly in the idiom of jazz, in the words of juror and music critic Ronald Eyer. Edward Kennedy Ellington was born in April 29, 1899, to a middle-classed neighborhood of Washington, D.C., also known as U Street. Daisy primarily played parlor songs, and James preferred operatic arias. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Tastes and trends had moved on without him. 1932, Social Lodge No. Washington, District of Columbia, United States, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, United States, http://www.pbs.org/ellingtonsdc/interviewHasse.htm, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWM9-R5V, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6CW-1H7, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMFM-ZQK, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MKLJ-R66, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNLV-6Z9, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4GY-H9R, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFWM-WM8, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XL4H-T4X, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X2KW-5L9, United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (, "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (, "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (, United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (, "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (, Michigan Death Certificates, 1921-1952," database, FamilySearch (. In her first pregnancy, she lost the baby, and the second one had so many complications; she had gone on an excursion on the Potomac River, but then the boat sunk; this frightened her, and she became phobic could not leave the house. "[60] In 1999 he was posthumously awarded a special Pulitzer Prize "commemorating the centennial year of his birth, in recognition of his musical genius, which evoked aesthetically the principles of democracy through the medium of jazz and thus made an indelible contribution to art and culture. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Australian-born composer Percy Grainger was an early admirer and supporter. Duke's parents James Edward Ellington and Daisy Kennedy Ellington worked hard but earned good livings. Please reset your password. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? But Take the A Train ended up in the scrap pile due to Strayhorns worry that it sounded too derivative of jazz pianist Fletcher Henderson. 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