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Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. 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 orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem. A master at writing miniatures for the three-minute 78 rpm recording format, Ellington wrote or collaborated on more than one thousand compositions; his extensive body of work is the largest recorded personal jazz legacy, and many of his pieces have become standards. He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol's "Caravan", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz. At the end of the 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty five-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion. With Strayhorn, he composed mult ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caravan (1937 Song)
"Caravan" is an American jazz standard by Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington, first performed by Ellington in 1936. Irving Mills wrote lyrics, but they are rarely sung. The song has regained popularity since being featured prominently in the 2014 film ''Whiplash (2014 film), Whiplash''. Original recording The first version of the song was recorded in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood in 1936 and performed as an instrumental by Barney Bigard#Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators, Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators. Two takes were recorded, of which the first (Variety VA-515-1) was published. The band members were: * Cootie Williams – trumpet * Juan Tizol – trombone * Barney Bigard – clarinet * Harry Carney – baritone saxophone * Duke Ellington – piano * Billy Taylor (jazz bassist), Billy Taylor – double bass * Sonny Greer – drums The musicians were members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, which often split into smaller combinations to record songs under different band names. Fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
