The Duke and Jazz

Starting his career in Harlem's Cotton Club during the roaring 20s, Duke Ellington developed the style that made him the jazz “Mozart”, an American genius who brought depth to jazz. One of his earliest hits, “East St. Louis Toodle-Oo”, featured the trumpet of Bubber Miley in a melodic piece that shows a certain rawness combined with tight background music. The opening trumpet set a pensive mood but the piece soon moves to a lighter sound as you imagine yourself walking down a dark street toward a nightclub. Miley’s rough trumpet moves the band away from the sentimental to a more raw sound.

Duke Ellington’s genius was combining the raw sounds of the street horn players with a tight playing background band providing unification to the sound. “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” showed a be-bop beat and Ivie Anderson belts out the title words with gusto. Her voice is merely an instrument of Ellington’s vision of beat, with the voice and words mere props to remind us that it is not the words but the music itself that moves you. Bass provides a beat that undergirds the vehicle for the rest of the band to revolve around. The beat is the thing and dancing is the result.

John Szwed writes, “Ellington’s band’s rhythmic conception was more like a huge animal coiling up to spring into life.” “Sophisticated Lady” is a smooth piece that has you dreaming of that special one, decked out in an evening gown and ready for a night out on the town. “Solitude” reeks of loneliness as you feel hopeless in love and your loved one is nowhere in sight. Have you felt so low, so alone? “Solitude” fits a darker mood where as “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” swings. Both songs show Ellington’s ability to hit all emotions. Ellington’s band took their music to the very edge, leaving the audience waiting for a free wheeling experiment to proceed out of control, but Duke never allowed the band to cross the line into complete chaos.

Article Author: Tom Donelson

Visit Tom Donelson's author page — Tom Donelson's Blog