Who was Duke Ellington?Edward Kennedy (Duke) Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 and died on May 24, 1974. Duke was one of America's greatest composers. He was an originator of big-band jazz, a pianist, orchestra leader, and composed over 2000 pieces of music in his 50-year music career.

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

Duke Ellington

Early LifeDuke was raised by his parents in a middle-class neighborhood in Washington, D.C. He started taking piano lessons at the age of 7 and started getting admirers. A classmate gave him the nickname “Duke” for his charisma, eloquence, and dapper dress. This royal nickname suited him and carried with him throughout his career. Surprisingly, Duke disliked piano lessons and would rather be playing baseball. Although his parents insisted he continue, he eventually quit when the lessons got too boring.

Teenage YearsDuke Ellington started playing the piano again in his teenage years. He also loved studying art and later got offered a scholarship to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. One summer job washing dishes, Duke met a waiter who took him to see a ragtime pianist, Harvey Brooks. Duke fell in love with the way Brooks played music and how he didn’t follow all the rules of classical piano. Inspired by ragtime music, Duke decided not to take the art scholarship and pursue music. He practiced until his fingers could fly across the keys and started creating his own melodies. He soon began playing for his high school dances. When he was 15, working as a soda jerk at the Poodle Dog Café, he composed his first piece of music, Soda Fountain Rag. Since he had not learned to read and write music yet, he created the piece by ear. By 1917, he dropped out of high school and started performing professionally.

Start of CareerDuke played at many events, parties, and dance halls. Soon he was part of a small jazz band. Then in 1923, he decided to move to New York City and played in jazz clubs, saloons, and dance halls. In 1924, he was leading his own band, the Washingtonians at The Kentucky Club, located in Times Square. In 1927, his band

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

was hired to play regularly at the Cotton Club, the hottest jazz spot in Harlem. He began to produce his own sophisticated arrangements. Even at this early stage, Duke was getting noticed for his different style of music and by 1930, Duke and his band were famous.

The Band Duke chose to work with musicians who had unique playing styles. This talent helped influence Duke’s “jungle style” masterpieces. Although he sometimes worked with a dozen of musicians at a time, some that stand out are Bubber Miley and Joe Nanton. Bubber Miley used a plunger to make the “wa-wa” sound and Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton was known for the “growl” sounds on the trombone.

Career in Full SwingDuke and his ensemble impressed fans around the world. In 1931, they were invited to visit the White House. They toured Europe twice in the 1930’s. They also took part in films in Hollywood and performed in live radio broadcasts for their large audience. Starting in 1943, Duke played a series of Carnegie Hall concerts. In addition to composing jazz songs, he also wrote musicals, ballets, film scores, and more. For decades, Duke continued to play and compose some of the most well-known jazz pieces. After World War II in the 1960’s, the band not only toured North America, but also they also toured Asia, West Africa, South America, and Australia.

Being HonoredFor Duke’s 70th birthday in 1969, President Nixon held a party in his honor at the White House. Nixon gave Duke Ellington the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his free expression in music. Duke also earned 12 Grammy awards from 1959-2000, some being after his death. These honors were well-deserved for a man who continued composing and performing unique harmonies for a half a century.

Death of the DukeDuke was known for his musical expression, righteousness, individuality, and making the heart swing! When he was 75, he developed lung cancer and pneumonia. The Duke died on May 24, 1964. It is said that his last words were, “Music is how I live, why I live, and how I will be remembered.” More than 12,000 fans attended his funeral in the Bronx in New York City.

Name ___________________________________

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

Pam ate pickled peaches.

1. What type of genre is this reading?A. fiction B. fantasy C. non-fiction D. historical fiction

2. Who gave Edward Kennedy Ellington the nickname, Duke?A. his parents B. his classmate C. his sister D. Harvey Brooks

3. When Duke was in elementary school, what activity did he enjoy doing?A. baseball B. piano C. orchestra D. going to dances

4. Who inspired Duke to want to start playing the piano again?A. his parents B. his classmate C. his sister D. Harvey Brooks

5. What was different about his music?A. He played only classical music.B. He changed rules and expressed freely.C. He only wrote short pieces of music.D. He wore flashy clothes.

6. What happened first in the following events?A. He wrote for Carnegie Hall. C.B. He quit his lessons. D.

He performed for the high school. He met a waiter who took him to see ragtime.

7. What was the name of his first band?A. Washingtonians B. Kentucky Club C. Cotton Band D. Duke’s band

8. How old was Duke when he began producing sophisticated arrangements ofhis own?

A. 19 B. 34 C. 22 D. 28

9. How was Duke’s band able to spread their music to people all over the world?C. downloads from InternetD. playing at local clubs in Washington

A. live broadcasts on TVB. live broadcasts on the radio

Duke Ellington

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

10. Which boldfaced word is defined as a group of musicians who play together?A. ragtimeB. charisma

C. harmoniesD. ensemble

11. Why did President Nixon honor him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom?A. for helping others free from slaveryB. for being the first African American musicianC. for playing music for 70 yearsD. for expressing freely in music pieces

12. What happened second in the following events?A. He toured the world.B. He made movies.C. He met Harvey Brooks.D. He composed the song, “Soda Fountain Rag.”

13- 18 Place the following let ter to the correct dates in the timeline:

A. Duke passed away.B. Duke played at dance halls.C. Edward was born.

D. He played at the Cotton ClubE. He was invited to the White House.F. Duke played his own music at

Carnegie Hall.

1899 1918 1927 1943 1969 1974

19. What does the expression “he practiced until his fingers could fly” mean?

20. From the reading, what can you infer about Duke Ellington’s character?

3

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

Answer Key:1. C

2. B

3. A

4. D

5. B

6. B

7. A

8. D

9. B

10. D

11. D

12. D

13. C

14. B

15. D

16. F

17. E

18. A

19. He practiced until he made the music that everyone would love.

20. He had self-expression, integrity, individuality, and charisma.4

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

4

The following vocabulary is taken from the picture book:

Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney

https://amzn.to/3cHAJrA

Name ___________________________________

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

Duke Ellington Vocabulary Words

1. ragtime- a type of jazz music with an irregular rhythm

2. melodies- pleasing tunes

3. jazz- a type of music with complex melodies that was started in the U.S.

4. orchestra- a large group of musicians who play different instrumentstogether

5. improvise- to make up something as you go along

6. blues- sad feelings

7. heritage- something that is handed down from past generations

8. jambalaya- a spicy stew made with rice, meat, fish, and spices

9. stride- to walk or run in long steps

10. lilt- playing in a lively, cheerful manner

11. swanky- expensive and showy

12. cuttin’ the rug- dancing

13. notions- ideas

14. maestro- a master in music

15. crude- lack of perfection

5

Name ___________________________________

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

1. The members of the practiced for their recital.

2. I forgot the rest of the piece I was playing, so I had to some music.

3. Clara says that when it rains outside, sometimes she gets the .

4. At the party we went to the dance floor and were to the music.

5. Eduardo wrote an essay celebrating his Mexican .

6. We can’t afford to go to that place!

7. The that I ordered in the restaurant is so spicy!

8. Duke became a in jazz.

9. The track star had a that made him run faster thanlightning!

10.Why did Duke’s parents have different for him when he wasplaying baseball?

11._________________________ is what folks called the music that turned umpy-dump intoa soul- rousing romp.

12.The radio stations played many by famous jazz composers.

ragtime melodies orchestra improvise

blues heritage jambalaya swanky

maestro stride cuttin’ the rug notions

Duke Ellington Vocabulary

©P.Olivieri (Rockin Resources)

Answer Key:1. orchestra

2. improvise

3. blues

4. cutting the rug

5. heritage

6. swanky

7. jumbalaya

8. maestro

9. stride

10. notions

11.ragtime

12. melodies