*Born in Washington, D.C., Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington rose to fame at Harlem's Cotton Club in the late 1920s. His career as a musician, composer, and bandleader spanned more than 50 years. Among his many compositions are hundreds of short pieces and more ambitious extended works, including operas, ballets, musicals, concert pieces (such as "Black, Brown and Beige"), and the "Sacred Concerts." He was decorated with numerous awards and honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom—presented by President Nixon in 1969.
* Duke Ellington | Smithsonian Institution (si.edu)
NOTE--This informational blog is compiled by (with the exception of the introduction and photograph) and reprinted with permission from Abdul Akalimat, PhD
Biography Documentary films Collaborations
Biography
On the Road with Duke Ellington https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxMr46IUlDk
A Duke Named Ellington https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YHOQZuGvXc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=785lcyKAIOg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhtCd8l6d24
Love you madly https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBa8bXIg_ro
Reminiscing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIlRgnp-Cs0
Historical anthology https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXqZs8VoM4I
Duke in Jazz History https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyhKlQpzVXA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snuL9_eyzgE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFdHy_1j9tM
The Story of Duke Ellington https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-story-of-duke-ellington-part-1-1899-1929/ https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-story-of-duke-ellington-part-2-1930-1939/ https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-story-of-duke-ellington-part-3-1939-1951/ https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-story-of-duke-ellington-part-4-1951-1961/ https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-story-of-duke-ellington-part-5-1961-1974/
Documentary films
1940 North Dakota https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDtpZsJplW4
1946 Minnesota https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUOjDYV2ROc
1958 Amsterdam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7oK3_3-ls0
1959 Switzerland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DLAqf_hqSY
1963 Iraq https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9pGtcdnyno
1964 Montreal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTFK1M5hY0A
1965 San Francisco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8T5-AxBUwI
1966 Dakar, Senegal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjFJ6SrhbNM
1968 Paris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS1jm8ANLSY
1969 Copenhagen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVh6yeCTKm4
1970 Italy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncUI8c7U1og
1973 Barcelona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZg3gG9ZeBQ
Collaborations
Duke Ellington and John Coltrane https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dDPVUNk1Mg
Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIBzSnTBTzQ
Duke Ellington and Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie-bbfdSmvI
Duke Ellington and Ben Webster https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzMhGj-YXww
Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald https://www.jazziz.com/ella-fitzgerald-duke-ellington-story-friendship/
Duke Ellington and Charlie Mingus and Max Roach https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXASTsm9juM