Centennial Year Of Duke Ellington's Birth -- Sir Duke -- His Music Truly Expresses The American Century

In this centennial year of Duke Ellington's birth, superlatives have been tossed around like they were going out of print. Ellington has been touted as "America's greatest composer," "the most important musician of the 20th century," "the most important musician in the history of jazz" . . . the list goes on.

But the claims, while impressive, are vague. Ellington's contribution to American culture is staggering, but what specifically is that contribution, and why is it unique?

When we look at Ellington's long list of enduring popular songs, such as "Satin Doll" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" - most aficionados would agree that he was neither America's best, nor most prolific, songwriter.

As for stylistic innovation on the piano, Ellington doesn't hold a candle to such benchmark figures as his own idol, Lucky Roberts (or James P. Johnson), much less Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Thelonious Monk or many others. Nor was Ellington the most charismatic and successful big-band leader of the Swing Era, certainly not in the way Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey or Glenn Miller were.

So what is it that makes Duke Ellington so special?

One clue is that Ellington kept a commercially viable band on the road for 50 years, from 1924 until his death in 1974, and throughout that half century wrote original, memorable works specifically tailored to it.

Ellington operated in the commercial marketplace of American popular music, of course, and his sensibility was informed by the American scene and the Harlem Renaissance. He wrote for dances, memorial events, religious occasions and pure listening pleasure, drawing upon the folk songs, dance tunes and everyday life around him to fashion a completely original art music that was both serious and occasional.

Ellington also is in many ways the quintessential Harlem Renaissance figure, though he outlived that era by such a margin that most everyone has forgotten his origins in it.

Like his contemporary, the poet Langston Hughes, Ellington quite self-consciously saw his charge as making art out of the rich, black folk culture around him - the blues, work songs, spirituals, vestigial African timbres and dance rhythms that were moving north, as was he, from Washington, D.C., to Harlem.

"When I began my work," he reflected in a 1947 essay, "jazz was a stunt - something `different.' Not everybody cared for jazz, and those who did felt that it wasn't `the real thing' unless they were given a shock sensation of loudness or unpredictability along with the music . . . What actually, is jazz? A matter of trick rhythms, blues-notes, and unorthodox harmonies? I think not. Those matters may enter into it, but only in the nature of a result and not of a cause. To my mind, jazz is simply the expression of an age, in music."

If you listen to Ellington's work, it is his highly sophisticated commentary on the forms of African-American music culture - or, to use the African-American term, "signifying" - that raises his music above all the rest. What other jazz musicians use as entire statements, Ellington takes as mere vocabulary in a larger, more comprehensive language.

Take his 1941 composition "Harlem Airshaft," in which the sound of a riffing, muted trumpet section, a banner for the Swing Era, is heard as if through an apartment window - not as the subject of the song itself, but simply as one element in a rich, atmospheric impression.

Or listen to "Creole Rhapsody" (1931), his first attempt at an extended work, in which a blues, a serenade and a Harlem strut are deftly woven into an eight-minute piece, with the first and second themes popping up and folding back on each other. Ellington got better and better at this, until, with a piece like "Come Sunday," he could write a five-note phrase for Johnny Hodges and the alto saxophonist could stretch, twist, expand, contract, invert and subvert the phrase until, if you will, kingdom came. This sense of patient, controlled play with the basic elements of jazz is at the core of Ellington's art.

He had a lot of help. In jazz, the quality of the music depends on distinctive, personal sounds - and the musical ideas - of individual players. As a band leader and composer, Ellington took that notion to its logical and democratic conclusion, deliberately writing music for the wah-wah, "jungle" sound of trumpeter James "Bubber" Miley, the blustering warmth of tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, the sexual coo of Hodges, and so forth. Eventually, his "instrument" became the orchestra itself, a virtual neighborhood of voices he could shape and manage (if not always control; his men were a notoriously unruly bunch).

The logistics of this endeavor were daunting. Ellington had no castle to which he could quietly repair to compose. He wrote music on Pullman cars, in automobiles, on ships, in hotel rooms, in restaurants, backstage and occasionally even at his Harlem home. When work was scarce, he kept his band on the payroll through the enormous royalties he received from his songwriting. (Among Ellington's royalty checks was one he received from RCA Victor for $22,500 - back in 1943.) Some of his musicians, such as baritone saxophonist Harry Carney, stayed with him as long as 40 years. But others, such as Webster, were lured away; the ground-breaking bassist, Jimmie Blanton, tragically died young.

In 1943, with the premiere of "Black, Brown and Beige" at Carnegie Hall, a panoramic work limning the contours of African-American life, Ellington began to work in earnest in long-form suites. It was during this era that Ellington, who had always presented himself as elegant and upper class - his nickname was "Duke," after all - began to take on the patina of a serious composer. He went so far as to reject the word "jazz" altogether, brushing off inquiries as to what category his music fit into with his famous, oft-quoted line, "There are only two categories of music. Good and bad."

But the white gloves and fancy-schmancy names for his compositions are a red herring. Long-form compositions, concert halls and tails did not make Ellington a "serious" composer. As soon as he wrote "Mood Indigo," a mere three minutes long, in 1930, as soon as he blended the low hoot of a clarinet with a muted trombone and muted trumpet - transgressing every "rule" that burgeoning swing band leaders were establishing - his credentials as a serious composer became indisputable, whether anyone at the time recognized it or not.

Albert Murray, the writer whose promotion of Ellington's genius to Wynton Marsalis has played a large part in the cultural politics of the current Ellington centennial celebration, proposed in his book, "Stompin' the Blues," that we are living in the Century of the Blues. That just as European classical music reflected its age in the symphonies of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, jazz - and specifically, Ellington - is the highest musical expression of the American century.

Murray's argument is painted in broad strokes, but in the long run he may be right about Ellington. For while other American musical figures may surpass him in one area or another (George Gershwin as a songwriter, Goodman as a band leader, Hines as a pianist and perhaps even Leonard Bernstein or Elliott Carter as a composer), none of them can hold a candle - or should we say 100 candles - to "the Duke" in all the categories combined.

Perhaps the most accurate superlative we can bestow on Ellington in this centennial year is to say that he is, indeed, American music's largest and most comprehensive figure, having expressed himself in the broadest range of forms, over the longest period of time, in the largest body of work, and in the deepest manner possible - more so than any other musical genius this nation has ever produced. ------------------------------- Duke Ellington centennial events

The Earshot Jazz Festival's "Simply Ellington" celebration began yesterday with a performance of an all-Ellington program at Town Hall by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra. For more information on the following events, call the Earshot Jazz Festival Hotline at 206-547-9787.

-- Tuesday at 8 p.m. - Solo piano performance by John Hicks at Brechemin Auditorium on the University of Washington campus, devoted to the music of longtime Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn.

-- Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. - Panel discussion, "Duke Ellington: the Elegant Activist," with longtime Ellington publicist Patricia Willard, former Ellington trombonist Julian Priester, author and jazz writer A.B. Spellman and band leader and high school director Clarence Acox. Moderator: Paul de Barros.

-- Saturday at 6:30 p.m. - Talk by David Hajdu, author of the critically acclaimed "Lush Life," a biography of Billy Strayhorn.

-- Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. - Soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy performs a solo concert especially developed for the Earshot Jazz Festival, "Ten of Dukes."

-- Oct. 27 at 8 p.m. - Guitarist Kenny Burrell and percussionist Ray Barretto's septet New World Spirit plays a Latin tribute, "The Duke en Clave."

Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. - Annual Ellington Sacred Concert by the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, enhanced with a full choir, at the First United Methodist Church, 811 Fifth Ave., Seattle. ------------------------------- DUKE ELLINGTON TIMELINE

The early years, 1899-1926: Duke Ellington grows up in a prosperous, black, middle-class neighborhood in northwest Washington, D.C. His father works as a butler for a white physician; his mother dotes on him. Ellington learns ragtime piano, studies commercial art and begins to perform at his high school. After forming his first band, he travels with band leader Elmer Snowden to New York, where he improves his Harlem Stride-style piano and begins his national career.

April 29, 1899: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington is born to James Edward Ellinton and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. 1906: Begins studying piano. 1914: Writes first composition, "Soda Fountain Rag." 1916: Debuts professionally as a pianist. 1918: Forms first band, The Duke's Serenaders; marries Edna Thompson. 1919: A son, Mercer Ellington, is born. 1923: Moves to New York with Elmer Snowden and his Black Sox Orchestra (later called the Washingtonians), which includes Ellington (piano), Snowden (banjo), Sonny Greer (drums), Otto Hardwick (saxophones) and Arthur Whetsol (trumpet). After scuffling for jobs, the band opens at the Hollywood Club near Times Square, for an engagement that lasts most of the next four years. James "Bubber" Miley, who plays growling, gut-bucket trumpet, replaces Whetsol. 1924: Snowden leaves; Ellington becomes leader of the band 1927: Band enlarges to 10 pieces, including "Tricky" Sam Nanton (father of the "talking trombone") and Harry Carney (baritone saxophone)

Soundtrack: "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" "Black and Tan Fantasy" "That Lindy Hop"

The Cotton Club years, 1927-31 Prohibition is on, speakeasies are chic and it becomes fashionable for white folks to go up to Harlem for a night on the town. Ellington gets hired at the gangster-controlled, whites-only Cotton Club, and plays floor shows with exotic dancers. The band's growling trumpet, talking trombone and laughing clarinet earn the description "Jungle Band." Ellington's career is in full bloom; he writes hit songs, broadcasts over the radio and appears in films.

1927: Band opens at the Cotton Club. 1930: Band appears in an Amos 'n' Andy film, "Check and Double Check"; the hit record "Mood Indigo" makes Ellington famous worldwide. 1931: Band grows to 12, with New Orleans clarinet ace Barney Bigard replacing Rudy Jackson and Cootie Williams replacing Miley, and Johnny Hodges (alto and soprano saxophone) and vocalist Ivie Anderson joining.

Soundtrack: "The Mooche" "Creole Love Song" "Mood Indigo" "Rockin' in Rhythm"

Hard times at home, travel abroad, the Swing Era begins, 1932-38: Leaving the Cotton Club, Ellington embarks on a life of nonstop, worldwide touring that will continue until his death. He appears in Seattle several times, continues to write hit songs and enhances his reputation through appearances in films.

1932: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a hit, with Ivie Anderson, vocal; composer Percy Grainger invites Ellington to address his class at New York University. 1933: First European tour, with Ellington taking London and Paris by storm; New York School of Music presents him with award for best composition of the year, for "Creole Rhapsody." May 21, 1934: Ellington plays Seattle for the first time, at the Music Hall Theatre. 1934: Band appears in the films "Murder at the Vanities" and "Belle of the Nineties." Ellington writes "Solitude" and records a nine-minute suite, "Symphony in Black"; longtime supporter John Hammond attacks the work as "arty" and "pretentious." 1935: Ellington's mother dies, sending him into a lengthy depression; he composes the long-form work "Reminiscing in Tempo," and begins to record discrete, smaller units from the band. 1936: Ellington returns to Seattle's Palomar Theatre, playing five shows a day. 1937: Band appears in a Marx Brothers film, "A Day at the Races," and performs on CBS Radio's "Saturday Night Swing Sessions"; Ellington composes "Crescendo in Blue" and "Diminuendo in Blue"; his father dies. Feb. 9-12, 1937: Ellington plays the Palomar Theatre, and returns in May.

Soundtrack: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)" "Reminiscing in Tempo"

The Blanton/Webster Band years, 1939-42: Ellington hires three players who boost the band to one of its historical peaks. Billy Strayhorn, a brilliant young pianist/composer with classical training, joins and stays for life, as co-composer. Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster becomes the band's first great tenor star. Bassist Jimmie Blanton liberates the bass from its thumping background role, turning it into a virtuoso solo instrument. The band sizzles.

1939: Seattle bassist Adolphus Alsbrook plays briefly with Ellington, but quits because he says Ellington "uses the wrong chords"; bassist Jimmie Blanton, tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn join the band. April, 1940: Ellington plays a week at the Showbox Theatre and one date (April 8) at Finnish Hall in Seattle. Nov. 7, 1940: A concert in Fargo, N.D., is recorded live, capturing the Ellington road band in a classic, candid performance. 1941: A Hollywood production of an original musical, "Jump for Joy" runs 11 weeks, and includes "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good"); Strayhorn's "Take the `A' Train" becomes the band's theme song. Dec. 5, 1941: Duke plays Seattle's Palomar Theatre. December, 1941: Seattle bassist Junior Raglin replaces Blanton, who dies of tuberculosis.

Soundtrack: "Take the `A' Train" "Jack the Bear" "Cottontail" "Ko-Ko" "Concerto for Cootie" "Pitter Panther Patter" "Rain Check" "Warm Valley"

Ellington the grand composer steps out, 1942-50: Beginning with "Black, Brown and Beige," which he debuts at Carnegie Hall, and encouraged by the debut of the 33 1/3 rpm, long-playing record, Ellington begins to emerge more prominently as a composer, writing his classic "Perfume Suite," "Deep South Suite," "Liberian Suite," "The Tattooed Bride," and "New World A-Comin." Ellington becomes deeply involved, behind the scenes, in the burgeoning civil-rights movement.

1943: First Carnegie Hall concert includes the debut of the extended work, "Black Brown & Beige"; five more Carnegie Hall concerts follow, through 1948; the Ink Spots have hits with Ellington's "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me." April 1, 1943: Ellington opens a six-month engagement in midtown Manhattan at the Hurricane. August, 1943: Webster leaves the band 1945: Bass prodigy Oscar Pettiford joins. 1946: Orchestra expands to 18 pieces, including Ray Nance (trumpet/violin), Shorty Baker (trumpet) and Jimmy Hamilton (clarinet); "Tricky" Sam Nanton has stroke, leaves band; "Beggars' Holiday," Ellington's jazz version of the "Beggar's Opera," opens on Broadway with a biracial, nonstereotyped cast. June 28, 1946: Ellington plays the Civic Ice Arena, Seattle Aug. 27, 1947: Ellington plays Civic Auditorium, Seattle 1950: Tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves joins; European tour, 2 1/2 months; Johnny Hodges, Lawrence Brown and Sonny Greer desert the band all at once and start own group. Ellington is devastated.

Soundtrack: "Black, Brown and Beige" "Tone Parallel to Harlem" "Liberian Suite" "The Tattooed Bride" "Deep South Suite" "A Slip of the Lip" (WWII patriotic song) "Happy Go Lucky Local" (aka "Night Train") "Lush Life" "Transblucency"

The lean years, 1951-56: The Swing Era ends, ballrooms close, big bands start to die off, television and rock 'n' roll put jazz in the doldrums. Ellington falls out of critical favor, accused of being "behind the times" (not hip to the new bebop), too arty and classically influenced, and sloppy in his performances.

1951: In "The Great James Robbery," Ellington "steals" three key players - Willie Smith (alto saxophone), Juan Tizol (trombone) and Louis Bellson (drums) - from Harry James; "Tone Parallel to Harlem" debuts at the Metropolitan Opera House, in a benefit for the NAACP. Ellington presents the manuscript to President Truman at a meeting at the White House. March 25, 1952: The Seattle Concert, at Civic Auditorium, is recorded and later released. 1953: Attempting to make a hit record any way he can, Ellington makes a string of awful novelty records (including "Bunny Hop Mambo") for Capitol , but fails; composes "Satin Doll." 1955: Hodges rejoins band.

Soundtrack: "Satin Doll" "Tone Parallel to Harlem" "Caravan," from "The Seattle Concert"

The great comeback, 1956-65: Ellington plays a concert at the Newport Jazz Festival, in Newport, R.I. Gonsalves takes a marathon, 27-chorus solo on "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" that blows away the audience. The performance and subsequent publicity, including a cover story in Time magazine, revive Ellington's reputation for good. The album becomes his best-selling record of all time.

July 7, 1956: Ellington's band triumphs at the Newport Jazz Festival. 1956: Ellington signs with Columbia Records. 1957: Appears on Edward R. Murrow's "Person to Person" TV show. 1958: Plays the first Monterey Jazz Festival, returns six times; on a European tour, Ellington meets Queen Elizabeth and composes "The Queen's Suite" in her honor. 1959: First full-length film score, "Anatomy of a Murder"; NAACP awards Ellington the Spingarn Medal. 1960: Composes "Paris Blues" film score; "Suite Thursday" debuts at the Monterey Jazz Festival; Ellington makes headlines when he is refused service at an all-white restaurant in Baltimore; he cancels an engagement in Little Rock, Ark., to voice his disgust with segregation. 1962: Records "Money Jungle," playing piano with bassist Charles Mingus. 1963: Receives honorary doctorate from Howard University. 1963: Debuts "My People"; State Department tour of Middle and Near East inspires "Far East Suite." 1965: Ellington is selected by music jury for the Pulitzer Prize, but the advisory board rejects the recommendation.

Soundtrack: "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue," featuring Paul Gonsalves, from "Live at Newport" "Such Sweet Thunder" "Nutcracker Suite" "Suite Thursday" "Isfahan," from "Far East Suite"

The Sacred Concerts, 1965-74 Sensing mortality, Ellington turns his attention to religious music. He continues to enjoy the fruits of his labor, touring and collecting honors around the world.

1965: Ellington's first Sacred Concert, "In the Beginning, God," debuts at Grace Cathedral, in San Francisco; he tours Europe and performs at White House. 1967: Receives honorary doctorate from Yale University; Strayhorn dies. 1968: Debuts second Sacred Concert, at Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, New York; tours South America and Mexico. 1969: Receives Medal of Freedom from President Nixon; tours West Indies, Prague 1970: Elected as member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters; tours Far East and Australia. 1971: Tours the U.S.S.R. 1973: Debuts third Sacred Concert, sponsored by the United Nations, at Westminster Abbey, London. May 24, 1974: Duke Ellington dies

Soundtrack: "David Danced Before the Lord" "Come Sunday" "Latin American Suite" "Afro-Eurasian Eclipse" "New Orleans Suite" "Togo Brava Suite" "The River" (ballet, 1970)