Duke Ellington - A Sentimental Timeline Quiz

Duke Ellington was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29th, 1899, where he was raised by parents who were both proficient piano players. Duke began his own musical training quite young, learning piano from the age of 7, before other interests pulled his attention away as a young teen, including baseball and art.

His interest in piano was rekindled after exposure to pool hall musicians, and at the age of 15, he wrote his first song, "Soda Fountain Rag." It didn't take long for Duke to make his way as a performing musician, and he played with other local groups before forming his own group that he called "The Duke's Serenaders" in late 1917 (at the age of 18). With himself on piano, the small band also included alto saxophone, trumpet, banjo and drums.

The band performed for both black and white audiences, which was a rare accomplishment at the time. They were a successful group, but eventually Duke relocated to Harlem, when his drummer was invited to join a different band there.

Duke began his time in New York City in 1923, which took some effort and lots of small gigs to make a name for himself. Playing piano with Elmer Snowden's Washington Black Sox Orchestra, Duke really established himself when the band booked a six month gig at the Hollywood Club in Manhattan. Only three months into that engagement, however, saw a leadership change, as Snowden left the band in early 1924 and Duke was elected the new bandleader. They shortened the name to The Washingtonians, and the band ended up staying at the Hollywood Club until 1925, when the club closed for repairs.

After the club reopened in the spring of 1925 as "The Kentucky Club," Duke and his band continued their association, now going with the name Duke Ellington and his Kentucky Club Orchestra. But that didn't stop Duke from still doing recordings under the name Washingtonians until 1929.

When King Oliver turned down a long-term contract to play at Harlem's Cotton Club, Duke Ellington was the club owner's second choice for the job. In addition to playing for the high society crowd, the gig also included a weekly radio broadcast, which helped launch Duke Ellington (and his orchestra) to national fame.

This initial stint at The Cotton Club lasted until 1931, after which Duke and his orchestra began a tour of Europe, increasing his fame to international levels.

"Mood Indigo" was originally titled "Dreamy Blues" when it was written in late 1930. It was the very first song that Duke Ellington composed for radio broadcast, and it immediately became a hit (and later, became a jazz standard). With its popularity, lyrics were added, and the name changed to "Mood Indigo."

The main melody was contributed by Barney Bigard, a clarinetist in Duke's orchestra, who had gotten it from another source, in a tune he knew as "Mexican Blues." And with the name change, lyrics were added. The credit for the lyrics went to Irving Mills, although in a 1987 interview, lyricist Mitchell Paris claimed to have been the writer.

The 1931 recording of the song by Duke Ellington was ensconced in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975.

The luscious strains of "In a Sentimental Mood" are one of Duke Ellington's most recognizable songs. Written and recorded in 1935, lyrics were later added by Manny Kurtz and Irving Mills. Also considered a jazz standard today, one of the most beloved renditions of the song came with a collaboration between Duke and John Coltrane in 1962, released on the 1963 album "Duke Ellington and John Coltrane."

One of the greatest collaborators with Duke Ellington was Billy Strayhorn, who wrote many of the lyrics for Duke's songs (about 40%) over a span of nearly three decades. While Strayhorn never achieved the same fame, according to Duke, "Billy "was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine."" (source colburnschool)

According to the story, when Duke was giving Strayhorn the directions to how to find him in Harlem, his instructions began with, "Take the 'A' Train," and the rest became history. Written solely by Billy Strayhorn in 1939, "Take the 'A' Train" became Duke Ellington's signature song after a ruling by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) regarding licensing of compositions and the performing of said compositions over radio. It was somewhat complicated, and led to the seeking of a new direction, which was found in Strayhorn's composition.

Duke Ellington's first foray into the world of film actually happened in 1929 with an appearance in the RKO short "Black and Tan," but while he made number of acting and musical roles (with and without full orchestra), the 1959 film "Anatomy of a Murder" was the first time that Duke Ellington (and writing partner Billy Strayhorn) composed the full musical score of a movie. And it was significantly also the first film ever scored by an African-American.

It was 1961's "Paris Blues," however, that earned Duke a nomination for Best Original Score at the Academy Awards (the Oscars).

As Duke Ellington progressed to his later life and career, he began to collaborate more and more with musicians that at one time were considered his rivals for popularity. One of those was Count Basie, who had also started out in Harlem in the 1920s, and formed the Count Basie Orchestra in 1935.

In the summer of 1961, the Duke and the Count came together to record the seminal "First Time! The Count Meets the Duke" with their combined orchestras, recording eight pieces. Interestingly, in stereo releases of the album, Basie's band is featured on the left channel and Ellington's on the right.

Duke Ellington referred to his series of Sacred Concerts (in 1965, 1968 and 1973) as the most important thing he had ever done. This accomplishment meshed his music-writing ability (in the jazz style) with his deep religious convictions.

The first concert (1965) was premiered and recorded at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, although the official album was recorded later that year in New York at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.

The second concert (1968) was premiered at Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York with the official recording of the music done at Fine Studio (also in New York).

The third concert (1973) was premiered and recorded at Westminster Abbey in London, England, barely half a year before Duke's death in May of 1974.

Duke Ellington received many accolades over his life and illustrious career. He was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1965, but no award was actually issued that year. It wasn't until 1999 that he posthumously received a Pulitzer Prize Special Award for "commemorating the centennial year of his birth, in recognition of his musical genius, which evoked aesthetically the principles of democracy through the medium of jazz and thus made an indelible contribution to art and culture."

In addition, Duke Ellington received 14 Grammys (of 25 nominations), along with nine of his songs being entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame (so far).

He also was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1960), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1966), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (presented by Nixon in 1969), and the Legion of Honour (from France, 1973), in addition to numerous honorary degrees.