More on Duke Ellington
Several people have asked me exactly what sort of Jazz concert I went to at Ely Cathedral on Saturday, and why there was a jazz concert. Here is my synopsis on Duke Ellington and the concert I went to see. As Paul Harvey says, "And now for the rest of the story..." Duke Ellington was a master jazz composer and musician from the late 1930s to the year he died in 1974. Ellington, of course, grew up to become probably the premiere big band jazz style writer, hitting his peak in the World War II years. As big band jazz went into decline in the 1950's, Ellington struggled a bit, trying to adapt to the new themes that were erupting from the jazz genre. Interestingly enough, a form Big Band jazz made a brief renaissance in the early 60's, especially with the advent of Las Vegas. By this point in his life, Ellington likewise became hip again, as did Louis Armstrong and others from the vintage 30's jazz era. Ellington had become a very mature writer, mixing and composing a...