Editor's note: Sammy Miller is a Juilliard-trained jazz drummer and music educator. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinions on CNN.
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This spring marks the 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington's death, which would have been his 125th birthday. Among the hundreds of musicians who rocked Harlem's nightclubs, how did “Duke” become synonymous with jazz? What do we learn from this bandleader, pianist, and composer's remarkable career? Can you gain insight?
True, his early activities did not foreshadow musical greatness. Like many children, Ellington refused his practice, preferring baseball swings to piano rhythms. In fact, when his piano teacher hosted a recital for all the students, “I was the only one who couldn't play my part,” Ellington wrote in his 1973 autobiography.
It was not until adolescence that Ellington became interested in music, and his motivation was primarily the desire to attract women. Additionally, Ellington was largely self-taught, so he was never a strong reader of music. Also, his journey wasn't a direct path to the top. His first foray into the New York music scene lasted only a few months before his return. Unable to find enough work, he moved to Washington, DC. The Harlem Renaissance was in full swing, but the scene was competitive and Ellington hit the cue too soon.
This all changed in 1924, when Ellington found friends in charter bands and began incorporating them into his creative process. While other bands at the time relied on pre-written arrangements purchased from publishers, Ellington's reading comprehension was below average and he had difficulty utilizing stock charts. He quickly turned this disadvantage into an advantage, creating his own songs by ear with the band.
Breaking free from the framework of a dogmatic conservatory, Ellington and his band played with the tight, sophisticated Jazz Age rhythms, unfettered bass blues, and unmistakable growls and wails that became their trademark. By combining the dual aspects of the instrumental solos, he was able to carve his own unique style into the arrangement.
As Ellington said, his work “was a continuous autobiography…My music speaks to the new people I keep meeting, especially the new people who pass through the band and sometimes stay in the band.” utilizes their unique way of expressing themselves, and it all becomes part of my style. ”
Knowing Duke Ellington is like knowing his band, but few people today can name the other members. Drummer Sonny Greer was instrumental in defining the sound of his charter band. Before drum sets became standardized, Greer chose to incorporate gongs, timpani, and chimes, giving the band a more orchestral percussion flavor.
Early Ellington trumpet player Bubber Miley adopted the New Orleans musician's niche style, using a toilet plunger to create a gurgling “wah-wah” sound that imitated the human voice, making Ellington's Bandstand popularized it. Miley's style was so infectious that he influenced Jimi Hendrix's “wah” guitar pedal nearly 50 years later.
Harry Carney, who played rich baritone saxophone solos in Ellington's band, revolutionized the bari saxophone, elevating it from a novelty instrument to a staple of every big band that followed.
However, Ellington's closest relationship was with fellow pianist Billy Strayhorn. He was, in Ellington's words, “my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his brainwaves in my head.” ” Ellington met young Strayhorn while they were performing in Pittsburgh. Strayhorn confronted Ellington backstage and jumped on the piano to show him how he would arrange the song differently. Ellington was impressed with his skills and hired Strayhorn.
Strayhorn became an arranger, composer, and utility player, doing whatever was needed to support the ensemble. In fact, Strayhorn was the composer of Ellington's signature song, “Let's Take the A Train,” whose lyrics were inspired by the instructions Ellington gave him to get to Strayhorn's house: “Take the A Train.” I gotta ride/to get to Sugar Hill all the way up in Harlem.
Courtesy of Limited Run
In this 1948 photo, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington hovers over pianist and band member Billy Strayhorn.
Their sound was unique to them as a collective. Ellington's genius was to bring out the best in his bandmates and feature the talents of each musician. “Ellington plays the piano, but his real instrument is the band,” Strayhorn said.
Ellington had an uncanny ability to uplift those around him and enable them to uplift themselves. He took inspiration from his bandmates and put together their ideas to achieve musical greatness, but was somewhat controversial. This technique is the subject of debate in the art world, with some viewing it as theft and others claiming it is simply a natural creative process. “He would steal like crazy, no question about it,” said Ellington's valve trombonist Juan Tisol.
Another bandmate, Lawrence Brown, told Ellington directly: You are the compiler. ” But Ellington was able to bring out the best in these people, and without Ellington these people probably would not have risen to the level of musical excellence that they achieved with Ellington. Ellington trumpeter Clark Terry said:[Ellington is] An editor of acts and ideas, perhaps with a great ability to create something out of nothing. ”
As we mark the 100th anniversary of Ellington's heyday, it's worth considering what about his unique life and career is worth learning from, emulating, compiling, or, dare we say, stealing? right.
Bettman Archive/Getty Images
Duke Ellington and his band pose for a publicity photo in 1931
Trust issues aside, Ellington's genius was that he didn't take much pride in involving others in his creative process, allowing others to fill in what he lacked. . He loved hearing Strayhorn take one of his arrangements and transform it into a fuller, more realized image of what Ellington wanted.
Although Ellington's name is on the album cover, it is because of the music his band created that we treat his name as synonymous with jazz. Ellington had an insatiable thirst to create and create with his bandmates. He continued to perform with his bandmates for 50 years, through the Great Depression, World War II, and even the terrifying rise of rock and roll. As he grew older, he refused to limit himself to the hits of the swing era and wrote increasingly ambitious works. He wrote suites, musicals, and sacred concerts. Whenever he had anything to do with music, Ellington always brought his band with him.
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His life is a testament to the fact that the artistic process should always be a collaborative effort and that no human being, no matter how great, is an isolated entity. His career is a reminder that there is no substitute for working with others who can push you to be your best self, and who can also push you to be your best self.
This is often the lesson that is missing from the way music is taught today. With limited time, we emphasize the need for individual students to master all aspects of reading, writing, and technique, but also the skills needed to play well with others in a band, viz. Ignoring your safety enough to ask for help. From others. If Ellington's life is any guide, turning to others only enhances the joy and beauty of creation.
