Duke Ellington Orchestra

This was arguably the greatest jazz band of the era and beyond. Ellington himself had started as a sign painter before taking up piano in his teens. He played music in and around Washington D.C., moving to New York in the early 20s as a sideman with the bands of Elmer Snowden and Wilbur Sweatman. In 1923, he formed his first group, The Washingtonians. Five years later, the fully-established 12-piece Ellington Orchestra attained residency at Harlem’s Cotton Club, playing tunes mostly composed and arranged by Ellington himself. The band’s popularity was further enhanced by extensive tours throughout the United States and Europe where Ellington was afforded many a grand reception, including by the King and Queen of England. Through the William Morris Agency, the Ellington Orchestra was booked into high profile spots as the Ritz Carlton Roof in Boston and the Hotel Sherman in Chicago.

The Ellington Orchestra recorded under various labels, including Brunswick, Vocalion, Victor, Okeh and Columbia. Various signature tunes included "Solitude", "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" and (most famously) "Take the A Train". Duke composed as many as 2000 songs (possibly many more), a great number of them now jazz standards. To name but a few: "Mood Indigo", "It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing", "Sophisticated Lady", "Ko-Ko", "In a Sentimental Mood", "Black and Tan Fantasy", "Creole Love Call", "Cotton Tail", "Don’t Get Around Much Anymore", "Satin Doll", "Sentimental Lady", "I Got It Bad And That Ain’t Good" and "I Let A Song Get Out Of My Heart". Later on, Ellington also wrote extended suites and film scores. Occasionally, tunes were also written by other musicians in the band, as, for example, by the Puerto Rican trombonist Juan Tizol who composed the classic "Caravan". All in all, Ellington’s extraordinarily diverse repertoire encompassed jazz, blues, pop and even religious music.

Many of the arrangements came courtesy of the gifted Billy Strayhorn, who joined the band in 1938 and became Duke’s indispensable right hand. Prolific in his own right, Strayhorn composed "Take The A Train", "Chelsea Bridge" and "Johnny Come Lately", among other great tunes. The Ellington-Strayhorn collaboration also resulted in jazz interpretations of "The Far East Suite" and "The Nutcracker Suite", recorded for Columbia in 1960.

The success of the Ellington Orchestra must also be attributed to the many outstanding musicians that formed its nucleus. Baritone saxophonist Harry Carney joined in 1926 and remained with the band for 47 years. Trumpeter Cootie Williams arrived the following year and trombonist Lawrence Brown in 1932. Other key members included trumpeters Ray Nance and Cat Anderson, Barney Bigard (clarinet), the sublime saxophonists Ben Webster and Johnny Hodges, trombonist Joe 'Tricky Sam' Nanton, bassist Wellman Braud, drummers Sonny Greer and Louie Bellson, clarinet and sax players Russell Procope and Jimmy Hamilton, and, finally, Duke’s son Mercer Ellington, who went on to lead the band for twenty years after his father’s death in 1974. Vocalists included Herb Jeffries, Maria Ellington (wife of singer Nat 'King' Cole), Joya Sherrill and Ivie Anderson.