Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington was born in 1899 in Washington D.C. He was an American pianist and composer, and became a major figure in jazz music between the 1920s and the 1960s. Some of his most famous pieces include, 'It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got that Swing', 'Take the A-Train,' and 'Mood Indigo.' I have chosen to analyse Ellington's song, 'A Gypsy Without a Song,' which was released in 1938.
Duke Ellington is best-known for the work he did with his Big Band, performing swing music. Typical features of Big Band music include:
-Large brass and woodwind section plus a rhythm section;
-Contrast between scored sections of music and improvised solo sections;
-Use of swing (dotted or triplet) rhythms;
-Walking bass lines;
-Common addition of vocalists.
Duke Ellington is best-known for the work he did with his Big Band, performing swing music. Typical features of Big Band music include:
-Large brass and woodwind section plus a rhythm section;
-Contrast between scored sections of music and improvised solo sections;
-Use of swing (dotted or triplet) rhythms;
-Walking bass lines;
-Common addition of vocalists.