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Jazz Articles about Duke Ellington
How Teachers can Swing in the Classroom
by Douglas Groothuis
I am a jazz aficionado as well as a philosophy professor. Being in front of a classroom teaching is my favorite place on earth, second to a good jazz club with hip friends. In the midst of a philosophy class, I may wax enthusiastic about the transcendent qualities of a John Coltrane saxophone solo or the preternatural swing of Buddy Rich's timekeeping or the song-writing and band-leading genius of Duke Ellington. These comments are not merely idiosyncratic. They reflect something ...
Continue ReadingTop 15 "Read" Articles: 2015
by Michael Ricci
All About Jazz tracks how often an article is read, and the articles listed below represent our top 15 published in 2015. Deconstructing Money Jungle Duke Ellington by Graham E Peterson Published: October 23, 2015 John Coltrane and the Meaning of Life John Coltrane by Douglas Groothuis Published: January 22, 2015 Kind of Purple: Jazz Musicians on ...
Continue ReadingDeconstructing Money Jungle
by Graham E Peterson
Duke Ellington was born at the turn of the century. Because his career stretched from the roaring twenties to just after the Nixon scandal, and because of the large breathe of his work he has been a household name for decades. Most individuals know Ellington for his work pioneering big band music, as a bandleader, composer, and brilliant improviser. Few ever reference Ellington's solo piano music or small ensemble work; mainly because he did not make many recordings of this ...
Continue ReadingDuke Ellington: At The Cotton Club
by Chris Mosey
These recordings by Duke Ellington from 1937-39 emphasize his unique place in the history of jazz. On the eve of the Swing Era, they open with a solo piano piece. Ellington introduces it as “Swing Session" but it's actually “Soda Fountain Rag," the first piece he ever wrote, in 1913, aged 14, while working as a soda jerk in the Poodle Dog Café on Georgia Avenue in his home town, Washington D.C. Ellington recalled: ...
Continue ReadingDuke Ellington
by John Eyles
This article was first published in 2005. Building a jazz library? Then you'll definitely need some Duke Ellington as a cornerstone of it. The Duke is frequently cited as the greatest jazz man of them all, with his main rivals for the crown being Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Ask ten Ellington fans to list their ten favourite Ellington albums and the chances are you'll end up with at least 60 albums to choose ...
Continue ReadingNewport Jazz
by Nathan Holaway
This article was first published in 2005.The summer seeks scintillating sounds from the jazz sectors. Indeed, it is at this minuscule place that massive talents come together. Who could possibly hypothesize that such a small stretch of land could be the breeding ground for new ideas, the ideal place for musical re-unions, or the pre-destined landmark for one of the greatest comebacks in jazz history. Whether you have actively been in the crowd, heard the crowd on record, ...
Continue ReadingJive-Colored Glasses
by John Goodman
The following is an excerpt from “Chapter 4: Chicago" of Jive-Colored Glasses by John F Goodman (jg publications, 2015). Growing up in and around Chicago in the 1950s brought me to all kinds and flavors of jazz. Between the house parties, clubs and concerts, there was a menu to please everyone. The Rush Street and downtown clubs like the London House were flourishing, and so of course was the Blue Note, where the Ellington and Basie bands held ...
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