Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and
big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions. In the opinion of Bob Blumenthal of
The Boston Globe "In the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington."
A major figure in the history of
jazz, Ellington's music stretched into various other genres, including
blues,
gospel,
film scores,
popular, and
classical. His career spanned more than 50 years and included leading his orchestra, composing an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for movies, composing stage musicals, and world tours. Several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or
big band, and thanks to his eloquence and extraordinary charisma, he is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional genres of music. His reputation increased after his death and the
Pulitzer Prize Board bestowed on him a special posthumous honor in 1999.
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