News from Ellington expert Bill Saxonis who will be leading a course on the life and work of Duke Ellington from 5 September at University at Albany, New York State.
Duke Ellington: American Genius
Instructor: William Saxonis, Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Administration and Policy, UAlbany, The Albany Guardian Society, 12 Corporate Woods Blvd 1st Floor, Albany, NY 12211
Overview: This course will explore Ellington’s art, life and times utilizing music, film and excerpts from interviews recorded with key figures in Ellington’s world including several interviews personally conducted by the instructor.
Day/Time: Fridays, 10 a.m. to noon
Dates: 9/5, 9/12, 9/19, 9/26, 10/3 and 10/10
Location: Albany Guardian Society, 12 Corporate Woods Blvd 1st Floor, Albany, NY 12211
Format: In-Person or Zoom
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899, and died in New York City on May 24, 1974. He lived a most extraordinary life. His doting mother recognized her son as exceptional from the start, proclaiming, "Edward you are blessed!" This course will explore Ellington’s art, life and times utilizing music, film and excerpts from interviews recorded with key figures in Ellington’s world including several interviews personally conducted by the instructor.
For six decades, Duke Ellington demonstrated his remarkable gifts as a composer, arranger, bandleader and pianist. Simply stated, Ellington was prolific, innovative and in the opinion of many, the 20th century's greatest composer. His music was never restrained by the boundaries of the jazz idiom. He wrote music for symphony orchestra, theater, ballet, movies, dance halls concert halls and places of worship - about 2,000 compositions in all.
His bands always showcased some of the jazz world's finest and most individualistic musicians. Many of these all-stars stayed with the band for decades, some virtually their entire adult lives. The ensemble was further enriched by Ellington's creative and gifted piano playing that was skillfully woven into the arrangements with laser precision. His solo and small group piano recordings have become jazz classics.
Ellington's mystique also included a dynamic stage presence and unlimited charisma. He brought sophistication to jazz for audiences of all races, colors and creeds. Ellington traveled incessantly to perform for enthusiastic audiences worldwide and the rigors and frequent indignities of life on the road seemed only to stimulate his creative spirit. Whether he was playing in a high school gym, a jazz club, Carnegie Hall or before British royalty, Ellington always charmed and delighted his audience.
Class Schedule
Week 1: Introduction and the Emergence of Genius
Topics: Why study Ellington?
An exploration of Ellington’s youth in Washington DC, his move to New York City and rise to national fame at Harlem’s Cotton Club.
Week 2: Ellington the Composer
Topics: Ellington’s creative process
What inspired Ellington’s compositions?
A review of the extraordinary life of Billy Strayhorn, Ellington’s writing and arranging companion. Strayhorn was a significant factor in the Ellington story.
Week 3: The Band was Duke Ellington’s Instrument
Topics: How Ellington held together, decade after decade, a band of all-star musicians even when it was financially impractical
The role the band played in creating Ellington’s unique sound.
A snapshot of some of the band’s featured soloists.
Week 4: Ellington’s Extraordinary Music
Topic: Exploration of compositions that go beyond Ellington’s contributions to America’s songbook (e.g., Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady and It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing). The quality and breadth of the totality of Ellington’s music including symphonies, scared concerts, suites, movie scores… is astounding.
Week 5: Ellington and Civil Rights
Topics: Ellington’s underappreciated role in civil rights.
The exploration of how Ellington navigated maintaining popularity with his white audiences while using his art to celebrate his Black heritage.
The challenges Ellington and other Black artists faced traveling across America.
Week 6: The Ellington Continuum
Topics: Ellington’s legacy and how he influenced a wide range of musicians beyond the jazz idiom including Gershwin, Stravinsky, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell.
Studies by management gurus of Ellington’s methods of composing and maintaining an all-star band
Ellington’s continued influence, 51 years after his passing. Despite wide ranging acclaim, a compelling case be made that Ellington is under appreciated.
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