Biography

Duke Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz as well as a bandleader who held his large group together for almost 50 years. The two aspects of his career were related; Ellington used his band as a musical laboratory for his new compositions and shaped his writing specifically to showcase the talents of his bandmembers, many of whom remained with him for long periods. Ellington also wrote film scores and stage musicals, and several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. His gigantic body of recorded work was still being assessed a quarter-century after his death. ~ William Ruhlmann

Top Tracks

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• (back Home Again In) Indiana

• A Blues Serenade

• A Kiss To Build A Dream On

• A Night At The Cotton Club, Pt. 1

• A Spoonful Of Sugar

• Accordion Joe

• Across The Track Blues

• Ad Lib On Nippon

• Afrique

• Afro-bossa

• After All

• Ain't Misbehavin'

• Ain't The Gravy Good?

• Alice Blue Gown

• All God's Chillun Got Rhythm

• All Of Me

• All Too Soon

• Anatomy Of A Murder

• Angelica

• Artistry In Rhythm

• Avalon

• Azure

• Bakiff

• Basin Street Blues

• Bass-ment

• Birmingham Breakdown

• Black And Blue

• Black And Tan Fantasy

• Black Beauty

• Blem

• Blood Count

• Blowin' In The Wind

• Blue Moon

• Blue Serge

• Blues For New Orleans

• Blues In C

• Body And Soul

• Bojangles

• Bouncin' Bouyancy

• Boy Meets Horn

• Braggin' In Brass

• Britt And Butter Blues

• Brown-skin Gal (in The Calico Gown)

• Bugle Call Rag

• C Jam Blues

• Caravan

• Carnegie Blues

• Carolina Shout

• Chant Of The Weed

• Charlie The Chulo (breakdown)

• Chelsea Bridge

• Cherokee

• Chicago Stomp Down

• Chim Chim Cheree

• Chinoiserie

• Chloe

• Choo Choo (gotta Hurry Home)

• Come Rain Or Come Shine

• Come Sunday

• Concerto For Cootie

• Conga Brava

• Cotton

• Cotton Club Stomp

• Cotton Tail

• Cottontail

• Creole Love Call

• Creole Rhapsody, Pt. 1

• Creole Rhapsody, Pt. 2

• Crescendo In Blue

• Dancers In Love

• Danke Schoen

• Day Dream

• Daybreak Express

• Didjeridoo

• Diga Diga Doo

• Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue

• Diminuendo In Blue

• Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me

• Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

• Doin' The New Low Down

• Doin' The Voom Voom

• Don't Get Around Much Anymore

• Don't Worry 'bout Me

• Drop Me Off In Harlem

• East St. Louis Toodle-oo

• Ebony Rhapsody

• Echoes Of Harlem

• Eerie Moan

• Eighth Veil

• Ellington Medley: Don't Get Around Much Anymore/in A Sentimental Mood/m

• Every Man Prays In His Own Language

• Everything Is Hotsy Totsy Now

• Far East Suite: Ad Lib On Nippon

• Far East Suite: Tourist Point Of View

• Five O'clock Drag

• Five O'clock Whistle

• Flamingo

• Fleurette Africaine

• Fly Me To The Moon (in Other Words)

• Flying Home

• Frankie And Johnny

• Frenesi

• Goin' Nuts

• Grace Valse

• Harlem

• Harlem Air Shaft

• Harlem Airshaft

• Harlem Air-shaft

• Harlem Flat Blues

• Harlem Suite

• Harlem Twist

• Harlemania

• Haunted Nights

• Hayfoot, Strawfoot

• Hittin' The Bottle

• Hodge Podge

• Honeysuckle Rose

• Hot And Bothered

• Hot Feet

• How Could You Do A Thing Like That To Me (sultry Serenade)

• How Deep Is The Ocean?

• Hy'a Sue

• I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues

• I Can't Get Started

• I Can't Give You Anything But Love

• I Didn't Know About You (sentimental Lady)

• I Don't Know What Kind Of Blues I Got

• I Don't Mind

• I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)

• I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good

• I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

• I Never Felt This Way Before

• I Want To Hold Your Hand

• I'm Beginning To See The Light

• I'm Just A Lucky So And So

• I'm Just A Lucky So-and-so

• In A Mellotone

• In A Mellow Tone

• In A Sentimental Mood

• In The Mood

• Indigo Echoes

• Isfahan

• It Don't Mean A Thing

• It Don't Mean A Thing (if It Ain't Got That Swing)

• It's Only A Paper Moon

• I've Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)

• I've Got To Be A Rug Cutter

• Jack The Bear

• Jam Session

• Jam With Sam

• Jazz Cocktail

• Jazz Convulsions

• Jeep's Blues

• Jig Walk

• John Hardy's Wife

• Johnny Come Lately

• Jubilee Stomp

• Jump For Joy

• Jumpin' Punkins

• Jungle Nights In Harlem

• Junior Hop

• Just A-sittin' And A-rockin'

• Just Squeeze Me (but Don't Tease Me)

• Kinda Dukish

• Ko Ko

• La Plus Belle Africaine

• La Scala, She Too Pretty To Be Blue

• Lady In Red

• Lady Of The Lavender Mist

• Like A Ship In The Night

• Lil'i Farina

• Limbo Jazz

• Limehouse Blues

• Linger Awhile

• Little Posey

• Lotus Blossom

• Love Is Here To Stay

• Love Is Just Around The Corner

• Love Is Like A Cigarette

• Low Key Lightly

• Lush Life

• Mack The Knife

• Main Stem

• Maori (a Samoan Dance)

• Medley No. 1: Mood Indigo/hot And Bothered/creole Love Call

• Medley: Don't Get Around Much Anymore/do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me

• Medley: Don't Get Around Much Anymore/in A Sentimental Mood/mood ...

• Medley: It Don't Mean A Thing (if It Ain't Got That Swing)/satin Doll

• Medley: Prelude To A Kiss/i'm Just A Lucky So And So/i Let A Song Go Ou

• Merry-go-round

• Midnight Indigo

• Midnight Sun

• Midriff

• Mississippi

• Misty Mornin'

• Montevideo

• Mood Indigo

• Mood Indigo/hot And Bothered/creole Love Call

• Moon Over Cuba

• Moonglow

• Moonlight Fiesta

• My Honey's Lovin' Arms

• My Old Flame

• Never No Lament (don't Get Around Much Anymore)

• Never On Sunday

• New Orleans Low-down

• New World A-comin'

• Night Creature -- 3rd Movement

• Night Time

• Oh Babe! Maybe Someday

• One O'clock Jump

• Paducah

• Paradise

• Passion Flower

• Peckin'

• People

• Perdido

• Portrait Of Louis Armstrong

• Portrait Of Sidney Bechet

• Praise God

• Praise God And Dance

• Prelude To A Kiss

• Pretty Woman

• Primpin' For The Prom

• Purple Gazelle

• Pussy Willow

• Rain Check

• Red Roses For A Blue Lady

• Reminiscing In Tempo

• Reminiscing In Tempo, Pt. 1-4

• Rent Party Blues

• Ring Dem Bells

• Rockin' Chair

• Rockin' In Rhythm

• Rocks In My Bed

• Royal Garden Blues

• Rubber Bottom

• Rude Interlude

• Satin Doll

• Saturday Night Function

• Savoy Strut

• Scattin' At The Kit Kat

• Selections From Black, Brown And Beige: Work Song/the Blues/three ...

• Self Portrait

• Sentimental Lady

• Sepia Panorama

• Shout 'em Aunt Tillie

• Skin Deep

• Slippery Horn

• Snibor

• Solitude

• Someday My Prince Will Come

• Someone

• Something 'bout Believing

• Sophisticated Lady

• Sophisticated Lady/solitude

• Spacemen

• St. Louis Blues

• Stompin' At The Savoy

• Stompy Jones

• Stormy Monday

• Strange Feeling

• Such Sweet Thunder

• Suddenly It Jumped

• Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

• Swampy River

• Symphony In Black

• Take It Easy

• Take The "a" Train

• Take The "a" Train (theme)

• Take The "a" Train (intro)

• Take The "a" Train (theme)

• Take The A Train

• Take The 'a' Train

• Take The 'a' Train, Pts. 1 & 2

• Take The Coltrane

• Tang

• Tell Me It's The Truth

• The Asphalt Jungle Theme

• The Blues With A Feeling

• The C Jam Blues

• The Degas Suite: Introduction-opening Titles/race/racing/piano ...

• The Duke Steps Out

• The Eighth Veil

• The Flaming Sword

• The Girl In My Dreams Tries To Look Like You

• The Happening

• The Hawk Talks

• The Jeep Is Jumpin'

• The Minor Goes Muggin'

• The Mooche

• The Opener

• The Peanut Vendor

• The Ricitic

• The Sidewalks Of New York

• The Tattooed Bride

• Things Ain't The Way They Used To Be

• Things Ain't What They Used To Be

• Things Ain't What They Used To Be (theme)

• Three Cent Stomp

• Tiger Rag

• Tiger Rag, Pt. 1

• Tiger Rag, Pt. 2

• Tishomingo Blues

• Togo Brava-brava Togo Suite, Pt. 1 Sould Soothing Beach/pt. 2 Naturelle

• Togo Brava-brava Togo Suite, Pt. 3 Amour, Amour/pt. 4 Right On Togo

• Tuxedo Junction

• V.i.p.'s Boogie

• Very Special

• Virgin Jungle

• Wall Street Wail

• Warm Valley

• Way Low

• West Indian Pancake

• What A Wonderful World

• What Am I Here For?

• What Good Would It Do?

• Without A Song

• Work Song

• Yellow Dog Blues

• You Dirty Dog

• You, You Darlin'

Discography

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• Famed Fieldcup Concert

  Tetco

  2002

• Duke Ellington's Third Sacred Concert

  RCA

  1975

• The World of Duke Ellington, Vol. 2 [LP]

  Columbia

  1975

• Eastbourne Performance

  BMG

  1973

• Togo Brava Suite

  Blue Note

  1971

• Pretty Woman

  1969

• Johnny Come Lately

  1967

• Ella & Duke at the Côte D'Azur

  Polygram

  1967

• North of the Border in Canada

  ACD

  1967

• Soul Call

  Verve / PolyGram / Universal

  1966

• Sacred Music

  Status (UK)

  1966

• Jumpin' Punkins

  1965

• Concert in the Virgin Islands

  Collectables

  1965

• Duke Ellington (1966)

  Reprise

  1965

• Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins

  Collectables

  1964

• Ellington '65

  Collectables

  1964

• Hits of the Sixties: This Time by Ellington

  Reprise

  1964

• Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session

  Wounded Bird Records

  1963

• The Great Paris Concert [Atlantic]

  Atlantic

  1963

• Will Big Bands Ever Come Back?

  Collectables

  1963

• All American

  1962

• Midnight in Paris

  TriStar Music

  1962

• First Time! The Count Meets the Duke

  Columbia

  1961

• Together for the First Time

  Roulette Records

  1961

• The Nutcracker Suite

  1960

• Peer Gynt Suite/Suite Thursday

  1960

• Swinging Suites by Edward E. & Edward G.

  Columbia

  1960

• Festival Session

  Legacy / Columbia/Legacy

  1959

• Jazz at the Plaza, Vol. 2

  Columbia

  1958

• Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque

  1958

• Indigos

  Columbia

  1957

• Ella Fitzgerald/The Duke Ellington Songbook

  Verve

  1957

• Ellington at Newport

  Columbia

  1956

• A Drum Is a Woman

  TriStar Music

  1956

• Al Hibbler with the Duke

  Columbia

  1956

• Duke's Mixture

  Columbia

  1955

• The Duke and His Men

  RCA

  1955

• Dance to the Duke!

  Capitol

  1954

• Ellington Showcase

  Capitol

  1954

• Duke Ellington Plays

  Allegro Corporation

  1954

• Duke Ellington Plays the Blues

  RCA

  1953

• Premiered by Ellington

  Capitol

  1953

• The Seattle Concert

  RCA

  1952