Duke Ellington: An American Legacy
Where would music be had it not been for the men that stepped before him.
The Motzarts and Beethovens, who wrote the music that today is known as the
classics. These men were naturals in their own right, but these people wrote
their music in the 17th and 18th century. Many people don't realize all of the
changes that music had to go through between that period of music and the
present day. One such musician stands alone at the top as one of the movers and
innovators of the 20th century. He is Duke Ellington. Along with his band, he
alone influenced millions of people both around the world and at home. He gave
American music its own sound for the first time. Winton Marsalis said it best
when he said "His music sounds like America." (Hajdu,72). These days you can
find his name on over 1500 CS's(Illistated Encyclopedia of Jazz,254). Duke's
legacy will live on for generations to come.
Duke Ellington was born Edward Kennedy Ellington,......
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