one of Ellington’s high school friends gave him the name Duke figuring and

rightly so that the noble name would give them more clout at parties well it would help

them to get in anyways

now because of Duke’s regal style his nickname stuck and we still are at it today

calling him Duke

he began playing the piano at a very young age 7 or 8 you know

the age that you really don’t feel like playing the piano

he even had a piano teacher name Mrs. Clinkscales I am serious

now when Duke became a young man I am talking about 24 years old

he moved to New York

there were many great pianists living in NY at that time and Duke was smart

he learned from all of them

Duke went on to form a band with his musician friends from Washington who had

come to NY in search of work

then Duke met trumpeter Bubber Miley and his music changed

in 1927 the band went into the Cotton Club in Harlem and this

is where they became know as The Duke Ellington Orchestra

at the Cotton Club the band’s personality matured and the nation wide radio

broadcast of their shows made Duke into a national star

in 1956 Ellington played at the Newport Jazz Festival

he played Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue actually a composition of

his from 1937 well

this performance was so singularly swinging

it caused a near riot and Duke became more popular than ever

Duke was unbelievable