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Image by: Roger Viollet/Getty Images 

Duke Ellington: The Composer, Pt. 1

Series: Jazz Profiles
From: NPR Music
Length: 00:54:00

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Duke Ellington composed some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, producing more than one thousand lasting works during a career spanning more than 50 years. Read the full description.

Ellington_composer_250_small Duke Ellington composed some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, producing more than one thousand lasting works during a career spanning more than 50 years. "Almost every human emotion is covered in Ellington's music," according to composer James Newton. With groundbreaking hits such as "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo," "Prelude to a Kiss" and "In a Sentimental Mood," Ellington vividly communicated universal ideas, while inventing musical concepts that helped elevate jazz to a sophisticated art form.

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Piece Description

Duke Ellington composed some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, producing more than one thousand lasting works during a career spanning more than 50 years. "Almost every human emotion is covered in Ellington's music," according to composer James Newton. With groundbreaking hits such as "Sophisticated Lady," "Mood Indigo," "Prelude to a Kiss" and "In a Sentimental Mood," Ellington vividly communicated universal ideas, while inventing musical concepts that helped elevate jazz to a sophisticated art form.

Timing and Cues

00:00 IC: Support for NPR...
29:30 OC: ...National Public Radio.
29:31 Music Break (:54)
30:26 IC: Music starts + By the late 1920s...
53:59 OC: ...National Public Radio.