Sunday Chicago bee. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1925-19??, 1941-06-29
Ellington Is
Called Music
Master And Man
BY NELL DODSON

new I DIX Was nearing a diner
ent kind Of music during the hot,
sultry summer Of 1926. A six
man combination at the Kentucky
club, just off Times Square, was
bringing new, never before-heard
rthythms to the musical world
A good looking fellow named
Duke Ellington had the combo,
and most Of the music they play
ed was Ellington's own compost
tions and so entirely different and
tricky were they that New York's
best bandleaders, arrangers and
composers came to the Kentucky
club to bring away notes and new
ideas scrubbed on the backs Of
menus.
Duke Ellington and his Ken
lucky club outfit came in at
much needed time in the music
profession. Jazz had changed
from the original Dixieland style
and had settled down to an unin-
teresting, polite style. Ellington's
indigo blues and torrid tempos
opened up a new horizon.
Irving Mills, one OF the biggest
music executives. downtown at the
time, was SO impressed with the
possibilities OF this new band OF
brownskin music makers that he
placed Ellington under contract,
and aided him in charging his
combination to IL men. He made
them available for recordings.
"Mood indigo" "Black and Tan
Fantasy, '"The Jungle Band,
"The Washingtonians," "The Har-
lem Footwarmers," ''The Harlem
Music Masters" "Joe Turner's
Memphis Men" Sonny Greer's
Memphis Men" and ''The Whoopee
Makers" all Ellington, were SO
sensational on records for small
er companies that three Of the
larger companies began to bat
tie tooth and nail to issue Filing
ton discs.
Irving Mills, also seeing eX-
ploitation possibilities in the Her
lem Cotton Club, brought Duke
uptown, run Columbia wire in
to the club, and soon the ermine
trade Of Park avenue was rub
bing elbows nightly at the place
with Broadway.
Duke Ellington became a mu-
steal sensation. Maurice CheVa-
lier, the French star, making his
first appearance on an American
stage at the Fulton theatre, Sc
Iected Duke to share billing with
him, and occupy the stage alone
the entire first half of the con-
cert. FIorenz Ziegfeld, the Clio
rious Flo, used Ellington rhythms
in "Show Girl. Radio pictures
picked Duke and his band to pro-
vide the musical accompaniment
for the Amos n Andy movie,
"Check and Double Check, and
"Ring Dem Bells" was born.
Starting with "Mood Indigo"
and "Black and Tan Fantasy,
Duke Ellington's contributions to
have been extraordinary.
His Sophisticated Lady must be
mentioned also in the group Of his
greatest hits. Duke Ellington has
freed American popular music
from the text. His compositions
consist of two types, the strongly
rhy timed pure dance stuff, and
the slower lyrical pieces with a
less forcefully rhythmed dance
bass, on the "Mood Indigo" ord
er. Sometimes the two are COM
bined for great effectiveness.
AS a musician Duke Ellington
is a genius whose works will al
ways be played; he ranks with
Rudolf Friml, George GershWin,
Victor Herbert, as music immor-
tai.
AS a man and leader, Duke is
in class by himself. In spite Of
his phenomenal personal success,
he is friendly and unassummg,
never too busy to talk to even
complete strangers. | won't for
get the day soon after | came to
New York when he met me back
stage at the Apollo theatre.
had been introduced to him a.
bout six years previously, but as
he had met hundreds Of people
since then, hardly expected him
10 remember me. Surprisingly,
he stopped me, extended his hand
and said: Hello, there, Minneapo-
lis! How long have you been in
the Big TOWN." Duke, bless him,
not only remembered me, but
where he had met me!
He's like that. His men would
60 to hades and back for him,
And, incidentally, they're a grand
bunch Of fellows. Sam Manton,
Sonny Greer, Fred Guy, Otto
HardWick were with Dukes ORR
glnal band at the Kentucky club.
Art WhetSel, who was also with
the Kentucky club combination,
died much too young and with
too much ahead of him, but the
Boys haven't forgotten him.
Born Edward Kennedy Filing
ton IN Washington, d. c., and tag
ged with the nickname Of ''Duke"
in high school, Ellington was a |
soda clerk at the Poodle Dog,
where he sat j. for the regular