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& #39;jazz is a good barometer of freedom.& #39; #art/ #history: duke ellington (born #otd in 1899) was full of wisdom, music, mystery & optimism. both of his parents were pianists, so he was naturally drawn to the instrument. his mum & dad did more than refine young edward& #39;s ear, though.
they instilled in him a sense of elegance, of personal pride. this translated itself not into arrogance, but into a gentleness & introspection. early on in his career - which began when he was barely 18 years old - duke learned that he could bend people& #39;s perceptions by dressing
& behaving in certain ways. he cultivated his dapper persona in defiance of a racist public& #39;s misconceptions about black men. this was also a form of activism. duke wanted to be seen first as a musician. he could then reach them in a way that words don& #39;t.
& #39; you can say anything you want on the trombone& #39;, he said, & #39;but you gotta be careful with words.& #39; this philosophy served him well. the reaction to ellington& #39;s & #39;black, brown & beige& #39; showcase was positively cataclysmic. this was an important triumph for duke. & #39;the music of my
race is something more than the american idiom. it is the result of our transplantation to american soil & was our reaction in the plantation days to the tyranny we endured. what we could not say openly, we expressed in music.& #39;
your homework? watch & #39;symphony in black& #39;. the emotions duke& #39;s music pulls from billie holiday are jaw-dropping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPD-8-l68L4">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
thanks you guys, @danielk01535028 & @russglos, for retweeting the more polished of my ellingtons.
little aside for my own purposes (nobody cares, i know!): my dearly beloved & long departed pops was the one who introduced me to duke ellington. how i wish we& #39;d had the chance to spend an entire day spinning duke& #39;s discs & dissecting & #39;money jungle& #39;. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uN8DPwUMa_U">https://www.youtube.com/watch...
the last duke...
