Edward "Duke" Ellington
As a child, Edward Ellington was such a snazzy dresser that his friends started calling him "Duke" and that is how the rest of the world knows him today. He was born in Washington, D.C. in 1899 and was more interested in baseball than music! Even so, Duke took piano lessons as a child and by the age of 14 he was writing his own music -- at 18 he put together his first jazz band. His music is still popular today and his orchestra continues to perform around the world. Even though his music is popularly labeled as "jazz" Duke called it "American Music". Another interesting fact: Duke is the first composer to appear on American money (the Washington D.C. quarter)!
Here are some of his most well known works:
Sacred Music ( a large scale jazz cantata) more than an hour long just listen to the first five minutes beginning at 7:30- as you can see his music is performed the world over! Also listen at 24:30.
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