Duke Ellington


 

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899May 24, 1974) was an American jazz composer, pianist and bandleader. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1969 and the Legion of Honor by France in 1973. Both are the highest civilian honors of each country. He was known as "The Duke" (see: Jazz royalty).

Related Topics:
April 29 - 1899 - May 24 - 1974 - American - Jazz - Composer - Pianist - Bandleader - Presidential Medal of Freedom - 1969 - Legion of Honor - France - 1973 - Duke - Jazz royalty

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Duke Ellington was a major force in jazz from the 1920s through the 1960s and his work continues to be influential today. He is considered by many to be the greatest American composer. He had many hits including Take the A Train (words and music by Billy Strayhorn), Satin Doll, Rockin' in Rhythm, Mood Indigo, Caravan, Sophisticated Lady, and "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing". Throughout the 1920s and 30s, Ellington often shared composer credit with his manager Irving Mills until they had a falling out in the late 1930s. Billy Strayhorn became Ellington's collaborator (not always credited) from 1940 until Strayhorn's death in the mid 1960s.

Related Topics:
Jazz - 1920s - 1960s - Take the A Train - Billy Strayhorn - Mood Indigo - Caravan - 30s - Irving Mills - 1940

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His works were always tailored to the talents of the musicians in his band, including Johnny Hodges, Bubber Miley, Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton, Barney Bigard, Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Sonny Greer, Otto Hardwick, Paul Gonsalves and Wellman Braud. Many musicians stayed with him for decades.

Related Topics:
Johnny Hodges - Bubber Miley - Joe "Tricky Sam" Nanton - Barney Bigard - Ben Webster - Harry Carney - Sonny Greer - Otto Hardwick - Paul Gonsalves - Wellman Braud

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~ Table of Content ~

Introduction
Biography
Samples
Discography
External links

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Finally, a Clean Subway Station Bathroom

The subway is one of the Big Apple's most inspirational slices of life, the rattling muse behind artistic works ranging from Duke Ellington's recording of "Take the A Train," numerous episodes of "Seinfeld" and the chase scene in "The French Connection." Thanks to Curbed, we can add to that illustrious list a Scottish homage to the DeKalb Avenue stop on the Fourth Avenue Line that gives a whole new meaning to BMT. According to Reclaimed Home, a very clever Glasgow artist who goes by the nom de guerre Travis the Trannyboi was so inspired by the DeKalb Avenue stop during his first visit to New York City that he vowed to recreate it in the bathroom of his first home. Ten years later, he and his sister found themselves the owners of a former tenement with a bathroom that was wee in every sense of the word. Travis could finally live his dream. He installed mosaics that he made and designed himself along with subway-inspired wire mesh around the bathtub. It?s been a great way to distract from the smallness of the room, and visitors to the flat always open the bathroom door with a 'Wow!'" Travis says. We imagine the reaction is partially because of Travis' talents, but mostly because it's the cleanest subway stop they've ever seen. You can see more images after the jump.Maybe it's the obvious olfactory connection or even the association with sitting and waiting, but the bathroom seems the only fitting place to introduce the thrill of a transit station to the home. We certainly couldn't imagine anyone spraying Glade "Inbound Express" in the kitchen or the bedroom. Travis' work even inspires further thought: Why can't there be a bathroom this clean actually inside of a subway station? It's ironic that the world uses subway stations as bathrooms, but there aren't many usable bathrooms in subway stations. According to the New York Post, Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hilkind commissioned a study of New York City subway station restrooms (we didn't know they existed either) and found that the majority are closed, under repair or contain more unpleasant surprises than a Palin family picnic. Boston's MBTA opened their few public restrooms to the public in a pilot program, but you'll have to ask a station attendant for a key in order to pee on the T. The Koreans only added WCs in response to a tragedy: a conductor was killed after falling into the path of an oncoming train during a bathroom emergency. Have you ever used a public restroom on public transportation? We don't want any gory details, but we wouldn't mind hearing ways your local transit authority could better cater to commuters who downed one too many cups of coffee. At the very least, you could hit us with a couple of cheap Larry Craig jokes. Photos by flickr user reclaimedhome.