Person · 1899–1974
Duke Ellington
The composer and bandleader who elevated jazz into a sophisticated concert art, writing thousands of works over five decades.
A pillar of [[jazz]] and the [[harlem-renaissance]].
From his residency at Harlem's Cotton Club to concert halls worldwide, Duke Ellington led one of the greatest orchestras in American history and composed more than 1,000 pieces. He insisted jazz was "American music," and proved it the equal of any classical tradition.