7 Duke Ellington 7Carney, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, and clarinetist
Barney Bigard—were themselves important jazz artists.
(With these exceptional musicians, who remained with
him throughout the 1930s, Ellington made hundreds of
recordings, appeared in films and on radio, and toured
Europe in 1933 and 1939.
The expertise of this ensemble allowed Ellington to
use new harmonies to blend his musicians’ individual
sounds. He illuminated subtle moods with ingenious
combinations of instruments; among the most famous
examples is “Mood Indigo” in his 1930 setting for muted
trumpet, unmuted trombone, and low-register clarinet. In
1931 Ellington began to create extended works, including
such pieces as Creole Rhapsody, Reminiscing in Tempo, and
Diminuendo in Blue/Crescendo in Blue. He composed a series
of works to highlight the special talents of his soloists.
Williams, for example, demonstrated his versatility in
Ellington’s miniature concertos Echoes of Harlem and
Concerto for Cootie. Some of Ellington’s numbers—notably
“Caravan” and “Perdido” by trombonist Juan Tizol—were
cowritten or entirely composed by sidemen.
A high point in Ellington’s career came in the early 1940s,
when he composed several masterworks—including the
above-mentioned Concerto for Cootie, his fast-tempo
showpieces “Cotton Tail” and “Ko-Ko,” and the uniquely
structured, compressed panoramas “Main Stem” and “Harlem
Air Shaft”—in which successions of soloists are accompa-
nied by diverse ensemble colours. The variety and ingenuity
of these works are extraordinary, as are their unique forms,
which range from logically flowing expositions to juxtapo-
sitions of line and mood. By then, Billy Strayhorn, composer
of what would become the band’s theme song, “Take the ‘A’
Train,” had become Ellington’s composing-arranging partner.
Not limiting himself to jazz innovation, Ellington also
wrote such great popular songs as “Sophisticated Lady,”