Duke Ellington - mid 20th Century

from Duke Ellington: Music is my Mistress, page 438:

[Fletcher]Henderson's, more than any other, was the band that introduced what became known as the Swing Era. When I first formed a big band in New York, his was the one I wanted mine to sound like. In those days, before electrical amplification, big bands were essential in big ballrooms, and singers had to use megaphones. Ballrooms were very important in the jazz story, and so was the inspiration we derived from the people who danced in them, but not all the bands who worked in them played jazz in the strictest sense of the word. Generally speaking, the black bands led the way, and besides …   more >>
cite as

Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington: Music is my Mistress (New Jersey, 1973), p. 438. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1430227764402 accessed: 13 December, 2024

Listeners

Duke Ellington
lyricist, performer, piantist, Composer […]
1899-1974

Listening to

hide composers
Swing Era Jazz performed by Fletcher Henderson

Experience Information

Date/Time mid 20th Century
Medium live
Listening Environment indoors

Originally submitted by 5011Henning on Tue, 28 Apr 2015 14:29:24 +0100
Approved on Tue, 01 Sep 2015 13:09:06 +0100