DUKE IN 10

TO COMMEMORATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF DUKE'S DEATH, ROBERT BAIRD SELECTS A DOUBLE HANDFUL OF EXEMPLARY TRACKS FROM PERHAPS AMERICA'S GREATEST MUSICAL GENIUS.

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Duke Ellington's death 50 years ago was a massive loss for American music. Elegantly attired, beautifully spoken, and always the picture of sophistication, the African-American icon was one of the greatest composers of American music ever, regardless of genre.

Edward Kennedy Ellington led the Duke Ellington Orchestra (pointedly not a band) from the piano for more than 40 years, using hands and facial gestures instead of a baton. He used charm, flattery, and a deep understanding of human psychology to bind his virtuosos to the orchestra and get the sounds he wanted. Often in collaboration with arranger/composer Billy Strayhorn, the great unsung hero of Ellington's story, Ellington composed music of all lengths and for all occasions for the orchestra he toured the world with from the 1920s into the 1970s.

So massive is Ellington's recorded legacy that it tends, much like Miles Davis's, to divide fans into groups committed to specific periods. Because his early manager, Irving Mills, had him record for a variety of labels, his recorded catalog of tracks has more than 1000 entries. He also had a penchant for recording live performances, further expanding his catalog. Today, his vast catalog is accessible across all corners of the planet, much of it on music-streaming services.

Looking for something comprehensive? Far and away the best survey on physical media, covering almost his whole career, is The Duke Ellington Centennial Edition, The Complete RCA Victor Recordings (19271973), which fills 24 CDs and was issued in 1999. An alternative intended for streaming sites is Sony's excellent Ellington in Order series, which is licensed across labels and includes material from his stints with RCA and Columbia.

This comparatively tiny sample of Ellington's music is meant to mark the 50th anniversary of the great man's passing. In researching this feature, I stuck to domestic (US) labels and widely available releases.