Duke Ellington's role in the Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural, social, and artistic explosion that took place in Harlem, New York, spanning the 1920s. During the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke. The Movement also included the new African-American cultural expressions across the urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States affected by the African-American Great Migration, of which Harlem was the largest. The Harlem Renaissance was considered to be a rebirth of African-American arts. Though it was centered in the Harlem neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, many francophone black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris were also influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance is generally considered to have spanned from about 1918 until the mid-

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born on April 29, 1899. He was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death in a career spanning over fifty years. He was born in Washington, D.C. but spent most of his life in New York City and gained a national following through his appearances and the Cotton Club in Harlem. Though widely considered to have been a pivotal figure in the history of jazz, Ellington embraced the phrase "beyond category" as a liberating principle, and referred to his music as part of the more general category of American Music, rather than to a musical genre such as jazz. He pushed American Music farther than ever before and spread the love for the jazz genre to countries in Europe through his tours. He is considered today as Jazz royalty. His following was mostly African American during his lifetime but today his music is considered the foundation for jazz for everybody. He was one of the first famous black performers and performed on many occasions in front of entirely white audiences. He changed the image that some people had of African Americans with his musical talent. People were changing their opinions on the black community and Duke Ellington's success played a major role in this.

In class we learned about the Harlem Renaissance and how it was a cultural explosion for the African American community. Duke Ellington was one of the first and most impactful artists of his time and inspired many of the other artists of the Harlem Renaissance. He established the basis for jazz music that is today one of the main genre's of music.

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Bibliography
https://www.biography.com/video/duke-ellington-role-in-harlem-renaissance-15037507978
http://www.dukeellington.com/ellingtonbio.html