Duke Ellington Essays (808 words) - Jazz, Music, Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington Duke Ellington By the time of his passing, he was considered amongst the world's greatest composers and musicians. The French government honored him with their highest award, the Legion of Honor, while the government of the United States bestowed upon him the highest civil honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He played for the royalty and for the common people and by the end of his fifty-year career, he had played over 20,000 performances worldwide. He was the Duke, Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy Ellington was born into the world on April 28, 1899 in Washington, D.C. Duke's parents Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington served as ideal role models for young Duke and taught him everything from proper table manners to an understanding of the emotional power of music. Duke's first piano lessons came around the age of seven or eight and appeared to not have that much lasting effect upon him. It seemed as if young Duke was more inclined to baseball at a young age. Duke got his first job selling peanuts at Washington Senator's baseball games. This was the first time Duke was placed as a performer for a crowd and had to first get over his stage fright. At the age of fourteen, Duke began sneaking into Frank Holliday's poolroom. His experiences from the poolroom taught him to appreciate the value in mixing with a wide range of people. As Duke's piano lessons faded into the past, Duke began to show a flare for the artistic. Duke attended Armstrong Manual Trai ning School to study commercial art instead of an academically-oriented school. Duke began to seek out and listen to ragtime pianists in Washington and during the summers, where he and his mother vacationed in Philadelphia or Atlantic City. While vacationing in Asbury Park, Duke heard of a hot pianist named Harvey Brooks. At the end of his vacation Duke sought Harvey out in Philadelphia where Harvey showed Duke some pianistic tricks and shortcuts. Duke later recounted that, When I got home I had a real yearning to play. I hadn't been able to get off the ground before, but after hearing him I said to myself, ?Man you're going to have to do it.' Thus the music career of Duke Ellington was born. Duke was taken under the wings of Oliver Doc Perry and Louis Brown who taught Duke how to read music and helped improve his overall piano playing skills. Duke found piano playing jobs at clubs and cafes throughout the Washington area. Three months shy of graduation, Duke dropped out of school and began his professional music career. In late 1917, Duke formed his first group: The Duke's Serenaders. Between 1918 and 1919, Duke made three significant steps towards independence. First, he moved out of his parents' home and into a home he bought for himself. Second, Duke became his own booking agent for his band. By doing so, Ellington's band was able to play throughout the Washington area and into Virginia for private society balls and embassy parties. Finally, Duke married Edna Thompson and on March 11, 1919, Mercer Kennedy Ellington was born. In 1923, Duke left the security that Washington offered him and moved to New York. Through the power of radio, listeners throughout New York had heard of Duke Ellington, making him quite a popular musician. It is also in that year that Duke made his first recording. Ellington and his renamed band, The Washingtonians, established themselves during the prohibition era by playing at places like the Exclusive Club, Connie's Inn, the Hollywood Club (Club Kentucky), Ciro's, the Plantation Club, and most importantly the Cotton Club. Thanks to the rise in radio receivers and the industry itself, Duke's band was broadcast across the nation live on From the Cotton Club. The band's music along with their popularity spread rapidly. In 1928, Ellington and Irving Mills signed an agreement in which Mills produced and published Ellington's music. Recording companies like Brunswick, Columbia, and Victor came calling. Duke's band became the most sought after band in the United States and even throughout the world. Some of Ellington's greatest works include, Rockin' in Rhythm, Satin Doll, New Orleans, A Drum is a Women, Take the A Train,

Free Essays on Battle of Chancellorsville

The Battle of Chancellorsville took place from May 1, 1863 to May 4, 1863 after the Battle of Fredericksburg and is said to be one of General Robert E. Lee’s greatest accomplishments during the Civil War. General Lee wanted to take the to fight to the enemy’s territory in Pennsylvania, to break up and capture the coalfields, and to cut off the fuel supplies for the manufacturing establishments, railways, and steamships. At the beginning of 1863 he directed the topographical engineers to prepare a detailed map from the Potomac River to the Susquehanna River. This map ended up being used at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the battle of Fredericksburg and the failure of the Mud Campaign the Union army was demoralized. Desertions were frequent and insubordination was common practice throughout the ranks. To rectify this problem President Lincoln appointed Major General J. Hooker to replace Major General Burnside as the Commander of Union Army in the Potomac. He restored forces to about 134,000 soldiers. General Hooker wanted to start a campaign to take the fight to General Lee and start the campaign towards the end of April. General Hooker sent Major General Sedgwick across the Rappahannock River with three battalions, just below Fredericksburg. General Hooker with the Fourth Corps would march up north of the Rappahannock River concealed by the forest, and cross the river Germanna and Ely Fords near Chancellorsville. Then they marched on the road leading to Fredericksburg. General Hooker was hoping to come across General Lee’s rear flank and force him to retreat towards Richmond. Hooker was then planning on giving chase to the Confederate Army. On April 13, 1863, General Hooker started executing his plan by sending an advance cavalry lead by General Stoneman with 10,000 troops to cross the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford. To attack his supply base and railroad deep behind Confederate Army lines at Gordonsvill... Free Essays on Battle of Chancellorsville Free Essays on Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville took place from May 1, 1863 to May 4, 1863 after the Battle of Fredericksburg and is said to be one of General Robert E. Lee’s greatest accomplishments during the Civil War. General Lee wanted to take the to fight to the enemy’s territory in Pennsylvania, to break up and capture the coalfields, and to cut off the fuel supplies for the manufacturing establishments, railways, and steamships. At the beginning of 1863 he directed the topographical engineers to prepare a detailed map from the Potomac River to the Susquehanna River. This map ended up being used at the Battle of Gettysburg. After the battle of Fredericksburg and the failure of the Mud Campaign the Union army was demoralized. Desertions were frequent and insubordination was common practice throughout the ranks. To rectify this problem President Lincoln appointed Major General J. Hooker to replace Major General Burnside as the Commander of Union Army in the Potomac. He restored forces to about 134,000 soldiers. General Hooker wanted to start a campaign to take the fight to General Lee and start the campaign towards the end of April. General Hooker sent Major General Sedgwick across the Rappahannock River with three battalions, just below Fredericksburg. General Hooker with the Fourth Corps would march up north of the Rappahannock River concealed by the forest, and cross the river Germanna and Ely Fords near Chancellorsville. Then they marched on the road leading to Fredericksburg. General Hooker was hoping to come across General Lee’s rear flank and force him to retreat towards Richmond. Hooker was then planning on giving chase to the Confederate Army. On April 13, 1863, General Hooker started executing his plan by sending an advance cavalry lead by General Stoneman with 10,000 troops to cross the Rappahannock River at Kelly’s Ford. To attack his supply base and railroad deep behind Confederate Army lines at Gordonsvill...

How to reduce smoking in america Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How to reduce smoking in america - Essay Example Cigarettes also come with huge financial implications to the smokers and their families; for instance, with a pack of cigarettes costing about 10$ in some areas, a pack per day smokers spent a whopping $3,650 in a year. In this regard, cigarette smoking not only leads to catastrophic health risks, it also comes with huge financial ramifications to the smokers and the American society in general. America should actively reduce smoking for the good of everyone as this is likely to have more benefits to the people such as improved health and financials. This paper will focus on how America can reduce smoking as a health hazard, to improve the health of its citizenry and to make America a better place for future generations. America has been traditionally engaged with the task of merely reducing preventable deaths through cigarette smoking especially in recognition of the fact that it cannot be stopped entirely. So much has been done already, but still there is yet a lot to be achieved i n that new cigarette addicts emerge every day in America. One of the major strategies that can work in America is the controversial cigarettes’ tax hike, which has a high potential of lowering the smoking rates in America. According to a research by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, there was a considerable drop in cigarette sales in 2009 after a 62-cent hike per pack was passed (Hargreaves); if this trend is anything to go by, then it means that a tax hike on cigarettes can have substantial public health benefits. Recently, president Obama’s proposal to affect a 94-cent per pack hike on cigarettes stirred a lot of debate with anti-smoking groups in support of the move against some tax experts and tobacco companies. The tax has been designed as a way of cutting smoking rates and a source of income for educational programmes across America; a cigarette free society would definitely make America a better place to live. The other approach that America should quickly ado pt in order to reduce smoking is to fund tobacco control programs that aim to limit smoking of cigarettes in America. A much disturbing revelation is that many US-state governments have not prioritized the task of reducing cigarette smoking in their expansive programs. According to Reuters, many US-state governments receive huge sums of money from tobacco sales and legal settlements with cigarette makers, but only a little is spent on funding programs that can help people reduce and quit smoking altogether (Gray). Anti-tobacco media campaigns can be another effective way of reducing smoking in America as this will raise awareness on the dangers of cigarettes to the public and the health benefits associated with reduced smoking. For instance, more aggressive approaches such as uncompromising graphic admonition on cigarette packages can be very effective on discouraging cigarette smoking; however, despite that this rule has been implemented in many countries around the world, as has b een maintained in the US federal courts (Daynard). This is largely because it is feared that the advertising may infringe on the manufacturers First Amendment rights thus cigarettes are still tolerated in American societies while the courts hesitate. Cigarette manufacturers would rather safeguard their profits at the expense of the unsuspecting public and as such would want nothing to jeopardize their trade in the