Assess the contribution to Jazz in the 1920s made by Duke Ellington.

Refer
to at least two different pieces of music in your essay.

Duke Ellington was a pivotal figure in US jazz, helping to lift the style to a level of
national popularity that had not previously been seen. His unique compositional
style and arrangements helped him to redefine jazz over the course of his life,
and many of his compositions went on to become jazz standards.

Background & Black and Tan Fantasy

Rose to national fame performing at Cotton Club in NYC, with the

performances being broadcast nationally on the radio.
It was here where he first performed Black and Tan Fantasy
Written together with Bubber Miley, placed importance on solos as made
popular by Louis Armstrong in the 20s
Bubber's growls and style of performance went on to influence Duke in
writing in a Jungle style.
Based on a 12 bar blues, as was the norm at the time.
Quotes classical music such as Chopins Funeral March in the final two
bars, this reference would have widened the appeal particularly to
listeners of a higher class, as it is something they would be familiar to.
Makes use of triplets, more advanced rhythm, gives a more classical
sound.
Gives echoes of New Orleans style.

Take the A Train

Moves away from the New Orleans 12 bar blues style and to 32 bar song
form further development of jazz, was written over 10 years after Black
and Tan Fantasy.
4 bar piano introduction, links to ragtime, keeps jazz tradition alive despite
obvious format change of music.
Jazz quavers are heavily swung throughout, this evidences further
development of style leading towards the swing era as this was late
1930s.
Makes use of two primary themes give a contrasting effect and a sense of
form and structure again more akin to classical music than the
previously improvised solos of Jazz.

Ellington liked to refer to his music as being in a beyond category and liked to
refer to his music as being simply American, rather than limiting it solely to Jazz.

Conclusion

Ellington helped to transform the genre from its traditional roots into a
more popular art form. Moving away from the 12 bar blues and putting
emphasis on swing rhythms undoubtedly influenced greatly the swing era
which came in the early 1940s.