Duke Ellington
Also Known As: Edward Kennedy Ellington, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
Biography: Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City from the mid-1920s and gained a national profile through his orchestra's appearances at the Cotton Club in Harlem.
Department: Acting
Place of Birth: Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Adult: No
Birthday: April 29, 1899
Age: 126 years old
Gender: Male
Deathday: May 24, 1974
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Known For:
Anatomy of a Murder
Overview: Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.
Genres: Crime Drama Mystery
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1959-07-01
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Murder at the Vanities
Overview: Shortly before the curtain goes up the first time at the latest performance of Earl Carroll's Vanities, someone is attempting to injure the leading lady Ann Ware, who wants to marry leading man Eric Lander. Stage manager Jack Ellery calls in his friend, policeman Bill Murdock, to help him investigate. Bill thinks Jack is offering to let him see the show from an unusual viewpoint after he forgot to get him tickets for the performance, but then they find the corpse of a murdered woman and Bill immediately suspects Eric of the crime.
Genres: Music Mystery Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1934-05-18
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Belle of the Nineties
Overview: Cabaret entertainer Ruby Carter shifts her operations to New Orleans and becomes exceedingly popular with the local men.
Genres: Comedy Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1934-09-21
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Birth of the Blues
Overview: Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. They struggle to get their jazz music accepted by the cafe society of the city. Betty Lou joins their band as a singer and gets Louie to show her how to do scat singing. Memphis and Jeff both fall in love with Betty Lou.
Genres: Music Romance
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-11-07
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Duke Ellington & Sarah Vaughan Live At The Berlin Philharmonic Hall 1989
Overview: Duke Ellington & His Orchestra plus Sarah Vaughan & Her Trio live in Berlin. Featuring: Duke Ellington (piano), Sarah Vaughan (vocals), Harold Ashby (saxophone), Harry Carney (saxophone), Paul Gonsalves (saxophone), Money Johnson, Gus Mancuso, Russell Procope (saxophone), Eddy Pucci (drums), Norris Turney (saxophone), Johnny Veith (piano), Cootie Williams (trumpet)
Genres: Music
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2014-01-13
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Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington Live in '58
Overview: Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington features the earliest-known filmed full-length concert by one of the 20th Century's greatest songwriters and bandleaders. Filmed at Amsterdam's famed Concertgebouw, this 80-minute concert features the 16-piece Duke Ellington Orchestra two years after their stunning performance at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival,which Duke considered his second birth. This epic performance includes legendary players Clark Terry, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Paul Gonsalves, Quentin Jackson and Ray Nance performing some of the most beloved American music ever written.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2007-05-21
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Black and Tan
Overview: Duke Ellington plays hot jazz in a fictional story that finds him down on his luck; he tries in vain to dissuade his friend, dancer Fredi Washington, from working with heart trouble even though it means work for his band. Sure enough, she collapses on stage...
Genres: Music Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1929-12-08
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Duke Ellington in Isfahan
Overview: This short documentary by writer and archivist Ehsan Khoshbakht tells the story of Duke Ellington's concert tour of the Middle East in 1963 and the development of one of the most beautiful jazz standards.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2021-09-02
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On the Road with Duke Ellington
Overview: Documentary portrait of the legendary jazz bandleader. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2000.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1974-12-31
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A Bundle of Blues
Overview: Duke Ellington and his orchestra play two jazz compositions plus 'Stormy Weather' (sung by Ivy Anderson).
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1933-01-31
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Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life
Overview: A rising nineteen-year-old singer by the name of Billie Holiday made her screen debut in this musical landmark, which features Duke Ellington and his orchestra performing his symphonic jazz piece “A Rhapsody of Negro Life” set to scenes of everyday African American life.
Genres: Music Drama
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1935-09-12
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The Hit Parade
Overview: Agent Pete Garland is fired by society singer Monica Barrett after he got her a new radio contract, because she thinks her lawyer friend Teddy Leeds fits in better with her social status. To get even, Pete wants to make an unknown singer into a star. He finds Ruth Allison, drives her hard through rehearsals and makes her a star. But she is worried about her past, something she hasn't told Pete: She's an ex-convict and jumped bail in order to keep her partners in crime out of it. Further she's in love with Pete, but feels that he's still carrying a torch for Monica. When Monica's popularity is decreasing, Pete is able to get Ruth a stint on the program, the result is Monica is fired and Ruth get her job, but Monica takes revenge by revealing Ruth's past. Ruth considers it is best for her to disappear before being arrested, but she has become a star in public opinion. Will she get Pete or will she go to prison again?
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1937-04-26
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Date with Duke
Overview: Duke Ellington at the piano conducts a group of puppet perfume bottles playing his "Perfume Suite."
Genres: Animation
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1947-10-30
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The Lou Rawls Show with Duke Ellington
Overview: With a unique style that encompassed soul, jazz and pop, Lou Rawls established himself as one of the premier voices of the modern musical age. This outstanding episode of his self-titled variety show is packed with soulful blues tunes and beautiful ballads such as "It Was a Very Good Year." Included is a gospel duet of "Oh, Happy Day" with Freda Payne and a show-stopping performance by Duke Ellington on "Satin Doll" and "Sophisticated Lady."
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1991-01-01
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Jam Session
Overview: Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-01-01
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Reveille with Beverly
Overview: Beverly Ross, the switchboard operator at a local radio station, jumps at the chance to be the DJ for an early morning show before the soldiers at a nearby army camp assemble for reveille. Beverly, with her modern music, camp bulletins and chatter, is a hit with the soldiers. Beverly's younger brother and his two buddies are soldiers at the camp. The buddies vie for Beverly's attentions.
Genres: Comedy Music Romance War
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-02-04
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Bli-Blip
Overview: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra perform "Bli-Blip" with Marie Bryant and Paul White
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-01-01
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Mood Indigo
Overview: Duke Ellington Orchestra performs "Mood Indigo" for Snader Telescriptions.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-02-03
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Sophisticated Lady
Overview: Duke Ellington Orchestra performing "Sophisticated Lady" for Snader Telescriptions film.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-02-03
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Billie Holiday: The Ultimate Collection
Overview: This remarkable DVD includes rare TV and film performances, an especially rare radio interview with Mike Wallace, an audio-only rehearsal session with pianist Jimmy Rowles, audio interviews with friends and fellow musicians, an interactive timeline and an evocative photo-document gallery featuring hundreds of dates and images, from rare photos to personal letters, plus Lady Day's complete recording history for major record companies. Performance highlights include three from 1956's 'Stars Of Jazz' TV that are seen here for the first time since their original broadcast, Holiday's first appearance on film, Duke Ellington's "Saddest Tale," and the classic "Fine And Mellow" with Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and other jazz greats.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-10-25
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The Story Of The Blues
Overview: The story of The Blues traces the four main traditions of blues music: Form Blues, Blues, Urban Blues and Blues Electric. The blues has evolved and diversified, and filtered into a surprising variety of styles in contemporary music. In the blues the history of music was released. A look at the roots, origins and the subsequent influence of style the film explores the blues significant contribution to the development of jazz, rock and country and western music. Big Bill Broonzy, Robert Johnson, Lonnie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Alexander Texas, and many more artists are featured through the film.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-06-30
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Steve e il Duca
Overview: In 1999, on the occasion of the centenary of Ellington's birth, Franco Maresco commissioned Steve Lacy to perform ten songs by the Duke, which were recorded and filmed in Palermo. In 2024, twenty years after Lacy's death and fifty years after that of Ellington, that unpublished material re-emerges from the archive of the great Sicilian director and becomes a documentary.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2024-04-27
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Alice Babs - Swing It!
Overview: This documentary film features plenty of archival material, also showing Alice Babs from her private side: as a vivacious lady who has held on to her happy and "up-beat" nature into old age.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: sv
Release Date: 2007-01-01
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The Harlem Renaissance
Overview: Chronicling the Harlem Renaissance era, this retrospective documentary tracks the origins of the soulful music of the period, along with the challenges many of the genre's artists faced when trying to gain recognition within conventional society. Included are anecdotes from musicians and historians, plus footage of performances and interviews with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and more.
Genres: Documentary Music History
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-01-01
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Solitude
Overview:
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1952-06-01
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I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good
Overview: 1942 Short restored in true form
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-01-01
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Flamingo
Overview: Restored film directed by Josef Berne, released in 1942
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1942-01-01
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Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
Overview: Restored Film released in 1943, directed by Jay Bonafield
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-01-01
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Symphony In Swing
Overview: Restored film directed by Will Cowan in 1943
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1949-01-01
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Salute to Duke Ellington
Overview: Short directed by Will Cowan as tribute to Duke Ellington
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1950-01-01
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Improvisation
Overview: Improvisational jazz performance filmed in 1950 by Gjon Mili plus Duke Ellington Trio filmed in July 1966, Count Basie at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977, Joe Pass 1979, Ella Fitzgerald 1979, and Oscar Peterson at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2004-01-01
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Hot Chocolate
Overview: Whitey's Lindy Hoppers at their best along with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performing for this "Hot Chocolate" musical short.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1941-02-20
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The Strolling '20s
Overview: Harry Belafonte and Sidney Poitier travel down memory lane to see what life was like back in the 1920s. Harry Belafonte introduces this musical, written by poet and playwright Langston Hughes, which pays tribute to Harlem in the 1920's. Sidney Poitier provides commentary on the era throughout the program, and George Kirby and Nipsey Russell portray various Harlem characters. Program highlights include: Gloria Lynne singing "Good Ol' Wagon"; Brownie McGhee singing "Let the Deal Go Down"; Diahann Carroll singing "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out"; Sammy Davis, Jr., singing and tap dancing to "Doin' the New Low Down"; Joe Williams singing "Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning"; and Duke Ellington performing "Sophisticated Lady" with a sextet.
Genres: Music Comedy TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-02-04
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Duke Ellington & His Orchestra 1929-1943
Overview: Joined by the likes of saxophonist Ben Webster and trumpeter Cootie Williams, jazz giant Duke Ellington demonstrates in this collection of performance clips (spanning the years 1929-43) precisely why he's one of the seminal figures in American music. Ellington's musical evolution can be seen in excerpts from feature-length and short films that include Black and Tan, Check and Double Check, Symphony in Black and The Hit Parade of 1937.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2000-01-01
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The Jazz Ambassadors
Overview: The Cold War and Civil Rights collide in this remarkable story of music, diplomacy and race. Beginning in 1955, when America asked its greatest jazz artists to travel the world as cultural ambassadors, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and their mixed-race band members, faced a painful dilemma: how could they represent a country that still practiced Jim Crow segregation?
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2018-05-04
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Jazz Evolution
Overview:
Genres: Music
Original Language: it
Release Date: 2008-08-12
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Jazz Ball
Overview: A made-for-TV musical revue, compiled from soundies and film and TV performances by jazz greats from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1956-01-01
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Cabin in the Sky
Overview: When compulsive gambler Little Joe Jackson dies in a drunken fight, he awakens in purgatory, where he learns that he will be sent back to Earth for six months to prove that he deserves to be in heaven. He awakens, remembering nothing and struggles to do right by his devout wife, Petunia, while an angel known as the General and the devil's son, Lucifer Jr., fight for his soul.
Genres: Music Fantasy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1943-03-24
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Duke Ellington: Live At The Tivoli Gardens
Overview: Call him the Duke of Denmark, as this is the second superb Ellington performance recorded in that country to be released in 2003 alone. It's also an appropriate follow-up to The Intimate Duke Ellington; whereas the latter showcases Ellington as a solo pianist and in small group settings, Live at the Tivoli Gardens features the Ellington Orchestra in all its splendor. It includes two approximately 70-minute sets recorded a few days apart in 1971, when the Duke was 72.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-11-11
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Piano Blues
Overview: Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living legends as Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball.
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-10-04
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The Intimate Duke Ellington
Overview: Duke Ellington's fifty year career was full of accomplishments as a highly original pianist, arranger, prolific composer and leader of a timeless orchestra. On occasion he recorded with a small group from his orchestra or as a piano soloist, but Duke was rarely filmed in that capacity... with a few exceptions. On January 23, 1967, Ellington filmed two programs for Danish television. The first has him jamming with an octet taken from his orchestra, including such greats as altoist Johnny Hodges, tenor-saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, baritonist Harry Carney and trumpeter Cat Anderson. Highlights include "The Jeep Is Jumpin'," "Sophisitcated Lady" and "Jam with Sam." The second program puts the focus on Ellington's piano, in solo and trio performances that include "Lotus Blossom," "Mood Indigo," and a definitive version of "Take the 'A' Train." Always a modern and distinctive soloist, Ellington is seen creating brilliant improvisations full of strong melodies, subtle surprises and sly wit.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2003-06-17
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It's Black Entertainment
Overview: A star-studded tribute (from the creators of That's Entertainment) to the contributions of Afro-Americans in film over the last century. Vanessa Williams traces the struggles and triumphs of the superstars of music and film. Among the many artists featured are: Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr., Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Cab Calloway, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Little Richard, Also included are today's contemporary superstars: Snoop Dogg, Ice T, Quincy Jones, Spike Lee, Russell Simmons, and many, more! 80 minutes plus DVD bonus features.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2002-02-08
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Black Shadows on a Silver Screen
Overview: Ossie Davis narrates a history of "race films," films made before 1950 which catered to a primarily black audience.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1975-04-19
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The Apollo
Overview: The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2019-04-24
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Check and Double Check
Overview: Amos and Andy trying to make a go of their "open-air" taxi business while they get caught up in a society hassle, involving driving musicians to a fancy party.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1930-10-02
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Duke Ellington: The Big Band Feeling
Overview: This 1952 recording includes 2 performances of Duke and his Orchestra, one on Jan. 7, 1952 and one on Aug. 12, 1952. 12 of his signature pieces are featured including Sophisticated Lady, Caravan, The Mooch, VP's Boogie, Solitude, Mood Indigo, The Hawk . Tracklist: 1. Sophisticated Lady 2. Caravan 3. The Mooche 4. VIP's Boogie 5. Solitude 6. Mood Indigo 7. The Hawk Talks 8. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) 9. Bli-Blip 10. Flamingo 11. Cottontail 12. C Jam Blues (Hot Chocolate)
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2005-04-19
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Many Happy Returns
Overview: Gracie Allen assumes the "management" of the shop owned by her papa Horatio Allen, turning it into a radio station and then an aviary---with the usual Gracie Allen logic---while distracted Papa is trying to get younger daughter, beauty contest winner Florence, married before she can head to Hollywood and get into the movies.
Genres: Comedy
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1934-06-08
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The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
Overview: In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where segregation and Jim Crow laws were disgracefully applied.
Genres: Documentary History TV Movie
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2019-02-25
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Charlie Parker: Bird Songs
Overview: In 1955, on his report, a medical examiner wrote in the box: age, “about 53 years”. Charlie Parker nicknamed Bird just died, at 34. His death will be the ransom of a life that was not denied to the excesses or the consuming flame of genius. His wildest improvisations will open the door to future jazzmen. Between shadow and light this film will pay tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2022-01-09
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Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Overview: Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War. In 1960, the UN became the stage for a political earthquake as the struggle for independence in the Congo put the world on high alert. The newly independent nation faced its first coup d'état, orchestrated by Western forces and Belgium, which were reluctant to relinquish control over their resource-rich former colony. The US tried to divert attention by sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to the African continent. In 1961, Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba was brutally assassinated, silencing a key voice in the fight against colonialism; his death was facilitated by Belgian and CIA operatives. Musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach took action, denouncing imperialism and structural racism. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev intensified his criticism of the US, highlighting the racial barriers that characterized American society.
Genres: Documentary History Music
Original Language: fr
Release Date: 2024-09-11
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Duke Ellington: Love You Madly
Overview: Profile of Duke Ellington featuring performances and interviews with the legendary bandleader. The performance footage was recorded in a number of places from The Basin St. West Jazz Club, the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival, and his first Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral. This program was described by Ellington in his autobiography as the best film about Duke Ellington ever made...
Genres: Music Documentary
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1967-06-16
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Jazz Legends in Their Own Words
Overview: A journey into the BBC archives unearthing glorious performances and candid interviews from the golden age of jazz. Featuring some of the greatest names in American music, including the godfather of New Orleans jazz Louis Armstrong, the King of Swing Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2014-05-24
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I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story
Overview: An aspiring singer is tasked with promoting the music catalogue of his great-grandfather, the famous songwriter Jimmy McHugh, recorded by everyone from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. While licensing these songs for movies, commercials, TV and Broadway shows, the singer journeys through the magic of his great-grandfather's stellar career.
Genres: Documentary Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2024-09-12
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Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - Live
Overview: In this concert from his great European tour Duke gives a big band concert to be remembered in Brussel’s Marni Theatre. Featuring star soloists Money Johnson on trumpet, Paul Gonsalves on saxophone, and Joe Benjamin on bass, and even a surprise appearance from singer Anita Moore, this recording is another gem in the Duke’s discography and a must-have for fans.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 2019-02-15
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Duke Ellington at the Côte d'Azur with Ella Fitzgerald and Joan Miro
Overview: The rather dusty black-and-white footage, dating from the summer of 1966, opens with bikinis, beach umbrellas and Foster Grant-shaded sophisticates strolling La Croisette. The scene then shifts to a surprisingly drab hotel suite, where Duke Ellington explains that, though his career had taken him to all corners of the globe, this is his first visit to the French Riviera. Ellington is there, with Ella Fitzgerald, for the Festival International de Jazz at Juan-les-Pins, but, as he enthuses in his introduction, he’s equally eager to indulge his love of modern art with up-close observation of works by Picasso, Calder, Alberto Giacometti and Joan Miró. As any fan of Ellington and/or Fitzgerald is well aware, an edited version of their four-night Côte d’Azur appearance was released in ’66 as a two-record set. That version found its way onto CD in 1997. A year later, a massive, eight-disc compendium served up the Duke and Ella sessions in their entirety.
Genres: Music
Original Language: en
Release Date: 1966-05-01
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