Photo from: allaboutjazz.com
This week several classes listened to the biography Duke Ellington by Andrea Pinkney and learned about this legendary composer and conductor. We discussed his contributions to swing and jazz music, defined "orchestra", and the importance of the Cotton Club and Harlem on his career. Afterwords, students listened to Ellington's Take the A Train and "cut the rug" while trying to identify the different sounds of the piano, clarinet and saxophone.