Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway Essay

Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway are two legendary figures in American Jazz. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899 – 1974) was a composer, a pianist and a band leader. While Cabell “Cab” Calloway III (1907 – 1994) was a famed jazz singer and bandleader. Duke preferred to call his musical style “American Music” rather than jazz yet he was known his entire life as one of the most influential figures in jazz a reputation that was topped at his death by a Pulitzer Prize Board (Pulitzer.org 1999). Calloway for his part was a master of the energetic scat mode of singing and led one of the most famous African American big bands from the start of the 1930s through the late 1940s. As early pioneers of the Jazz genre of music Duke and Cab were often criticized as being primitive, however this paper sets out to prove that the ‘primitive’ was a false moniker as the two pioneers brought Jazz to a mainstream audience. In fact, far from being primitive Duke and Cab were ahead of their time and brought changes to Jazz that would leave its mark long after they were gone. This paper will also pass upon the differences in their roots that made Duke and Cab distinguished from each other.

Early Career

Jazz itself is a musical art form which originated at the turn of the last century among African American communities in what is known as ‘Dixie land’ or the American South. The style is known of its West African roots as shown by its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhthyms, syncopation and the swung note (Shipton 2007). From its onset, Jazz was known to incorporate music from other genre’s of popular music (Kirchner 2005). It was in the prohibition era of the United States (1920-1933) that Cab and Duke enter the Jazz scene. It was an era where alcholic drinks were illegal and people who wanted to drink went to illegal speakeasies. These speakeasies where the venues of the “Jazz Age” where people like Cab and Duke could ply their trade. This was probably one of the reasons why Jazz received an unfair reputation. Its association with speakseasies and the generally illegal atmosphere there added to the reputation of Jazz as immoral, threatening to old cultural values and vehicle for promoting the decadent values of the Roaring Twenties.

It was against this background that Cab Calloway would begin his carrer. Raised by a lawyer father and a church organist mother Cab had early experience singing in chruch and it was here that his parents recognized that he had musical talent. To hone that talent he was given private voice lessons until he was fifteen. Even after he had entered formal schooling he would continue to study music and take voice lessons. Despite his parent’s and voice coaches’ disdain of Jazz, Cab would eventually chose this as his genre of expertise. He began frequnting and performing in Baltimore Jazz Clubs where he would be mentored by Chuck Webb and Johnny Jones. Later he would find himself at the Sunset Café where he would be taught the ‘scat’ style by no less than Louis Armstrong. At this stage in his career Cab was still a minor in the Jazz scene and had not yet gained much attention or noteriety.

The somewhat older Duke’s Jazz career began when he made a fateful decsion to leave behind the sucessful career he and the band had in Washington, D.C. and aspire for the adventure that was the “Harlem” Rennaissance. African-American musical theater was evolveing there alongside new dance crazes. Unfortunately the adventure of Harlem was not entirely conductive for Duke and his band, they foujnd that the jazz scene was energetic, highly competitive and hard to crack. Even after Willie “The Lion” Smith showed an interest in the band it was still not enough to raise them up before the local Jazz scene. In fact they had to resort to playing at rent-house parties just to survive. Eventually they were forced to return to Washington, D.C. discouraged. Duke and his band had a hard time establishing themselves in Harlem because they were just another group trying to join the jazz bandwagon.

Beginnings of Success

By June 1923, a gig in Atlantic City, New Jersey gave Duke and his band the opportunity to play at the presitigious Exclusive Club in Harlem and later a four year engagement at the Hollywood Club, the 49^th and Broadway. This gave Duke a solid artistic base. The group was called Elmer Snowden and his Black Sox Orchestra and had seven members, including James “Bubber” Miley, a trumpeter whose growling style changed the “sweet” dance band sound of the group to one that was edgier and hotter. Eventually renaming themselves “The Washingtonians” Duke became the band leader after the original band leader left.

Already Ellington’s skill as a bandleader was gaining them success. In 1924 alone they made eight records with Ellington receiving composer’s credits. He was even able to bring his act to Europe under the name Duke Ellington and his Kentuky Club Orchestra. It was here that his band grew to a ten-piece set and developed the distinct sound and non-traditional expression of arrangement, and sultry saxophone blue licks that would become their trademark. The great saxophonist Sindey Bechet even played with the group adding his superior showmanship to the upstart band and giving them a chance to be notice by even more big-shots in the industry like Paul Whiteman.

1927 was significant for Duke because he received a career-advancing agreement when he signed a 45% interest in his future with agent-publisher Irving Mills. Mills was a shrewd manager who helped gain Ellington the popularity that his skills deserved and then some. Duke even got more co-composer credits that perhaps he had truly earned. Mills arranged recording sessions with the Brunswick, Victor, and Columbia labels giving Duke even more popular recognition. Mills eventually took over management duties from Duke allowing him more time to work on his band’s sound and his music. Eventually this beneficial relationship ended in 1937 but by then Duke was practically a household name. Duke obvious had talent in his own right and this was the primary stimulus for his success. However, a significant share of the credit for raising his profile should also go to Irving Mills.

At around the same time that Duke was beginning to enjoy his success, Cab Calloway and his orchestra, a brilliant but at the time failing band called “The Missourians” were hired as a replacement for Duke Ellington and his Orchestra while they were away touring. This would prove to be his big break because the band proved popular and they would soon become co-house band with Duke Ellington and his orchestra. Cab became a beneficiary of technology too because he got a chance to get twice-weekly live national radio broadcasts on NBC. Calloway even had an appearance on Walter Winchell’s radio program and with Bing Crosby in his show at the Paramount.

It is important to note that Duke Ellington was also receiving similar exposure and together they broke the “color barrier” on radio. The “color barrier” refers to the fact that before they started appearing on radio only white people were allowed to be on radio. Therefore, they actually played a part in improving the lot of other African-American performers.

A unique aspect of Cab’s band was that unlike other bands of equal commercial success, the band gave soloists ample space and thanks to the varied arrangements of Walter Thomas gave Cab’s band more musical interest than most. In 1931 Cab recorded his most memorable song, “Minnie the Moocher” which would later be performed along with a Betty Boop animated short. Thanks to rotoscoping Cab was able to lend his voice, music and dance steps to the animated short. In a show of shrewd business sense he took advantage of the increase his profile by timing concerts in some places where the film was going to be released. As a result people associated him the character he played there a man named “The Hi De Ho Man”.

Comparison of Music

Reefer Man by Cab Calloway was recorded in 1932. Like most jazz that he made Reefer Man is somewhat archaic and hard to understand the words although this might be because the record itself is over 75 years old and may have suffered because of its age. The song is about meeting a Reefer Man. In a way it is a precursor later more explicit songs because a Reefer Man is actually someone who smokes marijuana. Noticeable on the score is the use of trumpets and string instruments in upbeat melodies. The song is played by a large band of course as is the nature of most jazz music of that era.

The language used in Reefer man is indicative of the type of language people used at that time. For example, the word cat is used to refer to the person in the song. Reefer is a term used then as it is today for Marijuana or Cannabis. The song describes the effects on the mind of reefer and how it will cause you to lose your mind and how a reefer man makes no sense at all because his mind has been addled by drugs. They song’s lyrics are catchy because it makes good use of rhymes to make the lyrics more pleasing to the ear. At this point the crudeness ascribed to Jazz music and Cab may gain some merit. After all this is a song about a reefer man, a marijuana smoker. The fact that this song was recorded in 1943 might have something to do with the controversial topic because by that point Cab Calloway was at the top of his game already.

By way of comparison Satin Doll is a show case of Duke Ellington’s impressive composition skills. Piano, Drums, and a cacophony of string and brass instruments make up his orchestra. Unlike the chaotic sounding Reefer man, Satin Doll does indeed sound like a Satin Doll. It is smooth relaxing and just as becoming in a Jazz concert as it would be in the lounge of a fancy hotel. The original track lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer for the composition of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. As a matter of fact Mercer was only brought on to the project after the instrumental version had already gained considerable acclaim. No less than legendary Frank Sinatra would later record this song. This beautiful and melodious symphony belies any allegation that Duke is crude or primitive. It shows his skill is on par with other great composers and does for Jazz what Bach did for classical music.

The man from Harlem is a later song of Cab Calloway he sang this in 1942 when he already had considerable clout in the music industry. Aside from his trademark jovial composition style for his instrumental back ground, a style that makes the man from Harlem a very catchy and danceable song for its time, the song is also noteworthy for its lyrics. This song is full of language that would not really be comprehensible to someone who lives today. For example Drinks were served six bits a throw means that a shot of whiskey, or other alcohol, was severed at 6/8ths of a dollar or 75 cents. The man from Harlem will be the life of the party. Like reefer man this song is about a drug user who goes by the title Man from Harlem. As mentioned earlier Cab is at the top of his game with regular gigs at the popular Cotton Club his music is already very popular and would be quite hard to question his taste in topic. While some conservative groups in high society may disapprove, Cab’s popularity would assure that people would still frequent Cotton Club to hear his tunes.

C Jam Blues is a later composition by Duke Ellington. It was recorded in 1942 around the same time the man from Harlem was recorded. Its original recording had no lyrics. The jazz style is evident and there are many touches that give it a unique sound. For example, there is a drum and trumpet solo when the players for those instruments are introduced. The version reviewed is akin to a very primitive early version of an MTV. Unlike the earlier Satin Doll this song is more danceable

Later Career

In the 1950s Calloway moved his family from Long Island, New York, to Greenburgh, New York, to raise the three youngest of his five daughters. Cab began to appear more often on TV, Films and stage productions which took advantage of his acting and singing talents. In 1976 he would release his autobiography, Of Minne the Moocher and Me which also included a complete version of his Hepsters Dictionary of words which were coined by the jazz era. He later established a Calloway museum and even made an appearance on the Blues Brother’s Movie playing Minne the Moocher there. Calloway made great contributions to advance Jazz culture as well as the musical genre itself.

Even while he lived in 1965 Ellington was already nominated for a Pulitzer Prize although he lost. In his later years he tried to fuse Christian Liturgy with jazz and he continued to make compositions based on this idea. He got a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1966 and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. When he died in 1974 no less than Ella Fitzgerald summed up the event by saying “It’s a very sad day. A genius has passed”. He would receive a Pulitzer after his death as man who advanced Jazz music and American Culture as a whole.

Conclusion

After their rise to stardom both Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington would enjoy continued success for years to come. Aside from developing the field of Jazz in their own special way, Cab and Duke also helped open up the world of performing arts to their fellow African Americans. Allegations that they were primitive had more to do with the fact that at the time they were making names for themselves Jazz was still considered a low art. It had not yet gained the level of acceptance that some more profound, more classical forms of music had. It wad left up to people like Cab and Duke to introduce Jazz as a viable art. Their contributions as pioneers in the jazz industry will continue to resound for generations to come.

References

Alyn Shipton, A New History of Jazz, 2nd. ed., Continuum, 2007, pp. 4–5.

Bill Kirchner, The Oxford Companion to Jazz, Oxford University Press, 2005, Chapter Two.

Duke Ellington In Person by Mercer Ellington with Stanley Dance, Da Capo Press, 1988.

Ellington: The Early Years, Mark Tucker, 1995.

Beyond Category : The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington by John Edward Hasse, Wynton Marsalis, 1995, Da Capo Press.

The World of Duke Ellington by Stanley Dance, 1981, Da Capo Press.

Duke Ellington – C Jam Blues (1942). Web.

Cab Calloway Sings “The Man From Harlem”. Web.