Jazz Arrangers a century of big band writing, 1920s–present

Jazz arranging · Swing & the Big Band Era

DukeEllington

1899–1974 arranger · composer · orchestrator

Ellington's arranging was inseparable from his composing—he wrote for specific players in his orchestra, treating their…

iridescent colorexpansive registerbalanced space
Portrait of Duke Ellington
Publicity portrait c. 1940, photographer unknown, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Predominant era
Swing & the Big Band Era
Lifespan
1899–1974
Signature
iridescent color
00

Bio · 31 words

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was born in Washington, D.C., to a middle-class family that encouraged his musical pursuits. He began piano lessons at age seven and was composing by his teens.

01

Musical style

Sound DNA

Five shared dimensions make the arranger’s musical priorities visible at a glance.

Duke Ellington sound DNA Comparative profile of color, space, register, density, and motion.
The same scale is used throughout the collection.
Color96

Iridescent

Instrumental color leads the design.

Space60

Balanced

Space and activity stay in balance.

Register89

Expansive

Wide spans define the orchestral frame.

Density53

Transparent

Individual lines stay easy to follow.

Motion47

Suspended

Motion unfolds with patience.

02

Orchestration

Technique deck

Select a card to spotlight a device drawn from this arranger’s orchestral language.

03

Music first

Scores & orchestras

Switch recordings to see how the ensemble changes around each musical idea.

Victor single (The Blanton-Webster Band) · 1940

Ko-Ko

Blanton-Webster band: Rex Stewart on cornet, Juan Tizol's valve trombone counted with the trombones, Barney Bigard's clarinet chair, Harry Carney's baritone anchoring the reeds.

11 distinct chair colors
Brass 6
Woodwinds 5
Rhythm + color 4
2 TrumpetsCornet3 Trombones2 Alto SaxsTenor SaxClarinetBaritone SaxPianoGuitarUpright BassDrums

04

Start here

Three essential albums

One line each—enough context to choose the next listen.

  1. 01 1956 Ellington at NewportDuke Ellington Though recorded in the 1950s, this album features arrangements spanning Ellington's career, climaxing with the legendary 27-chorus Paul Gonsalves tenor saxophone solo…
  2. 02 1957 Such Sweet ThunderDuke Ellington This suite of Shakespearean portraits showcases Ellington's most sophisticated arranging.
  3. 03 1962 Money JungleDuke Ellington This trio album with Charles Mingus and Max Roach strips away the big band to reveal Ellington's arranging mind at work on…