Date: Thursdays, February 17, 24, and March 3, 2022
Time: 2 - 4 PM
Place: ISU, Richard G. Landini Center for the Performing
& Fine Arts, Recital Hall 300 N 7th Street, Terre Haute
Cost: $15

An originator of big-band jazz, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader who composed thousands of scores over his 50-year career. Join us for a three session class honoring this ledgend of jazz.

Duke Ellington Concert
The first session will be a performance of Duke Ellington music performed by John Spicknall and Joe Deal.

Duke Ellington: American, Composer
Most of us know Duke Ellington to be a major figure in the history of jazz music. His tunes dominate the Great American Songbook and his ensemble helped define the big-band, dance-hall sound of popular music in 1930s and 40s. But Ellington’s music often defies easy categorization, from his songs that resist simple pop-song formulas to his extended compositions in more “classical” styles. This session celebrates the life and work of Duke Ellington as a pianist, composer, and bandleader, and surveys his diverse musical output, from his jazz standards to his works for symphony orchestra to his Sacred Concerts.

Songs for Duke: The Tribute Poem and Duke Ellington
Writing in praise of the departed or in homage to other forms of art are well-established practices in poetry. These two types of poetry fuse into a specific subgenre known as the tribute poem, which honors the life and work of an artist. This session will examine the conventions of the tribute poem and center on a discussion of works that consider the impacts and legacy of Duke Ellington, one of the foremost jazz musicians, composers, and bandleaders of the twentieth century.