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American composer, bandleader, and pianist Duke Ellington endures as perhaps the most important pioneer in big-band jazz. Ellington and his orchestra shared a special interdependent relationship: Using the band as his musical workshop, Ellington derived his orchestra’s tone coloring from the unique sound qualities of the group’s individual players. This particular style was later dubbed the “Ellington Effect” by jazz arranger Billy Strayhorn, who also wrote one of the band’s signature tunes, “Take the A Train” (1941), heard here.
"Take the A Train" (Billy Strayhorn) from The Duke Ellington Carnegie Hall Concerts January 1946 (Cat.# Prestige 2PCD-24074-2) (c) Tempo Music - ASCAP (p)1977 Prestige Records-Fantasy, Inc. All rights reserved./CORBIS-BETTMANN