A Lesson on Duke
Photographer: Phil Conrad
A short lesson from playing the music of Duke Ellington
(2 minute read)
It’s a week or so after our final sharing at World Heart Beat (Embassy Gardens) and I’m still hearing the band everywhere I go. I’ve been rereading the feedback, and one comment in particular got me thinking:
“It was lovely how everyone got a moment to shine in the concert”.
That, to me, is Ellington – and it’s exactly what we were reaching for all week.
We spent four days building a big band with generous support from World Heart Beat Music Academy, Trinity Laban, and the Julian Joseph Jazz Academy. The end-of-course showcase was invigorating and exciting – the players felt connected and confident, and you could hear it in every chorus.
How Duke did it: listen, notice, frame
Edward Kennedy ‘Duke’ Ellington had many gifts, but one of the greatest was how he painted flattering portraits of his musicians. With his orchestra as a palette, he celebrated individuality: the warm, singing tone of Johnny Hodges on ballads like ‘Isfahan’ and ‘Blood Count’; the stratospheric fireworks of Cat Anderson in ‘Rockin’ in Rhythm’; the growls and hollers of Bubber Miley on ‘East St. Louis Toodle-Oo’.
What was this wizardry? He listened. In rehearsal, on stage – even passing in a corridor – he noticed what made each player unique, then framed it so the music told their story. No smoke, no mirrors. Just world-class listening.
How we practised it across four days
We kept the fundamentals front and centre – swing, blues, form, listening, section sound – and asked a simple question: What’s your sound?
Little moments became big steps: a tenor player digging into Ben Webster’s ‘Cottontail’ solo; an alto finding Hodges’ warmth; rhythm-section players learning to breathe together. My job was to set the frame and keep the room safe and focused. The students did the rest. I set the frame; they made it sing.
What we took away
When we dig deeper into this music, we learn so much. About listening to one another, about lifting each other up, about being ourselves, about celebrating our diversity, about life. These are the things we learn from Duke, from jazz.
Experiences like this are at the heart of my teaching. If you’d like to explore more about how I run courses and workshops, visit my Workshops & Courses page. Or, if you’d like to know a little more about my own journey as a teacher and musician, head to my About me page.
