by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (@lakinhutcherson)
Although we dropped in on Duke Ellington earlier this month on April 6th when we shared a quote from him and a snapshot of his career and contributions, today, on his birthday, this prolific composer and musician gets a much-deserved second look, because one thing we didn’t share last time about the Black, Brown and Beige maestro?
He had synesthesia, the neurological condition where sounds and colors blend.
To read about Ellington, read on. To hear about him, press PLAY:
[You can subscribe to the Good Black News Daily Drop Podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, rss.com or create your own RSS Feed. Or listen every day here on the main page. Full transcript below]:
Hey, this is Lori Lakin Hutcherson, founder and editor in chief of goodblacknews.org, here to share with you a daily drop of Good Black News for Friday, April 29th, 2022, based on the “A Year of Good Black News Page-A-Day Calendar” published by Workman Publishing.
Although we dropped in on Duke Ellington earlier this month on April 6th when we shared a quote from him and a snapshot of his career and contributions, today this prolific composer and musician gets a much-deserved second look:
Born on this day in 1899, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington made an indelible mark on American music for more than six decades. A pianist, composer and bandleader, Ellington created such now-classic standards as “Prelude to a Kiss,” “Mood Indigo,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing”– as well as full-length compositions such as Black, Brown and Beige and Jump For Joy and film scores for Anatomy of a Murder and Paris Blues.
Perhaps there were so many hues to Duke’s music because he had synesthesia, the neurological condition where sounds and colors blend. Other noted musicians who are also reported to be synesthetes are Pharrell Williams, Mary J. Blige, Frank Ocean and Kanye West.
To learn more about Ellington, check out our April 6th daily drop and its resources, and if you want to learn more about synesthesia, check out the links provided in today’s show notes and in the episode’s full transcript posted on goodblacknews.org.
This has been a daily drop of Good Black News, written, produced and hosted by me, Lori Lakin Hutcherson.
Intro and outro beats provided by freebeats.io and produced by White Hot.
Excerpts from Black, Brown & Beige, Part 1 composed by Duke Ellington are included under fair use.
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Sources:
- https://www.npr.org/2008/11/19/97193567/duke-ellington-the-composer-pt-1
- https://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/edward-kennedy-duke-ellington
- https://www.composerofthemonth.com/duke-ellington
- https://www.jazziz.com/jazziz-essentials-duke-ellingtons-synesthesia-video/
- https://inartematt.com/2020/04/28/duke-ellington-and-synethesia/
- https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/synesthesia
- https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-synesthesia/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/synesthesia
- https://youtu.be/rkRbebvoYqI (what is synethesia)
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