Music1923–1974
Duke Ellington
Washington D.C. composer, bandleader, and pianist who is widely regarded as the greatest jazz composer in history — his orchestral compositions elevated jazz to the level of art music.
Origin
Washington, D.C.
Genre
Jazz
The Cultural Record
Discography
Blue Note Jazz Inspiration2012
M
Music by Ellington & Bartók1986
Ella at Duke’s Place1966
C
Concept of Freedom2005
Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins1963
Rank History
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Often Compared To
Herbie Hancock
#2Jazz — Chicago, Illinois · 1961–present
Chicago pianist and Miles Davis alumnus who has spent 60 years moving fluidly between jazz, fusion, and funk — Headhunters is the best-selling jazz album of the 1970s.
John Coltrane
#3Jazz — Hamlet, North Carolina · 1955–1967
Hamlet, North Carolina saxophonist whose technical mastery and spiritual devotion produced A Love Supreme — one of the most revered albums ever recorded in any genre.