- published: 27 Jul 2014
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Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and big-band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions. In the opinion of Bob Blumenthal of The Boston Globe "In the century since his birth, there has been no greater composer, American or otherwise, than Edward Kennedy Ellington." A major figure in the history of jazz, Ellington's music stretched into various other genres, including blues, gospel, film scores, popular, and classical. His career spanned more than 50 years and included leading his orchestra, composing an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for movies, composing stage musicals, and world tours. Several of his instrumental works were adapted into songs that became standards. Due to his inventive use of the orchestra, or big band, and thanks to his eloquence and extraordinary charisma, he is generally considered to have elevated the perception of jazz to an art form on a par with other traditional genres of music. His reputation increased after his death and the Pulitzer Prize Board bestowed on him a special posthumous honor in 1999.
Actors: Michel Gondry (director), Michel Gondry (writer), Aïssa Maïga (actress), Philippe Torreton (actor), Arlette Zylberberg (producer), Genevieve Lemal (producer), Zinedine Soualem (actor), Omar Sy (actor), Sacha Bourdo (actor), Michel Gondry (actor), Alain Chabat (actor), Frédéric Saurel (actor), Gad Elmaleh (actor), Wilfred Benaïche (actor), Romain Duris (actor),
Genres: Drama, Fantasy,Actors: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (actor), Ella Fitzgerald (actress), Janet Jackson (actress), Tyne Daly (actress), Charlie Watts (actor), Duke Ellington (actor), Ron Perlman (actor), Andy Garcia (actor), Dizzy Gillespie (actor), Danny Glover (actor), Jeff Goldblum (actor), Bill Cosby (actor), Billy Crystal (actor), Mickey Cottrell (miscellaneous crew), John Legend (actor),
Genres: Biography, Documentary,Actors: Burt Bacharach (actor), John Frankenheimer (actor), Dennis Hopper (actor), Rich Cowan (producer), Benny Carter (actor), Diana Krall (actress), Andrew Hulme (editor), Julian Benedikt (writer), Julian Benedikt (director), Chico Hamilton (actor), Peggy Moffitt (actress), Cassandra Wilson (actress), Vidal Sassoon (actor), Christopher M. Allan (writer), Richard Gates (actor),
Plot: "Jazz Seen" is an exploration of the life of William Claxton, whose photographs turned the world of jazz on its keen and perceptive ear. Various jazz artists, photographers, and actors recount memories they had with Claxton and explore his work, while parts of his life are re-enacted by actors.
Keywords: independent-film, jazz-music, jazz-score, new-york-cityActors: Loretta Devine (actress), Cicely Tyson (actress), Beau Starr (actor), Clarence Williams III (actor), Queen Latifah (actress), Tim Roth (actor), Laurence Fishburne (actor), Ed O'Ross (actor), Kenya Cagle (actor), Andy Garcia (actor), William Atherton (actor), Mike Starr (actor), Richard Bradford (actor), Bill Duke (producer), Vanessa Williams (actress),
Plot: The film focuses on the war of two gangs in 1930s Harlem for the control of illegal gaming - one headed by black strategic godfather Bumpy Johnson and another by white ruthless hothead Dutch Schultz. Negotiations proposed by white syndicate boss Lucky Luciano never get under way, blood flows and Johnson gets jailed. When Johnson is paroled, he gets the work of enforcer for mighty Stephanie "The Queen" St. Clair. She is also jailed for racketeering and when she leaves she makes him promise "no violence".
Keywords: 1930s, african-american, amazing-grace-hymn, ambush, assassination-attempt, bare-breasts, bare-breasts, based-on-true-story, betrayal, blackmailActors: Mark Margolis (actor), Fred Gwynne (actor), Paul Herman (actor), Bob Hoskins (actor), Richard Gere (actor), Giancarlo Esposito (actor), Joe Dallesandro (actor), Dayton Allen (actor), Gregory Hines (actor), Laurence Fishburne (actor), Nicolas Cage (actor), Bill Cobbs (actor), Allen Garfield (actor), James Remar (actor), Ed O'Ross (actor),
Plot: The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem. The story follows the people that visited the club, those that ran it, and is peppered with the Jazz music that made it so famous.
Keywords: 1920s, 1930s, african-american, band, based-on-novel, biracial, black-american, box-office-flop, controversy, cotton-club-manhattan-new-york-cityActors: Duke Ellington (actor), Will Cowan (producer), Will Cowan (director), Duke Ellington Orchestra (actor), The Edwards Sisters (actress),
Plot: A Universal "Name Band Musical" with Duke Ellington and his Orchestra opening with "Take the 'A' Train", followed by "Suddenly It Jumped" which serves as accompaniment for the dancing of the Edwards Sisters. Other numbers are; "Turquoise Cloud," "Knock Me a Kiss," and "Frankie and Johnny."
Keywords: 1940s, bandstand, dancer, dancing, musician, orchestra, orchestra-leader, singer, singing, sister-sister-relationshipActors: Richard Keene (actor), Brandon Hurst (actor), Payne B. Johnson (actor), Warren Hymer (actor), Harry Barris (actor), John Gallaudet (actor), Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson (actor), Bing Crosby (actor), Brian Donlevy (actor), Louis Armstrong (actor), Brooks Benedict (actor), Jimmie Dundee (actor), Duke Ellington (actor), Roscoe Ates (actor), Cecil Kellaway (actor),
Plot: Jeff grows up near Basin Street in New Orleans, playing his clarinet with the dock workers. He puts together a band, the Basin Street Hot-Shots, which includes a cornet player, Memphis. They struggle to get their jazz music accepted by the cafe society of the city. Betty Lou joins their band as a singer and gets Louie to show her how to do scat singing. Memphis and Jeff both fall in love with Betty Lou.
Keywords: african-american, cultural-conflict, jazz, movie-theater, murder, musician, new-orleans-louisiana, scat-singingActors: Eddie Kane (actor), Kit Guard (actor), Jack Egan (actor), Jack Daley (actor), Harvey Clark (actor), Jack George (actor), Johnny Arthur (actor), Duke Ellington (actor), Elmer (actor), Jim Farley (actor), Stanley Fields (actor), William Demarest (actor), Otto Fries (actor), Edward Brophy (actor), J. Farrell MacDonald (actor),
Plot: Agent Pete Garland is fired by society singer Monica Barrett after he got her a new radio contract, because she thinks her lawyer friend Teddy Leeds fits in better with her social status. To get even, Pete wants to make an unknown singer into a star. He finds Ruth Allison, drives her hard through rehearsals and makes her a star. But she is worried about her past, something she hasn't told Pete: She's an ex-convict and jumped bail in order to keep her partners in crime out of it. Further she's in love with Pete, but feels that he's still carrying a torch for Monica. When Monica's popularity is decreasing, Pete is able to get Ruth a stint on the program, the result is Monica is fired and Ruth get her job, but Monica takes revenge by revealing Ruth's past. Ruth considers it is best for her to disappear before being arrested, but she has become a star in public opinion. Will she get Pete or will she go to prison again ?
Keywords: digit-in-title, number-in-title, radio, year-in-titleActors: Duke Ellington (actor), Dudley Murphy (writer), Dudley Murphy (director), Russell G. Shields (editor), Hall Johnson Choir (actor), Duke Ellington Orchestra (actor), Alec Lovejoy (actor), Fredi Washington (actress), Barney Bigard (actor), Joe 'Tricky Sam' Nanton (actor), Edgar Connor (actor), Hall Johnson (actor), Arthur Whetsol (actor), Wellman Braud (actor), Irving Mills (miscellaneous crew),
Plot: Duke Ellington plays hot jazz in a fictional story that finds him down on his luck; he tries in vain to dissuade his friend, dancer Fredi Washington, from working with heart trouble even though it means work for his band. Sure enough, she collapses on stage...
Keywords: actor-shares-first-name-with-character, actor-shares-last-name-with-character, actress-shares-first-name-with-character, actress-shares-last-name-with-character, african-american, bootleg-booze, cigarette-smoking, color-in-title, composer, cotton-club