Introduced in early 1941 by Duke Ellington, the bandleader made it his theme song the following year, and so it remained for the rest of Ellington's life. Strayhorn was a great fan of Fletcher Henderson's arrangements. Ella Fitzgerald sang and recorded this song many times from 1957 onwards; for a live version with Ella scatting, see her 1961 Verve release Ella in Hollywood. For the albums, see, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Jazz Composers: Take the "A" Train", "Take the 'A' Train" at jazzstandards.com, Joya Sherrill at the PBS Jazz history page, Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band, Braggin' in Brass: The Immortal 1938 Year. These plates, unmarked and unsigned, raised a question: was the young Strayhorn denied the credit he deserved for catapulting the band and the publishing company to eternal fame and success? Ellington turned to Billy Strayhorn and son Mercer Ellington, who were registered with ASCAP competitor BMI to "write a whole new book for the band," Mercer recalled. Duke Ellington ’s signature composition was “Take the A Train,” written by his frequent collaborator Billy Strayhorn. Owing to Joya's remarkable poise and singing ability and her unique take on the song, Ellington hired her as a vocalist and adopted her lyrics. Ellington turned to Billy Strayhorn and son Mercer Ellington, who were registered with ASCAP competitor BMIto "write a whole ne… Duke Ellington ’s signature composition was “Take the A Train,” written by his frequent collaborator Billy Strayhorn. But behind the curtain of success stood a young composer and songwriter, Billy Strayhorn, who was a longtime friend and collaborator of Ellington’s. Ellington wrote directions for Strayhorn to get to his house by subway, directions that began, "Take the A Train". The band is depicted performing in a railroad passenger car, not a subway car. ", Subscribe to the American Masters Newsletter, Performances of “Mood Indigo,” including by Annie Lennox, Duke Ellington Interview: What is “American Music?”, The Story of “Take the A Train,” Duke Ellington’s Signature. The song brought Ellington and his band financial success, became his “theme” song that he would perform regularly for the rest of his life, and is still one of the most important compositions in all of jazz. Around this “Take the ‘A’ Train” was rolling up the charts. The song brought Ellington and his … In Ellington’s case, his band was losing more than it was making, so it was the money made from Tempo Music that allowed the band to continue playing and making music. More than half a century after “Take the A Train” debuted, a Brooklyn man (and self-proclaimed “dumpster diver”) Garfied Gillings came across a set of metal plates engraved with sheet music for purpose of printing the famous piece of music, as documented in this segment from the PBS show History Detectives. Swinging Suites by Edward E. and Edward G. Studio Sessions, 1957, 1965, 1966, 1967, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Studio Sessions New York & Chicago, 1965, 1966 & 1971, The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1944, The Carnegie Hall Concerts: December 1947, It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book, It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing), Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Take_the_%22A%22_Train&oldid=976015998, Articles needing additional references from September 2013, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 31 August 2020, at 18:22. The use of the Strayhorn composition as the signature tune was made necessary by a ruling in 1940 by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). In 1923, he would move from his home in DC to Harlem, New York, at the center of the blossoming Harlem Renaissance. A seeming natural-born talent, Ellington composed his first ragtime number at age 14. The tune which was taken from Duke Ellington and his famous orchestra's 1941 album "Hollywood" was included in the soundtrack of the 2008 video game release Grand Theft Auto IV from the fictitious in-game jazz music radio station "JNR 108.5 (Jazz Nation Radio)". Mercer recalled that he found the composition in a trash can after Strayhorn discarded a draft of it because it sounded too much like a Fletcher Henderson arrangement. Although Strayhorn said he wrote lyrics for it, the recorded first lyrics were composed by, or for, the Delta Rhythm Boys. "Take the 'A' Train" was composed in 1939, after Ellington offered Strayhorn a job in his organization and gave him money to travel from Pittsburgh to New York City. Take the A Train van Duke Ellington is een veel gespeeld stuk dat de meeste jazzmuzikanten zo meespelen. The tune is in AABA form, in the key of C, with each section being a lyric couplet. Duke Ellington’s signature composition was “Take the A Train,” written by his frequent collaborator Billy Strayhorn. Growing up in a middle-class family that emphasized good manners and spotless dress, the habits instilled in him would later earn him the stand-alone nickname “The Duke.”. This article is about the song by Billy Strayhorn. Jo Stafford recorded an intentionally inept interpretation of the song under the pseudonym Darlene Edwards. The vocalist who most often performed the song with the Ellington band was trumpeter Ray Nance, who enhanced the lyrics with numerous choruses of scat singing. The lyrics used by the Ellington band were added by Joya Sherrill, who was 20 at the time (1944). The first (and most famous) commercial recording was made on February 15, 1941.[3]. "'A' Train" was one of many tunes written by Strayhorn, and was picked to replace "Sepia Panorama" as the band's signature song. Music historians attribute Ellington’s rebounding success in the 1940s to the help of Strayhorn. The song would bring huge financial success to a pioneering music publishing venture, Tempo Music Inc., located at 1775 Broadway in New York City and owned by Ellington. In 1999, National Public Radio included this song in the "NPR 100", in which NPR's music editors sought to compile the one hundred most important American musical works of the 20th century. He wanted to own his own music and royalties, ultimately ending his role as victim to the exploitative music industry. When ASCAP raised its licensing fees for broadcast use, many ASCAP members, including Ellington, could no longer play their compositions over radio, as most music was played live on radio at the time. In a city filled to the brim with talented musicians, Ellington stood apart. Nance is also responsible for the trumpet solo on the first recording, which was so well suited for the song that it has often been duplicated note for note by others. [1], The use of the Strayhorn composition as the signature tune was made necessary by a ruling in 1940 by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). His company set the precedent for African American artists that would come after him – Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Herbie Hancock – starting their own companies and managing their own wealth.

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