Duke Ellington -- His greatest work

The Duke Ellington Orchestra at the Howard Theatre in Washington D.C. in 1946 (William P. Gottlieb)

He died in 1974, but Duke Ellington remains a major influence on jazz. For over a half century, his music challenged the boundaries of the music, offering up harmonically sophisticated compositions.

This is exemplified by his theme song, "Take the A Train". The forward-thinking opening of the composition, written by Duke's assistant composer Billy Strayhorn, was written in 1941. But the original theme stated by the saxophonesechoes the harmonically advanced, rhythmically complex bebop songs from a few years later.

The only soloist on this song is trumpeter Ray Nance. The first 24 bars of Nance's solo also look forward to the upcoming be-bop revolution in jazz. It is also one of the most memorable solos in jazz -- so memorable that many consider the improvisation to be a written part of this classic composition.

Two years later, Ellington debuted his ground-breaking composition "Black, Brown and Beige" at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This 43-minute composition was the first jazz-based composition to be featured as a long-form piece in the classical tradition. Although it was criticized at the time for being too ambitious, it is now recognized as one of the premiere works of jazz composition in the 20th century. The first movement, titled "Black", is daring for its time, with tom-toms backing the brass and saxophones.



One of his best-known compositions was "In a Sentimental Mood", which Ellington wrote in 1935. This version includes a romantic violin intro, impeccably done by his multi-faceted trumpeter and vocalist, Chicago's own Ray Nance. Ellington was also adept at arranging other composers music, including a jazz verson of the "Nutcracker Suite" which he released in 1963. Nance was also featured on violin and vocals in 1943, introducing one of Ellington's timeless classics, "It Don't Mean a Thing".

Malcolm X: His life and times as seen through Timeline

Malcolm X continues to influence civil rights activists throughout the world. Malcolm, who adopted the Islamic religion while in prison, became a pioneering figure for the American Muslim movement, popularizing that religion in the African-American community. He is best known for his controversial advocacy for the rights of blacks; some consider him a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans, while others accused him of preaching violence. But his extreme intelligence and articulation of the rights of African-Americans continues to resonate today. Here is a timeline covering highlights in his life:
 

(Country/State TBD) leads in avocado exports during latter half of 2018

An avocado farm in Jalisco, Mexico (Andres Gonzalez/Pinterest)

(This city/country), despite a slight drop in production, led everyone else in avocado production during the last quarter of 2018, according to information produced by the Hass Avocado Board.

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Cousins, Rodgers are top QBs in NFC North for 2018

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (John Jacobs/NFL)

 

 

 

 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recorded eight games each with 100-plus QB ratings in 2018, which allowed them to finish one and two respectively in overall ratings for the 2018 season in the NFC North, according to rating released today by the NFL.

The statistics, seen in the animated graphic above, show that Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky recorded the highest quarterback ratings in one game during the 2018 season -- he had a 154 QB rating in a 48-10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.