ies for extra money. He put his knowledge of piano playing to use and played at a few of the dance parties and weddings. After employing his artistic talent in painting posters, Duke then decided to put together his own band. This new music, known as jazz, was considered to be low and vulgar because it was music that grew directly out of the Black culture. In the early years of Duke's career, segregation was at one of its all time worst points in history. In time, jazz became a universally recognized form of art, and has been said that it is the only real form that has originated from the American soul. Duke, himself, was an elegant man. When the white people looked down on the black man and his music, Duke managed to bring dignity to every one of his performances. Once, the jazz historian Leonard Feather described Duke as, "an inch over six feet tall, sturdily built, he had an innate grandeur that would have enabled him to step with unquenched dignity out of a mud puddle." Duke’s private life was something of an enigma. Although he had many friends, he never really told them everything about himself. He would often guard his privacy, probably because he had so little of it. When he was alone though, he would almost always be arranging the next tune for the band to play, and was always preparing something for the band to do in the next performance. Duke attracted some of the greatest musicians to join his band. Because of this, it has been said that many of Duke’s pieces are almost impossible to exactly duplicate without the personal style of the original musicians. The 1920’s became known as "the Jazz Age" because jazz had hit its first great burst of popularity. At that time Duke then added a young drummer named Sonny Greer. A few years after Greer was hired, Duke’s band hit a very rough spot. They were often stuck in the street with no money and nowhere to go. Duke and his band often were stu...
