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Duke Ellington -- "Handy Man," 9-page Hand Written Sc Duke Ellington -- "Handy Man," 9-page Hand Wri

Currency:USD Category:Memorabilia Start Price:3,750.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,500.00 USD
Duke Ellington --  Handy Man,  9-page Hand Written Sc Duke Ellington --  Handy Man,  9-page Hand Wri
<B>Duke Ellington -- "Handy Man," 9-page Hand Written Score (circa 1930s).</B></I> One of America's greatest artists, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899-1974) was a masterful piano player, composer, arranger, and band leader. As Jazz historian Scott Yanow has written, "Duke Ellington's contributions to Jazz and American music were simply enormous. As a bandleader, his orchestra during 1926-74 was always among the top five, whether it be 1929 or 1969. As a composer, Ellington ranked with George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and their contemporaries. He wrote literally thousands of songs (the exact number is not known) of which hundreds became standards." Written in Duke Ellington's own hand, this sensational lot features the musical score for "Handy Man." This chart notes breaks and solos for three trumpeters in the band: Charles "Cooty" (or Cootie) Williams, Freddy "Posey" Jenkins and Arthur Whetsol (who was one of the original members of Duke Ellington's Washingtonians). This lot includes a letter of provenance from J. Bradley Shigeta which reads, "This letter is to confirm that all of the Duke Ellington manuscripts/scores/miscellaneous sketches in my possession were given to me by Mercer Ellington in 1995 as a personal gift for my assistance with the Duke Ellington Orchestra."