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		Third Prize: Jonathan Challoner Kwalikum Secondary School Coobs, British Columbia I remember when I first started listening to Duke Ellington. I thought he was pretty good. He had trumpets in his band, and that was all I needed at the time, being a twelve-year-old fledgling trumpet player. Little did I know the profound effect it would have on me to this day and, I have no doubt, for the rest of my life. I remember liking his very early recordings when I was younger. Everything seemed so authentic to me. It was the music of a time, of a generation, I thought. I was baffled at the sound the trombones got out of those wacky plunger techniques. I didn't understand those sounds, or how they were made, or why they were made. I didn't really understand any of the sounds; all I knew was that I liked them. I'd put on some of "The Mooche" or "Saddest Tale" when I was pretending to do my homework and imagine the clubs, the audience, the dancing. Everything in my mind was in grainy black and white and it was like looking at an ancient stained-glass window from medieval times. This time was full of magic and wonder, and this music, which I had never heard before. Time went on, I became more and more serious about music. More than that, I became a more mature person. I had listened to Duke from time to time, but was more interested in Lee Morgan and Miles Davis than the strange sounding old Ellington tunes I had experienced earlier. I did; however, fall in love with the sound of Clark Terry's horn on Perdido and listened to that song for hours on end. A few months after I discovered my adoration of Terry, I picked up "Such Sweet Thunder". Over the years, I'd heard the title tune done by high school bands and professionals, and I liked it. To my unprepared surprise, the real thing simply knocked me down as I listened. Having studied Shakespeare in school, I was intrigued at how he could depict characters in so many unique ways. The way he focused on Lady MacBeth's noble stature, or Kate's vulnerability actually brought more to the characters than I had previously considered. It was the same kind of humanity and feeling a great Shakespearean actor could emote. Of course, I was also incredibly pleased with Clark Terry's portrayal of Puck. However, nothing could possibly have prepared me for the sheer beauty and delicate wonder of "The Star Crossed Lovers." I listened to that song over and over again and it pulled me further into its allure with every note that hit my ears. It was then that I went back to my other Ellington and found the same reactions to so many other pieces. Every tune was perfection that I had never heard before. A million emotions burst out of every sound, every chord and every solo. I was mystified. Now, each time I listen, I still discover new things. New chords appear, new things my ear had never experienced before, both complicated and exquisitely simple. The silken softness of Duke's piano leading to the triumphant declarations of the trumpets on "Solitude" and the sultry wails of Johnny Hodges on "Flirtibird" have come more alive to me every time I listen to them. I may never truly understand the sounds, but nevertheless, Duke's music has been an inspiration for my life. It is a soundtrack to life, with ups and down, happiness and sadness, jovial playfulness and tight lipped seriousness. Furthermore, throughout every note his band plays there is an infectious undertone of genuine love and embracing of every aspect of life. Such is the magic of Duke Ellington. Return to the Essentially Ellington Essay Contest		Jazz at Lincoln Center Essentially Ellington 33 West 60th Street New York, NY 10023 Email: ee@jalc.org Phone: (212) 258-9812 Fax: (212) 258-9900 For general inquiries about Jazz at Lincoln Center, please click here.