By the end of his 75th year, Duke Ellington (1899-1974) had played perhaps 20,000 performances in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and, of course the United States. "His music had reached tens of millions of people in person and via the mass media; he had made thousands of recordings; and most important of all, he had written several thousand compositions, the best of which are likely to resound through the ages." (John Edward Hasse). Over three one-plus-hour sessions, this class will provide a broad overview this colossus of 20-century music. To quote Wynton Marsaiis, Duke Ellington “Wrote music to accompany movies, television shows, ballets, Broadway shows…music to be played in gymnasiums, street parades, and charades. Wrote sacred music. Wrote music about the human experience; if it was experienced, he stylized it. In other words, Duke Ellington had a lot on his mind."

Dr. Paul Hunt is Professor Emeritus of Music at Kansas State University where he taught trombone from 1998 to 2022. Prior to moving to Manhattan, he was a member of the music faculty at Bowling Green State University. For a decade he was the Music Director and pit conductor for the musicals presented annually by the KSU School of Music,Theatre, and Dance as well as for several KSU opera productions. While at KSU he served as Department Head, as Lead Undergraduate Advisor, and taught, in addition to trombone lessons and chamber music, world music, vocal jazz, and jazz history. He was a member of the KSU Faculty Brass Quintet and Faculty Jazz-tet. Hunt continues to perform jazz gigs and as a member of the Thundering Cats Big Band.