Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life.
Publicity portrait, c. 1940s
British pressing of "East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (1927)
Adelaide Hall recorded Creole Love Call with Ellington in 1927. The recording became a worldwide hit.
Duke Ellington at the Hurricane Club, Broadway & W. 51St, New York City, May 1943
Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instrument's combined melodic and harmonic capabilities. For this reason it is an important tool of jazz musicians and composers for teaching and learning jazz theory and set arrangement, regardless of their main instrument. By extension the phrase 'jazz piano' can refer to similar techniques on any keyboard instrument.
Thelonious Monk in 1947
Bill Evans performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1978
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band, with Henry Ragas on piano