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The Duke Ellington Orchestra



Last Updated: 11/18/2009

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Status: Single
City: NEW YORK
State: New York
Country: US
Signup Date: 11/20/2006

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Saturday, January 02, 2010 

Current mood:  froggy
Category: Blogging
Let's see, I'm close to perfect so this will be hard but off the top of my head my list would look something like...

- Make the day longer, seriously, I can't get everything done and time goes faster as we age.

- Get more paid work in the film business.

- Finish my feature film about my Grandfather.

- Continuing my music practice every day.

- Moving my life forward regardless of what happens to school - don't let life whoop you, whoop life.

- Owning a house, although this is more of a three year goal as school will put that on hold with it's tuition etc.

Hmmm, I think this is where is ends.

Oh!

- Showing everyone that messed with me that it's never a good idea when dealing with a 1/4 Native American, 1/4 African American, 1/2 Danish kid who has been through the ringer twice already.

- If I do get into grad school, I resolve to let everyone hear about it, particularly any person or persons who didn't support said academic direction.

Happy New Year!

-Paul
8:08 PM 
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Sunday, December 27, 2009 

Current mood:  geeky
Category: Blogging
I hope everything went splendidly for our fans over the holidays. I had a fine Christmas, a far cry from last year alone at the bar in the Four Seasons crying over spilt milk -- which there is no use for.

Been getting my guitar chops up a bit and have another lesson on the 6th. I hear about school fairly soon which I am sure all of you are like, okay I get it, you're trying to get into grad school. To that end I say, this is my blog, you don't like it, like I told my ex, her sister, some random dude --  don't read this...

My good friend from San Diego who is getting over his ex, or trying to keeps defending her. Not that she has done something more wrong than anyone else, but simply I don't feel that his personal life should be shared with her through his blog -- she simply doesn't deserve the attention. This is something I practice, apart from the few months where I wrote my breakup and bumping into my ex at the place I used to hang out, I didn't share anything else about my personal life with her. I say with her because like me, my friend knows that his ex reads his blog. Nevertheless, he still likes to let her know he cares, which is very sweet of him but she doesn't deserve the satisfaction. Next thing you know he will be getting hate mail from his ex's big sister, man the two message I have saved are so nasty, they are getting published and then framed & along with Duke's Pulitzer Prize and a letter I received from Bill Clinton.

My good friend Branden, will be attending Grad classes in New York soon, I am so jealous, but hey, if things go to plan I will be there soon myself.

Twittered to Zakk Wylde the other day, he is like my music god. The Rolling Stones are my band, but Zakk Wylde is my guy on the steel strings man. In any event I wish him the best of things in 2010 and good health.

When my new guitar gets here I gotta look into getting an amp speaker, when I get back NYC, I will get a JCM 800 full or even half stack.

Some Ellington Estate news which I will be happy to update you on in the near future but it's very exciting -- never a dull moment I tell ya.

Going to the store today to pick up a book on Robert Johnson, the king of the Delta blues.  

K off, sorry I have been off the blog but just dealing with stupid Christmas, which wasn't as pathetic as last years.

Talk to you soon!

-Paul
7:50 PM 
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Monday, December 21, 2009 

Current mood:  fascinated
Hope all is well with my Ellington Peeps. My Christmas is surprisingly easy this year  -- getting my groceries for the next ten days today. The best Christmas present now would be to find out about my schooling but I fear that wont happen for a few months still.

Saw Avatar, it was pretty amazing. The whole thing is candy for the eyes and it could be his best film yet. I will not be working in Austin at New Years for a variety of reasons and will miss many of my friends there. Austin, Texas is one of my favorite places on Earth -- the music, people, and food are as my Grandfather would say, beyond category.

Been practicing so much it sickening, if I had only had time to do this when I was younger, well, there's that and also paying more attention to details. Suffice it to say my father would be very happy right now.

I am also just now starting on a plan B, as in, what to do if I don't get into school etc. The question is, do you move to LA to work on films and perhaps one day join the Union as a DOP, or move to New York join the union and work your way up -- the answer is I don't really know right now and that's okay.

Brittany Murphy died, I always question my own mortality when I hear a 32 year old has passed away, allegedly from natural causes. This should be a concern to everyone, life can be fickle -- which is the reason I was so crazy as a child.

With that, I will now begin my day in earnest.

Best wishes.

- Paul Ellington










8:19 PM 
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009 

Current mood:  grumpy
Category: Blogging
Thank you to all my fans, Japanese ones and otherwise! I love you all dearly. As the holidays approach I find myself wanting to be cheerful but it isn't like when I was younger -- I miss it, more than the it, I miss having my parents around. That said, I like giving the few people I have around a hug and share some stories.

I wanna thank Ace for hooking up my guitar -- it's awesome and I will most certainly rock my socks off.

A big wag of my finger (Trademark Stephen Colbert) to the banks for being 'Grinchy' this year. How can the White House not take action right away with these banks who are not helping working class Americans get loans to start businesses which in turn creates new jobs and more money for America?!?!?!

Anyway -- that's my vent for the evening.

I hope everyone is dealing with all the holiday stress in the best possible way.

Is it me or has anyone noticed that the panel in the Senate which is voting for healthcare is all white folks? I am mixed race but for our purposes think of me as black. How in the blue hell is did this happen? Did all the folks in the room (Washington D.C) decide it would be better if they approached it without a fair and balanced panel? I don't know, something in the Senate doesn't smell right, in fact it's gone way past the 'iffy' date on the expiration.

K - talk to you all soon!

-PE
8:17 AM 
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Sunday, December 13, 2009 

Category: Blogging
Went to a film last night about Orson Welles, I knew my Grandfather knew him and interacted with him and so did the filmmakers. They didn't have Duke in the film but they used lots of music in it. I am thankful to the filmmakers for including my Grandfather in what is a nicely made film -- the acting was good, the cinematography by Dick Pope was amazing blending stage lighting with film lighting, and the Direction was also wonderful. I hope it does well in theaters as anything with Orson or Duke in it should be seen and talked about.

Lazy Sunday, wake up in the late afternoon, wait, SNL flashback, I will stop. Played some more guitar, been playing every day, began learning Ave Maria which was one of the first songs I played on the piano. I feel like I can do music now more than I could when I was younger. The attention to practice is there and I am not getting bored easily. Some of the challenges that come with learning how to play are frustrating but I enjoy the results just like the weight lifting and my body.

I will lighten the mood a little bit, I felt a little like a kid on Friday when Ace told me he would help order a guitar for me that I can practice on. I am pretty excited as the guitar I am playing on right now is very expensive and I would like to make sure that no guitar gets all that worn down.

Gotta spend some money next week, XMAS presents etc. The amount of money the average person spends on gifts is more than you realize; often times you go into the hole and start the year out depressed for what purpose? I only spend money I have during the holiday, I don't really have that many people to buy for because I don't have much family left and I am pretty solitary during the holidays.

I am going to have to buy a new amp soon but my practice amp is a classically hardwired AC30 head, I need a new speaker, but I want a Zakk Wylde Marshall stack.

Enough, about me, I am off to take some photos. 

See you soon, maybe later it is Sunday.

-PE
11:21 PM 
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Saturday, December 12, 2009 

Current mood:  satisfied
Category: Blogging

There has always been purpose in my life. And for a long time that was taking care of my mother. If I had been my father I know for a fact I would have wanted the kind of son I was for him -- but in taking care of my mother I lost a lot of youth and gained too much weight. I always went straight home after school to make sure she was okay and took cooking classes from grade 5 through high-school. My mother's decease started in him arms, went to her legs and got worse from there. She spent 22 years with Scandinavian Airlines and was then asked to retire, given two gold pens from (from Cross, fairly cheap) and was left to smoking all day long.

There was a lot of bad advise given to my parents over the years, but none more (well maybe one deal in the states) in Denmark than the decision to buy one house before they had sold the previous one. My uncle told my father she needed it, but what they needed to do was sell their house before taking out a second mortgage. My brother Ralph was an adult by the time things got out of hand financially and I was left to move around and try to find a place for my mother and I to stay while trying to finish school. My uncle also sold a beautiful Steinway Rosewood piano that my father had given me -- that was the second worst decision made in that country -- I don't forget anything!

In any event, I finished school there and prepared to go to college, I lasted one year before telling my father it had nothing there for me. The hardest choice for my mother to make on my behalf was to let me come to America to live full time with my father and try to grasp music a little better. I began to learn a little quicker but my mother didn't last long without me and soon came over to live with my father and I -- life was pretty good, we didn't have a lot of money but we were all together after 15 years apart. Just as quickly as we became one living family unit, my mother and father went to Denmark on vacation and he passed away.

My mother always had spunk and fight in her but when my father passed she wasn't able to keep up with the illness she had been fighting for so many years. Then came the reading of the will, family was upset and I became an adult at 17 years of age. Lawyers were more common around the house than family, folks wanting to profit off of my family name were dropping by the house every week, and nobody asked me how I was doing. I didn't mind because I knew my mother had plenty to deal with and all I tried to do was help.

I was proud to tell my mother two things before she passed away -- I love you & I am getting a secondary degree that can help me stay involved more heavily in anything media wise related to my Grandfather.

My mother Lene Margrethe Ellington was -- a mother, wife,  model, actress, flight attendant, and fighter.

Both my brother and I loved her very much, it's too bad more modern medicine was able to help her in time.

-PE 
11:02 PM 
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Saturday, December 12, 2009 

Current mood:  melancholy
Category: Blogging


What makes each of us special is that we are all so similar. We all may not look alike but that is so superficial. We all turn in to dust and bones at the end of the day. I rate myself on the scale of attractiveness, I have gone higher on the pole since last year, but I do it mainly for fun because I like talking about how good I look now. When I date a girl, there's gotta be something else in the head, something that makes it worth getting up and doing stuff together, spending time together, arguing every once in a while, and getting naked some of the other time. If a chick is cute but treats you poorly, is it really worth it? I don't think so, I have been lucky to get some girls with both, dated a few with no brains at all, but tried a bit of everything and at my age I know what I would need to build a strong relationship with a girl.

I live very close to my ex's work, the place I encouraged her to drop off a resume at (literally ... I wont go there or she'll do more than Internet stalk me), at first I thought to myself I don't ever wanna set foot in that place because of the gossip etc (her boss sent emails about the shenanigans to her and the dude) which just made me feel terrible. But a friend of mine has put it like this to me, she's the one who should be embarrassed about the thing that happened -- I now frequent the store weekly.

Fast forward to tonight's film, The Air Up There, (SPOILER ALERT) great movie but the premise was that his work and flying on the airplane was his home and his relationship was with the airline. They in the film sorta got married at the of the film but is something like his life, the life of work and casual human interaction really a life worth living? I ask this because that's what I wanted to do, not fly all the time I get enough of that with the band, but write off girls for the rest of my life -- the answer is no. Clearly, I have been mostly all about me for the last year because I needed it -- but I have a lot of love to give to someone one day. But guys remember this, just because a girl can put it on you real good, doesn't mean you should be a doormat and cater to her every whim -- no Sir buddy.

Til next time,

-PE


 







10:42 AM 
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Saturday, December 12, 2009 

Current mood:  full
Category: Blogging

... Getting your groove on until it bleeds, I like it! My friend got some action for the first time since getting dumped -- good for you. Next time wait until you are healed up to go hard on the dating scene. I have so many inappropriate jokes for him that I can't share with all of you because I am 'The' Paul Ellington.

Nothing much new here today, other than my friend Ace is hooking me up with a new guitar after one of mine got jacked up here in Vancouver. I am pretty excited about it. Plus I have my sights on some new musical gear I will be getting in the new year -- this is big because my musical fire has been reignited.

I have so many friend that are doing well in film and on television. I am lucky to have had such close contact with that many brilliant people -- then again, they were pretty lucky to have known me as well.

Let's talk about Duke Ellington, he has passed long ago unfortunately, but his legend lives and as I have stated many times I am in charge of navigating his afterlife in the entertainment world. It's not easy, particularly when there are tons of suits doing stuff with him/about him and patting themselves on the back while keeping his Estate/Family and myself excluded -- can you spell collusion amongst the music businessmen that handle jazz and put themselves on perches my Grandfather helped create for them? One shouldn't look to the past but I fuel my future with dreams of the things I will say and do to change publicly for musicians, families of famous musicians, and myself the lack of rules that exist in this very corrupt business.

Hopefully I will be able to share with you all a big story in the next few months about things I hope to change.

Hope you all have a great Friday!

Best Paul



 








3:28 AM 
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Friday, December 11, 2009 

Current mood:  hopeful
Category: Blogging
Playing guitar and man, it's getting cold outside right now -- I like it. Maybe it's cause I miss Denmark weather or rather, I was so used to it when I left there and moved to New York, different city same cold temperatures.

Gotta get back into writing mode before I head to New York or LA. I am keeping the cine skills sharp, while keeping music in the foreground. Tomorrow is lazy day. Just found out that my friend Sandy is pregnant with a little girl -- congrats! That is a cool XMAS gift to get...

Everyone seems to have bills to pay at Christmas and gifts to give, I am no different. I don't ever make a big deal about this particular holiday, as you may know I don't like it much. Have been invited to the Bahamas so we will see if I am in the sun instead of snow.

When I was in my last relationship, the one people who read my blog all remember, that was all about trying to make her happy. This was a mistake, maybe that's what ended the relationship (or it could be -- insert smart-ass quip here about cheating and girls be no good), I did everything I could to satisfy a person who didn't know what they wanted. I was recently told by a lovely young woman, who thinks my ex made a huge mistake, that a lot of young women who finish University or College change a lot then because their world is changing. Should I cut the ex some slack because of this? I don't think so, I was too good to her. But I kinda understand the premise of it. Student life ends, grownup life begins in earnest, maybe time to dump the boyfriend. It's just a thought, it doesn't make it any better, certainly the young lady that told me this story is quite lovely.

Michael Wilbon of PTI fame says frequently on his show "There's always another train coming!" I didn't really believe this until I got in shape. Well there's that, and I am related to Duke Ellington, and he did okay with the ladies. Now, I have never been a person to sleep around a lot, but I dated a few girls after my ex, and they each got one shot to get it right -- not three strikes, one. Harsh but it was what I needed to do for me and what I continue to do. I don't play games, what you see is what you get. First thing out of my mouth when I meet a girl is, I was married and have twin daughters. These words were also uttered to Beth and then used against me later.

I am not ready to settle down right this second, it's something I will consider but with caution.

Lastly, lets talk about the health-care debate! Why in the blue hell are they spending millions upon millions of tax dollars discussion medical health-care when they should do what Canada does, raise the taxes a little for everyone, and apply an additional sales tax on goods we all need and buy to pay for the rest. It's not rocket science and it seems to me like a lot of the people in Washington D.C, may have degrees from prestigious institutions but no brains left after the schooling to get any work done. Shame -- Shame -- Shame!

-PE


11:50 AM 
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Thursday, December 10, 2009 

Current mood:  cultured
Category: Blogging
I can't begin to imagine what my father had to deal with being Duke Ellington's only son -- The expectations would have been enough to change my name and do something else, like plumbing (I consider plumbing a noble job - having just dealt with a major problem in my house). The point is, even after Granddad passed, the issues that came up were huge. People wanting rights, my father not knowing what to do because lets face it, artists aren't always the best business people.

My father has four kids on his side, and my brother Ralph whom he took in when my brother was about 12. I don't know what my other siblings were thinking at the time, I would hate to guess, but my mother was white with one kid already and another, me, on the way. He had to deal with all that family drama because he had met the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with in the 'Golden Years' of his life.

I was unbeknownst to me being groomed to take over the family business, because I didn't seem eager, or expectant of stuff - money or otherwise. Don't get me wrong, I love where I am in the pecking order -- putting myself in their shoes, I get where they come from. Thinking each that they were the favorite and secretly their father would look through the haze and realize that they where the ones to do the job -- never was the case. I had youth and innocence on my side, something that left them long before I was born and something I am sad to say has left me currently. I remember at 8 years old my father discussed music publishing with me for the first time -- I remember I was trying to go play softball with him (we later did but only after our talk and a chess game).

Where does this leave us as a family? We are pretty far along, a lot of feelings have been hurt in the process, not mine, I could care less because I am happy where I am, but issues at the other camps are in various stages of being worked out, and this is my point -- my father not only had to deal with all of the Duke issues, but the friction from within the family where one of his stresses while still alive. I was very young when my father passed but I protected my mother as he would from anyone, including family, from harm when (expletive deleted) hit the fan.

Mercer Ellington, my father, wasn't the best business man, but he was the best father and I loved him dearly.

Best PE


11:22 PM 
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