DUKE ELLINGTON FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW essays

DUKE ELLINGTON FROM HIS POINT OF VIEW essays I am the Duke; the Duke of jazz that is. I have earned it. I have won thirteen Grammys. I was the first jazz musician to be elected as a member of the Royal Music Academy of Stockholm. I have been honored with the Legion of Honor by the French government. And by the end of my fifty year career, I have performed over 20,000 times. All these accomplishments and many more that I am so proud of; but they have not come easy. I had to work for them, and so my story begins. I am sure Daisy Kennedy Ellington and James Edward Ellington, my parents, remember this date better than I do. April 29, 1899. The turn of the century, the day I was born. I was born Edward Kennedy Ellington; I received the name Duke, from a childhood friend. He loved my proper manners, bearing, and the way that I dressed. I was born in Washington, D.C. hence the name of my orchestra, the Washingtonians, but we will get into that later. I started playing the piano at seven, but I was not that interested then. Other aspects of life were on the top of my priorities, I wanted to be a baseball player. However, I still had the heart and passion for the craft. I remember I would travel to Philadelphia with my mother during the summers. There I would look for the best ragtime pianists in the city. Finally, while in Asbury Park, I heard of a hot pianist named Harvey Brooks and I just had to see him. I am grateful, that I met him; he taught me all the tricks and shortcuts of the piano. I am also grateful for Doc. You know Oliver Perry? He taught me the fundamentals, how to red music and he helped me to improve all of my piano skills. Though I had plenty of training, I could not shake my fear of the stage. So I got my first job selling peanuts at the Washington Senators baseball games. There I was somewhat of a performer. I never received an education that was academically oriented. I attended Armstrong Manua...

French Expressions Using Casser

French Expressions Using Casser The French verb casser literally means to break and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. The verb is used to talk about breaking someone, boring someone stiff, warning someone, making an omelet by breaking eggs, and more. Possible Meanings of casser to breakto crack (a nut)to snap (a branch)to spoil the flavor (of wine)to demoteto annulto lower (prices)(familiar) to kill (esp. if motivated by prejudice) Expressions with casser crier casse-cou quelquunto warn someone casser du sucre sur le dos de quelquunto talk about someone behind his back casser la baraque (informal)to bring the house down casser la baraque quelquun (informal)to screw everything up for someone casser la croà »te (informal)to have a bite to eat casser la figure quelquun (informal)to smash someones face in casser la graine (informal)to have a bite to eat casser la gueule quelquun (familiar)to smash someones face in casser le morceau (familiar)to spill the beans, come clean to give the game away casser les oreilles quelquun (informal)to deafen someone casser les pieds quelquun (informal)to bore someone stiff, get on someones nerves casser les reins quelquunto ruin, break someone casser la tà ªte quelquunto deafen someone, to bore someone stiff casser sa pipe (informal)to kick the bucket, snuff it tout casserstupendous, fantastic; at the most Ça / Il ne casse pas des briques (informal) Thats no great shakes. Ça / Il ne casse pas trois pattes un canard (informal)It / He is nothing special, nothing to get excited about Ça / Il ne casse rien.It / He is nothing special, nothing to get excited about Casse-toi  ! (familiar)Get the hell out of here! Il ne sest pas cassà © le cul (slang)He didnt bust his butt. Il ne sest pas cassà © la tà ªte (informal)He didnt overtax himself, put any effort into it. Il ne sest pas cassà © le tronc / la nà ©nette (familiar)He didnt do much, try very hard. Il nous les casse  ! (familiar)Hes a pain in the neck! Tu me casses les bonbons  ! (familiar)Youre a pain in the neck! un/e casse-cou (informal)daredevil, reckless person un/e casse-couilles (slang)pain in the butt un casse-croà »tesnack casse-cul (slang adj)bloody/damn annoying un casse-dalle (familiar)snack un casse-graine (informal)snack casse-gueule (fam adj)dangerous, treacherous un casse-noisettes/noixnutcracker(s) un casse-pattes (informal)slog, difficult climb un casse-pieds (informal)pain in the neck, nuisance, bore le casse-pipes (informal)the front un casse-tà ªteclub, brain-teaser, puzzle un casse-vitessespeed bump, sleeping policeman se casser (familiar)to split, take off   se casser pour infinitive (informal)to strain oneself to do something, to work at something   se casser le couto fall flat on ones face, go bankrupt se casser la figure (informal)to fall flat on ones face, go bankrupt se casser la figure contre (informal)to crash into se casser la jambe/le brasto break ones arm/leg se casser netto break clean off / through se casser le nezto find no one in, to fail se casser la tà ªte sur (inf)to wrack ones brains about Proverbs with casser Il faut casser le noyau pour avoir lamande.No pain no gain. On ne fait pas domelette sans casser des Å“ufs.You cant make an omelette without breaking eggs. Qui casse les verres les paie.As you make your bed, so you must lie on it. You pay for your mistakes.