Duke Ellington began his musical career in his home town, Washington, DC, moving to New York in 1923. Wilbur Sweatman hired Sonny Greer from Washington to play drums, but Greer would only go if Sweatman also hired Ellington and Otto Hardwick. In March, Sweatman opened an engagement at the Lafayette Theatre in Harlem.

On July 26, 1923 Elmer Snowden's Novelty Orchestra (Arthur Whetsel, Otto Hardwick, Duke Ellington, Elmer Snowden and Sonny Greer, Drums) recorded Home for Victor, but the record was not issued. Some discographies report an expanded orchestra of the same name (Bubber Miley, John Anderson, Roland Smith, Hardwick, Ellington, Snowden and Greer) returned to Victor in October 1923 to record Home and M.T. Pocket Blues, but Steven Lasker's research leads to the conclusion this session never took place (see DEMS bulletin 96,2-7.

In September 1923, The Washingtonians under Elmer Snowden began an engagement at the Hollywood Club in New York. In February 1924, Snowden left, Charlie Irvis joined on trombone, and Ellington became the leader.

In November 1924, Ellington backed vocalist Alberta Prime on It's Gonna Be A Cold, Cold Winter (matrix T2001-1) and backed Ms Prime and Sonny Greer on Parlor Social De Luxe (matrix T2002-2) on Blu Disc 1007.

"I am certain that -.1 was the only take issued, but an explanation is in order. All 78 issues I have encountered are "pressed from the same master, and are the same take, with the same terminal groove configuration, but the information seen stamped in the run-off area is contradictory from one issue to another. I have examined the issues on Broadway, Triangle and Pennington, and all are stamped T 2006-2; the copy of Blu-Disc T1002 held in the Valburn collection at the Library of Congress is also stamped T 2006-2, yet my copy of this rare issue is stamped T 2006-1. Everybodys 1021 is stamped T 2006 (no take number is stamped) but bears the true take data T 2006-1 as inscribed in the central area of the master wax by the engineer at the time of recording. This hand-written (not stamped) information doesn't appear on other 78 issues, which were pressed from stampers from which the centers bearing this information had been milled out (so-called sunken-label pressings) unlike pressings on the Everybodys label, which are unmilled (flush-label) pressings."

The band stayed at the Hollywood Club until it had a fire in January 1925, then went on the road in February. It returned to the renovated club, renamed Club Kentucky, in the spring. According to Mr. Lasker's notes accompanying the massive 2010 Mosaic CD release, it had several engagements there until March 1927.

Jas. R. (Prince) Robinson joined the band by May, and Fred Guy replaced George Francis. Sidney Bechet played with the band that summer, and is thought to have recorded with it, but the records were never released if they were made.

The club was too small to accommodate a string bass, but Ellington hired Henry "Bass" Edwards on tuba. According to Sonny Greer, Edwards was a powerful player and would often take solos with red and green lights flashing on his tuba.

The band would start at 9 or 10 pm, and play shows at midnight and 2 a.m. as well. Fats Waller played when the band was on breaks. After the band went home, Ellington and Greer went from table to table, using a studio piano on wheels, playing for tips, and made a lot that way.

December 4, 1927
*** ****
The first Cotton Club engagement begins
**** ****

Martin Williams: Form Beyond Form (see The Duke Ellington Reader, pp.403-404) writes:

"Late 1927 saw a crucial event in Ellington's career...(the Cotton Club) meant steady work and keeping the orchestra together... Most importantly it meant playing the Club's shows, its miniature revues. In working on these shows; in preparing overtures, chorus dances, accompaniments to specialty dances, 'production' numbers; in working with featured singers and contributing some of their songs; in preparing musical transitions and 'filler,' Ellington began to discover what kind of music he was to make, and he began his singular expansion of the orchestral language. Ellington took the idiom that Miley represented, took what he had learned from Redman and Henderson, took his own innate urbanity, and in effect started all over again with a new approach to the large ensemble...Ellington now made his big band over by making it also a show band, a theater orchestra."

The origins of the Cotton Club itself are outlined here.