Model for Duke Ellington Memorial (1988) by Robert Graham, on view at UCLA |
Last year, I wrote a whole bunch of posts expressing my adoration for the music of Duke Ellington. It's a topic about which I can endlessly discuss, but I'll spare you all the gushing fanboy enthusiasm. ;-)
Ellington was born on April 29, 1899. There have been many excellent American composers and musicians, but, for me, Duke stands out as the greatest. So, let's spend some time this evening listening to some swinging American music, beyond category.