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Duke Ellington Biography

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American composer, pianist, and bandleader of a jazz orchestra, which he led from 1923 until his death in a career spanning over fifty years.

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Duke Ellington Quotes

If anybody was Mr. Jazz it was Louis Armstrong. He was the epitome of jazz and always will be. He is what I call an American standard, an American original. . . . I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues. . . . I don't need time, I need a deadline. . . . There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind. . . . Music is my mistress, and she plays second fiddle to no one.

Deadline, Mistress, Original, Play, Took, Two

There is no art without intention.

Art, Intention, Jazz, Music

The word [jazz] never lost its association with those New Orleans bordellos. In the 1920s I used to try to convince Fletcher Henderson that we ought to call what we were doing 'Negro music'. But it's too late for that now.

1920S, Jazz, New Orleans, Orleans, Too Late, Trying

Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn't want me to be too famous too young.

Fate, Kind, Music, Want, Young

There are two kinds of worries - those you can do something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time on the latter.

Inspirational, Latter, Spend, Two, Worries, Worry

Critics get a little carried away with what someone should have done, rather than what he did.

Away, Critics, Done, Music, Should Have

A musical profit outweighs a financial loss.

Financial, Loss, Musical, Profit

I don’t believe in categories of any kind, and when you speak of problems between blacks and whites in the U. S. A. you are referring to categories again.

Believe, Categories, Kind, Problem, Speak

There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.

Good, Jazz, Kind, Kinds, Music, Two

On becoming more acquainted with the word of the Bible, I began to understand so much more of what I had been taught, and of what I had learned about life and about the people in mine.

Becoming, Life, People, Taught, Word

There is hardly any money interest in art, and music will be there when money is gone.

Art, Gone, Interest, Music

I never had much interest in the piano until I realized that every time I played, a girl would appear on the piano bench to my left and another to my right.

Appear, Funny, Girl, Music, Piano, Realized

Create, and be true to yourself, and depend only on your own good taste.

Be True To Yourself, Belief, Create, Depend, Taste

By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with.

Associate, Daughter, Jazz, Large, Mother, Music

How can anyone expect to be understood unless he presents his thoughts with complete honesty? This situation is unfair because it asks too much of the world. In effect, we say, ' I don't dare show you what I am because I don't trust you for a minute but please love me anyway because I so need you to. And, of course, if you don't love me anyway, you're a dirty dog, just as I suspected, so I was right in the first place. ' Yet, every time God's children have thrown away fear in pursuit of honesty-trying to communicate themselves, understood or not, miracles have happened.

Anyway, Children, Dog, Honesty, Miracles, Understood

Jazz today, as always in the past, is a matter of thoughtful creation, not mere unaided instinct.

Instinct, Jazz, Matter, Past, Thoughtful, Unaided

I fluffed off the guy who kept requesting tunes all night, then found out he was the King's son.

Guy, Kings, Night, Requesting, Son

Every man prays in his own language.

Language, Man, Men, Praying, Prays

San Francisco is one of the great cultural plateaus of the world - one of the really urbane communities in the United States - one of the truly cosmopolitan places and for many, many years, it always has had a warm welcome for human beings from all over the world

Community, Places, San Francisco, United, Urbane, Years

A goal is a dream with a finish line.

Dream, Finish, Goal, Inspirational, Line, Music

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Duke Ellington Biography

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