If I were to put on Barbra Streisand and Duke Ellington, one might say the combination isn't good.
Duke Ellington was famous for hs very original harmonic patterns.
I was always moved by all of the music. As a young man, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and all these great musicians would come through our town of Memphis. There wasn't adequate hotels, so these musicians - the lady who ran the theater knew my mother, who had a large house, and many of them would stay with us. So that was another great blessing, so I'm always around these great geniuses, and to realize their humanity is such a touching thing.
My inspiration comes from the message Duke Ellington gave - you are unique, be yourself, put out that thing that is you, then use your work ethic and produce great music.
My teachers are Duke Ellington and nature.
Bebop didn't have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn't have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging -- but that weren't sweet.
Ellington is a writer and arranger, as well as a musician and leader. He does movie sound tracks.
It's a spirit that was given me and the relationships and meeting all these great people, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong; through Max I met a lot of people too. My first album was with Benny Carter.
Count Basie was college, but Duke Ellington was graduate school.
[Prince] could very well be the Duke Ellington of Rock 'n' Roll.
A few years later, my Uncle David took me to the Earle Theatre to hear Duke Ellington.
When I got through, Duke Ellington stood up and started the applause.
Duke Ellington had a song, "What Am I Here For?" - this is what being pro-life is.
It's like Duke Ellington said, there are only two kinds of music - good and bad. And you can tell when something is good.
Not to dismiss Gershwin, but Gershwin is the chip; Ellington was the block.
