black
grey
blue
red
brown
white

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

Duke Ellington

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Meaning Yourself
Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Bond Friendship Myself Right
I fluffed off the guy who kept requesting tunes all night, then found out he was the King’s son.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Finding Himself Man Request
The problem of expressing the contributions that Benny Carter has made to popular music is so tremendous it completely fazes me, so extraordinary a musician is he.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Contribution Expression Music Myself Problem
Everybody in Canada seemed to listen to what they enjoyed, and nobody could tell them what to like, or what was the popular, or what was the In thing. Even today, it is very hard to brainwash a Canadian.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Country Enjoyment Listening Popular
Every man prays in his own language.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Himself Language Man Prayer
New music? Hell, there’s been no new music since Stravinsky.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Hell Music Time
Playing ‘bop’ is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Missing Play
Gray skies are just clouds passing over.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Cloud Pass Sky
You have to stop listening in categories. The music is either good or it’s bad.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Bad Category Goodness Listening Stop
What does music mean to you? What would you do without music?
DUKE ELLINGTON

Important Meaning Music Yourself
You’ve got to find a way of saying it without saying it.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Finding Silence Way Yourself
Fate is being kind to me. Fate doesn’t want me to be too famous too young.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Famous Fate Kindness Myself Young
Love is supreme and unconditional; like is nice but limited.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Limitation Love
If you have a great band with a mediocre drummer, you have a mediocre band. If you have a mediocre band with a great drummer, you have a great band!
DUKE ELLINGTON

Greatness Mediocre Musician Yourself
Everyone prays in their own language, and there is no language that God does not understand.
DUKE ELLINGTON

God Language Prayer Understand

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote some blues.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

More Duke Ellington Quotes