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.
DUKE ELLINGTONMy mother told me I was blessed, and I have always taken her word for it. Being born of – or reincarnated from – royalty is nothing Like being blessed. Royalty is inherited from another human being; blessedness comes from God.
More Duke Ellington Quotes
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You have to stop listening in categories. The music is either good or it’s bad.
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My mother told me I was blessed, and I have always taken her word for it. Being born of – or reincarnated from – royalty is nothing Like being blessed. Royalty is inherited from another human being; blessedness comes from God.
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There is no art without intention.
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There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it’s successful; if it doesn’t it has failed.
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Music is the tonal reflection of beauty.
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Simplicity is a most complex form.
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There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.
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Create, and be true to yourself, and depend only on your own good taste.
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Sing sweet, but put a little dirt in it.
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It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
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New York is a place where the rich walk, the poor drive Cadillacs, and beggars die of malnutrition with thousands of dollars hidden in their mattresses.
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I don’t need time, I need a deadline.
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I like any and all of my associations with music: writing, playing, and listening. We write and play from our perspective, and the audience listens from its perspective. If and when we agree, I am lucky.
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Tomorrow is in the wings waiting for you to sound her entrance fanfare.
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There is hardly any money interest in art, and music will be there when money is gone.
DUKE ELLINGTON