The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
DUKE ELLINGTONThe wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
DUKE ELLINGTONThere is no art when one does something without intention.
DUKE ELLINGTONMusic is the tonal reflection of beauty.
DUKE ELLINGTONSelf-discipline, as a virtue or an acquired asset, can be invaluable to anyone.
DUKE ELLINGTONSing sweet, but put a little dirt in it.
DUKE ELLINGTONBy and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a man you wouldn’t want your daughter to associate with.
DUKE ELLINGTONSomehow I suspect that if Shakespeare were alive today, he might be a jazz fan himself.
DUKE ELLINGTONJazz today, as always in the past, is a matter of thoughtful creation, not mere unaided instinct.
DUKE ELLINGTONA problem is a chance for you to do your best.
DUKE ELLINGTONA musical profit outweighs a financial loss.
DUKE ELLINGTONI fluffed off the guy who kept requesting tunes all night, then found out he was the King’s son.
DUKE ELLINGTONI don’t need time. What I need is a deadline!
DUKE ELLINGTONI 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 ELLINGTONThe most important thing I look for in a musician is whether he knows how to listen.
DUKE ELLINGTONYou have to stop listening in categories. The music is either good or it’s bad.
DUKE ELLINGTONDancing is very important to people who play music with a beat. I think that people who don’t dance, or who never did dance, don’t really understand the beat. I know musicians who don’t and never did dance, and they have difficulty communicating.
DUKE ELLINGTON