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

Duke Ellington

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
Sing sweet, but put a little dirt in it.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Music Sing Song Sweet
The wise musicians are those who play what they can master.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Knowledge Master Musician
Jazz is a good barometer of freedom.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Freedom Goodness Measurement
Problems are chances for us to do our best.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Best Chance Ourselves Problem
Without a deadline, baby, I wouldn’t do nothing.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Lazy Limitation Procrastination
New music? Hell, there’s been no new music since Stravinsky.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Hell Music Time
There is no art without intention.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Art Creation Creativity Intention One Liner
Tomorrow is in the wings waiting for you to sound her entrance fanfare.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Entrance Sound Wings
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
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 indescribable and unconditional. I could tell you a thousand things that it is not, but not one that it is. Either you have it or you haven’t; there’s no proof of it.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Evidence Love Myself Yourself
Of the One O’Clock Lab Band after hearing their performance, and sitting in with them at the White House: “I wish it were mine”.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Hear Myself Performance
There is no art when one does something without intention.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Art Intention
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.
DUKE ELLINGTON

Failure Kind Music Result Success
My biggest kick in music -playing or writing- is when I have a problem. Without a problem to solve, how much interest do you take in anything?
DUKE ELLINGTON

Interest Music Problem Yourself

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

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

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