Edward “Duke” Ellington was born, raised, and became a successful pianist and bandleader in the District of Columbia by his early 20s. Early on, Duke was credited with an expansive repertoire—owing to his habit of composing a few tunes by rote, and then adapting them to every conceivable popular style and rhythm of the day.
For the next 50 years, he never stopped experimenting, adapting, and re-shaping his own music and that of the world at large. From two and three minute pop tunes on early 78s, to combo, big band and orchestral suites and scores, Ellington became the most prolific and most recorded composer and bandleader who ever lived.
Ellington’s motto perfectly suits the musical life of the city of his birth: “Beyond category”.
