Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 6, 1993 TAG: 9305050190
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY CHUCK MYERS KNIGHT-RIDDER/TRIBUNE
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
The creative musical author of such standards as "It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got that Swing," "Sophisticated Lady" and the haunting "Mood Indigo" composed nearly 1,500 energetic and full-bodied numbers that have graced nightclubs, the airwaves, motion pictures and the Broadway stage for more than 70 years.
Ellington's long and prolific career has been selected for an inaugural exhibition of a special program dedicated to the history of jazz.
"Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington" opened at the Smithsonian's Museum of American History on the composer's birthday, April 29. It was organized by "America's Jazz Heritage," a partnership program operated by the Smithsonian Institution and the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.
The museum is the ideal location for such a tribute, as it is the home of the extensive Ellington collection, which the Smithsonian acquired in 1988.
"To me, this exhibit embodies what this museum means," said museum acting director Spencer Crew. "Jazz is the pure essence of American musical expression."
Ellington's music floats in the air as visitors follow his life story, from growing up in Washington, D.C., to international fame.
A large color cityscape mural offers a view of turn-of-the-century Washington, where he was born in 1899. His father J. E. Ellington, mother Daisy Kennedy Ellington and paternal grandparents are among those on view in a collection of vintage family photographs.
In 1923 he moved to the mecca of the American music scene, New York. "It was New York that filled our imagination," Ellington once said. "We were awed by the never-ending roll of great talent there ..."
Reconstructed nightclub facades include the fabled Cotton Club, the favorite haunt of gangsters and New York elite where Ellington's orchestra performed as the house band from 1927 to 1932.
While Ellington thrived on the energy of the live performance, he also appreciated the outlets that enabled him reach a wider audience. An old radio playing a live Cotton Club broadcast is seen near an array of albums that offer examples of the late master's prolific recording career.
A Wurlitzer electric piano Ellington used to compose on while in hotel rooms on the road, and tour memorabilia from trips abroad to India, Japan, France and Belgium highlight a section devoted to the Ellington's extensive national and international tours.
A room devoted to the Ellington orchestra contains touch-activated video monitors that introduce visitors to trumpeters Ray "Floor Show" Nance, Cootie Williams and Clark Terry. Nearby, a wall display features Ellington's music collaborator Billy Strayhorn, the pianist-composer who wrote the ever-popular Ellington tune "Take the `A' Train."
The exhibit's final stop offers a short film documentary on Ellington and his music, complete with interviews, performance footage and reflections by Quincy Jones, Wynton Marsalis and Clark Terry.
When Ellington died in 1974, he left a music legacy that will be enjoyed for many generations to come.
"His compositions are as exciting today as when he wrote them," said Betty Teller, co-director of America's Jazz Heritage. "We think they should be heard that way."
"Beyond Category" will be on view until Sept. 6. It will then travel to 10 U.S. cities, starting with New York in the fall.
The National Museum of American History is located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Summer hours, from June 14 to Sept. 6, will be 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily. Admission is free.
by CNB