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Article: On his 96th birthday Duke Ellington proclaimed 'beyond category' by critics of his great music.
- Article from:
- Jet
- Article date:
- May 15, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Johnson Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Inimitable American composer Duke Ellington used the line linking his 1899 birth date to his 1974 death date and wrote over 5,000 songs. Some of them became classics that could be compared to music created by European composers like Bach, Beethoven, Delius, Haydn, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Wagner.
As Duke's 96th birthday anniversary was observed around the globe with programs sponsored by the Duke Ellington International Jazz Society, the musical icon was proclaimed "beyond category" by some of his music critics.
Ellington once used the phrase to describe the great singer Ella Fitzgerald, says biographer Dr. John Hasse in his new book, Beyond Category: The ...