Duke Ellington Orchestra

Duke Ellington created over two thousand pieces of music including the standard songs “Take the A-Train” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” and the longer works Black, Brown, and Beige; Liberian Suite; and Afro-Eurasian Eclipse. Ellington was responsible for many innovations in the jazz field, such as “jungle-style” use of the growl and plunger and the employment of the human voice as an instrument – singing notes without words. Under the direction of Barrie Lee Hall, Jr., the Duke Ellington Orchestra is a national treasure and continues to tour to enthusiastic audiences world wide at prestigious jazz festivals, international festivals and performing arts centers.