ISSUE DATE: Aug. 20, 1956
THE BUZZ:
At 57, Edward Kennedy Ellington, jazzman, composer, and beyond question one of America’s topflight musicians, is a magic name to two generations of Americans. His Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Solitude, and countless other dreamy tunes have become as familiar as any other songs since Stephen Foster. As jazz composer he is beyond categorizing—there is hardly a musician in the field who has not been influenced by the Ellington style. His style contains the succinctness of concert music and the excitement of jazz. His revival comes at a time when most bandleaders who thrived in the golden ’30s are partly or completely out of business, and few have risen to replace them.
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