Calling all jazz fans -- it's time to prepare yourself for
some fabulous Duke Ellington quotes. This legend's music
transcends genres and generations and it's only fitting
that we remember him on the anniversary of his birth. Here
are 14 quotes to remember him by.
1. "A problem is a chance for you to do your best."
2. "Critics have their purposes, and they're supposed to do
what they do, but sometimes they get a little carried away
with what they think someone should have done, rather than
concerning themselves with what they did."
3. "There are two kinds of worries -- those you can do
something about and those you can't. Don't spend any time
on the latter."
4. "By and large, jazz has always been like the kind of a
man you wouldn't want your daughter to associate with."
5. "My mother told me I was blessed, and I have always
taken her word for it. Being born of -- or reincarnated
from -- royalty is nothing like being blessed. Royalty is
inherited from another human being; blessedness comes from
God."
6. "I merely took the energy it takes to pout and wrote
some blues."
7. "Gray skies are just clouds passing over."
8. "It is becoming increasingly difficult to decide where
jazz starts or where it stops, where Tin Pan Alley begins
and jazz ends, or even where the borderline lies between
between classical music and jazz. I feel there is no
boundary line."
9. "Music is my mistress and she plays second fiddle to no
one."
10. "Love is indescribable and unconditional. I could tell
you a thousand things that it is not, but not one that it
is. Either you have it or you haven't; there's no proof of
it."
11. "Roaming through the jungle of 'oohs' and 'ahs',
searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of
primitivity with the mind of a child and an unquenchable
thirst for sharps and flats."
12. "The wise musicians are those who play what they can
master."
13. "There is hardly any money interest in art, and music
will be there when money is gone."
14. "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."
The life of Duke Ellington is truly an inspirational
success story. A man who was born with a talent and put
that talent to good use, Duke Ellington left us with music
that is enjoyed by many generations. As we remember him on
the date of his birth, let's reflect on his essence with
these 14 Duke Ellington quotes.
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For more music quotes, check out the popular music quotes
at Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, a website that
specializes in 'Top 10' lists of quotations in dozens of
categories.
http://www.famous-quotes-and-quotations.com/music-quote.html
