Kennedy Center's Ellington 125 Celebrations to Continue in April

The Kennedy Center’s season-long celebration of Ellington 125 culminates this month, leading up to what would have been the American icon and Washington, D.C. native’s 125th birthday on April 29. The institution-wide commemoration during Jazz Appreciation Month salutes Ellington’s wide-ranging genius through powerful performances, masterful tributes, and new works that carry Ellington’s legacy into the future.

Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz, Jason Moran will take-on Ellington’s “Grand Canon,” as he called it, in Jason Moran—Solo Ellington (April 10, 2024; Eisenhower Theater). This exploration of the composer’s enduring legacy is Moran’s first-ever solo piano concert at the Kennedy Center, presenting a brilliant reimagination of the timeless genius of Ellington’s music. The performance will be paired with both iconic and never-before-seen images of Duke Ellington by legendary photographer Gordon Parks.

“Duke Ellington’s music represented so much more than the notes that he played. He represented a culture; he represented Washington, D.C.; he represented innovation and collectivity among artists. He represented humanity,” said Jason Moran. “We are continuing his story and honoring that immense heritage.”

The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts series joins in the festivities when Kennedy Center favorite Dover Quartet brings an arrangement of “In a Sentimental Mood,” plus two piano quintets featuring guest pianist Leif Ove Andsnes (April 23, 2024; Terrace Theater). Ellington’s spirit of innovation lives on as 2022 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow and cellist extraordinaire, Tomeka Reid, presents her groundbreaking, Duke Ellington-inspired new work co-commissioned by Berlin’s Pierre Boulez Saal and the Kennedy Center (April 24, 2024; Terrace Theater). Then, three recipients of the Kennedy Center’s VSA International Young Musicians Award—awarded annually to outstanding young musicians with disabilities—come together in Three Keys to Ellington (April 26, 2024; Terrace Theater). The program will feature Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition semifinalist and Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead graduate Justin Kauflin, Kennedy Center “Next 50” leader José André Montaño, and Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead graduate Matthew Whitaker.

In a climactic celebration of Ellington’s musical influence, acclaimed pianist Cyrus Chestnut brings Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concert to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Ellington’s birthday (April 29, 2024). In a once-in-a-lifetime event, Chestnut crafts his epic interpretation of Ellington’s Sacred Concerts and the joyful music embodying the gospel, jazz, blues, swing, and classical styles that defined Ellington’s work and spirituality. This unique performance of this work will include an Ellingtonian jazz orchestra, solo tap dancer Brinae Ali, and a chorus under the direction of Malcolm J. Merriweather.

Newly announced for Ellington 125 is Jazz City, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and its annual celebration of the school’s namesake (April 25, 2024; Terrace Theater). The school’s exemplary Jazz Combo, Jazz Orchestra, and the Mellow Tones will be joined by special guest pianist Clifton Webb.

Also new to the celebration are free programs curated by the Kennedy Center Social Impact program. Mercedes Ellington—Duke Ellington’s granddaughter and a noted dancer, choreographer, and family historian—will lead Dance Sanctuaries, a series of free movement-based classes at the REACH, on April 27. The Millennium Stage will include performances of Ellington big band repertoire by the award-winning Jefferson High School Jazz Band (April 24, 2024) and a swing dance event complete with an open dance floor to showcase the 15-piece Jazz Houston Orchestra, led by Vincent Gardner (April 27, 2024; Studio K). Through the Extraordinary Cinema series, audiences have the opportunity to experience two films. The first, 120 Wooster Street (April 14, 2024; REACH Justice Forum), is a film by Mark Kemper-Wolf with music by NEA Jazz Master Terence Blanchard, which documents artist Frederick J. Brown’s Soho loft studio in New York in the 1960s/70s, which served as a gathering place for artists, musicians, writers, dancers, and other creative personalities. The film complements an exhibit of Frederick J. Brown’s paintings on display in the REACH Peace Corps Gallery, including a large painting of Duke Ellington on loan from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. The screening will be followed by a panel moderated by Ellington scholar Dr. John Hasse with artists Bentley Brown, Terence Blanchard, and Dr. Tuliza Fleming, Interim Chief Curator of Visual Arts with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A second film screening will be of the documentary On the Road with Duke Ellington (April 28, 2024; REACH Justice Forum), filmed six years before Ellington’s death at the height of his career. A discussion with Mercedes Ellington will follow, moderated by NEA Jazz Master and D.C. Jazz Festival Artistic Director Willard Jenkins. Advance registration recommended for Social Impact programs. Millennium Stage performances are also available to view via livestream.

Re-released online in honor of Ellington 125 is an unforgettable rendition of It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) from the Kennedy Center’s televised 50th anniversary gala concert featuring NEA Jazz Master vocalist Dianne Reeves, bassist Christian McBride, and the National Symphony Orchestra. Online educational resources include Duke Ellington + Harlem, with an extensive examination of Ellington’s life and work, including audio samples; Drop Me Off in Harlem, an interactive site exploring the people and places of the Harlem Renaissance (1917-1935); and Ellington Voices, a concert highlighting the intersection of classical and jazz musical elements in Ellington’s repertoire, featuring vocalists Harolyn Blackwell and Nnenna Freelon.

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