A very happy One Hundred and Twelfth birthday to the great Duke Ellington.
To commemorate the anniversary, allow me to share one of my favorites, New World a Comin’. Regrettably I wasn’t able to find a copy of the orchestral version of this which I love. The things Duke could do with an orchestra transcends… well, just transcends.
What I love about New World A Comin’ is how it stands for a higher ideal. While this particular version doesn’t have it, I love how Duke’s introduction to the piece spells that higher ideal out.
“New world a ‘coming… is a place… in the distant future… On land, at sea, or in the air… Where there will be no war, no greed, no categorization. No non believers… where love is unconditional and there is no pronoun good enough for god.”
