The Music Plays On — Duke Ellington Black, Brown and Beige

On January 23, 1943, Duke Ellington and his band made their debut at Carnegie Hall. It was an auspicious debut even though it was at the height of World War II and for this concert, Ellington composed what would be his most ambitious and longest work, Black, Brown and Beige. While it is known that Ellington wrote this 45-minute jazz symphony in a rather short span of time in the months…