--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the…" description: "\"You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords, and the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not only built in the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png" --- # You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords… ![“You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords, and the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.” quote by Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png) > “You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords, and the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.” [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Jazz’s greatness stems from both legendary innovators and everyday contributors. **In simple terms:** Jazz is a collective effort. Key Takeaway Honor all creators. Themes jazz collaboration heritage Mood celebratory respectful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - music education - community jam sessions - historical documentaries Key Concepts Music history cultural studies Questions to Reflect On - Who are the unsung heroes in your field? - How to balance fame and community? A Different Perspective Risk of overlooking individual genius. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Duke Ellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duke-ellington/) [Duke Ellingtons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duke-ellingtons-3806811/) [Dukes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dukes/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-jazz-3806813/) [Great ones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-ones/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Jazz Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz-built-2225966/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-forget/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) ## Related quotes > [People sometimes forget that jazz was built not only in the minds of the great ones but on the backs of the ordinary ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/people-sometimes-forget-that-jazz-was-built-not-only-in-the-minds-of/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [Jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/jazz-was-not-only-built-in-the-minds-of-the-great-ones-but-on-the/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [Many people forget that Jazz, no matter what form it takes, must come from the heart as well as the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-lou-williams/many-people-forget-that-jazz-no-matter-what-form-it-takes-must-come/) [Mary Lou Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-lou-williams/) > [It's a spirit that was given me and the relationships and meeting all these great people, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong; through Max I met…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbey-lincoln/it-s-a-spirit-that-was-given-me-and-the-relationships-and-meeting-all/) [Abbey Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbey-lincoln/) > [I keep reverting (to Duke Ellington), he to me is the greatest ever and my favorite jazz philosopher, as such.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cannonball-adderley/i-keep-reverting-to-duke-ellington-he-to-me-is-the-greatest-ever-and/) [Cannonball Adderley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cannonball-adderley/) > [Bebop didn't have the humanity of Duke Ellington. It didn't have that recognizable thing. Bird and Diz were great, fantastic, challenging -- but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/bebop-didn-t-have-the-humanity-of-duke-ellington-it-didn-t-have-that/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [ I learned from Ethel Waters, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, the Nicholas Brothers, the whole thing, the whole schmear. \[The Cotton Club\] was a great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-horne/i-learned-from-ethel-waters-duke-ellington-adelaide-hall-the-nicholas/) [Lena Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-horne/) > [At least one day out of the year all musicans should just put their instruments down, and give thanks too Duke Ellington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/at-least-one-day-out-of-the-year-all-musicans-should-just-put-their/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [ \[I wanted\] to play the clarinet well so I could be in Duke Ellington's band, but that's now impossible. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-wanted-to-play-the-clarinet-well-so-i-could-be-in-duke-ellington-s/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [...he went into the sitting room, put on a Duke Ellington record he had bought after seeing Gene Hackman sitting on the overnight bus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-went-into-the-sitting-room-put-on-a-duke-ellington-record-he-had/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The musicians, Duke Ellington, his thing was not about separating himself from the rest of America. Louis Armstrong - go to the forefathers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wynton-marsalis/the-musicians-duke-ellington-his-thing-was-not-about-separating/) [Wynton Marsalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wynton-marsalis/) > [Duke Ellington had a song, "What Am I Here For?" - this is what being pro-life is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/duke-ellington-had-a-song-what-am-i-here-for-this-is-what-being-pro/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I could turn on my radio in the morning when I was getting dressed for school and hear Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-could-turn-on-my-radio-in-the-morning-when-i-was-getting-dressed/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [ \[Prince\] could very well be the Duke Ellington of Rock 'n' Roll. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-davis/prince-could-very-well-be-the-duke-ellington-of-rock-n-roll/) [Miles Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-davis/) > [When I got through, Duke Ellington stood up and started the applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-brown/when-i-got-through-duke-ellington-stood-up-and-started-the-applause/) [Ruth Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-brown/) ## More by Cab Calloway > [Bubbles was a very good dancer. Tremendous dancer. He was one of our leading dancers of the country at that time. And, of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/bubbles-was-a-very-good-dancer-tremendous-dancer-he-was-one-of-our/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [Pass that thing, slightly, lightly and politely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/pass-that-thing-slightly-lightly-and-politely/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [Jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/jazz-was-not-only-built-in-the-minds-of-the-great-ones-but-on-the/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [90%, 100% are going there to hear the singing. The story is another thing. Nobody's interested in the story. Happiness is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/90-100-are-going-there-to-hear-the-singing-the-story-is-another-thing/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [I think it was just an opera. Now, you go to opera, you expect to see and hear what the opera is. So, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/i-think-it-was-just-an-opera-now-you-go-to-opera-you-expect-to-see/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [What opera isn't violent? Two things happen, violence and love. And other than that, name something else. You can't](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/what-opera-isn-t-violent-two-things-happen-violence-and-love-and/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [We usually never got out of there before four or five o'clock in the morning. Every morning. So it was rough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/we-usually-never-got-out-of-there-before-four-or-five-o-clock-in-the/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [We didn't have any segregation at the Cotton Club. No. The Cotton Club was wide open, it was free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/we-didn-t-have-any-segregation-at-the-cotton-club-no-the-cotton-club/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [A phoenix ain't nuthin' but a burd.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/a-phoenix-ain-t-nuthin-but-a-burd/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [My audience was my life. What I did and how I did it, was all for my audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/my-audience-was-my-life-what-i-did-and-how-i-did-it-was-all-for-my/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [And then there's my Grandson: He's certainly got the music together, there's just no question about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/and-then-there-s-my-grandson-he-s-certainly-got-the-music-together/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [It's very difficult to photograph an opera. And they messed up on it. It just wasn't there. And I don't blame the Gershwins for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/it-s-very-difficult-to-photograph-an-opera-and-they-messed-up-on-it/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [You don't think it was because a white man wrote it, a black man wrote it, a green man wrote it. What-doesn't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-don-t-think-it-was-because-a-white-man-wrote-it-a-black-man-wrote/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [He was a silly guy. Out - do the other guy. That was his effort at all times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/he-was-a-silly-guy-out-do-the-other-guy-that-was-his-effort-at-all/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) > [That's what George wrote! He wrote it. Why change it? There was this European company that I was speaking about awhile ago - course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/that-s-what-george-wrote-he-wrote-it-why-change-it-there-was-this/) [Cab Calloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) [Explore all 24 Cab Calloway quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/) ## More Built quotes > [It's really fun and challenging to build things that have never been built before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-s-really-fun-and-challenging-to-build-things-that-have-never-been/) [Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/) > [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/) [Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [Call me the rap assassinator / rhymes rugged and built like Schwarzenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/call-me-the-rap-assassinator-rhymes-rugged-and-built-like/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Do we make ourselves into what we become or is it built into our genes, into the fate spun for us by whatever shapes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/do-we-make-ourselves-into-what-we-become-or-is-it-built-into-our/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) > [God and I have built an immense fire together. We keep each other happy and warm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hafez/god-and-i-have-built-an-immense-fire-together-we-keep-each-other/) [Hafez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hafez/) > [When we built Roomba, we explicitly designed it to not have a face. We didn't want to think it was cute; we wanted people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-angle/when-we-built-roomba-we-explicitly-designed-it-to-not-have-a-face-we/) [Colin Angle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-angle/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Mostly what I'm focused on is finding people who are younger who haven't built companies before but have a good idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hughes/mostly-what-i-m-focused-on-is-finding-people-who-are-younger-who/) [Chris Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hughes/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,164 Built quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords, and the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cab Calloway" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-jimmie-luncefords-and-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Built" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-jimmie-luncefords-and-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67a/cab-calloway-24275_built_you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-j_2852969.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords, and the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes…” — Cab Calloway", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cab Calloway", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cab-calloway/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You hear about the Duke Ellingtons,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-jimmie-luncefords-and-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cab-calloway/you-hear-about-the-duke-ellingtons-the-jimmie-luncefords-and-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```