Basis Quote by Ed Smith

A few years later, my Uncle David took me to the Earle Theatre to hear Duke Ellington.

— David Amram

My father was a huge jazz fan, so I remember him playing Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughn, and Count Basie.

— Brian Stokes Mitchell

Duke Ellington was famous for hs very original harmonic patterns.

— Lawrence Welk

You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmie Luncefords, and the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not only built in…

— Cab Calloway

I grew up with all these old jazz guys in the '70s in L.A., and they grew up idolizing Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Lester…

— Flea

My dad was into jazz, so there was a lot of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington playing in the house, but also a lot…

— Arlo Parks

I was always moved by all of the music. As a young man, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton, Count Basie and all these great…

— Charles Lloyd

Prince got some Marvin Gaye and Jimi Hendrix and Sly in him, also, even Little Richard. He's a mixture of all those guys and…

— Miles Davis

As a kid, I used to go see all the jazz players, Oscar Peterson, Stan Kenton, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespe.

— Jim Coleman

I guess my biggest influence was actually my Grandfather. He used to play old records on vinyl, and would play old jazz and soul…

— Ella Henderson

You always come back to Duke Ellington - he's kind of like the thread that holds everything together from the big band descending to…

— Herbert

I especially like Duke Ellington jazz, which is a little more... I lived in New York for a while. I lived in Harlem for…

— Charlie Day