Duke Ellington: influences, peers and legacy

Every connection with its receipt

Duke Ellington built his orchestra out of Harlem stride piano, Washington's genteel Black concert-music tradition, and the growl-brass showmanship of the Cotton Club floor shows. This mix traces the pianists who taught him, the impressionist harmony he absorbed, the bands he raced, and the composers who inherited his idea that jazz could hold long form.

The Kynda mix for Duke Ellington

• Key Influence · Carolina Shout by James P. Johnson (1921). Ellington learned this stride showpiece as a teenager in Washington by slowing a piano roll and copying Johnson's hands key by key, then played it for Johnson himself when the older man came through town. Stride's ten-finger orchestral attack — bass-chord left hand against ringing right-hand figures — became the foundation of Ellington's keyboard style and of how he voiced a full band from the piano bench.
• Influencia Obscura · Swing Along by Will Marion Cook (1902). Cook, the Black composer behind the Broadway show In Dahomey and a Dvořák-adjacent conservatory product, gave Ellington informal counsel during Harlem taxi rides in the 1920s — telling him to follow his own ear rather than take formal lessons that would sand it down. Cook's model of concert-scale Black composition stands directly behind Black, Brown and Beige and the later suites.
• Local Roots · The Stampede by Fletcher Henderson (1926). Henderson's Roseland orchestra was the New York band Ellington's Washingtonians measured themselves against after moving north — the first outfit to formalize reed-versus-brass section writing for dance jazz. Ellington absorbed the arranging architecture while rejecting its uniformity, choosing instead to write for named soloists. The rivalry defined Harlem's ballroom hierarchy through the late twenties.
• Beyond the Medium · Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune by Claude Debussy (1894). Ellington's collaborators and critics repeatedly traced his sensuous, unresolved harmony and blended reed timbres to the French impressionists, Debussy above all; Billy Strayhorn arrived in 1939 already steeped in that repertoire and deepened the strain. Pieces like 'Mood Indigo' and 'Reminiscing in Tempo' work Debussy's coloristic logic — voicing as atmosphere rather than function.
• Peer · One O'Clock Jump by Count Basie (1937). Basie's Kansas City band was the great counterweight to Ellington's: riff-and-rhythm economy against Ellington's composerly detail. The two orchestras shared bills, personnel and mutual admiration for four decades and finally recorded together on First Time! in 1961. Hearing Basie's blues-simple architecture clarifies exactly how unusual Ellington's dense, through-composed approach to the same idiom was.
• From the Canon · Ellington at Newport by Duke Ellington (1956). The festival performance that resurrected Ellington's career after lean post-swing years, centered on Paul Gonsalves's twenty-seven-chorus tenor marathon between two 1937 pieces, 'Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue.' It documents Ellington's core method: old book, living band, arrangement as a frame for a soloist to burn through, and a leader shaping the crowd from the keyboard in real time.
• Key Collaborator · The Peaceful Side by Billy Strayhorn (1963). Strayhorn joined Ellington in 1939 and for twenty-eight years wrote, arranged and co-composed so intertwined with him that authorship is often unresolvable — 'Take the 'A' Train' became the band's theme. This intimate Paris-recorded solo-piano-and-strings album is Strayhorn under his own name, revealing the lyrical, harmonically refined sensibility he brought into the orchestra.
• Legacy · The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus (1963). Mingus called Ellington his idol, briefly played in the orchestra in 1962, and recorded the trio album Money Jungle with him that same year. This extended, multi-movement work is his most Ellingtonian achievement: written for specific players' personalities, blues-rooted, structured as a suite with dance and church in its bones — the composer-bandleader model taken into the 1960s.

What influenced Duke Ellington

• James P. Johnson. Whitehead states Johnson's stride piano style influenced Duke Ellington. (also via Black and Tan Fantasy, Carolina Shout) “During the 1920s Cliff Jackson, Donald Lambert, Duke Ellington, Willie Gant, and other younger pianists like Fats Waller entered the cutting contests. As testimony to James P.’s superiority, they often used one of his compositions as the…” (Transitional Technology)
• Carolina Shout by James P. Johnson (1921). Carolina Shout (James P. Johnson) — titan for Duke Ellington “His "Carolina Shout" was a standard test piece and rite of passage for every contemporary pianist: Duke Ellington learned it note for note from the 1921 QRS Johnson piano roll .” (Wikipedia)
• Fats Waller. Fats Waller mentored Ellington in New York. (also via Ain't Misbehavin') “Later, in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook , Fats Waller , and Sidney Bechet.” (Wikipedia)
• Sidney Bechet. Sidney Bechet mentored Ellington in New York. (also via Blue Horizon) “Later, in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook , Fats Waller , and Sidney Bechet.” (Wikipedia)
• Will Marion Cook. Will Marion Cook mentored Ellington in New York. (also via Swing Along) “Later, in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook , Fats Waller , and Sidney Bechet.” (Wikipedia)
• Famous Negro Music Makers by Langston Hughes. Duke Ellington is profiled in Langston Hughes' book on notable Black musicians. “such outstanding musicians ‘and music makers as Marian Anderson, Roland Hayes, Duke Ellington, Ethel Waters, Louis Armstrong, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Bert Williams and others.” (St. Croix Avis (Christiansted, St. Croix [V.I.]))
• Ain't Misbehavin' by Fats Waller. Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller) — titan for Duke Ellington “Later, in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook, Fats Waller, and Sidney Bechet.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Blue Horizon by Sidney Bechet (1944). Blue Horizon (Sidney Bechet) — titan for Duke Ellington “Later, in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook, Fats Waller, and Sidney Bechet.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Bubber Miley. States Miley had a major influence on Ellington's sound. “Although trumpeter Bubber Miley was a member of the orchestra for only a short period, he had a major influence on Ellington's sound.” (Wikipedia)
• Delius. Discusses classical composer influences on Ellington's music. “It has become customary to ascribe the classical influences upon Duke— Delius , Debussy , and Ravel —to direct contact with their music.” (Wikipedia)
• Debussy. Debussy cited among classical influences on Ellington. “It has become customary to ascribe the classical influences upon Duke— Delius , Debussy , and Ravel —to direct contact with their music.” (Wikipedia)
• Ravel. Ravel cited among classical influences on Ellington. “It has become customary to ascribe the classical influences upon Duke— Delius , Debussy , and Ravel —to direct contact with their music.” (Wikipedia)
• Will Vodery. Ellington drew harmonic/orchestration lessons from Will Vodery. “From Vodery, as he (Ellington) says himself, he drew his chromatic convictions, his uses of the tones ordinarily extraneous to the diatonic scale” (Wikipedia)
• Marietta Clinkscales. Ellington's earliest piano teacher. “At the age of seven, Ellington began taking piano lessons from Marietta Clinkscales.” (Wikipedia)
• Luckey Roberts. Luckey Roberts cited as an early inspiration. “Ellington was also inspired by his first encounters with stride pianists James P. Johnson and Luckey Roberts.” (Wikipedia)
• Oliver "Doc" Perry. Doc Perry mentored Ellington's musical development. “With the additional guidance of Washington pianist and band leader Oliver "Doc" Perry, Ellington learned to read sheet music, project a professional style, and improve his technique.” (Wikipedia)
• John Steinbeck. Ellington/Strayhorn adapted Steinbeck's novel into a suite. “Ellington and Strayhorn, always looking for new musical territory, produced suites for John Steinbeck 's novel Sweet Thursday , Tchaikovsky 's Nutcracker Suite and Edvard Grieg 's Peer Gynt.” (Wikipedia)
• Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. Ellington/Strayhorn adapted Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. “Ellington and Strayhorn, always looking for new musical territory, produced suites for John Steinbeck 's novel Sweet Thursday , Tchaikovsky 's Nutcracker Suite and Edvard Grieg 's Peer Gynt.” (Wikipedia)
• Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg. Ellington/Strayhorn adapted Grieg's Peer Gynt. “Ellington and Strayhorn, always looking for new musical territory, produced suites for John Steinbeck 's novel Sweet Thursday , Tchaikovsky 's Nutcracker Suite and Edvard Grieg 's Peer Gynt.” (Wikipedia)
• Timon of Athens by William Shakespeare. Ellington scored a Shakespeare play production. “Ellington wrote an original score for director Michael Langham 's production of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada, which opened on July 29, 1963.” (Wikipedia)
• Stan Kenton. Previn compares Ellington's approach to Stan Kenton's. “You know, Stan Kenton can stand in front of a thousand fiddles and a thousand brass and make a dramatic gesture and every studio arranger can nod his head” (Wikipedia)
• Charles Ives. Martin Williams pairs Ellington with Charles Ives as greatest American composers. “it has become not at all uncommon to see him named, along with Charles Ives , as the greatest composer we have produced, regardless of category.” (Wikipedia)
• Duke Ellington's Sound of Love by Charles Mingus. Confirms the elegy title dedicated to Ellington. “wrote the elegy "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love" in 1974, a few months after Ellington's death.” (Wikipedia)
• Swing Along by Will Marion Cook (1902). Swing Along (Will Marion Cook) — ghost for Duke Ellington “Later, in New York, he took advice from Will Marion Cook, Fats Waller, and Sidney Bechet.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Echoes of Spring by Willie "The Lion" Smith (1939). Echoes of Spring (Willie "The Lion" Smith) — ghost for Duke Ellington “== Legacy == The liner notes of his 1958 LP The Legend of Willie "The Lion" Smith (Grand Awards Records GA 33-368) state: "Duke Ellington has never lost his awe of the Lion's prowess." It quotes Ellington as saying, "Willie The Lion was …” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 by Edvard Grieg (1888). Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 (Edvard Grieg) — culture for Duke Ellington “Ellington and Strayhorn, always looking for new musical territory, produced suites for John Steinbeck's novel Sweet Thursday, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite and Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune by Claude Debussy (1894). Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Claude Debussy) — culture for Duke Ellington
• The Nutcracker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1892). The Nutcracker Suite (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) — culture for Duke Ellington
• Percy Grainger. Grainger publicly ranked Ellington among the greatest composers.

Peers and kindred spirits

• Rosemary Clooney (1928). Clooney performs covers of Duke Ellington songs on the recordings. (also via Ellington at Newport, Duke Ellington, Blue Rose) “She loved Duke Ellington tunes and sings a few here.” (Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY))
• Louis Armstrong. Ellington recorded with Louis Armstrong. (also via Mood Indigo, West End Blues) “In 1961, the All-Stars participated in two albums, The Great Summit and The Great Reunion (now together as a single disc) with Duke Ellington .” (Wikipedia)
• Count Basie. Ellington's orchestra collaborated with Count Basie's orchestra. (also via Ellington at Newport, One O'Clock Jump) “That summer, Basie and Duke Ellington combined forces for the recording First Time! The Count Meets the Duke , each providing four numbers from their play books.” (Wikipedia)
• Alvin Ailey (1931). Ailey collaborated professionally with Duke Ellington beginning in 1963. (also via The River) “in which he, you know, talks about, you know, it has Duke Ellington, you know, he has a very interesting and, you know, anecdotes and funny stories that tell about, you know, working with these people.” (In Black America (public broadcasting))
• Tony Bennett (1926). Bennett describes a close personal and professional relationship with Duke Ellington. (also via Solitude, Ellington at Newport) “every time he wrote a new song, he sent me flowers.” (Fresh Air Archive (NPR))
• Ella Fitzgerald. Ella Fitzgerald recorded a songbook of Ellington compositions. (also via It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)) “Ella Fitzgerald record her Duke Ellington Songbook (on Verve ) with Ellington and his orchestra” (Wikipedia)
• Frank Sinatra (1915). Sinatra collaborated with Duke Ellington on an album. “It was during this time that he recorded his only album with Frank Sinatra , titled Francis A. & Edward K. (1967).” (Wikipedia)
• John Coltrane. Ellington recorded with John Coltrane. “He recorded an album of ballads and participated in album collaborations with Duke Ellington and with singer Johnny Hartman , a baritone who specialized in ballads.” (Wikipedia)
• Max Roach. Ellington collaborated with Max Roach on Money Jungle. “In 1962, Roach recorded the album Money Jungle , a collaboration with Mingus and Duke Ellington .” (Wikipedia)
• Andy Warhol (1928). Warhol made backdrops for Ellington’s television performance. (also via Duke Ellington) “In 1955, Warhol created illustrated backdrops for a television performance by jazz bandleader Duke Ellington on the CBS program Music '55 .” (Wikipedia)
• Mary Lou Williams (1910). Williams wrote and arranged music for Ellington. (also via Concert of Sacred Music) “Williams wrote and arranged for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman” (Wikipedia)
• Johnny Hodges (1906). Confirms Hodges was a member of the Duke Ellington band until recently. (also via Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges) “Johnnv Hodges himself, the same Hodges who was \\;th the 1 great Ellington bund burn lh'Jtf until recently.” (The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.))
• Billy Strayhorn. Establishes the long-term collaboration between Ellington and Strayhorn. (also via The Peaceful Side) “Ellington began a nearly thirty-five-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn , whom he called his writing and arranging companion.” (Wikipedia)
• Buddy Cole (1916). Buddy Cole's arrangements rework songs by Duke Ellington. “Buddy Cole rearranges Duke Ellington. Now, there's a concept.” (Fresh Air (NPR/WHYY))
• Lorella Ve-Mery. States Ellington's new musical will be produced by Lorella Ve-Mery. “Duke Ellington contracts for his new musical “Man With Four Sides” to be produced by Lorella Ve-Mery” (Jackson Advocate (Jackson, Miss.))
• Minnie the Moocher by Cab Calloway. Minnie the Moocher (Cab Calloway) — geography for Duke Ellington “At the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York, the band was hired in 1931 to substitute for the Duke Ellington Orchestra while Ellington's band was on tour.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Stompin' at the Savoy by Chick Webb (1934). Stompin' at the Savoy (Chick Webb) — geography for Duke Ellington “Webb lost to Duke Ellington in 1937.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• One O'Clock Jump by Count Basie (1937). One O'Clock Jump (Count Basie) — peer for Duke Ellington “While Count Basie, like many other big bands at the time, was forced to disband his whole ensemble and work as an octet for a time, Ellington was able to tour most of Western Europe between April 6 and June 30, 1950, with the orchestra p…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• West End Blues by Louis Armstrong (1928). West End Blues (Louis Armstrong) — peer for Duke Ellington “During a period when Ellington was between recording contracts, he made records with Louis Armstrong (Roulette), Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane (both for Impulse!), and participated in a session with Charles Mingus and Max Roach which pr…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• For Dancers Only by Jimmie Lunceford (1937). For Dancers Only (Jimmie Lunceford) — peer for Duke Ellington “The Cotton Club had already featured Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway, who won their first widespread fame from their inventive shows for the Cotton Club's all-white patrons.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Henry Lee Grant. Grant privately taught Ellington harmony. “Henry Lee Grant, a Dunbar High School music teacher, gave him private lessons in harmony.” (Wikipedia)
• Caravan by Juan Tizol. Ellington recorded Tizol's composition Caravan. “He also recorded songs written by his bandsmen, such as Juan Tizol 's " Caravan ", which brought a Spanish tinge to big band jazz.” (Wikipedia)
• Bing Crosby. The article names Ellington among Crosby’s jazz collaborators. “Crosby's recordings with Buddy Cole and His Trio from the mid-1950s, as well as in his numerous collaborations with such jazz musicians as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Venuti, or Eddie Lang.” (Wikipedia)
• Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book. Ellington played on half the album's tracks. “Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book was the only Song Book on which the composer Fitzgerald interpreted played with her. Duke Ellington and his longtime collaborator Billy Strayhorn both appeared on exactly half the set's …” (Wikipedia)
• The Clown by Charles Mingus. Ellington performed Mingus’s The Clown. “Duke Ellington performed The Clown , with Ellington reading Jean Shepherd 's narration.” (Wikipedia)
• Mae West. West arranged for Ellington and his orchestra to accompany her musical numbers. “Despite Paramount's early objections regarding costs, West insisted the studio hire Duke Ellington and his orchestra to accompany her in the film's musical numbers. Their collaboration was a success” (Wikipedia)
• Blue Rose by Rosemary Clooney (1956). The discography lists Ellington as a collaborator on Blue Rose. “Irving Berlin's White Christmas Blue Rose (with Duke Ellington ) Ring Around Rosie (with The Hi-Lo's ) Swing Around Rosie (with the Buddy Cole Trio )” (Wikipedia)
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Groups 'The River' with 'Hamlet' as Theatre Guild-sponsored films. (via The River) “It is the thud motion picture <o be selected for sponsorship by he Theatre Guild. “Hamlet” and Henry were the others.” (The Detroit Tribune (Detroit, Mich.))
• Dorothy Fields. Mood Indigo (Duke Ellington) — geography for Dorothy Fields (via Mood Indigo) “During the later 1920s, she and McHugh wrote specialty numbers for the various Cotton Club revues, many of which were recorded by Duke Ellington.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Stampede by Fletcher Henderson (1926). The Stampede (Fletcher Henderson) — geography for Duke Ellington “He was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and, along with Duke Ellington, is considered one of the most influential arrangers and bandleaders in jazz history.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• The Peaceful Side by Billy Strayhorn (1963). The Peaceful Side (Billy Strayhorn) — collaborator for Duke Ellington “At the end of the 1930s, Ellington began a nearly thirty-five-year collaboration with composer-arranger-pianist Billy Strayhorn, whom he called his writing and arranging companion.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges by Johnny Hodges (1965). Everybody Knows Johnny Hodges (Johnny Hodges) — collaborator for Duke Ellington “He composed pieces intended to feature a specific instrumentalist, such as "Jeep's Blues" for altoist Johnny Hodges, "Yearning for Love" for trombonist Lawrence Brown, "Trumpet in Spades" for Rex Stewart, "Echoes of Harlem" for trumpeter…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Soulville by Ben Webster (1957). Soulville (Ben Webster) — collaborator for Duke Ellington “For a few years at the beginning of Strayhorn's involvement, Ellington's orchestra featured bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, and reached what many claim to be a creative peak for the group.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Django Reinhardt. Reinhardt toured with Duke Ellington's orchestra. (also via Creole Love Call) “Reinhardt recorded in France with many visiting American musicians, including Coleman Hawkins and Benny Carter, and briefly toured the United States with Duke Ellington's orchestra in 1946.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Al Hibbler (1915). Establishes Al Hibbler as a vocalist of the Duke Ellington band before going solo.
• Al Sears (1910). Lists Al Sears as a former Ellington band member now in Hodges' All-Stars.
• Lawrence Brown (1993). Lists Lawrence Brown as a former Ellington band member now in Hodges' All-Stars.
• Sonny Greer (1895). Lists Sonny Greer as a former Ellington band member now in Hodges' All-Stars.
• Katherine Dunham (1909). Black, Brown and Beige (Duke Ellington) — collaborator for Katherine Dunham (via Black, Brown and Beige)
• Kenneth McElowney. Names the producer of the film. (via The River)

…and 1 more on the map above.

Who Duke Ellington influenced

• Charles Mingus. Mingus wrote an elegy dedicated to Ellington. (also via The Blanton-Webster Band, Mood Indigo / The Money Jungle sessions, The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady) “He once cited Duke Ellington and church as his main influences.” (Wikipedia)
• Miles Davis (1926). Miles Davis wrote a tribute composition to Ellington. (also via Black, Brown and Beige) “Miles Davis created his half-hour dirge "He Loved Him Madly" (on Get Up with It ) as a tribute to Ellington one month after his death.” (Wikipedia)
• Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder wrote a tribute song to Ellington. (also via Black, Brown and Beige) “Stevie Wonder wrote the song " Sir Duke " as a tribute to Ellington, which appeared on his album Songs in the Key of Life released in 1976.” (Wikipedia)
• Dizzy Gillespie (1917). Marsalis identifies Ellington’s music as part of what Gillespie absorbed. (also via Cotton Tail) “He took in all the music of his youth—from Roy Eldridge to Duke Ellington—and developed a unique style built on complex rhythm and harmony balanced by wit.” (Wikipedia)
• Reflections in D. Reflections in D was set to music by Duke Ellington. “Ailey reworked movements of Revelations into "Reflections in D" (set to music by Duke Ellington )” (Wikipedia)
• The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady by Charles Mingus (1963). The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Charles Mingus) — legacy for Duke Ellington “During a period when Ellington was between recording contracts, he made records with Louis Armstrong (Roulette), Coleman Hawkins, John Coltrane (both for Impulse!), and participated in a session with Charles Mingus and Max Roach which pr…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Blood on the Fields by Wynton Marsalis (1997). Blood on the Fields (Wynton Marsalis) — legacy for Duke Ellington “When asked about influences on his playing style, Marsalis cites Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Harry Sweets Edison, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Jelly Roll Morton, Charlie Parker, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams, Ray Nanc…” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Dave Brubeck. Brubeck dedicated a composition to Ellington as tribute. “Dave Brubeck dedicated "The Duke" (1954) to Ellington and it became a standard covered by others” (Wikipedia)
• Judy Collins. Judy Collins wrote a tribute song to Ellington. “Judy Collins wrote and sang "Song for Duke" on her 1975 album titled Judith.” (Wikipedia)
• André Previn. Previn praises Ellington's unique compositional gift, contrasting with Stan Kenton. “But Duke merely lifts his finger, three horns make a sound, and I don't know what it is!” (Wikipedia)
• Gunther Schuller. Schuller's assessment of Ellington's stature. “in twentieth century music, he may yet one day be recognized as one of the half-dozen greatest masters of our time.” (Wikipedia)
• Ralph J. Gleason. Critic's assessment naming Ellington as America's most important composer. “Music critic Ralph J. Gleason called him "America's most important composer".” (Wikipedia)
• Lady Gaga (1986). Duke Ellington is named as an inspiration for Gaga. “Her other inspirations include Grace Jones , Duke Ellington , and Carole King .” (Wikipedia)
• Bennie Moten. Moten aspired to match Ellington's band. “inspired by Moten's ambition to raise his band to match the level of those led by Duke Ellington or Fletcher Henderson .” (Wikipedia)
• Jazz in Silhouette by Sun Ra (1959). Jazz in Silhouette (Sun Ra) — legacy for Duke Ellington “Birmingham was an important stop for touring musicians and he saw prominent musicians such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and Fats Waller, and other less well known performers.” (en.wikipedia.org)
• Vince Guaraldi. Concert of Sacred Music (Duke Ellington) — culture for Vince Guaraldi (via Concert of Sacred Music) (musicbrainz.org)
• Federico García Lorca. Black and Tan Fantasy (Duke Ellington) — culture for Federico García Lorca (via Black and Tan Fantasy) (musicbrainz.org)
• Johnny Hodges' All-Stars. States the sidemen learned their musicianship as members of Duke Ellington's band.
• Joni Mitchell (1943). Ellington at Newport (Duke Ellington) — titan for Joni Mitchell (via Ellington at Newport)
• Abbey Lincoln. Black, Brown and Beige (Duke Ellington) — titan for Abbey Lincoln (via Black, Brown and Beige)