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Duke Ellington – Three Black Kings, MLK
WCFSO – February 2010

A visual-orchestral tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King on the eighty-second anniversary of his birth, from one of the most memorable performances I’ve ever been a part of.

[Many thanks to the Duke Ellington estate for permitting the use of his music in this project and to artist Gary Kelley for his inspiration and partnership in this and other commissions.]

‘What we could not say openly, we expressed in music … forged from the very white heat of our sorrows.’

A timely follow-up to my last post about the WCFSO celebration of Black History Month earlier this year.

Ellington – Nutcracker Suite, Overture [arr. Tyzik]
WCFSO – December 2005