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Photos: Jazz legend Duke Ellington in Tucson
- Rick Wiley
- Updated
Jazz legend Duke Ellington chats with a Tucson Citizen reporter over coffee at the Ramada Inn Tucson in 1961.
Ellington was no stranger to Tucson. In 1954, Hector La Desma helped bring Duke Ellington and his 15-piece Ellington band for a one-night stand at El Casino Ballroom.
Photos © Arizona Daily Star or Tucson Citizen, where applicable
The legendary jazz musician Duke Ellington performed in Tucson in the 1950s and 1960s. “I’ve never had a vacation. It’s great to wake up in the morning and go to work,” Ellington said during a visit to Tucson in 1961.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen 1961
Jazz performer and composer Duke Ellington signs an autograph at Ramada Inn on Sept. 15, 1961 in Tucson.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen
"You have to be in to know it," said Duke Ellington when asked about jazz music at Ramada Inn on Sept. 15, 1961 in Tucson.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen
"In a lot of cases, it's purely academic whether it's jazz or something else" said jazz legend Duke Ellington. You can't label it." He was interviewed at Ramada Inn on Sept. 15, 1961 in Tucson.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen
"I almost decided. This is it – I may just stick to this line of work," said jazz performer and composer Duke Ellington at Ramada Inn on Sept. 15, 1961 in Tucson.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen
"If you like to listen to it, it's good music," said jazz performer and composer Duke Ellington at Ramada Inn, Tucson, on Sept. 15, 1961.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen
"Music is people – the people who perform it and create it. It's personal," said jazz legend Duke Ellington during an in review with Tucson Citizen writer Jay Hall on Sept. 15, 1961.
Tony King / Tucson Citizen
Hector La Desma sings along with Duke Ellington, right, at the piano and smaller, 15-piece Ellington band during a one-night stand at El Casino Ballroom, 443 E. 26th St. in Tucson on Sept. 17, 1954. Tucson Citizen File Photo
Tucson Citizen
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
Related to this collection
Duke Ellington's Old Pueblo visits are featured in today's Throwback Thursday photo slideshow.
These photos were recently featured in the Star's Tucson Time Machine newsletter, which highlights Tucson's history through snapshots of peopl…