America's Jazz Heritage
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Beyond Category
The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington
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Duke Ellington left the world a treasure trove of music that renews itself through every generation of musicians and music-lovers. His life and ingenious musical concepts are presented in this small-format exhibition, which is based on the 5,000-square-foot exhibition originally developed by SITES and the Division of Musical History, National Museum of American History.
Click for photo credit.Retaining the dramatic atmosphere of the original exhibition, this freestanding panel design incorporates photo murals (for a theatrical effect) and panels layered with deep, vibrant colors as backdrops to over 130 copy photographs and documents.

The exhibition is comprised of six sections to tell the complete Ellington story. The video Beyond Category: The Music of Duke Ellington and a creatively housed computer interactive program complete this multidimensional portrait of the man and his music.

Click for photo credit.Originally developed in cooperation with the American Library Association (ALA), the small format version of Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington has been made possible through the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, with additional support from the James Smithson Society, Smithsonian Institution. Beyond Category is part of America's Jazz Heritage, A Partnership of the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution.

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Beyond Category, a 2-cassette collection of Duke Ellington's music is available from the Smithsonian Collection of Recordings

Educational Resources

The Duke Ellington Collection at the Archives Center
America's Jazz Heritage Home Page