A FREE OUTDOOR TRIBUTE CELEBRATING THE LEGACY OF DUKE ELLINGTON

A special tribute to legendary composer and bandleader Duke Ellington will be presented at at the Duke Ellington Statue, 5th Ave. and 110th Street in NYC, Sept. 28 from 2-4pm. The free, outdoor celebration will be co-hosted by Mercedes Ellington—granddaughter of Duke Ellington and Founder and Artistic Director of The Duke Ellington Center for the Arts—and Tony Waag, Founding Director of the American Tap Dance Foundation. The afternoon concert will feature a performance by The Duke Ellington Center Big Band, delivering timeless Ellington compositions and beloved jazz standards. Joining the festivities will be a lineup of guest musicians, dancers, and vocalists, showcasing a vibrant fusion of jazz and tap dance that reflects Ellington’s profound influence on American music and the performing arts. The cast includes dancers DeWitt Fleming Jr., AC Lincoln, Max Pollak, and Karen Callaway Williams. Vocalists include Marion Cowings, Nicholas King, Antoinette Montague and Sharon K. Janda.