About
Beyond Category: The Musical Genius of Duke Ellington
A Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition
"The principal focus of the exhibition is Ellington's music, a
unique blend of innovative composition and improvisation that has
never been successfully imitated. Rare photographs, manuscripts,
artifacts, and special lighting evoke scenes from Ellington's
youth in Washington, his years in New York, travels with his
orchestra, and some of his most exciting performances around the
world." --Description from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.
Beyond Category was first shown at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in 1993. For more information about the design and goals of the exhibition, see the Smithsonian archives
. Or check the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) pages for a description of Beyond Category or the small-scale version.
Check the schedule of installations of Beyond Category. This is the small-scale version of the exhibition, suitable for public libraries and other facilities with limited space. The large-scale exhibition has now completed its tour of the USA, and is no longer available.
More than two years of research, planning, and design went into the creation of Beyond Category. The exhibition draws on the resources of the Duke Ellington Archive at the Smithsonian's National Musemum of American History. The archive includes photographs, recordings, manuscripts, music scores, correspondence, and other records collected by Ellington, other members of his family, and associates.
Beyond Category tells the story of Ellington's life and his work. Among the topics:
- Growing up in Washington, D.C., then considered the cultural capital of black America. Duke's neighborhood, and his early influences.
- The New York City years. The Harlem Renaissance and the Cotton Club.
- Reaching the Audience. Radio and later television broadcasts, records, sheet music and concert posters.
- Ellington's Orchestra. Learn about the individual musicians whose distinctive sounds strongly influenced Ellington's compositions.
- Musical Innovations and Inventions. A 15-minute video features vintage film clips as well as interviews with contemporary jazz greats on Ellington's importance.
- Duke Ellington's International Legacy. Concert posters from around the world trace Duke's travels. Some of his honors and awards are on view.
Photographs in the exhibition show Ellington at work and at leisure. This photo shows Ellington (right) with Billy Strayhorn (center) and director Otto Preminger on the set of Anatomy of a Murder, a 1959 motion picture for which Ellington and Strayhorn composed the score. (Duke Ellington Collection, Smithsonian Institution)
Beyond Category came to the Atlanta University Center during the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Back to Rude Interlude, a Duke Ellington home page.
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