My dad loved the big band, jazz sound, especially Duke Ellington. When I was little, he’d put his music on and turn up the volume, so the whole family could feel the beat and move with it. Like his signature song “Take the ‘A’ Train” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”

I didn’t know then that he composed 3,000 songs and was “the greatest jazz composer and bandleader of his time” (Encyclopedia Britannica). Talk about someone who has shaped our lives! Ellington led his band orchestra for more than 50 years, using new harmonies, highlighting his individual artists, and creating nuanced musical moods.

I couldn’t just listen to his music; I had to dance!