Swingin' With Duke
A feature length performance documentary celebrating Duke Ellington's centennial. The film presents a close-up look at some of Ellington's greatest works in performances by Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra shot in Hi-Definition video. Interwoven documentary scenes take viewers on a journey to the heart of Ellington's passions as a songwriter, pianist and bandleader.  Duke Ellington was one of the 20th-Century's greatest composers and a major figure in American culture, pivotal in giving artistic expression to the African-American experience.

Marsalis provides a commentary that helps put Duke in context as he performs the Ellington repertoire for a new generation of listeners. The film also features jazz legend Illinois Jacquet on tenor sax and jitterbug king, Frankie Manning, helping to celebrate the excitement, humor, and swinging spirit of Duke Ellington.
- premiered on PBS's Great Performances
"Ellington's music... smartly placed in context... a belated birthday
present to ourselves, as well as to Ellington. The [film] deftly blends
performances... with illuminating commentary." - The Washington Post
Play a clip from the film