European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 24, 1967, Darmstadt, Hesse                              At 68, Duke still leads the big Parade by Mary Campbell a staff writer it is 3 . And Duke Ellington sit sin a crowded Manhattan after theater spot holding a bite of Steak Sandwich Ona Fork noticeably impeccable in a mid night Blue suit and striped shirt his posture perfect but relaxed a hurriedly talking greeting the people who Stop by his table charming and urbane. Now 68, the Duke who has poured Forth More than 1,000 songs Many of them part of the american culture seems a jaded by More than 40 years in show business seemingly  a Day in which he worked from is photos by Bill Matz 9 . To 2 ., except for a 30-Minutenap, writing More music playing piano and leading his band As he has since Coolidge was in the White House. Ellington and seven of his men were play ing for five weeks at the Rainbow Grill. It s not the number of men he prefer Sand usually uses that s 13 to 18 but mentioning it he is philosophical humorous. It s a change of Pace. It s still music that s the main thing. That s the reason i Don t take vacations it might get me away from music. You should have seen me last wee when i led my big band the Kalamazoo  earlier during a break Elling ton spoke of his Long time Collaborator Billy Strayhorn who died May 31 of cancer. We had a relationship that nobody else in the world would understand. I brought him in to work for the band in1939 because he was a Good lyricist. I deposited him in my House with Myson and sister. The next Day i was off on a ship for Sweden. When i comeback in six or eight weeks he was composer Arranger lyricist every thing. It got to the Point where the critic would say Duke should t have done that on the piano on a record and i would have been Billy. He did t play any jobs just records. Or they d say Billy wrote such and such and i would have written it. We said let s Don Tell them any More who did which now i want to do a record of Strayhor originals and some of them i can t figure out if they re his compositions or mine. We wrote jump for Joy on the Telephone one time when he was in Florida. When he was in the Hospital the doctor said to give him something to do. So i said i want an interlude and in the beginning god is the title he wrote a theme of six notes represent ing those first six syllables in the Bible and Only two of the notes were different from what i had already written. We were that close. Even when he was t writing those18 months in the Hospital i d Call up and say i m doing so and so. Whatever his comment was i was adjusted. It was like going out with your Armor on in Stead of going out naked. It had been approved by the greatest musician if i write some music and i hear it that is my  the Bug disease is the worst. Letting something Bug  j Don t take vacations it might get me away from  whose taste you respect. It s going Tobe horrible without  talking about people he s known Over the years in jazz Ellington says just about everybody has contribute something. There Are some outstanding influences Sidney Bechet Louis  Strong Coleman Hawkins dizzy Gil Lespie Charlie Parker Lester  the exception of Bechet those people were successfully imitated. Peo ple built tremendous careers on the imitation of these people. They launched categories like Bop based on Parker and Gillespie. But there were three inimitable Bechet Art Tatum and Django rein Hardt. Other people could get three notes but never an exact  this june an honorary doctorate from Yale was added to the Many honors he has received. A doctorate is wonderful it mean that obviously somebody has been list  but if i write some music and hear it that is my pay he said. I be got my  Ellington has been working on liturgical jazz Ever since two episcopal priests heard him at a night club i Redwood City calif., and asked him to write a musical service for Grac Cathedral in san Francisco. His in the beginning god was premiere there in 1965 and since then has been much in demand in the United stat Sand Europe. Coventry Cathedral in England called me this morning. I wrote Back ground music Lor the play the Jay Walker for them for june. They said it s so Good the bbl wants to do stand they had to get my permission to use the music. I m one of these people who can t Page 16 the stars and stripes say no. I m like the girl in Oklahoma so i say of sure and before you know it the Date is on me and they re saying where s my music i always have to have deadlines. Wrote Black and Tan fantasy in a taxi coming Down through Central Park Only Way to the recording studio. I d been in an after hours joint All night and i had to write it. That was in 1928, when staying up 24 hours a Day did mean  lately Ellington has been writ ing More of the extended jazz tone poems which started with reminiscing in Tempo in 1935 and includes Black Brown and beige and such Sweet  he and Strayhorn wrote the far East suite after a15-week state department tour in 1963. Elegant in tails he conducted the Newyork philharmonic in the premiere of his humorous still not recorded the Golden Broom Ami the Green Apple City Chick and country Chick in 195.that work has since been done by guest conductor Ellington and six other orchestras around the country. Last year the Ellington band went to represent the United states at the world festival of negro arts in Dakar Senegal after a european tour. In Early fall they la go to the Westcoast to play locations several weeks in each place. Ellington still likes to travel. That is part of the big Parade he says. He Seldom walks any place i might get fresh air poisoning never exercises gave up drinking years ago deciding it was t Good for him. I re tired undefeated  he says he never worries. The Bug disease is the worst disease in the world letting something Bug  sunday september 24, 1967