Duke Ellington

This 2012 statue of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington entitled ENCORE by Zachary Oxman stands in Duke Ellington Plaza in front of the Howard Theater in the Shaw neighborhood in Washington, DC. The attached marker says:

 Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington

1899-1974

Born, Washington, DC

Duke Ellington is among the world's most prolific composers and musicians. As a bandleader and pianist, Ellington led several Jazz orchestras with a musical career that spanned over fifty years.

ENCORE, ©2012, Zachary Oxman

Commissioned and the original owned by the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities, Art in Public Places Program.

DCCAH2007.099

Zachary Oxman says:

“Duke is seated on a treble clef . . . the entrance, if you will, to a musical score, just as this work is the gateway to a neighborhood.  But it’s not just any G-clef.  It is a replica of Duke Ellington’s own stylized rendering of this musical notation taken directly from his handwritten scores.”

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington Plaza

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington Plaza

in the 600 block of T Street Northwest.

The DC Council spent $150,000 on this work.