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There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind ... the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it's successful; if it doesn't it has failed.

— Duke Ellington Where Is Jazz Going? Music Journal (1962)

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More quotes by Duke Ellington

Roaming through the jungle of "oohs" and "ahs," searching for a more agreeable noise, I live a life of primitivity with the mind of a child and an unquenchable thirst for sharps and flats.

Music Is My Mistress (1973)

It's like an act of murder; you play with intent to commit something.

Playing "Bop" is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.

My band is my instrument more than the piano.

Every man prays in his own language.

Section title and eponymous song of A Concert of Sacred Music (1965)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Duke Ellington (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.