PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Distribution

October 2, 2007

Fort Bend Performing Arts Series Announces
The Duke Ellington Orchestra

The Fort Bend Performing Arts Series is pleased to present the Duke Ellington Orchestra on Saturday,
November 10, 2007. The concert will begin at 7:00 pm and tickets may be purchased by calling 281-275-6527
or online at www.fbpas.org.  The venue for The Fort Bend Performing Arts Series is The Performing Arts Center at Williams Trace Baptist Church located at 16755 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land Texas 77479.

Duke Ellington was eulogized as "the supreme jazz talent of the past fifty years" by critic Alistair Cooke in a 1983 issue of Esquire Magazine.  A prolific composer, Ellington created over two thousand pieces of music, including the standard songs "Take the A-Train" and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).”  With the variously named bands he led from 1919 until his death in 1974, Ellington was responsible for many innovations in the jazz field, such as "jungle-style" use of the growl and plunger, and the manipulation of the human voice as an instrument--singing notes without words. During the course of his long career, Ellington was showered with many honors, including the highest civilian award granted by the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was presented to him by President Richard M. Nixon in 1969. "No one else," concluded Cooke, "in the eighty- or ninety-year history of jazz, created so personal an orchestral sound and so continuously expanded the jazz idiom."

Duke Ellington was active as a performer and composer until his death of lung cancer on May 24, 1974, in New York City. Though his audiences constantly demanded such old standards as "Mood Indigo" and "In a Sentimental Mood," Ellington preferred to look ahead and develop new songs for his band. One of his last was "The Blues Is Waitin'."  After his death, his only son, Mercer Ellington, who had been serving as the band's business manager and trumpet player, took over its leadership. Mercer Ellington led the orchestra until his father's death in 1974, continuing The Duke's tradition of constant touring, one-night engagements and high-intensity, hard-driving jazz. When Mercer passed away, Duke's grandson, Paul Ellington took over the leadership role.

The Fort Bend Performing Arts Series is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of Fort Bend County residents with performing arts events that express the depths of Christian faith and provide a cultural bridge between people in the community. The Fort Bend Performing Arts Series is a mix of Christian and secular artists with all performances geared to enhancing the understanding and enjoyment of life through the creation and presentation of the performing arts.

Tickets are $45 and discounts are available for groups of 20 or more.  For more information about our performing arts schedule or to purchase tickets, please visit our web site at www.fbpas.org or contact

Suzan Dortch
281-275-6527
sdortch@fbpas.org