Duke Ellington Orchestra coming to the Paramount

Over the course of 50 years, the great Duke Ellington led a world-renowned jazz orchestra, wrote thousands of compositions and changed the American musical landscape forever.

Even decades after his death, Duke's Orchestra still honors his legacy in the best way possible: by performing his musical masterpieces for audiences around the world.

In preparation for their exclusive Labor Day weekend performance, the Duke Ellington Orchestra will pack up its pianos, trumpets, drums and more and head to Aurora to perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd.

Jazz fans will be treated to some of Duke's biggest numbers, including "It Don't Mean A Thing," "Take The A Train" and "Rockin' in Rhythm."

Tickets are $35, $40 and $45. To purchase tickets, go to paramountaurora.com, call the box office at (630) 896-6666, or stop by the Paramount Theatre from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

The Duke Ellington Orchestra has been performing worldwide for the past 91 years under the guidance of three generations of the Ellington family.

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington led the orchestra that bears his name from 1923 until his death on May 24, 1974, at the age of 75. In addition to leading his orchestra, Ellington's career of more than 50 years included composing an inexhaustible songbook, scoring for movies, composing stage musicals and performing on world tours.

Ellington called his music "American music" rather than jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category." He played more than 20,000 performances in the United States, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia.

After Ellington's death in 1974, his son, Mercer Ellington, took leadership of the band. Mercer was an accomplished trumpet player and composer who wrote many songs for his father's orchestra, including the standard "Things Ain't What They Used to Be."

As director, he toured and recorded with the orchestra for the next 22 years until his own death in 1996, when the baton was then passed to Mercer's son, Paul Mercer Ellington. Pianist and composer Tommy James now acts as the conductor for the band that continues to tour year-round.