IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. CON. RES. 501 
Honoring the life and work of Duke Ellington, recognizing the 30th anniver-
sary of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and supporting the 
annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 28, 2004 
Ms. NORTON (for herself, Mr. CONYERS, and Mr. TOM DAVIS of Virginia) sub-
mitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 
Honoring the life and work of Duke Ellington, recognizing 
the 30th anniversary of the Duke Ellington School of 
the Arts, and supporting the annual Duke Ellington Jazz 
Festival. 
Whereas jazz music is America’s classical music and is an art 
form that is indigenous to the United States; 
Whereas the influence of jazz has spread across the world 
and jazz truly incorporates and transcends differences of 
nationality, religion, language, culture, socioeconomic sta-
tus, and race; 
Whereas Edward Kennedy ‘‘Duke’’ Ellington, who was born 
on April 29, 1899 in Washington, D.C., and died on May
•HCON 501 IH 
24, 1974 in New York City, was one of the pioneers of 
jazz music; 
Whereas Duke Ellington formed his first band in 1917; 
Whereas over the course of his 50-year musical career, Duke 
Ellington took jazz to the farthest corners of the world, 
performing in Europe, the Soviet Union, Japan, and Aus-
tralia during the 1960’s on diplomatic tours sponsored by 
the Department of State; 
Whereas among his numerous other public honors, Duke 
Ellington was appointed to the National Council on the 
Arts in 1968, received the President’s Gold Medal in 
1966 from President Lyndon Johnson, and was awarded 
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a 
civilian can receive in the United States, in 1969; 
Whereas Duke Ellington has also received many awards and 
honors from private entities, including 13 GRAMMY 
Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts 
and Sciences over 40 years, the Pied Piper Award from 
the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Pub-
lishers in 1968, and honorary doctoral degrees from 16 
institutions; 
Whereas after the death of Duke Ellington, Western High 
School in Washington, D.C., was renamed the Duke 
Ellington School of the Arts and is celebrating its 30th 
anniversary this year; 
Whereas the House of Representatives has declared that jazz 
is a rare and valuable national treasure that deserves at-
tention, support, and resources to ensure that it is pre-
served, understood, and promulgated; 
Whereas Washington, D.C., does not currently host its own 
jazz festival;
•HCON 501 IH 
Whereas Charles Fishman, who was Dizzy Gillespie’s per-
sonal manager and producer until his death and is highly 
regarded in the jazz world, has established the Duke 
Ellington Jazz Festival, a non-profit organization which 
will produce an annual Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in 
Washington, D.C., beginning in 2005; 
Whereas Duke Ellington Jazz Festival will consist of events 
across Washington, D.C., over a number of days, most of 
which will be free of charge, and will culminate in 2 days 
of concerts on the National Mall; 
Whereas the rich musical legacy, international character, and 
diverse community of Washington, D.C. make it the ideal 
city to host a world-class international jazz festival; and 
Whereas the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival will soon become 
known as one of the leading jazz festivals in the world, 
showcasing the best in jazz music in the shadow of the 
United States Capitol: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) honors the life and work of Duke Ellington 
and his immortal contributions to American and 
world music; 
(2) recognizes the Duke Ellington School of the 
Arts in Washington, D.C., on the occasion of its 
30th anniversary; and