22c Duke Ellington single

Object Details

Date
April 29, 1986
Depicts
Duke Ellington, American, 1899 - 1974
Description
A 22-Cent commemorative stamp honoring Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was issued April 29, 1986, in New York City. It was the ninth stamp of the Performing Arts Series. Music critics called Duke Ellington "the master." Jazz critic and historian Ralph J. Gleason said he was "the greatest composer this American society has produced . . . a master musician, master psychologist, master choreographer."
Ellington has been credited with creating the single most durable body of original jazz compositions in the history of music. He brought listening and dancing pleasure to millions with compositions such as "Satin Doll" and "Mood Indigo." The Ellington band's five-year association with Harlem's The Cotton Club and its national, nightly broadcasts brought the band widespread fame.
Jim Sharpe of Westport, Connecticut, designed the stamp, which features a profile of Duke Ellington superimposed over the partial image of a piano keyboard. The stamps were printed in the photogravure process by the American Bank Note Company, with panes of fifty.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (March 27, 1986).
mint
Place
United States of America
Topic
Music & Musicians
The Cold War (1945-1990)
Black Heritage
U.S. Stamps
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Object number
1999.2004.482
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolored); adhesive / photogravure
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8e9db8e70-44a1-4cb9-a117-01db315409be
Record ID
npm_1999.2004.482