Echoes of Harlem

Destination, Freedom. Station WMAQ brings you Destination Freedom, dramatizations of the democratic heritage of the American Negro people and a part of America's own Destination Freedom. Today Destination tells the story of one of America's outstanding modern composers, the famous Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington in a chapter entitled Echoes of Harlem.

He had the songs in his head long, long before he knew how to write the notes. He was a boy on Logan Street in Washington DC, looking for a way to play the tune he was whistling.

A tune that called his gang together in the hot summer evening. Yeah, Otto, you ready? Sure. The listening for your whistle. I'm all staggered. I'm all a guy, if you need me. Where's Gideon? Oh yeah.

Dang y'all said two, two, three, and that's the one. Hey, what's up, Duke? Where we going tonight? Yeah, we should rest up for it. We was going absolutely. Yeah, I thought that. Well, we're not going out after a man max apples tonight.

No, that's wasting the gang's time, huh? Maybe something more eatable like them bananas over toast. And we're knocking over any grocery store, either. Well, then what? What's on your mind, Duke? I know you stand around here.

Take your voice down to a scream and I'll tell you. We're hitting the pawn brook. Huh? The pawn brook got that we want. You can't eat them golden balls, fella. They got horns and drums in there, ain't they?

Well, yeah. We've been planning to have a band, haven't we? Yeah, sure, but swiping something big as a sax. You get the electric chair for that stuff. Oh, cut it out, will you? Yeah. We've been planning to have a band all year, and you know it.