JAZZ fans on Saturday paused to pay their respects to the Duke, Edward Kennedy Ellington, and recall with respect and admiration the career of an icon, born 107 years ago.

Among local aficionados taking time out to commemorate the Duke's birthday will be my good friend Frank Harrison, former road manager for master drummer Eric Delaney and owner of a mind-bogling collection of jazz records, CDs, books and other memorabilia.

Frank spends much of his time amassing personal histories of jazz luminaries from the internet and his library and has collated this tribute to Ellington: "The Duke was a gift to jazz. As one of its most outstanding musical intellects and creative artists, he wrote more than 6,000 pieces of music. Variety was the spice of his life. Composer, songwriter, arranger, pianist and bandleader, he developed a unique style, building his works on the individual sounds of the brilliant instrumentalists he had in his band, so that each soloist added a new tone colour to the orchestrator's palette.

Billy Strayhorn, who worked with Duke as his co-composer and co-arranger from 1939, once said: Ellington plays the piano but his real instrument is his band'.

Ellington led that fabulous band from 1927 until his death in 1974.

He combined musical talent, artistic principles, excellence and elegance in a manner which transcended the usual image of jazz.

His basic materials were almost invariably the blues, and the voice-like manner in which a jazz musician plays his instrument. Critics often compare his work to that of some of classical music's finest composers.

It is well known that as well as religious compositions, Ellington also performed with many major symphony orchestras.

Born in Washington DC on April 29, 1899, his elegant manner won him his nickname in high school, where he was torn between art and music.

He showed more aptitude for painting, regarding piano lessons as boring. Given his subsequent outstanding career in music, one can only guess what heights he would have reached had he chosen art.

Ellington's timeless songs have become standards, particularly Solitude' and Satin Doll'. History will surely judge him as one of the musical geniuses."

l Rumour has it that Eric Delaney, who will be 82 next month, has returned to settle in the UK after many years living and working in Spain. However, he has no intention of easing down, let alone abandoning his busy schedule and will be appearing in concerts nationwide.