Duke Ellington Band Celebrates by Playing Literally on the ‘A’ Train

In honor of the jazz man’s 110th birthday, the Duke Ellington band was standing on the platform of the 125th Street subway station in Harlem, about to board an A train — and perform — as the train sped toward the other end of the line, in Queens, picking up regular passengers along the way.

A vintage subway car with ceiling fans brought out of retirement for the occasion served as the ‘A Train’ commemorating the famous song, born when Ellington scribbled-out directions to his apartment, for a young composer and arranger named Billy Strayhorn… (the song’s co-composter).

(Read the full story – with photos – in the New York Times)