Sacred Concert

During his lifetime, Duke Ellington wrote three sacred concerts, collections of religiously inspired pieces performed in churches. His second concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1968 ended with “Praise God and Dance,” a hymn-like aria supported by jazz drums and brass that eventually take off in full swing. Alvin Ailey choreographed to “Praise God and Dance” for the CBS television special Ailey Celebrates Ellington in 1974. This piece came to be known as Mr. Ailey’s Sacred Concert.