If it sounds good it IS good. — Duke Ellington · Smartyfair

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If it sounds good it IS good. — Duke Ellington · Smartyfair

If it sounds good it IS good.

Duke Ellington1899–1974 · musician · 1900s USADuke Ellington was an American jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader who led one of the greatest orchestras in music history for nearly fifty years.2 quotes

Source foundMusic

In plain words

If the music makes you feel good, it's good music. That's the whole test.

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Where these words come from

How sure this is: These words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up: St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 8 May 1957 — period newspaper direct quote from Ellington.
Work: quoted in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, 8 May 1957
Occasion: 1957
Sources checked: en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Sourced section, cites the 1957 newspaper quote

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