Ailey and the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Duke Ellington’s last composition, The Three Black Kings, was not finished before his death in 1974. For the posthumous Lincoln Center premier in 1976, Ellington’s son, Mercer Ellington, completed the score and Alvin Ailey created the choreography. The title refers to three important African American historical figures: King Balthazar, King Solomon, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, introduced Ailey’s Three Black Kings when it premiered at the Lincoln Center festival celebrating Duke Ellington held in August 1976.
Duke Ellington’s last composition, <em>The Three Black Kings</em>, was not finished before his death in 1974. For the posthumous Lincoln Center premier in 1976, Ellington’s son, Mercer Ellington, completed the score and Alvin Ailey created the choreography. The title refers to three important African American historical figures: King Balthazar, King Solomon, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, introduced Ailey’s <em>Three Black Kings</em> when it premiered at the Lincoln Center festival celebrating Duke Ellington held in August 1976.