Musical Passion

We had our Teen Open Mic Night this past Friday. There was a young violinist there, who technically was pretty good, but his music lacked passion. Similarly, there was a group of ballet students, who again went through the motions but these, too, seemed to lack an understanding of what the composer and choreographer wanted to say. So, my question is, When does that passion begin? Did Ella and the Duke have it at an early age? Did they develop it over time? I wonder.

Bringing this around to books, Andrea Davis Pinkney authored these two wonderful books, Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa and Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra.  Brian Pinkney illustrated them. It’s about the passion that these two performers had for their art. But there’s also a passion in the writing and artwork that make up these memorials to two great artists. When did this passion exhibit itself in the Pinkneys?

Whenever, I’m glad that these artists have persued their passions.