With concerts on two consecutive nights, a group of extraordinary jazz musicians pays tribute to the legacy of the great Duke Ellington, celebrating 125 years since his birth on April 29, 1899. In their collaboration, pianist Jason Moran and bassist Christian McBride take inspiration from America’s diverse artistic landscape—ranging from the writings of Toni Morrison to hip hop and funk—to infuse their performance with a distinctive soul that both honors the past and makes every note feel relevant to modern times. Both musicians are equally dedicated to the preservation and evolution of jazz, and their duo program takes the music of Ellington as its starting point.