[Dixielandjazz] Biographer Finds Some Dissonance in Ellington's Life

[Bert Brandsma]

There is nothing new here, Bach and Mozart allready borrowed melodies that were developped by others.Still they are considered great composers.

Why does nobody hold it against them?
Apparently the way the harmonised them still made them unique? Didn't Ellington do exactly the same then?
Ellington was even more unique in working decades with the same orchestra that HE kept running, even if neccesairy on his own financial loss. Name me another composer who did have that same feats. 
Kind regards,
Bert


The
> man was not a natural tunesmith, Teachout writes. But he was
> adept at picking up promising fragments from band members and
> remolding them into tunes that he then took for himself.
> "Sophisticated Lady" from 1933 was typical. This standard was
> composed of themes from two of his sidemen: saxophonist Otto
> Hardwick and trombonist Lawrence Brown. Ellington spliced their
> licks together and reharmonized them. He offered both men $15 and
> kept the long-term rights. "I don't consider you a composer,"
> Brown told Ellington early in their difficult relationship,
> according to Teachout. "You are a compiler."