Harlem is a symphonic jazz composition by the American composer Duke Ellington.
Ellington himself first recorded it on 7 December 1951 (as "A Tone Parallel to Harlem (Harlem Suite)" for his Ellington Uptown album), and it had been given its live premiere on 21 January 1951 in a benefit concert for the NAACP at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Both versions begin with a distinctive trumpet solo which intones the word "Harlem."
We a strolling from 110th Street up Seventh Avenue, heading north through the Spanish and West Indian neighborhood towards the 125th Street business area... You may hear a parade go by, or a funeral, or you may recognize the passage of those who are making Civil Rights demands.
In the album's liner notes, Ellington provided a detailed 20-part descriptive program of the music.