Ellison exhibits his insight of African American people living in the American society by skillful employment of traditional African art forms: the sad blues, improvisational jazz, African American folk song, folk tale, and figurative imagery, and so forth.

"Memoriam to be"is a jazz improvisation-style work based on the Chinese Guqin song"Memoriam"as a principle of idea framing.

Jazz Music in Invisible Man;

Jazz and Rhapsody in Blue;