WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- The United States Mint launched a new coin Tuesday featuring jazz legend Duke Ellington, making him the first African-American to appear by himself on a circulating U.S. coin. The District of Columbia coin honoring Duke Ellington was introduced Tuesday in Washington. Ellington, the composer of classics including "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing" appears on the "tails" side of the new D.C. quarter. George Washington is on the "heads" side, as is usual with U.S. quarters. The coin was issued to celebrate Ellington's birthplace, the District of Columbia. U.S. Mint Director Ed Moy introduced the new coin at a news conference Tuesday at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.

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United States Mint distinguishes between circulating coins, which are intended for daily use, and commemorative ones, which mark special occasions.