Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington

Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington

A major new biography of Duke Ellington from the acclaimed author of Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong
Â
Edward Kennedy â€œDukeâ€ Ellington was the greatest jazz composer of the twentieth centuryâ€”and an impenetrably enigmatic personality whom no one, not even his closest friends, claimed to understand. The grandson of a slave, he dropped out of high school to become one of the worldâ€™s most famous musicians, a showman of incomparable suavity who was as comfortable in Carnegie Hall as in the nightclubs where he honed his style. He wrote some fifteen hundred compositions, many of which, like â€œMood Indigoâ€ and â€œSophisticated Lady,â€ remain beloved standards, and he sought inspiration in an endless string of transient lovers, concealing his inner self behind a smiling mask of flowery language and ironic charm.
Â
As the biographer of Louis Armstrong, Terry Teachout is uniquely qualified to tell the story of the public and private lives of Duke Ellington. A semi-finalist for the National Book Award,Â Duke peels away countless layers of Ellingtonâ€™s evasion and public deception to tell the unvarnished truth about the creative genius who inspired Miles Davis to say, â€œAll the musicians should get together one certain day and get down on their knees and thank Duke.â€
Country USA
Manufacturer Avery
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2013-10-17
Format Kindle eBook