Few American artists in any medium have enjoyed the international and lasting cultural impact of Duke Ellington. From jazz standards such as ldquo;Mood Indigordquo; and ldquo;Donrsquo;t Get Around Much Anymore;rdquo; to his longer; more orchestral suites; to his leadership of the stellar big band he toured and performed with for decades after most big bands folded; Ellington represented a singular; pathbreaking force in music over the course of a half-century. At the same time; as one of the most prominent black public figures in history; Ellington demonstrated leadership on questions of civil rights; equality; and Americarsquo;s role in the world.With Duke Ellingtonrsquo;s America; Harvey G. Cohen paints a vivid picture of Ellingtonrsquo;s life and times; taking him from his youth in the black middle class enclave of Washington; D.C.; to the heights of worldwide acclaim. Mining extensive archives; many never before available; plus new interviews with Ellingtonrsquo;s friends; family; band members; and business associates; Cohen illuminates his constantly evolving approach to composition; performance; and the music businessmdash;as well as issues of race; equality and religion. Ellingtonrsquo;s own voice; meanwhile; animates the book throughout; giving Duke Ellingtonrsquo;s America an intimacy and immediacy unmatched by any previous account.By far the most thorough and nuanced portrait yet of this towering figure; Duke Ellingtonrsquo;s America highlights Ellingtonrsquo;s importance as a figure in American history as well as in American music.
#1511025 in eBooks 1985-04-01 1985-04-01File Name: B004LGT01Y
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. This is a great edition of some really beautiful musicBy P. ConradThis is a great edition of some really beautiful music. The binding is very good. the editorial commentary is valuable. the printing and pages are easy to work with. I am docking 1 star for the omission of the 3 posthumous Gnossiennes (4-7).11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Helped me "get it"By SethI struggled with several of these pieces for a little while with a free download version. After a couple of days with this it all started coming together. The fingering is very helpful. If you real want to play these well. the cost of the music is so low when weighed against the investment of practice time.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Readable print.By ChickadeeNicely done. Comb binding would have been better.
