Duke
A Life of Duke Ellington
Terry Teachout
- A
- major
- new
- biography
- of
- Duke
- Ellington
- from
- the
- acclaimed
- author
- of
- Pops:
- A
- Life
- of
- Louis
- ArmstrongEdward
- Kennedy
- “Duke”
- Ellington
- was
- the
- greatest
- jazz
- composer
- of
- the
- twentieth
- century—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
- world’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
- “Mood
- Indigo”
- and
- “Sophisticated
- Lady,”
- 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.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,
- Duke
- peels
- away
- countless
- layers
- of
- Ellington’s
- evasion
- and
- public
- deception
- to
- tell
- the
- unvarnished
- truth
- about
- the
- creative
- genius
- who
- inspired
- Miles
- Davis
- to
- say,
- “All
- the
- musicians
- should
- get
- together
- one
- certain
- day
- and
- get
- down
- on
- their
- knees
- and
- thank Duke.”
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