Duke Ellington's America

Few American artists in any medium have enjoyed the international and lasting cultural impact of Duke Ellington. With Duke Ellington's America, Harvey G. Cohen paints a vivid picture of Ellington'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 Ellington's friends, family, band members, and business associates, Cohen illuminates his constantly evolving approach to composition, performance, and the music business...as well as issues of race, equality and religion. Ellington's own voice, meanwhile, animates the book throughout, giving it an intimacy and immediacy unmatched by any previous account.