Summary
Willis Conover, whose jazz broadcasts over the Voice of America helped to win the Cold War, once told me that as a teenager, as yet unformed in his musical tastes, he purchased many recordings of then- popular swing bands. One day the record-store owner said: "If you like these bands, why don't you listen to Duke Ellington? He's the real thing." It is the thesis of Harvey G. Cohen's "Duke Ellington's America," a massive, exhaustively detailed, and richly documented re- examination of Ellington's life and works, that Ellington was indeed the real thing.
But why another book about Edward Kennedy Ellington? There are no doubt entire sections of libraries filled with books about him. Mr. Cohen offers new interviews with those who knew Ellington, and has done considerable digging into archives, particularly about Ellington's finances. But I believe central to his book is an aspect of Ellington's life that doesn't always get the attention it deserves: He was always seen as someone special.See the full content of this document
Extract
Jazz Great Who Transcended Categories
During his Washington childhood, he was the spoiled son of loving parents. In Harlem's fabled Cotton Club during the 1920s, he and his band became nationally known through radio broadcasts. He wrote not only many popular tunes (e.g., "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady"), but longer, more complex mu...
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