Duke (Masterplots II: Juvenile and Young Adult Biography Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Bill Gutman
- First Published: 1977
- Time of Work: 1899–1974
- Setting: Primarily Washington, D.C., and New York City
- Principal Characters: Edward Kennedy (“Duke”) Ellington, Daisy Ellington, Willie (“The Lion”) Smith, Irving Mills, Jimmy Blanton, Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges, Mercer Ellington
- Genres: Nonfiction, Biography
- Subjects: African Americans, Music or musicians, Jazz music, Pianos or pianists, Composers, Biography
- Locales: New York, NY, Washington, D.C.
Form and Content
In Duke: The Musical Life of Duke Ellington, Bill Gutman alternates between personal and collective biography: He spans the life, works, and travels of Duke Ellington and explains both the evolution of jazz and the social position of African-American musicians during the early and mid-twentieth century. The book documents Ellington’s contributions to swing and jazz and his compositions of religious scores and African-American music.
Although Gutman describes Ellington’s five decades of one-night stands and worldwide travel in detail in the...
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