Duke Ellington's America

by Cohen, Harvey G.

• ISBN13: 9780226112633
• ISBN10: 0226112632
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Few American artists in any medium have enjoyed the international and lasting cultural impact of Duke Ellington. From jazz standards such as "Mood Indigo" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," 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 America's role in the world. WithDuke 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 businessas well as issues of race, equality and religion. Ellington's own voice, meanwhile, animates the book throughout, givingDuke Ellington's Americaan intimacy and immediacy unmatched by any previous account. By far the most thorough and nuanced portrait yet of this towering figure,Duke Ellington's Americahighlights Ellington's importance as a figure in American history as well as in American music.

Author Biography

Harvey G. Cohen, a cultural historian, is associate professor of cultural and creative industries at King’s College London.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
Washington/New York	p. 9
The Marketing Plan	p. 41
Serious Listening	p. 93
Credits/Exit Mills	p. 141
Swingin'	p. 161
Black, Brown and Beige	p. 203
Postwar Struggles	p. 247
Reinvention and Nadir	p. 271
Reborn	p. 315
Money	p. 349
My People	p. 379
1963 State Department Tour	p. 411
Sacred Concerts	p. 445
Fighting Nostalgia	p. 489
1970s State Tours	p. 537
Final Days	p. 561
Notes	p. 579
General Index	p. 665
Index of Duke Ellington Music	p. 685
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