The World of Duke Ellington

by Dance, Stanley

• ISBN13: 9780306810152
• ISBN10: 0306810158
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-28
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Summary

"The ultimate in art is self-expression, not escape."-Duke Ellington In this fascinating portrait of one of America's greatest musical legends, longtime friend and jazz historian Stanley Dance recounts the life of the incomparable Duke Ellington in his own words and in the words of the artists who played along with him: longtime co-composer Billy Strayhorn, saxophonists Johnny Hodges and Ben Webster, trumpeters Cootie Williams and Clark Terry, drummer Sonny Greer, vocalist Alice Babs, and organist Wild Bill Davis, among many others. There are also first-hand accounts of Ellington's world tours, performances in churches and the White House, interviews and public appearances, and a complete discography and chronology. The result is a timeless chronicle of the long and extraordinary career of a music master."The truest and most intimate portrait of the great Ellington that we have."-Whitney Balliett

Author Biography

Stanley Dance (1910–1999) was the author of The World of Duke Ellington, The World of Earl Hines, The World of Swing and editor of Jazz Era: The Forties, all published by Da Capo Press. He was a regular contributor to Jazz Times and other publications.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Duke Ellington
Introduction	xi
THE MAESTRO
The Art Is in the Cooking	3	(8)
It's Really a Twisting World	11	(5)
Orientations	16	(6)
Press Conference, Calcutta	22	(7)
THE AIDS-DE-CAMP
Billy Strayhorn	29	(6)
Mercer Ellington	35	(9)
Thomas L. Whaley	44	(11)
THE MUSICIANS
Toby Hardwick [alto saxophone]	55	(7)
Sonny Greer [drums]	62	(8)
Harry Carney [baritone saxophone and clarinets]	70	(11)
Barney Bigard [clarinet]	81	(10)
Johnny Hodges [alto saxophone]	91	(11)
Cootie Williams [trumpet]	102	(11)
Juan Tizol [valve trombone]	113	(4)
Lawrence Brown [trombone]	117	(8)
Ben Webster [tenor saxophone]	125	(6)
Ray Nance [cornet and violin]	131	(9)
Jimmy Hamilton [clarinet and tenor saxophone]	140	(4)
Cat Anderson [trumpet]	144	(9)
Russell Procope [alto saxophone and clarinet]	153	(11)
Shorty Baker [trumpet]	164	(4)
Paul Gonsalves [tenor saxophone]	168	(6)
Willie Cook [trumpet]	174	(8)
Clark Terry [trumpet and flugelhorn]	182	(7)
Sam Woodyard [drums]	189	(10)
Mitchell ``Booty'' Wood [trombone]	199	(3)
Aaron Bell [bass]	202	(8)
Buster Cooper [trombone]	210	(2)
Jimmy Jones [piano]	212	(6)
Jeff Castleman [bass]	218	(8)
Alice Babs [vocal]	226	(5)
Harold Ashby [tenor saxophone and clarinet]	231	(3)
Wild Bill Davis [organ]	234	(13)
EVENTS & OCCASIONS
Festival: Preparation and Aftermath	247	(5)
The Ecumenical Ellington	252	(9)
In Latin America	261	(22)
At the White House	283	(16)
DISCOGRAPHY, CHRONOLOGY, INDEX
Duke Ellington's Recordings	293	(2)
Duke Ellington: A Brief Chronology	295	(4)
Index	299