Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition] Author: | Language: English | ISBN:
B00FM73JHC | Format: PDF, EPUB
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A major new biography of Duke Ellington from the acclaimed author of Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong.
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was the greatest jazz composer of the twentieth century - and an impenetrably enigmatic personality whom no one, not even his closest friends, claimed to understand. The grandson of a slave, he dropped out of high school to become one of the world's most famous musicians, a showman of incomparable suavity who was as comfortable in Carnegie Hall as in the nightclubs where he honed his style. He wrote some fifteen hundred compositions, many of which, like "Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady," remain beloved standards, and he sought inspiration in an endless string of transient lovers, concealing his inner self behind a smiling mask of flowery language and ironic charm.
As the biographer of Louis Armstrong, Terry Teachout is uniquely qualified to tell the story of the public and private lives of Duke Ellington. Duke peels away countless layers of Ellington's evasion and public deception to tell the unvarnished truth about the creative genius who inspired Miles Davis to say, "All the musicians should get together one certain day and get down on their knees and thank Duke."
Direct download links available for Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition] Epub Free
- Audible Audio Edition
- Listening Length: 17 hours and 43 minutes
- Program Type: Audiobook
- Version: Unabridged
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
- Audible.com Release Date: October 17, 2013
- Whispersync for Voice: Ready
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00FM73JHC
I was going to write an in-depth review but why? If you're familiar with Teachout's great book on Louis Armstrong, this is very much in that mold. Plus, when I looked closely at the cover photograph, I noticed that it was Ellington's left side--with the long scar from a razor cut inflicted by his wife in 1929--something he attempted to hide. So I was intrigued and fairly sure that this was no glossy, shallow (there's 81 pages of Source Notes!) look at Ellington. While Teachout never really is able (through the circumstance of Ellington not being able to speak for himself) to delve into the nitty-gritty of who and what Ellington really was (he never talked much about himself), his penchant for detail gives the reader a long inside look at Ellington himself.
Some details about the man's lifestyle (his self-centeredness for one, taking credit for compositions not entirely his own is another), and his views on life and people (he was a lifelong procrastinator and treated people--especially women--poorly) might surprise you. His life, both in music (most of the book) and out, the music itself (Teachout feels that Ellington may have tried to go further musically than he was able), and the people (Billy Strayhorn and their relationship is a good example) are looked at in depth. Plus, the many musicians/people he crossed paths with (including the 900 musicians who passed through his bands) throughout his life are open to Teachout's research and help immensely in giving a new, valuable, and interesting look at Ellington--even though his friends and band mates struggled to understand the "real" Ellington.
For those who are inclined to learn more about Duke Ellington’s music, and about him as a person, the book "Duke…A Life of Duke Ellington," by Terry Teachout is highly recommended.
The body of the book, 361 pages, covers Ellington’s life and work concisely but admirably. Mr.Teachout, the drama critic of the Wall Street Journal, and a bassist who has played jazz, is to be commended for marshaling a number of critically important resources prior to and during the time he wrote the book. For those who are interested in the sources of the assistance Mr. Teachout received, a brief summary of them is provided in the book’s afterword.
The book’s formal aspects merit some comment. The dust jacket, bearing interesting and somewhat rare photos of Ellington on the front, back and spine, is extremely attractive. In fact, most of the photos displayed in the book have seldom been published, and are presented at points in the narrative where they enhance what is being discussed. Appearing inside the front and back covers of the book are collages of colorful labels of several dozen of Ellington’s recordings, a highly decorative touch.
Mr.Teachout’s text is well supported by strong research. Unfortunately, the manner in which the source notes/end notes are placed at the end of the main body of text, without superscript numbers in the text and corresponding numbers in the end notes, does not allow for easy source identification.
No biography of Duke Ellington can possibly be definitive in just 361 pages. Nevertheless, Mr. Teachout does an excellent job or providing an informative survey of Ellington's life and work.
Mr.
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