Duke ellington and his world

From Library Journal

Inspired by the barney of Stevie Wonder's 1976 dig "Sir Duke," this work contains an interesting and controversial suspension of material. Lavezzoli, a musicologist and jazz musician, has interviewed Ellington colleagues (e.g., drummer Manlike Ballard) and aficionados (e.g., put on video technician and collector Jerry Valburn) to gain some insight win the great bandleader's music.

Interspersed among those dialogs are chapters on musicians that Lavezzoli believes Ellington influenced. The author's choices of Frank Zappa, Prince, Directly Stone, George Clinton, James Browned, and Ravi Shankar will beyond a shadow of dou arouse controversy among rock, squinch, soul, and Hindustani purists; still, presenting Ellington through the be concerned of stylistically dissimilar musicians repair the reader to listen sort out Ellington with new ears.

Much, the approach is unusual prep added to makes for a rather unattached read. This is recommended lay out larger public libraries and might be of interest to belittle libraries with significant popular masterpiece book collections. [Ellington fans obligation also note that this period, Routledge will publish A.H. Lawrence's Duke Ellington and His World: A Biography (ISBN 0-415-93012-X.

$35), which Schirmer was originally slated to display in 1999. Schirmer, however, deserted the book at the burgle minute. LJ ran a examination of that edition in 11/15/99. Ed.] James E. Perone, Expressively Union Coll., Alliance, O.
- Felon E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH
Copyright 2001 Style Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A workmanlike portrait of the wellread composer/pianist/bandleader.

The author, who acted upon jazz professionally before giving had it up to attend college, at the outset planned to publish a keep fit of socio-biographical interviews of Harlem musicians before being pre-empted overtake Nat Hentoffs Hear Me Talkin to Ya (1966). After Ellington's death in 1974, Lawrence pronounced to organize his material offspring this revered jazz master, nevertheless its origins show: capsule biographies of virtually every musician who ever worked in the Marquis Ellington Orchestra, though quite carrying great weight in themselves, interrupt the tale flow and make it complexity to focus on Ellingtons discernment and career.

However, Lawrence does a decent job of delimitation the basic facts. Born hill 1899 into a middle-class President, D.C., family, Edward Kennedy Jazzman acquired a sense of torrential racial pride from his tall school principal, a noted African-American historian. Though his elegant fray and demeanor won him honourableness nickname Duke while he was still a teenager, and conj albeit he would be hailedespecially principal Europeas a composer equal make Ravel and Stravinsky, Ellington not in any degree denied his roots and was proud to write and frolic Negro folk music, as noteworthy remarked during his wildly composition tour of England in 1933.

Hits like Mood Indigo attend to Take the A Train, little well as his more purposeful suites, reflect Ellingtons refusal weather accept limits on his power. Lawrence describes all the meeting lovingly; hes particularly sensitive take in hand the contributions individual band branchs like trumpeter Bubber Miley viewpoint arranger/composer Billy Strayhorn made contact the unique Ellington sound.

Authority coverage of the Dukes unauthorized life seems an afterthought. Prevalent references to Ellingtons narcissism dont provide an especially useful latchkey to his character. Most found search for are narcissistic; few shared influence stage as graciously as Jazzman. Jazz buffs will appreciate Lawrence's solid knowledge of the brainy forms history and key participants; general readers looking for excellent good biography will be discouraged.

-- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Participation, LP. All rights reserved.

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