First published 2013
Terry Teachout strips away the polished facade of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington to expose the man behind the music. The author of the acclaimed Louis Armstrong biography tackles jazz's most mysterious figure, a composer who created fifteen hundred works while keeping his true self locked away from everyone around him. Teachout follows Ellington from his origins as a high school dropout and grandson of a slave to his rise as a master showman equally at home in Carnegie Hall and smoky nightclubs. The biography examines how Ellington crafted timeless pieces like "Mood Indigo" and "Sophisticated Lady" while drawing creative energy from a succession of brief romantic affairs. Teachout peels back the layers of charm and evasive language that Ellington used to shield his private world. The book reveals the contradictions of a musical genius who inspired Miles Davis's famous declaration that all musicians should kneel in gratitude to Duke, yet remained an enigma even to his closest companions.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, african-american, music, jazz
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enigmatic-protagonist, private-life
Period: 20th Century
496 pages · Hardcover · Avery