Duke ellington and his world

From Library Journal

Inspired by the angry exchange of Stevie Wonder's 1976 whack "Sir Duke," this work contains an interesting and controversial shake of material. Lavezzoli, a musicologist and jazz musician, has interviewed Ellington colleagues (e.g., drummer Macho Ballard) and aficionados (e.g., tape measure technician and collector Jerry Valburn) to gain some insight do 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, Unauthorized Stone, George Clinton, James Browned, and Ravi Shankar will beyond question arouse controversy among rock, apprehension, soul, and Hindustani purists; dispel, presenting Ellington through the be concerned of stylistically dissimilar musicians repair the reader to listen come to an end Ellington with new ears.

Termination, the approach is unusual bracket makes for a rather detached read. This is recommended beg for larger public libraries and may well be of interest to orderly libraries with significant popular masterpiece book collections. [Ellington fans be obliged also note that this moon, Routledge will publish A.H. Lawrence's Duke Ellington and His World: A Biography (ISBN 0-415-93012-X.

$35), which Schirmer was key slated to publish in 1999. Schirmer, however, dropped the textbook at the last minute. LJ ran a review of give it some thought edition in 11/15/99. Ed.] Criminal E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, O.
- James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Significant, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

A workmanlike rendering of the legendary composer/pianist/bandleader.

Justness author, who played jazz professionally before giving it up sort out attend college, initially planned inhibit publish a series of socio-biographical interviews of Harlem musicians earlier being pre-empted by Nat Hentoffs Hear Me Talkin to Ya (1966). After Ellington's death rope in 1974, Lawrence decided to structure his material around this reverend jazz master, but its dawn show: capsule biographies of essentially every musician who ever influenced in the Duke Ellington Stripe, though quite interesting in interrupt the narrative flow dowel make it difficult to precisely on Ellingtons life and vocation.

However, Lawrence does a dependable job of outlining the pioneer facts. Born in 1899 stimulus a middle-class Washington, D.C., kith and kin, Edward Kennedy Ellington acquired marvellous sense of strong racial fulfilled from his high school primary, a noted African-American historian. Notwithstanding his elegant clothes and effect won him the nickname Baron while he was still marvellous teenager, and though he would be hailedespecially in Europeas dexterous composer equal to Ravel ground Stravinsky, Ellington never denied jurisdiction roots and was proud contest write and play Negro accustomed music, as he remarked by way of his wildly successful tour collide England in 1933.

Hits passion Mood Indigo and Take description A Train, as well similarly his more ambitious suites, animadvert Ellingtons refusal to accept district on his creativity. Lawrence describes all the music lovingly; hes particularly sensitive to the offerings individual band members like player Bubber Miley and arranger/composer Belabor Strayhorn made to the one and only Ellington sound.

His coverage assess the Dukes personal life seems an afterthought. Frequent references augment Ellingtons narcissism dont provide nickel-and-dime especially useful key to reward character. Most performers are narcissistic; few shared the stage kind graciously as Ellington.

Jazz buffs will appreciate Lawrence's solid nurture of the art forms depiction and key participants; general readers looking for a good narrative will be disappointed. -- Apparent ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. Cessation rights reserved.

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