Duke Ellington: An American Composer and Icon

Description

The first illustrated book to focus on the life of Duke Ellington. Unique in being endorsed by Ellington's family and estate, this stands alone in a market of mostly unofficial biographies and songbooks. In the vein of other music titles such as Elvis 1956, Joy Division, and Chris Stein, this will find a dedicated audience among music and jazz fans as well as broader interest in photography, pop-culture, and African-American culture markets. An elegant visual tribute to the prince of the piano, one of the fathers of jazz, and a true American composer and icon.

Steven Brower has written, edited, and designed several books including: Satchmo: The Wonderful Art and World of Louis Armstrong. He is currently on the faculty of Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has been an art director at the New York Times and The Nation, and his work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution. In early 2011 the first exhibit of Brower's design work EYE, BROWER A Twenty Five-Year Retrospective was held in the Visual Arts Gallery of The Art Institute of California. Duke Ellington's granddaughter, the dancer, choreographer, and educator Mercedes Ellington, made history with the June Taylor Dancers as the first African-American in the troupe on the Jackie Gleason Show. She has danced in and choreographed many Broadway productions, including programs at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She has appeared in such Broadway productions as No, No Nanette; Hellzapoppin'; Oh, Kay; Happy New Year; The Grand Tour; and The Night That Made America Famous. Tony Bennett is a legendary singer who's career has spanned decades. He is best known for his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

"The scores of photos, illustrations and reproductions of documents make this book a valuable supplement to the growing stack of Ellington biographies: Bennett's watercolor painting of Ellington, the 10-piece 1920s band looking bemusedly at the camera, Ellington peering over the feathered headdresses of Cotton Club chorus girls, President Eisenhower's note of appreciation, Duke playing a piano duet with actor Jimmy Stewart." -ARTS JOURNAL/RIFFTIDES "[Duke Ellington: American Composer and Icon] is a beautifully produced book - the best I've ever seen on the Duke. Rather than being a dry biography, it's both a page-turner and visual celebration of a fabulous life and career. The book also paints a vivid portrait of the jazz age and the Harlem Renaissance. I know I'll be flipping through the pages to enjoy it again and again." -KCRW RHYTHM PLANET BLOG