Duke Ellington A Life of Music, by Eve Stwertka

Pianist, composer, bandleader, show business genius, and ambassador of cool for his country, Duke Ellington was all this.
The author writes an interesting biography about Duke Ellington’s fascinating life, set in context with the historical background of the times across his 75 years. He lived from the turn of the 20th century through two World Wars, segregation, civil rights, and so many technical and other societal changes. Wonderful, historic photos are included in this book.

Written chronologically, the book starts with a charming childhood family story.  Growing up in Washington D.C., Duke Ellington grew up with a loving and extended family, and then after a gap in years a cherished younger sister Ruth.  His parents instilled in him the strong belief that he was a special person, destined for an amazing life. He grew up to be a handsome, stylish man with elegant manners and expressive speech. He had a magnetic Ellington charm and charisma.

The author includes interesting details about the history of Harlem, and Duke Ellington and his orchestra’s rise through the nightclubs in the 1920s flapper era, including the famous Cotton Club. Nightclubs were everywhere in the 1920s with close dancing, sensual, reggae music and late night hours. The author notes that the music world was one of the first areas of American life where a tentative integration of races took place. Jazz musicians were pioneers in integrating the workplace, including white clarinetist Benny Goodman and drummer Gene Krupa breaking the color barrier when they formed a jazz quartet with black performers Lionel Hampton and Teddy Wilson.

Jazz evolved through the ‘20s and took on a fuller, more artful sound. The more urgent and excited it sounded, the more it was considered “hot” jazz. Duke strove for a rougher, wilder music effect. His music has been compared to a palette of strange, rich, contrasting colors.  He picked his orchestra members for the unique tones they produced and combined their instrumental voices in the same way that an artist combines paints and textures. One secret of Duke’s genius lay in his knack for inspiring people to rise to their best.

Interesting that the inspiration for his music would often come from the simplest kind of thing, like watching a bird fly. Or remembering when he was a little boy in bed and hearing a man whistling on the street outside, and his footsteps echoing away. The strong, brief memory would be the start – then his work on the music would begin.

Duke was received at the White House as a performer and guest by four presidents – Richard Nixon, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson. The most invitations were nine from Johnson. Duke’s fondest memory was with President Truman.  Truman, who could play piano, dismissed his bodyguard and sat down with Duke in his private study “to talk as one piano player to another.”

Duke Ellington always spoke affectionately of the kindness of older musicians, so forthcoming in helping younger musicians. Many had helped him in the early years, especially Willie “the Lion” Smith. And so it is beautiful to see the legacy of support Duke Ellington left for the generations of musicians following him — the Duke Ellington Society, University libraries of collections of his work, and the bulk of his works at the Smithsonian Institution’s American History Archives Center in Washington D.C.

In 1991 New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts created the “Jazz at Lincoln Center” series including a Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Because some of Ellington’s music was recorded without having been written down, this organization, also a teaching institution, has done a scholarly job of creating readable transcripts from recordings. Students at Edmonds-Woodway High School Jazz Band joined other high caliber high school student bands at the Essentially Ellington competition this past spring, and were fortunate enough to experience this wonderful Center. So, Duke Ellington continues to search for a piano teacher or listen to Jazz to this day.

This book brings the thrilling music, that magic spell – the sparkle, glamour and warmth that was Duke Ellington’s music — to life as well as a book can. But don’t stop with just reading about it, listen and enjoy recordings of Duke Ellington’s music and the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

Thereby hangs a tale . . . .

— By Wendy Kendall

Wendy Kendall is a writer, project manager and volunteer at the Edmonds Library. She’s enjoyed living in Edmonds for over 20 years. Follow her via her blog here or on Twitter @wendywrites1.