Edward Kennedy Duke Ellington (1899-1974) was a jazz pianist, a bandleader for over 50 years, and considered by some to be the most representative American composer of the 20th century with almost 2,000 pieces to his name ranging from works for small ensemble and big bands to orchestral suites, choral works, film soundtracks and musicals.He was a great innovator who created fresh orchestration techniques and wrote parts tailored to the strengths of his musicians thus creating a highly personal band with a recognizable sound. Almost impossible to copy, his sounds nevertheless found their way into all subsequent jazz to this day.This biography is the first to be written by a black musician who knew him well. As a young man, the author (who went on to become a professor of psychiatry) befriended Duke and worked on this book with the cooperation of the composer's son, Mercer. The family secrets that Mercer shared with him provide a fascinating view of the Ellington family dynamics and their impact on his creative career.
