The Duke Ellington Reader

What do I have to say about this collection? Maybe not much, but when I saw that there was only one review I decided that I needed to add something. Why? Because if you care about Duke Ellington's music, the people who contributed to making it, and the history of its reception, then YOU CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS BOOK!!! Mark Tucker's early death robbed the world of an incredibly important scholar, and his self-effacing brilliance as an editor is everywhere in evidence in this tome. Most of the key articles that one needs to read in order to get a picture of Duke's path to centrality in the Jazz Canon (and the pantheon of American Music in general) are reprinted here, and you cannot perhaps really appreciate how fantastic that is unless you spent half of your young life tracking them down one by one - as I did.

This is one of the finest books I have read on Duke Ellington, beautifully and intricately compiled and with the voices of many on DE. It is a superb read for the Ellington aficanado; however, for new intiates to the Duke I wouls recommend Duke Ellington: A spiritual Biography by Janna Steed, an excellent boook but not quite so hefty and with a strong emphasis on his sacred music and concerts. But, for you aficiandos, Tucker's book is the tops!