Why another Ellington biography? The sub-title, A Spiritual Biography, is critical. While Steed does an excellent job of re-telling the standard Ellington story, her special province is the spiritual ...

Duke Ellington died nearly 40 years ago, but for jazz fans of a certain age his musical creativity and elegant style remain timeless. Whether he was leading his orchestra in “Take the A Train,” the ...

There's no doubt Terry Teachout can bring historical characters to life. Anyone who's seen his play, "Satchmo at the Waldorf," or read "Pops," his hugely regarded 2009 biography on Louis Armstrong, ...

Do we need another biography of Duke Ellington? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” Harvey G. Cohen’s biography of one of the greatest composers of the 20th century in any musical genre has much to ...

Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based in New York City ...

The collection captures Duke Ellington's thoughts on music, performing, composing, and his personal history in his own voice in approximately 20 hours of interviews conducted in 1956 and 1964. The ...

Wall Street Journal drama critic Terry Teachout follows up his acclaimed Louis Armstrong biography (Pops) with a thorough and fascinating portrait of the greatest jazz composer of the 20th century, ...