Hardback
327 pages
Yale University Press
The most thorough alalysis ever written of Duke Ellington's works. Drawing at length on observations by Ellington himself and by members of his orchestra, Ken Rattenbury shows how blues, ragtime, and tin pan alley influenced Ellington and how he intergrated black folk music practices with elements of European art music. This book provides fascinating new perspectives on Ellington's life and music, the interpretations of some of his most creative soloists, and the evolution of the jazz tradition.