[Dixielandjazz] "Duke Ellington's America" reviewed

[Robert Ringwald]

"Duke Ellington's America" reviewed

Duke Ellington's America
Cohen, Harvey G. "Duke Ellington's America." Univ. of Chicago. May 2010. c.720p.
photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-226-11263-3. $40.

Library Journal, April 1, 2010
Cohen (cultural and creative industries, King's College London) adds to the dozens
of books about jazz great Duke Ellington with a new approach. Unlike Mark Tucker's
"Ellington," John Edward Hasse's "Beyond Category," and Ellington's own "Music Is
My Mistress," Cohen delivers a social history that firmly places the bandleader within
his time. The author first describes the racial mores of Washington, DC, at the turn
of the last century that shaped the young Ellington and attributes Ellington's success
during the 1930s to the marketing campaign of manager Irving Mills, who branded him
as a suave, elegant genius who could appeal to black and white audiences. Cohen covers
Ellington's postwar challenges, his return to fame, his State Department tours, the
"sacred concerts," and his death in May 1974. Along the way, he focuses on changes
in the record industry and music technology and the progress in civil rights.
Verdict: Though sometimes writing like a Ph.D. student and quoting from secondary
sources, Cohen offers a fascinating, exhaustively researched social history of Duke
Ellington's world. Highly recommended for general readers and jazz aficionados alike.

-- Dave Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle


--Bob Ringwald K6YBV
rsr at ringwald.com
Fulton Street Jazz Band
916/806-9551

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