Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney Illustrator: Brian Pinkney Hyperion Books January 2007
Synopsis (From Goodreads):
You ever hear of the jazz playin’ man, the man with the cats who could swing with his band?
His name was Duke. Duke Ellington. As a child, he said piano made an umpy-dump sound that was headed nowhere worth following. But, years later, he heard the piano played a whole new way. People called the music “ragtime”, and soon the sound had Duke’s fingers riding the piano keys.
Duke began to compose his own melodies, which led him to form a band, The Washingtonians. Before long, the group was performing at the swankiest hangouts in Harlem, including The Cotton Club, but under a new name: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. Soon the whole country swung to Duke’s beat.
This is the story of one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century – the king of the keys – Duke Ellington
CWR Review:
The young Duke Ellington is reluctant to learn piano at first, heโd rather be playing baseball. Little did he know he would develop a passion for playing, especially after hearing soulful jazz for the first time, and would go on to become one of Americaโs greatest jazz artists in history. The story begins with his childhood and his parent’s pressure to make Duke learn to play piano. The storyline then follows Duke when he discovers jazz and begins to play at different places, creating an entirely new genre of jazz music.
Meant for older children, this book will easily capture the attention of aspiring young musicians. The vocabulary is high and there are references to clubs, Duke being a โladies man with flair to spareโ and โpretty skinnedโ beauties. This is the reality of the environment where jazz music as played and how people danced to it. Be aware.
The illustrations are colorful and show lots of happy faces. They are rendered in luma dyes, gouache and oil paint, an easily recognizable artist-favorite of Brian Pinkney. This style of art gives the book its uniqueness and personal touch (not simply vector graphics).
The book tells the story of African American music history. A reference to Duke Ellingtonโs dedication of Black, Brown and Beige a special suite dedicated to the African American people is also mentioned. I didn’t love this story, but I didn’t mind it. I recommend it because of the topic, I was not overly impressed with the vocabulary or the use of certain phrases.
Unique writing style, for the culturally open-minded, get yours here or here.
Themes: African American music, history, jazz and ragtime music history, biography
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