Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra

Citation:

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 1998. Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra. Ill. by J. Brian Pinkney. New York: Hyperion for Children.

ISBN 9780786814206

Summary:

Edward Kennedy Ellington, or Duke as he liked to be called, was not interested in playing piano as a child and decided to give up his lessons because he disliked playing the monotonous practice chords over and over. A few years later, he discovered those same dreary chords could be transformed into a fun, spirited music called ragtime. The Duke continued to master this music and put together a group of musicians dedicated to performing at various nightclubs across the country. With the help of the radio, thousands of Ellington’s records were sold and a performance at Carnegie Hall in 1943 sealed his reputation as a musical genius.

Critical Analysis:

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra pays homage to the great jazz musician, Duke Ellington, by creating an educational and engaging text accompanied by expressive, rich illustrations. The biography effectively portrays how an African American young man discovers a love of music and shapes history with his phenomenal compositions and performances. Andrea Davis Pinkney provides the reader with an accurate and imaginative account of Ellington’s life and more specifically his music using effective imagery (“He could swirl the butterscotch tones of Tricky Sam’s horn with silver notes of the alto saxophone” p. 27). The dialects and slang terms are authentic to the African American community of the time period (“cat” and “Take the floor, Daddy-O”) and Duke’s musical belief is emphasized and his definition of jazz is aptly included just how he put it: “the music of my people”. Ellington’s performance of Black, Brown, and Beige at Carnegie Hall is a major event that is appropriately included and described as being a means to sing “the glories of dark skin, the pride of African heritage, and the triumphs of black people, from the days of slavery to the years of civil rights struggle” (p. 27).  

Brian Pinkney’s illustrations are a visual delight that portray the life of Duke Ellington colorfully and depict the African American community during the time period distinctly. The illustrations are bright and provide an effective interpretation of Ellington’s music and orchestra. African Americans are mostly detailed in nightclubs and dance halls dancing and savoring the music Ellington and his orchestra provided. Skin tones are rich browns and virtually all character depictions are African American. It is often difficult to see any difference in skin tones, if they even exist in the book.  Clothing is vibrant and the instruments of each orchestra member is detailed with a particular color based on the sound. For example, James “Bubber” Miley’s trumpet conjures images of deep blues and Joe “Tricky Sam” Nanton’s trombone sound is a smooth, melodic gold color. Pinkney’s illustrations do more as a means of depicting Ellington’s music rather than representing his life in general. The final portrait of Duke Ellington is a fine illustration complete with Carnegie Hall as a backdrop and Ellington in a top hat and tuxedo serves as a proper tribute to the “piano prince”.

Review Excerpt(s):

“Text and art work in perfect harmony here, each creating additional layers of meaning that wouldn't have been possible without the presence of the other.”~ Booklist, Starred Review, June 1998

“…this loving tribute temptingly evokes the sound and spirit of a jazz pioneer.” ~ Kirkus, Starred Review, 1998

Connections:

Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 2002. Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa. Ill. by J. Brian Pinkney. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion for Children. ISBN 978078680568 

Myers, Walter Dean. 2006. Jazz. Ill. by Christopher Myers New York: Holiday House. ISBN 9780823421732

Classroom Activity: Listen to some excerpts from Duke Ellington’s music.  http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_ellington_duke.htm