Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz with 21 Activities (For Kids series)
Grade 4–8—Preceded by a time line of personal and public events, this biography begins with a brief discussion of the lives of Ellington's parents and his childhood introduction to music and instruments. As each chapter introduces separate highlights of the man's life and musical growth, sidebar articles emphasize historical milestones in music (the Harlem Renaissance, Jazz Pioneers, Tin Pan Alley, etc.) and the impact of individuals or events on his life. The book also features 21 interactive activities, each of which is positioned to provide a greater understanding of an instrument, performance, or music theory in jazz style (e.g., writing the blues, an improvisation exercise, illustrating sheet music covers, or dancing the Lindy Hop). Illustrations and the boxed information break up the text-heavy pages while the activities range from those suiting younger readers (experimenting with sound effects, making a shaker) to the more complicated (learning to read drum notation). This account of Ellington's life story reveals his late introduction to music as a career possibility and lightly touches on his personal relationships and lack of education. Illustrations include performance photographs and portraits of notable names from the Big Band era. Bibliographic references, recommended recordings and films, and annotated Web sites complete this thorough look at Ellington's musical life and legacy.—Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TXCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.