Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra

Husband-and-wife team Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney turn to the story of the great Jazz musician and composer Duke Ellington in this picture-book biography, with very engaging results. Chronicling the life of an American legend, from his boyhood in early twentieth century Washington, D.C., when he rebelled against the piano lessons imposed by his parents - the sound of the music he was asked to practice led "nowhere worth following," in his view - through his discovery that this was an instrument that could be used in a variety of genres and styles, Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra follows its subject through the creation of his Jazz group (Duke Ellington and his Orchestra) and their ascent to fame, and show more concludes with the famous 1943 concert at Carnegie Hall, where the piece Black, Brown and Beige was introduced. An afterword provides additional information, as well as a list of sources.

I enjoyed this brief introduction to the life of Duke Ellington, particularly as I know so little about him, and think that Brian Pinkney's lively illustrations - with their exuberant use of color and motion - were very deserving of the Caldecott Honor they received in 1999. I appreciated the fact that Ellington discovered he was wrong about the piano - that it could be used in other ways, and to express other styles - because I am someone who listens to a very eclectic mixture of music (everything from Tuvan throat singing to Schubert's lieder), and think that sometimes people fall into the trap of thinking that music can only sound a certain way, or that various styles are mutually exclusive. All in all, a very engaging book, one I recommend to young music lovers and/or biography readers, although I think my friend Lisa is right, that it would have benefited from the inclusion of some actual music (a CD, perhaps?). show less

Top 100 Pick because:
It's all around magic. I love every bit of this book. From the stunning brightly colored scratchboard style, to the musicality of the text. The Pinkneys make the Duke come alive. I agree with a review from Booklist stating " 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. And best of all, the joy in Ellington's music, and the joy his musicians felt in playing it, is apparent on every page." Duke Ellington has flavor and I heard music when I read it. And it makes me want to share that music! Brian Pinkney's illustrative style is also one of my favorites for picture books. His style is colorful, lively, powerful, show more and conveys a message beyond the story being told. show less

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra provided wonderful insight into this most influential man who is often hailed as the "King of the Keys". I enjoyed this multi-award winning book for three reasons: the writing, the illustrations and the subject.
Andrea Davis Pinkney's lively jargon conveys a rhythm and style that captures Ellington's time period. When describing Duke at nineteen she writes, "He had fine-as-pie looks and flashy threads". The use of colloquial slang truly transports the reader to another era. The era of Duke Ellington's musical supremacy.
Brian Pinkney's illustrations swings and sways in a reflection of Ellington's music. His vivid, stunning pictures perfectly accompany the text, all the while claiming a show more vital aspect of their own in this jovial biography.
The subject of Duke Ellington is incredibly intriguing to me. I am an avid jazz admirer. This book follows Duke from his early years to his famous concert at New York's Carnegie Hall. The text provided me with previously unknown facts, such as: Duke was only interested in playing baseball not piano.
Ultimately, this is a fascinating book about a fascinating subject. show less

A great biography to read to children in my opinion. Reading this to myself I found a rhythm in the author's writing and before I knew it I was reading the words aloud to nobody. The style just had so much attitude, and it was fun interpreting how the writer may have wanted the story to sound.

Beautiful cross-hatched portraits of African American peoples in the early 1900's are surrounded by flowing waves of music represented in color. Verse like prose that reads like vintage jazz sounds is genius and melodic. This book is hypnotic.

Hm. Seems like there should be some acknowledgement of the realities of racism, like maybe a mention of segregated facilities while on tour. The most I caught was that 'few' African-Americans had played at Carnegie Hall. And the text would seem to imply that once he played *Black, Brown, and Biege* there, civil rights and equity, etc., were done deals. Well, at least this book won't catch the eyes of those who ban books, as it says nothing negative about white people.

The story of the famous musician Duke Ellington is very rhythmic and the style engages readers from the beginning. This book was not just an informative style book where it listed facts about him, this book made his life into an interesting story that makes children want to learn more. The author italicize words and phrases to catch readers eye. For example, "umpty-dump" which was what Duke called the sound when he first began playing the piano. The overall take away was not that he was just some amazing musician, but also that he did not start off that way. Sometimes we discover our passions by accident, and other times the things we dislike the most becomes what we appreciate the most.