Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra (Caldecott Honor Book) Paperback – Picture Book, 1 January 2007

The music of Duke Ellington--pianist, composer, band-leader--is a uniquely American treasure. He kept a big band together for half a century and wrote music that will never get old, such as "Mood Indigo." He also thrived as a musician against the odds of racism. In this, he can inspire the youth for whom this little book was written.But if you go deeper and study his life, you find a flawed man: a serial adulterer, a man who took credit for music he did not write, and a phony who projected an image of sophistication he did not truly possess. Terry Teachout's book on Ellington makes this all-too-clear. However, the story of this celebrated musician is fascinating, not least of which are his "sacred concerts" from the last years of his life.

Great facts, great illustration, written in a very fun, appealing and authentic style.

I hope to collect every book like this that comes out on Jazz artists to help teach my young students.

I read this in my 4th grade music class and they loved it. Students learned a lot about Duke Ellington, and I liked the way the story was written in a rhythmic way that portrayed how Duke Ellington would have spoken in his day

Beautiful book and great read aloud for our “Who Besides Martin & Rosa do we have to Thank.,”