Customer Reviews

Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz with 21 Activities (For Kids series)

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What a great book to explore jazz though the life of Duke Ellington! The activities are fun and engaging (most are appropriate for the 7 - 10 age group). I like that there is variety in the activities (everything from making instruments to writing lyrics to making corn bread!), so kids can get a more robust hands on learning experience.
While this is by no means a stand alone book on jazz, it is a great introduction to students learning about various types of music, an excellent starting book for someone doing a biography on Duke Ellington, or a jumping off point into the wonderful world of jazz. It would also make a great gift for a young, budding musician as the Duke was a great role model (I haven't read about a drug habit or wife beating or other things that tend to plague musicians of all genres throughout history).
While this book could be used in schools, it seems most appropriate for use at home with the family. There are great family activities and the way the book is written, it easily allows for parents and grandparents to expound upon "those days" that don't seem so "walked ten miles to school, uphill, in a snow storm". It allows for some great life lessons as Duke Ellington didn't just happen to be a great musician, he worked hard at it and even when he was very good - he still continued to practice and learn from others to try and get better. Pair it with samples of his music and you have a great family learning project to help bring you closer to your children in a new and exciting way.

Biographies can have a tough life. Their charms are often lost on young readers who are more focused on the latest hyped-up fiction or eye-catching nonfiction titles. I can see why this is the case - biographies can come across as being more utilitarian than entertaining. Duke Ellington: His Life in Jazz tries its best to provide the facts in ways that will appeal to young readers. Duke Ellington... is an unquestionably well crafted title. Text that is detailed and accessible, images that are large and crystal clear, and an interactive twist make this title stand out.

With over 2,000 compositions and numerous musical achievements, Ellington's body of work was immense. Author Stephanie Stein Crease treats the musician's life and career with obvious admiration. From his early days of playing piano at parties to the formation and growth of his renowned jazz orchestra, Ellington's story is presented in a clear, conversational tone that adds to the overall readability. A time line and a multitude of sidebars help to add context.

When I first saw this book, the thing that stuck with me was the "with 21 activities" in the title. I wondered how well this would work. The verdict? Not too shabby. The various, step-by-step Ellington-related activities range from the just for fun (make a concert poster) to more in depth (writing your own blues melody). This mix was a good choice - it allows a wide variety of readers to take part if they like. Musical talent is not required.

While it's likely that only the most interested of young readers will read this title cover to cover, Duke Ellington... will also ably serve students who are looking for facts or working on a biography of the man. If you're looking for an update in your Ellington bio section, this will make an excellent choice.

I'm naturally suspicious around children's informational books that seem deemed strictly for educational purposes. And any book that contains the words "with 21 Activities" is going to raise my alarum bells right from the start. I start thinking to myself, "What, the life of Duke Ellington is so dull that you had to pep it up with `activities' to make it palatable to teachers?" Because, honestly, any book that so prominently displays its educational components is appealing not to youngsters but to the teachers who will be assigning said book. As it happens, Duke Ellington really was an almost too calm, sane person to write a biography about. Sure, he was at the forefront of the jazz movement and he is remembered has a heckuva composer in his own right. However, his life wasn't filled with drug overdoses, drunken fights, fifty ex-wives, or anything particularly heady or exploitative. So setting his life within the context of his time, author Stephanie Stein Crease gives the man his due, throws in some goofy activities on the side, and the result is a book that surpasses its initial educational trappings. While it might be up for debate whether any child would read this title for pleasure rather than for an assignment, it's still going to give them a bit of insight into a man, his life, and the world in which he operated/conquered.

He was born Edward Kennedy Ellington, a smart, baseball-loving kid from D.C. He wasn't even into jazz or ragtime until at 14, when he got caught up in the popular music scene. Suddenly those piano lessons he took as a kid didn't seem so lame after all. Applying himself, Duke (as he was now known for his snappy dress and style) learned from whatever great artist he happened to run across. He learned how to write music, play the piano, and (eventually) how to organize and run a band of his own. Over decades, Duke Ellington perfected his craft and found the best possible talents to join his incredible orchestra. A list of resources is included in the back of this book for further reading and information.

Since we're dealing with children's literature here, Crease probably had to tame down some of the bawdier aspects of life during the jazz age. Heck the origins of the word "jazz" wouldn't be proper fare for the under 15 set anyway. Still, making the era utterly sexless wouldn't be right either, so you get hints of it here and there. One of Duke's first big hits composed as a teenager was "What You Gonna Do When the Bed Breaks Down?" (a slow song, appropriately enough). There are a lot of facts here people probably wouldn't know about Duke's life too. For example, one of Duke's radio series was sponsored by the U.S. Treasury Department. This came in handy later on when he needed buses for touring during WWII (not an easy thing to get at that time).

Crease examines the man's life from birth on up. Duke was a middle class kid from a supportive family and community. He started young, got big young, and stayed big even in the post-jazz era when rock and roll started to dominate. The author then comes to several interesting suppositions, most of which I agreed with, some that I found questionable. For example, I don't know that I'd agree that the terms vaudeville and minstrel shows are unfamiliar "to many people" today. I feel as if most people know what they mean, if they've never seen them firsthand.

Crease also has a tendency to try to relate situations and moments in the past in contemporary terms. That's a risky business right there, since you're basically placing your historical non-fiction title in very contemporary (and easily dated) terms. So when she says that the battle of the bands was "the forerunner of American Idol or TV talent contests" that's going to help a couple kids now. In the future, however, children who check this book out will read that line in the same way "the forerunner of American Bandstand" would read to kids now. It's not an insurmountable problem (and American Idol is actually invoked more than once), but it can be a little distracting.

Of course, it's a visually arresting book, no question. Long and thin, this sturdy paperback is filled with photographs, sidebars, cutaways, and images. There are separate boxes that give some background to the world surrounding Ellington during his formative years. For example, there's a nice section about that newfangled object the piano, described here as "the heart of the home and ... the family's entertainment center." Altogether, the design is superb, working to suck the reader into Duke's story and the story of the jazz age as well.

And then there are the 21 activities, as advertised on the cover. A lot of them involve designing album jackets or sheet music covers or concert posters, but others require a bit more creativity. There's an activity based on writing lyrics to orchestral Ellington tunes that would be a pretty smart use of a creative kid's time. Suggestions of various Ellington tunes (and which CDs you can find to get them) are included as well. Mind you, the activities do get a little wacky once in a while. For example, there's actually a recipe in here on how to "Make Corn Bread for a Rent Party". I say it's a little wacky, but the recipe actually looks pretty delicious. Wouldn't mind trying that one out sometime myself. Other unconventional activities include how to "Make Costumes for a Floor Show" (a lotta feathers and top hats are involved), "Dancing Rope Trick," and "Host a Jam Session".

Though I found little problems here and there, as a whole I think "Duke Ellington" is a strong title. Will kids read it for fun? Some might. Maybe. Perhaps. And those who are assigned a biography to do might find themselves interested in the activities and photographs that pepper the pages. It's certainly a boon to teachers who are desperately searching for projects to do with kids assigned to study up on the Harlem Renaissance, the Jazz Age, or the life and times of Duke Ellington. Not the easiest book to write, but a successful effort just the same.