In addition to the creative and personal life of Ellington and a discussion of his work, Collier paints a picture of the era in which he worked--the social conditions for blacks, the circumstances that laid a fertile ground for his music.

For jazz standards readers and researchers, this well-written biography is one of the best on Ellington. Collier portrays Ellington not just as composer but as an improvising jazz musician, who used his whole band as an instrument. Collier goes into moderate depth on the musical analysis of some of Ellington’s compositions in language that a lay person can understand. The general index includes the titles of songs and compositions.

James Lincoln Collier is the author of Louis Armstrong: An American Success Story, Louis Armstrong: An American Genius, Inside Jazz and several books of fiction for children and young adults.