Duke Ellington was the undisputed father of the American songbook. A prolific writer and consummate performer, Ellington was the author of such standards as Solitude, Prelude to a Kiss, and It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got that Swing). With a career that spanned five decades, he is one of the defining composers of the Jazz Age. With unprecedented access to the Ellington family archives, this long overdue book illuminates the life and work of an icon of twentieth-century music from his humble beginnings to his long-lasting success. Every stage of Ellington's career is brought to life, from sepia photographs of his early days in Washington, DC, to colorful playbills from the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, his triumphant tours of Europe in the 1930s, and his pioneering explosion of form and genre in the 1940s and beyond. Alongside more than two hundred stunning images, contributions from peers such as Dave Brubeck, Cornel West, Quincy Jones, and Tony Bennett shed light on Ellington's musical legacy, while the voice of his granddaughter Mercedes reveals the character behind the charisma, and the man behind the piano.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet's 1959 album Time Out changed the sound of jazz and American music. Brubeck's experimentation with meter, harmony and even Turkish rhythms eventually earned him the cover of Time Magazine; the first jazz musician to achieve such a feat. Saxophonist Paul Desmond's composition "Take Five" went on to become the first million-selling jazz instrumental single on the Billboard Hot 100. This folio celebrates the album's 50th anniversary with full-color artwork from the original record, and a 10 page write-up from jazz historian Ted Gioia. All seven compositions from the monumental recording have been carefully arranged for Easy Piano. Titles: Blue Rondo ? la Turk * Strange Meadow Lark * Take Five * Three to Get Ready * Kathy's Waltz * Everybody's Jumpin' * Pick Up Sticks.

The 25 titles are: Audrey * Blue Lake Tahoe * Bluette * Chorale * The Desert and the Parched Land * Five for Ten Small Fingers * Going to Sleep * Home Without Iola * I See, Satie * Joshua Redman * Koto Song * Looking at a Rainbow * Lost Waltz (Edited Version) * Lost Waltz (Original Version) * Lullaby and many others!

This work beautifully captures the poetic spirit of the original Latin influences of Gregorian chant.

The Essential Dave Brubeck--a two-disc set--is additionally notable for the man who selected all of its material: Dave Brubeck. The 31 tracks draw from 24 albums, spanning 53 years (1949-2002). There are studio and live recordings, groundbreaking performances (Brubeck leading his early quartets, which helped set the tone for West Coast cool), solo piano items, and many examples of his importance as a composer (including, among other things, the lilting "In Your Own Sweet Way" and the harmonically challenging "The Duke.") Plus there are special guest cameos by Tony Bennett, Carmen McRae, Jimmy Rushing, Gerry Mulligan--and jazz's once and future king, Louis Armstrong.

Jazz great Dave Brubeck has penned 20 new two-part arrangements (one note in each hand) for this new and exciting book. Compositions include favorites such as: Brandenburg Gate * Dancin' in Rhythm * Fast Train * Joe Lovano Tango * Stompin' for Mili * Two-Part Contention * When the Moon Is High.