Stuart Nicholson's major centennial celebration of Ellington's life and times aims to rediscover a man, not simply laud an icon. In an innovative approach to biography, Reminiscing in Tempo: A Portrait of Duke Ellington pieces together Ellington's eventful life through the first-hand reminiscences of those who knew him best - his wife, his sister, his son; the personalities who made up his band; personal friends, business associates, and, of course, Ellington himself. These dramatic, often emotional accounts build a vivid yet intimate impression of a legend, a striking portrait reconnecting Ellington to the present, and offers an authenticity that can come only from those who participated in and witnessed his history.

This account provides insight into his creative process, his voracious appetite for sex and his obsession with religion. And it explores the battles of a man rising to international recognition in a society riddled with racial discrimination, whose unbowed pride in his race broke down barriers of prejudice in the world of white entertainment.