"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."--BOOK JACKET.

"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."--BOOK JACKET.