"This book is both study and appreciation. It begins by recounting Ellington's life as well as his musical work, secular and sacred.

A year after Ellington's death, Stevie Wonder's groundbreaking LP, Songs in the Key of Life, featured the well-known "Sir Duke" (Here are some of music's basic pioneers that time will not allow us to forget: There's Basie, Miller, Satchmo, and the king of all, Sir Duke!), as well as the Ellington-inspired "Contusion." But Stevie Wonder is just one of many who carry the legacy of Duke Ellington.

Also profiled here are Steely Dan; drummer Butch Ballard; the incomparable Miles Davis - who even requested burial alongside Ellington, in New York's Woodlawn Cemetery; the flamboyant Sun Ra; the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, and the Godfather of Funk, George Clinton; Sly Stone; Frank "Kash" Waddy; Prince - who was described by Miles Davis as "The New Duke Ellington"; the grand master of rock's avant-garde, Frank Zappa; Ravi Shankar; Charles Mingus; and others.".

"Woven throughout are interviews with the musicians who worked with Ellington as well as those who have devoted their lives to his memory. Several well-chosen photographs grace the text, visually reminding us that wherever people come together to express their spiritual beliefs through music, Duke Ellington will be there."--BOOK JACKET.