I’m currently fussing over the interior design of Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington. This morning I sent an e-mail to Emily Wunderlich of Gotham Books in which I explained where to place the illustrations, which will be interspersed throughout the text. Instead of using page numbers, which will not be set in stone until the entire book is set up in type, I identified the relevant paragraphs by quoting their opening words.
The resulting list amounts to a “found poem” about Ellington. I thought it might amuse you to see it.
* * *
Ellington’s surface qualities were exploited
None of it showed
J.E. was born in North Carolina
Another way in which Ellington enriched
Many of his superstitions centered on death
After wrapping up a two-week run
What they cannot show us is how the band
When it came to sex, though
“Raymond? He has perfect taste”
The band itself continued to perform
Unlike Strayhorn’s break with Ellington
A Drum Is a Woman was to be a poetic allegory
Sargeant, a longtime admirer
President Nixon addressed the crowd
So he stayed on the road
From then on he made no secret