Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis

This book examines Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Miles Davis as distinctively global symbols of threatening and nonthreatening black masculinity. It centers them in debates over U.S. cultural exceptionalism, noting how they have been part of the definition of jazz as a jingoistic and exclusively American form of popular culture.

Aaron E. Lefkovitz teaches U.S. history at Harold Washington College, The City Colleges of Chicago, and DePaul University.

Introduction Chapter OneLouis Armstrong: Exuberant Jazz Legend & Complex Cultural Diplomat Chapter TwoDuke Ellington: Elegant US Jazz Exceptionalist Symbol & Regal Transnational Hetero-Sexual Chapter ThreeMiles Davis: Jazz, Blues, Rock, Funk, & Hip Hop Border Crosser Conclusion