Will Marion Cook - True American Music Genius

This is only the beginning of the story. Cook went on to lead jazz bands---featuring the first usage of saxophone---throughout Europe and the U.S. for fifteen years after the debut of “In Dahomey.“ Duke Ellington called him “The master of all masters of my people.“ Cook’s most famous song remains “I’m Coming Virginia.“ Pianist heard here is Dick Hyman. “Hot from Harlem: Twelve African American Entertainers, 1890-1960“ contains a chapter on Cook. Audio is from an NPR Fresh Air segment to which I contributed.