Even if you’re just a jazz fan, you’re probably familiar with Duke Ellington’s swinging theme song, “Take the A Train.” Or perhaps you’ve heard the melancholy ballad “Lush Life” by Lady Gaga on an album she recorded with Nat King Cole, Great American Songbook-era Linda Ronstadt, or Tony Bennett.
Both of these songs, and many others, were written by Billy Strayhorn, a gay man, musician, composer, and arranger. He refused to live in the closet in his mid-20sth-century America, and it may have cost him some public recognition. However, he left an incredible body of work in his short life.
William Thomas Strayhorn was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1915. As a child, he frequently visited his maternal grandmother in Hillsboro, North Carolina. According to her biography, she owned a piano that he played “from the time he was tall enough to reach the keys.” billystrayhorn.coma website maintained by his heirs. The family then moved to Pittsburgh, where his father found work. Young Billy played in his high school band (he was the only black member), took private piano lessons, and studied at the Pittsburgh School of Music.
he wrote books, music and lyrics fantastic rhythm, After participating in a school band musical revue and studying at the institute, he performed live around Pittsburgh with a jazz combo called the Mad Hatters. He wrote “Lush Life” when he was still a teenager.
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In 1938, a life-changing encounter occurred. A friend of Strayhorn’s introduced him to Ellington, one of the giants of the jazz world, when he was performing with his orchestra in Pittsburgh. Strayhorn sat down at the piano in Ellington’s dressing room between shows and demonstrated that he could play some songs exactly like Ellington, and that he could switch them up and play them his own way.
“This 23-year-old artist, brazenly (or naively), displayed both a cunning ability to use the words of his celebrated elders and a spirited ability to extend them through his own sensibilities,” wrote David Haju in his 1996 biography of Strayhorn. rich life. The following year, Strayhorn joined Ellington’s band.
The BillyStrayhorn.com profile states, “Neither knew what role Strayhorn would play in the band, but their musical talents were mutually appealing.” “By the end of the year, Strayhorn had become an integral part of the Duke Ellington Band, arranging, composing, and sitting at the piano.”
It was the height of the big band era, and a highly accessible and danceable form of jazz known as swing was the dominant form of American popular music. Audiences, mostly young people, flocked to nightclubs and ballrooms to dance to their favorite bands, or contented themselves with dancing in their seats when major bands played in theaters, sometimes as a prelude to movie screenings. Ellington was one of the founders of the big band sound, and his band was one of the most sophisticated outfits.
In the early 1940s, there was a dispute between radio stations and American composers, writers, and publishers over how much the stations were to pay to play music licensed from ASCAP. Soon, stations were refusing to play ASCAP songs, but there were plenty of new songs to fill the void. Since Strayhorn was not a member of ASCAP, the songs he wrote for the Ellington Band, such as “Let’s Take the A Train,” could be played on the radio.
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As World War II ended and returning soldiers gravitated toward their hearths and hometowns, the days of big bands faded. Although swing was no longer American popular music, other forms of jazz became popular among niche audiences. Strayhorn worked alone for much of the 1950s, but eventually returned to collaborating with Ellington. Their work pushed boundaries, sometimes even venturing into classical territory. Such sweet thunder, The instrumental suite, premiered in 1957, was inspired by Shakespeare’s works. Strayhorn and Ellington also wrote adaptations of this work. nutcracker suite, Recorded in 1960.
Although Ellington highly valued Strayhorn’s talent, he sometimes shut him down. “Strayhorn was unable to receive accurate billing or credit for his contributions until well after his death,” he said in 2007. advocate article. “His name was originally removed from ‘Satin Doll,’ and Ellington was the only person to win a Grammy for Otto Preminger’s film score.” anatomy of murder, Duke spent most of filming in a hotel, even though Strayhorn haunted the set and composed the underscore. ”
Ellington may not have been particularly homophobic, but he was reluctant to share the spotlight or royalties. He was “happy to promote Strayhorn whenever he could,” Will Friedwald writes, “often disclosing Strayhorn’s name when performing his own material, and even producing Strayhorn’s album in 1965, as long as it took nothing away from him to encourage his collaborators.” new york times review of rich life.
However, Ellington recognized Strayhorn’s talent. “Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, his brainwaves in me,” Ellington once said.
Not being as famous as Ellington may have allowed Strayhorn to lead an off-track life. He had long-term relationships with several men. He and fellow musician Aaron Bridgers lived together from 1939 to 1947, and Strayhorn’s subsequent partner was graphic designer Bill Grove, who remained with Strayhorn when he died of esophageal cancer in 1967.
Strayhorn had a cherished friendship with singer and actress Lena Horne, and said he would have married her if he were straight. He was her mentor and coach, often accompanying her to social events.
Strayhorn was deeply involved in the civil rights movement. He participated in the 1963 March on Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C., where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the “I Have a Dream” speech, and performed at many of Dr. King’s other events.
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In 1997, Strayhorn’s family recognized his contributions and formed Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc. to manage the rights to his music. An affiliated organization, the Billy Strayhorn Foundation, provides music education and scholarships.
In other words, Strayhorn spent much of his life in Ellington’s shadow, only to be rewarded posthumously. BillyStrayhorn.com lists his discography and has a lot of his music. In a documentary film Billy Strayhorn: Rush Life It aired as a PBS episode in 2007. independent lens series. It won an Emmy Award for Best Documentary, a Peabody Award, and a Writers Guild Award for Best Documentary Screenplay. It doesn’t seem to be available on streaming services or DVD, but here’s an excerpt. Vimeo. And Hajdu’s book is still available.
Musician and bandleader Marlon Martinez provides an excellent short biography of Strayhorn in the video below. Ever Up and Onward: A Tribute to Billy Strayhorn. “Always aim higher” was Strayhorn’s motto. The remaining episodes are available at BillyStrayhorn.com.
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Source: Advocate.com – www.advocate.com
