| Artist |
Song |
Album |
Label |
Comments |
| Duke Ellington & His Orchestra v/ Betty Roche |
Take The "A" Train |
Master of Jazz Vol. 5 Female Vocal Classics |
Columbia |
song written 1941 by Billy Strayhorn. This performance 1953, arr. Strayhorn |
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Today's show is a Black History Month celebration of Billy Strayhorn! Every song written or cowritten by Strayhorn |
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Sources for today's show: LUSH LIFE A BIOGRAPHY OF BILLY STRAYHORN by David Hajdu, SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR THE MUSIC OF BILLY STRAYHORN by Walter van de Leur. Both available at the Duke Music library, and Hajdu available at the Durham County public library! |
| Duke Ellington Orchestra v/ v/ Herb Jeffries |
My Little Brown Book |
The Blanton-Webster Band |
RCA |
w.m. Strayhorn 1935, rec. 1942. This is the only surviving work from a musical play Strayhorn wrote for his high school shortly after graduation |
| Barney Bigard & His Orchestra |
Barney Goin' Easy (I'm Checkin' Out, Goom-Bye) |
Duke Ellington 100 Rare Sessions |
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w.m. Strayhorn but credited to Strayhorn/Ellington |
| Duke Ellington & His Orchestra |
Raincheck |
The Blanton-Webster Band |
RCA |
m. Strayhorn written and recorded 1941. Along with "Chelsea Bridge" and "Take The 'A' Train" this is one of the compositions that cemented Strayhorn's position in the Ellington organization. It's a good example of "cross-section voicing," a technique in which instruments from different sections of the orchestra work together in unusual ways. Ellington and Strayhorn both used this technique & it's part of the distinctive "Ellington sournd" |
| Johnny Hodges and His Orchestra |
Day Dream |
The Indispensible Duke Ellington and the Small Groups |
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w. John Latouche m. BIlly Strayhorn, credited to both Ellington and Strayhorn. This is one of Strayhorn's great compositions, written as a showcase for Hodges. Opinions differ on whether the piano in this recording is Ellington or Strayhorn |
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| Billy Strayhorn & Duke Ellington with Daryl Knutsen |
20 June 1946 Interview |
WDSM Radio |
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radio interview the day of a performance in Duluth MN. This excerpt is just the questions to Strayhorn; the full interview is available on YouTube and is a good example of how Strayhorn avoided the spotlight and Ellington took the lead in public encounters |
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| Duke Ellington & BIlly Strayhorn |
Drawing Room Blues |
Duke Ellington Plays the Blues |
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m. Strayhorn rec 1946 this was a duet in which the two men played one piano |
| Duke Ellington Orchestra featuring Billy Strayhorn |
Midriff |
Lush Life |
Red Baron |
m. Strayhorn rec 1947 Strayhorn plays piano in this recording. Strayhorn performed on many Ellington recordings, often not credited |
| Duke Ellingto & His Orchestra v/ Ray Nance |
Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' |
The Complete Capitol Recordings of Duke Ellington |
Mosaic |
w.m. Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn |
| Billy Strayhorn Trio |
C Jam Blues |
Mercer M-1954 A |
Mercer Recordings |
m. Duke Elligton/Billy Strayhorn. Ellington originally wrote "C Jam" which was then refined & rewritten by Strayhorn and renamed "C Jam Blues." The BIlly Strayhorn Trio was Strayhorn and Ellington on piano with Wendell Marshall on bass. The Billy Strayhorn Trio was Mercer records was co-owned by Mercer Ellington, Johnny Hodges and publicist Leonard Feather. |
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| Ben Webster With Strings |
Chelsea Bridge |
Music for Loving |
Verve |
m. Strayhorn 1941. rec. 1954. Strayhorn played piano on this recording. Chelsea Bridge is an example of "looped chord progression" where instead of following a traditional jazz chord progression, the melody is built off one chord that shifts up or down just a few steps. |
| Duke Ellington Orchestra |
Passion Flower |
Blue Rose |
Columbia |
m. Strayhorn 1941 rec 1956. This was for an album Rosemary Clooney made with the Ellington Orchestra. Strayhorn handled the album: music selection, coordination and worked with Clooney to get the vocals seperately from the orchestra, which had never been done before by a major band. Surces close to Strayhorn say he included this instrumental as a "secret" message that the album was his work |
| Duke Ellington & His Orchestra |
The Star-Crossed Lovers (Pretty Girl) |
Such Sweet Thunder |
Columbia |
m. Strayhorn rec 1956. This piece was originally written for and recorded by Johnny Hodges, then repurposed for Ellington's Shakespeare Suite. This piece is an example of Strayhorn's love of classical music, especially his use of developmental passages where a conventional jazz piece would have a solo |
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| Lena Horne |
Maybe |
Seasons of a Life |
Blue Note |
w.m. Strayhorn rec 1996. Strayhorn wrote this song for Horne. They were dear friends and Horne called him the love of her life. |
| Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra |
UMMG (Upper Manhattan Medical Group) |
A Portrait of Duke Ellington |
Verve |
m. Strayhorn rec 1960. This was written in honor of Dr,. Arthur Logan, Strayhorn's friend and physician |
| Johnny Hodges and Billy Strayhorn |
Your Love Has Faded |
Johnny Hodges With Billy Strayhorn And The Orchestra |
Verve |
m. written Strayhorn this was written by Strayhorn for his first band, the Mad Hatters, before he met Ellington, but when published was credited to Ellington/Strayhorn. This album was made by Hodges and Strayhorn at a time when both were feeling stifled by being part of the Ellington organization |
| Billy Strayhorn, Michel Goudret & Paris String Quartet |
A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing |
The Peaceful Side of Billy Strayhorn |
Capitol |
w.m. Strayhorn 1941, rec 1961. Strayhorn made this album in Paris. The song is a great example of the classical influence on his work |
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| Billy Strayhorn |
Lush LIfe |
Lush Life |
Red Baron |
w.m. Strayhorn, some time between 1933-1936, rec 1964. Strayhorn was a teenager (possibly as young as 16!) when he wrote this song. It exemplifies the longing and loneliness that is a major theme in his work. Strayhorn reportedly hated most other interpretations of this very personal song (even the superlative Coltrane/Hartman recording) |
| Billy Strayhorn & Ozzie Bailey |
Something to Live For |
Lush Life |
Red Baron |
w.m. Strayhorn but credited to Strayhorn/Ellington, rec 1965 |
| Duke Ellington & His Orchestra |
Isfahan |
Far East Suite |
Columbia |
m. Strayhorn but credited to Strayhorn/Ellington, rec 1967. This piece is a good example of "Closed voice blocking" in which all sections of the orchestra are within the same octave or just one apart, an innovative technique used by both Ellington and Strayhorn |
| Duke Ellington & His Orchestra |
Blood Count |
...And His Mother Called Him Bill |
RCA |
m. Strayhorn 1967, rec 1968. Strayhorn's final composition, written in the hospital as he lay dying. This recording from "And His Mother Called Him Bill," a tribute album Ellington made in honor of Strayhorn shortly after his death |
| Joe Williams |
Satin Doll |
Having the Blues Under a European Sky |
Lester |
w.m. Ellington/Strayhorn rec. 1974, For my money this is the best recording of this song. GThis is an example of unison-countermelody: using dissonance to obscure the tonality of the song |
| The Dutch Jazz Orchestra |
Blue Star |
Portrait of a Silk Thread: Newly Discovered Works of Billy Strayhorn |
Challenge |
m. Strayhorn, rec 1995. Strayhorn was a prolific composer whose output exceeded the Ellington orchestra's capacity. Many songs like this were "lost" until the Dutch Jazz Orchestra discovered them in Strayhorn's personal collection and released two albums of his work |
| Duke Ellington |
Lotus Blossom |
...And His Mother Called Him Bill |
RCA |
m. Strayhorn 1947 (?), rec 1968. This was originally titled "Charlotte Russe" and recorded by Johnny Hodges in 1947. It was Strayhorn's favorite work to hear Ellington play, and he played it for him privately many times but never recorded it until this tribute album made after Strayhorn's death. This performance was made after the session had ended; thile the others packed up Ellington stayed at the piano and played this, pouring out all his grief into the piano. Luckily the engineer kept recording and captured this intensely emotional moment |
