Today, November 29, would have been the 93rd birthday of Mr. Billy Strayhorn, one of the greatest composers in American popular music. Make that music, period. The key compositional collaborator of Duke Ellington, Strayhorn graced him, and us, with such tunes as “Take The ‘A’ Train,” “Sophisticated Lady,” some of “Satin Doll,” the ineffable “Lotus Blossom,” and many, many others that you really ought to acquaint yourselves with immediately if you’re not familiar with them. An excellent place to start is the tribute record Ellington and his orchestra made shortly after Strayhorn’s death—in 1967, at age 52, of cancer of the esophagus—…And His Mother Called Him Bill. Then there’s Strayhorn’s unusual, intimate, lovely solo album—criminally out-of-print, but available at unpopular prices, and worth them—The Peaceful Side. And so much more.
The heartfelt and eloquent eulogy Ellington wrote for Strayhorn is one of my very favorite pieces of short writing ever. Here is the kernel of it:
…Billy Strayhorn successfully married melody, words, and harmony, equating the fitting with happiness. His greatest virtue, I think, was his honesty, not only to others, but to himself. His listening-hearing self was totally intolerant of his writing-playing self when, or if, any compromise was expected, or considered expedient.
He spoke English perfectly and French very well, but condescension did not enter into his mind. He demanded freedom of expression and lived in what we consider the most important and moral of freedoms: freedom from hate, unconditionally; freedom from self-pity (even throughout all the pain and bad news); freedom from fear of possibly doing something that might help another more than it might help himself; and freedom from the kind of pride that could make a man feel he was better than his brother or neighbor.
You can read the eulogy in its entirety in my friend David Hajdu’s splendid Strayhorn biography Lush Life.
To echo the final words of Ellington’s tribute: God bless Billy Strayhorn.
I love Billy Strayhorn. “…And His Mother Called Him Bill” is one that I’ve listened to a lot – several tracks always end up on mix CDs and ipod playlists. But I’m a romantic depressive.
Well, Strayhorn was a romantic depressive, too. It’s almost funny to remember that he wrote the lyrics to “Lush Life” when he was only in his twenties.
The most heartbreaking thing on “…And His Mother Called Him Bill” is Ellington’s solo piano rendition of “Lotus Blossom,” which he played just for himself, not aware that tape was rolling. You can actually hear the other musicians packing up and chatting in the beginning—it seems they grow quiet as they notice what’s going on. Duke’s playing is passionate, tortured. A terribly moving piece.
Strayhorn plays a lot of piano on a couple of terrific Johnny Hodges records, too. The late, great Tommy Flanagan’s “Tokyo Recital” is a terrific all-Strayhorn set. I tried never to miss Flanagan when he played in town, and I’m glad I saw him as often as I did, but I’m still bummed I won’t be seeing him any more…
Yeah, that version of Lotus Blossom is just stunning. My thesis screenplay at Columbia was titled “Lush Life” (that script got me into the Sundance workshop back in ’92 – alas, my youthful writing didn’t earn the title). I saw Tommy Flanagan at the Vanguard years back, wish I’d seen him more. I also love those Johnny Hodges records with Strayhorn. I could’ve inverted the words and said I was a “depressive romantic”, but the depressive side has always had a slight edge. Okay, off to buy ‘Tokyo Recital’…
Always good to see Strayhorn appreciated, but I have to make a correction: he had no part in writing “Sophisticated Lady.” That tune dates from 1932, about seven years before Strayhorn signed on as Ellington’s assistant/collaborator.
And I’ll third that remark about the impromptu Ellington solo take of “Lotus Blossom.” It’s more than just an emotional rendition of a tune; it’s like grief in aural form.
@policomic: Shite. Was thinking “Satin Doll,” and my fingers typed out “Sophisticated Lady.” I’d take this as a sign of early-onset Alzheimer’s, but I’ve done it a lot, and your comment finally made me figure out why—the Satin Doll of the Strayhorn/Ellington song is indeed rather sophisticated, as in “speaks Latin,” as per Johnny Mercer’s lyrics. Trips me up almost every time.
@greg mottola: I’m sorry if this comment isn’t connected to Billy Strayhorn.
I’m a big fan of greg’s work, I believe I’ve seen it almost all – from daytrippers to freaks and undeclared – so I’m very curious to know whether your “Lush life” script could be found and read. If I’m not asking too much.
Sorry if this fan commment is out of place here, I’m enjoying the blog.
Cheers,
Slaven, Italy