The crime is a meaningless street homicide, but price uses the event as a mcguffin for painting a portrait of a piece of new york, a vision of a neighborhood in transition, complete with city projects and gentrifying real. Nov 17, 2015 the festivities reach a climax this month, with saturday nights performance of lush life. Listen to your favorite songs from lush lifethe music of billy strayhorn by joe henderson now. A biography of billy strayhorn by hajdu, david isbn.
Though openly gay, strayhorn maintained a particularly intimate relationship with singer and actress lena horne. Lush life, an episode of the sitcom the king of queens. Billy taylor credits strayhorn for expanding the swing vocabulary of chord voicings in his compositions that include the classics lush life, take the a train, day dream, lotus blossom, chelse bridge, and something to live for. A biography of billy strayhorn, a 1997 book by david hajdu. Strayhorn accomplished so much its just not necessary to do so. The real lushness hajdu evokes in lush life comes with the details of strayhorns imaginative life, with his smoky dreams of cocktails glowing forever in dreamy parisian nights with just the right company at his elbow. A biography of billy strayhorn by joel roberts, published on march 8, 2004 at all about jazz. Billy strayhorns story is compelling, especially in this day and age. Yet all his life strayhorn was overshadowed by his friend and collaborator duke ellington, with whom he worked for three decades as the ellington. Strayhorn spent many months of his childhood at his grandparents house in hillsborough.
Celebrating billy strayhorn, an overlooked master, at 100. His behindthescenes career is examined in a pbs documentary, lush. Lush life strayhorn seemingly kept lush life very close to his chest for a long while. Since his death from esophageal cancer in 1967, strayhorns profound influence on jazz has been reevaluated with the publication of two seminal biographies in 1996 and 2002 and a 2007 tv documentary entitled billy strayhorn. It is a mark of excellence of this biography that it leaves one wanting nothing so much as to listen to the music.
A biography of billy strayhorn by david hajdu goodreads. A finalist for the national book critics circle awardbilly strayhorn 1. While firmly grounded in strayhorn theman, musician, and bon vivant, hajdys writing expands the scope to include the dynamics of 20th century jazz evolutions and permutations, interweaving the greats and wouldbe greats with variations of musical, historical, and. Lush lifethe music of billy strayhorn by joe henderson on. Still, among musicians and jazz fans, strayhorn is renowned for acknowledged classics like lotus blossom, lush life, rain check, a flower is a lovesome thing, and midriff. Billy strayhorn live roulette, 1958 cue for saxophone felsted, 1959 the peaceful side united artists, 1961 lush life red baron, 1992 as arranger. However, his mothers family was from hillsborough, north carolina, and she sent him there to protect him from his fathers drunken sprees. Masters of jazz billy strayhorn by billy strayhorn on. A book that comes close to being a model biography.
That being said, the book is still a great source for learning about the life of billy strayhorn and who he was and its great that somebody finally wrote a book on his life. Billy strayhorn penned some of the worlds most definitive jazz standards and most enduring american music of the 20th century. In 2011, the book was selected by new york times magazine as one of the top 100 nonfiction titles of all time. Billy strayhorn songs and the billy strayhorn foundation participate in jen 2020. Sep 29, 2012 1957 album ella fitzgerald sings the duke ellington song book. Handout he was one of the greatest jazz composers america has. A finalist for the national book critics circle awardbilly strayhorn 191567 was one of the greatest composers in the history of american music, the creator of a body of work that includes such standards as take the a train. Born on november 29, 1915, in dayton, ohio, billy strayhorn was the fourth of nine children. The music of billy strayhorn at the auditorium theatre and the recent publication of.
Jun 28, 1996 david hajdu is the author of lush life. Billy strayhorns genius illuminated in new jazz book an. Lush life is the awardwinning watershed biography of the life of billy strayhorn 19151967. Gravely ill at birth and born into an impoverished family, he wasnt expected to survive. Composer and arranger billy strayhorn would go on to create some of the most popular american music of the 20th century. The author of take the a train, lush life and satin doll, strayhorn wrote songs, suites, scores and other works that run to well over 1,000 pieces in all. Lush life has sparked an enthusiastic revival of interest in billy strayhorns work. Lush life jazz song, a jazz standard by billy strayhorn. A biography of billy strayhorn, david hajdu goes a long way towards remedying this historical oversight by focusing long overdue attention on this shy, modest man who always shunned the spotlight during his lifetime.
See all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Strayhorn is heard singing lush life while backed by the duke ellington orchestra in 1964. He is best known as the collaborator with the great duke ellington. Since his death from esophageal cancer in 1967, strayhorn s profound influence on jazz has been reevaluated with the publication of two seminal biographies in 1996 and 2002 and a 2007 tv documentary entitled billy strayhorn. Now, for the first time, you can discover for yourself strayhorn s unique and beautiful style. Lush life is a book as beautiful and intelligent as its subject. Nov 29, 2015 composer and arranger billy strayhorn would go on to create some of the most popular american music of the 20th century. It is a mark of excellence of this biography that it leaves one wanting nothing so much as to. Lush life is a jazz standard that was written by billy strayhorn from 1933 to 1936. Nov 29, 2015 the author of take the a train, lush life and satin doll, strayhorn wrote songs, suites, scores and other works that run to well over 1,000 pieces in all. Lush life is a jazz standard with lyrics and music written by billy strayhorn from 1933 to 1938.
As duke ellington s trusted aidedecamp, strayhorn contributed compositions and arrangements both individually and in collaboration with the bandleader and occasionally played piano for the ellington band from 1939 to 1967, when strayhorn died. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read lush life. Lush life was more of an ongoing project for strayhorn than a song intended for publication. His family soon moved to the homewood section of pittsburgh, pennsylvania. Lena horne a portrait that is both full and convincing. Through scrutiny of strayhorns private papers and more than five hundred interviews, hajdu revives strayhorn as one of the most complex and tragic figures in jazz history. David hajdu has creatd a wonderful evocation of an era throughthe life of billy strayhorn. Billy strayhorn is one of the bestloved, yet underrated composers of jazz. Billy strayhorns lush life is well known as a harmonically intricate and melodic masterpiece. It was performed publicly for the first time by strayhorn and vocalist kay davis with the duke ellington orchestra at carnegie hall on november, 1948.
While firmly grounded in strayhorn theman, musician, and bon vivant, hajdys writing expands the scope to include the dynamics of 20th century jazz evolutions and permutations, interweaving the greats and wouldbe greats with variations of musical, historical, and psychological themes. The festivities reach a climax this month, with saturday nights performance of lush life. Castle rock norgran, 1951 1955 creamy norgran, 1955 ellingtonia 56. Lush life billy strayhorn music book and backing tracks. The premier site for the history and analysis of the standards jazz musicians play the most. Review lush life is a book as beautiful and intelligent as its subject. Strayhorn was soon more or less adopted by the sprawling ellington clan of sisters, wives, and children. Billy strayhorn s genius was hidden in plain sight. Less well known is the complex, often dramatic story behind the song. A biography of billy strayhorn ebook written by david hajdu. However, the song was only performed privately by strayhorn until he and vocalist kay davis performed it on november, 1948 with the duke ellington orchestra at carnegie hall.
In 2011, the book was selected by new york times magazine as. While tailored for the ellington idiom, strayhorn s pieces often have their own bittersweet flavor, and his larger works have coherent, classically influenced. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Billy strayhorn 19151967 was one of the most accomplished composers in american music, the creator of such standards as take the a.
Listen to your favorite songs from masters of jazz billy strayhorn by billy strayhorn now. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A finalist for the national book critics circle awardbilly strayhorn 191567 was one of the greatest composers in the history of american. I used to visit all the very gay places, those comewhatmay places, where one relaxes on the axis, of the wheel of life, to get the feel of. Ellington played seven shows at the iconic theatre that year, and strayhorn and davis unveiled lush life in the final show. Jazz historian and author ted gioia said if he could steal a single jazz song and make it his own, it would be lush life. Ellington played seven shows at the iconic theatre that year, and strayhorn. David hajdu has brought all my dear memories of billy strayhorn to life. Billy strayhorn s story is compelling, especially in this day and age.
The one and only billy strayhorn himself sings and plays his own masterpiece lush life live performance 1964 enjoy this and other gems by billy strayhorn here. Lush life is an xray of the street in the age of no broken windows and quality of life squads, from a writer whose tough, gritty brand of social realism. Lena hornea portrait that is both full and convincing. As an informal soundtrack for his revealing biography of billy strayhorn, lush life, david hajdu selected and annotated the tracks for this rambling dig through the polygram archives. Billy strayhorn profiled, through the use of music, film and tv clips and appearances by many friends and colleagues, including gerald wilson, jon hendricks, quincy jones, gunther schuller, chico hamilton, mickey scrima, luther henderson, mercer ellington, herb jeffries, aaron bridgers, billy taylor, louis bellson, eartha kitt, clark terry. I used to visit all the very gay places those comewhatmay places where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life. Originally from pittsburgh, strayhorn became the quintessential new york dandy, a staple of black cafe society. A finalist for the national book critics circle award. A biography of billy strayhorn and positively 4th street. Lush life novel, a 2008 contemporary social novel by richard price. His famous collaborations with and for the duke ellington band have become some of jazzs most enduring standards. Mar 24, 2020 billy strayhorns lush life is well known as a harmonically intricate and melodic masterpiece.
Another coltranes version of lush life, from his lush life album1957. Johnny hodges with billy strayhorn and the orchestra verve, 1961 1962 as sideman. Lush life sheet music download free in pdf or midi. Billy strayhorn from the pbs documentary billy strayhorn. Elvis costello, dianne reeves, joe lovano, bill charlap, hank jones, paul motian, george mraz, russell malone billy strayhorn lush life.
He is a critic for the new republic and a professor in the graduate school of journalism at columbia university. The chart above in the new reak book should be from john coltrane and johnny hartman album1963. In doing so, hajdu ranges far afield in date and idiom, yet the overall impression is amazingly consistent of strayhorn as an elegant yet haunted musical figure whose work has a strikingly individual and. Jan 01, 2001 listen to your favorite songs from masters of jazz billy strayhorn by billy strayhorn now. David hajdu billy strayhorn 19151967 was one of the most accomplished composers in the history of american music, the creator of a body of work that includes such standards as take the a train, lush.
The lives and times of joan baez, bob dylan, mimi baez farina and richard farina. Billy strayhorn was a young musicobsessed arranger when he met ellington through a friend in 1938. Although not released until 1992, 25 years after composer billy strayhorns death, this is his definitive cd. Although he wrote the songs music and lyrics between 1933 to 1938, it did not make its public debut until late in 1948 when kay davis and the duke ellington orchestra performed the work at carnegie hall. Lush life performed by kay davis and billy strayhorn first documented recording.
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