SOMETHING ABOUT BILLY ‘SWEE PEA’ TO LIVE FOR

It could not have been an easy task being in the shadows of the greatest jazz composer of all time; but because of his extraordinary gifts as an arranger, composer, pianist and occasional lyricist, Billy ‘Swee Pea’ Strayhorn managed just fine, and. in fact, I believe he became one the greatest composers of improvised music himself. In a previous article about the art of collaboration, I argued that nowhere in the genre’s history has i ever discovered a greater team of writers; and would have to venture to another genre like pop music and make a comparison with a duo such as Lennon & McCartney. It really was very difficult at times to determine who wrote the main part of a given tune, as both artists were pure genius, and capable of refining the other’s works.

Billy was born on November 29, 1915, in Dayton, Ohio, and sadly died at age 52 on May 31, 1967, in New York City due to cancer of the oesophagus from years of smoking and drinking. Soon after his death, Ellington created one of his finest albums, which was an album tribute to reworkings of many of Billy’s signature songs on an album labelled, “…and his mother called him Bill”. The writing pair were pioneers in making several concept albums, such as “The Drum Is A Woman Is A Drum’, ‘The Perfume Suite’, “The Far East Suite’, “The Nutcracker Suite. and ‘Such Sweet Thunder, which was a nod to Shakespeare. I believe that the great composer from England, Johnny Dankworth, as well as American bassist/composer Charles Mingus were heavily affected by Duke and Billy’s writings, to name a few. Some of Strayhorn’s classics or standards include “Lush Life’, ‘Something To Live For, ‘Satin Doll’, ‘Take The ‘A’ Train’, ‘Chelsea Bridge’, ‘Lotus Blossom’, ‘Portrait Of A Silk Thread’, “Lament For An Orchid’ ‘Passionflower’, ‘Daydream’, and ‘A Flower Is a Lonesome Thing. There have been many tribute albums by various artists including Marian McPartland, Michael Hashim, Allan Harris, Lena Horne, Fred Hersch, Terrell Stafford, Ron Gill, and Canada’s Ian McDougall. Moreover, there are two marvellous books written about him; David Hajdu’s ‘Lush Life’ (Harper Collins 1996) and Walter van de Leur’s ‘Something To Live For – The Music of Billy Strayhorn’ (Oxford 2002). Yes, I think it is very safe to say that Swee Pea’s music (with Ellington) has enriched my musical intelligence and soul more profoundly than anyone before or after him; and there really is something about Strayhorn to live for…

Essential Tribute Albums & Strayhorn Albums

1. Duke Ellington Orchestra – “…and his mother called him Bill” (RCA 1967)
2. Marian McPartland Qt. Play The Music of Billy Strayhorn (Concord 1987)
3. Ian McDougall Quintet – Ellington & Strayhorn (Barbarian Recs. 2005) or In A Sentimental Mood
4. Allan Harris – The Songs Of Strayhorn (Love Productions 2001)
5. Lena Horne – We’ll Be Together Again (Capitol/Blue Note 1994)
6. Michael Hashim Qt. – The Billy Strayhorn Project (Stash 1990)
7. The Dutch Jazz Orchestra – Portrait of a Silk Thread (Challenge Recs. 1996) (and 3 other recordings)
8. Ron Gill – The Songs of B. Strayhorn (WGBH Radio, Boston 1997)
9. Terell Stafford Quintet -This Side of Strayhorn (Maxjazz 2011)
10. Fred Hersch Trio with Eric Stern Sting Orch./Andy Bey (Nonsuch Recs. 1996)
11. Duke Ellington Orch with Billy – Such Sweet Thunder (Columbia 1957)
12. Duke & Billy – The Nutcracker Suite (Col. 1960?)
13. B. Strayhorn Orchestra – Cue For Saxophone (Master Jazz Recordings 1959)
14. OST Paris Blues-Duke & Billy (United Artists 1961)
15. The Peaceful Side of B. Strayhorn (Solid State 1950/51) with Paris Blue Notes
16. 12 Piano Duets by D. Ellington & B. Strayhorn (Riverside 1950)
17. A Morning In Paris with Bea Benjamin and Svend Asmussen (Enja Recs. 1997 from1963)
18. Al Hibbler with Billy Strayhorn Septet (!95?)