During his lifetime, William Strayhorn (1915-1967) was generally regarded of as merely the most prodigious of Duke Ellington's small staff of assistants. However, facts that have come to light since the death of both men reveal that Strayhorn was a full musical partner in every way of the greatest bandleader and composer in all American music. Like Ellington, Strayhorn was a rarity in being an equally outstanding orchestrator, songwriter, and composer of both instrumental "miniatures" and extended suites; as a lyricist, Strayhorn considerably surpassed his mentor. Despite Ellington's enormously productive career both before and after his 30-year collaboration with "Swee'Pea" (as Strayhorn was known), it's now commonplace to refer his output as the "Ellington-Strayhorn" catalogue.
"He was not, as he was often referred to by many, my alter ego," Ellington wrote several years after Strayhorn's death (following a long illness, exacerbated by drinking and smoking) at the age of 52. "He was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head and his in mine."
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LISTEN [461K RA 3.0] to Dr. Billy Taylor discuss the beautiful tribute version of "Take The 'A' Train" that he and trumpeter Ray Nance played at friend Billy Strayhorn's funeral. |