{"id":8005,"date":"2016-11-29T12:13:39","date_gmt":"2016-11-29T20:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/?p=8005"},"modified":"2016-11-29T12:59:19","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T20:59:19","slug":"billy-strayhorns-101st","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/rifftides\/2016\/11\/billy-strayhorns-101st\/","title":{"rendered":"Billy Strayhorn’s 101st"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ellington-strayhorn\"
\nCharlie Shoemake sent a reminder that today is the 101st anniversary of the birth of Billy Strayhorn (pictured with Duke Ellington). Strayhorn was a 16-year-old high school student in Pittsburgh when he wrote \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lush Life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d A few years later he brought his songwriting ability to Ellington\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention. One of the songs he demonstrated that day was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Lush Life.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Take The \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Train\u00e2\u20ac\u009d followed soon after he joined Ellington. The encounter led to one of the most significant partnerships in twentieth century music. Little known to the public, Strayhorn nonetheless quickly became a jazz composer and arranger of supreme importance,. His collaboration with Ellington lasted under his death in 1967. One of his last projects for the Ellington band was arrangements for the Ellington ’66<\/em><\/a> album. The collection contained three of Henry Mancini\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s songs, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Days of Wine and Roses,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Charade\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Moon River.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d In his Strayhorn message, Charlie Shoemake wrote,<\/p>\n

When the album came out, I sat in Jimmy Rowles\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 living room listening to it with him. Jimmy said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Can you imagine Henry Mancini\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face when he hears this?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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