Billy Strayhorn: The Unsung Hero Of Jazz
Everyone who knows jazz knows Duke Ellington. But did you know that many of the Duke’s most famous songs were actually written by a gay black musical prodigy called Billy Strayhorn?
In this episode Katie celebrates the life and music of Strayhorn who received little recognition (or even money) for his work but who still lead a “lush life.”
BTWs include the Baader-Meinhoff effect.
In the moment of meta we share a tip on how you can use enthusiasm to connect with new people.
Links
- Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life– Documentary about Billy Strayhorn and his relationship with Duke Ellington.
- Lush life : a biography of Billy Strayhorn by Hajdu, David https://archive.org/details/lushlifebiograph00hajdu/page/74/mode/2up
- https://www.thedailybeast.com/mysteries-of-pittsburgh-where-lena-horne-and-billy-strayhorns-chaste-musical-love-affair-began
All the songs:
- Link 1: Duke Ellington – Flamingo (with Herb Jeffries) 1941
- Link 2: BILLY STRAYHORN sings and plays LUSH LIFE!
- Link 3: Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn – Take the “A” Train
- Link 4: Duke Ellington – Jump for Joy
- Link 5: Billy Strayhorn & Lena Horne: A Christmas Surprise [1st performance]
- Link 6: Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite
- Link 7: BILLY STRAYHORN Blood Count JOHNNY HODGES & DUKE ELLINGTON
- Link 8: Duke Ellington, Lotus Blossom (solo) (Strayhorn)
BONUS songs: