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About Billy Strayhorn
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Billy Strayhorn
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If you are familiar with the jazz composition, "Take the A Train," then you know something about not only Duke Ellington, but also Billy "Sweet Pea" Strayhorn, its composer. Strayhorn joined Ellington's band in 1939, at the age of twenty-two. Ellington liked what he saw in Billy and took this shy, talented pianist under his wings. Neither one was sure what Strayhorn's function in the band would be, but their musical talents had attracted each other. By the end of the year Strayhorn had become essential to the Duke Ellington Band; arranging, composing, sitting-in at the piano
Miles Okazaki's Monkathon: The Complete Thelonious Monk–Live
by Keith Flint
Guitarist Miles Okazaki, originally from Port Townsend, Washington, has become an integral figure in New York's creative music scene. Over the course of his career, he has toured and recorded with such artists as Kenny Barron, John Zorn, Steve Coleman, Miguel Zenón, Henry Threadgill, Patricia Brennan, Dan Weiss, Matt Mitchell, Mary Halvorson, and Darcy James Argue. ...
Festival-ing on Historic Grounds
by Josef Woodard
Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey, CA September 25-27, 2026 As the legendary Monterey jazz festival leans into its 70th year in 2027, the artistic and commercial mission remains steadfast, while the leadership chair has been in rotation the last few years. After Tim Jackson retired after 32 years of noble and ...
September Songs
by Katchie Cartwright
September songs mark the end of a long summer season and the beginning of one that promises to be shorter and cooler. Familiar compositions by the likes of Weill, Lins and Strayhorn stand with newer musings, performed by the composers and others. That's the long and short of it here in San Antonio, Texas, where the ...
Fergus McCreadie Solo: Brahms And Beyond At Islay Jazz Festival
by Mark McKergow
Fergus McCreadie Caol Ila Islay Jazz Festival Islay, Scotland September 12, 2026 Piano virtuoso Fergus McCreadie stepped into new territory with this extraordinary solo performance, pairing Brahms' piano music with his own improvisation. The idea proved irresistible, drawing the largest ticket sales in the festival's history. The music will stay with everyone ...
Jeff Colella Putter Smith: Between Friends
by Pierre Giroux
Jeff Colella and Putter Smith are like peas in a pod, having made music together long enough to know that trust is more valuable than show. Between Friends is built on that trust from the opening notes, and neither musician ever seems to be trying to impress the other. Instead, they listen with uncommon patience, letting ...
Lucy Yeghiazaryan: Serious And Seriously Talented
by R.J. DeLuke
Lucy Yeghiazaryan is one of the most compelling jazz vocalists to emerge in recent years. Especially in New York, where she regularly performs in the city's jazz clubs, audiences have been drawn to her rich, powerful tone and her ability to bring an enchanting emotional depth to every lyric. Those qualities, along with her ...
Leon Buckley Quartet At Scott's Jazz Club
by Ian Patterson
Leon Buckley QuartetScott's Jazz Club Jazz Futures Belfast, N. Ireland July 24, 2026 There is nothing like a good typo to induce the titters. Hats off to the Belfast gig guide who listed this one as the 'Leon Bucket Quarter.' It could have been worse. In a 1631 reprint ...
Norma Winstone: A Timeless Place
by Neil Duggan
This 1990 recording unites the outstanding vocal talents of Norma Winstone MBE with the NDR Radio Orchestra. Now known as NDR RADIOPHILHARMONIE, the distinguished German radio symphony orchestra, invited Winstone to participate in a broadcast session. In turn, she enlisted pianist and arranger Steve Gray, with whom she had previously collaborated on BBC projects.
Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Fitzgerald Live at Falkoner Theatre Copnhagen 1966
by Jack Kenny
The night before Ella Fitzgerald's historic concert with Duke Ellington in Stockholm, she played two concerts in Copenhagen. For Ella Fitzgerald, this was like playing at home because she had an apartment in the city. It was one place where she felt relaxed and it shows in the music. It is Fitzgerald at her most at ...


