Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Billy Strayhorn: Piano Passion

255

Billy Strayhorn: Piano Passion

By

Sign in to view read count
Billy Strayhorn: Piano Passion
During their nearly three decades of working together, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington created a legacy of music for the ages. This set offers a rare opportunity to hear Strayhorn the composer playing many of his own songs, as well as some he wrote with Ellington and others. Their partnership began in 1939 and ended only with the death of "Swee' Pea," as Strayhorn came to be fondly called by Ellington, at a mere 52 from cancer in 1967.

The first ten cuts in this collection, recorded in Paris during two midnight sessions in 1961, were originally released on an LP rather inexplicably called The Peaceful Side of Billy Strayhorn. To that set another eleven sides have been added here. Recorded at various dates in New York from 1946 and 1950, both Ellington and Strayhorn play the piano.

The 1961 sides are marked by simplicity and a vibrant emotional connection. Strayhorn's playing is not showy. It's an honest performance in which each note of his "Passion Flower or his and Ellington's "Strange Feeling are invested with soul. On three numbers, the Paris Blue Notes lend a dash of vocalese. If on "Lush Life their "aaaaaahs verge on the kitschy, on "Day Dream they deepen the reverie. "Lush Life also remains notable as a highly personal and courageous reference to gay life by Strayhorn.

The mood shifts dramatically with the first of the Strayhorn and Ellington duets, "Cottontail, a hop-hopping race across the keyboards to the accompaniment of Wendell Marshall's bass. The high spirits of their exchanges on "C-Jam Blues are complemented by the tenderness of their playing on "Flamingo, the set's only cover. Filled with brilliant, playful, intimate and thoughtful touches, this private party of giants is one we're fortunate indeed to be able to share.

Track Listing

Lush Life; Just A Sittin' And A Rockin'; Passion Flower; Take The A Train; Strange Feeling; Day Dream; Chelsea Bridge; Multi Colored Blue; Something To Live For; A Flower Is a Lonesome Thing; Cottontail; C Jam Blues; Flamingo; Bang-Up Blues; Tonk; Johnny Come Lately; In A Blue Summer Garden; Great Times; Tonk (Pianistically Allied); Drawing Room Blues; Tonk.

Personnel

Billy Strayhorn: piano; Michel Gaudry: bass (2,3,8-10); Paris String Quartet: strings (4,10); Paris Blue Notes: vocals (1,6,8); Duke Ellington: piano; Wendell Marshall: bass (11-14); Joe Shulman: bass (15-18).

Album information

Title: Piano Passion | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Storyville Records


< Previous
Underground Memoirs

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Slow Water
Stephan Crump
Contrafactus
Spike Wilner Trio
Psychedelic Rio
Vinicius Cantuaria

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.