What Is The Difference Between Strayhorn And Ellington?

Behind the scenes of most productions, there are almost always more elements at play in accompaniment to the performers; there is a whole whirlwind of preparation behind every performance, beginning at the base level of first creating a piece of music. The position of composer is one hidden in the shadow of performers, more often than not gone unnoticed and uncredited. Nevertheless, it is the office in which Billy Strayhorn, a famous pianist, arranger, and composer, thrived during the 1940s-1960s jazz movement. Although a notably talented performer (specifically pianist), Strayhorn’s talents and influences lay largely in his original compositions and arrangements of pieces for other varying artists. This role allowed him to record and then
In the time that Strayhorn and Ellington collaborated together, they produced work upon work of widely popular songs such as “Take the A Train,” “Lotus Blossom,” and “Chelsea Bridge.” Out of all their songs, however, “Take the A Train” was by far the most recognized and adored; “to the general audience the piece became virtually synonymous with Duke Ellington” (van de Leur 2002:49). The lilting and uplifting jazz tune that Strayhorn composed became an instant classic, and was the song that put the duo’s names up in lights: “This compelling dance number became a hit recording, and Ellington made it his orchestra's signature tune from 1941 until the end of his life” (Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: Jazz Composers). Again, Billy did not always receive the full credit he deserved for his music due to his lingering in the shadows of production, but Ellington often attempted to maintain that Strayhorn played an integral part in all of the music they produced: “He correctly identified Strayhorn as one of the most important people in [our] group - very seldom seen in public appearances, but always heard" (van de Leur 2002:141). “Take the A Train” was one of the few examples in which Strayhorn received all of the credit he rightly deserved. In addition to the numerous hit songs Billy composed, his musical style, above all else, is what led to his legacy being
Nonetheless, in the end it was simply his unique interpretations of music that spurred on a returning wave of reinvigorated jazz, that crescendoed in all of his works: “Strayhorn brought a new musical approach to the already idiosyncratic sound of the orchestra, expanding the boundaries of the jazz genre in yet another direction” (van de Leur 2002:xvi). In the many years to come, jazz turned towards following the path that Strayhorn started down on, and turned away from the self-destructive path it had begun on: “Jazz continued its recession from the pop mainstream, the swing generation steering its new station wagons even further from jukebox culture, the emerging generation turning to the electrified sound of rock and roll” (Hajdu 1996:150). Looking back on the life of Billy Strayhorn, one could easily say that he led a life of inspiration, in the sense that he was a prodigious individual who made the conscious decision to inspire those around him as well. His works, although composed and arranged for others, were distinctively his own in the sounds and arrangements, making him someone worth emulating after he attained his level of fame. In turn, this led to his influence on future jazz being quite large and incredibly formative. Through this global spread of his music, his personal beliefs and mantras were proliferated as well: