Two of the most notable composers in Jazz history, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington became well known for their collaboration and arrangements of hundreds of musical masterpieces. Bringing the necessary composing skills to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Billy Strayhorn was able to add to the success of the band by writing original works and re-arranging current Ellington tunes. 

Born in 1899, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was not only a composer and a pianist, but a notable bandleader of his own Jazz orchestra he led for almost 50 years. Though, Ellington constantly referred to his band’s music as “American Music” rather than Jazz. 

Through the 1920s, Ellington and his band performed at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club under the name “Duke Ellington & His Cotton Club Orchestra.” Ellington’s band gained national exposure through weekly live radio broadcasts of the orchestra’s performances. 

Joe “King” Oliver turned down a regular gig at the Cotton Club and the offer was extended to Duke’s Orchestra in September 1927.  After increasing his amount of band members, Duke accepted the offer and the Cotton Club Orchestra became the house band for the Club. 

Billy Strayhorn, a pianist from Ohio, who later moved to Pittsburgh had been studying classical music at the Pittsburgh Music Institute, began his musical career writing a high school musical, forming his own classical trio, and by age 19 eventually writing for a professional musical called “Fantastic Rhythm.”

Living in a predominantly white generation of classical composers, Strayhorn moved his composition skills to Jazz and formed a combo in 1937 called “The Mad Hatters” who performed around Pittsburgh performing some of Billy’s own works, along with popular Jazz standards of the time.   Billy’s music grew a reputation and he began arranging for other local bands as well. 

In December of 1938, Billy Strayhorn was introduced to Duke backstage at a performance at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. Strayhorn auditioned for Ellington at the urge of other Orchestra members and was hired on the spot. While the band already had a pianist, Billy would soon find his niche within the Orchestra as an arranger. The photo above shows the two with famous tap dancer Charles “Honi” Coles backstage at the Stanley Theater.  

In January of 1939, Strayhorn was ready to pack his bags and head to Harlem.  Duke had given him specific directions, which included taking the A subway train.  Little did he know, Billy was working on a composition based off these directions called “Take The A Train,” which would later prove to be one of Duke’s Orchestra’s biggest hits. In the meantime, Strayhorn kept the song to himself and refined the piece.  

Touring with an Orchestra of predominantly Black musicians, Ellington chartered Pullman Luxury railroad cars when the band toured the South for safety reasons. Luxury was something Duke felt his band members deserved after achieving their massive success. 

January of 1941 rolled around and Ellington’s son, Mercer, had been hired as a staff arranger. The Duke Ellington Orchestra was set to play a club one evening at the Casa Manana, on the site of Sebastian’s Cotton Club (West coast version of Harlem’s Cotton Club) in Culver City, California.  The evening’s performance was to be broadcasted over the radio that evening. 

BMI refused to broadcast any music composed by ASCAP members as a result of the royalty fee boycott. Mercer and Billy were the only ones who were not members of ASCAP.  As the band waited for their train to Los Angeles, Mercer and Strayhorn spent countless hours re-writing the band’s entire catalogue in a South Side Chicago hotel room. 

It was at this point where Mercer discovered “Take The A Train” in a wastebasket after Billy had tossed it.  With a little flattening out, the song went on to become one of the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s biggest hits and signature song for the rest of the band’s career. 

Strayhorn continued writing and arranging for Ellington, but was pushed out of the limelight and more of a “behind the scenes,” guy. Billy and Duke were complete opposites. Billy was the brains behind the operation, and Duke was the talent. While Strayhorn received credit for his compositions, Ellington also had his name on them as co-arranger as well since most bandleaders at the time were known to do so.  Both collaborated on over 500 compositions.   

Billy constantly defended Duke’s business relationship with him saying all credit was equal, but many would attribute this to the fact that Ellington was the one to give him a chance with a lifelong career and take care of all his finances and living expenses. Taking a back seat allowed him to have more creative writing freedom as well

Not only did the duo create works for the Orchestra, but they also created instrumental scores as well.  Most notably, they re-created Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Suite” where it was arranged into modernized Jazz interpretations.

Perhaps “Lush Life,” was one of Strayhorn’s biggest pieces where he was given credit in its entirety. Essentially it was his baby. Billy wrote the song back in 1936 at the age of 21. A song so emotional and sentimental would disrupt the set of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, therefore Duke would only allow Strayhorn to perform this song on stage live.  The band never recorded this song.

For such an introverted person, Billy Strayhorn was actually one of the few openly gay Jazz musicians of the time and did not feel he had to hide his sexual orientation.  Many say “Lush Life” is his open representation of his lifestyle of the early ‘60s. 

Billy continued to work and collaborate with Ellington throughout the 1950’s and 60’s.  In 1964 Strayhorn was diagnosed with Esophageal cancer after a life of smoking and alcohol use. He battled cancer for several years, but it increasingly became worse and he passed away in New York at the age of 51.

While everyone has their opinions on the business relationship between Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, the facts remain in the music.  Both had something to bring to the table and what one was lacking in, the other made up for. Duke was a performer and Billy was a writer. There was no need to fix something that wasn’t broken.  As collaborators, they were able to work together and bounce ideas off of each other to give the people what they wanted to hear.

“Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine.”

-Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington

This photo journal was created by University of California, San Diego Music 127A Student Anthony Zagaroli for the Winter 2014 Final Project