Urbane, witty and diminutive, Billy Strayhorn was the Truman Capote of the jazz world. Inextricably linked to the 20th century’s greatest jazz composer, Duke Ellington, Strayhorn’s genius for original melodies and lyrics never achieved popular acclaim partly because of his bold decision to live openly as a gay artist beginning in 1939 until his death from esophageal cancer in 1967.
Preferring to be the man behind the music, Strayhorn brought even more elegance and verve to Ellington’s repertoire: "Take the A Train," "Something to Live For" and the ultimate lounge ballad, "Lush Life" are just a few jazz standards that came to life through the seamless collaboration of these two genius musicians. Joined at the hip, professionally and in a more complex way, emotionally, it is said that Ellington went into a long seclusion to recover from the untimely loss of his muse and closest friend.
