The jazz community is marking the 100th birthday of composer Billy Strayhorn. He's the mastermind behind classics like Duke Ellington's “Take the A Train.” NY1’s Cheryl Wills takes a look back at his legacy.
You may recognize the tune as the signature song of the late great Duke Ellington, but the jazz standard “Take the A Train” was written by Billy Strayhorn in 1939.
The composer would have turned 100 this year and he's being remembered in a new coffee-table book called "Strayhorn: An Illustrated Life." It brings the arranger's body of work out of the shadows of Duke Ellington.
"Too often what we've done is play it like a zero sum game,” said Leslie Demus, Strayhorn’s niece. “‘Well if Duke is great then Billy can't be; well if Billy's great then Duke can't be.’ Well, that's not true. They were each really great creatives, but different."
Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn made beautiful music together for 28 years, but apart from that collaboration, Strayhorn had a full, rich life. He was passionate about civil rights as a black gay man.
"He even said, ‘I have to be who I am and for those who don't like it, I can't do anything about that,’” said A. Alyce Claerbaut, Strayhorn's niece. “I knew his partners, his family knew his partners. We knew who they were, he did not hide it."
Strayhorn succumbed to cancer in 1967 at the age of 51, but he still influences new generations of fans.
20-year-old guitarist Solomon Hicks lives in Harlem, the very same neighborhood that Strayhorn called home. He pays tribute to the composer with his updated version of Strayhorn's masterpiece with the 14-piece big band at The Cotton Club.
"I kinda look back and say, ‘Wow,’ just the fact that they were able to study so much, the lyrics, their melodies, that I'm trying to recreate myself," Hicks said.
Known as King Solomon to his adoring fans, the musician says he channels jazz icons like Strayhorn and gives jazz standards a 21st century spin that would make Strayhorn smile.