Something to Live For: The Music of Billy Strayhorn

From Library Journal

Duke Ellington's place in jazz is secure, yet until now critics have failed to consider adequately the contributions of his principal collaborator, the richly talented composer and arranger Billy Strayhorn. Dutch jazz researcher van de Leur uses several recently established manuscript collections, including the Smithsonian Institution's Duke Ellington Collection at the National Museum of American History and autograph collections of both Ellington and Strayhorn scores, to show that Strayhorn's critical sensibilities shaped the Ellington orchestra much more than had been thought. Included here are highly technical analyses of some 70 extracts from the original scores, demonstrating clearly the differences in the musical styles of these two immensely talented men. Earlier efforts to separate Strayhorn from Ellington (whom van de Leur refers to as "twins") were thwarted by the necessity of relying on transcriptions, which by their nature are often flawed because of the transcribers' inability to identify all of the notes making up individual chords. Although general readers will find parts of the book impenetrably abstruse, the findings themselves are presented in plain English, and there is much here to engage the interest of casual jazz listeners. Even defensive Ellingtonians will appreciate the author's balanced angle: so extraordinary were Ellington's talents that it was even more extraordinary that he found a partner. Essential for all jazz collections. Harold V. Cordry, Baldwin, KS Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In his autobiography, Duke Ellington described Billy Strayhorn, his longtime composing partner and arranger, as "my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head and his in mine." But Dutch author Van De Leur argues that Strayhorn was a greater compositional genius than previously recognized and had a distinct voice apart from Ellington's and deserving greater appreciation. Van De Leur examined thousands of original Ellington and Strayhorn scores, comparing the two to gain a greater sense of Strayhorn's voice. He argues that Strayhorn was responsible for inserting the elements of European art music into jazz and greatly enriching the orchestra's sound. Yet in spite of his talent and contributions, Strayhorn remained largely anonymous during his lifetime and was eclipsed by Ellington in jazz history. This is not a traditional biography, but is intended more for composers than the lay reader. But the author examines the complex partnership between the two men in depth, and there is plenty here for the average reader. Ted LeventhalCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved