A celebration of Billy Strayhorn, composer of “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Lush Life,” and dozens of jazz classics written for Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.
“[He] started playing and sang a couple of lyrics and, man, I was up on my feet!”—so Duke Ellington recalled the first time he heard Billy Strayhorn, who, over the next 29 years, would write hit melodies for the Ellington orchestra and establish a body of work notable for its originality and range. An openly gay man who remained in the Duke’s shadow, Strayhorn (who died in 1967) finally got his due last year in a series of 100th birthday celebrations across the country. This fascinating documentary adeptly assembles early footage, interviews, and performances by Ellington, Hank Jones, Dianne Reeves, Elvis Costello, and other greats to summon up the breadth of Strayhorn’s genius.
