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Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life
List Price: $17.98Our Price: $10.97 You Save: $7.01 (39%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724387355026
Format: Soundtrack
Label: Blue Note Records
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
MPN: 73550
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Blue Note Records
Release Date: January 23, 2007
Studio: Blue Note Records
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Editorial Review:
From 1938, until his death in 1967, composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn was so entwined with Duke Ellington that musicologists are still trying to figure out where the former ends and the latter begins. On this companion soundtrack to the PBS documentary, pianists Bill Charlap and Hank Jones display their solo chops on the stridish "Fantastic Rhythm" and the soulful "Satin Doll" and reprise the great Ellington-Strayhorn four-hand piano workout, "Tonk." Vocalist Dianne Reeves and guitarist Russell Malone brilliantly navigate the harmonic challenges of the title track, while she and her rhythm section dance "Something to Live For" with an Ahmad Jamal bounce. Tenor saxophonist Ben Webster would approve of Joe Lovano's quartet rendition of "Chelsea Bridge," featuring Jones, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Paul Motian. Lovano and Charlap anchor Elvis Costello's languid lyrics on "My Flame Burns Blue (Blood Count)," adding another interpretive layer to the eternal artistry of this compelling and confounding musician. --Eugene Holley, Jr.
Companion soundtrack to Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life, a 90-minute documentary film about the pioneering African-American composer, arranger and pianist. The film presents Strayhorn's fascinating life as it has never been told before, showcasing his talent and passions, as well as taking a hard look at his complex relationship with Duke Ellington and illuminating the issues that prevented Strayhorn from receiving the full recognition he deserved.
Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life, the soundtrack, features 15 Strayhorn compositions performed by several of today's jazz stars, including Blue Note artists Bill Charlap, Joe Lovano, and Dianne Reeves, as well as piano legend Hank Jones and special guest Elvis Costello.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - POISON!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! See the documentary on PBS instead!
This is probably the worst jazz CD or album in my huge collection. The instrumental performances are efficient but lifeless. There is NO soul, here; just emptiness.
Elvis Costello, as per usual, sings through his nose while rattling his adenoids. The "special lyrics" written by Costello for Strayhorn's BLOOD COUNT are as vapid as the garden variety product of David Byrne. Diane Reeves sings this music like she never really studied it and lived with it. It sounds DEAD! Nothing happens ... Read More
Rating: - Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life (
I not sure how good this is. I ordered the wrong thing. I thought I was ordering the movie.
Rating:  - Strayhorn CD a winner
The CD resulting from the PBS Lush Life documentary is a prize. I only wish there had been a way to include a couple of performances by Ellington-Strayhorn era people such as Johnny Hodges' Passion Flower. Most of us collectors have that, however, so it is not a great oversight.
But to hear great pianists of different generations doing Strayhorn justice (Bill Charlap and the ageless Hank Jones) is fantastic. And Diane Reeves has become the newest pretender to Ella's throne. What a great ... Read More
Rating: - Correction Re: "previously unrecorded" status of tune
A previously reviewer wrote this was worth buying for "works that have not been recorded before, such as: 'Fantastic Rhythm', 'Valse', 'The Flowers Die Of Love' and 'So This Is Love'"....
Actually, all of those compositions have been recorded previously thanks to the efforts of the Dutch Jazz Orchestra/Jerry Van Rooijen and musicologist Walter van de Leur (who was interviewed on-camera for the Strayhorn PBS documentary). The albums "So This Is Love" "Portrait of a Silk Thread" and "Something ... Read More
Rating:  - Sophisticated Strayhorn
The twenty-nine year partnership between Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington produced an unrivaled body of work. Running the gamut from popular songs and jazz compositions to orchestral suites and theatrical scores the fruits of their collaboration have a truly timeless quality and continue to inspire and intrigue musicians and audiences alike.
"Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life" is a 90-minute documentary which will debut nationally as part of PBS's Independent Lens series on Feb. 6. As one would ... Read More
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