The Music of Ellington& Strayhorn

The Quartet will play the Music of Ellington & Strayhorn and his lifelong collaborator who were two of the most important creative forces in the music of the twentieth century. Their influence on classical music, popular music, and, of course, jazz, simply cannot be overstated. Ellington was primarily an instrumental composer, and most of his songs were originally written as instrumental pieces, with words added at a later date. Nevertheless, many of them remain remarkable as songs. Billy Strayhorn (1915–1967) was an American composer, pianist, and arranger best known for his longtime collaboration with bandleader and musician Duke Ellington.

“STRAYHORN IS LIKE BEETHOVEN–EVERY NOTE HE WROTE SEEMS INEVITABLE.”– Cliff Colnot, Resident Conductor, Civic Orchestra of Chicago