Billy Strayhorn

7-CD SET PLUS 1 DVD

This superb box set celebrating the work of William Thomas Strayhorn echoes the basic paradox of this extraordinary jazz musician’s life and career.

The richness and diversity of the music it contains will delight the most obsessive Strayhorn aficionado; at the same time it offers a thrilling introduction to the man many know only as someone who once played in Duke Ellington’s band and wrote “Take The “A” Train.

The 7 CDs contain material presenting 62 of Strayhorn’s compositions, not only focusing on his work outside of the Ellington orchestra, but also presenting him in Duke’s company.

PERSONNEL:

CD 1

(1-10) Billy Strayhorn (p) Michel Gaudry (b on 2,3,8,9 & 10)
Paris String Quartet (strings on 4 & 10) Paris Blue Notes (vo on 1,6 & 8)

Recorded in Paris, May 1961

(11, 12 & 13) Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn (p) Joe Schulman (b).
Recorded in New York, November 1950

(14) Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn (p)
Recorded in Marshfield, Massachusetts, August 25 ,1945

(15 & 16) Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn (p)
Recorded in New York, January 10, 1946

CD 2

(1) Cootie Williams,Rex Stewart,Wallace Jones (tp)
Joe Nanton,Lawrence Brown,Juan Tizol (tb)
Barney Bigard (cl) Otto Hardwick,Johnny Hodges (as)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington (p) Fred Guy (g)
Billy Taylor (b) Sonny Greer (dr)
Recorded at Ritz Carlton,Boston, July 26,1939

(2) Cootie Williams,Rex Stewart,Wallace Jones (tp)
Joe Nanton,Lawrence Brown,Juan Tizol (tb)
Barney Bigard (cl) Johnny Hodges,Otto Hardwick (as) Harry Carney (bs)
Duke Ellington (p) Fred Guy (g) Jimmy Blanton (b) Sonny Greer (dr)
Recorded at Southland Café, Boston, January 9, 1940

(3) Ray Nance,Rex Stewart,Harold Baker,Wallace Jones (tp)
Lawrence Brown,Joe Nanton,Juan Tizol (tb)
Johnny Hodges,Sax Mallard (as) Chauncey Haughton (cl) Ben Webster (ts)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington (p) Fred Guy (g)
Alvin “Junior” Raglin (b) Sonny Greer (dr)
Recorded at the Hurricane April 4, 1943

(4, 13 , 14 ,15 & 16)
Shelton Hemphill,Al Killian,Francis Williams,Harold Baker,Ray Nance (tp)
Lawrence Brown,Tyree Glenn,Quentin Jackson (tb)
Jimmy Hamilton (ts & cl) Ben Webster (ts) Harry Carney (bs)
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn (p) Wendell Marshall (b) Sonny Greer (dr)
Recorded “live” at the Empire Room, Hollywood, Los Angeles, February 1949

(5 & 6)
Rex Stewart,Taft Jordan,Shelton Hemphill,Cat Anderson,Ray Nance (tp & v)
Joe Nanton,Lawrence Brown, Claude Jones (tb)
Jimmy Hamilton,Al Sears (ts) Johnny Hodges,Otto Hardwick (as)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn (p) Fred Guy (g)
Alvin “Junior” Raglin (b) Sonny Greer (dr) Al Hibbler (vo)
Recorded at 400 Restaurant, NYC, April 28, 1945

(7) Same as track 5 & 6 but recorded at Apollo Teatre NYC, June 30, 1945

(8 & 9) Same as track 5 & 6 but recorded at RKO Teatre, Boston, July 14, 1945

(10 & 11) Same as track 5 & 6 but recorded Fieldston Ballroom, Marshfield,Massachusetts, August 25, 1945, Marie Ellington (vo)

(12) Same as track 5 & 6 but recorded at the New Zanzibar, NYC, September 26, 1945, Joya Sherrill (vo)

(17, 18 & 19) Ray Nance,Clark Terry,Cat Anderson,Harold Baker (tp)
Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman,John Sanders (tb)
Jimmy Hamilton (ts & cl) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Johnny Hodges, Russel Procope (as)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington (p) Jimmy Woode (b) Sam Woodyard (dr)
Ozzie Bailey (vo)
Recorded live at Kongressaal, Deutsches Museum
Munich, Germany, November 14, 1958

(20) Cootie Williams,Cat Anderson,Herbie Jones,Mercer Ellington (tp)
Buster Cooper,Lawrence Brown,Chuck Conners (tb)
Jimmy Hamilton,Paul Gonsalves (ts) Johnny Hodges,Russel Procope (as)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington (p) John Lamb (b)
Recorded at RCA Studios, New York, June 23, 1967

CD 3

(1) Clark Terry (tp) Johnny O’Neal (p) Dewey Sampson (b) James Martin (dr)
Live at E.J.’s, Atlanta, Georgia, December 18, 1981

(2) Ben Webster (ts) Camille de Ceunynck (p) Tony Vaes (b) Charlie Pauvels (dr)
Live at Antwerp Jazz Club,Belgien, June 16, 1967

(3) Art Tatum (p). Recorded in Los Angeles, c. 1948

(4) Duke Jordan (p). Recorded in Copenhagen, October 6, 1993

(5) Johnny Griffin (ts) Kenny Drew (p) Jens Melgaard (b) Ole Streenberg (dr)
live at Jazzhus Slukefter, Tivoli, Copenhagen July 15, 1989

(6) Delta Rhythm Boys (vo), Recorded 1945

(7) Roy Eldridge (tp) Vic Dickenson (tb) Budd Johnson (ts) Tommy Flanagan (p)
Major Holley (b) Eddie Locke (dr)
Recorded at St. Peter’s Church, New York City, May 20, 1978.

(8) Delta Rhythm Boys (vo) Recorded 1941

(9) Horace Parlan (p) Recorded in Copenhagen, January 14, 1999

(10) James Spaulding (as) Cedar Walton (p) Steve Nelson (vib) Sam Jones
(b) Billy Higgins (dr) Recorded in NYC, December 1, 1976

(11) Ben Webster (ts) Kenny Drew (p) Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (b)
Al Heath (dr)
Recorded at Pori Jazz Festival, Finland, July 14, 1967

(12) Mary Lou Williams (p) Milton Suggs (b) Drashear Khalid (dr)
Recorded at Rick’s Café Americain, Chicago, November 14, 1979

(13) Jesper Thilo (ts) Hank Jones (p) Dough Raney (g) Hugo Rasmussen (b)
Svend-Erik Nørregaard (dr). Recorded in Copenhagen, March 17, 1991

(14) Teddy Wilson (p) Hugo Rasmussen (b) Ed Thigpen (dr).
Live at Jazzhus Slukefter, Copenhagen, May 21, 1979

CD 4

(1-5) The Dutch Jazz Orchestra:
Jerry van Rooijen (leader) Ack van Rooijen (tp & flgh)
Jan Oosthof, Ruud Breuls,Peter van Soest,Erik Veldkamp,Mike Booth (tp)
Martijn Sohier, Ilja Reijngoud,Hansjørg Fink (tb) Albert Beltman (as & cl)
Hans Meijdam (as) John Ruocco (ts & cl) Toon Roos,Ab Schaap (ts)
Nils van Haften (bs) Rob van Bavel (p) Frans van Hoeven (b on 3 & 5) Jan Voogd (b on 1,2,4, Erik Ineke (dr)
Recorded Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland, October 13-17,1997; October 28, 1999 and January 31, 2002

(6-16) The Dutch Jazz Orchestra:
Jerry van Rooijen (leader) Ack van Rooijen (tp & flgh)
Jan Oosthof, Ruud Breuls,Peter van Soest,Erik Veldkamp,Mike Booth,Jan Hollander (tp)
Martjin Sohier,Ilja Reijngoud,Hansjørg Fink,Ben van Dijk (tb)
Albert Beltman (as & cl) Hans Meijdam (as) John Ruoccu (ts & cl)
Toon Roos, Ab Schaap (ts) Nils van Haften (bs & cl) Rob van Bavel (p)
Rob Madna (p on 10 &15) Frans van Hoeven (b on 2,6,8,9,12,13,14 &16)
Jan Voogd (b on 10 & 15) Erik Ineke (dr)
Recorded Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland, October 13 – 17 1997 and October 28, 1999

CD 5

(1-7) Rolf Ericson (tp & flgh) Lennart Åberg (ts.ss &flute) Bobo Stenson (p)
Gøran Klinghagen (el-g track 7) and Max Schultz (g track 7)
Rose-Marie Åberg (vo track 6 ) Dan Berglund (b) Egil Johansen (dr)
Recorded January 25 & 26, 1995 at Swedish Broadcasting Corporation

(8) Hans Ulrik (bs) Kjeld Lauritsen (Hammond org.) Per Gade (g) Esben Bach (dr)
Recorded at Sun Studio, Copenhagen, Spring 2007

(9-11) Jesper Lundgaard (b) Bob Rockwell (ts & ss) Jacob Fisher (g) Keith Copeland (dr
Recorded at Vestbirk Højskole, November 22, 1997 (track 10) Jazzbar Bent J, November 26, 1997 (track 11)
Copenhagen Jazz House, November 29, 1997 (track 9)

(12) Erik Nordström (ts) Jan Zirk (p) Kjell Jansson (b) Magnus Gran (dr)
Recorded at Studio 12, The Swedish Radio, Gothenburg, June 20-21 1999

CD 6

(1-4) Ken Peplowski (cl) John Horler (p track 3&4) Phil Lee (g track 1 & 2)

(5-12) Ken Peplowski (ts & cl) John Horler (p) PhilLee (g) Alec Dankworth (b)
Recorded in London,September 2006 & May 2007

CD 7

Harry Allen (ts) Chris Flory (g) Keith Ingham (p) Dennis Irwin (b) Chuck Riggs(dr)
Recorded at Kampo Studio, New York City, March 12-14, 1993

DVD

(1-4)
Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra Cootie Williams,Herb Jones,Cat Anderson,Mercer Ellington, Ray Nance (tp) Lawrence Brown,Buster Cooper,Chuck Conners (tb) Paul Gonsalves, Jimmy Hamilton (ts),Johnny Hodges,Russell Procope, (as) Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington,Billy Strayhorn *(p) John Lamb (b) Sam Woodyard (dr)
Recorded at Falkoner Centret, Copenhagen, January 31, 1965

(5) Clark Terry (tp) Duke Jordan (p) Jimmy Woode (b) Svend-Erik Nørregaard (dr)
Recorded live at Montmartre April 7, 1985

(6) Duke Jordan (p) Jesper Lundgaard (b) Aage Tanggaard (dr)
Recorded live at Montmartre April 7, 1985

(7) The Delta Rhythm Boys: Carl Jones,Traverse Crawford, Kelsey Pharr,Lee Gaines (vo) unknown orchestra.
Recorded 1951

(8 & 9) Duke Ellington And His Famous Orchestra:
Ray Nance,Shorty Baker,Cat Anderson,Bill Berry,Ed Mullens (tp)
Lawrence Brown,Leon Cox,Chuck Connors (tb)
Russell Procope, Johnny Hodges (as) Paul Gonsalves (ts) Jimmy Hamilton (ts & cl)
Harry Carney (bs) Duke Ellington (p) Aaron Bell (b) Sam Woodyard (dr)
Recorded in New York,January