Details
Synopsis
The composing genius behind such sensitive and inspired pieces as "Take the 'A' Train," "Chelsea Bridge," and the song that gives David Hajdu's meticulously detailed biography its title, "Lush Life," Billy Strayhorn was, for much of his professional career, invisible to the public. Duke Ellington hired him in 1938, after a backstage audition in Strayhorn's native Pittsburgh, and their artistic and personal relationship continued until Strayhorn's death from cancer in 1967. Ellington's agreement with Strayhorn that the bandleader would essentially finance his life in exchange for Strayhorn's relinquishing composer credits on the many pieces he wrote for the band was an unusual one. But it suited Strayhorn's purposes; black, and openly gay in a time when to be the former could provoke open prejudice and the latter much worse, he craved privacy, if not total anonymity. Hajdu's insightful investigation of the reclusive artist's life and music explores Strayhorn's symbiotic relationship with Ellington and his pursuit of the sophisticated, elegant life first visualized in "Lush Life," astonishingly written when its composer was around 18. LUSH LIFE is the first and may long remain the best biography of this little known but vital contributor to the Ellington legacy.
| Size | | Length: | 305 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 6.8 in | | Thickness: | 1.0 in | | Weight: | 16.0 oz |
Industry Reviews
"...David Hajdu's biography of Billy Strayhorn comes as a surprise and a most welcome one. It is the work of a journalist...but it meets standards of research and analysis that any scholar would respect and many would envy."
Washington Post Book World - Jonathan Yardley
"Almost 30 years after Strayhorn's passing, this seminal figure in American music has finally found the 'representation' he deserves."
New York Times Book Review - Will Friedwald (07/14/1996)
"Hajdu dug hard for the details, and paints a nuanced, loving portrait of [Strayhorn]...'Lush Life' is one of the most exhaustive research projects in recent music journalism--a year-by-year chronicle of the friends an passions and projects of this enigmatic figure..."
Philadelphia Inquirer - Tom Moon (08/04/1996)
"If, despite all of Hajdu's research and detail, the forces that drove Strayhorn still remain somewhat mysterious, 'Lush Life' has illuminated many of the shadows, bringing light and perspective to one of the sadly underrated artists in the history of jazz."
Los Angeles Times Book Review - Don Heckman (07/14/1996)
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