Allan Harris: In his own words ... on Billy Strayhorn
Series: Musicians in their own words
From: David Schulman
Length: 00:04:51
Billy Strayhorn was one of the great American songwriters of the 20th century -- even if few people knew it during his lifetime. It was Strayhorn, not his mentor Duke Ellington, who wrote the standards "Take the 'A' Train," "Satin Doll," and "Lush Life." But Strayhorn was black and openly gay, and he lived his life mostly in Ellington's shadow.
More than 30 years after Strayhorn's death, jazz vocalist Allan Harris paid a call on members of Strayhorn's family. Harris convinced the Strayhorn family to give him access to previously unrecorded music as he made his all-Strayhorn CD, Love Came.
In this feature, Harris describes his approach to singing Strayhorn's neglected music, as well as his radical reinterpretation of Strayhorn's signature tune, "Lush Life."
As in all the pieces in David Schulman's CPB-supported Musicians in their own words
series, the story is told through a mix of the performer's voice and music. There is no reporter's voice heard, allowing the feature to be seamlessly incorporated into station news, talk, or music programming.
Scripts for intro and outro are attached, and may be edited at will.
This piece first aired on WAMU, Washington.
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Related Pieces
Piece Description
Billy Strayhorn was one of the great American songwriters of the 20th century -- even if few people knew it during his lifetime. It was Strayhorn, not his mentor Duke Ellington, who wrote the standards "Take the 'A' Train," "Satin Doll," and "Lush Life." But Strayhorn was black and openly gay, and he lived his life mostly in Ellington's shadow. More than 30 years after Strayhorn's death, jazz vocalist Allan Harris paid a call on members of Strayhorn's family. Harris convinced the Strayhorn family to give him access to previously unrecorded music as he made his all-Strayhorn CD, Love Came. In this feature, Harris describes his approach to singing Strayhorn's neglected music, as well as his radical reinterpretation of Strayhorn's signature tune, "Lush Life." As in all the pieces in David Schulman's CPB-supported Musicians in their own words series, the story is told through a mix of the performer's voice and music. There is no reporter's voice heard, allowing the feature to be seamlessly incorporated into station news, talk, or music programming. Scripts for intro and outro are attached, and may be edited at will. This piece first aired on WAMU, Washington.
Broadcast History
First aired on WAMU
Transcript
Keywords: Allan Harris, Billy Strayhorn, jazz, vocals, Lush Life, Duke Ellington, Musicians in their own words, WUNC, David Schulman
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
Tape time is: 4:50, including a :33 music tail.
TAPE IN: "Strayhorn brings a very wonderful melodic sense of the
European meets the African ..."
TAPE OUT: (ends with music). Last spoken words: "... that?s the
genius of his writing ability."
Musical Works
All excerpts by Billy Strayhorn, performed by Allan Harris on the album, "Love Came: The Songs of Strayhorn," Love Productions, 2001.
Additional Files
- (description) (AllanHarrisPRXscript)
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John Hill
Posted on July 27, 2007 at 02:23 PM | Permalink
Review of Allan Harris: In his own words ... on Billy Strayhorn
A good look at how an artist approaches the interpretation of another's highly regarded work. This interview technique is a personal favorite of mine and I like the way the music is used to illustrate the points made by Mr. Harris. It also reveals the courage on his part to take liberties with Strayhorn's work to make a personal statement. Jazz is so much about interpretation and very often a new spin reveals some contemporary resonance.