This author has yet to write their bio.Meanwhile lets just say that we are proud Galen Demus contributed a whooping 40 entries.
Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) is a music festival held every April in recognition of the significant contribution that jazz music has made to society. The aim of this annual event is to pay tribute to jazz for its historic and cultural significance by encouraging schools, governments and organizations to participate in various events such as free […]
North Carolina State University LIVE is thrilled to have co-commissioned David Roussève/REALITY’s latest work, Halfway to Dawn, a jubilant dance-theater piece that celebrates all facets of the influential jazz composer Billy Strayhorn’s rich and complicated life. Weaving dance, video, and Strayhorn’s masterful music, the project celebrates Strayhorn while creating conversations around race, sexuality, and the danger of placing […]
For the 3rd straight year, The Billy Strayhorn Foundation has given a financial assistance award to a deserving organization in the host city for the Jazz Education Network conference (JEN). With the conference being in Reno, Nevada this year. the music institution selected was the Reno Youth Jazz Orchestra. Established in 2006, the RYJO mission […]
Billy Strayhorn Songs Inc. and the Billy Strayhorn Foundation participated in the 2019 Jazz Education Network conference (JEN) held this year in Reno, Nevada. The Jazz Education Network is dedicated to building the jazz arts community by advancing education, promoting performances and developing audiences. The Billy Strayhorn booth provided information on the musical legacy of […]
Selected by Pittsburgh Magazine, these are the people who, throughout the past 200-plus years, helped put Pittsburgh on the map. These 50 made contributions both locally and nationally to fields ranging from business and government to culture and sports –– all of which put the spotlight on Pittsburgh. Selected at #19, arranger, composer and pianist…Pittsburgh […]
An original manuscript of “Take the A Train,” compositional sketches that were never completed and a revealing look at the royalty earnings of one of the 20th century’s most revered composers: These are a few of the 18,000 documents collected in Billy Strayhorn’s personal archive, which is now available to the public at the Library […]
The fascinating story of how creative cooperation inspired two of the world’s most celebrated musical acts. The Beatles and Duke Ellington’s Orchestra stand as the two greatest examples of collaboration in music history. Ellington’s forte was not melody—his key partners were not lyricists but his fellow musicians. His strength was in arranging, in elevating the […]
The unfinished track has been an object of fascination. It has been written about in several Sinatra biographies. But Sinatra’s record label and estate never saw fit to release it to the public… until now! Variety has the exclusive world premiere of the 1958 studio session recording of Sinatra’s attempt at ‘Lush Life’. This is […]
Suite Life is an annual celebration of the life and legacy of pianist, composer and KST namesake Billy Strayhorn. For one night only, percussionist extraordinaire and Pittsburgh jazz icon, Roger Humphries and the RH Factor take the audience on a musical exploration that invokes Pittsburgh’s rich contribution to the history of jazz. The concert is […]
Composer-arranger Billy Strayhorn lived his life as an openly gay man during the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s, an oppressive and homophobic era. ‘Halfway To Dawn’, a music and dance performance, recognizes the life of Strayhorn, who mostly shied away from the jazz spotlight and remains an under appreciated and acknowledged composer. ‘Halfway To Dawn’ will […]
