#class-a-clarinetist

[a-hell-of-a-lot-of-muses]

@class-a-clarinetist

"Oh RinRin~" Reiji peered over his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear.

"Guess what today is~"

[eggbeam]

i miss being in band in middle school.. there's nothing like being in a band or an orchestra its literally one of the peak human experiences.

[supercantaloupe]

also i cannot believe for my last semester i managed to have a day with an even stupider schedule than my thursday 4-9pm orchestra marathon

[tomthebassoon]

I have been asked to be on the panel for my least favorite professor's tenure review. It is now time to decide exactly how petty of a bitch I'm going to be when a man's employment is at stake.

[50c14lly4nx10u5]

i don't think some of my bandmates got the message that my Name Changed cuz before the concert i was asked 'are you excited, [old name]?' by one of platy's old friends

i never corrected em cuz i felt too awkward they had literally never talked to me b4 >_<

[a-hell-of-a-lot-of-muses]

"That I can do~

I'll even have it nicely packaged for you to open~"

"All you have to do is deliver that sweet ass to my room~"

[butcherlarry]

Weekly Fic Recs 80

This week's fic recs!! :D

The Midtown Junior Youth Orchestra by threekingbelt @sisaloofafump - Superbat, General, 7543 words, complete. Middle schoolers Clark, Lois, and Bruce being band kids my B E L O V E D. Clark playing the tuba and Lois and Bruce being catty clarinetists was so much fun to read. The second chapter also has some lovely art, so be sure to check that out!!

undercurrent traces by scarletazure - Superbat, General, 4856 words, complete. Bruce and Clark travel through a bunch of alternate universes and there is something consistent across all of them. I WONDER WHAT IT IS???

delectable by pomeloquat @pomeloquat - Superbat, Explicit, 3851 words, complete. FEM BRUCE AND FEM CLARK MY BELOVED. Clarke wants to spend some quality time with her beloved wife, if you know what I mean :)

Building Healthy Relationships: A Guide by Hal Jordan by frozenpotions @froizetta - Superbatlantern, Explicit, 8456 words, wip. Hal figures out Bruce and Clark are dating and becomes somewhat of a relationship counselor between them. Now if only they were dating him as well 😔

And It Feels Like Home by Curupia @curupia - Poolverine, Mature, 23,591 words, wip. Part of the series, Home is a four-lettered word and it's spelled W A D E. Logan, along with help from Laura, are renovating a house for them to move into as a surprise for Wade. Shenanigans ensue.

skin deep by LiathLining (ActuallyAMenace) @actually-a-menace - Poolverine, General, 1909 words, complete. Part of the Oh Logan series. Omegaverse! Wade teaches Logan how to braid Laura's hair. It's super cute.

Shringara Rasa by FinelyDressedSpacemen @finelydressedspacemen - Poolverine, Explicit, 6928 words, complete. A war vet AU. Peter makes Wade to to a yoga class. The teacher is Logan. Shenanigans (and feels) ensue.

Happy reading!

[sirhamburrger]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤

𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐭𝐨 𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐞 [𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐚 𝐱 𝐟!𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫]

word count: 1170 || prev || next

you meet up with kuroo at the entrance to the dining hall, and he greets you with a lopsided grin. you haven’t seen him since the incident on friday night, and can't seem to tear your gaze away from the bruising on the bridge of his slightly crooked nose.

noticing your guilty expression, he just smiles breezily at you. “i don’t regret it at all, you know. i wouldn’t have done anything different.” seeing the uneasy look on your face, he adds, “what was i supposed to do, just let him do whatever he wanted to you? no way."

he's a comforting presence beside you as the two of you grab your plates, sitting down at kuroo’s friends’ table. kenma barely looks up from his game, mumbling a hasty hello before his fingers are flying across the controls once more. sugawara beams at you, and kageyama nods politely in an acknowledgement of your presence. daichi sawamura from orchestra is there too, and he gives you a little smile as you sit down alongside the raven-haired management student. “heard your gig last friday was a big hit, i'll definitely be at your next.”

the thank-you you're about to say fizzles and dies on your tongue, however, when you spot two familiar blondes approaching.

one of which you don't really want to see right now.

“hey, yachi,” you say to the petite girl. your eyes lock onto the clarinetist's face next, and you say begrudgingly, “tsukishima.”

yachi sits on your other side, with tsukishima taking the seat opposite yours. his lanky legs are so long his sneakers are bumping against your ankles with every movement he makes. you let out a noise of annoyance, eyebrows furrowed, and he simply shoots you a maddening smirk from across the table.

“aren't your friends going to join us?” sugawara mumbles through a mouthful of chicken katsu.

“busy with assignments,” you sigh. “well, suna and mori are busy with assignments. akaashi’s helping them out.”

“and you aren't?” tsukishima remarks offhandedly, but you hear the steely bite in his tone.

you scowl, leaning back in your seat. “let's see you go teach them third-year economics, then-”

“now, now, kids, settle down,” daichi says with mock playfulness, sounding like a total dad, but you're sure you notice him exchange glances with kuroo. “let's get through this meal in peace, okay?”

you feel your cheeks burn, embarrassed you've made a scene in front of the guy you're interested in - and his friends. thankfully, the rest of lunch seems to pass in a blur. the hour is spent laughing with kuroo and suga and daichi and yachi, with kenma opting to hide his face in his oversized hoodie and play on his handheld console. 

kuroo’s a sweet guy. gentlemanly too - though you already know that thanks to the unfortunate events of last friday night. you don't miss tsukishima's all-too-condescending glances and knowing smirks, though. every time you glance his way, he seems to be waiting for you with the same exasperating expression.

“where are you headed to next?” kuroo asks you as the group heads out of the dining hall together. ”i can walk you.” his knuckles brush against yours, and you let a small smile stretch your lips as you open your mouth to answer-

“not to be a mood-killer,” kenma interrupts, “but prof will have your head if you’re late to his class one more time. you have-" he pulls up the sleeve of his sweater to check his watch- “approximately one and a half minutes to get to the lecture hall.”

“oh, snap! i could probably get there on time if i start running now…” he looks towards you, giving you an apologetic smile. “hey, i… i really enjoyed this. we should do this some other time, y'know?” he beams, and you feel a strange warmth in your chest that quickly dissipates as you feel tsukishima's calculating gaze on you. 

“yeah,” you manage to say after what feels like an eternity. “for sure.”

he flashes you one final smile, ruffles a protesting kenma's hair, and promptly runs off in the opposite direction. 

“we can all walk you together, if you've got somewhere to be-” suga starts, but is quickly cut off by tsukishima's curt voice: “i've got this seminar to get to. it's in the bio building. i'll see you guys another day.”

ah. your lips curve upwards in a smug smile.

“what a coincidence,” you say slowly, “that this seminar i'm attending about the future of carbon dating is also in the bio building.”

“isn't that seminar the same one you're going to, tsukki?” daichi intones pointedly. “why don't you walk our dear friend there? i'm sure kuroo would appreciate that greatly.”

tsukki looks positively ready to explode with irritation at the question that's phrased more like an order, but daichi's no-nonsense demeanor seems to force him right into submission.

“it would be my pleasure,” he says through gritted teeth.

you bid a quick goodbye to them as you walk off towards the bio building, trying and failing to fall into step with tsukishima. he seems to be walking quickly on purpose - or maybe his legs are just that long. but in any case, his dismissive behavior pisses you off. you glare up at him, catching up quickly, and all he offers you is a twitching jaw and narrowed eyes.

“so... tsukki, huh?” you say once you've turned down an empty corridor on the second floor of the bio building, letting the words flow off your tongue languidly. he seems to snap in that moment, pulling you into a deserted nook in the hallway and crowding you up against the wall. you gasp as your back hits the solid surface behind you, immediately lashing out to grab a fistful of his jacket.

“that is enough out of you,” he rasps.

“bit rich coming from someone who was acting like a bratty three-year-old for the whole of lunch,” you hiss in retaliation. his eyes darken dangerously. 

“say that again.”

“you're. a. brat.” 

you enunciate as clearly as you can, venom lacing your voice. each word is punctuated by a sharp tug on the fabric of his jacket, pulling him closer and closer to you until your noses are almost touching. his warm breath fans across your face as his yellow eyes, shadowy with what looks like hatred, bore into you.

“you think you can just belittle me as many times as you want without consequence?” you hiss. “you think i'll let you?”

tsukishima seems to falter at this, stepping backwards and out of your grasp. you don't know what's come over you - what made you snap - but you're sure as hell not going to stop now that you've started. when seconds pass without some sort of apology or even any hint of remorse, you turn on your heel and start to walk away.

“you started this,” you mutter.

just like on friday night, he doesn't say anything as you depart. maybe it's because he knows you're right.

author's notes:

well!

not much to say tbh just have so many ideas i don't want to put out until i make progress on my wips

but my brain is cooking 🍳 trust

don't like where this is going tbh...

likes, comments, follows and reblogs are greatly appreciated :) don't hesitate to correct any factual discrepancies or ask questions about this fic!

taglist: @obamakinnie, @salmonduriancoffee

send an ask to be tagged!

© sirhamburrger 2024

[posttexasstressdisorder]

Thursday, 11-14-24, 7pm Pacific

'Evenin' all, Mr. Baggins back with a set of music to soothe your achin' nerves and help ease us all into a good night. Let's start out with a little Mozart, here is the incomparable soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, singing Susanna's aria from The Marriage of Figaro, "Dove sono", from a live 1959 recording.

For the next 50 minutes or so, let's hear from harpsichordist Sylvia Marlowe, with her reading of Bach's "Goldberg Variations", written to help put Mr. Goldberg to sleep at night! From her classic 1963 recording.

Next we'll revisit the legendary clarinetist Benny Goodman, this time joined by The Budapest Quartet, for their reading of Mozart's divine Clarinet Quintet in A, K581.

The engineers at RCA were the true geniuses of mid 1950s High Fidelity recording. The recordings made on RCA during the mid-late '50s are counted among the most sonically correct, even to this day. One of their superstar ensembles was Condutor Fritz Reiner and The Chicago Symphony. Reiner whipped the CSO into a WORLD-CLASS orchestra that was easily able to hold their own on the world stage. Here is Maestro Reiner and the band, playing some of the waltzes by the Strausses, senior and junior.

Here is one of the later Symphonies by Franz Joseph Haydn, this is Symphony No. 96, nicknamed "The Miracle" because of an incident that occured at its premier. The audience was so enthusiastic after the piece ended that they all rushed to the front of the stage. At that precise moment, a huge chandelier that was hanging over the center of the audience crashed to the ground. Had anyone still been in their seats, they would have been killed. The "Miracle" Symphony is played here for us by Neville Marriner and the ASMF.

I generally subscribe to the idea that a lot of 20th Century classical music is simply unlistenable...I'm not a big fan of "12 tone" or any of the other experimental "modern" strains of music. The main reason being there is no lyricism...no real poetry, no heart. Here is what is essentially the only listenable (to me) piece by Arnold Schoenberg, his "Transfigured Night". I find this as haunting as its disc-mate, the Strauss Metamorphosen. Performed by Neville Marriner and the ASMF.

Next we have Eugene Ormandy conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra, in the lush orchestration of a piano piece by Debussy, his "Reverie", a truly iconic interpretation.

Now let's hear the incredible Theremin virtuoso, Clara Rockmore, with her sister Nadia Reisenberg on the piano, in Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise", absolutely mind boggling performance, especially if you understand what is involved in playing the Theremin!

I will leave you tonight with a special treat: Clara in an actual video performance, one more gem left to us by this amazing woman. In 1976, synthesizer genius Bob Moog filmed this at Clara's apartment in New York City. The clip was digitally restored in 1998. Here is Clara Rockmore with her sister Nadia, to bring us their other-worldly reading of Saint-Saens "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals.

This is Mr. Baggins, signing off for the night. I'll be with you again at 8am Pacific for Morning Coffee Music.

Until then, dream sweet dreams, babies, dream sweet dreams.

Baggins out.

[jarenka]

I love our music school's free concerts so much. Usually they don't have any schedule, just students from one class playing whatever they want to demonstrate their skills. They can choose famous classical piece of music, or modern piece of music, or one written by fellow student. Today I was listening clarinet class, and they ended concert with Gershwin's piece adapted for clarinet quartet. It sounded super cool, I don't think I've ever heard a piece of music played by four clarinetists.

[endcant]

i had a dream that i had made a very large number of acquaintances at music school and many of them went on to have musical careers in various genres and i decided to get back in touch with all of them (via text message of all things), and i sent them a long update telling them what i’m up to, including my art.

none of the people in my dream were real by the way. there was a girl literally named F. there were 3 angelinas, all clarinetists. i dreamed that i had had a music history professor that was also making cool art house films however many years on from me taking his class. i dreamed that a rat-faced white boy named tristan had been in my classes and he had trial ran a tepid rap career in the intervening years and i texted him in case he was less of a shit than i remembered.

the school i dreamed i went to was so much better than the school i went to. though i do believe that it was a sequel to a dream i had where i was in high school trying to prepare to go to my dream school somewhere in “montana” (i don’t know anything about montana except that dream montana was utterly unlike real montana).

after waking, i feel really weird thinking about how bold i was in my dream. saying i was a visual artist now and including my fucking username and attaching a drawing like my art is worth talking to me over. maybe this is a normal thing to do. people BE on facebook like “hi, i barely remember you but your face makes my brain fire a recognition neuron, so i’m messaging to tell you about my fantastic career doing some stupid unwise shit. i’d love to hang out some time, especially if you’re paying, seeing as my career is some stupid unwise shit.” so i can’t say much more to assess my dream self that wouldn’t also apply to a lot of regular ass real people. still, would love to feel like my art is worth showing to everybody i guess. or like i’m worth it.

that said, i’m also just mad that i spent my whole dream sending long, personalized text messages to people who literally don’t even exist. what a waste of all that work.

[jillian-is-worth-it]

Love written with blood.

A/n- I felt like writing a depressing story, so here we are! Enjoy!

Tw- suicide, death, bullying, mute person, sapphic love, and murder..

On with the story...

It was a normal day in the Williams residence. But with the sound of an instrument case clicking open and shut, suddenly the house was filled with song. It was a beautiful piece, and the music was coming from the now only child of the Williams family- Michelle Williams. She used to have an older brother, who was three years older than her, but he had passed away in a school shooting protecting his classmates. Michelle was devastated at the loss of her older brother, as he was the only person she felt she had truly loved. They lived on their own when their parents died in a car accident a few years back, when Michelle was 12 and her brother was 15. They had a tough life, but got by somehow, until the older brother passed. Michelle was taken to an adoption center, in which she was adopted in a few months after arriving. She found herself mute, not ever speaking unless she was sure she was alone. Her form of self expression was through music, and she became a clarinetist.

*time skip to present day*

Michelle writes a note to her adoptive parents reading,"goodbye, I'm off to school. -michelle".

Her handwriting wasn't the best ever, but it wasn't the worst either. Wobbly letters with a mix of cursive and print. She walked to school, and on the way she came across the girls who bullied her.

"Oh my god guys, look at her clothes, are those from the thrift store? Embarrassing!"

The first girl in the trio of the mean girls calls out, snickering at her.

"Look at her nasty shoes, they're so creased!"

The second girl says, sneering out and pointing to her shoes.

"And look at those earrings, are those fake diamond?"

The third girl laughs out, causing Michelle to look down, seemingly sad. The earrings Michelle always wore were a gift from her mother, she got them when she was 11.

Michelle let out an audible sigh before continuing to walk, ignoring the girls.

"aww, cats got your tounge? Thrift feet!"

The first girl makes a remark at Michelle, before the rest of the girls start laughing. They like to insult Michelle when they have nothing better to do.

*time skip to when they make it to school*

Michelle finally arrived at school, going straight to homeroom. She sits down, setting out her things for the day.

Being in 9th grade wasn't easy for Michelle, new people, hard topics, and boatloads of homework.

She looked up, and a few stars flew into her expression. The girl she liked, her name being Camille. She was strong, graceful, and beautiful. She was top of the class, kind to everyone, and she did ballet. She was rumored to be a model a few years back as well. Michelle's day dream was cut off by the sweet and slightly British voice of Camille calling out to Michelle,

saying, "good morning Michelle!" And waving gently to her. Michelle blushed slightly and waved back, smiling slightly.

As the days went on, Michelle occasionally got caught staring at Camille, and Camille would smile back gently.

Michelle and Camille had known each other for 7 years, and around the 5 year mark, Michelle fell for Camille. Little to Michelle's knowledge, Camille had fallen for her just as hard.

Anytime Camille thought of the quiet girl, she would blush a lot, and smile to herself.

At the end of the day, Camille decided to walk Michelle home. She approached and asked her the question.

"Hey Michelle, do you want to walk home with me?" Camille said in a sweet tone.

Michelle nodded her head back, smiling and blushing slightly. Camille took Michelle's hand in hers, gently lacing the pairs fingers together. Camilles hand was warm and soft, gently embracing Michelle's hand. Michelle blushed from the action, the blush reaching her ears as she smiled more. The bashful expression on Michelle's face was enough to make Camille blush too. Camilles blush dusted across her cheeks, and on her nose too.

Camille stood up, gently tugging on Michelles hand, motioning her to come with her.

As they were walking, the bullies walked up to Michelle, ignoring Camille. Camille held onto the other girls hand, seeming worried about what would happen.

"oh wow Michelle, I never knew you had a girlfriend! Are you paying her? Because no one would ever love you for no reason!" The first girl says, laughing, and the other girls laugh as well.

Michelle rolls her eyes, and it angers the other girls.

The first girl decided to punch Michelle in the chest, making her fall back to the ground, landing roughly on the pavement.

"will that teach you to stop being sassy toward us? Or do you need more punishment, you brat?" The second girl says, in a harsh tone. The other girls look down at Michelle, and Michelle rolls her eyes again, before readying herself to get back up.

This time the third girl pulls out something sharp, appearing to be a knife. She chucks the knife at Michelle, stabbing her straight through the gut.

Camilles face instantly darkens as she sees the knife go through her.

"MICHELLE!" she yells, falling to her knees to see if she's ok. Tears well in her eyes as she panics.

The mean girls laugh at the two of them.

"wow, you really are hopeless aren't you. Giving up that easily?" The second girl says, before bursting out laughing.

"w-what is wrong with you?! How could you do this to her?!" Camille yells, pain laced into her voice. Suddenly, a faint voice is heard from Michelle, saying, "c-camille.. I-i love you.. i-im sorry.. I-i hope I can meet you in another life.." she says in a hoarse voice.

"n-no! P-please Michelle! Don't leave me!" Camille yells out, sobbing at this point. She then does something she never thought she'd do, and she hugs Michelle tight, and kissed her gently on the lips.

Michelle feels her head going light, and she feels death approaching rapidly. Suddenly, she feels soft gentle lips on hers, kissing her lovingly. She barely opens her eyes, and sees Camille crying. She thinks to herself, 'dont cry.. a face as beautiful as yours shouldn't be crying..'

The kiss between the two girls is sweet and tender, raw emotion poured into it. As the girls pull away, a gentle smile graces Michelle's lips as scarlet blood seeps into her clothes. She soon takes her last breath, and passes on with a smile on her face.

Camille shakes Michelle, panicking slightly. "M-michelle? Michelle. Wake up, my love.. please.. I need you.. Michelle," Camille bows her head into Michelle's still chest, no life left in her body, "MICHELLE!!" Camille screams, sobbing into the dead girls chest, hugging her tight.

Soon enough, Camille leaves the girls body, walking home solemnly. She enters the house, her parents at work, and sets down her bag. She opens the bathroom door, and finds a bottle of pills. She takes one last glance in the mirror, tears streaming down her face, and she grabs a cup of water, swallowing the whole bottle of pills. Soon enough, Camille lays down, a searing pain in her chest, she closes her eyes as her breathing slows, and the last words she mumbles are, "I'm coming Michelle.."

~~~~~~~~~~

That's it! Thanks for reading! I honestly got carried away writing this, and feel free to let me know your opinion in the comments! Sayonaraaa!

[sheetmusiclibrarypdf]

Remembering Billy Strayhorn, born on this day (1915-1967)

Remembering Billy Strayhorn, born on this day (1915-1967).Best Sheet Music download from our Library.Please, subscribe to our Library.1941 HITS ARCHIVE: Take The “A” Train - Duke Ellington and Billy StrayhornDUKE ELLINGTON "Daydream" BILLY STRAYHORN (1968)Billy Strayhorn: DiscographyBrowse in the Library:

Remembering Billy Strayhorn, born on this day (1915-1967).

William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967), Billy Strayhorn, was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take the 'A' Train", "Chelsea Bridge", "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing", and "Lush Life". On November 29, 1915, a child was born at the Miami Valley Hospital in the city of Dayton (Ohio). The baby had serious problems with rickets and the doctor who delivered the baby told his parents, Lilliam and William Thomas Strayhorn, that he had little chance of survival. They did not even bother to choose a name for him and on the birth certificate they only registered him as “boy” Strayhorn. At five years old, “boy” Strayhorn was very little (he looked two years younger than he was), with a round face and quite cheeky. His parents decided to name him William and regularized the birth certificate. Meanwhile, the Strayhorns had settled in Pittsburg (Pennsylvania). William's first contact with a piano was at his maternal grandmother's house in North Caroline, where he spent long periods of time: “My grandmother played the piano, and she taught me several of the songs she performed in church, such as “When the roll.” is called up yonder I'll be there” which was my mother's favorite. Williams' house in Pittsburg lacked a piano and he could not continue his musical exercises there, so he looked for a job as a delivery boy in a drugstore and with the money he saved he was able to buy his desired instrument. At the age of 12, William enrolled in classes at Westinghouse High School where he studied for five years. During that time he was part of the school's Senior Orchestra as a pianist and began to compose music combining elements of jazz with classical music. In 1935, William – who from now on I will call him Billy – premiered a musical titled “Fantastic Rhythm” at Westinghouse High School, which featured a chorus of dancers and a band led by him. Among the ten songs that made up the work is the one titled “My Little Brown Book,” which Duke Ellington recorded with his orchestra on June 26, 1942. Before meeting Duke Ellington, Billy formed a trio in 1937 with clarinetist Jerry Eisner and drummer Calvin Dort under the name “Mad Hatters.” Their first performance was at Billy's Club. The owner liked what he heard and ended up hiring the group to entertain every weekend for a year. The music they performed were Strayhorn compositions such as “Something to live for”, which we will find again a few lines below. Billy also played regularly at the Rakuen Lake resort on “solo piano.” His reputation grew in Pittsburgh and several bands in this city hired him as an arranger. “Crawford Grill #1” was an institution in Pittsburgh. It opened its doors towards the middle of the first decade of the 20th century at the hands of businessman William “Gus” Greenlee. It was a beautiful three-story place. The boss's office was located on the third floor and only VIP people could enter. The first floor was a jazz club where blacks and whites could dance to good jazz and where there was never any problem in this regard. The second floor was a restaurant called the Rumpus Room of Crawford Grill that offered two offerings. The first one was called “Chill Night” and the protagonist was Greenlee, but in the kitchen. The second was known as “Jewish Night” and the star was Helen – the wife of a businessman – also in charge of the kitchen. This floor was where Duke Ellington and many of his musicians visited when the orchestra was performing in Pittsburgh. David Perelman, a young student at the University of Pittsburgh's College of Pharmacy who loved jazz, had heard Billy Strayhorn play on several occasions. He was amazed by his music and wanted to give him a hand in any way possible to get him out of the anonymity of being known only in Pittsburgh. David's best friend was a pharmacy student like him named George Greenlee and he was Gus Greenlee's nephew. One day he told him: “George, I know a boy who is one of the best musicians I have ever heard in my life and it doesn't seem like he has any chance of making a big leap. Your uncle knows all the great musicians, could he introduce you to any of them? George agreed. After midnight on December 1, 1938, George entered his uncle's club and went up to the second floor since he knew that Duke Ellington was with him. Once Gus introduced him to his nephew, he turned to Duke and said, “ Duke, I have a good friend who has written some songs and I would like you to listen to them.” George knew it was almost impossible for the musician to refuse in front of his uncle, so Duke responded, “Well, why don't we meet at the Stanley Theater tomorrow after my first screening?” And the appointment was closed. The next day George had met Billy in front of the theater at one in the afternoon. They entered it and went to Duke's dressing room, which was very spacious with a table and several chairs and a piano located on one of the walls. They found him reclining in a chair with his eyes closed. Next to him was his valet. George introduced him to Billy and Duke without opening his eyes told him: “Sit down at the piano and let me hear what you've done . ” Before starting to play Billy commented: “Mr. Ellington this is the way you play the song “Sophisticated Lady” . And he performed it exactly the same as Ellington did on stage. When he finished he said: “Now, this is the way I would touch it.” Billy changed key, substituted several chords, and played it at a slightly faster tempo. When Duke finished, he didn't make any comments to Billy, but he said to his valet: “Tell Harry to come” (Harry Carney, baritone sax player in his orchestra). When he arrived, Duke said to Billy, “ Can you play the same thing?” Strayhorn not only played the same thing, but continued with other songs composed by Ellington, such as “Solitude” but interpreting them in his own way. This time it was Carney who left the dressing room and returned with singer Ivie Anderson and saxophone player Johnny Hodges. The whole group surrounded Billy and he dared to play his songs like “Something to live for” which he also sang. During the entire time that Strayhorn was playing, Ellington remained behind him and at one point placed his hands on the shoulders of the now pianist, as if to show him what he was feeling.

This session ended with these words from Duke to Billy: “Well, I want you in my organization. I have to find a way to integrate you into it. I have to figure out how to do it once I get back to New York.” In 1939, Billy Strayhorn accepted the conditions, whatever they were, to collaborate with Duke Ellington. He told him that he should go to New York and the Harlem neighborhood. He even told her that the easiest way to get home was to take the “A” train and get off at the Sugar Hill station. In the first meeting between Strayhorn and Ellington at the latter's home, the conductor asked his new collaborator if he remembered a song of his that he had played when he met him at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. Billy knew that he was referring to the song titled “Something to live for,” which became the first song that the orchestra recorded composed by him. The date was March 21, 1939 in New York. The vocalist was Jean Eldridge. If we take a look at the credits of the album we will see that Duke Ellington appears as a co-composer. Those were the “tithes and first fruits” that Billy had to pay to the Duke. Something that was quite common. During 1939, Billy Strayhorn composed a song based on the instructions that Duke gave him so that he could find his house in Harlem. He also wrote him a letter that says: You have to take the A train / to get to Sugar Hill and get to Harlem / If you miss the A train / you'll realize you've missed the quickest way to get to Harlem / Hurry, get on the train, it's coming / listen to how The rails vibrate / All aboard, let's get on the A train / We'll soon arrive at Sugar Hill in Harlem. Strayhorn wrote “Take the 'A' Train” for Ellington, but from the outset he had serious doubts about whether the song was really appropriate for his orchestra to perform. I was not at all sure that in “Take the 'A' train” those hallmarks so present in Ellington's works were perceived. It seemed like a song more appropriate for Fletcher Henderson's orchestra. For all this he decided to keep the score in a drawer, but at that time a decision was going to modify the rules that until now governed between composers and North American radio stations. ASCAP – The North American Society of Authors and Publishers, similar to our SGAE – made the decision to increase the royalties that radio stations had to pay by almost 400% if they wanted to broadcast music composed by any of their members. This fact sparked a dispute between ASCAP and the radio stations. The first measure that the authors' society took was to prohibit songs by its members from being broadcast on the radio, which was a hard blow for Ellington, since all of his work was registered with ASCAP. Duke met with his son Mercer and Strayhorn (who were not members of ASCAP) and asked them to show him all the music they had written. As the two were preparing to deliver their works to Ellington, Mercer watched as Strayhorn stood up, read a sheet of music, crumpled it up, and threw it into the trash can. Mercer picked up the sheet music, read it, and told Strayhorn, “Don't throw this away. "It's very good." And this is how “Take the 'A' Train” found its way into Duke's hands. The song had an excellent reception from the listeners of the different radio stations in which the Duke's orchestra performed it. On February 5, Ellington's band recorded it in Hollywood. These were the musicians: Rex Stewart (c); Wallace Jones (t); Ray Nance (t); Lawrence Brown (tb); Tricky Sam Nanton (tb); Juan Tizol (vtb); Barney Bigard (cl); Johnny Hodges (ace); Otto Hardwick (ace); Ben Webster (ts); Harry Carney (b.s.); Duke Ellington (p); Fred Guy (g); Jimmie Blanton (b); Sonny Greer (R).

“Take the 'A' Train” became the orchestra's “signature theme” for more than fifteen years, replacing “Sepia Panorama.”

1941 HITS ARCHIVE: Take The “A” Train - Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn

Original recording of the famed Ellington theme. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG4Tte6XGkA Quincy Jones said these words about Strayhorn's song : “Take the 'A' Train” was the Holy Grail. It identifies a population, it identifies a lifestyle: that of the “Harlem Renaissance”. It's incredible. It covers everything and says it all in 32 bars.” In this article I have only talked about a couple of songs composed by Billy Strayhorn. I will remedy this in another article in which I will write exclusively about the songs, which in my opinion and with due prudence, I consider the most emblematic of his extensive and brilliant discography. Here and now I want to record that Billy Strayhorn was one of the best American composers of all times, but he has passed through the history of music like a ghost in the shadow of Duke Ellington, but not through his fault: “Every time who had a harmonic or melodic problem my eyes were drawn to Billy Strayhorn. We talked to each other and everything was focused. He was not, as has often been commented, my alter ego. “Billy Strayhorn was my right hand, my left hand, my brain waves in his head and his in mine.” Billy Strayhorn died in May 1967 and for thirty years he remained practically invisible to historians, musicologists, the specialized press, disk jockeys... In 1996, the professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism wrote a biography dedicated to Billy Strayhorn entitled "Lush Life" and it seems that perhaps this work (which has been one of my sources for writing this article) will encourage the world of jazz to take serious care of one of its most creative and daring musicians. On August 28 and November 15, 1967, Duke Ellington and his orchestra paid a heartfelt tribute to the memory of Billy Strayhorn. They titled it “…And His Mother Called Him Bill.” All of the songs on the album were Strayhorn compositions, including some that had not been recorded until then. The musicians were: Duke Ellington (p); Mercer Ellington (t); Cat Anderson (t); Herbie Jones (t); Cootie Williams (t); Clark Terry (flug); Lawrence Brown (tb); Buster Cooper (tb); Chuck Connors (btb); John Sanders (vtb); Johnny Hodges (as); Russell Procope (as); Jimmy Hamilton (ts); Paul Gonsalves (ts); Harry Carney (bs); Aaron Bell (b); Jeff Castleman (b); Steve Little (d).

DUKE ELLINGTON "Daydream" BILLY STRAYHORN (1968)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJyDQajAoxk Duke Ellington (1968) Daydream (Billy Strayhorn) Johnny Hodges (alto sax).

Billy Strayhorn: Discography

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"Acker" Bilk was an English clarinetist. His instrumental tune "Stranger on the Shore" became the UK's biggest selling single of 1962. He was born in Pensford Somerset. In 1954 Bilk married his childhood sweetheart, Jean Hawkins, whom he met in the same class at school. He earned the nickname "Acker" from the Somerset slang for "friend" or "mate". After living near London for many years, the couple retired back to Pensford. And he loved cider. #cider #AckerBilk #books

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Composers - G

Goodman Benny Goodman was essentially the pioneer of swing. The jazz clarinetist and bandleader re-wrote the book on jazz music by speeding up the tempo and placing accents and emphasis on notes between the beats, earning him the nickname “the King of Swing”. Not only was he a world-class clarinetist, responsible for reviving the popularity of the instrument, but also an excellent arranger and…

[a-hell-of-a-lot-of-muses]

"RinRin~!"

“I hear I’ve been summoned?~ Is someone lonely and in need of Ringo-chan?~”