This is a short eBook highlighting the life and music of Billy Strayhorn. These are the thoughts of Richie Beirach as someone admittedly influenced by Billy and considers him to be one of the iconic composers in jazz.
This piece came about because of the composition competition during the Summer 2020 Jazz Master Summit. Our sponsor Jamey Aebersold connected Richie with the Billy Strayhorn foundation:
The foundation does beautiful work providing scholarships to students in middle schools, high schools, and colleges. Through a host of activities, they keep Billy’s music alive and played throughout the world.
Shortly after the Summit ended, Galen Demus – Billy’s nephew – reached out to Richie and me thanking us for honoring his uncle’s name in our competition.
Galen later sent me a stunning thick coffee table book compiled on his uncle. Check it out here.
Not enough people know Billy Strayhorn so Richie and I were happy to create this informative piece free for downloading.
To download this free ebook, click the link above.
