Pittsburgh has been home to some of the most important jazz musicians in American history. One of the most influential Pittsburgh-based musicians was pianist and composer Billy Strayhorn.
The Ohio-born Strayhorn moved to Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood as a teenager and attended Westinghouse High School, which also produced award-winning musicians Erroll Garner and Ahmad Jamal.
After studying classical music at the Pittsburgh Musical Institute, Strayhorn wrote his first professional musical at age 19. “Fantastic Rhythm” was eventually featured at African-American performance venues throughout Western Pennsylvania for several years.
Strayhorn was a frequent performer at the Crawford Grill, which was Pittsburgh’s premier jazz club, located on the corner of Wylie Avenue and Crawford Street in the Hill District. On a fateful 1938 evening, he met legendary musician Duke Ellington at the Crawford Grill and auditioned backstage on his piano for Ellington, who was already a star on the national jazz circuit.
The two developed a distinct musical chemistry and three months after the meeting, Ellington commissioned Strayhorn to write orchestral music for his band, a partnership that would last nearly three decades.
Strayhorn was the primary composer behind Ellington’s biggest hit, “Take the ‘A’ Train” and other famous works including “Passion Flower,” “Lush Life” and “Chelsea Bridge.” The duo continued to make music until Strayhorn died of cancer in 1967.
The following year, the Recording Academy honored Ellington and the late Strayhorn with its National Trustee Award Grammy for their significant contributions to the field of recording. Ellington released a tribute album that same year titled “... And His Mother Called Him Bill” to honor his friend and long-time music partner.
More recently, the Regent Theater in East Liberty was renamed the Kelly Strayhorn Theater in honor of Pittsburgh greats Gene Kelly and Billy Strayhorn.
Visitors can also learn more about Pittsburgh’s rich jazz history as part of the museum’s long-term exhibition “Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation.” For more information, visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org.
First Published: February 16, 2017, 5:00 a.m.
