For thirty years, until he died in 1967, Billy Strayhorn has been Duke Ellington’s right arm. As the Duke used to say, “My right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine”. Strayhorn collaborated on many arrangements for orchestra and wrote masterpieces such as “Take the A Train”, “Rain Check”, “Lotus Blossom”, “Chelsea Bridge”, and “Day Dream”. This profound character is now celebrated with a tribute made by two of the most important Italian musicians, Francesco Bearzatti and Paolo Birro (he had already dedicated an album to him with Lee Konitz for Philology Records). Bearzatti and Birro have often played together. The pianist was in the lineup of Bearzatti’s debut album, “Suspended Steps”. Both have recently participated in the projects of Mauro Ottolini and Vanessa Tagliabue Yorke.
They have such great chemistry with a repertoire of some of the most beautiful themes of jazz history.
