Died On This Date (May 31, 1967) Billy Strayhorn / Jazz Great
themusicsover Billy Strayhorn
November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967
Billy Strayhorn was a jazz composer and musician who is most famous for his work alongside Duke Ellington. Strayhorn first became interested in music as a child while living with his grandmother. By the time he was high school, Strayhorn had formed a combo and was writing his first songs. One of which would eventually become one of his signature songs, “Lush Life.” Although more interested in classical music, Strayhorn set his sites on jazz, since it was next to impossible for a Black man to have a career playing classical music in those days. Strayhorn met Ellington after a show in 1938, impressing the man enough to hire him on as arranger and composer. They collaborated with each other for the next 25 years. Besides “Lush Life,” Strayhorn penned such classics as “Chelsea Bridge,” and “Take The A Train.” Billy Strayhorn died of esophageal cancer at the age of 51.
Marl Young was a pianist and arranger who moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1947 and became instrumental in bringing the white and black music unions together in the early ’50s. In 1957, Young became the first African-American selected to the board of directors of Local 47. He stayed active on the board until 2008. In 1962, 
Jimmy Giuffre was a respected jazz composer and arranger and also was also known for his stylish saxophone and clarinet skills. Getting his start as Woody Herman’s arranger in 1947, he went on to become of the main forces of West coast jazz. In 1961, Giuffre formed a trio with Paul Bley and Steve Swallow who, though not very successful at the time, went down in history as one of the most important groups in jazz history. Giuffre went on to teach at NYU and later the New England Conservatory of Music through the ’90s. He suffered from Parkinson’s Disease throughout his later life and passed away on April 24, 2008 at the age of 86.
