LUSH LIFE- A BILLY STRAYHORN MASTERPIECE: Billy Strayhorn was a gifted arranger and composer whose musical life was largely spent in the shadow cast by the giant who was Duke Ellington. He did much of the arranging for Ellington and would fill in as conductor and pianist and generally support much of Ellington's musical undertakings. He also wrote " Take the A Train" which is often mistakenly attributed to the Duke.
In 1949, at the tender age of 21, Strayhorn ( nickname " Sweet Pea) wrote the words and music for " Lush Life". It tells a sad , late night " in your cups" tale of alcoholic despair. In a way it is similar in tone to " One For My Baby" , the classic Arlen Mercer song immortalized by Frank Sinatra ( and the subject of an earlier post on my blog.)
The lengthy verse introduces the main chorus that begins with " Life is Lonely " and then carries on with lyrics that strive for intellectual effect but are somewhat stilted as in the phrase " Life is awful again/a troughful of hearts could only be a bore." However, the melody is fascinating and effective even as an instrumental piece.
Frank Sinatra confessed that he could not record the song because he could not figure out a way to perform it to his satisfaction.
The version you will hear is by Queen Latifah done with a full studio orchestra. To some she may be a surprise presence in a blog devoted to classic American popular song given her pop sensibilities. She does help prove a point that if musical material is strong and of high quality, a wide array of artists can find their own way through the music just as Queen Latifah has done. Her diction and phrasing capture the right mood of the song . Her performance meets the high performance standards set earlier by Fitzgerald, Garland,Sinatra, Bennett and Torme as heretical as these comments might be for those wishing to see no advancement in performances of the " standards."
Given the growing recording of Great American Songbook material by younger artists, the Songbook legacy is now being both preserved and broadened at the same time. Reminds me of the expression " "Everything Old is New Again" and that is as it should be!
LINK: http://youtu.be/mub-gyuPFlw
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