Duke Ellington was one of jazz's greatest figures, a composer and bandleader of unparalleled importance and influence. But little attention has been given to his chief musical collaborator, Billy Strayhorn, who created hundreds of compositions and arrangements for his musical partner, and without whom the sound of Ellington's orchestra would be very different.

Now, in Walter van de Leur's provocative new book, Something to Live For, Billy Strayhorn steps out from Ellington's shadow and into the spotlight. Van de Leur argues that far from being merely a follower of Ellington or his alter ego, Strayhorn brought a radically new and visionary way of writing to the Ellington orchestra. Making extensive use, for the first time, of over 3,000 autograph scores, Van de Leur separates Strayhorn from Ellington, establishes who wrote what, and clearly distinguishes between their distinctive musical styles. "Both Strayhorn's and Ellington's œvres," writes Van de Leur, "through historically intertwined, nevertheless form coherent, separate musical entities, especially in terms of harmonic, melodic and structural design." Indeed, Something to Live For allows us to see the characteristic features of Strayhorn's compositions and arrangements, his "musical fingerprints," and to analyse and evaluate his music on its own terms. The book also makes clear that Strayhorn's contribution to the band was much larger, and more original, than has been previously acknowledged.

Based on a decade of research and offering detailed analysis of over 70 musical examples, Something to Live For casts new light - and will surely arouse intense debate - on two of the most important composers in the history of jazz.

WALTER VAN DE LEUR was the founder and editor of Billy Strayhorn Manuscript Editions. An independent jazz researcher, he currently works for the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Dutch Jazz Archives, and is the artistic co-leader of the Dutch Jazz Orchestera.

CONTENTS:
Introduction
Fantastic Rhythm: The Pittsburgh Years
The Renaissance of Arranging: First Works for and with Duke Ellington
The Strayhorn Effect: A New Way of Writing for Jazz Orchestra
Thinking with the Ear: Strayhorn's Musical Fingerprints
Writing and Arranging Companion: Credited and Uncredited Collaboration
"He Is He and I Am Me": The Ellington Strayhorn Collaboration
Wounded Love: Away from the Ellington Organization
Masterpieces by Strayhorn: Writing for Albums
The Whodunit Game: The Mature Style of Billy Strayhorn
North by Southwest: The Final Years
Conclusion
Appendices:
A. Scores of Scores: Manuscripts at the Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington Collections
B. Billy Strayhorn's Works on Record
C. Billy Strayhorn's Works on Record (Posthumously Premiered)
D. Billy Strayhorn's Compositions
Notes; References; Credits; Index

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