Lush Life

Um, I literally had to be told, "Sasha, you're too young to sing that song." You know.

"Lush Life" for me.

Re- "Lush Life" and-

Yeah.

[laughs]

I mean, words are just notes, and it's how you use them and, you know, talking about the difference between a dotted quarter and a half, you know, that could be transferred to something about writing as well.

But, but some of these songs, like "You Are Too Beautiful," obviously "Lush Life" has been done by everybody, but the one that got me was "My One and Only Love."

Right.

For some reason, it's been done by so many people.

It's not like he's the first person in history to write a massively successful piece of music at a young age, but I think it's special when it does happen.

And it reminded me of the jazz maestro, legendary piano player, composer, creative partner to Duke Ellington, and that is Billy Strayhorn, who wrote one of his most famous and most beautiful pieces, the legendary Lush Life, at only 16 years old.

I used to visit all the very gay places Those come-what-may places Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life To get the feel of life From jazz and cocktails The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces With distant cave traces

"Lush Life" by John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, written by the young American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger Billy Strayhorn in the 1930s.

Emma, we're gonna come to you about the lyrics for this 'cause they do not sound like someone written in their teens.

[laughs]

He was writing music very early on, obviously, but he kind of didn't get into the jazz world until he was maybe 17, 18.

And the thing that kept him from his dream was racism in the predominantly white classical music industry in the States at that time.

Coleman Hawkins, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, from his album On Broadway, 1962.

And then John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Lush Life, from their duet album from 1963.

¶¶ ¦ ¦

so so ¶¶ ¶¶ Thank you.

Stifling

those

who strive I'll live a lush life In some small dive And there I'll be While I

rot with the rest

Cecile's spirit of inquiry and formidable technique make her music contemporary, and her talent as a storyteller makes it affecting.

Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life has been in the canon of American songs for many decades, yet McLaurin Salvant's take feels new and fresh and makes the wistful reflections of the song much more potent.

It's music with an extraordinary past and an amazing present.

Life is lonely again.