5 FAMOUS DEATHS ON THE ROAD TO "STRANGE DAYS" (PART 2)

 

After the recording sessions for the Doors' second LP, “Strange Days”, began on 25 September 1967, a series of illustrious deaths marked the progress of the studio work.

The first article in this series (link here) discussed the death of bluesman J. B. Lenoir on 29 April 1967, shortly after the Californian group began recording "Strange Days".

The second death to occur during the recordings was that of jazz composer, arranger and pianist Billy Strayhorn, who died on 31 May 1967 at the age of 51. He was best known as the longtime artistic partner of the famous jazz pianist Duke Ellington.

The Doors were admirers of jazz music, and Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore were particularly fond of this wonderful form of expression. Thus, they probably acknowledged the departure of a key figure in the world of jazz.

Strayhorn and Ellington are considered to be one of the cornerstones of the swing genre. Together, they wrote and produced themes that remain famous to this day and have been covered by countless jazz musicians.

Although Strayhorn did not perform with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, he worked on writing and developing songs and arrangements for the orchestra itself. He is, for example, credited with "Take the A Train" (1939, link here), one of the most famous pieces recorded by Ellington.

Strayhorn's most successful period coincided with the progression of Duke Ellington's career, spanning from the late 1930s to the late 1950s. Despite his worries and resentments about his lack of public recognition compared to Ellington, the two continued to make history in the world of swing for about 25 years.

Several recordings made under Strayhorn's name are well worth listening to, although they were not particularly commercially successful. The best of these is undoubtedly the LP "Cue for Saxophone" (link here), recorded in April 1959.

Here, swing is reinterpreted in light of jazz's evolution in the 1940s and 1950s. Seven fine musicians, including Strayhorn himself on piano and Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone, perform relaxed and sometimes humorous tunes that are always of a high standard.

P.S.: My book "The Doors Through Strange Days"- The most comprehensive journey ever made through The Doors' second LP, is available on Amazon.com, .uk, .mx, .it, etc.

Here’s a link:

Amazon – “The Doors Through Strange Days”