For a long time, Billy Strayhorn has been one of my favorite composers! After a couple of bars, you can hear one of those characteristic melodic motives, or a typical harmonic progression, and you know you are listening to music of Billy Strayhorn. When I recorded my album, I wanted to add a standard tune to the list of my own compositions, and I chose Billy’s and Duke Ellington’s Isfahan.
In 2015, we wanted to celebrate the centennial of Strayhorn with a couple of concerts. Here’s two clips from Glenn Miller Café in Stockholm when we invited Hans Backenroth and legendary Swedish trumpet player Jan Allan!
