The poser was remarkable not only for his harmonilly rich llaboratns wh De Ellgton, but for livg as an openly gay black man the 1940s.
Contents:
- FRANK SATRA: I ED TO VIS ALL THE GAY PLAC…
- ‘HALFWAY TO DAWN’ SPOTLIGHTS BILLY STRAYHORN, GAY-BLACK POSER WHO REVOLUTNIZED AMERIN JAZZ
FRANK SATRA: I ED TO VIS ALL THE GAY PLAC…
As the world celebrat Ellgton's birthday, we look back on his openly gay pianist, poser, and iend Billy Strayhorn. * was duke ellington gay *
One of the very few openly gay jazzmen of his (or any) time, he studied at the Ptsburgh Mic Instute, and, while still his teens, began posg the songs "Somethg to Live For" and "Life Is Lonely", later renamed "Lh Life", which opens wh the le "I ed to vis all the very gay plac. "Though the word "gay" had a different meang at the time, sexual eedom and personal dividualy were a big part of jazz mic. Some blu women already allud to homosexual love their songs, and Strayhorn's own lyrics reflected his passns, always a nuanced and poetic way.
"It's major to know that Strayhorn wrote 'Lh Life' as a prolifilly gifted, gay black male teenager livg Jim Crow Ameri, " says Candice Hoy, a soprano jazz sger who recently released her but album, On a Turquoise Cloud, a pilatn of rare De Ellgton songs that clus two Strayhorn posns. Maybe was a sire to still keep his open homosexualy close to his cht; maybe he was jt a b shier than most.
Billy Strayhorn, a gay poser-arranger and protégé of De Ellgton, revolutnized the Amerin jazz movement wh his pneerg mic skills. Strayhorn also lived his life as an openly gay man durg the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, an opprsive and homophobic era. Billy Strayhorn, a black gay poser-arranger and protégé of De Ellgton, revolutnized the Amerin jazz movement the mid 20th century wh his pneerg skills.
‘HALFWAY TO DAWN’ SPOTLIGHTS BILLY STRAYHORN, GAY-BLACK POSER WHO REVOLUTNIZED AMERIN JAZZ
Billy Strayhorn, a black gay poser-arranger and protégé of De Ellgton, is spotlighted "Halfway to Dawn." * was duke ellington gay *
Strayhorn also lived his life as an openly gay man durg an opprsive and homophobic era.
As the rerr ran, my host—known for his fierce telligence and for the refement of his playg—kept referrg to “that faggot” who had produced a somewhat homoerotic documentary of the once-betiful tmpeter and sger. The jazz world is one of the last cultural ontiers of old-fashned macho, and , homophobia ns rampant. Sce terviewg that pianist, I’ve met a multu of jazz figur who pri themselv on soulfulns and sensivy, yet are as sensive as rednecks on the subject of homosexualy—pecially s prence jazz, which is not nsirable.