musical thoughts

I just recently learned that Strayhorn wrote this while he was incredibly young. That’s very compelling to me, because I’ve thought a lot about how music gets inside someone and comes out again. Anyhow, this is a masterpiece, in the original (archaic) sense of the word indicating a work submitted by an apprentice to attain the rank of master within his guild.

My notes: I worked with the Real Book chart, but had some real issues with a few of the changes. The last phrase of the verse is a reharmonization I came up with on one run through, with the root walking down chromatically all the way to the first chord of the refrain. I made some corrections to a couple spots in the refrain based on listing to various recordings, notably Ella’s version which is with piano accompiniment by Paul Smith and is outstanding. I may post a corrected lead sheet if I get enough requests. I don’t play the bass note under the first part of the verse, just because I like the effect of the bass entering later, adding to the texture that’s established.

YouTube link: Lush Life