Such Sweet Thunder  Not many people know, but Billy Strayhorn was, in addition to all his musical genius, a Shakespeare scholar.  Each movement of this suite represents a famous character of the Bard, and taken as a whole, Such Sweet Thunder is a clear example of Duke and Billy’s desire to write beyond the category of Jazz or Popular music.

   In May of 2007 there was a performance of Such Sweet Thunder at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.  It was the first time that the piece was treated not as a concert piece, but rather as a vehicle for Dance, Theater, and Song. more info

New Orleans Suite

The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse

Such Sweet Thunder

The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse

The Queen’s Suite

New Orleans Suite

The Queen’s Suite

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A Drum is a Woman is a little known masterpiece. It is an hour long allegorical history of jazz. In "Music is my Mistress" Duke traces the earliest idea of the piece to his stay in Los Angeles doing "Jump For Joy" in 1941. Orson Wells saw a performance, approached Duke, and asked him if he would be interested in working on a musical that would tell the history of Jazz. They named the piece "It's All True", reached an agreement with Paramount, got an advance and had a fabulous party that apparently went on for several days.  more info

A Drum is a Woman

The Latin American Suite

Anatomy of a Murder

The Nutcracker Suite

Latin-American Suite

The Nutcracker Suite

Suite Thursday

Anatomy of a Murder

Suite Thursday

Far East Suite

Far East Suite