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In many ways, Billy Strayhorn was the man behind the man.

Jazz great Duke Ellington called the composer-lyricist-arranger "my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brain waves in his head, and his in mine."

And over nearly three decades of working together, Strayhorn and Ellington collaborated on some of the Duke Ellington Orchestra's most popular hits, including "Take the 'A' Train," "Chelsea Bridge" and hundreds of arrangements of others.

But many casual jazz lovers wouldn't know it — unless you've read Ellington's liner notes or follow The Strayhorn Project, a collective of jazz musicians who traverse the country playing and recording Strayhorn's not-unsizable songbook.

Long studied and beloved by jazz aficionados, Strayhorn is now getting heightened attention in a series of Strayhorn Project shows commemorating his birth 100 years ago. This week, the Juilliard Jazz Players — Donald Harrison on saxophone, Brian Lynch on trumpet, Larry Willis on piano, Carl Allen on drums and Max Moran on bass — will be at Salt Lake City's Capitol Theatre on Monday at 7:30 p.m. for the latest JazzSLC concert.

Kris Johnson, director of jazz studies at the University of Utah, says Strayhorn deserves much more credit for his work.

"Billy Strayhorn was such an introverted personality compared to Duke Ellington and wasn't really in the limelight as much — probably purposely so," Johnson says. "But he was responsible for so much of the great music that came out of the Duke Ellington Orchestra."

Strayhorn was born in Ohio in 1915. He reportedly played his grandmother's piano from the time he could reach the keys. The family eventually settled in Pittsburgh, where Strayhorn's father enrolled him in the Pittsburgh Musical Institute, giving him more classical training than many jazz musicians of the era, according to the Billy Strayhorn Foundation.

In 1937, Strayhorn formed his first jazz group, The Mad Hatters. The next year, he met Ellington.

His most celebrated work includes more than 600 arrangements and original compositions performed by Ellington's orchestra. Strayhorn toured the world with Ellington and lived for a time in Paris. He was one of few openly gay American jazz musicians and composers working at the time. Close friend Lena Horne, whom he coached in classical music, reportedly said she would have married him, but for that.

Through the years, he amassed a staggering songbook. The Billy Strayhorn Foundation keeps an archive of more than 8,000 handwritten manuscripts. They include jazz interpretations of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" Suite and Grieg's "Peer Gynt" Suite.

Johnson says " 'A' Train" actually incorporates Ellington's directions to Strayhorn for a meeting in Manhattan as its lyrics.

"He was a prolific writer in his own right," Johnson says.

The current Strayhorn Project players are expected to dig deep into that archive, including "Lush Life" and "Lotus Blossom."

Johnson says it's about time Strayhorn got his due. Just one solo album was released in his lifetime. No biographies were written until the 1990s.

"We're talking about one of the biggest names in jazz, what some people would consider Duke Ellington's secret weapon," he says.

Strayhorn died in 1967 of cancer. Ellington and the Juilliard School of Music established a scholarship fund in his name. —

The Strayhorn Project with the Juilliard Jazz Players

The quintet will perform the music of Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington.

When • Monday, March 21, 7:30 p.m.

Where • Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $29.50, $10 student tickets available by phone or in person; artsaltlake.org or 801-355-ARTS