*** Ron Gill

THE SONGS OF BILLY STRAYHORN

(WGBH)

It's hard to believe, but this is the first album by a singer devoted exclusively to Billy Strayhorn's songs. Long in the shadow of his employer Duke Ellington, Strayhorn was a brilliant composer; his "Lush Life" and "Something To Live For" are as sophisticated as pop songwriting gets. Yet these are not songs for the callow or the technically facile -- they call for maturity and finesse, and Gill is the singer for the job. His warm, congenial tenor gives intimacy to "Day Dream" and "My Little Brown Book." His unquenchable zest for life that romantic pain can't extinguish, his in-spite-of-it-all optimism -- these imbue Strayhorn's exquisitely sad-yet-funny songs with a rueful irony.

The back-up of pianist Manny Williams, guitarist John Stein, bassist Ron Mahdi, drummer Reid Jorgensen, and saxophonist Bill Thompson works selflessly to make each song beautiful. Gill has spent more than 20 years to learning the ins and outs of Strayhorn's music, and the fruits of his devotion show on every track -- Strayhorn has rarely been in such sympathetic and understanding hands.

-- Ed Hazell