"Take the A Train"? Duke Ellington's theme song, of course. Composed by Duke Ellington, right? Actually, it was written by his composing-arranging partner Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967). Even before he joined the Ellington organization, Strayhorn had written the music and lyric for "Lush Life", a romantic ballad of lost love and the late-night places "where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life/to get the feel of life/from jazz and cocktails." In 1949, singer Nat Cole recorded the song and permanently put it on the map of American popular song. Throughout his career, Strayhorn continued to write all kinds of music, from popular songs to jazz instrumentals to classical music. His output was so prolific that some excellent pieces went unrecorded and were not heard until after his death. Carl Woideck and friends will be performing many facets of Strayhorn, including a unique arrangement of "Lush Life", "Chelsea Bridge" (in an Ella Fitzgerald style), and several of his songs whose lyrics celebrate flowers: "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and "Multi-Colored Blue". Oh, and of course "Take the 'A' Train".