Reservoir Acquires Publishing Catalog of Jazz Composer Billy Strayhorn

Reservoir Media has acquired the publishing catalog of late jazz composer Billy Strayhorn. The company will also participate in Strayhorn’s name, image, and likeness rights, in partnership with the musician’s estate. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Why it matters:

• Prior to his passing in 1967, Strayhorn composed myriad jazz standards, and was best known for his three-decade collaboration with Duke Ellington.

• His body of work includes songs such as “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Lush Life,” “Chelsea Bridge,” and “Satin Doll.”

• His catalog continues to resonate, with Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett’s GRAMMY-winning 2014 album Cheek to Cheek featuring a rendition of “Lush Life.”

• Strayhorn was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and in 1992 was awarded a posthumous GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.

Longstanding partnership:

• The deal expands upon a relationship Reservoir has cultivated with the Strayhorn estate since 2014, including supporting the Strayhorn Centennial celebration in 2015.

What they said:

• The Strayhorn estate: “The responsibility for managing a legacy is a serious and daunting undertaking. We are so pleased to have partnered with the Reservoir team for the past 12 years. Our collaboration has allowed us to expand Strayhorn’s legacy with the help of sensitive partners who valued our opinions, our ideas and our feelings.”