Beyond Category: The Ellington/Strayhorn Songbook with Maud Hixson

A celebration of the music and lives of two giants in 20th century jazz. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, and Billy “Swee’Pea” Strayhorn collaborated as composers, arrangers, pianists and bandleaders. Together and separately, they produced such classics as “Take The A Train”, “Sophisticated Lady” and “Lush Life”.

Maud Hixson: Vocals
Rick Carlson: Piano

Hailed as “gently virtuosic” (All About Jazz), Maud Hixson is a devoted exponent of great songs, ranging from the classic Great American Songbook to the often unsung or forgotten compositions awaiting rediscovery. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Maud made her Guthrie Theater debut in the Noel Coward revue Coward’s Women, also appearing in Park Square Theater’s The Soul of Gershwin. Permanent Moonlight: Songs of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, earned a 2024 Bistro Award. Her newest recording, When Winter Comes, was released in 2025. Rick Carlson taught himself to play the piano by studying the vast works of Count Basie and Duke Ellington and capitalizing on a long string of happy accidents.

“Maud Hixson’s anticipated and thoroughly polished performances are just what we all need to hear. She really is in a class by herself.” –Rex Reed