Among the many musical gifts of Billy Strayhorn was his ability to use transitional devices in arrangements.

He treated each one thematically, sometimes infusing them with classical counterpoint and harmony.

	Burt Goldblatt/ITVS Billy Strayhorn is the inspiration for Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble's performance this weekend. Click photo for larger image. Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble: 'Billy Strayhorn a/k/a' Where: City Theatre, South Side. When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets: $17-$25; 412-431-2489. Related coverage CD Review: Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble

"His tunes were very sophisticated and had a floating tonality with their use of whole tones and chordal harmonies," said David Passmore, from his home in Toronto. "I'm trying to carry on that impetus."

Passmore is referring to a new work he was commissioned to compose for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble that examines the music of Strayhorn, the late Homewood pianist/composer who graduated from Westinghouse High School in 1935.

The work, "Billy Strayhorn a/k/a," is approximately 43 minutes long and has six movements.

Joining PNME will be a local jazz quartet, which will take a more traditional approach in its performance of Strayhorn's music.

Passmore said his intention was not to copy Strayhorn, but instead use the music as a launching pad for classical and thematic interpretations.

As an example, Strayhorn's composition of "Take the 'A' Train" is used as a fugue subject, with "Rain Check" as a counter subject.

"I tried to figure what I could do that would both honor Strayhorn and provide a fresh work for the ensemble," said Passmore.

He found his inspiration searching through old biographies of and music by Strayhorn.

"I read through those trying to figure out what to do, and I noticed that Strayhorn had a lot of nicknames," he said. "Usually they were affectionate nicknames. I decided I could build movements around these various nicknames."

Passmore developed each movement around one of the various nicknames associated with Strayhorn: "Baby Boy," "Strays," "Shakespeare," "Swee-Pee," "William Thomas" and "Buddha."

Strayhorn was born in Dayton, Ohio, but grew up in Homewood. While "Lush Life" (composed while a student at Westinghouse), "Chelsea Bridge" and "Take the 'A' Train" are some of his more familiar songs, he wrote scores of others.

Before his death from cancer at 51 in 1967, Strayhorn shared a musical relationship with Ellington that spanned nearly 30 years. His sound and originality contributed heavily to the Ellington oeuvre, even though he rarely received recognition for it.

Kevin Noe, PNME's artistic director, said the group has wanted to commission a new work about Strayhorn for a long time.

"A lot of people forget that Strayhorn is from Pittsburgh and that he led such a fascinating life," said Noe. "He was such an interesting guy and I thought maybe we could come up with a composer that could write a new classical work about Strayhorn's life."

After some search, Noe was able to find Passmore, who not only was interested, but whose style has some jazz influence. "He was very interested," said Noe. "Eventually we centered on the idea of doing a piece that was based on all of the different nicknames of Strayhorn.

"The material 'strays' off what you think it would normally because it isn't supposed to sound like Strayhorn."

Noe said another movement is "Shakespeare," which finds Passmore taking one of Strayhorn's favorite sonnets from the Bard and sing it as the text for this particular movement.

"There's a continuity to the piece," he said. "Each one of the movements gets its inspiration from Strayhorn's music but it's Passmore's language."