Following previous concertos for his star soloists, Ellington created this masterpiece with and for Rex Stewart. As Ellington explained, he thrived on limitations. In this case, Rex had six effective notes where he could employ his half valve technique. Although Ellington gets full credit for this piece, according to Rex, the two of them worked out his cornet part together, and then Duke scored it for the band.

This was not the first concerto Ellington wrote for Rex. Trumpet In Spades was written in 1943. It featured Rex’s technique at a very fast tempo. Successive concertos for Barney Bigard (Clarinet Lament), Johnny Hodges (unrecorded Concerto For Johnny), Lawrence Brown (Yearning For Love), and Cootie Williams (Echoes Of Harlem) preceded Boy Meets Horn. Later concertos include Concerto For Cootie (Williams), Golden Cress and Blue Cellophane) , Air Conditioned Jungle and Silk Lace (Jimmy Hamilton).

Ellington was a master at recognizing his players’ strengths and idiosyncrasies and capitalizing on them. Rex Stewart’s expressive use of half valve effects was a big part of his musical personality and set him off from other trumpet and cornet players. Louis Armstrong popularized half valve techniques like falloffs and glisses. Cootie Williams adopted those techniques and added scoops and bends, but Rex took it to another level. In Boy Meets Horn, originally entitled Twits and Twerps, successive, humorous half valve non-pitches characterize the a theme of the concerto.

As with all great concertos, the entirety of the ensemble is integral to the composition and not mere accompaniment. What could be sheer buffoonery in another arranger’s hands becomes comic genius with Ellington. Surprisingly, other bands arranged and played Boy Meets Horn, most notably Benny Goodman featuring Chris Griffin.