"In a Sentimental Mood" is a jazz composition by Duke Ellington. He composed the piece in 1935 and recorded it with his orchestra during the same year. Lyrics were written by Manny Kurtz; Ellington's manager Irving Mills gave himself a percentage of the publishing,[citation needed] so the song was credited to all three. Other popular versions in 1935/36 were by Benny Goodman and by Mills Blue Rhythm Band.[1] The opening notes of the song's melody resemble Gershwin's 1926 "Someone To Watch Over Me".
| "In a Sentimental Mood" | |
|---|---|
| Composition by Duke Ellington | |
| Published | 1935 |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Composer(s) | Duke Ellington |
| Lyricist(s) | Manny Kurtz |
Background
editAccording to Ellington, the song was born in Durham, North Carolina. "We had played a big dance in a tobacco warehouse, and afterwards a friend of mine, an executive in the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company, threw a party for Amy. I was playing piano when another one of our friends had some trouble with two chicks. To pacify them, I composed this there and then, with one chick standing on each side of the piano."[2] The recording featured solos by Otto Hardwicke, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, and Rex Stewart.
Ellington recorded a version with John Coltrane which appears on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane (1963). The original was recorded in F major, starting on D minor and with the bridge in D-flat major.[3] But the Ellington and Coltrane version was performed in B-flat minor or D-flat major, with an interlude in A major.
| Dm Dm(M7) | Dm7 Dm6 | Gm Gm(M7) | Gm7 Gm6 |
| Dm | Dm D7 | Gm7 C7 | F |
| Db Bbm7 | Ebm7 Ab7 | Db Bb7 | Ebm7 Ab7 |
| Db Bbm7 | Ebm7 Ab7 | Gm7 | C7 |
Other versions
edit- Duke Ellington – Piano Reflections (1953)[4]
- Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli – Quintette du Hot Club de France (1937)
- Sonny Rollins – Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet (1953)[4]
- Art Tatum and Roy Eldridge – The Tatum Group Masterpieces, Vol. 2 (1955)[4]
- Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957)
- Chico Hamilton and Eric Dolphy - The Original Ellington Suite (feat. Eric Dolphy) (1958)
- Tommy Flanagan - The Tommy Flanagan Trio (1960)
- Sarah Vaughan - for her album After Hours (1961)
- Duke Ellington and John Coltrane – Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1962)[4]
- Lucky Thompson - Lucky Strikes (1964)
- Nancy Wilson with Hank Jones – But Beautiful (1969)[4]
- McCoy Tyner – Atlantis (1974)[4]
- Emily Remler - Firefly (1981)
- Michael Brecker - with Steps Ahead for their album Magnetic (1986) [5]
- Michel Petrucciani with Jim Hall (musician) and Wayne Shorter for their live album Power of three (Blue Note, 1987).
- Johnny Mathis - for his album In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington (1990)
- Roseanna Vitro – Reaching for the Moon (1991)[6]
- Tony Bennett - included in the album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool (1999)
- Alex Bugnon – Soul Purpose (2001)[7]
- Larry Coryell – Inner Urge (2001)[8]
- Mac Miller - Diablo (2014)
- Shai Maestro - Human (2021)
Appearances in other media
editIn the Netherlands, the chords at the beginning are a well-known part of the song since the 1960s, due to its use as the theme of Simon Carmiggelt, one of the country's most famous writers, when he was reading his columns on national television.[9][10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 527. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ Dance, Stanley. The Ellington Era, 1927–1940, Vol. 2 (Media notes). Duke Ellington.
- ^ "Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (In a Sentimental Mood)". Jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 195–196. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ "Steps Ahead - Magnetic". Discogs.com. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ Dryden, Ken. "Reaching for the Moon". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "Soul Purpose". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ Dryden, Ken. "Inner Urge". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ "Simon Carmiggelt - De roltrap 1985". YouTube.com (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2021-12-22.
- ^ "André van Duin: Vergeet Carmiggelt niet!". YouTube.com (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2021-12-22.