In a Sentimental Mood
"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, 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]
Background
According 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) and Coltrane for Lovers (2001). The original was recorded in F major, starting on D minor and with the bridge in Db major.[3] But the version Ellington and Coltrane version was performed in Bb minor or D-flat major, with an interlude in A major.
| Dm Dm(M7) | Dm7 D6 | 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
- Duke Ellington – Piano Reflections (1953)[4]
- 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)
- Tommy Flanagan - The Tommy Flanagan Trio (1960)
- Sarah Vaughan - for her album After Hours (1961)
- Duke Ellington and John Coltrane – Duke Ellington and 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)
- Johnny Mathis - for his album In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington (1990)
- Roseanna Vitro – Reaching for the Moon (1991)[5]
- Tony Bennett - included in the album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool (1999)
- Alex Bugnon – Soul Purpose (2001)[6]
- Larry Coryell – Inner Urge (2001)[7]
- Mac Miller-Diablo (2014)
Appearances in other media
In 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.[8][9]
See also
References
- 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)". www.jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- 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.
- 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).
- "André van Duin: Vergeet Carmiggelt niet!". YouTube.com (in Dutch).