Mood Indigo (1930). Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard, Irving Mills /in the mood/

Noted Duke Ellington advocate Michael J. West gets his new jazz column off to a good start with this statement:

We'll debate my long-held contention that Ornette Coleman is a more important figure in jazz than Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and maybe even (God forgive me) Duke Ellington.

As it happens, I'm headed in the opposite direction, having for some reason moved away from the music of Coleman and jumping back into the Ellington thing, specifically Mood Indigo.

After listening to an old version by Ellington on the Ken Burns CD set, newer versions by Count Basie, Joe Pass, Errol Garner, Thelonius Monk etc. and new versions by pop singer Debbie Boone (!?) and mandolinist David Grisman, the one that stands out is a 1957 Duke Ellington recording. In this version, Duke plays a couple of bars on piano as the introduction and then the song immediately takes off into a long and effective trumpet solo. Eventually, the band does come in to play the melody but at that point, who cares after what just transpired.

All Music has a clip of the trumpet solo. I haven't been able to find who plays this but maybe it's Clark Terry or Ray Nance.

personal note: i'm honored to have this cd from the collection of the elegant mary w.

Comments

[Michael J. West]

Thanks for the nod!

Now, in fairness, "Mood Indigo" is one of the most innovative pieces of its day, but that's particularly true of the 1930 version with the trumpet-trombone-clarinet arrangement. You've got me intrigued with the '57 version though...