Monday Side-Session: Sittin' and Singin'

Following yesterday’s look at Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s Just a‑Settin’ and a‑Rockin’, today we slide over to the covers, remakes and lyrical detours that kept the tune alive through the mid‑’40s and beyond.

As I mentioned, once Lee Gaines of The Delta Rhythm Boys introduced lyrics, the tune’s title shifted from settin’ to sittin’ — and the song suddenly had a whole new life.

Let's start with some versions from 1945...

🎙️ The Delta Rhythm Boys Get It Rolling

First, let's spin The Delta Rhythm Boys’ popular 1945 Decca record:

This one has that easy, confident glide the group specialized in — tight harmonies, a relaxed beat, and a groove that feels like it’s leaning back in a chair. You can hear why this version helped the lyrical “sittin’” catch on.

For further illustration, here's a video clip Lee and the fellows:

Nice!

🌟 Thelma Steps In

Here’s a terrific version by Thelma Carpenter on the Majestic label:

Thelma gives the tune a buoyant lift — her phrasing is crisp, her tone warm, and she swings the melody without ever pushing it too hard. It’s one of those versions where the band and singer feel perfectly matched.

🎤 June & Stan Swing the Verse

Next up: Stan Kenton on Capitol with June Christy:

June Christy sounds terrific here — bright, playful, and rhythmically sharp — and she gets to sing the rarely heard verse, which is a treat in itself. Kenton’s band gives the tune a bit more punch, but June keeps it cool and stylish.

Here's a video of clip pf June with the Kenton band:

Retro-crush mode fully engaged!

🎷 Georgie’s Webster‑Warm Tenor

For one more 1945 version, here’s tenor sax star Georgie Auld with vocalist Lynne Stevens on the Musicraft label:

Georgie brings a warm, slightly breathy tenor sound that nods toward Ben Webster’s feel on the Ellington original. And Lynne is definitely an underrated canary. Together they make a version that feels both relaxed and musically alert.

🎶 The Pied Pipers Blend It Beautifully

Moving to 1946, here’s a non-commercial transcription recording from The Pied Pipers:

A smooth, well‑balanced group performance with June Hutton leading. The Pipers give the tune a lighter, more polished sheen — almost a radio‑friendly gloss — but they keep the rhythmic bounce intact.

🎺 Delta Rhythm Boys Return

                                                  

While in 1946, we also encounter The Delta Rhythm Boys again, as they sing another version of Just a‑Sittin’ and a‑Rockin’ for Decca, this time backed by Charlie Barnet and his Orchestra:

Not sure why Decca had the group return to the tune so soon, but the more relaxed pace and big band backing give this version a totally different vibe.

🌫️ June's Recollection

Let’s jump ahead to 1959 for three more versions, starting with June Christy’s remake for her Capitol album Recalls Those Kenton Days:

Always great to hear Misty Miss Christy with that wonderful Capitol Records sound!

🇸🇪 Alice's Swedish Sparkle

Next up is Swedish singing star Alice Babs with this cut from her Decca album Alice and Wonderland:

I think she’s absolutely delightful but it's not just the charming accent - she has serious music chops as well.

Word is that Duke Ellington was impressed with this recording, which prompted him to want to work with Alice, resulting in some wonderful joint projects!

And we're fortunate enough to also have a video clip of Alice in action:

Total retro-crush mode!

🎹 Shirley Rocks the Keyboards

Let’s close out with an instrumental version – Shirley Scott with this single taken from her Prestige album Scottie Plays the Duke:

"Scottie" gives the tune a stylish instrumental reading, moving between piano and organ with her usual soulful touch. She keeps the melody intact but adds subtle harmonic twists that make the track feel fresh and modern.

Hope you enjoyed sittin’ and rockin’ with me today!

Sundays with Duke #36: Settin’ and Sittin’

As we stay parked in 1941 with Duke Ellington, we hit upon another classic Ellington–Strayhorn collaboration: Just a‑Settin’ and a‑Rockin’.

📀 Swingin’ into Summer ’41

The band recorded it for Victor in June, with Ben Webster featured on tenor sax:

That just moves along at such a relaxed, swinging pace, as if the band really is just a-settin' and a rockin'!

The other soloists are Ray Nance on trumpet, Barney Bigard on clarinet, and the unmistakable Tricky Sam Nanton on trombone.

📝 Lyric Lift & Title Twist

The tune was reasonably popular and stayed in the band’s book — but with a twist. Lee Gaines of The Delta Rhythm Boys added lyrics, the title shifted to Just a‑Sittin’ and a‑Rockin’, and unlike most of Duke’s retro‑fitted vocal numbers, he actually usually performed this one with the lyrics.

📻 Nance Nudges It Along

Although the band didn’t cut a vocal studio version at the time, it turned up frequently on radio broadcasts with Ray Nance handling the vocal. This 1946 aircheck with an extended arrangement is a great example:

It fits Ray beautifully, which likely explains why Duke kept it in rotation.

🎙 Capitol Curiosities

Studio recordings after that were sporadic. Duke and Ray revisited the tune for Capitol in December 1953 in a quartet setting:

An interesting take — unissued at the time.

Later that same month, the full band recorded another version, again with Ray on vocal, also left unreleased:

Hard to say why those two takes stayed in the vault, but they’re both worth hearing. Ray clearly loves singing it!

🌹 Rosie’s Rendition

Another shelved item: this 1956 track with Rosemary Clooney overdubbing her vocal:

It comes from the sessions for the Columbia album Blue Rose, though it didn’t make the original release. That's Buck Clayton with the snazzy trumpet work.

🎤 Ella’s Echo

For a version that did come out contemporaneously, we jump to Ella Fitzgerald’s 1957 Ellington‑adjacent take for Verve:

This comes from Ella’s Duke Ellington Songbook sessions — a small‑group setting rather than Duke’s orchestra — but we do get a welcome cameo from Ben Webster!

🎹 Billy Brings It Back

For the final word on the tune, we once again turn to Billy Strayhorn’s 1963 Reprise album The Peaceful Side for this lovely rendition:

I’ll say it again — very peaceful.

So the recording history of this tune ends up being a little sideways: a hit in 1941, a lyric added later, and a surprising number of versions that spent years just sittin’ in the vault before they finally got to rockin’.

Tuesday Tidbit: Singin’ in the Train

Yesterday we rode Billy Strayhorn’s “A” Train — all instrumentals, all bright rails and easy scenery.

Today we hop aboard two vocal versions from The Delta Rhythm Boys, each with its own charm.

Their first take came in 1941 for Decca, the same year Ellington’s hit version rolled out:

It’s a lively, good‑natured rendition — the kind that feels like someone smiling behind the microphone.

Six years later, the group revisited the tune for RCA Victor:

Also fun, also buoyant… but listen closely. Something shifts.

Warehouse Whispers — A Lyric Mystery in the Stacks

And here’s where the lights dim.

Those lyrics?

They’re not the same.

And the paperwork?

It doesn’t line up.

Billy Strayhorn is always credited as the sole songwriter, but he probably didn’t write either set of lyrics. The official files sit there looking confident, but the recordings tell a different story — the kind that makes a warehouse clerk stop mid‑shuffle and squint at a mislabeled acetate.

Lee Gaines, leader of The Delta Rhythm Boys, is often credited for the 1941 lyrics. But the fingerprints feel fresher on the 1947 version. My hunch: Gaines wrote the later set, not the earlier one.

Then there’s Joya Sherrill, who reportedly wrote her own lyrics and brought them to the Ellington band in 1944 when she joined as a featured vocalist. But those same lyrics show up two years earlier, sung by Betty Roché in the movie Reveille with Beverly (1942).

Joya had a brief stint with the band as a high‑schooler in the summer of ’42, but her lyrics were already circulating — The Delta Rhythm Boys used the "Joya lyrics" for their Decca record in August 1941 — months before she ever stepped onto the bandstand.

Two recordings.

Two lyric sets.

Two possible authors.

And a tune whose official credits sit there like a locked drawer with the wrong key in it.

We love a good mystery — especially one that hums along the rails!

P.S. And, yes, I'm aware that the title of this post is corny even by my standards, but I stand by it!

Monday Side-Session - Taking the Train

For today’s side-session let’s hop back aboard with Billy Strayhorn as we Take the “A” Train for a few more stops.

1941: Cab and Glenn Catch the Ride

We kick off in 1941 with two contemporary covers that prove just how fast Strayhorn’s tune spread across the map once the Duke Ellington version hit.

First stop: Cab Calloway on Okeh:

Cab never imitates Ellington — he just swings his own way. Chu Berry on tenor, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, and Cab’s band sounding sharp as ever. He didn’t cut many instrumentals, so this one feels like a little treasure.

Billy May

Then comes, to me, the most fascinating contemporary cover of any Ellington hit ever: Glenn Miller on Bluebird:

Billy May turns the tune into a ballad — a sly, cheeky move, but also gorgeous. That Miller band could float a melody like nobody else - those reeds, the muted brass, a sensuous Tex Beneke tenor solo.

May and Strayhorn were old Pittsburgh pals, so you know they probably had a chuckle together over this arrangement.

1950: Tito’s Latin Express Line

Jumping ahead to 1950, Tito Puente on RCA Victor takes the train onto Latin tracks:

The label may say Tren Expreso, but that’s our "A" Train under the hood — bright, percussive, and full of Puente’s spark.

1954: Tex Swings the Standard Out West

Next stop: the Western plains with Tex Williams on Decca in 1954:

I’m a complete sucker for a big‑band standard played by a Western Swing outfit! It’s like the tune put on cowboy boots and decided to two‑step.

And Dance-O-Rama? I am so in!

1957: Jackie’s Velvet Ride

Back to the city for Jackie Gleason’s take from Velvet Brass (Capitol, 1957):

Velvety indeed — lush, slow‑motion brass with Toots Mondello gliding on alto. It’s the "A" Train dipped in gold leaf.

How sweet it is — Ralph Kramden never drove a bus this nice!

1960: Esquivel Goes Off the Rails

Then everything goes gloriously sideways with Esquivel for RCA Victor's 1960 album Infinity in Sound:

All the wild Esquivel touches — sound effects, stereo ping‑pong, space‑age sparkle, and that unmistakable sense of fun. It’s a carnival ride disguised as a train.

Count me in as a Hi-Fanatic!

1967: Homer & Jethro Play It Straight

One last stop: Homer and Jethro from their 1967 RCA Victor album It Ain’t Necessarily Square.

Not square at all — they play it straight, and it’s fantastic! Jethro Burns’ mandolin is brilliant — clean, quick, and full of personality.

Their novelty records were funny, but the musicianship was always dead serious.

Final Stop

A wild ride across decades, genres, and detours — but we’ll Take the “A” Train anywhere it leads us.

Thanks for the ride, Billy!

Sundays with Duke #35: Take It!

As we step into 1941 with Duke Ellington, we hit one of the absolute crown jewels of the Ellington catalogue: Billy Strayhorn’s immortal Take the ‘A’ Train.

The band recorded it for Victor in February 1941.

Let’s spin it:

Everything about this record feels perfectly balanced — Duke’s attention‑grabbing piano intro, Ray Nance’s two bright trumpet solos, and Strayhorn’s subtle yet intricate backgrounds that glide underneath the melody.

It’s the performance that announced Billy Strayhorn’s arrival to the wider music world and confirmed Ray Nance as a worthy successor to Cootie Williams.

The tune was so well‑received that it became the Ellington band’s theme song, staying in heavy rotation from then on.

Out of the countless performances, here’s a distilled playlist of some of the most notable...

Broadcast Brilliance (1951)

First up is this revised arrangement from a 1951 radio broadcast spotlighting Paul Gonsalves on tenor:

It almost sounds like a different tune — leaner, cooler, and built around Gonsalves’ long‑line phrasing.

Uptown Unleashed (1952)

Gonsalves returns on this epic version from the 1952 Columbia album Ellington Uptown, also featuring vocalist Betty Roché:

The early LP format gave Duke room to stretch out, reinventing the song with extended solos and a more dramatic arc.

Newport Nostalgia (1956)

From the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, we get a more traditional reading:

Ray Nance steps back in on trumpet, bringing that familiar sparkle.

Ella Takes the Train (1957)

Ella Fitzgerald once again joins with Duke and the band for her 1957 take from the Duke Ellington Songbook on Verve:

A blast of joy — Duke’s classic piano intro, Ella’s scatting, and the band’s playful train sound effects.

Duke in the Foreground (1960)

From Duke’s 1960 Columbia album Piano in the Background:

Despite the album title, Duke’s piano is very much in the foreground, and it’s wonderful.

Piano Royalty Meets (1962)

Staying with Columbia, here’s a track from Duke's 1962 album that teamed his band with Count Basie's band — First Time! The Count Meets the Duke:

Two titans in one studio — yet both leaders let Billy Strayhorn take the piano solos. A quiet, unmistakable sign of respect.

Ray Nance trades trumpet lines with Basie's Sonny Cohn just to keep things fair!

A Popular Performance (1966)

We wind up with Duke’s 1966 RCA Victor album The Popular Duke Ellington, which appropriately leads off with Take the "A’" Train:

Twenty‑five years after its initial departure, the train still sounds fresh!

A Cinematic Closing  — Hollywood Gets on Board (1943)

As a bonus, here's a fun clip from the 1943 Columbia picture Reveille with Beverly:

There’s young Betty Roché singing and Ray Nance showing off some dance steps. The band is shown performing on a railroad train — even though the real “A” Train was a subway line. The story goes that Duke told Strayhorn to “take the A Train” to reach his home in Sugar Hill.

Good thing Billy made the trip!

Sixties Saturday: Shelley!

📦 Warehouse Stack: Colpix, 1962 — One Perfect Pop Moment

I saw the sad news that Shelley Fabares passed away last week at age 82.

I always associate her most with The Donna Reed Show, and with the great hit single that spun out of her time on that series — Johnny Angel.

Let’s give that 1962 Colpix record a spin:

Shelley was the first to admit she wasn’t really a singer, but Johnny Angel is such a lovely little pop confection — soft, sweet, and shimmering with that early‑’60s innocence.

Am I partial to it because it has Johnny in the title? Maybe just a little!

But honestly, if I were a teenager on a late‑1950s/early‑1960s sitcom, I would totally want "Mary Stone" to be my girlfriend!

Rest in peace, Shelley.

Monday Side‑Session: Flamingo’s Flight

For today’s side‑session, let’s follow the flight path of Flamingo across twenty‑five years — a tune that kept finding new thermals to ride.

🕊️ Lift‑Off

We begin in 1941, right after Duke Ellington’s hit sent the song fluttering through the band world. First up: Gene Krupa with vocalist Howard Du Lany for Okeh.

They’re clearly reaching for the Ellington flavor — the dreamy glide, the velvet phrasing — but the record never quite settles into that same atmosphere.

Let's slide the needle over to Jimmie Lunceford with Dan Grissom on Decca:

A smooth, confident reading. Lunceford’s band always had that satin‑finish polish, and it fits Flamingo nicely.

My favorite early cover is this Freddy Martin instrumental on Bluebird:

Freddy’s band takes Flamingo somewhere else entirely — a cool, floating place with that silky tenor sax leading the way. I’m absolutely tagging along!

🔥 Thermals Rising

Let's jump ahead a decade to 1951, when Flamingo suddenly rockets up the R&B charts thanks to Earl Bostic’s alto feature on King:

That’s the definitive version for a whole generation — volcanic tone, acrobatic phrasing, and a groove that grabs you by the collar.

🌤️ Crosswind Curiosity

Earl’s shadow looms large over this 1958 Mercury release by The Gaylords:

It honestly feels like sax man Eddie Chamblee was cutting a straight cover of the Bostic hit when The Gaylords wandered in and started singing Italian lyrics. A charming collision!

🌙 Night‑Flight

As we move into 1961, the King label returns with a popular vocal take by Little Willie John:

I love those R&B sides from that period that weave strings into the mix — they give Flamingo a kind of moonlit shimmer.

🌴 Jet‑Age Glidepath

And for our final landing, we touch down in 1966 with Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass on A&M:

That’s Flamingo in full mid‑’60s technicolor — crisp, bright, and perfectly transformed for the era.

🪶 A Quarter‑Century Migration

From Herb Jeffries to Herb Alpert, Flamingo covers a lot of sky. A tune born in Ellington’s world that kept reinventing itself every time it caught a new breeze.

📦 Warehouse Whispers: A Curious Tailwind

Interestingly, Gene Krupa’s version of Flamingo was the flipside of his hit Let Me Off Uptown. And here’s the fun twist: Let Me Off Uptown was co‑written by Earl Bostic!

Coincidence? A stray breeze in the release schedule? Or maybe Flamingo was already circling Bostic’s orbit long before 1951. Hmmm…