Word Association Wednesday: Swing Meets Sophistication

For today’s Word Association Wednesday, playing off Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady, it was only a short hop to arranger/composer Will Hudson’s 1937 tune Sophisticated Swing.

The Original

At the time, Will was co‑leading the Hudson–DeLange Orchestra with lyricist Eddie DeLange, so naturally they were the first to record it.

Let’s spin their Master label version:

That is certainly sophisticated. The Hudson–DeLange band was really good - but does anyone remember them at all these days?

The Cover

Another underrated band of the period was led by pianist Edgar Hayes, who cut this version for Decca in 1937:

Edgar’s piano gives this one a lovely touch.

The Canaries Land

Like many instrumentals of the era, Sophisticated Swing eventually gained lyrics - courtesy of Mitchell Parish, the master of retrofitting words to existing melodies.

Canary Gail Reese

A vocal version was recorded by trumpet star Bunny Berigan with vocalist Gail Reese for Victor:

Bunny is the greatest, and Gail Reese was a pretty slick canary.

I actually first knew the song from this Berigan version - it was on an old LP of his I had - so I was surprised later to learn that the tune was mainly known as an instrumental, with very few vocal takes.

But here’s another one: Bob Sylvester and his Orchestra with Olga Vernon for Variety:

I don’t know much about Bob Sylvester or Olga Vernon other than Bob had worked as an arranger for Hal Kemp, but it’s a nice record. Variety was one of Irving Mills’ labels (as was Master), so I’m presuming that the Sylvester band was in the Mills stable and that he placed the song with them, since Mills Music was the publisher.

One fun difference between the two vocal versions:

– Gail Reese sings the masculine lyric: “Honey, mascara your eyebrow and come with me.”

– Olga Vernon sings the feminized version: “Let me mascara my eyebrow, my chickadee.”

Also, Olga’s vocal is front‑loaded on the record, rather than appearing in the middle like Gail’s - which was far more standard for 1937. I notice these things!

The 1940s Comeback:

After these early recordings, not much happened with the tune until it started popping up again in the late 1940s.

Les Brown recorded it in 1947 for Columbia:

A great version - it became a staple in the Band of Renown’s book.

Then Count Basie recorded another terrific version in 1948 for RCA Victor:

Not typical Basie, perhaps, but a gorgeous arrangement. I’m thinking that’s future Ellington star Paul Gonsalves on tenor.

Also from 1948, here’s a bit of a throwback by Freddy Nagel and his Orchestra — who used the tune as his theme song — on the independent VitaCoustic label, with a vocal by Jimmy Jett:

The Brown and Basie versions have that crisp post‑war sound, while Freddy Nagel leans toward an old‑school sweet style - exactly what Midwest ballroom crowds wanted.

Fun fact: future superstar Patti Page briefly sang with Freddy’s band around this time!

The Fifties Bands

After this last vocal version, later recordings returned to the instrumental tradition — like this 1950 Decca version by veteran bandleader Russ Morgan:

An interesting record. I don’t hear the melody much, but there’s plenty of Russ’s trademark wah‑wah trombone. Unlike most 1930s bandleaders, Russ was at his peak in the  late 40s/ early ’50s.

The early 1950s also saw a wave of younger bandleaders making a splash. One of the most successful was Les Elgart, who used Sophisticated Swing as the title track of his 1953 Columbia debut:

That album was a huge hit and helped make Elgart one of the most popular bands on the college circuit.

I think the version that ultimately made it into the most homes was Jimmy Dorsey’s 1957 recording for Fraternity Records - because it was the flip side of his smash hit “So Rare.”

Let’s spin JD’s version:

It has a haunting quality. This was the second version I knew - I had/have the “So Rare” 45 (not when it was actually a hit, thank you very much) and played both sides a lot.

The Fifties Become the Fifties

I’m presuming Jimmy’s version helped spark the next couple of late‑’50s recordings, both of which take the tune on a bit of a wild ride into the new sounds of the day!

First up: ace country pianist Floyd Cramer, who used it as the flip side of his 1958 RCA Victor single “Flip Flop and Bop”:

A very snappy version - if not exactly sophisticated.

Next, also from 1958, The Applejacks on Cameo Records:

The wildest reinvention yet - a full‑on sock‑hop stroll.

The Boppy 1960s

We return to a jazzier approach with Red Garland’s quartet on the 1962 Jazzland album Solar:

A nice, bop‑ish take.

And we close with a return to the big‑band sound - but with a modern twist - courtesy of organ great Shirley Scott, who included it on her 1966 Impulse! album Roll ’Em:

Not lost on me is that Shirley titled her big‑band salute album after a Mary Lou Williams number. This time, Shirley Scott swings the band!

I can’t imagine that in 1937 Will Hudson thought his tune would travel through so many variations in thirty‑odd years. But as long as they spelled his name right on the royalty checks, who's complaining?

You know, this post started as a quick word association to spotlight the Hudson–DeLange record and maybe Bunny Berigan's… and wound up with an extra dozen versions thrown in. Funny how a tune meant to be a one‑off mention ends up dragging half the record shelf with it.

But honestly… would we have it any other way?

Tuesday Tidbit: Not Entirely Sophisticated

After yesterday’s flurry of 1933 recordings of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady, we dip into 1934 for one more instrumental version - this time from the great Jimmie Lunceford band, newly signed to the upstart Decca label:

Could you possibly go wrong with the Lunceford band covering an Ellington tune? They were incapable of playing anything without style, snap, and that trademark Lunceford lift.

Someone at Decca clearly had a sense of humor, because the flipside of “Sophisticated Lady” was the novelty number Unsophisticated Sue:

That’s a lot of fun - pure early‑Decca playfulness!

The vocal trio on “Sue” is a treat in itself: arranger/trumpeter Sy Oliver, alto saxist Willie Smith, and trombonist Henry Wells stepping up to the mic. A little window into how versatile this band already was.

This single was among the very first releases in Lunceford’s long and glorious Decca run, but you’d never know it from the confidence on display. The band hit the ground running!

Monday Side‑Session: More Sophistication

We follow yesterday’s overview of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Lady with a handful of contemporary cover versions, all from 1933!

The instrumental versions started flowing almost immediately after Duke’s original 1933 recording took off. Here’s a lovely one by Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra from a rare Victor session:

I believe the violin solo is by Mel Janssen, who was acting as the band’s front man at this point while president Glen Gray remained in the sax section. Victor was the first label to bill the group as Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra, in contrast to their concurrent Brunswick releases, which simply credited The Casa Loma Orchestra. Within a couple of years, Glen would be leading the band outright and billed accordingly on Decca.

I’ve mentioned before how important the Casa Loma band was in the evolution that led to the big‑band era. Another huge influence was arranger Don Redman, who cut some remarkable records in the early 1930s - including this version of Sophisticated Lady:

This one was released under Don’s own name on the Brunswick label, but the same recording also appeared under the pseudonym Earl Harlan and his Orchestra on the budget labels - Perfect, Banner, Melotone, and the rest of that family. You practically need to be Philo Vance* (or your favorite early‑’30s sleuth) to untangle it all. Regardless of the label gymnastics, it’s a terrific Redman arrangement.

We get a different kind of sophistication from this hotel‑style recording by Richard Himber on Vocalion:

Richard Himber is credited as Dick Himber on this label, and I know that's a nickname rather than a pseudonym, but still...

Much less sophisticated - at least in theory - were The Georgia Washboard Stompers, who turned in this cool take for Bluebird:

Apparently the Georgia Washboard Stompers are the same loose aggrragtion as the Washboard Rhythm Boys whom we heard playing Duke's Old Man Blues. They went by a bunch of names for various labels. What would Hezzie think?

Still in 1933 but heading in yet another direction, we have a solo piano version by the great Art Tatum on Brunswick:

That’s some astounding virtuosity!

To sneak in one more instrumental version, we hop over to England for this one from Billy Cotton on the Regal Zonophone label:

We close out this side‑session with one of the very few vocal versions of “Sophisticated Lady” from the early 1930s. And if we could pick just one group, it would be The Boswell Sisters, who waxed it for Brunswick in 1933:

I know I say it every time we spin one of their records, but the Bozzies were something else. And Connie/Connee is in a league of her own!

Curiously, this label lists only Duke Ellington as composer without mentioning Mitchell Parish as lyricist, so no label is safe from intrigue today!

One of the quiet delights of chasing Sophisticated Lady through 1933 is realizing she never shows up wearing the same outfit twice. Victor dresses her in formal evening wear, Brunswick gives her a smart tailored suit, and the budget labels send her out the door in a perfectly good knockoff with a different name pinned to the lapel. Don Redman becomes Earl Harlan, the Casa Loma boys gain or lose Glen Gray depending on which corporate parent is footing the bill, and the same performance can look like three different records if you’re flipping through a stack too quickly. Our sophisticated lady wasn’t just a song - she was a master of costume changes.

I hope you enjoyed our little stroll in and around 1933 with that sophisticated lady!

*William Powell portrayed Philo Vance in the 1933 Warner Brothers picture The Kennel Murder Case. Great flick!

Sundays with Duke #16 – Sophistication to Spare

As we continue our musical journey with Duke Ellington, we come across another of his compositions that grew into one of the great standards - Sophisticated Lady.

The Early Years & The "Daddy" That Wasn't

Here’s the popular instrumental version recorded for the Brunswick label in May 1933:

The lovely arrangement features solos by Otto Hardwick on alto sax and Barney Bigard on clarinet, with Duke himself at the piano. The melodic trombone solo is by Lawrence Brown, whose smooth, lyrical style provided a striking contrast to Tricky Sam Nanton’s plunger growl and Juan Tizol’s valve trombone. That trio has to be the greatest trombone section ever assembled!

In researching the tune’s history, I was surprised to learn that Duke had previously recorded it for Victor in September 1932, but that take was rejected and does not survive. The wacky part? It was originally titled My Sophisticated Daddy!

Not as wacky, but still surprising: Duke had also recorded another earlier version in February 1933, but that take was issued only in the U.K. on the British Columbia label!

Let’s spin that one:

You can have some fun with a spot‑the‑difference game between the two 1933 versions, but keeping track of these variations makes my head spin a little!

Interesting to see Otto Hardwick and Lawrence Brown get composer credit on that label, along with Duke's wheeler-dealer manger Irving Mills.

A bit more intrigue enters the picture when you consider Duke’s original intention for the title. He meant it as a tribute to the women who were important to him growing up - teachers and mentors he genuinely considered sophisticated. But when manager Mills had Mitchell Parish add lyrics, the song became the story of a world‑weary socialite wondering whether the sophistication was all it was cracked up to be.

Apparently Duke was fine with the new lyrics. He knew they were good, and he knew they would help the tune become a standard. Besides, he almost always performed it as an instrumental anyway.

The Blanton Connection

We’re going to spin some of those later recordings, and what better place to start than this 1940 Columbia version - one of the first recordings by the famed Blanton/Webster band, nicknamed for bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxist Ben Webster, two brilliant musicians who had relatively short but highly memorable stints with the band.

Nice to hear a baritone sax solo by the ever‑present Harry Carney added to the mix.

Of the four sides recorded at that session, three featured vocals by Ivie Anderson, including former Ellington instrumentals Mood Indigo and Solitude. But Sophisticated Lady was kept as an instrumental. Hmmm…

As mentioned, this was an early recording featuring bassist Jimmy Blanton, a tremendous innovator on his instrument. Duke admired him so much that he recorded several piano‑and‑bass duets with him.

Among them was this intimate take on “Sophisticated Lady,” recorded in October 1940 after the band returned to the Victor label:

Some sources say James Blanton preferred the Jimmie spelling rather than the commonly used Jimmy. Whatever the case, his premature death in 1942 at only 23 was a tremendous loss to the music world.

The Later 1940s: Revisiting the Lady

Duke and his band were still with Victor in 1945 when they revisited some of his most memorable pieces. Included was this updated version of Sophisticated Lady:

I love Duke’s minute‑long piano solo that opens the record. You get the impression he really loved playing this tune.

I’m not sure how those sides were originally issued, but by the early 1950s they were appearing on “greatest hits”‑type albums, such as the 1954 release shown above.

We stop in 1947 for this small‑unit performance released on V‑Disc, featuring our man with a bari sax, Harry Carney:

Those V‑Discs really are a treasure trove - preserving performances that might otherwise have been lost.

The 1950s: The Ladies Sing

A lot of early LPs, like that RCA Victor release, were compilations of earlier 78s. But some artists quickly saw the longer format as a chance to record extended arrangements. A case in point is Duke’s first 12‑inch album, “Masterpieces by Ellington” (Columbia, 1951). Included in these “uncut concert arrangements” is what I think is the only proper studio recording of Sophisticated Lady by Duke to include a vocal. Said vocal - a brief but striking appearance in the eleven-minute track - is by the mysterious “Yvonne.”

That’s really something. Apparently Yvonne is Yvonne Lanauze, whose real name was Eve Smith. My head keeps spinning!

I mentioned this version as the only proper studio recording of the song with a vocal so that I don’t sound like a liar when we get to this next recording, which features Rosemary Clooney singing with the Ellington orchestra on Columbia in 1956:

This cut, from the album “Blue Rose,” actually has Rosie’s vocal overdubbed onto the instrumental track that Duke and the band recorded separately. Pretty cutting‑edge for the time - commonplace now.

The 1960s: Victor-ious Albums

Next, we skip ahead to 1966 for two very different RCA Victor releases, both intriguing in their own way.

First is “The Popular Duke Ellington,” which features updated arrangements of several of Duke’s best‑known numbers. Naturally, “Sophisticated Lady” makes an appearance.

You know that sounded awesome on the home stereo set!

The tune pops up again on “The Duke at Tanglewood,” which teams Duke with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops.

Now that’s a sophisticated setting!

Being from the Boston area, I’m well aware of the Pops and remember Arthur Fiedler releasing many albums on RCA’s Red Seal imprint — some featuring fellow RCA artists, many featuring fun arrangements of current pop tunes.

We’ve been on quite a ride with Duke’s lady — from title changes to mood‑altering lyrics, from misspelled bassists and pseudonymous singers to overdubs and a classical venue. But what a wonderful ride!

Drop a comment to let me know your favorite!

Friday Fun: One More Thing

For this week’s Friday Fun, we land on a thing that doesn’t swing - Phil Harris’ The Thing!

Here’s Phil’s big 1950 hit on RCA Victor:

This, to me, is exactly how a novelty record should work: a clever song, an engaging singer, and an arrangement that gets in, gets the laugh, and gets out. No wonder it was such a, ummm, monster hit!

There were a few cover versions of “The Thing,” but somehow it just doesn’t sound right unless Phil Harris is the one delivering the punchlines.

But here’s where it gets even more fun: a sly little reference to The Thing pops up in Homer and Jethro’s parody of Hank Williams’ Cold, Cold Heart, recorded as Cold, Cold Heart No. 2 for RCA Victor in 1951.

See if you can catch it:

Pretty clever!

Hank Williams was reportedly a fan of Homer and Jethro and loved hearing what the boys did to his songs. Honestly, who could blame him - they were masters of affectionate mischief!

And it just goes to show - one Thing leads to another…

Threaded Thursday: A Noble Effort

We pick up the Ray Noble thread for a quick post today. A small, but lovely stitch!

I mentioned yesterday how Ray had a solid reputation as both a composer and a bandleader - and how wonderful Al Bowlly was as his featured vocalist. 

All of that is summed up beautifully on two sides of a 12‑inch 78 rpm record recorded for England’s HMV in 1936:

The record was also issued on Victor in the U.S., and it’s a perfect little showcase of Noble’s gifts. Across these two sides you get seven songs - all gems - written or co‑written by Ray, essentially a built‑in résumé for anyone wondering what all the fuss was about.

Eight minutes well spent!

Happy Jackie Robinson Day!

Today is Jackie Robinson Day for Major League Baseball, marking the anniversary of Jackie's debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

To help mark the occasion, let's spin Count Basie's great cover of Buddy Johnson's Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?, recorded with Taps Miller for RCA Victor in 1949:

That's trumpeter Taps Miller on the vocal. Just pure joy!