Sundays with Duke #18: A Solitudinous Stroll

As we remain in 1934 with Duke Ellington, we come across another classic composition that quickly became a standard - Solitude. It’s one of those Ellington pieces that seems to grow with him; every decade adds a new shade.

The Brunswick Hit and the Victor Delay

Let’s start with the original hit version, recorded for Brunswick in September 1934:

That record was very popular, but - as often happens with Duke - there’s some intrigue behind it...

The story goes that Duke wrote the tune in about 10–20 minutes when an extra song was needed for a recording session. Trumpeter Arthur Whetsol suggested the title “Solitude.” Fine… except the session in question was actually a January 1934 date for Victor, not the later Brunswick one!

Let’s spin the earlier Victor take:

Victor sat on the recording until Duke had left the label and rerecorded the tune for Brunswick. Brunswick released their remake in October, and Victor finally issued the original in November. No wonder the Brunswick version became the hit.

In any event, Duke performed and recorded “Solitude” many times over the years.

Like many Ellington instrumentals, the tune soon acquired lyrics - this time courtesy of Eddie De Lange, who would later team with Will Hudson to form the Hudson–DeLange Orchestra. And, as per usual, Irving Mills gets co‑writer credit.

Giving “Solitude” a Voice (1940)

Duke first recorded a vocal version for Columbia in 1940 with Ivie Anderson:

That’s from the same session early Blanton/Webster that yielded the vocal “Mood Indigo,” while “Sophisticated Lady” remained an instrumental.

Alone at the Piano (1941)

In 1941, back on Victor, Duke recorded this lovely solo piano version:

[Insert media file: Duke Ellington – “Solitude” (1941)]

Always great to hear solo Duke. That was from the Hot Piano album that included Fats Waller's version of Ring Dem Bells, which we heard here.

No Solitude Here: The 1945 Vocal Quartet

Next up is a 1945 Victor recording where the vocals are everywhere:

We have the trio of canaries — Joya Sherrill, Kay Davis and Maria Ellington - plus Al Hibbler. No solitude there!

That’s from the same sessions that produced the 1945 Sophisticated Lady, part of Duke’s mid‑’40s revisiting of his most popular numbers.

Expanding the Canvas (1951)

When Duke revisited Solitude in 1951 for his Columbia album Masterpieces by Ellington, the eight‑minute concert arrangement did not include a vocal. I suppose we would technically say it did not include a vocal by Yvonne!

A Visual Interlude (1952)

Back to vocals — here’s Jimmy Grissom, Al Hibbler’s replacement, singing with the band on this 1952 Snader video transcription:

Always great to see the band in action, including Harry Carney with that big baritone sax!

Jimmy (Jimmie) Grissom may or may not have been the nephew of Dan Grissom, former vocalist with the Jimmie Lunceford band. He sounds great. I get kind of a Hibbler-meets-Eckstine vibe!

Indigo Shades (1958)

Returning to instrumental mode, Duke cut this nice early‑stereo version for the Columbia album Ellington Indigos in 1958:

Old Friends and New Directions (1961–1963)

As we reach the 1960s, “Solitude” becomes a kind of calling card — a tune Duke could reshape depending on the company he kept - and it was some company!

First up, in 1961, Louis Armstrong returns with his pals Barney Bigard and Trummy Young on this track from the Roulette album The Great Reunion:

Satch had actually cut his own version of Solitude when the song was new. We'll catch up with that one soon!

From old school to modern jazz, Duke keeps up with Charles Mingus and Max Roach on this cut from the 1962 United Artists album Money Jungle:

Interesting take to be sure!

Then in 1963, tenor titan Coleman Hawkins joins the band for this excellent take on Impulse:

That was recorded during the sessions for Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins, but it wasn’t released until the next year on the various‑artists compilation The Definitive Jazz Scene (Volume 1). Thirty years later, we’re still running into unreleased‑recording intrigue!

One for the Road (1966)

Let’s spin one more version — this one from the 1966 RCA Victor album The Popular Duke Ellington:

A Lifelong Companion

We can see a definite trend: whenever Duke revisited his old classics, Solitude always made the cut. That was twenty minutes well spent in 1934!