Sundays with Duke #13: Setting the Mood

As we hit 1931 with Duke Ellington, we arrive at one of the crown jewels of his entire output: Mood Indigo. Few pieces announce the Ellington sound so completely — the colors, the poise, the sly melancholy, the sense that the band is painting with air.

The discography gets a little twisty right out of the gate. The first recording seems to be this Okeh release credited to the Harlem Footwarmers:

But the waters get muddy, because there’s also this Brunswick recording under the Jungle Band name:

Dreamy Blues was the original title — and only appeared on the very first run — before the tune became Mood Indigo forever after.

Whatever the case, the Victor version from 1931 is the one that became famous, and it still sounds magnificent:

This is the first Ellington original that inspired a zillion cover versions and remakes almost immediately. Everyone wanted a piece of that mood.

Early Covers (1931–1934)

Clyde McCoy returns with this 1931 Columbia recording:

Despite Clyde’s reputation as a corn‑shucker, his style actually works beautifully here — the wah‑wah gives the tune a kind of swampy ache.

A more predictable candidate to cover Ellington was Jimmie Lunceford, whose band cut this terrific version for Decca in 1934:

A lovely arrangement by alto sax man Willie Smith, who always had a knack for elegance.

The Tune Travels (1940s–1950s)

Here’s a fascinating Hawaiian‑style take from Felix Mendelssohn and his Hawaiian Serenaders, recorded for British Columbia in 1942:

I really like this one — it’s dreamy in a completely different way

From 1945, we get Andre Kostelanetz with a lush orchestral version on American Columbia:

The classy “Masterworks” imprint meant 12‑inch discs, so the maestro got two extra inches of groove to play with.

Jumping to 1955, here’s a mambo version by Pérez Prado on RCA Victor:

I'm pretty much a sucker for any Prado mambo take on a standard!

From 1956, Marty Gold gives us a bachelor‑pad arrangement on his Vik album Wired for Sound:

Dig it, cats - it’s pure hi‑fi lounge charm!

Also from 1956, pianist Johnny Maddox tones down the honky‑tonk for this Dot Records 45:

Surprisingly tasteful — it works.

The Co‑Composer Speaks (1957)

Barney (Don't call me 'Albany') Bigard, Duke’s longtime clarinetist and co‑composer of Mood Indigo, recorded his own extended version for his 1957 Liberty album Jazz Hall of Fame:

Pretty cool to hear him stretch out on the tune he helped create.

A Country Twist (1961)

One more before we wrap: in 1961, country piano master Floyd Cramer released this version as the flipside of his RCA Victor hit “On the Rebound”

Nice touch — it’s simple, warm, and unmistakably Cramer.

Tomorrow’s side session will explore vocal versions, and there are some beauties waiting in the wings as Mood Indigo becomes a whole different shade of blue!

Seasonal Songs: "Summertime Blues" (1958)

Happy First Day of Summer!

To celebrate, let's listen to the greatest Summertime record of them all: "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran on Liberty Records in 1958:

I think Eddie Cochran was great and that records just two minutes of awesomeness!

That record is a classic, so naturally a lot of artists have recorded their own versions over the song years, with the records by Blue Cheer and The Who being particularly popular.

Most of those other versions don't grab me, although I do appreciate the various artists wanting to put their own spin on the song.

We have to jump all the way to 1987 for another version on "Summertime Blues" that I do dig and it comes from the soundtrack of "La Bamba," the Ritchie Valens biopic.

In the movie, Rockabilly icon Brian Setzer (of The Stray Cats) appears as Eddie Cochran and performs "Summertime Blues":

I think Brian Setzer is great, so how can you go wrong? I like how the arrangement allows room for a guitar solo.

One thing I will say is that the authority figures on Brian's version sound more like the ones on Robert Gordon's 1977 version (which isn't bad, but like the 1962 Beach Boys version just kind of seems like an album track) than on Eddie's original.

We leave the Rockabilly field for one more version that I like, which is country superstar Alan Jackson's take from 1994:

I'm an Alan Jackson fan anyway and I like how they take the song and give it the feel of Alan's earlier hit "Chattahoochee" to make it sound exactly how the Alan Jackson version of "Summertime Blues" should sound!

"Jingle Bells" - Part 46 - Alviiinnnn!

 

We move from Disney's All-Mouse Chorus to another group of singing varmints - The Chipmunks!

Here's their take on "Jingle Bells" from their 1962 album "Christmas with the Chipmunks" on Liberty Records:

That's actually a fairly straightforward rendition of the song, which is interesting in that they could have done whatever they wanted with it, since it's a public domain song and there wouldn't be any pesky song publishers complaining!

The "Christmas with the Chipmunks" album came about to follow up on the success of the trio's debut single, the Christmas-themed "The Chipmunk Song."

Note the early "realistic" chipmunk designs!

That particular record was issued in 1958, a year after Disney's All-Mouse Chorus, but creator Ross Bagdasarian (stage name David Seville) developed a distinct personality for each chipmunk, giving the record a stronger hook.

Here's that record:

I think that holds up very well and remains a Christmas essential! And, wow, did that lead to a whole Chipmunk industry!

Gotta love how the back of the EP sleeve shows the back of the witch doctor!

Of course, Seville/Bagdasarian had used the sped-up voice trick earlier in 1958 on his smash hit "Witch Doctor." And I love novelty records, so let's listen to that:

The other element that went into the typical Chipmunks song is the instrumental backing, which has a distinct sound, such as found on "Armen's Theme," the 1956 hit and first "The Music of  David Seville" release:

I think that's a good sound and you can see how that informed the instrumental backing track for "The Chipmunk Song!"

Teen idol Bobby Vee cut a vocal version of "Armen's Theme" in 1963 under the title "Yesterday and You":

 

I think it's a blast how the record starts like "Armen's Theme" then builds into a full-blown big band arrangement! Bobby Vee handles the vocal quite well!

Liberty Records had it going on!