The song of the day for Wednesday, February 19, 2014 is “Solitude.”
About This Song
Duke Ellington wrote “Solitude” in 1934, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and the ubiquitous Irving Mills. One of his masterpieces, Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short (Ted Gioia in Jazz Standards). It’s a very strong song for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Ellington made over a hundred recordings of this song. Other great recordings include those by Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Billy Eckstine.
About This Version
Today’s version of “Solitude” is the first version that Tony Bennett recorded. He recorded it in 1958 with the Count Basie Orchestra for the 1959 album “In Person!”
http://open.spotify.com/track/4l0u7b7x33jNwxuYt1SBdT
“Solitude,” as well as the album In Person!, is available from iTunes.
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