The song of the day for Thursday, January 19, 2018 is “Solitude.”
About This Song
“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and 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 (per 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 I’m featuring Mr. Bennett’s first recording of “Solitude,” made in 1958 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the album In Person!
“Solitude,” as well as In Person!, is available from iTunes.
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