Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 1, 2015 is “Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was composed in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics added later from 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 (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 song, “Solitude,” is the first song on Tony Bennett On Holiday. The strings were arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

About Billie Holiday’s Version

This version of “Solitude” was recorded on May 9, 1941 (mx 30460-1) by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra. The orchestra consisted of Roy Eldrige (trumpet), Ernie Powell (clarinet, tenor sax), Lester Boone and Jimmy Powell (alto sax), Eddie Heywood (piano), Paul Chapman (guitar), Grachan Moncur (bass) and Herbert Crowens (drums). It was released in 1941 on the Okey label.

The Complete Billie Holiday On Columbia set is available from Amazon on CD as well as MP3 download.