The song of the day for Monday, May 7, 2018 is “Solitude.”
About This Song
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) in 1934. The lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills were added later, as was typical for many Ellington songs. It’s a 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
Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Solitude” in 1996 for the album Tony Bennett On Holiday, an album of songs sung by Billie Holiday. The album won the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.
“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from iTunes.
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