The song of the day for Wednesday, April 29, 2026, is “Mood Indigo.”
About Today
Today is the anniversary of the birth of Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, who was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington, D.C. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Ellington, but Tony Bennett summed it up:
Duke Ellington was a genius. He was unfailingly courteous and generous, but he kept to himself a lot. Who else could understand the depth of what went on inside his brilliant mind?
About This Song
“Mood Indigo” was written in 1930 by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard, with lyrics by Irving Mills.
Originally titled “Dreamy Blues,” Ellington wrote this song, which is based on a theme by Barney Bigard, who is said to have learned it from his New Orleans clarinet teacher, Lorenzo Tio. Ellington wrote the song specifically for “microphone transmission” and it was first played on a 1930 radio broadcast. Audiences loved the song, and so Irving Mills wrote the lyric, changing the name of the song to “Mood Indigo.” The song has been widely recorded by instrumental and vocal artists, including Tony Bennett, Charles Mingus, Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “Mood Indigo” in May 1999 for Bennett Sings Ellington/Hot and Cool. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.
“Mood Indigo,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington/Hot and Cool, is available on Apple Music.
We’ve got a nice 1931 recording by Ellington of “Mood Indigo.”