In a Mellow Tone
"In a Mellow Tone", also known as "In a Mellotone", is a 1940 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written later by Milt Gabler.[1] The song's chord changes are based on the 1917 standard "Rose Room" by Art Hickman and Harry Williams,[2] which Ellington had recorded in 1932.[3]
Ellington and his orchestra made the original recording of "In a Mellotone" (with that styling) on September 5, 1940. It features solos by bassist Jimmy Blanton, trumpeter Cootie Williams, and alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges,[4] who plays in double-time.[2] The recording is collected on The Blanton–Webster Band compilation.
The version with lyrics and the better-known alternate title ("In a Mellow Tone") was first recorded by The Mills Brothers in 1955.[5] The song has gone on to be recorded more than 400 times.[6]
Howard Stern used a recording of this song from Ellington's 1960 Blues in Orbit album as the opening theme to The Howard Stern Show from 1987 to 1994.
Other notable recordings
[edit]- Red Norvo (1943)
- Erroll Garner – Contrasts (1954)
- Clark Terry – Duke with a Difference (1957)
- Chico Hamilton with Eric Dolphy – The Original Ellington Suite (1958)
- Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1958)
- Ben Webster (with Coleman Hawkins and Roy Eldridge) – Ben Webster and Associates (1959)
- Count Basie – Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (1959)
- Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross – The Hottest New Group in Jazz (1960)
- Billy May – Cha Cha! Billy May (1960)
- Coleman Hawkins with Eddie Lockjaw Davis – Night Hawk (1960)
- Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington – The Great Summit (1961)
- Harry James – 1964 Live! In The Holiday Ballroom Chicago (Jazz Hour Compact Classics JH-1001, 1989)[7]
- Oscar Peterson – Mellow Mood (1968)
- Paul Gonsalves – Humming Bird (1970)
- Buddy Rich – "Very Alive at Ronnie Scotts" (1971)
- Nick Brignola – L.A. Bound (1979)
- Art Pepper and George Cables – Goin’ Home (1982)
- McCoy Tyner - Revelations (1989)
- Maynard Ferguson – Live from London (1994)
- Marcus Roberts – Plays Ellington (1995)
- Bob Wilber and Dick Hyman – A Perfect Match (1997)
- Tony Bennett – Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool (1999)
- Clare Teal – Don't Talk (2004)
- Royce Campbell – A Tribute to Charlie Byrd (2004)
- Bill Wurtz – (2011)
Notes
[edit]- ^ Douglas Martin, "Milton Gabler, Storekeeper of the Jazz World, Dies at 90", The New York Times, July 25, 2001.
- ^ a b "In a Mellotone" at JazzStandards.com; retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 193–4. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
- ^ The Indispensable Duke Ellington, Volumes 5/6, 1940, Jazz Tribune No. 33, BMG France ND 89750, 1992.
- ^ "In a Mellow Tone by Mills Brothers". SecondHandSongs.com, Accessed June 26, 2025.
- ^ "In a Mellotone". SecondHandSongs.com, Accessed June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Harry James And His Orchestra – Live 1964 In Holiday Ballroom Chicago". Discogs. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
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