Jazz Changes

Songs from 1930 to 1953

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn

These 13 songs by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn date from 1930 to 1953, and Strayhorn wrote Lush Life and Take the A Train. Nearly all begin on records by Ellington's orchestra or players from it, while Lush Life is first performed at Carnegie Hall in 1948. Below, each decade follows the musicians who take the songs on, from Ivie Anderson and Art Tatum to Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Wynton Marsalis.

Through the years

  1. 1930s

    Nine of these songs are written in the 1930s, and seven get their first records. Ellington's orchestra records Mood Indigo in October 1930, It Don't Mean a Thing in 1932 with Ivie Anderson singing, and Solitude in 1934. Clarinetist Barney Bigard of the band makes the first Caravan record in 1936, and Art Tatum plays Sophisticated Lady alone at the piano in 1933.

    Duke Ellington Mood Indigo · 1930Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, vocal by Ivie Anderson It Don't Mean a Thing · 1932Duke Ellington Sophisticated Lady · 1933Art Tatum Sophisticated Lady · 1933Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Solitude · 1934Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra In a Sentimental Mood · 1935Barney Bigard and His Jazzopators Caravan · 1936Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Prelude to a Kiss · 1938
  2. 1940s

    Three more songs are written. The orchestra records Never No Lament in 1940, which gets words in 1942 as Don't Get Around Much Anymore. Take the A Train follows in 1941 with a trumpet solo by Ray Nance, then I Got It Bad with Ivie Anderson and C Jam Blues in 1942. In 1949 Coleman Hawkins plays Sophisticated Lady slowly, and Nat King Cole sings Lush Life with strings.

    Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1940Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, vocal by Ivie Anderson I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1941Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Take the "A" Train · 1941Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra C Jam Blues · 1942Nat King Cole Lush Life · 1949Coleman Hawkins and His Rhythm Sophisticated Lady · 1949
  3. 1950s

    Singers and small groups take over. Thelonious Monk records an album of Ellington songs in July 1955, and Ella Fitzgerald makes her first record with Ellington in 1957. Sonny Rollins plays Solitude with only bass and drums, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra sing, Clifford Brown and Max Roach play Take the A Train, and John Coltrane stretches Lush Life to 14 minutes. Satin Doll is recorded in April 1953.

    Duke Ellington Mood Indigo · 1950Duke Ellington Sophisticated Lady · 1950Milt Jackson Quintet Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1952Oscar Peterson Trio Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1952Oscar Peterson Trio I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1952Billie Holiday Solitude · 1952Duke Ellington Take the "A" Train · 1952Oscar Peterson Trio Take the "A" Train · 1952
    33 more
    Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet In a Sentimental Mood · 1953Duke Ellington In a Sentimental Mood · 1953The Dizzy Gillespie - Stan Getz Sextet It Don't Mean a Thing · 1953Duke Ellington Prelude to a Kiss · 1953Duke Ellington Satin Doll · 1953Dizzy Gillespie Caravan · 1954Sarah Vaughan Prelude to a Kiss · 1954Ben Webster Prelude to a Kiss · 1954Thelonious Monk Caravan · 1955Thelonious Monk Trio I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1955Thelonious Monk Trio It Don't Mean a Thing · 1955Frank Sinatra Mood Indigo · 1955Thelonious Monk Mood Indigo · 1955Thelonious Monk Trio Solitude · 1955Thelonious Monk Trio Sophisticated Lady · 1955Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet Take the "A" Train · 1955Bill Evans I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1956Ella Fitzgerald In a Sentimental Mood · 1956Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington Caravan · 1957Nat King Cole with Billy May's Orchestra Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1957Max Roach Quintet It Don't Mean a Thing · 1957Ella Fitzgerald Lush Life · 1957Nina Simone Mood Indigo · 1957Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne and Ray Brown Satin Doll · 1957Sonny Rollins Solitude · 1957Duke Ellington Solitude · 1957Clifford Jordan Sophisticated Lady · 1957Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington Take the "A" Train · 1957Mose Allison Trio Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1958Cannonball Adderley Sextet with Bill Russo Orchestra I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1958John Coltrane Lush Life · 1958Duke Ellington C Jam Blues · 1959Wes Montgomery and the Eddie Higgins Trio Prelude to a Kiss · 1959
  4. 1960s

    Ellington plays on many of the records himself. In April 1961 he and Louis Armstrong meet in the studio, their only time, and in 1962 he records with John Coltrane, with Coleman Hawkins, and in a trio with Charles Mingus and Max Roach. Strayhorn plays Lush Life himself in Paris in 1961, Johnny Hartman sings it with Coltrane's quartet in 1963, and Ella Fitzgerald sings with Ellington's orchestra in 1965.

    Tommy Flanagan Trio In a Sentimental Mood · 1960Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington C Jam Blues · 1961Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1961Red Garland Trio I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1961Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington It Don't Mean a Thing · 1961Billy Strayhorn Lush Life · 1961Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Mood Indigo · 1961Ella Fitzgerald Satin Doll · 1961
    19 more
    Sarah Vaughan Sophisticated Lady · 1961Oscar Peterson Trio C Jam Blues · 1962Duke Ellington with Charles Mingus and Max Roach Caravan · 1962Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Caravan · 1962Duke Ellington & John Coltrane In a Sentimental Mood · 1962Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins Mood Indigo · 1962Johnny Hodges Prelude to a Kiss · 1962Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach Solitude · 1962John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman Lush Life · 1963Charles Mingus Mood Indigo · 1963Wes Montgomery with the Johnny Pate Orchestra Caravan · 1964Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington C Jam Blues · 1965Jimmy Smith C Jam Blues · 1965Jimmy Smith Satin Doll · 1965Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington It Don't Mean a Thing · 1966Blossom Dearie Satin Doll · 1966The Dave Brubeck Quartet Take the "A" Train · 1967Oscar Peterson Trio Satin Doll · 1968Nancy Wilson Prelude to a Kiss · 1969
  5. 1970s

    Players stretch the songs out or strip them down. Charles Mingus plays C Jam Blues for about 24 minutes live in 1974, Kenny Burrell takes I Got It Bad to nearly ten minutes, and Archie Shepp's trio plays Solitude for nearly twelve. Ellington plays Satin Doll with only bass and drums in 1972. Joe Pass records a tribute album in Los Angeles in 1974, shortly after Ellington's death.

    Jim Hall and Ron Carter Prelude to a Kiss · 1972Duke Ellington Satin Doll · 1972Joe Pass Lush Life · 1973Charles Mingus C Jam Blues · 1974Dave Brubeck and Lee Konitz Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1974Kenny Burrell I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1974Joe Pass Solitude · 1974Joe Pass Sophisticated Lady · 1974
    4 more
    Kenny Burrell It Don't Mean a Thing · 1975Zoot Sims with Bill Holman Orchestra I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) · 1976Archie Shepp Trio Solitude · 1976McCoy Tyner Lush Life · 1977
  6. 1980s

    Milt Jackson and Joe Pass lead a quartet through an album of Ellington tunes in January 1980, including Take the A Train. Emily Remler's first album in 1981 has In a Sentimental Mood, Wynton Marsalis records Caravan with his quartet in 1986, and Harry Connick Jr. sings and plays Don't Get Around Much Anymore on the soundtrack of When Harry Met Sally... in 1989.

    Milt Jackson Quartet Take the "A" Train · 1980Emily Remler In a Sentimental Mood · 1981Wynton Marsalis Caravan · 1986Harry Connick Jr. Don't Get Around Much Anymore · 1989
  7. 1990s

    Joe Henderson records an album of Strayhorn's music in 1991 with Take the A Train and Lush Life, and wins a Grammy for Lush Life. Michel Petrucciani plays Take the A Train alone at the piano in 1993, and Elvin Jones names a 1994 album after It Don't Mean a Thing. Kenny Burrell records Satin Doll in 1995, and Dee Dee Bridgewater sings an all-Ellington album in 1996.

    Joe Henderson Lush Life · 1991Joe Henderson Take the "A" Train · 1991Elvin Jones It Don't Mean a Thing · 1993Kenny Burrell Satin Doll · 1995
  8. 2000s

    Sonny Rollins plays In a Sentimental Mood live in London in 2007, 54 years after his studio take with the Modern Jazz Quartet, now with a guitarist and a percussionist and no piano. Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra record It Don't Mean a Thing in 2002, Marianne Faithfull sings Solitude in 2008, and Kurt Elling sings Lush Life at Lincoln Center in 2009.

    Sonny Rollins In a Sentimental Mood · 2007
  9. 2010s

    John Pizzarelli plays C Jam Blues in 2010 with Harry Allen and Aaron Weinstein, bringing violin and tenor saxophone into the lineup, as in Ellington's 1942 band. Ahmad Jamal plays I Got It Bad on his 2013 album Saturday Morning, and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga sing It Don't Mean a Thing on their 2014 album Cheek to Cheek.

    John Pizzarelli C Jam Blues · 2010
  10. 2020s

    Jim Campilongo and Luca Benedetti play Mood Indigo as a duet for two guitars on the 2020 album Two Guitars. Saxophonist Julieta Eugenio plays Sophisticated Lady with a bass and drums trio, the only cover on her 2024 album Stay. In 2026 Cécile McLorin Salvant sings it with the Metropole Orkest, conducted by Jules Buckley, on With Every Breath I Take.

The tunes