I've been hooked on a song for the past few weeks. I have just recently rediscovered this song. It was a song my parents listened to when I was young. The song, In a Sentimental Mood, is a jazz composition by Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington wrote it in 1935 and recorded it with his orchestra the same year.
Duke Ellington at the Hurricane Club in New York, May 1943.
Even though Ellington composed this song before my parents were born, his most popular version of it was a joint venture with jazz saxophonist John Coltrane. This version was recorded on September 26, 1962 and released on an album titled - Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. This was the version my parents quickly became fans of. I've later learned that my grandparents grooved to the original composition (from 1935) which featured solos by Otto Hardwicke, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, and Rex Stewart.
So this really is timeless music.
Sentimentality is a very unique and complex emotion. In my opinion, it walks a delicate line between sadness and joy. It's quite easy for me to get lost in another place when I hear this song. There's something strangely familiar and addictive about this tune and find myself hitting the replay button over and over. Maybe it's the (CESH) chromatic embellishment of static harmony that has me hooked. I don't know for sure but consistently, this tune leaves me in a relaxed and happy place.
So where does it leave you?
