In a Sentimental Mood


"In a Sentimental Mood" is a jazz composition by Duke Ellington. He composed the piece in 1935 and recorded it with his orchestra during the same year. Lyrics were written by Manny Kurtz; Ellington's manager Irving Mills gave himself a percentage of the publishing, so the song was credited to all three. Other popular versions in 1935/36 were by Benny Goodman and by Mills [Blue Rhythm Band]. The opening notes of the song's melody resemble Gershwin's 1926 "Someone to [Watch Over Me |Someone To Watch Over Me]".

Background

According to Ellington, the song was born in Durham, North Carolina. "We had played a big dance in a tobacco warehouse, and afterwards a friend of mine, an executive in the North Carolina Mutual [Life Insurance Company|North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company], threw a party for Amy. I was playing piano when another one of our friends had some trouble with two chicks. To pacify them, I composed this there and then, with one chick standing on each side of the piano." The recording featured solos by Otto Hardwicke, Harry Carney, Lawrence Brown, and Rex Stewart.
Ellington recorded a version with John Coltrane which appears on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. The original was recorded in F major, starting on D minor and with the bridge in D-flat major. But the Ellington and Coltrane version was performed in B-flat minor or D-flat major, with an interlude in A major.

Other versions

In the Netherlands, the chords at the beginning are a well-known part of the song since the 1960s, due to its use as the theme of Simon Carmiggelt, one of the country's most famous writers, when he was reading his columns on national television.