"Sophisticated Lady" is a
jazz standard, composed as an instrumental in 1932 by
Duke Ellington.
Background
Additional credit is given to publisher
Irving Mills whose words were added to the song by
Mitchell Parish
Mitchell Parish (born Michael Hyman Pashelinsky; July 10, 1900 – March 31, 1993) was an American lyricist, notably as a writer of songs for stage and screen.
Biography
Parish was born to a Jewish family in Lithuania, Russian Empire in July 190 ...
. The words met with approval from Ellington, who described them as "wonderful—but not entirely fitted to my original conception". That original conception was inspired by three of Ellington's grade school teachers. "They taught all winter and toured Europe in the summer. To me that spelled sophistication."
Lawrence Brown, the trombone player in Ellington's band at the time, claimed that he was responsible for the main hook in the A section of the tune. Ellington paid him $15 for his contribution, but he was never officially credited.
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra introduced "Sophisticated Lady" in 1933
with an instrumental recording of the song that featured solos by
Toby Hardwick on alto sax,
Barney Bigard on clarinet, Lawrence Brown on trombone and Ellington on piano. The recording entered the charts on 27 May 1933 and rose to number three.
Singer
Adelaide Hall recorded with Ellington in 1927, 1932, and 1933,
but only recorded two versions of "Sophisticated Lady", in 1944 (with Phil Green And His Rhythm) and in 1976, on her album "Hall of Ellington." The song appeared on the soundtrack of the 1989/90 documentary celebrating her life entitled ''Sophisticated Lady''.
In his autobiography 'Music Is My Mistress' on p106 Ellington writes that 'George Gershwin once told Oscar Levant that he wished he had written the bridge to Sophisticated Lady, and that made me very proud'
Other recordings
*
Sylvia Brooks – ''
Dangerous Liaisons
''Dangerous Liaisons'' is a 1988 American period romantic drama film directed by Stephen Frears from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton, based on his 1985 play '' Les liaisons dangereuses'', itself adapted from the 1782 French novel of the s ...
'' (2009)
*
Casa Loma Orchestra – 1933
*
Chick Corea – ''Chick Corea Acoustic Band'' (1989)
*
Larry Coryell – ''Toku Do''
*
Billy Eckstine – 1947
*
Duke Ellington – ''Masterpieces by Ellington'' (1950)
*
Adelaide Hall – ''Adelaide Hall Live at the Riverside Studios''
*
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...
– ''
All or Nothing at All
"All or Nothing at All" is a song composed in 1939 by Arthur Altman, with lyrics by Jack Lawrence.
Frank Sinatra recording
Frank Sinatra's August 31, 1939 recording of the song, accompanied by Harry James and his Orchestra was a huge hit in 194 ...
'' (1956)
*
Stan Kenton
Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...
– ''
Kenton with Voices'' (1957)
*
Marcus Miller – ''
Silver Rain''
*
Mulgrew Miller and
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist.
Biography
Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...
– ''
The Duets'' (1999)
*
Charles Mingus – ''The Great Concert of Charles Mingus'' (1964)
*
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...
– ''Thelonious Monk Plays Ellington'' (1955)
*
Spud Murphy – ''Gone with the Woodwinds'' (1955)
*
Don Redman
Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher ...
– 1933
*
Box Scaggs – ''
But Beautiful, Standards Vol. 1 (2003)'' (2003)
*
Art Tatum
Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...
– 1933 and 1954
*
Toots Thielemans
Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whistl ...
with
Fred Hersch – ''Only Trust Your Heart'' (1988)
*
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – ''Can I Persuade You?'' (2001)
*
Sarah Vaughan -
After Hours (1961)
*
Abbey Lincoln
Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...
- ''Golden Lady'' (1981)
*
Dave Grusin
Robert David "Dave" Grusin (born June 26, 1934) is an American composer, arranger, producer, jazz pianist, and band leader. He has composed many scores for feature films and television, and has won numerous awards for his soundtrack and record w ...
- ''
Homage to Duke
''Homage to Duke'' is an album by American pianist Dave Grusin released in 1993, recorded for GRP Records, and is Grusin's interpretation of Duke Ellington's music.
The album was well received. In addition to Mood Indigo winning the 1994 Gramm ...
'' (1993)
*
Jaco Pastorius
John Francis Anthony "Jaco" Pastorius III (; December 1, 1951 – September 21, 1987) was an American jazz bassist, composer and producer. He recorded albums as a solo artist and band leader and was a member of Weather Report from 1976 to 1981. ...
- ''
Invitation'' (1983)
*
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...
- ''A Foreign Sound'' (2004)
*
Tony Bennett
Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birt ...
- ''
Cheek to Cheek
"Cheek to Cheek" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1934–35, specifically for the star of his new musical, Fred Astaire. The movie was ''Top Hat'', co-starring Ginger Rogers. '' (2014)
*
Ray Stevens
Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings " Everything Is Beautiful" and " Misty", as well as novel ...
- ''Melancholy Fescue'' (2021)
See also
*
List of 1930s jazz standards
References
External links
"Sophisticated Lady" at jazzstandards.comWho Was Duke's Sophisticated Lady?
{{Authority control
1930s jazz standards
1932 songs
Billie Holiday songs
Rosemary Clooney songs
Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs
Songs with music by Duke Ellington
Songs with lyrics by Irving Mills
Songs with lyrics by Mitchell Parish
Jazz songs
Jazz compositions in A-flat major