"Come Sunday" is a sacred jazz piece by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous Big band, jazz orchestra from 1924 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D ...

that has become a

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

. It was written as a part of the first movement of a suite entitled ''

Black, Brown and Beige ''Black, Brown and Beige'' is an extended jazz work written by Duke Ellington for his first concert at Carnegie Hall, on January 23, 1943. It tells the history of African Americans and was the composer's attempt to transform attitudes about race, ...

''.

History

Ellington was engaged for a performance at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

on January 23, 1943, for which he wrote the entire composition (that whole concert was released in 1977 as '' The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943''). In 1958 he revised the suite and recorded it in its entirety for that year's album titled after the suite. "Come Sunday" was originally a centerpiece for alto saxophone player

Johnny Hodges Johnny Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophone, alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on sop ...

; the 1958 album, which contained a vocal version of the piece with new lyrics by Ellington featuring gospel singer

Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...

, greatly increased its popularity.

Notable recordings

– ''

'' (rel. 1946), recording of 1943 Carnegie Hall concert *

– ''

'' (1958, with

) *

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

– '' A Portrait of Duke Ellington'' (1960) *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpretati ...

- '' Bittersweet'' (1964) *

Jennifer Holliday Jennifer Yvette Holliday (born October 19, 1960) is an American singer and actress. She started her career on Broadway in musicals such as ''Dreamgirls'' (1981–83), '' Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'' (1980–1981) and later became a ...

– '' Say You Love Me'' (1985), Grammy Award Winner, Best Inspirational Performance, 1986 *Donna McElroy – ''Bigger World'' (1990)Price, Deborah Evans (1996)
"They're Playing My Song: 'Come Sunday'"
''Billboard''. p. 32. "'Come Sunday' is a classic Duke Elligton song first made popular via his Sacred Concert series. This song has been performed and recorded by various artists over the years, including gospel/soul diva Donna McElroy. The most recent interpretation of the classic tune is the title cut of the gospel/jazz duo Allen & Allen's current CGI Records album." Retrieved July 7, 2023.

References

1940s jazz standards 1943 songs Compositions by Duke Ellington Jennifer Holliday songs Mahalia Jackson songs Real Book Song {{1940s-jazz-composition-stub

History

Notable recordings

See also

References