“Mood Indigo”
Composed by Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard and Irving Mills; and arranged by Duke Ellington.
Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Victor on December 19, 1930 in New York.(*)
(*) Victor studio #2 – 145 East 24th Street.
Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Arthur Whetsel, first and solo trumpet; Freddie Jenkins and Cootie Williams, trumpets; Juan Tizol, valve trombone; Joseph Nanton, trombone; Johnny Hodges, alto saxophone/clarinet; Barney Bigard, clarinet; Harry Carney, baritone saxophone/clarinet; Fred Guy, banjo; Wellman (Breaux) Braud, bass; Sonny Greer, drums.
The story:
The story of the creation of “Mood Indigo,” like that of many successful compositions during the swing era, contains many twists and turns, and involves many people. Success, as history has taught, has many fathers while failure is an orphan. Confusion about “Mood Indigo” began almost immediately after it was composed.
“Mood Indigo” (as alleged by Duke) was composed for a radio broadcast by the Ellington band in October 1930. Subsequently over the next two months, three separate recordings of it were made, all by Duke Ellington, but each for a different record label, and each bearing a different identification for the Ellington band. The first recording was made on October 14, 1930 on the Okeh label (8840) as by The Harlem Footwarmers. The second was made just three days later, with the tune being misidentified (probably intentionally) on the Brunswick label (4952) as “Dreamy Blues,” and as by The Jungle Band. (1) Ellington then attempted to record it (as “Mood Indigo”) for Victor on November 21, 1930 (two takes), and again for Victor on December 10, 1930, (two more takes, with the last one (take four) being the final issued recording – Victor 22587. The identification of the band on that recording is Duke Ellington and His Cotton Club Orchestra.(2)
Ellington also stated that “(I)t was the first tune I ever wrote specially for microphone (radio?) transmission The next day wads of mail came in raving about the new tune, so Irving Mills put a lyric to it.” Although Mills took credit for composing the lyric for “Mood Indigo,” Mitchell Parish claimed in a 1987 interview that he had written that lyric, which was published in 1931. By 1987, Parish remained “…somewhat rueful, though no longer bitter” about it.(3)
Duke Ellington, at his most fanciful, told a tall tale that was widely repeated about the creation of “Mood Indigo” – that he wrote it in 15 minutes while waiting for his mother to finish cooking dinner on the night before its first recording. That is not true.
Barney Bigard, Duke’s star clarinetist from late 1927 to mid-1942, told a different story: “My old teacher Lorenzo Tio, Jr. had come to New York, and he had a little slip of paper with some tunes and parts of tunes that he had written. There was one I liked and I asked him if I could borrow it. He was trying to interest me in recording one or two maybe. Anyway, I took it home and kept fooling around with it. There was no front part in what Tio gave me. I changed some of it around, for instance the bridge on the second strain, and got something together that was mostly my own, but partly Tio’s. …I brought what I had of the number to the (recording) date and we tried to work it out. Duke figured out a first strain, but I gave him some ideas for it too. He wrote out a three-part harmony for the horns, (Arthur Whetsel on trumpet, lead; Bigard on clarinet, second; and Tricky Sam Nanton on trombone, third. See comments below regarding how Ellington voiced these three instruments.) We added my second strain and recorded it.” (4)
Based on this statement of Barney Bigard, the actual composers of the music for “Mood Indigo” were Lorenzo Tio, Jr., Barney Bigard and Duke Ellington. Based on the statement of Mitchell Parish, he wrote the lyric. Nevertheless, the substantial royalties for this song from 1930 to 1958 flowed to Irving Mills and Duke Ellington.
Mills, whose business it was to own copyrights, purchased Bigard’s share of the copyright for “Mood Indigo” for $25.00 (per Bigard’s Jazz Oral History Project interview with Patricia Willard, p. 97 of transcript). Bigard collected no royalties on the song from 1930 until 1959, when he recaptured his composer interest when the copyright was renewed. Nevertheless, the copyright and sheet music for “Mood Indigo” credit “words and music by Duke Ellington, Irving Mills and Albany Bigard.” Mitchell Parish, who worked for Mills in 1930, wrote the lyric for “Mood Indigo” but was never credited, and never received royalties. (This was also verified by Ellington, quoted in ‘The Duke Ellington Reader,’ p. 340).(5) (Above left: Barney Bigard – possibly thinking about the thousands of dollars he did not receive in royalties as a co-composer of “Mood Indigo.”)
The music:
Ellington took the traditional front-line of instruments—trumpet, trombone, and clarinet—and inverted them, utilizing their registers in a different way. At the time “Mood Indigo” was first recorded in 1930, the usual voicing of these horns would have been clarinet at the top (highest register), trumpet in the middle, and the trombone at the bottom (lowest register). In “Mood Indigo” Ellington voiced the trombone (with a pixie straight mute in the bell and a plunger cup in Nanton’s hand covering the instrument’s bell) at the top of its register; the cup-muted trumpet playing lead, in the middle; and the clarinet in its juicy low register. This was unheard of at the time, and also created (in the studio) a so-called “mic-tone”—an effect generated by the interaction of the overtones of the clarinet and muted trombone with the electric microphone used for recording. These so-called “mic-tone” gives the audio-illusion of the presence of a fourth “voice” or instrument. Ellington also used this effect in “Solitude” (1934), “Dusk” (1940), and many other pieces throughout his career. (At right: Arthur Whetsel – early 1930s.) (6)
The recording of “Mood Indigo” presented with this post is the Victor performance referred to above. It is not technically perfect, and it is less well-recorded than the Brunswick recording made on October 17, 1930 as “Dreamy Blues” (see below). But it is musically perfect. By the time Ellington made this recording, he had been performing and tinkering with “Mood Indigo” for about two months. It is clear that his objective in this recording was to evoke a quiet mood suffused with various emotions. Duke did do something new and unusual for music in the swing idiom by combining and the three instruments that play the main role in “Mood Indigo” as he did, but at the same time, the overall music he created is utterly simple, yet profoundly affecting. The dean of jazz historians, Dan Morgenstern, described this performance of “Mood Indigo” as having: “…a wonderfully evocative three in the morning sound.” (7)
The Ellington band performed and recorded “Mood Indigo” continuously throughout the years, both in its original form and as a vehicle for individual soloists. In this performance, Duke starts the music on the first strain, with no introduction. The song “…is not the standard pattern of four eight-bar sections A-A-B-A. (It) consists of two distinct sixteen-bar strains, and each has four sections of four bars, A-A1-B-A.” (8) My music guru, Dennis Roden, provided me with further insights: “So the form on this recording: A theme: 16 bars; piano interlude: 4 bars; trumpet solo over form: 16 bars; clarinet solo, which will become the 2nd theme in later recordings: 16 bars; return of A: 16 bars. No blues form here, but definitely a bluesy feel. throughout.
“Mood Indigo”
(Intentionally misidentified as “Dreamy Blues”)(2)
Composed by Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard and Irving Mills; and arranged by Duke Ellington.
Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra (as the Jungle Band) for Brunswick on October 17, 1930 in New York.
Duke Ellington, piano, directing: Arthur Whetsel, first and solo trumpet; Freddie Jenkins and Cootie Williams, trumpets; Juan Tizol, valve trombone; Joseph Nanton, trombone; Johnny Hodges, alto saxophone/clarinet; Barney Bigard, clarinet; Harry Carney, baritone saxophone/clarinet; Fred Guy, banjo; Wellman (Breaux) Braud, bass; Sonny Greer, drums.
This recording, made only three days after the first recording of “Mood Indigo” by the Ellington band, is interesting in a number of ways. First, the fidelity of this recording is better than the classic Victor recording presented above. Second, whereas the Victor seems to favor Joseph Nanton’s trombone in the instrumental mix with Arthur Whetsel’s trumpet and Barney Bigard’s clarinet, in this recording, Whetsel is most prominent. Third, this recording present’s Wellman Braud’s bass more prominently, and that is important because Duke was at the beginning of his experiments with more active bass lines in 1930, and the role of the bass in this music points in the direction that bass wizard Jimmie Blanton would travel when he arrived in the Ellington band at the end of the 1930s. The double-time flourishes that Braud plays behind Barney Bigard’s clarinet solo are very edgy for 1930, when many bass players, just transitioning to the string bass from the brass bass/tuba, were content to provide the harmonic foundation and the beat. (At left: Wellman Braud in the early 1930s.)
“Mood Indigo”
Composed by Duke Ellington, Barney Bigard (music); and Irving Mills (lyric )(*); arranged by Nelson Riddle.
(The lyric for “Mood Indigo” was actually written by Mitchell Parish.)
Recorded by Frank Sinatra for Capitol on February 16, 1955 in Los Angeles.(**)
(**) KHJ Studio C; 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.
Nelson Riddle, directing: Harry “Sweets” Edison, trumpet; Arthur Reismond “Skeets” Herfurt and Mahlon Clark, alto saxophone and clarinet; Irving “Babe” Russin and Ted Nash, tenor saxophone and clarinet; Warren C. “Champ” Webb, baritone saxophone and bass clarinet; Felix Slatkin (concertmaster), violin; Paul Shure, Harry Bluestone, Mischa Russell, violins; Alvin Dinkin and Eleanor Slatkin, celli; Kathryn Juyle, harp; Bill Miller, piano; George Van Eps, guitar; Phil Stephens, bass; Alvin Stoller, drums.
The story:
By the time he recorded In the Wee Small Hours Capitol LP, Frank Sinatra had experienced the end of two marital relationships. He and his first wife, Nancy Barbato, separated on Valentine’s Day 1950. While still married to Nancy, he began a relationship with Hollywood film actress Ava Gardner. He married Gardner ten days after he and Barbato were divorced in October 1951. But they were both complicated people involved in high-pressure careers, and their marital relationship was fraught with difficulties. That relationship was under great stress while Sinatra was preparing and then recording the 1953 LP Songs for Young Lovers.
Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra in the early 1950s. To say that Ava inspired Sinatra would be an understatement.
Gardner left Sinatra two months after the release of the 1954 Columbia feature film From Here to Eternity, and then divorced him in 1957. At the time she said, “We don’t have the ability to live together like any normal married couple.” It has been asserted by those in Sinatra’s orbit that the LP In the Wee Small Hours grouping of “love gone bad” songs, and his poignant renderings of them, were a direct result of his failing relationship with Gardner, to the point that these are called “Ava Songs”.
Conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle credited Sinatra’s loss of Gardner with his ability to sing the type of songs contained in this album. The failure of this relationship did not shatter Sinatra, but instead caused him to sing more emotionally. In the midst of these personal disturbances, Sinatra began selecting songs for a new album. He rehearsed each one of them thoroughly at home with Bill Miller, his accompanist. (At left: Nelson Riddle and Sinatra – mid-1950s.)
Sinatra’s vision for the album distinguished him from many other pop singers of the time, most of whom put out records that were little more than collections of already released singles. He created a firm distinction between songs intended as singles for radio airplay and for jukeboxes, and those songs he intended to package together in an album. Thus, the sessions intended for album releases tended to be more serious, with a focus on artistic experimentation rather than strict commercial success. (9)
The music:
Frank Sinatra’s recording of “Mood Indigo” presents him at the apogee of his singing skills. But Sinatra was much more than a great singer. He was deeply involved in selecting the material that went into the Capitol In the Wee Small Hours LP album. He worked diligently with Bill Miller to explore every nook and cranny of the music he wanted to record, and he also worked collaboratively with arranger Nelson Riddle to create what he wanted as musical settings for each tune that was included in the album. Sinatra wanted Riddle to “dig deeper” musically and emotionally, when writing the arrangements for In the Wee Small Hours. This LP is definitely a concept album: it evokes thoughts of lost love, late nights and uneasy solitude. In the Wee Small Hours is widely considered to be one of Sinatra’s greatest accomplishments.
He and Riddle decided that they would use orchestras of different size and instrumentation for many of the songs on the Wee Small Hours LP. In the case of “Mood Indigo,” it was a six-person string section, a five-person reed section, an four-person rhythm section, a harp and one trumpet. The one trumpet was played by Harry “Sweets” Edison, using a Harmon mute. The reed players doubled from their primary instruments. Lead alto saxophonist Skeets Herfurt also played flute. Mahlon Clark played the alto saxophone in the passages that called for that, but was largely used playing clarinet.
The large shadow of Duke Ellington is cast over much of the arrangement Nelson Riddle wrote for “Mood Indigo.” This is apparent from the eight bar introduction, which includes a piquant mixture of reeds and Edison’s muted trumpet at the beginning. Sinatra sings the A melody with subtle panache, supported by a Dukish blend of reeds including Skeets Herfurt on flute and Mahlon Clark on clarinet, atop a warm cushion of strings. His singing on the A1 melody is swathed in strings. (Above left: Harry “Sweets” Edison and his Harmon muted trumpet.)
A brief increase in tempo spiced by Bill Miller’s piano leads to Sinatra singing the B melody against a saxophone quintet slurp that Nelson Riddle included as a sly salute to his arranging colleague and friend, Billy May. The reeds continue to provide a soft unison cushion for Mr.S., and then Sweets Edison appears to provide some tasty trumpet asides. Notice how Riddle then harmonizes the reeds, with Mahlon Clark topping the sonic mix with his clarinet, yet another Riddle salute to Duke. Sinatra finishes this chorus against a warm mix of strings.
The next chorus spots the reeds, now with a flute, a clarinet, and Edison’s muted trumpet in a mix of sounds that once again strongly suggests Ellington, moving up in register as Sinatra on the A theme improvises a passage (…no, no, no…), then stretches his rhythms in the next tract to create a delightful climax for the performance. Then the last eight bars of the chorus and on into the finale.
This performance is a masterful musical mixture of a great song, a great singer and a great arrangement.
The recordings presented with this post were digitally remastered by Mike Zirpolo.
Notes and links:
(1) Barney Bigard, who was very much involved in composing “Mood Indigo,” said this about the supposed alternate title “Dreamy Blues”: “Somebody that was doing a discography asked me why the number came out first as ‘Dreamy Blues.’ That was never the title. I always called it ‘Mood Indigo,’ but maybe the record company put the wrong label on the record. I never heard of ‘Dreamy Blues.’ It was always ‘Mood Indigo’ to me, and I ought to know.” Barney Bigard, With Louis and the Duke (1980) 65.
(2) In the 1920s and early 1930s, there was a good deal of masquerading going on when it came to making records. Many bands that were actually contracted to record exclusively for one record label also recorded for other labels simply by changing their noms du disques, and/or by recording the same tune using different titles, for different labels.
(3) First reported by Dan Morgenstern in Giants of Jazz – Duke Ellington (1978), 38. Later confirmed by Mitchell Parish himself. See: Holden, Stephen (1987-02-01). “Theater; Mitchell Parish: A Way With Words”. New York Times. Mitchell Parish was born as Michael Hyman Pashelinsky on July 10, 1900 in Lithuania. He died on March 31, 1993 in Manhattan.
(4) Barney Bigard, With Louis and the Duke (1980) 64-65.
(5) Information about the events surrounding the creation and first recordings of “Mood Indigo” are derived from the research done by Ellington scholar Steven Lasker. See: https://tdwaw.ellingtonweb.ca/TDWAW1.html – October 14, 1930.
(6) The basic description of the instrumental combination used by Ellington in “Mood Indigo” is derived from the Wikipedia post on it.
(7) Dan Morgenstern in Giants of Jazz – Duke Ellington (1978), 38.
(8) Ken Rattenbury, Duke Ellington – Jazz Composer (1990) 91.
(9) The commentary about Frank Sinatra’s 1955 Capitol LP In the Wee Small Hours was extracted from the Wikipedia post on it.
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