“In A Mellow Tone” | Stories of Standards

Tune in to First Take with Lando and Chavis – weekdays from 6-9 am MT – for Stories of Standards to hear our favorite versions of this song all week long!

Duke Ellington wrote “In a Mellow Tone” (1939) as a variation on “Rose Room” (1917) by Art Hickman, using the same chord changes with an added riff and a number of solos. Also known as “In a Mellotone”, musicians responded with enthusiasm to the changes and went on to make many notable recordings. The lyrics appear to have been added several years later and were credited to record producer Milt Gabler of Commodore Records who later went on to Decca Records.

Duke Ellington (1899-1974) was one of the best known and best loved band directors, composers and musicians of the twentieth century. His compositions and arrangements were tailored to highlight and celebrate the talents of the musicians he gathered in his band from 1923 until his death in 1974 and he was known to prefer arranging music to performing it. From a very early age he was known for the impeccable taste which led to the nickname “Duke”.

Having developed a love of jazz, Milt Gabler (1911-2001) in 1926 started helping turn his father’s radio shop into a leading New York record store, the Commodore Music Shop. In 1935 he became one of the first producers of re-issued records and started recording new songs in 1938 using the Commodore label. Artists included Eddie Condon, Billie Holiday (issuing “Strange Fruit” after Columbia refused to do so), Coleman Hawkins and Jelly Roll Morton among many others. While he hoped to release all the gold records, his nephew Billy Crystal produced a CD tribute and a compilation of Billie Holiday’s Commodore releases.