Ellington Indigos

Ellington Indigos is a 1958 jazz album by Duke Ellington.

Ellington Indigos
Photo: Roy DeCarava
Studio album by Duke Ellington
Released	1958
Recorded	March 13, September 9 to October 14, 1957
Genre	Jazz
Length	44:36
Label	Columbia
Producer	Irving Townsend
Duke Ellington chronology
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957) Ellington Indigos (1958) Black, Brown and Beige (1958)
Ellington Indigos (reissue)
A CD reissue cover.

The stereo CD reissue released by Columbia (CK 4444) in 1987 contains a track listing and cover art that is drastically different from the original mono LP. A change in song order and two "new" songs — "Night and Day" and "All The Things You Are" — were added to the CD while "The Sky Fell Down" was omitted.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	link
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings

LP (Columbia CL1085)

Side one

1. "Solitude" — 4:43
     (Duke Ellington)
     Soloist is Duke Ellington on piano.
     Recorded on October 14, 1957.
2. "Where or When" — 4:02
     (Richard Rodgers)
     Soloist is Paul Gonsalves on tenor saxophone.
     Recorded on October 10, 1957.
3. "Mood Indigo" — 3:07
     (Duke Ellington/Barney Bigard)
     Soloist is Shorty Baker on trumpet.
     Recorded on September 9, 1957.
4. "Autumn Leaves" — 7:10
     (Music: Joseph Kosma, Lyrics: Jacques Prévert/Johnny Mercer)
     Vocalist is Ozzie Bailey.
     Soloist is Ray Nance on violin.
     Recorded on Oct 1, 1957.

Side two

1. "Prelude to a Kiss" — 4:44
     (Duke Ellington)
     Soloist is Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone.
     Recorded on October 1, 1957.
2. "Willow Weep for Me" — 4:15
     (Ann Ronell)
     Soloist is Shorty Baker on trumpet.
     Recorded on October 10, 1957.
3. "Tenderly" — 5:23
     (Walter Gross)
     Soloist is Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet.
     Recorded on September 9, 1957.
4. "Dancing in the Dark" — 4:28
     (Arthur Schwartz)
     Soloist is Harry Carney on baritone saxophone.
     Recorded on October 1, 1957.

CD (Columbia COL 4723642)

1. "Solitude"
2. "Where or When"
3. "Mood Indigo"
4. "Night and Day" — 2:54
     (Cole Porter)
     Soloist is Paul Gonsalves on tenor saxophone.
     Recorded on October 10, 1957.
5. "Prelude to a Kiss"
6. "All the Things You Are" — 3:50
     (Jerome Kern)
     Soloist is Duke Ellington on piano.
     Recorded on October 10, 1957.
7. "Willow Weep for Me"
8. "Tenderly"
9. "Dancing in the Dark"
10. "Autumn Leaves"
11. "The Sky Fell Down"

Different versions

The original mono (CL 1085) and stereo (CS 8053) LP issues contained some different takes between them on various tracks, "Willow Weep for Me" being one of them.

The CD (CBS 463342 2) liner notes say that "All The Things You Are and "Night and Day" were previously unreleased versions and that "Autumn Leaves" was an alternate take. Analyzing the two versions of "Autumn Leaves" shows that they are identical — but the LP has Ozzie Bailey's first vocal chorus (a French one) edited out. (There is indeed an alternate version of "Autumn Leaves" recorded September 9, 1957 available, on Duke Ellington & His Great Vocalists (Columbia CK 66372).) The stereo versions of "Mood Indigo" and "Willow Weep for Me" are different from their mono counterparts.

There are a multitude of versions of this album in circulation. For instance, there is another mono take of "Mood Indigo" available on the LP (CBS 88653 side 2, track 6).

Listing

• LP: Columbia CL 1085 (mono — 9 tracks — original album)
• LP: Columbia CS 8053 (stereo — 8 tracks — no "The Sky Fell Down")
• LP: CBS 88653 (stereo — 8 tracks — no "The Sky Fell Down")
• CD: Columbia CK 4444 (stereo — 10 tracks — no "The Sky Fell Down")
• CD: CBS 463342 2 (stereo — 10 tracks — no "The Sky Fell Down")
• CD: Columbia COL 4723642 (stereo — 11 tracks — French)

Personnel

Performance

• Duke Ellington (piano)
• Jimmy Woode (bass)
• Sam Woodyard (drums)
• Paul Gonsalves (tenor saxophone)
• Jimmy Hamilton, Russell Procope (clarinet, alto saxophone)
• Harry Carney (baritone saxophone)
• Johnny Hodges, Rick Henderson (alto saxophone)
• John Sanders, (bass trombone)
• Quentin Jackson, Britt Woodman (trombone)
• Cat Anderson, Shorty Baker, Willie Cook, Clark Terry (trumpet)
• Ray Nance (trumpet, violin)
• Ozzie Bailey (vocal)

Credits

• Irving Townsend (producer)
• Stanley Dance (liner notes)
• Allen Weinberg (artwork, cover design)
• David Gahr (photography)
• Michael Brooks (digital producer)
• Larry Keyes (remixing)
• Mike Berniker, Amy Herot (production & Jazz masterpieces series coordinators)