Duke Ellington (1953) FIRST RECORDING [SATIN DOLL]

"Satin Doll" was first recorded as an instrumental, and it was composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Johnny Mercer would add lyrics to the composition 5 years later. This performance is from Duke Ellington and his Orchestra and comes from his first recording session for Capitol records on April 6, 1953 in Hollywood, California.

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Some notes about the composition as found on

Composer: Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn

Lyricist: Johnny Mercer

Year: 1953

Origin: Recorded on Ellington’s first session for Capitol Records in 1953.

Style: Swing, usually played at a medium-slow tempo.

Form: A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Key: Most commonly played in C Major.

Harmony/Overview: The song is very functional and is made up almost entirely of II-V’s. The A sections are straightforward, although the 5th and 6th bars feature a not-so conventional turnaround to deceptively resolve back to the tonic: II-V of V followed by II-V of bV. Although seemingly illogical at first, the II - V of bV is really just a tri-tone substitution of an ordinary II - V - I. The bridge is identical to that of “Honeysuckle Rose”, beginning with a II-V of IVMaj7 that is followed by brief stay on II7 before a final II - V leads back to the tonic.

Recordings: This song has been recorded over 400 times to date. Duke Ellington introduced it as an instrumental on his first recording date for Capitol Records in 1953, and Johnny Mercer would later add lyrics to the piece. Although the song has become a sort of cliché in jazz circles, it continues to be performed by instrumentalists and vocalists alike.

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McCoy Tyner, Nights of Ballads & Blues, 1963
Dexter Gordon, Billie’s Bounce, 1964
Dewey Redman & Joshua Redman, African Venus, 1992

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