This recording of "In My Solitude" comes from Stephen Riley's 2007 album Once Upon a Dream, presenting Duke Ellington's iconic ballad in an intimate tenor saxophone setting. Composed by Ellington with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills, "Solitude" debuted in 1934 and quickly became one of the composer's most enduring works, covered by artists from Billie Holiday to Ella Fitzgerald. Riley delivers a single chorus of the 32-bar AABA form in D-flat at a tender ballad tempo of 58 BPM, allowing ample space for his warm, breathy tone to inhabit each phrase. His Lester Young-influenced approach is especially well suited to this material, where restraint and melodic sensitivity matter more than technical display. The unhurried pacing lets Riley explore the harmonic nuances of Ellington's writing, bending notes and shaping phrases with the careful attention of a storyteller. Bassist John Brown contributes a half-chorus solo at a similarly relaxed 60 BPM, adding a quietly conversational counterpoint. The performance captures the essence of the ballad tradition in jazz, where the beauty of a melody is honored even as it is reimagined through improvisation, and Riley demonstrates that a single well-crafted chorus can be as compelling as a dozen.
