Composed by Duke Ellington in 1935, with lyrics later added by Manny Kurtz and Irving Mills, "In A Sentimental Mood" is a lyrical jazz ballad that has become one of the most enduring pieces in the American popular songbook. Ellington wrote the tune spontaneously at a party in Durham, North Carolina, following a dance held in a tobacco warehouse, reportedly improvising it on the piano to calm two women who were upset beside him. First recorded on April 30, 1935, by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra for Brunswick Records, the original version featured alto saxophonist Otto "Toby" Hardwick, whose influence on the melody some historians have noted, though the composition is credited to Ellington. The tune's opening melodic phrase bears a resemblance to the chorus of George Gershwin's 1926 "Someone to Watch Over Me," sharing a similar seven-note ascending scale pattern before diverging. The song charted at number fourteen on the pop charts upon release and has since been recorded more than six hundred times across genres. Among the most celebrated versions is the 1962 collaboration between Ellington and John Coltrane, recorded for the album Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, which recast the piece in a slower, more modal setting that highlighted the contrast between Ellington's elegant piano and Coltrane's searching tenor. Django Reinhardt recorded a notable guitar-led interpretation with the Quintette du Hot Club de France as early as 1937, and Nancy Wilson's 1971 vocal rendition on But Beautiful remains a definitive treatment for many listeners.
