In a Sentimental Mood

Duke Ellington wrote and recorded In a Sentimental Mood in 1935. Over the years, it has become one of the most recorded jazz ballads and a favorite among musicians for its rich harmony, lyrical melody, and flexible phrasing. In this lesson, you will learn to play the melody of In a Sentimental Mood and a solo over its chord changes.

The original version and many later recordings are in F major, with the bridge moving to Db major.

In a Sentimental Mood starts with a classic descending line cliché played over a minor chord.

Dm → Dm(maj7) → Dm7 → Dm6

This creates a smooth chromatic descending line that you can use in your own solos:

D → C# → C → B

The same harmonic idea is then applied to G minor:

Gm → Gm(maj7) → Gm7 → Gm6

You’ll often hear this line cliché in jazz ballads because it adds movement to a static chord. This inner voice movement gives the song its melancholic feel.

 

Recommended Listening:

• Duke Ellington and His Orchestra – In a Sentimental Mood (1935)
• Django Reinhardt – Quintette du Hot Club de France (1937)
• Sonny Rollins – Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet (1953)
• Duke Ellington & Ella Fitzgerald (with Barney Kessel) – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book (1957)
• Jean “Toots” Thielemans – Time Out for Toots (1958)
• Sarah Vaughan (with Mundell Lowe) – After Hours (1961)
• Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963)
• Dexter Gordon Quartet – Stable Mable (1975)
• Emily Remler – Firefly (1981)
• Michel Petrucciani (with Jim Hall) – Power of Three (1987)
• Chet Baker – Chet on Poetry (1989)
• Joe Pass – Summer Nights (1990)
• Mark Withfield – The Marksman (1990)
• Doug Raney Quartet – Listen (1994)
• Kevin Eubanks – Live at Bradley’s (1994)
• Larry Coryell – Inner Urge (2001)
• Pat Martino – Formidable (2017)

 

 

Video & Sheet Music/Guitar Tabs

The melody of In a Sentimental Mood is a great way to practice ballad phrasing. Instead of playing every note with strict timing, try to shape each phrase naturally and leave space between your ideas.

The solo blends classic jazz and blues language with ideas from Emily Remler’s version of the song.

Form: AABA (32 bars)
Key: F major

 

 

Backing Track

Listen & Play-Along

 

 

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