C Jam Blues

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C Jam Blues
by Duke Ellington
"C Jam Blues" performed by Ellington in the 1942 short film Jam Session
Key C major
Genre Jazz
Form Twelve-bar blues
Composed1941 (1941)

"C Jam Blues" is a jazz standard composed in 1942 by Duke Ellington. One of his most famous pieces, [1] it has been performed by countless other musicians, such as Dave Grusin, Django Reinhardt, Oscar Peterson, and Charles Mingus.

Contents

Background

As the title suggests, the piece follows a twelve-bar blues form in the key of C major. The tune is well known[ according to whom? ] for being extremely easy to play, with the entire melody featuring only two notes: G and C.

A performance typically features several improvised solos. The melody likely originated from the clarinetist Barney Bigard in 1941, but its origin is not perfectly clear. [2]

It was also known as "Duke's Place", [3] with lyrics added by Bill Katts, Bob Thiele and Ruth Roberts. [2]

Notable performances

References

Citations

  1. Schuller 1992, p. 47.
  2. 1 2 "C Jam Blues (1942)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  3. "C-Jam Blues by Duke Ellington/arr. Rick Stitzel". J.W. Pepper Sheet Music . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  4. Mashon, Mike (December 1, 2015). "Duke Ellington on the National Film Registry: Jam Session (1942)". Now See Hear! (Blog). The Library of Congress . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  5. San Antonio Rose. Tiffany Transcriptions page 351.
  6. Tracey, Ed (September 18, 2016). "Odds & Ends: News/Humor (with a "Who Lost the Week?" poll)". Daily Kos . Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  7. "Mulgrew Miller Discography". jazzdisco.org. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  8. "Newport 1958". Dave Brubeck Jazz. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 6, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. Dryden, Ken. "Newport 1958: Brubeck Plays Ellington Review". AllMusic . Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  10. "Legendary saxophonist dies". Deaths. The Robesonian . The Associated Press. July 23, 2004. p. 8A. Retrieved January 11, 2025.

Sources