Come Sunday

For the album by Charlie Haden and Hank Jones, see Come Sunday (album). For the 2018 film, see Come Sunday (film).

"Come Sunday"
Song
Recorded	1943
Songwriter(s)	Duke Ellington

"Come Sunday" is a piece by Duke Ellington, which became a jazz standard. It was written as a part of the first movement of a suite entitled Black, Brown and Beige . Ellington was engaged for a performance at Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1943, for which he wrote the entire composition (that whole concert was released in 1977 as The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943 ). In 1958 he revised the suite and recorded it in its entirety for that year's album titled after the suite. ^[1] "Come Sunday" was originally a centerpiece for alto saxophone player Johnny Hodges; the 1958 album, which contained a vocal version of the piece with new lyrics by Ellington featuring gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, greatly increased its popularity. ^[2]

Notable recordings

• Duke Ellington – Black, Brown and Beige (rel. 1946), recording of 1943 Carnegie Hall concert ^[2]
• Duke Ellington – Black, Brown and Beige (1958, with Mahalia Jackson) ^[2]
• Abbey Lincoln – Abbey Is Blue (1959) ^[2]
• Dizzy Gillespie – A Portrait of Duke Ellington (1960) ^[2]
• Carmen McRae - Bittersweet (1964) ^[3]
• Eric Dolphy – Iron Man (rec: 1963, rel: 1968) ^[2]
• Jennifer Holliday – Say You Love Me (1985), Grammy Award Winner, Best Inspirational Performance, 1986 ^[4]
• Donna McElroy – Bigger World (1990) ^{[5] [6] [7]}
• Dee Dee Bridgewater – Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (1996) ^[8]

See also

• List of jazz standards

References

1. "Come Sunday". Jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
2. Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. pp. 66–68. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
3. "Bittersweet – Carmen McRae". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
4. "Jennifer Holliday". Recording Academy. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
5. Pitts, Leonard (August 23, 1990). "Music Reviews: DONNA MCELROY Bigger World (Warner/Reprise)". LA Weekly. p. 84. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
6. "Who's Nominated". Austin American Statesman. January 11, 1991. pp. F1. ProQuest   256129966. Here is complete list of nominations for the 33rd annual Grammy Awards: [...] Best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocal(s): Body and Soul, Tony Bennett, arr. by Jorge Calandrelli; Come Sunday, Donna McElroy, arr. by Mervyn Warren and Cedric Dent; Fumilayo, Dianne Reeves, arr. by George Duke; The Places You Find Love, Siedah Garrett and Chaka Khan, arr. by Jerry Hey, Glen Ballard, Clif Magness and Quincy Jones; Recipe for Love, Harry Connick Jr., arr. by Mark Shaiman and Harry Connick Jr.
7. Price, Deborah Evans (1996). "They're Playing My Song: 'Come Sunday'". Billboard. p. 32. "'Come Sunday' is a classic Duke Elligton song first made popular via his Sacred Concert series. This song has been performed and recorded by various artists over the years, including gospel/soul diva Donna McElroy. The most recent interpretation of the classic tune is the title cut of the gospel/jazz duo Allen & Allen's current CGI Records album." Retrieved July 7, 2023.
8. Dryden, Ken. "Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album - Dee Dee Bridgewater | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 July 2020.