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“‘Perdido’
is the perfect vehicle for him.
[Peterson] hits each note perfectly whether
with ferocity or tenderness.” |
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- Ben Maycock
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On December 3, 1941,
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra
recorded “Perdido” for Standard
Radio Transcription Services, a
company that provided leased programming
to radio stations. It is their January
21, 1942, recording of the song
on the Victor label, however, that
is regarded as their original recording.
A modest hit, “Perdido” entered
the pop charts on May 22, 1943,
rising to number twenty-one.
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In 1944 Ervin Drake and Hans
Lengsfelder were enlisted to fit
lyrics to the tune, though the song
was not generally sung with the
Ellington band, the exception being
Ella Fitzgerald on her 1957 recording
of Ella Fitzgerald Sings the
Duke Ellington Songbook.
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In Stuart Nicholson’s
Reminiscing in Tempo: A Portrait
of Duke Ellington, Juan
Tizol says he wrote “Perdido” on
a train while sitting next to
Herb Jeffries. The trombonist
then handed it to Ellington who
made an arrangement right then and
there, and that very night they
played it at a dance. A poster for
Ellington’s Tempo Music, included
in Nicholson’s book, bills “Perdido”
as “It’s Latin America in Jitterbug
Time.”
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“Perdido” is a driving composition
in the popular A-A-B-A form. Its
simplicity, short phrases, and irresistible
swing feeling have made it one of
the top vehicles for jazz jam sessions.
As a result, recordings of “Perdido”
are frequently ten minutes or more
in length, allowing for multiple
instrumental solos and variations
on the basic theme. One such
legendary
session finds Illinois Jacquet and
Flip Phillips partaking in a tenor
sax battle at a 1947 Carnegie
Hall set (The Complete Jazz at
the Philharmonic on Verve:
1944-1949.)
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Tizol’s tune clearly has no room
for complex or wordy lines, but
one has to wonder how much time
was spent on developing its lyrics.
The song begins “Perdido, I look
for my heart it’s Perdido” and then
the bridge, “High is the sun…” followed
by “Low is the moon…” The words
are not exactly clever. The Ervin
Drake and Hans Lengsfelder effort
seems little more than an afterthought
dashed off on a busy afternoon.
Minimal as they are, the lyrics
seldom draw critical comment, favorable
or unfavorable, although one music
website editorial declares, “They
don’t write ‘em like that now. Good
thing, too.” -JW
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Musical analysis of
“Perdido”
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| Original
Key |
Bb major |
| Form |
A – A –B
– A |
| Tonality |
Major throughout |
| Movement |
This tune
is highly motivic. “A” consists of a skip
and a step, alternating with an arpeggiated
figure before leaping up a major sixth and
down a fifth toward the end. “B” is a sustained
note that jumps down a fifth before ascending
step-wise and repeated once a whole step
lower. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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This is a favorite “jam” tune because of
its simplicity. “A” is merely a ii – V7
– I, repeated over and over, while “B” is
a circle of fifths similar to the bridge
of “I
Got Rhythm.” Each section is built from
motifs that repeat, making this tune easy
to learn and retain. |
K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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Add a comment and we'll credit you with a link
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“Perdido”
was included in these films:
- Next Stop, Greenwich Village
(1976, The Dave Brubeck Quartet)
- Another Woman (1988, Dave
Brubeck Quartet)
- The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989,
The Duke Ellington Orchestra)
- Blue Ice (1993, David Green,
bass; Anthony Kerr, vibes; Pete King, alto Sax;
Gerald Presencer, trumpet; Charlie Watts, drums;
Steve Williamson, tenor Sax)
And on stage:
- Sophisticated Ladies (1981,
1st time instrumental, 2nd time Judith Hamison,
Hinton Battle) Broadway musical
And on television:
- The Sopranos (2000, The Notables)
HBO TV series, Season 2, Episode 17 "Commendatori"
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Duke Ellington
Ellington Uptown
2004, Sony
Original recording, 1952, Legacy Recordings
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| Ten years after recording the song
for the first time, the Ellington Orchestra
explores the song’s possibilities and, in
the process, highlights its timelessness. |
The Quintet
Jazz at Massey Hall
1991, Original Jazz Classics #44
Original recording, 1953
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| The bebop super group of Charlie
Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus,
Bud Powell and Max Roach has a whole lotta
fun with this track. When not playing their
hearts out, the musicians are verbally egging
each other on. Even the audience cannot
contain itself. |
Oscar Peterson
My Favorite Instrument
1990, Polygram #821843
Original recording, 1968, Verve
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| The Canadian pianist struts his
stuff on this solo outing, and “Perdido”
is the perfect vehicle for him. Peterson
has the hands of a surgeon and hits each
note perfectly whether with ferocity or
tenderness. |
Carmen McRae
…Alive, Columbia Jazz Masterpieces
1994, Sony #57887
Original recording, 1965
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| This and the next recommendation
are for two very different versions of “Perdido”:
McRae gives it a seductive reading at mid-tempo,
alternately scatting through some of its
phrases… |
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Violinist Stuff Smith had a popular, swinging,
six-piece combo on 52nd Street starting in 1935.
By 1944 he had scaled the group down to a trio,
which, by 1945, included bassist Ted Sturgis and
pianist Billy Taylor. Now Dr. Taylor, he commented
about the trio prior to his joining it, “Stuff’s
trio at the Onyx in 1944 was one of the greatest,
most rhythmic trios I ever heard.”
The trio in 1945 wasn’t bad either, as is evidenced
by a recording of the group performing “Perdido”
at a Town Hall concert in 1945. The seven-minute
version of the tune is taken at a moderate tempo
and features great swinging solos by leader Smith
and Art Tatum-influenced Taylor.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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Additional information on “Perdido” may be found in:
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
2 paragraphs including the following types of information: music analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: performers.
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