Black and Tan Fantasy / What Can a Poor Fellow Do?

by Duke Ellington

Black and Tan Fantasy / What Can a Poor Fellow Do? cover art
  • Type: Single
  • Released: 5 December 1927
  • Label: Victor
  • Country: United States
  • Community rating: 4.07/5 from 3 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

Fusing deep blues feeling with a remarkably sophisticated, minor-key orchestral arrangement, this recording solidified the band's residency at the Cotton Club. The composition highlights extreme tonal contrasts, featuring Bubber Miley's growling, plunger-muted trumpet against lush, elegant saxophones, culminating in a quotation of Chopin's Funeral March. It is a defining masterpiece of the highly stylized 'jungle' sound of late-1920s jazz.

Genres

Descriptors: instrumental, acoustic, melodic

Tracklist

  1. Black And Tan Fantasy
  2. What Can A Poor Fellow Do?

Credits

  • Duke Ellington and his Orchestra - primary artist, written-by
  • Bubber Miley - written-by
  • Billy Meyers - written-by
  • Elmer Schoebel - written-by

More from Duke Ellington: full discography