Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, music · Johnny Mercer, lyrics (c. 1959) · Recorded by Ellington's orchestra for Capitol, April 1953
Satin Doll
A 32-bar song by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, with a later lyric by Johnny Mercer. Most of its chords come in ii–V pairs, so it is a common first tune for learning changes. You will hear it from big bands, piano trios, guitarists, organists and singers.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Duke Ellington✓
- 2 Hear the words Ella Fitzgerald✓
- 3 Hear the composer play it Duke Ellington✓
- 4 Follow a trio through solos Oscar Peterson Trio✓
- 5 Hear it without a piano Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne and Ray Brown✓
- 6 Add the organ Jimmy Smith✓
- 7 Hear a second singer Blossom Dearie✓
- 8 Hear a newer trio Kenny Burrell✓
How the tune works
Each chorus is 32 bars in C, laid out A, A, B, A. Every A is eight bars of ii–V pairs: Dm7 to G7, then Em7 to A7 (the same shape a step higher), then Am7 to D7, then A♭m7 to D♭7 sliding into Cmaj7. The bridge moves to F for four bars (Gm7, C7, Fmaj7, Fmaj7), then to G for two bars (Am7, D7), then comes home with Dm7 and G7 to lead into the last A.
The changes soloists usually play, in C. Lead sheets often write each opening pair twice in a row, such as Dm7 G7 in bar 1 and again in bar 2. Soloists play one chord per bar, as shown here.
Bar 8 plays A7 the first time through the A section, as a turnaround back to Dm7, and Cmaj7 after the second A. The source does not list the last A separately, so it is charted like the second. Bar 24 is sometimes just G7. Fuller charts write bar 5 as Am7♭5 D7♭9 and bar 6 as A♭m7 D♭7(9). The A♭m7 D♭7 pair in bar 6 stands in for the G7 and leads to Cmaj7 (JazzStandards.com analysis, which also places the bridge in F and then G). Another online chart (jazz-circle.com) writes bars 7 and 8 differently, as Cmaj7 A7 and Dm7 G7.
Source: Bruno Pelletier: Satin Doll lead sheet and solo changes
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗You hear Ellington's orchestra first, then Ella Fitzgerald with the Mercer lyric and Ellington's own piano trio. A piano trio, a guitar trio and an organ trio follow, then a second singer and a newer guitar trio.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 1953
Capitol single 2458
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Count the chorus in four groups of eight bars: A, A, B, A. The bridge is the group that moves to a different key area, F and then G.
- Try this
- Play only the root of each chord from the chart's first A section along with the recording, one chord at a time. If you lose your place, wait for the next A and come back in.
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Step 2 · Hear the words Now playing
Ella Fitzgerald 1961
“Satin Doll (Live At The Crescendo, 1961)”, Ella in Hollywood
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Her backing is a quartet of piano, guitar, bass and drums. Compare that small sound with the full orchestra on step 1.
- Try this
- Play the chart's chords under her voice for one A section. If that is too busy, play only the roots.
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Step 3 · Hear the composer play it Now playing
Duke Ellington 1972
“Satin Doll (Live at the Whitney Museum, 1972)”, Live at the Whitney
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- The band is only piano, bass and drums, so each part is easy to pick out. Follow the bass against the roots in the chart.
- Try this
- Play the melody once with the recording, then again with the chart's chords under it.
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Step 4 · Follow a trio through solos Now playing
Oscar Peterson Trio 1968
The Way I Really Play
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Count the 32-bar choruses by the chart. A take of almost ten minutes goes through the changes several times.
- Try this
- Tap the first beat of every bar for one full chorus while you read the chart. Players who can solo over changes can then take a chorus of their own; everyone else can play the roots.
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Step 5 · Hear it without a piano Now playing
Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne and Ray Brown 1957
The Poll Winners
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- With only guitar, bass and drums, the guitar plays the tune and the chords while the bass supplies the roots. Follow the roots in the chart against Ray Brown's bass.
- Try this
- Play the chart's A section on any chord instrument with the recording, roots low and chords above. If that is too much, play roots only.
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Step 6 · Add the organ Now playing
Jimmy Smith 1965
Organ Grinder Swing
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Only organ, guitar and drums are credited. Listen for the low notes under the organ and compare them with the roots in the chart.
- Try this
- Play the roots of the chart's A section on any low instrument along with the recording, one chord at a time.
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Step 7 · Hear a second singer Now playing
Blossom Dearie 1966
“Satin Doll (Live)”, Blossom Time at Ronnie Scott's
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Here the singer accompanies herself on piano, with bass and drums. Compare that with the quartet behind Ella Fitzgerald on step 2.
- Try this
- Sing or hum the melody with her while you read the chart. Then play the roots of the first A section under the next chorus.
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Step 8 · Hear a newer trio Now playing
Kenny Burrell 1995
Lotus Blossom
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- Compare this guitar, bass and drums trio with the 1957 Kessel trio on step 5. The lineup is the same kind, recorded 38 years apart.
- Try this
- Hum the roots from the chart along with this recording, then do the same with step 5 and compare how each trio moves through the chart.
More great versions
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Duke Ellington and His Orchestra 1958
Duke Ellington at the Bal Masque
Ellington's orchestra recorded the tune again in 1958 for the Columbia album At the Bal Masque, a set of dance music.
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Red Garland Trio 1959
Satin Doll
Pianist Red Garland recorded a nearly ten-minute trio version at Van Gelder Studio in August 1959, with Doug Watkins on bass and Specs Wright on drums.
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Wes Montgomery Trio 1959
The Wes Montgomery Trio
Wes Montgomery plays guitar with organist Melvin Rhyne and drummer Paul Parker, recorded in New York in October 1959.
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Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie 1963
Ella and Basie!
Ella Fitzgerald sings the Mercer lyric with the Count Basie orchestra in arrangements by Quincy Jones, recorded in New York in July 1963.
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Bud Powell Trio 1963
Bud Powell in Paris
Bud Powell recorded the tune in Paris in February 1963, with Gilbert Rovere on bass and Kansas Fields on drums.
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McCoy Tyner Trio 1963
Nights of Ballads & Blues
McCoy Tyner recorded the tune in March 1963 with Steve Davis on bass and Lex Humphries on drums, for his Impulse!