The combination of Duke Ellington’s superb piano playing and John Coltrane’s saxophone makes for a very beautiful piece of music.
The song was originally written by Ellington in 1935, apparently spontaneously to calm a fight down! This version is on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane, released in 1963.
There’s barely a note out of place, with the whole song presenting a rich tapestry of melodies.
The song is mostly very delicate, with a heavier section at around three minutes. The original Ellington version is much more haunting piece, with richer instrumentation, but the central piano riff in the ’63 version is just a wonderful musical element that really goes well with Coltrane’s sax playing.
It’s a very famous jazz song, and quite easy on the ear compared to some of Coltrane’s more out there free jazz!