Prelude to a Kiss (song)

This article is about the Duke Ellington composition. For other uses, see Prelude to a Kiss (disambiguation).

"Prelude to a Kiss" is a 1938 song composed by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Mills.

Background and Composition

This composition is in the key of C Major, but makes extensive use of the secondary dominant chords, secondary ii–V–I progressions, and Cadence (music)#Interrupted (deceptive) cadences. The song extremely chromatic and complex, employing sophisticated mathematics that were rare at this time in jazz: Most notably, Ellington uses a set of rising semitones (G-G#-A-A#-B) at the end of the bridge, and then uses an exact mirror going back into the A section (B-A#-A-G#-G).

By the late 1930s, Swing music was at the height of its popularity. Using his fame and artistic freedom, Ellington became more ambitious and experimental, writing "Prelude to a Kiss" which abandoned the Tin Pan Alley style hooks and dance tempo, for melodic lines and harmonies found more often in classical music. Ellington originally recorded this piece as an instrumental in August 1938, before returning to the studio a few week later to record it as a vocal number, using lyrics by Irving Gordon and Irving Mills, with a young and relatively unknown Mary McHugh.

Reception

Outside of jazz musicians and historians, Prelude to a Kiss remains one of the lesser known Ellington songs. Prominent jazz historian, Gunther Schuller, described Prelude to a Kiss as "One of Ellington's finest ballads, although too sophisticated in its weaving melody and chromatic harmonies to gain wide public acceptance."

Film usage

The 1992 film Prelude to a Kiss derived its title from the Duke Ellington/Irving Gordon/Irving Mills tune and was performed by Deborah Harry during the opening credits of the movie.

Notable recordings

• Billy Eckstine - single (1953)
• Billie Holiday - Velvet Mood (1956)
• Johnny Mathis - Johnny Mathis (1956), A New Sound In Popular Song (1957) and In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington (1990)
• Sarah Vaughan - Swingin' Easy (1957)
• June Christy - Big Band Specials (1962), A Friendly Session, Vol. 1 (2000) with the Johnny Guarnieri Quintet and Cool Christy (2002 compilation of 1945-1951)
• Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1958)
• Archie Shepp - Fire Music (1965)
• Nancy Wilson - But Beautiful (1969)
• Jim Hall and Ron Carter - Alone Together (1972)
• Singers Unlimited - Just In Time (1977)
• Nelson Rangell - Nelson Rangell (1990)
• Debbie Harry recorded the song for the film Prelude to a Kiss in 1992. This was released a promotional CD single.
• Nnenna Freelon - Heritage (1993)
• Roberta Flack - Roberta (1994)
• Brad Mehldau - Introducing Brad Mehldau (1995)
• Jeri Southern - The Southern Style/Prelude to a Kiss (1998)
• Keith Jarrett - Whisper Not (1999)
• Andy Bey - American Song (2003)

See also

• List of 1930s jazz standards