In a Sentimental Mood: Mathis Sings Ellington

As Mathis looked back at the vocalists that he admired the most, such as Nat King Cole and Lena Horne, he felt that some of their best performances were evoked by the music of Duke Ellington. "'I wanted,'" he said, "'to make an intimate, close, hands-on portrait of this great man and his great music. And I wanted to get it right -- to keep that feeling alive in a way that was completely honest and true.'"

Several elements came together to provide that feeling that Mathis was seeking for this project, one of the more blatant examples being the trumpet work of Bill Berry, a one-time member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. There were, however, production factors to work around, especially with regard to the fact that the vocal track was not going to be recorded separately. "The London Symphony players that we wanted were only available to us five days in the morning at 10 o'clock."{{Harvnb|Zimmerman|1990|p=51}}. This created a different type of recording schedule for Mathis. "I had to get up at 5 or 6 AM just to get my voice in some kind of shape to sing that early. But there was such a warm, wonderful feeling... even at that hour of the morning -- that I knew we were making the right decision."

The original takes from these sessions were used for about half of the tracks on the finished product. Mathis explained, "'I wanted to get some first, second and third takes with the orchestra because of the wonderful sound from this church in Petersham.'" The latest technology allowed him to complete the vocal tracks back in the US. "'I sang four or five back here. They use an amazing computer that can match the sound and the timbre of the room.'" The greatest challenge of this particular music, however, was left to the singer. "'I've sung Ellington's music in the past,'" he said. "'It was hard to sing then, and to this day it's still very difficult music. But it rewards the effort–oh, does it ever reward the effort.'"

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}

| rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite book |last1=Larkin |first1=Colin |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=2007 |publisher=Omnibus Press |page=922 |isbn=9781846098567 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofpo0000unse_v3u2/page/922/mode/2up |accessdate=11 March 2025}}

}}

Although the album did not make it onto Billboard magazine's Top Pop Albums chart, Allmusic's Dave Nathan writes in his retrospective review that "the music remains as absorbing and enticing as if it were arranged by Ellington himself." He says regarding Mathis that "he has lost none of that special taste and phrasing which made his records consistently favored by a wide segment of the listening public," and, "He still delivers each song with emotional intensity and personal intimacy."

1. "Overture – A Musical Tribute to Duke Ellington" (Byron Olson) – 2:16
2. *Fred Hersch – piano solo
3. * Byron Olson – arranger
4. "Lush Life" (Billy Strayhorn) – 4:15
5. * Byron Olson – arranger
6. Medley – 4:47
   a. "Don't You Know I Care (Don't You Care I Know)" (Mack David, D. Ellington)
   b. "I Didn't Know About You" (D. Ellington, Bob Russell)
7. * Brad Dechter – arranger
8. "Things Ain't What They Used to Be" (instrumental) (Mercer Ellington, Ted Persons) – 1:17
9. * Brad Dechter – arranger
10. "In a Sentimental Mood" (D. Ellington, Manny Kurtz, Irving Mills) – 4:05
11. *Fred Hersch – piano solo
12. * Byron Olson – arranger
13. "What Am I Here For" (D. Ellington, Frankie Lane) – 4:22
14. * Bill Berry – trumpeter
15. * Brad Dechter – arranger
16. "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" (instrumental) (D. Ellington, Paul Francis Webster) – 1:43
17. "Something to Live For" (D. Ellington, Billy Strayhorn) – 3:37
18. * Ronnie Ross – baritone sax soloist
19. * Byron Olson – arranger
20. "Solitude" (Eddie DeLange, D. Ellington, Irving Mills) – 3:40
21. * Byron Olson – arranger
22. "Perdido" (instrumental) (Ervin Drake, Hans Lengsfelder, Juan Tizol) – 1:05
23. * Brad Dechter – arranger
24. "Prelude to a Kiss" (D. Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills) – 2:52
25. * Brad Dechter – arranger
26. "In a Mellow Tone" (D. Ellington, Milt Gabler) – 3:19
27. * Brad Dechter – arranger
28. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (D. Ellington, Bob Russell) – 3:16
29. * Brad Dechter – arranger
30. "Satin Doll" (instrumental) (D. Ellington) – 1:07
31. "Come Sunday" (D. Ellington) – 3:24
32. * Brad Dechter – arranger
33. "Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" (D. Ellington, Bob Russell) – 4:39
34. * Brad Dechter – arranger
35. "Caravan" (instrumental) (D. Ellington, Irving Mills, Juan Tizol) – 0:54
36. "Day Dream" (D. Ellington, John La Touche, Billy Strayhorn) – 3:26
37. * Byron Olson – arranger

From the liner notes for the original album:

• Johnny Mathis – vocals
• Mike Berniker – producer
• Jay Landers – executive producer
• Harry Rabinowitz – conductor
• Bill Berry – trumpet
• Fred Hersch – piano
• Ronnie Ross – baritone sax
• Keith Grant – recording engineer
• Jerry O'Reardon – assistant engineer
• Tim Geelan – remix engineer
• Vlado Meller – mastering engineer
• Don Heckman – liner notes
• Nancy Donald – art direction
• George Hurrell – photographer

{{reflist|2}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{citation

| last = O'Neil

| first = Thomas

| title = The Grammys

| year = 1999

| publisher = Perigree Books

| isbn = 0-399-52477-0

| url-access = registration

| url = https://archive.org/details/grammys0000onei

}}

• {{Citation

| last = Zimmerman

| first = Keith

| title = Mathis Meets Ellington

| newspaper = The Gavin Report

| pages = 53

| date = 30 November 1990

}}

{{refend}}

{{Johnny Mathis}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1990 albums

Category:Johnny Mathis albums

Category:Columbia Records albums