Come Sunday

"Come Sunday" is a piece by Duke Ellington, which became a jazz standard. It was written as a part of the first movement of a suite entitled Black, Brown and Beige. Ellington was engaged for a performance at Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1943, for which he wrote the entire composition (that whole concert was released in 1977 as The Carnegie Hall Concerts: January 1943). In 1958 he revised the suite and recorded it in its entirety for that year's album titled after the suite. "Come Sunday" was originally a centerpiece for alto saxophone player Johnny Hodges; the 1958 album, which contained a vocal version of the piece with new lyrics by Ellington featuring gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, greatly increased its popularity.

Notable recordings

 * Duke Ellington – Black, Brown and Beige (rel. 1946), recording of 1943 Carnegie Hall concert
 * Duke Ellington – Black, Brown and Beige (1958, with Mahalia Jackson)
 * Abbey Lincoln – Abbey Is Blue (1959)
 * Dizzy Gillespie – A Portrait of Duke Ellington (1960)
 * Eric Dolphy – Iron Man (rec: 1963, rel: 1968)
 * Jennifer Holliday – Say You Love Me (1985), Grammy Award Winner, Best Inspirational Performance, 1986
 * Donna McElroy – Bigger World (1990)
 * Dee Dee Bridgewater – Prelude to a Kiss: The Duke Ellington Album (1996)