Rollins' "Silk 'n' Satin"

[jeffcrom]

I was listening to Sonny Rollins' "Movin' Out" session from 1954 this morning. The only ballad of the session is "Silk 'n' Satin," credited to Rollins. It just an improvisation (an excellent one) over a set of changes, but it's kind of unusual - a 16-bar structure rather than the usual 32 bars, and there are a few slightly surprising harmonic twists.

Is "Silk 'n' Satin" based on a standard? It's not a structure/progression that I recognize. Give a listen and let me know what you think.

[BillF]

Ira Gitler's notes of May 2009 (Moving Out Revisited) say, "'Silk 'n' Satin', coming out of the repertoire of the chanteuse Hildegarde, the 'Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup' lady, is Sonny's transformation of another song strongly associated with her, '(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings', no doubt something he heard in his early years."

(Thanks, papsrus )

[jeffcrom]

Thanks, guys! Hildegarde also sang "I've Told Every Little Star" - I wonder if that's where Sonny picked up that obscure song.