Billy Strayhorn’s “Charlotte Russe”

One more bit of charlotte russe: an indefatigable reader (thanks, reader) reminds me that Billy Strayhorn’s “Lotus Blossom” was at one time titled “Charlotte Russe.” My guess is that Strayhorn was thinking of the elegant dessert, not cake and whipped cream in a cardboard sleeve.

Here are two recordings of “Lotus Blossom.” The first was released on . . . And His Mother Called Him Bill (1967), the album of Strayhorn compositions that the Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded after Strayhorn’s death. It’s August 30, 1967, with Ellington alone at the piano, as everyone is packing up. The engineer left the tape running. Two days later, a trio, with Harry Carney (baritone sax) and Aaron Bell (bass), unreleased until the 1987 CD. Heartbreakers, both performances.

More charlotte russe
Another Brooklyn candy store : Nancy and charlotte russe : Nancy and charlotte russe again