"In the Blue of Evening" is a song by Al D'Artega and

Tom Adair Thomas Montgomery Adair (June 15, 1913 – May 24, 1988) was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter. Biography Adair was born on 15 June 1913, in Newton, Kansas, where his father owned a clothing store: he was the only child of Willi ...

recorded by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

with the

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

Band and released in 1943. It was subsequently re-recorded by Sinatra, but did not feature on a release until a 1993 reissue of the album ''

I Remember Tommy ''I Remember Tommy...'' is an album by Frank Sinatra, released in 1961. It was recorded as a tribute to bandleader Tommy Dorsey, and consists of re-recorded versions of songs that Sinatra had first performed or recorded with Dorsey earlier in h ...

''.

Recording and release

"In the Blue of Evening" was written by Al D'Artega and

, and recorded by

with the

Band. Recorded June 1942, it was released in 1943 as a double A side alongside "

It's Always You "It's Always You" is a song written by Jimmy Van Heusen (music) and Johnny Burke (lyrics) for the 1941 film '' Road to Zanzibar''. In the film it was sung by Bing Crosby to Dorothy Lamour as they paddled a canoe up a jungle river. It was also u ...

", another Sinatra and Dorsey recording, in Victor's regular pop series (catalog #27947) to celebrate the signing of Dorsey's band to the Victor Red Seal label. "In the Blue of Evening" reached number one in the

Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

following the 1943 release. This recording also hit number ten on the

Harlem Hit Parade The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart. Sinatra later re-recorded it with

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...

for his 1961 album ''

'', a tribute to Dorsey following the bandleader's death. But it was not included on the album for the original release, only being added in a 1993 reissue. Unlike the other songs on the album, it was recorded with a 12-piece band and played in a manner similar to Dorsey; the other songs were all re-recorded with a 20-piece band. Replacing Dorsey, James Decker played the

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

solo at the start of the song.

Reception

Janice Rhea, while writing for the ''

Naugatuck Daily News Naugatuck is a consolidated borough and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town spans both sides of the Naugatuck River just south of Waterbury and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, whic ...

'' after the initial recording in 1942, described "In the Blue of Evening" as a "thrilling, romantic song", which Sinatra performed in his "usual captivating fashion". She added that the trombone solo by Dorsey was a "piece of superlative horn work". She recommended it "unhesitatingly", and said it was "summer music of the very best quality". In ''

The Mason City Globe-Gazette The ''Globe Gazette'', known locally as the ''Globe,'' is a daily morning newspaper published in Mason City, Iowa in the United States. History The Globe Gazette traces its history back to July 17, 1858, and a weekly newspaper called ''The Cerro ...

'' review from 1943 following the release, it was described as the "epitome of all that the name Frank Sinatra means to his avid admirers and followers", while Dorsey was described as having "mastery of that lush trombone quality of which never fails to bring the house down".

References

Sources * * {{authority control 1943 songs 1943 singles Frank Sinatra songs Songs written by Tom Adair Number-one singles in the United States 1940s jazz standards