abstract:"In a Mellow Tone", also known as "In a Mellotone", is a 1939 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington, with lyrics written by Milt Gabler.Milton Gabler, Storekeeper of the Jazz World, Dies at 90 - New York Times The song was based on the 1917 standard "Rose Room" by Art Hickman and Harry Williams.
Developed at Wagner's request at a time when the technical capabilities of modern brass instruments were being expanded, it enabled him to fill a gap intone color between the mellow lyricism of the horns and the penetrating brilliance of the trombones.