"Cotton Tail" is a jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington in 1940. Ellington wrote it after a European tour as a showcase for his new saxophonist, Ben Webster, and it was one of a series of pieces the orchestra recorded for Victor that year. Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra recorded it on 4 May 1940, and it was issued that May on a 78 rpm single coupled with "Never No Lament". The recording is best known for Webster's driving tenor saxophone solo. The piece is based on the rhythm changes of George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". It was originally instrumental. Ellington later wrote lyrics himself, and Jon Hendricks wrote lyrics based on the 1940 recording, which Lambert, Hendricks and Ross recorded.
Later versions include Ella Fitzgerald's recording on Songbook (1957), Harry James (1959), Wes Montgomery (1961) and Fitzgerald with Ellington (1965). Mel Tormé recorded it with the Marty Paich Dektette (1988), Buddy Rich with his big band (1994), and Dave Grusin included it on Homage to Duke (1993). Slide Hampton's arrangement for Dee Dee Bridgewater's Dear Ella (1997) won the 1998 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). A 1941 Soundie was titled "Hot Chocolate", with "Cotton Tail" in parentheses.
