The Gerry Mulligan Quartet performing “My Funny Valentine”, featuring Gerry Mulligan – baritone saxophone, Chet Baker – trumpet, Carson Smith – bass, and Chico Hamilton – drums. Recorded live at the Black Hawk in San Francisco on September 2, 1952.
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Some notes about the composition as found on
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Composer: Richard Rodgers
Lyricist: Lorenz Hart
Year: 1937
Origin: Introduced in the Musical Babes in Arms.
Style: Almost always approached as a ballad.
Form: A1-A2-B-C (36 Bars) [8-8-8-12]
Verse: A-B (16 Bars) [8-8]
Very rarely included in performances. Barbara Cook features it on her recording from Barbara Cook Sings From the Heart. It is also featured on the album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Song Book.
Key: Most commonly played in Eb Major.
Harmony/Overview: The harmony of this composition is functional and very much in line with other leading standards of its day. It takes place predominantly in the relative minor, with the bridge and final C section occurring in the relative Major. The main theme revolves around a minor cliché, beginning on VImi with the bassline descending in semi-tones each bar. This continues until bVIMaj7 is reached in the 5th bar, and the section finishes with a minor II - V back to VImi. The following A section is identical except for the melody which begins on the minor 3rd instead of the root, and the final 2 bars which set up the modulation to the relative Major in the bridge. The bridge takes place in the relative Major and the harmony is nearly entirely diatonic. The final C section begins similarly to A, although the melody continues to climb upward and the form is extended by an additional 4 bars.
Recordings: This song has been recorded over 1,000 times and is one of the most widely performed and recorded jazz compositions of all time. It was first introduced by Mitzi Green in the 1937 Rodgers/Hart Musical Babes in Arms, and the first recording would come from Fairchild & Carroll and their Orchestra the same year. Chet Baker was one of the first jazz musicians to legitimize the tune as a viable jazz vehicle and he would record it many times throughout his career. Miles Davis also left behind several very memorable recordings. It continues to be one of the most popular and widely known standards among instrumentalists and vocalists alike.
JGC Top Picks:
Gerry Mulligan with Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan Quartet, 1952
Bill Evans & Jim Hall, Undercurrent, 1962
Miles Davis, My Funny Valentine, 1964
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