4 Bar Intro, Head In, Solo x6, Head Out
Medium Up Swing 160 BPM

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Some notes about the composition as found on
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Composer: Billy Strayhorn

Year: 1941

Origin: First recorded by the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1941.

Style: Swing, typically played at an up tempo.

Form: A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Intro: A short introduction is often included which revolves around a whole-tone line. This can be heard on Ellington's original recording and it is often included in performances.

Coda: During the head out the final 2 bars include a new melody to finish off the piece.​

Key: C Major

Harmony/Overview: The harmony of this composition is very functional. The melody gets most of its character from the constant arrival of # 11 on the II7 chord, and along with the abundance of passing tones the piece has an aesthetic more akin to band leaders such as Fletcher Henderson as opposed to Ellington himself. The A sections begin with IMaj7 - II7 and finish with a II - V back to the tonic. The bridge is also very straightforward, remaining on IVMaj7 for the first half of the section and finishing with a momentary stay on II7 before a final II - V returns back to the tonic.

Recordings: This song has been recorded over 650 times to date and is one of the most widely known jazz standards of all time. During the early 1940's a battle over royalties and licensing between ASCAP and the radio stations prevented Ellington from airing any of his own original compositions, and as a result he turned to his frequent collaborator Billy Strayhorn for new music. Strayhorn had been working on this piece as early as 1939 but was hesitant to bring it forward to the band because he feared it sounded too much like Fletcher Henderson. Ellington ultimately ended up recording it with his Orchestra in 1941 and it would go on to become the band's theme song.

JGC Top Picks:
Clifford Brown & Max Roach, A Study In Brown, 1955
Ella Fitzgerald, Twelve Nights In Hollywood, 1961
Joe Henderson, Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn, 1991

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