Origin:

Introduced in Kern’s last musical Very Warm for May.

Style:

Introduced at a leisurely tempo, it has come to be taken in a wide variety of treatments.

Form:

A1–A2–B–C (36 Bars) [8-8-8-12]

Intro:

The  iconic figure first played by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker has  become synonymous with the tune and is often used as an  introduction/ending.

Verse:

A-B (16 Bars) [8-8]

Very  rarely played, the verse takes place in the Major key a semi-tone below  the tonic. Dorothy Kirsten's 1951 recording includes a concise  interpretation of the verse.

Key:

Most often played in Ab major.

Harmony/Overview:

The  harmony is of this composition is altogether functional, although the  piece changes key centers frequently. The first A section begins on the  VImi and cycles diatonically through fourths, lending the melody a  strong sense of inevitability while the initial theme is stated. The  second A section is virtually the same only transposed down a 4th. The  bridge then cycles through two new key centers using II - V - I's. The  final C section is begins similarly to the A sections, although it adds  an additional 4 bars to finish with the cliché ending of IV - IVmi -  IIImi - bIIIdim.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 850 times to date. Recreations of the original Very Warm for May score  have been made and early renditions from the likes of Artie Shaw and  Tommy Dorsey offer great insight into the initial conception of this  piece as a jazz vehicle. Nearly every notable jazz musicians has  recorded this song at least once in their career and it continues to be  one of the most popular standards in the repertoire.

JGC Top Picks:

Joe Henderson, The State of The Tenor, 1985

Brad Mehldau, The Art of The Trio Vol. 4, 1999

Jon Gordon, The Things You Are, 2006