Style:

Most commonly played as a medium up swing.

Form:

A1-A1-B-A2-C (48 Bars) [12-12-4-6-9]

Arrangements:

While the original folk melody is just a two-part theme, Miles Davis' arrangement from 'Round About Midnight has  become the standard for how jazz musicians approach this tune. Stan  Getz however performed the tune with a standard A-A-B-A form on his  album The Sound.

Key:

Stan Getz performed this piece in Bbmi, although Miles Davis' legendary recording was taken in Dmi.

Harmony/Overview:

The  melody of this composition is very simple and folk-oriented, and the harmony that has become common-place when approaching this tune in a  jazz context is also very conventional. It is entirely diatonic with the  A sections taking place in the relative minor and the B section taking place in Major. Miles Davis' arrangement included a vamp in the A sections which revolves around orchestrated shots on Dmi/A - Dmi#5/A,  and he also included a V7sus vamp of I at the end of the form.

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 180 times to date. It is a Swedish folk song so the original composer is unknown, however Anders Fryxell and Fredrik August Dahlgren are credited to be the Swedish lyricists. The  first recording comes from Joel Mossberg in 1916 as "Värmlandsvisan".  Stan Getz was the first jazz musician to adapt this composition to a jazz context when he recorded it in 1951. Ultimately, it would be Miles  Davis' seminal recording from 'Round About Midnight which solidified its place in the jazz repertoire and helped it to achieve widespread appeal among jazz audiences.

JGC Top Picks:

Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, 1957

Bud Powell, Bud Powell in Paris, 1963

John Coltrane, Dear Old Stockholm, 1965