Origin:

From the 1947 MGM film On Green Dolphin Street.

Style:

Typically played either straight or swung, or a combination of the two.

Form:

A-B1-A-B2 (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Arrangements:

It is very common to use the tonic as a pedal for the A sections. It is  also common to change feels from straight in the A sections to swing in  the B sections. Finally, it is also very common to tag the final  III-VI-II-V as a send-off before each soloist begins their solo, and  also as an ending of a performance.

Key:

Most commonly in Eb Major and C Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony in the A sections along with the pedal offers much contrast to  in regard to other leading standards of its day. Otherwise the tune is rather conventional, made up predominantly of II - V - I's and only  modulating through a few different key centers total. The A sections begin with IMaj7 - bIIIMaj7 - IIMaj7 - bIIMaj7, and the bass player typically uses the tonic as a pedal. The B section is begins with a II -  V - I and continues with a II - V of bIIIMaj7 before returning back to the A theme. The final C section begins on IImi7 before a minor II - V  resolves to the relative minor, and a II - V of III then leads to the  tag of IIImi7 - VI7#9 - IImi7 - III7 that ends the form.

Recordings:

This tune has been recorded over 460 times to date. The first recording  comes from Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra in 1947. Not many jazz  musicians were recording this tune until Miles Davis did in 1958  alongside the impeccable line up of Bill Evans, John Coltrane,  Cannonball Adderley, Paul Chambers and Jimmy Cobb. It has since become a mainstay in the jazz repertoire and continues to be performed  frequently to this day, especially as a jam session number.

JGC Top Picks:

Miles Davis Quintet, All of You: The Last Tour, 1960

Miles Davis, At Plugged Nickel, Chicago (Live), 1965

Joe Henderson & Wynton Kelly, Four!, 1968