Origin:

Introduced in the 1929 Musical Revue Load of Coal at Connie’s Inn.

Style:

Swing, taken at a wide variety of tempos.

Form:

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

Key:

Most commonly played in F Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony is functional and in very much in line with other leading  standards of its day. There is ample room for substitutions and passing chords as evidenced by the many different renditions of the tune. Bars  5-6 of the A sections are usually treated as either a I-VI-II-V or a  I-I/III-IV-#IVdim-I/V. In the bridge it is common to use passing  diminished chords, however these reharmonizations are not entirely  necessary and are often omitted in order to free up the harmony. The main theme of the melody has become an immediately recognizable motif and can be heard in the language of countless musicians spanning many  generations. Charlie Parker found particular favor in the song’s changes, using the A sections as the basis for “Ah-Leu-Cha” and  “Marmaduke”, as well as the entire form for “Scrapple From The Apple”.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 500 times to date. McKinney's Cotton Pickers were one of, if not the first to record it in 1930. It was also recorded by many leading jazz bands in the 1930's such as Fletcher  Henderson and Frankie Trumbauer. Fats Waller recorded the tune on  several occasions throughout his career.

JGC Top Picks:

Nat King Cole Trio, 1943

Thelonious Monk, The Unique Thelonious Monk, 1956

Sarah Vaughan, Sarah Vaughan at Mister Kelly’s, 1957