Style:

Swing, usually played at medium or up tempos.

Form:

A1-A2-B-A2 (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Key:

C Major

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition is based on the changes to Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love". The melody however is Tadd Dameron's  own creation, and it is a bop line that uses a fair amount of  chromaticism and altered extensions.

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 80 times to date. It was first recorded by  Dizzy Gillespie and his All Stars on a session for Guild Records in 1945. Tadd Dameron never recorded the tune himself in the studio,  although he can be heard performing it on a bootleg recording from a jam session at Birdland in 1950. It has since become a sort of bop anthem having been recorded by many of the leading musicians, and it continues  to be performed frequently to this day.

JGC Top Picks:

Charlie Parker, Jazz at Massey Hall, 1953

Bud Powell, Bouncing With Bud, 1962

Paul Motian, Paul Motian and the Electric Bebop Band, 1992