Origin:

Introduced in the 1940 Musical Pal Joey.

Style:

Swing, typically played at brighter tempos.

Form:

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

Key:

Commonly played in C Major, Miles Davis' legendary recording was performed in Eb.

Harmony/Overview:

The  harmony of this composition is very functional. The A sections revolve primarily around diatonic I - VI - II - V's. In the 5th bar it moves up diatonically from IMaj7 - IImi7 before a IIImi7 - VI7 leads to a tonicized IImi, which is then followed by a minor II - V of VI which  leads into the following section. The B section begins on VImi and is followed by bVI7 - V7. A III - VI - II - V of II is then used to lead in to the common progression of a II - V of V which is followed by a final  II - V which returns back to the tonic. The final C section begins  similarly to B, although instead it continues with a minor II - V of IV  which is then followed by bVII7. A final II - VI - II - V is then used to conclude the form.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 200 times to date. It was first introduced in the 1940 Musical Pal Joey by  Gene Kelly & Leila Ernst. The first studio recording was made by  Eddie Duchin and his Orchestra in 1941. The composition managed to find  favor among vocalists and instrumentalists alike, having been recorded  by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Ella Fitzgerald, to Artie Shaw, Miles Davis, and George Shearing. It continues to be  performed frequently to this day.

JGC Top Picks:

Miles Davis, Relaxin' With the Miles Davis Quintet, 1956

Bob Berg, Another Standard, 1997

George Coleman, I Could Write a Book, 1998