Origin:

First recorded by Abe Lyman and His California Orchestra in 1933.

Style:

Swing, usually played at a medium slow tempo.

Form:

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

Verse:

A-A (12 Bars) [6-6]

Very rarely included in performances. Billie Holiday's rendition with Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra features it.

Key:

Most commonly played in G Major.

Harmony/Overview:

The  harmony of this composition is very functional. The A sections begin  with a II - V of V and are followed by a II - V which leads to the  tonic. The common progression of IMaj7 - IVMaj7 - IIImi7 - bIIIdim7 is  then used to lead to another II - V which returns to the tonic once  more. The B section also remains for the most part diatonic, with the final few bars modulating to the Major key a whole-step above the tonic momentarily before returning back to the intial theme.

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 250 times to date. It was first recorded by Abe Lyman and His California Orchestra with vocal by Gracie Barrie in 1933. The composition is based on the 1933 best selling book I Cover the Waterfront, which was later adapted to film. Many notable jazz musicians recorded this tune from the likes of Louis Armstrong, Artie Shaw, Billie Holiday,  and Lester Young to name a few.

JGC Top Picks:

Art Tatum, 1949

Sonny Stitt, Saxophone Supremacy, 1961

Wynton Marsalis, Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance, 1990