Origin:

Debuted in the 1944 film Belle of the Yukon.

Style:

Taken at a wide variety of tempos, nearly always swung.

Form:

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

Key:

Most likely due to the fact that this tune initially showed up in many real  books in Eb Major, this has become a common key. Although many musicians  have recorded it in other keys, such as Coltrane in Ab, Bill Evans in F, Bud Powell in C, and Paul Desmond in Bb to name a few.

Harmony/Overview:

The contrary motion between the descending bassline and the melody immediately gives the song a distinct character. The first 4 bars of the A sections typically see many varying reharmonizations which are  generally along the lines of tri-tone and like-function substitution. For example, bar 3 as played in Eb can very well be: Ami7b5 – Ab7, or F7/A – D7, or even Ami7b5 – Abmi6. Whereas the harmony is rather  malleable, it is important to maintain the integrity of the descending bassline as the theme is stated. Bars 6-7 are usually treated as simply V  - I, although a common reharmonization is to insert a II-V of III which  arrives at IIImi in the 7th bar instead of IMaj7.

Recordings:

This  song has been recorded over 400 times. The first recording comes from Dinah Shore in 1944. Frank Sinatra’s 1953 recording with arrangement by  Nelson Riddle was highly influential in boosting the popularity of this composition in its day. It has since been performed and recorded by many artists and continues to be a mainstay in the repertoire.

JGC Top Picks:

John Coltrane, Lush Life, 1957

Bud Powell, Swingin’ With Bud, 1957

Sonny Rollins, Sonny Rollins Plays, 1957