Style:

Waltz, taken at a variety of tempos. It is very common for the solo sections to switch to 4/4.

Form:

A1-B-A2 (80 Bars) [32-16-32]

Arrangements:

The final turnaround of the form is commonly used as a repeated tag for a send-off into the solo sections, and the solo sections also often switch to 4/4 swing. The song also includes a coda to finish performances; using the final turnaround of the form as a repeated tag before finishing with GbMaj7 - AMaj7 - GMaj7 - C7#9 - FMaj7.

Key:

F Major

Harmony/Overview:

The harmony of this composition while conventional is rather intricate, with many chord inversions and unsuspected cadences used throughout the piece. The form is also rather long, at 80 bars total. Despite the use  of many secondary Dominants however, the piece remains for the most part  diatonic.

Recordings:

This song has been recorded over 230 times to date and is one of Bill Evans' most popular compositions. In 1954 he finished his three-year stay in the US army and moved back in with his parents who had retired in  Florida. At this time he would visit his niece Debby, and this is who he composed the waltz for. The following year he moved to New York and had the opportunity to record the piece on his album New Jazz Conceptions.  It was a solo piano performance which was only around a minute long, however he would keep the song in his repertoire well throughout his career and leave behind several inspired recordings. One of the most  legendary being from the album Live at the Village Vanguard, featuring his legendary trio with Scott LaFaro for what would have been one of the last performances of his life. Gene Lees would later add  lyrics to the composition, helping to open the piece up to vocalists.

JGC Top Picks:

Bill Evans, Live at the Village Vanguard, 1961

Cannonball Adderley, Know What I Mean?, 1962

John McLaughlin, Time Remembered, 1993