Billy Eckstine (1950) [WHAT'S NEW?]

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Description

Billy Eckstine performing “What’s New?”. Recorded in January of 1950.

The JGC History series features specifically curated playlists to help trace the lineage of some of the most influential jazz compositions of all time.

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Some notes about the composition as found on
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Composer: Bob Haggart

Lyricist: Johnny Burke

Year: 1938

Origin: Introduced by Bob Crosby and his Orchestra as an instrumental entitled "I'm Free".

Style: Most often approached as a ballad, it is also sometimes played at a medium swing.

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

Key: Commonly played in C Major.

Harmony/Overview: The harmony of this composition is very functional, modulating through only a few different key centers throughout the entire piece. The A sections begin on IMaj7 and continue with a II - V of bVIMaj7 before a minor II - V resolves to the tonic minor. After a brief stay on Imi it returns to IMaj7 once again. The B section is identical to A, only transposed up a 4th. The bridge can end on either a minor or Major sound, and both approaches have come to be equally as common.

Recordings: This song has been recorded over 400 times. It was first composed by Bob Haggart as an instrumental entitled "I'm Free", and was first introduced in 1938 by Bob Crosby and his Orchestra. Several months later Johnny Burke penned lyrics to the composition and Bing Crosby re-introduced it as "What's New?" the following year. Countless jazz musicians have recorded it since and it continues to be a widely popular standard in the repertoire.

JGC Top Picks:
John Coltrane, Ballads, 1962
Wes Montgomery and Wynton Kelly, Smokin' at the Half Note, 1965
Woody Shaw, Setting Standards, 1985

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