Composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, All The Things You Are was written for the 1939 musical Very Warm for May. partly because of it’s interesting chord movement and melody it’s been played by many jazz artists over the years and is a must to have in you’re repetiore if you’re an aspiring jazz guitarist. Of the many, many versions of the song, I’ve listed some of my favourite’s below.
Guitar Chord Progression Analysis
All the things you are is stable diet for all aspiring jazz musicians. While a straightforward chord progression using falling 4ths it constantly modulates by mainly using common tones in the melody. Consistency in movement like this gives great scope for nice moving lines when your doing a chord arrangement and if you’re a bit clever with it you can build in those common tones at the modulations.
Suggested Listening
Joe Pass
Album – Virtuoso
Ella Fitzgerald
Album – The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks
Martin Taylor / Ike Isaccs
Album – Sketches: A Tribute to Art Tatum
Miles Davis
Album – From Cool to Bop
Which artist’s version of All the Things You Are would you recommend? Tell me about it and I can feature it here