'Round Midnight (song)

'Round Midnight is a jazz standard that was written by the jazz musician Thelonious Monk and first published in 1944. The song, one of the most popular lyrical compositions of modern jazz was recorded by many artists of different styles.

Genesis

After Thomas Fitterling Monk wrote the basics of ' Round Midnight in 1936. He completed his composition grand finale in the summer of 1943 and then they titled I Need You So, the copyright thereto was filed in September 1943 and was on Round About Midnight.

For eight years, the composition remained in the archives to jazz pianist Bud Powell in 1944, the orchestra leader Cootie Williams urged ' take Round Midnight. The Cootie Williams Orchestra took the piece on August 22, 1944, with the Monk - protégé Bud Powell on piano, as well as Ermett Perry, George Treadweill, Lammar Wright Sr. and Tommy Stevenson (trumpet ), Ed Burke, Bob Horton and Ed Clover (trombone), Eddie " Cleanhead " Vinson (vocals), Sam " The Man" Taylor and Les Pope ( tenor saxophone), Eddie DeVerteuil (baritone saxophone), Leroi Kirkland (guitar), Carl Pruitt (bass) and Sylvester Payne (drums). It is characterized by an eight-bar interlude for which Williams was admitted as a co-author 's rights. It was the theme song for his orchestra. Lyricist Bernie Hanighen ( on the label spelled wrong ) and Williams were in November 1944 register their copyrights. The value held in Eb minor song appeared as the B - side of the single Somebody's Got To Go / 'Round Midnight (HIT # 7119 ), but did not reach the charts.

Analysis

The key is minor. The piece consists of an A and a B part, both of which are each 8 bars long. The A section is repeated at the beginning and played after the B section again so typical of many jazz standards AABA form arises. The composition is thus a total of 32 bars long.

The core of the A- part forms the subject - es' b - f ' b' sat ' on -flat minor, which is identifying the entire piece. This motif ( in the Sample sheet highlighted in red) is spun on the 3rd clock as es' - ges' - b ' des' -c' on c- half Decreases and " Rocks" on the 5th clock as AS ' ces' - it '' tot '' about as minor 7th upward before the tune drops again in the 7th and 8th clock. Here closes the topic with saturated ', f ', it ' no longer included ', d 'and b on the dominant B major 7 which the tonic is minor prepared and thus initiates the repetition of the A section ( in sheet music sample ).

The end of the first A section is also the material for the first four bars of the B section in which only slightly modified this circuit turn continued as ges' - f ' es' - d'- b, and finally as ges'f '- es' - d'- b' is repeated in the original version. Then follow in half notes about ces ', b', tot ' f' and again about it '' the '' ces 'and b ' are two descending melody lines that will eventually lead back to the last A part.

Cover versions

It passed more than a year to Dizzy Gillespie took up the title on February 7, 1946. Also Gillespie did not keep the original composition, but also added his famous introduction and cadenza for his big band arrangement added. For this, however, there was no copyright entry.

Now the composer Thelonious Monk was followed on 21 November 1947 with his version on the single 'Round About Midnight / Well You Need not (B-side on October 24, 1947 included ) ( Blue Note # 543 ), who in his own performances Gillespie edits took over. Besides Monk ( piano ) played George Taitt (trumpet ), Edmund Gregory (alto saxophone ), Robert Paige (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). Blue Note released the version on the album Genius of modern jazz. He took the piece also at its last session on 15 November 1971 as a piano solo on.

A turning point for the development of Round Midnight was the performance of the composition by Miles Davis at the Newport Jazz Festival on July 17, 1955, when he came unplanned on the stage, was told by Duke Ellington and next Round Midnight played two more tracks. Miles Davis ( trumpet), Zoot Sims ( tenor sax ), Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax ), Thelonious Monk ( piano ), Percy Heath ( bass) and Connie Kay (drums) were his instrumental companion. Davis and Monk came on the return journey from Newport in dispute, as Monk Davis accused, he would have played the piece wrong - Monk rose angrily from the tour bus. Conversely, Davis expressed to festival director George Wine after the show, he should tell Monk that he was playing the wrong notes. Wine replied, " Tell him yourself, he wrote the piece ." The dispute, however, was soon forgotten afterwards. Davis took the piece several times, for example, for Prestige Records on the album Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants, and in 1953 with Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker, and again in 1958 as a member of the Michel Legrand Orchestra. 'Round Midnight belonged to the live repertoire of Miles Davis in the late sixties. It is so strongly associated with Davis, for example, that Eric Nisenson named his biography of Davis by the piece.

The Newport appearance meant a comeback for Davis and led to a recording contract with Columbia Records. This appearance raised again the interest in Davis after a designated period of drug problems and led to the creation of his quintet with John Coltrane. It quickly became the Round About Midnight LP recorded in New York, which contained one of the classic versions of ' Round Midnight as the title track. Recorded at Columbia Studio on 30th Street in New York on 10 September 1956 ( 'Round Midnight, and the other titles created between the 26 October 1955 and 5 June 1956) in the occupation of Miles Davis (trumpet ), Paul Chambers ( bass ), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Red Garland ( piano ), and Philly Joe Jones (drums), the LP is one of the jazz classics; Producer was George Avakian.

Statistics

Artists of different styles that took up the standard, for example, were Bobby McFerrin, Stan Getz, Chick Corea, Hermeto Pascoal, Elkie Brooks Aria and Andy Summers and Sting (members of the rock band The Police ).

Overall, the piece according to the Jazz Online Discography " Tom Lord " was recorded, according to at least 1555 times, added dozens of other recordings under the titles ' Round About Midnight, Around Midnight, Round Bout Midnight, Round Midnite, Autour de minuit, Alrededor de media noche, Vid Midnatt, At About Midnight Intorno a mezzanotte, Около полуночи akaラウンド·ミッドナイト, Vain öisin and Narcomania.