Fats Waller, music · Andy Razaf, lyrics · Written for a dance act at Connie's Inn, Harlem
Honeysuckle Rose
Honeysuckle Rose is a 1929 song with music by Fats Waller and lyrics by Andy Razaf. The A sections repeat a short chord pattern, and the bridge moves to B♭, so the form is easy to follow. Waller, Count Basie, Art Tatum, Louis Armstrong and Sarah Vaughan all recorded it.
Start with Waller's own record, then hear the song with Count Basie's band, in Art Tatum's trio and with Louis Armstrong's All Stars. Three vocal versions follow, with an orchestra, with a club trio and with the Basie band, and a tenor saxophone quartet closes the path.
1970sZoot Sims, Bucky Pizzarelli, Milt Hinton and Buddy Rich1974 · Cool jazz
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Fats Waller and His Rhythm · 1934
Victor 24826
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Listen for
Waller plays piano and sings with a small band of trumpet, clarinet, guitar, bass and drums. Count the eight-bar sections, and notice that the same two chords repeat through the first four bars of each A.
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Play the chords from the chart in F with the track, one or two chords per bar, and hum the tune over them. For a smaller version, play only Gm7 and C7 for the first four bars of each A and rest the hand after that.
The band has three trumpets, two trombones and four saxophones in front of a rhythm section of piano, guitar, bass and drums. Listen for the horns as sections and for the rhythm section underneath them.
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Play the chart's chords in F along with the track, holding each chord for its bar. If the track is too fast, slow it down first and work back up.
The trio has only piano, guitar and bass, and the track lasts about two and a half minutes. Follow how the three instruments share the 32-bar form.
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Play the tune with the right hand and one bass note per bar with the left, along with the track. Playing the chords and the tune together needs more experience, so start with the tune and bass notes.
Louis Armstrong and His All Stars · 1955 · Swing, Vocal
Satch Plays Fats
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Armstrong plays trumpet and sings, and Velma Middleton sings as well. Barney Bigard on clarinet and Trummy Young on trombone make a three-horn front line over piano, bass and drums.
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Play or sing the tune through once, then trade it with a partner or a second track, one eight-bar section each. Without a partner, sing the A sections and play the bridge.
O'Day sings over an arrangement by Buddy Bregman, who also conducts. Compare her phrasing with Waller's vocal in step 1.
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Sing the first A section with the recording, then again without it, using only the melody and the chords. Matching her phrasing exactly needs more practice, so aim only for the same starting and ending points.
“Honeysuckle Rose (Live At Mister Kelly's, Chicago / 1957)”, Sarah Vaughan at Mister Kelly's
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Listen for
Vaughan sings with only piano, bass and drums, so each part is easy to follow. Track the bass through the bridge.
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Play a root note on every beat under the chart's chords while the recording plays. A full walking bass line needs more experience, so start with roots only.
Fitzgerald sings with a band of trumpets, trombones and saxophones, with Freddie Green on guitar. The track lasts 2:41, so compare how much of the form passes in that time with Waller's 2:38.
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Sing along with the track once through, using the chart's chords as a guide. If the pace is too quick, practice the first four bars alone and add the rest.
Zoot Sims, Bucky Pizzarelli, Milt Hinton and Buddy Rich · 1974 · Cool jazz
Nirvana
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Listen for
A quartet of tenor saxophone, guitar, bass and drums plays the song, and the track lasts about four minutes. Pick out each instrument as a separate voice over the same 32 bars.
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Play the chart's chords on guitar or piano with the track. Improvising over the changes needs more practice, so start with one chord tone per bar.
Honeysuckle Rose runs 32 bars in AABA form and stays in F major except for a visit to B♭ in the bridge. Each A section opens with four bars that alternate Gm7 and C7 within each bar. Bars 5 to 8 then run F6 with F7/A, B♭6 to C7, F6 to B♭7 and Am7 to D7. The bridge starts with two bars of F7, which lead to B♭6 for two bars. G7 and C7 follow for two bars each and lead back to F for the last A. These key areas follow the iReal Pro chart and leave out passing chords.