George Bassman, music · Ned Washington, lyrics · First recorded by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, 1932
I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
George Bassman wrote the music and Ned Washington the words in 1932. Tommy Dorsey made it his band's theme song in 1935, with himself as the featured trombone soloist. Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Lee Konitz and Frank Sinatra all recorded it.
Listen in this order
The path starts with the Dorsey Brothers' 1932 record and Tommy Dorsey's 1935 theme. It then follows an organ and alto sax duo, Thelonious Monk at the piano alone, Lee Konitz with an orchestra, two Jim Hall recordings with Bill Evans and with Art Farmer, and Ethan Iverson's live quartet from 2017.
Lee Konitz with the Jimmy Giuffre Orchestra1959 · Cool jazz
1960sBill Evans and Jim Hall1962 · Post-bop
The Art Farmer Quartet featuring Jim Hall1963 · Bebop
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010sEthan Iverson Quartet2017 · Contemporary jazz
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Hear where the song began
The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (vocal Jean Bowes) · 1932
“(I'm Gettin') Sentimental Over You”
The Dorsey Brothers Orchestra recorded the song for Brunswick on September 24, 1932, with Jean Bowes singing. According to Wikipedia, this was its first release.
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Listen for
Jean Bowes sings with a dance band that has Tommy Dorsey on trombone, Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet and alto sax, and Bunny Berigan on trumpet. The record runs 2:48, shorter than most later versions.
Try it on your instrument
Play 1 to 6 of the with the chart's : , , , , , . Sing the melody over them. Smaller version: play only Fmaj7 then C7, two bars each, and hum the tune.
“I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You”, I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
Tommy Dorsey recorded this arrangement for Victor in New York on October 18, 1935, and it became his band's theme song. According to JazzStandards.com, the record reached number 8 on the charts in 1936.
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Dorsey is the featured trombone soloist, with his orchestra behind him. The record runs 3:36 and is the tune that introduced his band on the radio.
Try it on your instrument
Play the last , 25 to 36, slowly: , , , , , , , , G7, , , C7. Smaller version: play only the last four bars, G7, C7♭13, F6, Gm7 C7.
Jimmy Smith (with Lou Donaldson) · 1957 · Fusion, Swing
“I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You”, A Date with Jimmy Smith, Volume Two
Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson recorded the song for Blue Note in New York on February 12, 1957. It came out that year on A Date with Jimmy Smith, Volume Two and on a single.
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Listen for
Smith plays organ and Donaldson plays alto sax, the two players jazzdisco lists for this take. Listen to which of them carries the melody at the start and how the other answers. The record runs 4:12.
Try it on your instrument
Play 1 to 4 of the as , , , , , then play them again with the melody on top. Smaller version: alternate Fmaj7 and D7♭9, two bars each.
Thelonious Monk recorded the song alone at the piano for Riverside in New York on April 16, 1957. It came out on the solo album Thelonious Himself.
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Monk plays alone, so the melody and the come from one pianist. The record runs 4:08.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first eight at the piano alone, in the left hand and melody in the right: , , , , , , , C7. Smaller version: play only the left-hand chords, one or two to a bar.
Lee Konitz with the Jimmy Giuffre Orchestra · 1959 · Cool jazz
You and Lee
Lee Konitz recorded the song in New York on October 29, 1959, with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Jimmy Giuffre. Bill Evans plays piano on the track, which came out on the Verve album You and Lee.
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Listen for
Konitz plays alto sax in front of trumpets and trombones, with Bill Evans on piano. The record runs 3:57.
Try it on your instrument
Play the , 17 to 24: , , , , , , Am7 , . Sing the melody over it. Smaller version: play only Am7, then Gm7 C7, and hum the tune.
Bill Evans and Jim Hall recorded the song as a piano and guitar duet in New York on April 24, 1962. It came out that year on the album Undercurrent.
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Listen for
Evans plays piano and Hall plays guitar, with no other players on the track. Follow the guitar for one pass through the tune, then the piano. The record runs 4:17.
Try it on your instrument
With a friend, play 1 to 6 of the , one of you on the and one on the melody: , , , , , . Then swap. Smaller version: play it alone and sing the melody.
The Art Farmer Quartet featuring Jim Hall · 1963 · Bebop
“I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Live)”, "Live" at the Half-Note
Art Farmer's quartet with guitarist Jim Hall recorded the song live at the Half Note in New York during three nights, December 5 to 7, 1963. Atlantic issued it in 1964 on the album "Live" at the Half-Note.
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Listen for
Farmer plays flugelhorn and Hall plays guitar, with Swallow on bass and Perkins on drums, in front of a club audience. The record runs 5:06, almost a minute longer than the Evans and Hall duet.
Try it on your instrument
Play the two endings of the . The first ending is 7 and 8, and , which return to the start. The second ending is F6 and , which lead into the . Smaller version: play only Gm7, C7, F6.
“I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Live at the Village Vanguard / 2017)”, Common Practice
Ethan Iverson's quartet with trumpeter Tom Harrell played the song at the Village Vanguard in New York in January 2017. ECM released the recording on the album Common Practice on September 20, 2019.
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Listen for
Harrell on trumpet and Iverson on piano front a quartet recorded live at the Village Vanguard. The record runs 5:10 and is the last track on the album.
Try it on your instrument
Play the whole chart once through, 36 , and count the sections aloud: A for 8 bars, A for 8, B for 8, A for 12. Smaller version: count along as you listen and mark where each section starts.
George Bassman and Ned Washington wrote it in 1932, and the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra recorded it with singer Jean Bowes that September. Tommy Dorsey recorded it in October 1935 and made it his band's theme song.
1950s
Jimmy Smith's organ and Lou Donaldson's alto sax recorded it for Blue Note in February 1957, and Thelonious Monk recorded it as a piano solo that April.
1960s
Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1961 for a Tommy Dorsey tribute album. Bill Evans recorded it as a duet with guitarist Jim Hall in 1962 and with his trio in 1966.
1970s
Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass and Ray Brown recorded it in Los Angeles in December 1974. Bill Evans played it at the Village Vanguard in January 1978.
1980s
Jimmy Smith and Lou Donaldson, who recorded it together in 1957, played it again at Town Hall in New York in February 1985, in a medley with Blues Walk.
2010s
Ethan Iverson's quartet with trumpeter Tom Harrell played it at the Village Vanguard in January 2017. ECM released the recording in 2019 on the album Common Practice.
More great versions
6 more, from 1961 to 1985. Tap a cover to play it here.
1960sFrank Sinatra1961 · Big band
Thelonious Monk Quartet1964
Bill Evans Trio1966 · Post-bop
1970sOscar Peterson, Joe Pass and Ray Brown1974 · Bebop
Frank Sinatra, who had sung in Tommy Dorsey's band, recorded the song in Los Angeles in May 1961 for a Dorsey tribute album. Sy Oliver arranged and conducted it, and it is the album's opening track.
“I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Live at the "It" Club)”, Live at the "It" Club - Complete
Thelonious Monk's quartet with Charlie Rouse played the song at the It Club in Los Angeles on November 1, 1964. It first came out in 1965 on Misterioso (Recorded On Tour), and the 12:28 version linked here is on the 1998 complete set.
Bill Evans recorded the song with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Shelly Manne at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on October 4, 1966. It came out on the Verve album A Simple Matter of Conviction.
Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass and Ray Brown recorded the song at MGM Studios in Los Angeles on December 7, 1974, and Pablo issued it in 1977 on The Giants. The track runs more than seven minutes.
“I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Live)”, Getting Sentimental
Bill Evans played the song with bassist Michael Moore and drummer Philly Joe Jones at the Village Vanguard on January 15, 1978. It came out in 2003 on the Milestone album Getting Sentimental.
“Medley: Blues Walk / I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (Live at Town Hall)”, One Night with Blue Note, Preserved, Vol. 3
Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Smith, who recorded the song together in 1957, played it again at Town Hall in New York on February 22, 1985, with Kenny Burrell and Grady Tate. It is a medley with Blues Walk and runs more than ten minutes.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
Show the form and chords
How the tune works
F majorusual key
36 barsA · A · B · A form
F major → A minor → F majorkey centers
A8 bars
A8 bars
B8 bars · bridge
A12 bars
F
A m
F
The first , 1 to 8, runs , , , , , , then and C7, which return to the start. The second A, bars 9 to 16, repeats the first six bars and ends on F6 and Bm7♭5 E7♭9, which lead into the . The B section, bars 17 to 24, runs , , , E7♭9, , , then Am7 D7 and Gm7 C7, which lead back to F. The last A section runs 12 bars, bars 25 to 36: the same first six bars, then Am7, D7, G7, , F6 and Gm7 C7. These follow the iReal Pro chart; other lead sheets may spell some differently.