Johnny Green, music · Edward Heyman, lyrics · Number one for Bing Crosby, 1931
Out of Nowhere is a 1931 song by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman that Bing Crosby took to number one. The form runs A, B, A, C, so the last eight bring a different ending. Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker all recorded it.
The path starts with the 1931 vocal hit and Ella Fitzgerald's 1939 record, then moves to Charlie Parker's quintet and Stan Getz's quartet. It continues with two 1954 sets by Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker and ends with two October 1975 versions, one with two tenor saxes and one by Sonny Criss.
8 recordings, 1931 to 1975 · Play all 7 on YouTube ↗
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Bing Crosby · 1931
“Out of Nowhere (1931 Single Version)”, Brunswick single
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Play the tune slowly and add the of the first from the chart: , Gmaj7, , , Gmaj7, Gmaj7, , .
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Ella Fitzgerald and Her Famous Orchestra · 1939
Decca 2598
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Play the first from the chart in a swing feel: , Gmaj7, , , Gmaj7, Gmaj7, , .
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Charlie Parker Quintet · 1947
Charlie Parker Vol. 4
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Play the from the chart: , , Am7, Am7, , E♭7, Am7, . A smaller version is to play only the two E♭7 and listen for how they sound after Am7.
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The Stan Getz Quartet · 1950
The Complete Roost Recordings
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Play the last eight from the chart: , , Am7, , and , Am7 and , , then Am7 and D7. Play the two-chord bars slowly at first.
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The Dave Brubeck Quartet · 1954 · Bebop, Cool jazz
Jazz Goes to College
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Count the 32 along with the record and say the section letters aloud as they pass: A, B, A, C. If you lose the count, wait for the next and start again.
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Chet Baker Quartet · 1954 · Cool jazz
The Complete Pacific Jazz Live Recordings of the Chet Baker Quartet with Russ Freeman
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Play the from the chart in order: , , Am7, Am7, , E♭7, Am7, . Then play the melody over them if you can.
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Zoot Sims & Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (with the Oscar Peterson Trio) · 1975
“Out of Nowhere (Live in Geneva)”, The Tenor Giants Featuring Oscar Peterson
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Sing or hum the tune along with the record and say each as it arrives: , then to , then Gmaj7 again, then to .
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Sonny Criss · 1975 · Post-bop
Out of Nowhere
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Play only the root of each from the chart on bass or with your left hand while the record plays. A smaller version is to play the roots of the first only.
4 more, from 1947 to 2021. Tap a cover to play it here.
1947
RCA Victor 80th Anniversary: The First Label in Jazz Volume 3, 1940-1949
Art Tatum recorded the song as a solo piece in 1947, according to the RCA Victor reissue credits.
1956
At Ed Fuerst's
Tal Farlow recorded the song on guitar with Eddie Costa and Vinnie Burke at Ed Fuerst's home in New York on December 18, 1956.
1965 · Bebop
Wrapped Tight
Coleman Hawkins recorded the song for the Impulse! album Wrapped Tight at Van Gelder Studio in New Jersey in early 1965.
2021 · Bebop, Swing
Street of Dreams
Bill Charlap's trio with Peter Washington and Kenny Washington put the song on their 2021 Blue Note album Street of Dreams.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
The opens with two of , moves to and , returns to Gmaj7 for two bars, and ends on and . The starts on and E7♭9, stays on Am7, plays two bars of E♭7, and finishes on Am7 and . The second A section repeats the first. The starts like B with Am7 and E7♭9, then moves through Am7, , Bm7 with , Am7 with D7, and a closing Am7 with D7. The whole form is read as , with the minor and the E♭7 bars treated as passing colors inside it. The come from the iReal Pro chart.
Chart from iReal Pro's Jazz 1460 playlist, contributed by its users.