Arthur Johnston, music · Johnny Burke, lyrics · Title song of the 1936 film Pennies from Heaven
Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke wrote Pennies from Heaven for the 1936 Bing Crosby film. The song stays in a bright major , with one brief shadowy passing through the first part. The song earned an Academy Award nomination, and Billie Holiday, Count Basie and Lester Young recorded it.
The path starts with Bing Crosby's 1936 hit and Billie Holiday's record from the same year. It continues with a Sarah Vaughan trio vocal, Lester Young's live set, Stan Getz with the Oscar Peterson Trio, a Louis Armstrong festival performance, a long live Oscar Peterson trio take and an organ quartet with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.
8 recordings, 1936 to 1958 · Play all 8 on YouTube ↗
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Bing Crosby with Georgie Stoll and His Orchestra · 1936
Single
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Play the first eight from the chart ( , , , , then the same four bars again) at a slow tempo while you hum the tune.
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Teddy Wilson and His Orchestra featuring Billie Holiday · 1936
“Pennies from Heaven (Take 1)”, Single: Brunswick 7789
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Play the from the chart (, , , Fmaj7, , D7, , G7), then play the 's phrase again to hear how the song returns to C.
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Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio · 1957 · Vocal
Swingin' Easy
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Play the chart's ( , , , ) with a steady bass note on each beat while you sing or hum along with the record.
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Lester Young · 1956 · Swing
“Pennies from Heaven (live at Olivia Davis's Patio Lounge)”, In Washington, D.C. 1956, Vol. 4
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Play the last eight of the chart (, , , , Dm7, , , Dm7 G7) one bar per . Then play only the chord roots along with the record.
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Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio · 1957 · Bebop, Hard bop
Stan Getz and the Oscar Peterson Trio
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Play the chart's second ( , , , , then , , Fmaj7, Fmaj7) and notice where it leaves the first A section's pattern.
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Louis Armstrong and His All Stars · 1958
“Pennies from Heaven (Live at Newport Jazz Festival 1958)”, The Complete Newport 1956 & 1958 Recordings
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Play the whole chart once through at a steady medium tempo: A, B, A, C, using the in the form text on this page.
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The Oscar Peterson Trio · 1958 · Hard bop
“Pennies from Heaven (Live at Town Tavern Club, Toronto, 1958)”, On the Town with the Oscar Peterson Trio
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Play all four sections of the chart in order (A, B, A, C) and then repeat from the top. If you can solo, take one of tones; the smaller version is to play the chord roots only.
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Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis with Shirley Scott · 1958 · Soul jazz
Smokin'
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Play the whole chart as a medium-tempo swing, A, B, A, C. If you can improvise, solo for one on the chart's ; the smaller version is to play the chord roots and hum the tune.
1 more, from 1956 to 1956. Tap a cover to play it here.
1956 · Swing, Vocal
Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
Frank Sinatra sings the song on Songs for Swingin' Lovers!, an album arranged by Nelson Riddle and released in March 1956.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
The runs 32 in four 8-bar strains, which JazzStandards.com labels A, B, A and C. The first A plays one four-bar pattern twice: , , and . The B strain begins with and , stays on Fmaj7 for two bars, and then plays two bars of and two bars of G7. The second A repeats the opening four bars and then plays Gm7, C7 and two bars of Fmaj7. The C strain plays Dm7, , Em7, , Dm7 and G7 for one bar each. It ends on C6 and a Dm7 G7 bar that leads back to the top. The stays for all 32 bars.
Chart from iReal Pro's Jazz 1460 playlist, contributed by its users.