Hoagy Carmichael, music · Johnny Mercer, lyrics · Recorded by Gene Krupa's orchestra with Anita O'Day in New York, November 1941
Skylark
Skylark is a ballad by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer, published in 1941. Players like its long melody and a bridge that slips through several keys before coming home to E♭. Singers and instrumentalists have played it since Gene Krupa's 1941 record, including Ella Fitzgerald and Keith Jarrett's trio.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Gene Krupa and His Orchestra with Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge✓
- 2 Hear the composer's version Hoagy Carmichael with the Pacific Jazzmen✓
- 3 Follow a great singer through the form Ella Fitzgerald with Nelson Riddle✓
- 4 Hear a jazz singer's phrasing Carmen McRae with Ralph Burns✓
- 5 Hear a horn play the ballad Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers✓
- 6 Hear it without horns John Lewis with Jim Hall, Percy Heath and Chico Hamilton✓
- 7 Hear a tenor and piano duo Stan Getz and Jimmie Rowles✓
- 8 Hear a trio improvise Keith Jarrett Trio✓
How the tune works
A chorus runs 32 bars as A, A, B, A. A (bars 1 to 8) opens on E♭maj7 and Fm7, moves through E♭maj7/G to A♭maj7, and passes A7♯11 on the way to A♭maj7, Gm7 and C7. F7, then Fm7 and B♭7, lead into bar 7. The first time, bars 7 and 8 are E♭6, Cm7, Fm7 and B♭7, which send the song back to the top. The second time, bars 15 and 16 are E♭6, B♭7♯9 and E♭6, which lead into the bridge. B (17 to 24) starts on Cm7 and B7, runs B♭m7 and E♭7 to A♭maj7, and turns toward F minor through Gm7♭5 and C7♭9, with Fm and D♭7 in bar 21. B♭m7, E♭7 and A♭6 bring A♭ back in bar 22. Bar 23 steps up to G major with G6 and Em7, A7 and D7 follow, and B♭7 at the end of bar 24 jumps back to E♭ for the last A (25 to 32). That A finishes on E♭6 and B♭7♯9, then E♭6 and B♭7 as a turnaround.
One published chord chart, in E♭, set out four bars to a line: A (bars 1–8), A (9–16), B (17–24) and A (25–32).
Taken from the chord chart on Standard Repertoire, which gives Skylark as 32 bars of 4/4 in E♭, form AABA, in ballad style. The chart writes one A section with first and second endings and a repeat; here the endings are written out as separate A strains. It marks major sevenths with a triangle, minor sevenths with a dash, and the half-diminished chord as ø7, spelled Gm7♭5 here. Bar 4 holds three chords (A♭maj7, Gm7, C7), bar 22 holds three (B♭m7, E♭7, A♭6) and bar 24 holds four (A7, D7, G6, B♭7). The chart ends on E♭6 with B♭7 as a turnaround. Other readings differ in places. The harmonic analysis on JazzStandards.com describes a bridge that climbs from A♭ through a diminished seventh (B°7), B♭m7 and E♭7 where this chart writes Cm7 B7 in bar 17, and a first ending of E♭, F7 and B♭7 where this chart has E♭6 Cm7 Fm7 B♭7. It also says Carmichael wrote B♭7♯5 in the second ending where this chart has B♭7♯9. Compare this chart with the one you play from and with the recording you follow. Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗The path starts with Gene Krupa's 1941 record and Carmichael's own 1956 version, then adds Ella Fitzgerald and Carmen McRae, a Jazz Messengers ballad, a guitar quartet, a tenor and piano duo and Keith Jarrett's trio. Each step gives you one thing to hear and one thing to try.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Gene Krupa and His Orchestra with Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge 1941
Okeh 78 rpm single
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- Listen for
- Eldridge's trumpet half chorus only hints at the melody, then O'Day sings. Count the 32 bars of the AABA form and listen for the bridge in bars 17 to 24.
- Try this
- Play the chart's first four bars slowly: E♭maj7 Fm7, E♭maj7/G A♭maj7, E♭maj7 A7♯11, A♭maj7 Gm7 C7. Hum the tune over them. If the record sits in another key, use the page's key buttons. Smaller version: play one chord per bar.
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Step 2 · Hear the composer's version Now playing
Hoagy Carmichael with the Pacific Jazzmen 1956
Hoagy Sings Carmichael
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- Listen for
- Carmichael's delivery is easygoing and has a drawl, and the band around him is more sophisticated than the voice. Art Pepper on alto and Jimmy Rowles on piano are in the lineup.
- Try this
- Sing or hum the melody with the record. Then play the chart's A section with one chord per bar, holding each chord to the end of the bar. Smaller version: play only the first chord of each bar.
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Step 3 · Follow a great singer through the form Now playing
Ella Fitzgerald with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra 1964
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Song Book
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- Listen for
- Riddle's orchestra accompanies Fitzgerald. Follow her through the three A sections and the bridge, and compare her phrasing with Carmichael's.
- Try this
- Play the bridge from the chart (bars 17 to 24) slowly, one bar at a time, and say aloud where each new key starts: A♭ at bar 17, F minor at bar 21, G major at bar 23. Smaller version: play only bars 23 and 24 and listen for the move to G.
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Step 4 · Hear a jazz singer's phrasing Now playing
Carmen McRae with Ralph Burns 1958
Birds of a Feather
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- Listen for
- Burns scored the track with four French horns, a trumpet and a rhythm section. JazzStandards.com calls McRae's reading weighty and eloquent; compare her phrasing of the A sections with Fitzgerald's.
- Try this
- Play the melody of the first A section along with the record and start each phrase where McRae starts hers. If you play chords, play bars 1 to 8 with one chord per bar and move on as she begins each new line. Smaller version: tap the beat and mark where each of her phrases begins.
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Step 5 · Hear a horn play the ballad Now playing
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers 1962
Caravan
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- Listen for
- Hubbard's trumpet is the featured voice on this ballad. The session also lists Curtis Fuller on trombone and Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, so listen for whether other horns join him.
- Try this
- Play bars 5 to 8 of the chart, F7, Fm7 B♭7, E♭6 Cm7, Fm7 B♭7, as a four-bar loop until the changes feel familiar. Harder: improvise over the loop with notes from E♭ major, which needs some experience soloing over chords. Smaller version: play only the root of each chord.
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Step 6 · Hear it without horns Now playing
John Lewis with Jim Hall, Percy Heath and Chico Hamilton 1956
Grand Encounter: 2° East / 3° West
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- Listen for
- The lineup on this track is piano, guitar, bass and drums, with no horn. Compare how much room four players leave for the tune with the big band in step 1.
- Try this
- If you play guitar or piano, play the chart's A section with only three notes per chord, root, third and seventh, and keep it quiet. Smaller version: play only the root and third.
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Step 7 · Hear a tenor and piano duo Now playing
Stan Getz and Jimmie Rowles 1975
The Peacocks
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- Listen for
- Only tenor sax and piano play on this track, so every chord Rowles plays is easy to hear. Compare his chords with the chart, bar by bar.
- Try this
- Play the chart's A section on any chord instrument along with the record, one chord per bar at first. Then play two chords in the bars where the chart shows two, and compare what Rowles plays in those bars.
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Step 8 · Hear a trio improvise Now playing
Keith Jarrett Trio 1994
Keith Jarrett at the Blue Note: The Complete Recordings
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- Listen for
- Jarrett, Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums play with no horn. A New York Times review of a June 3 set said Jarrett often let a line grow softer as it climbed, so listen for quiet peaks like that.
- Try this
- This step asks the most. Play the melody once, then play the chart's chords as one block chord per bar for a full chorus and listen for where the trio changes the harmony. Harder: improvise two choruses over the chart, which needs experience soloing over changes. Smaller version: play only the last A section, bars 25 to 32.
More great versions
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Dinah Shore with Rosario Bourdon and His Orchestra 1942
Bluebird single
Dinah Shore recorded Skylark on February 10, 1942, for Bluebird, with Rosario Bourdon and His Orchestra, and it reached number 5 on the Billboard chart.
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Aretha Franklin 1963
Laughing on the Outside
Aretha Franklin recorded Skylark at 21 for her Columbia album Laughing on the Outside, released in August 1963, and Wikipedia names it one of the album's most popular songs.
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Paul Desmond 1973
Skylark
Paul Desmond plays alto sax on the title track of his 1974 CTI album Skylark, in an arrangement by Don Sebesky with Bob James, Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette in the rhythm section.
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Charlie Haden and Jim Hall 1990
Charlie Haden - Jim Hall
Charlie Haden and Jim Hall play Skylark as a live duo at the 1990 Montreal International Jazz Festival; the recording came out on Impulse!
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Cassandra Wilson 1995
New Moon Daughter
Cassandra Wilson sings Skylark on New Moon Daughter (Blue Note, 1995), produced by Craig Street.