Gene de Paul, music · Don Raye, lyrics · Introduced by Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly with Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra in the film I Dood It, 1943
Star Eyes
Gene de Paul and Don Raye wrote Star Eyes, a love song, for a 1943 MGM musical. Players like its dreamy mood and its , which keep moving to new places. You can hear it from Jimmy Dorsey's band in 1943 to Dexter Gordon's quartet in 1970.
Listen in this order
Eight versions, from Jimmy Dorsey's band with two singers in 1943 to Dexter Gordon's tenor saxophone quartet in 1970. Along the way you hear Charlie Parker and Art Pepper on alto saxophone, a quintet with vibes, Chet Baker's trumpet in Rome, and two piano trios. Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz with Chet Baker and others sit with the extras.
Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra (Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen, vocals) · 1943
Star Eyes
Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra recorded Star Eyes for Decca on October 7, 1943. According to JazzStandards.com, Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen sing on the record, which spent 16 weeks on the pop charts and peaked at number three.
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Listen for
Bob Eberly and Kitty Kallen sing the song with the orchestra behind them. Use this one to learn the tune as its writers meant it, before any jazz player changes it.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first four of the as : , , E♭maj7, . Add the melody on top if you know it. Smaller version: play only E♭maj7 and Fm7 B♭7 back and forth.
Charlie Parker recorded Star Eyes in New York in March 1950 with Hank Jones on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Buddy Rich on drums. According to JazzStandards.com, Parker's recording is why the song became a jazz standard.
E♭ major · 4/4 · swing · 134 bpm (medium)
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Listen for
Charlie Parker's alto saxophone leads, with piano, bass and drums behind it. Compare it with the Dorsey record: the same song, now played by one instrument.
Try it on your instrument
Play 5 to 8 of the : , , , . These bars leave the and come back through B♭7. Smaller version: play only the last two bars, Fmaj7 then B7 B♭7, and hear how they lead back to .
Art Pepper recorded Star Eyes in Los Angeles on January 19, 1957, backed by Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones, the from Miles Davis's band. Contemporary issued it that year on Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section.
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Listen for
Art Pepper's alto saxophone leads, with Red Garland's piano, Paul Chambers's bass and Philly Joe Jones's drums behind him. At just over five minutes, it runs longer than the first two versions, so you can hear the group go back through the song.
Try it on your instrument
Play the ( 17 to 24), the part that contrasts with A: , A♭maj7, , , , G♭maj7, , . Smaller version: play only the first four bars.
Cannonball Adderley's quintet recorded Star Eyes at Plaza Sound Studios in New York on May 11, 1961, with Wynton Kelly on piano and Victor Feldman on vibes. Riverside issued it in November that year on The Cannonball Adderley Quintet Plus.
E♭ major · 4/4 · swing · 194 bpm (up)
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Listen for
Cannonball Adderley's alto saxophone and Nat Adderley's cornet are the two horns, and Victor Feldman plays vibes in the group. At about seven minutes it is the longest path version so far.
Try it on your instrument
Play the tag at the end (bars 33 to 36): , , , Fm7 . Smaller version: play only bar 36, E♭6 Fm7 B♭7, which leads back to the top of the tune.
Chet Baker's sextet recorded Star Eyes in Rome on January 5, 1962, for the album Chet Is Back!, issued by RCA's Italian label. The group includes Bobby Jaspar on tenor saxophone and flute and René Thomas on guitar.
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Listen for
Chet Baker's trumpet leads, and René Thomas plays guitar alongside the piano, bass and drums. Compare it with the saxophone versions before it: a trumpet carries the tune now.
Try it on your instrument
Play only the bass notes of the , one per , slowly in your left hand: E♭, F B♭, E♭, E♭ A♭, D♭, G C, F, B B♭. Add the melody above when you can. Smaller version: play the first four only.
McCoy Tyner recorded Star Eyes at the Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs on March 4, 1963, with bassist Steve Davis and drummer Lex Humphries. Impulse! issued it on Nights of Ballads & Blues.
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Listen for
McCoy Tyner plays piano with Steve Davis on bass and Lex Humphries on drums. With no horn in the group, the piano plays the tune.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first eight of the with in your left hand and the melody in your right. Smaller version: play only the chords, one or two a bar, and hum the tune.
Bill Evans recorded Star Eyes with Eddie Gomez on bass and Shelly Manne on drums at the Van Gelder Studio on October 4, 1966. Verve issued it in 1967 on A Simple Matter of Conviction.
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Listen for
Bill Evans plays piano with Eddie Gomez on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. Follow the piano through the tune once, then listen again for the bass.
Try it on your instrument
Play all 36 as with a bass note in your left hand on beat 1 of each bar: A, A, B, then A with its four-bar tag. Smaller version: play only the eight-bar twice.
Dexter Gordon came back from Europe, where he lived at the time, to record Star Eyes in New York on August 27, 1970, with Wynton Kelly on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Roy Brooks on drums. According to JazzStandards.com, the sessions were Kelly's last major recordings.
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Listen for
Dexter Gordon's tenor saxophone leads, with Wynton Kelly's piano, Sam Jones's bass and Roy Brooks's drums behind him. Notice how much lower this saxophone sounds than Parker's and Pepper's.
Try it on your instrument
Play the whole tune once with and once with the melody on top: A, A, B, then A with the tag. Soloing over is a bigger step; the smaller version is to play the chords for one full while you follow the sections on the track.
Gene de Paul and Don Raye write the song for the film I Dood It in 1943. Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra records it that October.
1950s
Charlie Parker records it with a quartet in 1950 and with Miles Davis in a quintet in 1951. Art Pepper plays it with a in 1957, and Tina Brooks with Lee Morgan in 1958.
1960s
Cannonball Adderley's quintet, Chet Baker's sextet in Rome, McCoy Tyner's trio and Bill Evans's trio all record it. Sarah Vaughan sings it on a 1963 album that takes its name from the song.
1970s
Dexter Gordon returns from Europe to New York in 1970 and records it with pianist Wynton Kelly.
1980s
Stan Getz and Chet Baker play it in Norway in February 1983. Lee Konitz and Martial Solal play it in Hamburg that November, and Bobby Hutcherson's quartet records it in Holland in December.
More great versions
4 more, from 1958 to 1983. Tap a cover to play it here.
1950sTina Brooks Quintet1958 · Hard bop
1960sSarah Vaughan1963 · Vocal
1970s
1980sBobby Hutcherson, George Cables, Herbie Lewis, Philly Joe Jones1983 · Post-bop
Tina Brooks recorded Star Eyes with Lee Morgan and Sonny Clark at the Van Gelder Studio on March 16, 1958. Blue Note held it back until the album Minor Move came out in 1980.
Sarah Vaughan made Star Eyes the title song of her 1963 Roulette album. Marty Manning arranged the record, and guitarist Barry Galbraith and harpist Janet Soyer are on it.
Bobby Hutcherson recorded Star Eyes with George Cables, Herbie Lewis and Philly Joe Jones at Studio 44 in Monster, Holland, on December 11 and 12, 1983. Timeless issued it on Four Seasons in 1985.
Stan Getz and Chet Baker played Star Eyes together with a quartet in Baerum, Norway, on February 19, 1983. Concord issued the recording in 1998 on Quintessence, Vol. 1.
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
E♭ majorusual key
36 barsA · A · B · A form
E♭ → A♭ → G♭ → E♭key centers
A8 bars
A8 bars
B8 bars · bridge
A12 bars
E♭
A♭
G♭
E♭
The tune runs 36 : an eight-bar A, a second A, an eight-bar B, and a last A that runs 12 bars because of a four-bar tag. A goes , , E♭maj7, , , , , B♭7. B moves to new areas: for two bars, then , , for two bars, Fm7 and B♭7 to lead home. The last A repeats the A , then the tag goes , , Fm7 B♭7sus, Fm7 B♭7. The chords follow the iReal Pro chart; JazzStandards.com gives the original key as .