Carl Fischer, music · Frankie Laine, lyrics · Published 1945
We'll Be Together Again
We'll Be Together Again is a 1945 ballad by pianist Carl Fischer, with words by singer Frankie Laine. Its turn often, and slow tempos give singers and soloists room to explore them. Recordings range from Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald to Stan Getz, McCoy Tyner and Tony Bennett with Bill Evans.
Listen in this order
The path starts with Ella Fitzgerald's short vocal with an orchestra from 1957 and Billie Holiday's vocal with a small band from 1956. It then moves through Benny Carter's alto saxophone, Ben Webster's tenor saxophone with strings, and two long horn sessions by Stan Getz and Gene Ammons, and ends with McCoy Tyner's piano trio and the voice and piano of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans.
Ella Fitzgerald recorded the album Like Someone in Love at Capitol Studios on October 15 and 28, 1957, with Frank DeVol conducting. Norman Granz produced it for Verve.
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Listen for
Ella Fitzgerald's voice stays out front with Frank DeVol's orchestra behind her. At 3:22 this is the shortest track on the path.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first four of the , one per bar or two: , , , . Hum the tune over them. Smaller version: play only the lowest note of each chord (C, D and G, A, D).
Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra · 1956 · Swing, Vocal
All or Nothing at All
Billie Holiday recorded it in Los Angeles on August 18, 1956, with trumpeter Harry Edison and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster in her band. Verve issued it on All or Nothing at All in 1959.
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Listen for
Billie Holiday sings with a small band. Listen for Harry Edison's trumpet and Ben Webster's tenor saxophone as two separate voices behind her.
Try it on your instrument
Play 5 to 8 of the : , , , . The step down before they settle back toward C. Smaller version: play only the bass note of each chord.
Benny Carter recorded it on alto saxophone in Los Angeles on November 12, 1954, with Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Bobby White. The recording is on the 1991 CD 3, 4, 5: The Verve Small Group Sessions.
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Benny Carter leads on alto saxophone with piano, guitar, bass and drums behind him. Listen for Herb Ellis's guitar next to Oscar Peterson's piano.
Try it on your instrument
Play the two endings of the . The first ending leads back to the top: , . The second ending leads on to the : Dm7♭5 G7, . Smaller version: play only the bass notes D, A♭, G and D, G, C.
Ben Webster recorded it in New York on September 9, 1955, with Hank Jones on piano and strings arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns. It first came out on his LP Music with Feeling.
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Listen for
Ben Webster plays tenor saxophone with a string section behind him, arranged by Ralph Burns, and Hank Jones plays piano. Compare the strings here with the plainer backing on Benny Carter's record.
Try it on your instrument
Play only the bass note of each in the , with two beats each where a has two chords: C, D G, A, D, B♭ E♭, A♭ D♭, D A♭, G. Then play the melody over that bass line.
Stan Getz led a quintet with valve trombonist Bob Brookmeyer in Los Angeles on November 9, 1954. Norgran put the take on the LP Stan Getz at the Shrine in 1955.
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Listen for
Stan Getz on tenor saxophone and Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone are the two horns, with piano, bass and drums behind them. At 8:43 this is the first long performance on the path.
Try it on your instrument
Play the three times in a row, changing only the rhythm each time while the stay the same. Soloing over the chords needs more practice; a smaller version is to hold one long note for each chord.
Gene Ammons led an all-star band at Van Gelder's studio in Hackensack on July 13, 1956, with trumpeters Donald Byrd and Art Farmer and alto saxophonist Jackie McLean. Prestige issued the session as Hi Fi Jam Session (PRLP 7060), which streaming services list as Jammin' with Gene.
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Listen for
Two trumpets, an alto saxophone and Gene Ammons's tenor saxophone share the , with piano, bass and drums behind them. At 9:57 this is the longest track on the path.
Try it on your instrument
Play the whole 32 with one per bar, using the first chord of each bar from the chart, and count A, A, B, A out loud as you go. Then do it again over the recording and see how many times through you can follow.
McCoy Tyner recorded it with bassist Steve Davis and drummer Lex Humphries at Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs on March 4, 1963, the day he also recorded Star Eyes. Impulse! released the trio's album Nights of Ballads & Blues that year.
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Listen for
Three players: McCoy Tyner on piano, Steve Davis on bass and Lex Humphries on drums. With no horn or voice, the piano carries the tune.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first four of the as block , two to a bar: , , A♭7 G7♯9, Cm6 Am7♭5. The same four bars come around twice. Smaller version: play only A♭7 and G7♯9 on the first bar.
Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded their first album together at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley in June 1975. Producer Helen Keane and an engineer were the only other people in the room.
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Listen for
Just two musicians: Tony Bennett sings and Bill Evans plays piano. The piano alone sets the mood under the voice.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first , 1 to 8 with the first ending, as slow half notes and hum the melody over it. Smaller version: play bars 1 to 4 only.
Carl Fischer, Frankie Laine's pianist, writes the music in 1945 and Laine adds the words. According to JazzStandards.com, the two record it that year, but a version by the Pied Pipers comes out first.
1950s
Stan Getz's quintet plays it live in Los Angeles in 1954. In 1956 Billie Holiday sings it with a small band, and Frank Sinatra's album Songs for Swingin' Lovers includes it as its one ballad.
1960s
McCoy Tyner's trio records it in March 1963 for Impulse!, with Steve Davis on bass and Lex Humphries on drums.
1970s
Tony Bennett and Bill Evans record it with voice and piano alone in June 1975. In 1976 Pat Martino names an album after the song.
1980s
Guitarist Joe Pass and trombonist J.J. Johnson play it as a duo, on an album that Apple Music dates to 1984.
1990s
Rosemary Clooney sings it on Do You Miss New York?, released by Concord Jazz in 1993.
More great versions
5 more, from 1955 to 1993. Tap a cover to play it here.
Anita O'Day recorded it in Chicago on January 31, 1957, with Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and John Poole. Most of the album Anita Sings the Most is fast, and this track is one of the slower ones.
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
C majorusual key
32 barsA · A · B · A form
C major · A♭ major · C minorkeys it moves between
A8 bars
A8 bars
B8 bars · bridge
A8 bars
C
A♭
C
A♭
C
C m
C
A♭
C
The tune is 32 in four 8-bar sections: A, A, B, A. The , bars 1 to 8, opens on (iReal Pro also marks at the end of bar 1) and runs , and . Bars 5 and 6 turn to and . The first time, bars 7 and 8 are A♭7 and G7, which lead back to the top; the second time, the A section ends with Dm7♭5 G7 and C6 before the . The , bars 17 to 24, plays A♭7 and twice, then A♭7 G7, , Am7♭5 A♭7 and G7sus G7. The last A repeats the second A and ends with Dm7♭5 G7 and C6 Dm7 G7. The areas above are a reading of iReal Pro's chart, and other lead sheets may spell some differently.