Ann Ronell, music and lyrics · Dedicated to George Gershwin · First recorded by Ted Fio Rito and His Orchestra, 1932
Willow Weep for Me is a 1932 song with music and lyrics by Ann Ronell. Publishers at first turned it down, and one reason given is its unusually complex construction. Ted Fio Rito and Paul Whiteman recorded it in 1932, and Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Wes Montgomery recorded it later.
Start with Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra singing the tune, then hear Sarah Vaughan live with a trio. Next come the Stan Getz Quintet, the Wynton Kelly Trio, Dexter Gordon with Bud Powell, Grant Green on guitar with organ, and McCoy Tyner alone at the piano.
8 recordings, 1953 to 1991 · Play all 8 on YouTube ↗
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Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra · 1954 · Vocal
Willow Weep for Me / Stormy Blues
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Play the first four of the with two to a bar, , G7 C7, G7 , Am7 , at a slow tempo, and hum the tune over them.
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Frank Sinatra · 1958 · Vocal
Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
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Play the slowly, , , Cm7 , G7♭9, and hold each until the next one starts.
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Sarah Vaughan · 1957 · Swing, Big band
“Willow Weep for Me (Live at Mister Kelly's, Chicago)”, At Mister Kelly's
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Play 5 to 8 of the , , C7 , C7, G7 D7, slowly, and listen for the D♭7♯11 that sits a half step above C7.
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The Stan Getz Quintet · 1953
Interpretations by the Stan Getz Quintet #1
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Play the with two to a and short chords on beats 2 and 4, starting , G7 C7, G7 , Am7 .
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Wynton Kelly Trio · 1959 · Bebop, Hard bop
Kelly Blue
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Play a bass line of quarter notes through the , on the roots of , , Cm7 , G7♭9.
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Dexter Gordon with Bud Powell · 1963 · Hard bop
Our Man in Paris
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Play the form once with melody and , then count how many times Gordon goes around the form on the recording.
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Grant Green · 1965 · Soul jazz
His Majesty King Funk
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Loop 1 and 2, , G7 C7, with a steady rhythm of your own and hum the tune over the loop.
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McCoy Tyner · 1991 · Post-bop, Bebop
Soliloquy
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Play 1 to 4 alone, with held in your left hand and the tune in your right: , G7 C7, G7 , Am7 .
5 more, from 1952 to 1974. Tap a cover to play it here.
1952 · Bebop
Just One of Those Things / Willow Weep for Me
Peterson recorded the song with guitar and bass in 1952, and Mercury issued it as a single.
1956 · Hard bop, Modal jazz
Groovy
Garland recorded the song for Groovy with Paul Chambers and Art Taylor in December 1956, in a piano trio version of nearly ten minutes.
1961
The Gene Ammons Story: Gentle Jug
Ammons recorded the song in January 1961 with a quartet, and it first appeared on the 1977 compilation Gentle Jug.
1965 · Bebop, Cool jazz
“Willow Weep for Me (Live at the Half Note, 1965)”, The Small Group Recordings
Montgomery played the song live at the Half Note on June 25, 1965, with the Wynton Kelly Trio.
1974 · Post-bop
Musique du Bois
Woods recorded the song in 1974 in 3/4 time, with Jaki Byard on piano and Richard Davis on bass.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
Each runs eight in , built on dominant sevenths. Bars 1 and 2 alternate and . Bar 3 goes G7, , , and bar 4 goes , Am7, , . Bar 5 moves from C7 to , bar 6 goes C7, Am7, , and bar 7 returns to G7 and C7. The first A ends on G7 and D7, which leads back to the top, and the second A ends on a bar of G7 before the . The bridge moves to : , then and , then Cm7 and , then and G7♭9. Bars 5 to 8 of the bridge repeat that pattern, except that the last bar goes A♭7, Am7, D7, which leads back to G. The last A repeats the first and ends on G7 and D7. These areas follow the iReal Pro chart.
Chart from iReal Pro's Jazz 1460 playlist, contributed by its users.