Dizzy Gillespie, music · Instrumental · First recorded by Coleman Hawkins, 1944
Woody'n You
Dizzy Gillespie wrote it in 1942 as a tribute to bandleader Woody Herman. The opening part comes back twice, with a middle section that moves away and then returns home. Gillespie's big band, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Eric Dolphy all recorded it.
Listen in this order
The path starts with the 1944 record that first put the tune on disc and Dizzy Gillespie's own big band version from 1947. It then follows the tune through two Miles Davis groups, a Bud Powell piano trio, a Sonny Rollins live trio and Red Garland's quintet, and ends with Eric Dolphy's long live version from Copenhagen.
The Red Garland Quintet featuring John Coltrane and Donald Byrd1957 · Hard bop
1960sEric Dolphy1961
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Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra · 1944
Woody'n You / Rainbow Mist
Coleman Hawkins's orchestra, with Dizzy Gillespie in the trumpet section, recorded it in New York on February 16, 1944, and Apollo issued it as record 751. According to Wikipedia, this was the first record of a tune Gillespie had written for Woody Herman's band.
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Listen for
A twelve-piece band plays the whole tune in about three minutes. Listen for the opening part to come back after the contrasting middle section.
Try it on your instrument
Play the 's roots in the left hand or on bass, one per : G, C, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, D♭ (the are , , , , , , , D♭maj7). Then play along with the record.
“Algo Bueno (Woody'n You)”, Algo Bueno / Minor Walk
Gillespie recorded his own tune with his big band in New York on December 22, 1947, under the title Algo Bueno. RCA Victor issued it on a 78 as record 20-3186, with Chano Pozo on conga and bongo.
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Listen for
Listen for the conga and bongo drums, played by Chano Pozo, under the horns. Count the sections of the band: five trumpets, two trombones and five saxes.
Try it on your instrument
Play the , 17 to 24, as two four-bar blocks. Bars 17 to 19 are in each bar and bar 20 is ; bars 21 to 23 are and bar 24 is . Smaller version: play only the roots, A♭ then D♭ in each of bars 17 to 19, G♭ in bar 20, B♭ then E♭ in bars 21 to 23, and A♭ in bar 24.
Miles Davis led this Blue Note session at WOR Studios in New York on May 9, 1952, with J.J. Johnson on trombone and Jackie McLean on alto sax. Blue Note issued it on a 78 as Would'n You, paired with Dear Old Stockholm.
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Listen for
Three horns, trumpet, trombone and alto sax, share the over piano, bass and drums. At 3:25 the whole record fits on one side of a 78.
Try it on your instrument
Count the 32 aloud along with the record, in four groups of eight, and write down the second where each new section starts. You only need a pencil, no instrument.
Bud Powell recorded this trio session with Ray Brown on bass and Osie Johnson on drums at Fine Sound in New York on September 13, 1956. Verve issued it on the album Blues in the Closet.
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Listen for
Only piano, bass and drums play here. Follow the piano through the 3:53 and listen for the opening part to return after the middle section.
Try it on your instrument
Play the tune's with your left hand, one chord per for the (bars 1 to 8), and add the melody on top if you can. Smaller version: play only the roots, G, C, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, D♭.
The Miles Davis Quintet recorded it at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, on May 11, 1956. Prestige issued it in 1958 on Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet.
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Listen for
Trumpet and tenor sax lead, with piano, bass and drums behind them. The tenor player is John Coltrane, so listen for how his sound differs from Miles Davis's trumpet.
Try it on your instrument
Learn the , 17 to 24, as two matching four-bar blocks: (three bars) then , and (three bars) then . Smaller version: play just the roots, A♭ D♭ in bars 17 to 19, G♭ in bar 20, B♭ E♭ in bars 21 to 23, A♭ in bar 24.
“Woody 'n You (Evening)”, A Night at the Village Vanguard
Sonny Rollins played this live at the Village Vanguard in New York on November 3, 1957, in a trio of tenor sax, bass and drums. Blue Note's 1999 edition of A Night at the Village Vanguard includes the evening set's version.
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Listen for
Only tenor sax, bass and drums play. Listen for how the bass and drums fill the space around the sax over more than eight minutes.
Try it on your instrument
Play the roots as a bass line for the full 32 , one note per bar: G, C, F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, D♭, then the roots A♭ D♭ (three bars), G♭, B♭ E♭ (three bars), A♭, and the again. Smaller version: do only the first A section (bars 1 to 8).
The Red Garland Quintet featuring John Coltrane and Donald Byrd · 1957 · Hard bop
Soul Junction
Red Garland led this quintet at Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack on November 15, 1957, with Donald Byrd on trumpet and John Coltrane on tenor sax. Prestige released it in 1960 on Soul Junction.
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Listen for
Trumpet and tenor sax lead, and the piano sits at the center of the behind them. Listen across the nearly seven minutes for the opening part returning after each middle section.
Try it on your instrument
Play the first four of the with a root and a seventh in the left hand: G and F for , C and B♭ for , F and E♭ for , B♭ and A♭ for . Smaller version: play just the roots G, C, F, B♭.
Eric Dolphy played it in a live set in Copenhagen on September 8, 1961, with Bent Axen, Erik Moseholm and Jørn Elniff. Prestige issued it in 1965 on Eric Dolphy in Europe, Vol. 3.
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Listen for
At 10:25 this is the longest track on the path. Piano, bass and drums back Dolphy, so you can follow the sections through the long stretch.
Try it on your instrument
Take one and play only the root of each as a bass line, then repeat it with the first note of the melody on top. Improvising over needs more than basic chords, so the smaller version is to play the roots and tap the sections (A, A, B, A) with the record.
Gillespie writes the tune in 1942 as a tribute to Woody Herman. Coleman Hawkins's studio band makes the first record in 1944, and Gillespie's own big band follows in 1947 under the title Algo Bueno.
1950s
Miles Davis records it twice, in 1952 with a sextet and in 1956 with his quintet. Bud Powell plays it with a piano trio, and Sonny Rollins plays it live in a trio of tenor sax, bass and drums.
1960s
Eric Dolphy plays it live in Copenhagen in 1961, in a performance of more than ten minutes.
1970s
Tommy Flanagan's trio plays it live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on 13 July 1977, and Pablo Live issues the set that year as Montreux '77.
1990s
Tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton records it in New York in December 1996 with pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Lewis Nash, for the Concord album After Hours.
More great versions
8 more, from 1956 to 1996. Tap a cover to play it here.
1950sThe Hampton Hawes Quartet1956 · Cool jazz
Max Roach Quintet1956
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers with Sabu1957 · Latin jazz
Hampton Hawes recorded it in Los Angeles on 12 and 13 November 1956, with guitarist Jim Hall, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Bruz Freeman. Contemporary issued it in 1958 on All Night Session! Vol. 2.
Max Roach recorded it in New York on 19 September 1956, with Kenny Dorham on trumpet and Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone. It was on Max Roach + 4, released that October on EmArcy, the first album Roach made after Clifford Brown and Richie Powell died in June 1956.
Stan Getz recorded it in Los Angeles on 2 August 1957, with Lou Levy on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Stan Levey on drums. Verve issued it on the album Award Winner, with Norman Granz as producer.
“Wood'yn You”, Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me
Ahmad Jamal's trio recorded it live at the Pershing Lounge in Chicago on 16 January 1958, one of 43 tracks taped that night. Jamal chose eight for the Argo album Ahmad Jamal at the Pershing: But Not for Me, and this one runs 3 minutes 40 seconds.
Johnny Griffin recorded it in New York on February 25, 1958, in a quartet with Kenny Drew, Wilbur Ware and Philly Joe Jones. Riverside issued it on the album Johnny Griffin Sextet.
Tommy Flanagan's trio played it live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on 13 July 1977, with Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. Pablo Live issued the set that year as Montreux '77.
Scott Hamilton recorded it in New York on 18 and 19 December 1996, in a quartet with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. Concord Jazz issued it in 1997 on the album After Hours.
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
D♭ majorusual key
32 barsA · A · B · A form
F minor · E♭ minor · D♭ major · G♭ major · A♭ majorkeys it moves between
A8 bars
A8 bars
B8 bars · bridge
A8 bars
F m
E♭ m
D♭
F m
E♭ m
D♭
G♭
A♭
F m
E♭ m
D♭
The tune is 32 in four 8-bar sections: A, A, B, A. Each opens with three pairs of , one chord per bar, that each sit a below the last: , , . The last pair leads into , which holds for bars 7 and 8. The , bars 17 to 24, plays in each of three bars and in the fourth, then in each of three bars and in the last. These follow the iReal Pro chart; other lead sheets may spell some chords differently.