Jerome Kern, music · Otto Harbach, lyrics · From the 1933 musical Roberta
Yesterdays
Yesterdays is a 1933 song by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach, written for the musical Roberta. Players like its minor-key harmony and the chain of dominant chords in the second half. You will hear it on records by Billie Holiday, Bud Powell, Clifford Brown, Wes Montgomery and Keith Jarrett.
The path starts with Billie Holiday's 1952 vocal and Bud Powell's solo piano, then moves through Lee Konitz and Miles Davis, Clifford Brown with strings and Wes Montgomery's guitar trio. It finishes with Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins, Bill Evans's overdubbed piano and Keith Jarrett's trio.
Lee Konitz Sextet featuring Miles Davis1951 · Bebop
Billie Holiday1952 · Vocal
Clifford Brown with Strings1955 · Bebop
The Wes Montgomery Trio1959 · Hard bop
1960sSonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins1963 · Bebop
Bill Evans1967 · Post-bop
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000sKeith Jarrett, Gary Peacock and Jack DeJohnette2001 · Post-bop
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Learn the song
Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra · 1952 · Vocal, Swing
An Evening with Billie Holiday
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Listen for
Follow the voice through the whole chorus and notice how the trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano and guitar stay behind her. Her version is the clearest place to hear the song as a vocal.
Try this
Play the melody and chords from your chart along with the track. If you can sing, sing the tune on top of the recording once through.
Powell plays piano with no other instruments, so the chord changes and the melody come from one player. Listen for how the harmony moves under the tune.
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Play the chords from your chart on piano or guitar, one per bar, while the track plays. Then try the melody with the chords in your left hand.
Two tenor saxophones share the track, so listen for which player is on at any moment. The track runs 5:11.
Try this
Play the melody once through along with the opening, then follow your chart's chords with the track for a full chorus. Soloing over the changes is a harder step, so start by playing only the chord roots on bass or left hand.
This is piano, bass and drums, and at 8:55 it is the longest track in the path. Listen to how the three players share the time.
Try this
Play the chords from your chart through one chorus, then listen for where the trio starts a new chorus. Counting the 16 bars of the tune against the track is a good small exercise.
One 16-bar strain in D minor. Bars 1 to 4 alternate Dm with Em7♭5 and A7♭9. Bars 5 and 6 walk down from Dm through Dm(maj7)/C♯ to Dm7/C, and bars 7 and 8 play Bm7♭5 and E7, a ii–V that leads to A7♯5 in bar 9. The second half then moves through a chain of dominant chords, D9, G13, C9 and F13, each one resolving down a fifth, and lands on B♭maj7 in bar 14. Em7♭5 and A7♭9 close the strain and lead back to Dm for the repeat.