Jelly Roll Morton (1938) [AIN'T MISBEHAVIN']

Recorded during the Library of Congress recording sessions for Alan Lomax in 1938, Washington D.C. This recording is one of the few times that this pioneer of jazz offered a rendition of a composition by a player of a later generation. The song is performed as solo piano, but Morton concludes with some scat vocal.

The JGC History series features specifically curated playlists to help trace the lineage of some of the most influential jazz compositions of all time.

Join me on Patreon for Lead Sheets, Play-Alongs, Transcriptions, Lessons and much more:
  / jazzguitarcomprehensive  

Some notes about the composition as found on
https://www.jazzguitarcomprehensive.com/

Composer: Fats Waller, Harry Brooks

Lyrics: Andy Razaf

Year: 1929

Origin: Premiered in the Musical Revue Connie’s Hot Chocolates.

Style: Usually played at a medium-up tempo swing.

Form: A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8]

Key: Early recordings from the likes of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong were performed in the key of Eb Major, although it has since taken many different keys with some of the most popular being C and F.

Harmony/Overview: The A section is very functional and cycles through a I – VI – II – V before setting up IV – IVmi. A very commonly used reharmonization in this section is to instead add passing diminished chords: I6 – bIIdim7 – IImi7 – bIIIdim 7. The bridge begins on VImi and proceeds with the interesting harmonic movement of VImi – bVI7/VI – II7 - VI7 before finishing with a I-VI-II-V of V.

Recordings: This tune has been recorded over 480 times to date. The first recording comes from Leo Reisman and his Orchestra with vocal by Lew Conrad in 1929. Although introduced in the original Revue as a ballad it has become common practice to perform the tune at much brighter tempos, as evidenced by some of the earliest recordings by Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, and Bing Crosby.

JGC Top Picks:
Art Tatum, 1949
Sarah Vaughan Featuring George Treadwell & His All-Stars, 1950
Emmet Cohen, Dirty in Detroit, 2018

Please consider supporting this channel through a donation,
https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jazzg...

You can also support me on Patreon for much more musical content,
  / jazzguitarcomprehensive  

Be sure to subscribe to my main channel:
   / @jazzguitarcomprehensive  

As well as my second channel for Play-Alongs and Loops:
   / @jgcplayalongs  

The World's Premier Site for Jazz Guitar Education and Beyond
https://www.jazzguitarcomprehensive.com/

DISCLAIMER: This video has been uploaded for educational purposes and is protected under fair-use. This channel will never be monetized and any ads are run solely on behalf of the rightful copyright owner.

#JellyRollMorton #AintMisbehavin #JazzHistory