Cole Porter, music and lyrics · Introduced by Fred Astaire in Gay Divorce, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, New York, November 1932
Night and Day
A 48-bar song by Cole Porter, written for the 1932 Broadway show Gay Divorce. Its descending chord sequence became a common closing idea for jazz players and big-band arrangers. You will hear it from singers, quartets, guitarists, piano trios and big bands.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman✓
- 2 Hear it with a conductor-led band Frank Sinatra with Nelson Riddle✓
- 3 Hear a jazz singer's version Ella Fitzgerald with Buddy Bregman✓
- 4 Hear the 48-bar form in a tenor and piano quartet Art Tatum – Ben Webster Quartet✓
- 5 Hear a long quartet reading Joe Henderson✓
- 6 Hear the tune on one instrument Joe Pass✓
- 7 Hear a piano trio Bill Evans Trio✓
- 8 Hear a recent version Vincent Herring✓
How the tune works
A chorus is 48 bars in C, laid out as six eight-bar sections: A, B, A, B, C, B. Each A starts on a chord that is not quite home (written Dm7♭5 or A♭maj7 in different charts), moves to G7 and settles on Cmaj7. Each B is a slide down by half steps: F♯m7♭5, Fm7, Em7 and a diminished chord on D♯, then Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7. The C section is the bridge. It alternates E♭maj7 and Cmaj7, two bars each, twice, which is a quick move up a minor third to E♭ and back. The last B closes the chorus, and some charts add a short turnaround (D7 G7) at the very end.
The changes under Ben Webster's tenor saxophone on his 1956 record with Art Tatum, transcribed in the Weimar Jazz Database and moved from that record's D to C, the key most fake books use. Books differ on the first chord of each A section (Dm7♭5 here, A♭maj7 in some).
Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗The path starts with three singers, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. It then moves to a tenor and piano quartet, a tenor quartet from 1964, a solo guitar, a piano trio and a recent quintet. Each step gives one thing to hear and one thing to play.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Fred Astaire with Leo Reisman and His Orchestra 1932
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- Listen for
- Astaire sings with Leo Reisman's orchestra on the record that was the top seller of its year. The chorus has six eight-bar sections (A B A B C B), so follow the vocal and listen for where the bridge, section C, begins.
- Try this
- Play the melody once through on your instrument, then count 48 bars from the top to see where each A, B and C section starts.
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Step 2 · Hear it with a conductor-led band Now playing
Frank Sinatra with Nelson Riddle 1956
A Swingin' Affair!
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- Listen for
- Nelson Riddle arranged and conducted this record. Compare how it sets the six eight-bar sections with Astaire's 1932 version.
- Try this
- Play the eight-bar A section from the chart with one chord per bar while you hum the melody over it.
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Step 3 · Hear a jazz singer's version Now playing
Ella Fitzgerald with Buddy Bregman and His Orchestra 1956
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
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- Listen for
- Ella sings with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Buddy Bregman. Producer Norman Granz wanted the backing to show signs of jazz here and there, so listen for where the band moves away from a plain pop setting.
- Try this
- Sing or hum the A section along with her, then play it on your instrument and check each bar against the chart.
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Step 4 · Hear the 48-bar form in a tenor and piano quartet Now playing
Art Tatum – Ben Webster Quartet 1956
The Art Tatum - Ben Webster Quartet
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- Listen for
- Webster's solo starts at about 1:02 and fills two 48-bar choruses over Tatum, Callender and Douglass. Count the six eight-bar sections in the first chorus and listen for where the bridge, section C, arrives.
- Try this
- Press the + key button twice to move the chart up to D, the key of this record, then play the eight-bar A section with one chord per bar. The record runs at an up tempo, so if that is too fast, follow the chart with your eyes and count the bars.
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Step 5 · Hear a long quartet reading Now playing
Joe Henderson 1964
Inner Urge
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- Listen for
- Henderson's tenor leads a quartet of tenor, piano, bass and drums, and the track runs about seven and a half minutes. Tap the 48 bars of one chorus and see where the next chorus starts.
- Try this
- Play the B section's falling chords from the chart slowly, one chord per bar, then listen for that same slide when the record reaches a B section.
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Step 6 · Hear the tune on one instrument Now playing
Joe Pass 1973
Virtuoso
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- Listen for
- Pass plays solo, so everything you hear comes from one guitar. Count the six eight-bar sections and listen for where the bridge begins.
- Try this
- Play the A section by yourself with no backing, using the melody and one chord per bar from the chart.
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Step 7 · Hear a piano trio Now playing
Bill Evans Trio 1958
Everybody Digs Bill Evans
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- Listen for
- Evans plays in a trio of piano, bass and drums with Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones. The track runs over seven minutes, so count the 48-bar form and listen for the bridge, section C.
- Try this
- Play the chart's A section with one chord per bar in your right hand and the root of each chord in your left, then do the same with the B section.
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Step 8 · Hear a recent version Now playing
Vincent Herring 2014
Night and Day
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- Listen for
- Alto saxophone and trumpet play over piano, bass and drums. Compare this band with the 1964 Henderson quartet and listen for what the second horn adds.
- Try this
- Play the B section's falling chords from the chart one chord per bar, then listen for the same slide when this record reaches a B section.
More great versions
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Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra 1939
Billie Holiday recorded the song on December 13, 1939, with Lester Young on tenor saxophone and nine instrumentalists in all.
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Charlie Parker with Joe Lippman and His Orchestra 1952
Charlie Parker Big Band
Charlie Parker plays the song with a big band arranged and conducted by Joe Lippman, with Oscar Peterson on piano and Ray Brown on bass.
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Stan Getz Quartet 1960
At Large
Stan Getz played this live version of about ten and a half minutes in a Copenhagen church in January 1960, with Jan Johansson on piano, Daniel Jordan on bass and William Schiøpffe on drums.
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Stan Getz and Bill Evans 1964
Stan Getz & Bill Evans
Stan Getz and Bill Evans recorded this in New York in May 1964 with Ron Carter and Elvin Jones.
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Kenny Garrett 1994
Triology
Kenny Garrett plays alto saxophone with only bass and drums behind him on this track, from his 1995 album Triology.
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Diana Krall 2016
Turn Up the Quiet
Diana Krall plays piano and sings with a rhythm section and a string section, with the strings orchestrated and conducted by Alan Broadbent.