Jazz Changes

Thelonious Monk and Cootie Williams, music · Bernie Hanighen, lyrics · 1944

'Round Midnight

Thelonious Monk's ballad, first recorded in 1944 and now the most recorded tune written by a jazz musician. It moves slowly through dark, chromatic chords in E♭ minor, and its introduction and ending are almost as famous as the tune. Every version is a balance between Monk's own voicings and the player's.

▶ Plays the whole path: 8 recordings in order. Use the player's next button to skip ahead.

  1. 1 Learn the song Thelonious Monk Quintet
  2. 2 Hear the first recording Cootie Williams
  3. 3 Learn the introduction Dizzy Gillespie Sextet
  4. 4 Hear the classic quintet arrangement Miles Davis Quintet
  5. 5 Hear the composer alone Thelonious Monk
  6. 6 Hear it on guitar and organ Wes Montgomery Trio
  7. 7 Add the words Carmen McRae
  8. 8 Hear a modern tenor reading Dexter Gordon

How the tune works

E♭ minorusual key
32 barsA · A · B · A form
E♭ mkey centers

A 32-bar AABA ballad centered on E♭ minor. Most versions add an introduction and a closing vamp, often the ones Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis used.

Only the bridge for now: the changes Monk himself played, from Steve Khan's analysis. Published charts of the A sections disagree with each other and with Monk's records, so they're left out until a reliable source is found.

Key E♭ minor
Bbars 17–24 · bridge
Cm7♭5F7alt
B♭7♭5
Cm7♭5F7alt
B♭7♭5
A♭m7B♭7alt
E♭m7F7alt
A♭m7D♭7G♭m7B7
Fm7♭5B♭7♭5

Many players change these bars; Khan compares Monk's changes with Chick Corea's and Wes Montgomery's.

Source: Steve Khan: Wes Montgomery's chord solo on 'Round Midnight (Monk's original bridge changes)

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

The path starts with Monk's own record and the first recording, then follows the introduction, the quintet arrangement, the solo piano, a guitar reading, a vocal and a late tenor version. Each step adds one thing to hear and one thing to try.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song

    Thelonious Monk Quintet 1947

    “'Round About Midnight”

    Listen for
    Hear the melody once all the way through. Then listen again with your attention on the piano, which shows the chords Monk heard in his own tune.
    Try this
    Learn the melody by ear from this record before you open a chart. Then check the chord symbols you find against what Monk plays.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear the first recording

    Cootie Williams and His Orchestra 1944

    Listen for
    Hear a big band take a small-group tune. Notice the interlude Williams added, which most later players dropped.
    Try this
    Play or sing the melody over this record. Mark one place where Williams's phrasing differs from Monk's 1947 version.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Learn the introduction

    Dizzy Gillespie Sextet (issued as Tempo Jazz Men) 1946

    “'Round About Midnight”

    Listen for
    Hear how the introduction sets up the tune before the melody starts. Then notice how the vibraphone and tenor saxophone fit around the trumpet.
    Try this
    Learn the introduction by ear and play it straight into the tune's first phrase. Then play it without the record.
    YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear the classic quintet arrangement

    Miles Davis Quintet 1956

    'Round About Midnight

    Listen for
    Hear how the group builds on Gillespie's arrangement and turns a ballad into a band piece. Notice who plays the melody and who solos.
    Try this
    Compare this record's opening with the Gillespie sextet. Write down which parts of the arrangement they share.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear the composer alone

    Thelonious Monk 1957

    Thelonious Himself

    Listen for
    With no band, Monk controls both the time and the voicings. Notice how he places each chord when nobody else is playing.
    Try this
    Play the first eight bars slowly and out of time. Let your left hand decide when each chord arrives.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear it on guitar and organ

    Wes Montgomery Trio 1959

    The Wes Montgomery Trio

    Listen for
    Hear the change of texture when the bridge arrives and the guitar moves from octaves to chords. Notice the organ and drums behind him.
    Try this
    Play the first A section in octaves, as Wes does. Then play the bridge as chords and see which chord shapes you need.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Add the words

    Carmen McRae 1988

    Carmen Sings Monk

    Listen for
    Follow the lyric line by line against the melody you know from the instrumental records. Notice where the singer takes time and where she moves ahead.
    Try this
    Write the lyric under the melody and mark the breath points. Then sing it with the record.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear a modern tenor reading

    Dexter Gordon 1985

    The Other Side of Round Midnight

    Listen for
    Hear three horns (tenor and soprano saxophone, and trumpet) over a rhythm section with Hancock at the piano. Notice who plays the melody and who answers.
    Try this
    Play the melody slowly with a full, dark tone, and leave space after each phrase.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

More great versions