"Early Autumn" is a song composed by Ralph Burns and Woody Herman with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. The song grew out of the fourth segment of Burns's "Summer Sequence" concert piece.[1] The original recording was made by Herman's second herd on December 27, 1947, which had a notable eight-bar solo by saxophonist Stan Getz.[2] Herman asked Johnny Mercer to write lyrics in 1952 and he re-recorded the song taking the vocal duties himself.[3]
| "Early Autumn" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Written | Johnny Mercer |
| Genre | Jazz |
| Composer(s) | Ralph Burns Woody Herman |
| Lyricist(s) | Johnny Mercer |
Woody Herman and Jo Stafford recorded versions of the song that both charted in the US in 1952.[4]
Notable covers
edit- Woody Herman — instrumental version (1949).[5][6]
- Woody Herman — single release in 1952 for the Mars label (catalog No. 300).[7]
- Ted Heath and His Music, vocal by Lita Roza (1952).[8]
- Jo Stafford — single version that peaked at #25 on the Billboard singles chart.[9]
- Ella Fitzgerald – a single release for Decca Records (catalog No. 29810) in 1956 (recorded in 1952)[10]
- Ella Fitzgerald – new version for her album Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook (1964)
- Johnny Mathis – Wonderful, Wonderful (1957)
- Anita O'Day - Anita O'Day Sings the Winners (1958)
- Stan Getz – Stan Getz & Strings (1961)
- Cleo Laine - I Am a Song (RCA Victor, 1973)
- Anita Kerr Singers – Round Midnight (1975)
- Patricia Barber - Split (1989)
- Mel Tormé – Night at the Concord Pavilion (1990)
- Diana Krall - included on the Mark Whitfield album Forever Love (1997).
- The Four Freshmen – In Session (2005).
- Patti LuPone – The Lady with the Torch (2006).
Personnel
editPersonnel on the 1947 recording were:[11][12]
- Stan Fishelson — trumpet
- Bernie Glow — trumpet
- Marky Markowitz — trumpet
- Ernie Royal — trumpet
- Shorty Rogers — trumpet
- Earl Swope — trombone
- Ollie Wilson — trombone
- Bob Swift — trombone
- Woody Herman — clarinet
- Jimmy Giuffre — clarinet
- Sam Marowitz — alto saxophone
- Herbie Steward — tenor saxophone
- Stan Getz — tenor saxophone
- Zoot Sims — tenor saxophone
- Serge Chaloff — baritone saxophone
- Ralph Burns — piano
- Walt Yoder — bass
- Terry Gibbs — vibraphone
- Don Lamond — drums
References
edit- ^ Gioia, Ted (2011). The History of Jazz (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 312-313, 336. ISBN 9780190087210.
- ^ Giddins, Gary (1998). Visions of Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 407. ISBN 0-19-507675-3.
- ^ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 495. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ Gilliland, John. (197X). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #22 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 211. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
- ^ "45worlds.com". 45worlds.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
- ^ Keeper of the Flame: The Complete Capitol Recordings at AllMusic. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ Myers, Marc (October 26, 2021). "The Early Autumn Story and 10 Faves". JazzWax. Retrieved August 29, 2023.