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How High the Moon

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"How High the Moon" is a jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show, where it was sung by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock.[1] In Two for the Show, this was a rare serious moment in an otherwise humorous revue.

"How High the Moon"
Song by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock
Published1940
GenreJazz
Composer(s)Morgan Lewis
Lyricist(s)Nancy Hamilton

Recordings

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1951 Capitol Records 78 single by Les Paul and Mary Ford, 1451.
 
1951 sheet music for the Les Paul and Mary Ford recording, Chappell, New York.

The earliest recorded hit version was by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra, featuring vocalist Helen Forrest. It was recorded on February 7, 1940, and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 35391, with the flip side "Fable of the Rose".[2] The Les Paul Trio recorded a version released as V-Disc 540B with a spoken introduction which was issued in November 1945 by the U.S. War Department. In 1948, bandleader Stan Kenton enjoyed some success with his version of the tune. The recording, with a vocal by June Christy, was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 911 (with the flip side "Willow, Weep for Me")[3] and 15117 (with the flip side "Interlude").[4] It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 9, 1948, its only week on the chart, at #27.[5]

"How High the Moon"
Single by Les Paul and Mary Ford
ReleasedMarch 26, 1951 (original release)
RecordedJanuary 4, 1951[6]
StudioLes Paul and Mary Ford's apartment home studio[6]
Length2:07
LabelCapitol Records[6]
Songwriter(s)Nancy Hamilton, Morgan Lewis
Producer(s)Les Paul[6]

A recording of the song by Les Paul and Mary Ford was made on January 4, 1951.[6] This version featured Paul on all guitars (lead, rhythm, muted strings for guitar percussion, and a bass line played on guitar).[6] Ford's lead vocals took three takes to record; since Paul and Ford recorded (at least Ford's vocals) at night, she placed a blanket over her head so most of the sound would be directed towards the single RCA Type 44-BX ribbon microphone and would not travel through the building and wake up neighbors.[6] Regardless, while recording one of Ford's harmony vocal parts, their neighbors complained about the noise.[6] According to Paul, the final recording featured 12 guitar parts and 12 vocal parts.[6]

The record was released on March 26 by Capitol Records as catalog number 1451, with the flip side "Walkin' and Whistlin' Blues",[7] and spent 25 weeks (beginning on March 23, 1951) on the Billboard chart,[5] 9 weeks at #1. It was subsequently re-released by Capitol as catalog number 1675, with "Josephine" on the B-side.[8] This version crossed over to the Most-Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues Records chart, where it peaked at #2.[9] This recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1979 and is on the list of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum of the Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.[10] In 2023, this version was included on the soundtrack of the film Asteroid City by Wes Anderson.[11]

The song was sung in various recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, becoming (with the Gershwins' "Oh, Lady Be Good!") Ella's signature tune. She first performed the song at Carnegie Hall on September 29, 1947.[1] Her first recording, backed by the Daydreamers, was recorded December 20, 1947, and released by Decca Records as catalog number 24387, with the flip side "You Turned the Tables on Me".[12] Her most celebrated recording of "How High the Moon" is on her 1960 album Ella in Berlin, and her version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."[13]

The song has become a gypsy jazz standard and has been recorded by several musicians of the genre.

Other versions

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Songs based on "How High the Moon"

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Another jazz standard, "Ornithology" by Charlie Parker and Benny Harris, is based on the chords of "How High the Moon". It was common among jazz musicians (Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton and others) to seamlessly include "Ornithology" in the solo when performing "How High the Moon". Lennie Tristano wrote the contrafact "Lennie-bird" over the chord changes, and Miles Davis/Chuck Wayne's "Solar" is also based on part of the chord structure.[48] Coleman Hawkins' tune "Bean At Met" is also based on the changes of How High The Moon; this tune starts with simple riffs on the measures 1 to 8 and 17 to 24. The rest is filled up with solos.

John Coltrane's composition "Satellite" is also based on the chords of "How High the Moon", which Coltrane embellished with the three-tonic progression he also used on his composition "Giant Steps".

Jimmy Giuffre's composition "Bright Moon" is also based on the chords of "How High the Moon". Quincy Jones recorded it in 1957 on his second album, Go West, Man!

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Cover versions of How High the Moon by Frances Comstock & Alfred Drake". Secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  2. ^ "COLUMBIA 78rpm numerical listing discography: 35200 - 35500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Capitol 500 - 1000, 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "Capitol 15000 series numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940-1955. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Buskin, Richard. "Classic Tracks: Les Paul & Mary Ford 'How High the Moon'". SoundOnSound. Sound On Sound. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. ^ "Capitol 1000 - 1500, 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "Capitol 1500 - 2000, 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 452.
  10. ^ "Exhibits". Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "Wes Anderson's Asteroid City Soundtrack Out from ABKCO Digitally Today". Focus Features. June 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "DECCA (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 24000 - 24500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  13. ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". Archived from the original on July 7, 2015.
  14. ^ "The Frog". January 1, 2000 – via IMDb.
  15. ^ "DECCA (USA) numerical listing discography: 28000 - 28500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "BLUEBIRD 78rpm numerical listing discography: 10500 - 11000". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  17. ^ "45 Discography for Royal Roost Records". www.globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  18. ^ "DECCA (USA) numerical listing discography: 29500 - 29500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  19. ^ "Aladdin 3000 series 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "SAVOY 78rpm numerical listing discography: 500 series". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  21. ^ Productions, Global Dog. "Singles Discography for National Records".
  22. ^ a b "Capitol 10000-series 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  23. ^ "Musicraft 78rpm numerical listing discography - 200 through 600". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  24. ^ "VICTOR numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  25. ^ "COSMO 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  26. ^ "COLUMBIA RECORDS: 78rpm numerical listing discography 38500 - 39500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  27. ^ "MGM 78rpm numerical listing discography: 10000 - 10500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  28. ^ "Arco 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  29. ^ a b c "COLUMBIA 78rpm numerical listing discography: 39500 - 39500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  30. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 108.
  31. ^ "MGM Records - 78rpm numerical listing discography: 30500 - end of series". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  32. ^ "Capitol 20000-series 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  33. ^ "RCA Victor 20-prefix 78rpm numerical listing discography: 20-2000 through 20-2500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  34. ^ "DECCA (USA) numerical listing discography: 24500 - 24999". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  35. ^ a b c "SIGNATURE 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  36. ^ a b "Varsity 78rpm numerical listing discography: 5000 series". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  37. ^ a b "Montgomery Ward 78rpm numerical listing discography: 10000 series". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  38. ^ "MERCURY 78rpm numerical listing discography: Jazz ath the Philharmonic 11000 series". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  39. ^ "DISCOVERY 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  40. ^ "COLUMBIA 78rpm numerical listing discography: 38000 - 38500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  41. ^ "DECCA (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 3000 - 3500". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  42. ^ "MERCURY numerical listing discography: 8900 series". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  43. ^ "Atlantic Records 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  44. ^ "Vocalion 78rpm numerical listing discography - 5000 series (main sequence)". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  45. ^ "MGM Records - 78rpm numerical listing discography: 30000 - 30499". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  46. ^ "NATIONAL 78rpm numerical listing discography". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  47. ^ a b "COLUMBIA RECORDS (USA), 78rpm numerical listing discography 39500 - 40000". 78discography.com. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  48. ^ Meeder, Christopher (2008). Jazz: The Basics. Routledge. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-415-96694-8.
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