About
Ellis Larkins's piano solo is the sole improvisation on this recording. Spanning half a chorus of the 32-bar AABA form at a moderate 125 BPM with a swing feel in E♭, the solo runs approximately 32 seconds. George Gershwin's composition receives a treatment that emphasizes its melodic sophistication, with Larkins's solo complementing Fitzgerald's vocal interpretation through subtle harmonic embellishments and graceful melodic lines. Ellis Larkins was 26 to 27 years old at the time of this 1950 recording. While not as widely performed as some of Gershwin's other standards, the tune has maintained a place in the Great American Songbook.
Ellis Larkins was 26 to 27 years old at the time.
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