Out of Nowhere

"Out of Nowhere" is a jazz standard composed by Johnny Green with lyrics by Edward Heyman in 1931 and published by Famous Music. The tune first gained recognition through Bing Crosby's recording on March 30, 1931, for Brunswick Records, which became his first number-one hit as a solo artist. The composition also appeared in the films Confessions of a Co-Ed and I Surrender Dear that same year. While not itself a contrafact, "Out of Nowhere" features distinctive harmonic progressions that inspired several bebop compositions, including Tadd Dameron's "Casbah," Fats Navarro's "Nostalgia," Lennie Tristano's "317 East 32nd Street," and Charlie Parker's "She Rote." The melody incorporates blue notes derived from African-American blues traditions within European-based harmonies, creating a longing, romantic character enhanced by its distinctive opening blues-derived chord and circle-of-fifths progression in the bridge. Notable recordings include Coleman Hawkins with Django Reinhardt in 1937 Paris, Django Reinhardt with Stéphane Grappelli in 1939, and Lena Horne with Teddy Wilson in 1941. Charlie Parker recorded the tune with Miles Davis for what would become The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes, while more recent interpretations include Chad Lefkowitz-Brown's performance on Standard Sessions in 2018.