I Hear a Rhapsody

"I Hear a Rhapsody" was composed in 1940 by George Fragos, Jack Baker, and Dick Gasparre (a pianist who led a society orchestra). First recorded by vocalist Mary Healy with the Perry Botkin Orchestra on October 8, 1940, the romantic swing tune topped Your Hit Parade in 1941 and became a major hit for Charlie Barnet, Jimmy Dorsey, and Dinah Shore. The song appeared in the 1952 film "Clash by Night," with Tony Martin's vocal accompanied by a soundtrack featuring Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, and Gerald Wiggins. Originally performed as a ballad, the tune has been recorded over 250 times at varied tempos. John Coltrane's 1957 version on "Lush Life" was particularly influential in establishing it as a jazz standard, often performed at faster tempos. Other notable interpretations include Jackie McLean (1957), Zoot Sims (1956), and Bill Evans with Jim Hall (1962, as a slow ballad). The AllSolos database features recordings by John Coltrane with Red Garland, Chad Lefkowitz-Brown with Manuel Valera from "Standard Sessions" (2018), Sam Dillon with Peter Zak and Yoshi Waki from "Out in the Open" (2018), and Alexa Tarantino with Tatum Greenblatt, Emmet Cohen, and Russell Hall.