"I Found a New Baby" (also known as "I've Found a New Baby") is a jazz standard written by Jack Palmer and Spencer Williams in 1926. The tune was introduced by Clarence Williams' Blue Five in a recording made that same year, and its upbeat, playful melody quickly established it as a favorite vehicle for improvisation in traditional jazz settings. The lyrics, full of 1920s-era slang about the excitement of a new romance, give the composition a lighthearted, exuberant character. Spencer Williams, whose other enduring contributions to the jazz repertoire include "Royal Garden Blues" and "I Ain't Got Nobody," drew on his New Orleans roots in crafting the tune's swinging, accessible framework. Over the decades, "I Found a New Baby" became a staple of the jazz repertoire, ranked among the most frequently performed standards. It achieved pop chart success through recordings by the Mills Brothers in 1934 and the Harry James Orchestra in 1939, while a celebrated 1940 small-group session featuring Benny Goodman alongside Charlie Christian, Cootie Williams, Count Basie, and Jo Jones demonstrated the tune's capacity for electrifying instrumental interplay. The composition's durable appeal lies in its straightforward structure, which invites creative exploration from soloists while remaining firmly rooted in the swinging tradition of early jazz.
