Romance Without Finance is an original composition by guitarist Tiny Grimes, first recorded in 1944 for Savoy Records. The tune emerged from a studio session in which Grimes, having recently departed the Art Tatum Trio, assembled a quintet that included a young Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, along with Clyde Hart on piano, Jimmy Butts on bass, and Doc West on drums. Grimes, who also provided vocals on the track, crafted a piece with a light, tongue-in-cheek character suggested by its title, blending his swing-rooted guitar style with the emerging bebop sensibility that Parker brought to the date. Multiple takes were recorded during the session, several of which survive and appear on compilations including The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948 and Giants of Jazz: Guitar. A 1945 Soundie, an early form of music video, also captured a performance of the tune by Grimes and his group. Romance Without Finance is not a widely performed jazz standard but holds significance as a document of Parker's early sideman work and Grimes' role as a bandleader bridging the swing and bebop eras. The tune has attracted occasional attention in vocal jazz circles, where its wry premise has been interpreted as a piece of sardonic anti-romance.
