(And with female singers, it sounds more operatic than jazzy.). In the “older” key of G minor, the melody’s high note is an F, which is above the comfortable range of most jazz vocalists. So why did The Real Book put it in E minor? (He did enjoy playing in “sharp” keys.) But no, his version is in G minor too. Since the original edition of The Real Book recommended Bill Evans album “Portrait In Jazz” at the bottom of the Autumn Leaves page, I thought that maybe Evans had recorded it in E minor himself. And the older musicians I worked with at the beginning of my career always played it in in G minor as well. Cannonball Adderley’s version, with the famous trumpet solo by Miles Davis, is in G minor. What happened to cause this abrupt change? The answer is this: The Real Book happened.īut the “real” question is this: Why did the original compilers of The Real Book put the tune in E minor? All the jazz greats, after all, played it in G minor. And then, all of a sudden, newer generations began playing it in the key of E minor (the first chord is Am). Several generations of jazz musicians played Autumn Leaves in the key of G minor (the first chord is Cm). (You can read the Autumn Leaves page HERE.) It’s a great question and the fact of the matter is that I don’t really know the answer. That’s the question a reader of my Jazz Pianist’s Guide To The Real Book recently emailed me. “Why is Autumn Leaves played in the key of E minor?”
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