All the Things You Are - Intro, Chord Melody, Single-Note Solo & Chord Shapes

Composed by Jerome Kern

Tune's History

All the Things You Are is a definite "must" in the jazz repertoire. The tune was composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II in 1939 for Kern's last Broadway show, Very Warm for May.

As has been commonplace in jazz history, the critics tore the show apart and it was quite a financial disaster.

Nevertheless, the tune became one of the all-time great jazz standards. Take that, you critics!

As previously mentioned, it is a must-know for any serious or aspiring jazz musician and it is often called on gigs and jam sessions. Many of the greats have recorded some wonderful versions over the years. I particularly enjoy Pat Metheny's version as well as Brad Mehldau's.

The Nuts and Bolts

All the Things You Are is not only a fun tune to improvise on, but it is also a brilliant composition. The effect created by the modulations to remote keys is reminiscent of romantic music.

Because of its interesting features in melody, harmony and form, "All the Things You Are" is played at all kinds of tempos and in many different styles. The melody is quite sparse and allows for lots of freedom with its interpretation.

Download your "All the Things You Are - Chord Melody, Solo, and More"
Join our Community here.

 
Harmonically, the tune cycles through 4ths starting from the vi of each key and then has a surprise modulation at the end of each section. Improvisers beware, you don't want to be caught by unprepared here.

The form is also particularly unusual. It is 36 bars in length with an AA₂BA₃ form. Kind of weird, I know, but that's one of the things that really makes this tune so interesting. This form tends to trip beginners up, so be sure you know where you are!

All the Things You Are: Introduction

Many play this tune with this very popular intro. I first heard this introduction on Charlie Parker's version. In fact, I do believe that he and Dizzy Gillespie are credited for this intro. Either way, be sure you know it if you are learning this tune.

All the Things You Are: Comping Ideas

Here are a few shapes you can use when comping for this tune. This song in particularly has a very open melody so that leaves the accompanist with a good bit of freedom. Of course, it's never a good idea to abuse it, but it's nice to have!

All the Things You Are: Chord Melody

As usual, we are making use of shell voicings and drop 2 voicings. Exceptions will come up here and there to accommodate the melody and add some color, but they are the basis of most of this chord melody. Be sure to get these shapes under your belt as they are vital to any jazzer's chord vocabulary.

In the B section, I've seen that Am7 played as Am7 and Am7b5. Since this is chord melody, I like the added color of Am7b5. The same is the case for the F#m7.

All the Things You Are: Single-Note Solo

In this solo, we are simply attempting to make use of the concepts covered on this website, such as soloing with guide-tones and making use of space, good phrasing, etc.

As always, you can take some of the licks here and applying them to other tunes right away. This is why transcribing is so helpful!

 All the Things You Are: Backing Track

Here's a little backing track for you to practice some of the material covered here!

All the Things You Are: Chord Reference Sheet

In addition to all of this great content, we have also provided you with a reference sheet full of some basic chord shapes you can use over this tune.

Download your "All the Things You Are - Chord Melody, Solo, and More"
Join our Community here.