All of Me – A Jazz Sheet Music Masterpiece

All of Me – A Jazz Sheet Music Masterpiece is a timeless classic. This blog provides insight on how to play and perform the piece.

Introduction

“All of Me” is a popular song and jazz standard written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. All of Me was first recorded by Belle Baker that same year. The song enjoyed renewed popularity when it was featured in the film Swing Time (1936), starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Since then, it has been recorded by many artists including Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, Django Reinhardt, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Julie London and Michael Bublé.

The lyrics of the song are written from the perspective of a man who is begging his lover to take all of him, even his flaws and imperfections. The man realizes that he is not perfect and that he has made mistakes in the past, but he is hoping that his lover will see past all of that and love him anyway.

The original version of the song was a ballad, but over the years it has been adapted for different styles of music including swing, big band and jazz. The melody is easy to remember and hum along to, making it a great choice for beginning jazz musicians. The chord changes are also relatively simple, which makes this tune a good one for improvising.

The Artist – John Legend

John Legend is a Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and philanthropist. He has sold over 11 million albums and won multiple awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and 10 Grammys. His 2013 album “Love in the Future” debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Legend is also a coach on NBC’s “The Voice.”

Legend was born John Roger Stephens on December 28, 1978, in Springfield, Ohio. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a factory worker. Stephens began playing piano at the age of seven. He went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English with an emphasis on African-American literature. After graduation, he worked for management consulting firms Bain & Company and Booz Allen Hamilton.

In 2001, Stephens moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. He took his stage name from poet Maya Angelou’s given name; Legend has said that he was “amazed that [Angelou] chose such a beautiful and empowering name.” He soon landed gigs performing at clubs around the city. In 2004, he released his first album, “Get Lifted,” which sold more than 3 million copies worldwide and earned eight Grammy nominations.

In 2006, Legend married model Chrissy Teigen. The couple have two children together: daughter Luna Simone (born 2016) and son Miles Theodore (born 2018).

The Album – Love in the Future

Love in the Future is the fourth studio album by American singer John Legend. The album was released on August 30, 2013, by GOOD Music and Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 2012 to February 2013 at Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios in New York City.

The album’s production was handled by Legend, Kanye West, producer Dave Tozer, and a variety of high-profile producers such as Hit-Boy, Jeff Bhasker, Cool & Dre and Mike Dean. The album features guest appearances from Kimbra and Rick Ross. Upon its release, Love in the Future received generally positive reviews from music critics who complimented Legend’s new musical direction while also praised his vocal performance on the album.

The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 96,000 copies in its first week. Internationally it peaked at number six on the UK R&B Albums Chart and number 25 in Australia. As of March 2015, Love in the Future has sold 438,000 copies in the United States.

The Song – All of Me

All of Me is a popular song originally written by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks. The song was first published in 1931. All of Me was originally recorded by Louis Armstrong in 1932, and has been covered by many artists since then. The version performed by Billie Holiday in 1933 is one of the most well-known and influential recordings of the song. All of Me has been described as “one of the most perfect pop standards ever written”.

The song is in AABA form, with a moderate tempo. All of Me consists of 32 bars, divided into 4 sections (8 bars each). The first section (A) is in the key of F major, while the second section (B) is in the key of D♭ major. The third section (A) returns to F major, while the fourth and final section (B) returns to D♭ major.

The melody of All of Me uses a few different jazz phrasing techniques, including:
-Around the horn: This phrasing technique involves playing a melodic idea on one note, and then “around” to other notes in quick succession. For example, the melody starts on F, then goes “around the horn” to C, then back to F again.
-Embellishment: This involves adding extra notes or “embellishing” existing notes in order to add interest and complexity to the melody. For example, on the word “all”, Holiday embellishes the melody by adding an extra note (B♭) before going back to F again.
-Vamp: A vamp is a repeating musical figure that serves as a background for improvised solos. In All of Me, there is a 4-bar vamp on chord changes between A7 and D♭7 before each chorus.

The Lyrics

“All of Me” is a popular song and jazz standard written by Seymour Simons and Bernie practise in 1931. It has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Michael Bublé. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a man who is deeply in love with his partner and is willing to give “all of himself” to make her happy. The song has a simple, yet powerful message that resonates with many people.

The Music

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It emerged in the form of independent traditional and popular musical styles, all of which were developed in relative isolation from each other. New Orleans was the most important center of early jazz.

In jazz, improvisation is commonly understood as the process of spontaneous composition by performers, in which they make melodic, harmonic, rhythmic, and dynamic choices on the spot. Jazz improvisation is often based on Pentatonic scales or modes, as well as blues scales or chord progressions. Swing and bebop are styles of jazz that were developed in the mid-20th century.

The Meaning of the Song

The song is about a man who is madly in love with his woman and is willing to give her everything he has, everything he is. He is no longer selfish and is completely devoted to her. He knows that she is his and only wants what’s best for her. The man in the song is also very grateful for everything she does for him and how she makes him feel.

The Significance of the Song

As one of the most recorded songs of all time, “All of Me” has been performed by some of the greatest jazz artists including Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and John Coltrane. The melody was composed by Gerald Marks in 1931 and the lyrics were added by Seymour Simons in 1933. The song became a huge hit after it was recorded by Billie Holiday in 1941.

“All of Me” is a significant song in the history of jazz music because it helped to define the genre. The song’s simple melody and singable lyrics make it accessible to a wide audience, while its complex harmonic structure and improvised solos make it attractive to jazz musicians. “All of Me” is one of the first songs to successfully blend elements of pop, Tin Pan Alley songcraft, and jazz improvisation. It is considered to be one of the greatest jazz standards of all time.

The Legacy of the Song

“All of Me” is a popular song written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. The original recording was made by Ruth Etting and released on Columbia Records. The song has been recorded by many artists over the years, but the most popular version was recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1947.

The song was written during the Great Depression as a way to express the joy and happiness of life despite the hard times. The lyrics are simple and optimistic, which has helped make it one of the most popular songs of all time. “All of Me” has been covered by many artists, including Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Nina Simone, and Willie Nelson.