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“...this definitive
version, courtesy of Davis on muted
trumpet, John Coltrane on sax, and
Bill Evans at the piano ... unfolds
at a leisurely pace.” |
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- Ben Maycock
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“On Green Dolphin Street” was
introduced as the main theme of
the 1947 MGM film
Green Dolphin Street The
movie was based on British novelist
Elizabeth Goudge’s 1944 book
Green Dolphin Country, published
that same year in the United States
as
Green Dolphin Street.
Elizabeth Goudge (1900-1984)
enjoyed a prolific career writing
both fiction and nonfiction, including
seventeen novels for adults and
children.
Green Dolphin Street was
her sixth effort and told the story
of a young man in 1800’s New Zealand
who sends to the British Isles for
the woman he loves. In an act of
carelessness, he addresses his letter
to her sister with whom he also
shares a past. The story centers
on the trials of the young man and
his bride as they attempt to make
the marriage work. Critics routinely
praise Goudge for her ability to
graphically portray characters and
landscapes, but, as a New York Times
reviewer said,
Green Dolphin Street lacked
“the sterner virtues of good literature.”
Those “sterner virtues” were
not at the top of the motion picture
company’s list when MGM awarded
Goudge $200,000 as the winner of
its annual Novel Award, the only
such winner, however, to find its
way onto the silver screen.
At a lengthy two hours and twenty
minutes,
Green Dolphin Street starred
Lana Turner, Van Heflin, Donna Reed,
Richard Hart, and Frank Morgan.
In his book,
The MGM Story, John Douglas
Eames says of the film,
It had everything,
i.e. too much for a single movie:
a glorious wallow in family
conflict, triangle romance,
Maori uprising in old New Zealand,
earthquake, tidal wave, pathos
and bathos.
The movie is generally
panned by today’s critics, but war-weary
audiences were ready for an extravaganza.
It was the top box office draw of
1947 and won Academy Awards for
visual and sound effects.
In 1947, with a string of successful
songs and movie scores behind him,
Bronislau Kaper was enlisted to
write the soundtrack for the production.
However, its theme was not a hit,
even with Ned Washington’s lyrics.
It would be a decade before Miles
Davis’ recording would establish
the composition as a jazz classic.
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On Green Dolphin Street
is also the title of a 2003 novel
by Sebastian Faulks, in which the
heroine hears Miles Davis playing
the song in the background when
she moves to New York’s Greenwich
Village in 1960.
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Because it is a difficult song for a singer to
keep in tune, “On Green Dolphin Street” is most
often performed as an instrumental. Kaper’s composition
reflects the bittersweet theme of Goudge’s story.
Writing lyrics for the song was undoubtedly a challenge
for Ned Washington, but he supported the mood with
a tale of lost love. The introductory verse describes
a past romance and culminates with “I never think
of this without a sigh.” The refrain wistfully recalls
unforgettable nights while falling in love, memories
of which lead to the declaration, “I could kiss
the ground on Green Dolphin Street.” The gesture
may seem a bit impulsive in the context of a failed
love affair, but how else does one wind up a song
written for a movie about a street? -JW
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Musical analysis of
“On Green Dolphin Street”
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| Original
Key |
C major |
| Form |
A – B1 –
A – B2 |
| Tonality |
Major throughout |
| Movement |
“A” consists
of a downward arpeggiated figure outlining
the chord and approached by step. “B” is
generally a downward skip followed by ascending
step-wise movement. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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This tune is slow moving, melodically and
harmonically. There are many sustained notes
in the “A” section and harmonies that rarely
change more frequently than one per measure
(often, every two measures). For this reason,
the song affords the novice player an opportunity
to explore improvisational ideas in depth
without having to worry so much about frequent
chord changes. As far as traditional voice-leading,
there is little evidence of this in the
“A” section. Normally, a I chord that becomes
a i (parallel minor) chord resolves down
a step, not upwards to II, although the
bII chord resolving to I in mm.10-11 could
be construed as a tri-tone substitution
for V7.
The first “B” section, however, uses
a fairly standard progression of ii7 – V7
– I in two different keys with the second
a minor third up from the first (requiring
the new key only to drop half a step to
a viiø7 in order to return to the original
key). The second “B” uses several common
tone chords to move the harmony forward
for the turnaround (mm. 25-32). Most of
the movement is in the bass, which can completely
change the tonal characteristics of the
three or four note chord above it. For example,
in measure 25, the chord is Dm. By moving
the bass down to B natural, the Dm triad
becomes a Bm7(b5)–a ii eventually leading
to A minor–after which the same thing happens
again, starting a variation of the circle
of fifths that gets back up to C major.
Note the bass movement in the examples below:
mm. 25-26: Dm – Dm7/C
– Bm7(b5) – E7(b9)
mm. 27-28: Am – Am/G
– F#m7(b5) – B7(b9)
mm. 28-30: Em – A7
– Dm – G7
Thus, the “home key” of C major is easily
reached in a manner that makes sense to
the ear. Awareness of this will facilitate
success in mastering this tune.
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K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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 I
like “Green Dolphin Street” for the easy way you
can improvise on it. On a tune like this I would
not get too hung up on the lyrics, because they
don’t knock me out. But I love the easy flow of
the changes and melody. I like the way Miles [Davis]
approached it, so my improv becomes my own lyrics.
Even though I am not singing new lyrics, the originals
are in my heart and come out in my solo.
Sheila
Jordan, jazz vocalist
www.sheilajordanjazz.com
Are you a
published Vocalist or Instrumentalist?
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“On Green Dolphin Street”
was included in these films:
- Green Dolphin Street (1947,
Mel Torme)
- The Prize (1963)
- Zigzag (1970, Anita O'Day)
- The Score (2001, Cassandra
Wilson)
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Nancy Wilson/George Shearing
The Swingin’s Mutual
2004, Blue Note
Original recording, 1961, Capitol Jazz
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| There’s great interplay on this
track as vocalist Wilson and pianist Shearing
deliver a swinging version of the song.
Wilson’s romantically airy vocals work perfectly
with Shearing’s deft piano. |
Walter Norris
Lush Life
1990, Concord 4457
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| Pianist Norris, who has lived and
taught in Berlin for over 20 years, was
persuaded to record for Concord while visiting
California. This recording led to more and
to several tours, reacquainting him with
American audiences. This CD, which includes
five of the top standards, shows his considerable
technical prowess and creative genius to
advantage. His reharmonization of “On Green
Dolphin Street” is just one of the highlights. |
Al Grey
Snap Your Fingers
2003, Verve
Original recording, 1962
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| Trombonist Grey leads the group
through an upbeat, bop version of the song.
There is a particularly bright spotlight
on vibes player Bobby Hutcherson. |
Miles Davis
’58 Miles Featuring Stella By Starlight
1991, Sony 47835
Original recording, 1958
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| The song’s popularity among the
jazz set is understandable after listening
to this definitive version, courtesy of
Davis on muted trumpet, John Coltrane on
sax, and Bill Evans at the piano. The song
unfolds at a leisurely pace. |
Bill Evans
On Green Dolphin Street
1995, Milestone Records 9235
Original recording, 1959
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| This is a concise and elegant reading
by pianist Evans. Bassist Paul Chambers
and drummer Philly Joe Jones round out the
trio which plays with breathtaking synergy. |
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Although Miles Davis’ 1958 recording is considered
by many to be the best of the earlier versions of
the tune, several recordings prior to Miles’ are
worthy of consideration. An interesting version
by trombonist Urbie Green from 1955, taken at a
ballad tempo, features his silken-toned trombone
with pianist Jimmy Lyon on the seldom-heard-in-jazz
instrument, the celeste.
The 1957 recording by the Poll Winners
(named because each musician placed first in
Downbeat magazine’s readers’ poll in 1956) with
guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown, and
drummer Shelley Manne, is almost the template version
for the tune, taken at a medium tempo with a Latin
feel.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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