Standards · 1954

A Sleepin' Bee chords & key

Harold Arlen · Lyrics: Truman Capote, Harold Arlen

Key: A♭ major
Form: ABAC
Bars: 36
Groove: Medium swing
Time signature: 4/4
Year: 1954

“A Sleepin' Bee” is a jazz standard by Harold Arlen from 1954. Most bands play it in A♭ major, medium swing; the tune runs 36 bars in ABAC form. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — A♭ major

A♭^maj7E♭^7sus

A♭^maj7D⁷

D♭^maj7G♭^7sus

A♭^maj7D♭⁷

C⁷F⁷

B♭^m7E⁷

E♭⁷D♭⁷

C⁹C^7♭9

F¹³F^7♭13

B♭¹³B♭^7♭13

E♭⁹E♭^7♭9

A♭¹³A♭^7♭13

D♭⁷

B♭^m7C^m7D♭⁶D^dim

E♭^7susE♭⁷

A♭^maj7E♭^7sus

A♭^maj7D⁷

D♭^maj7G♭^7sus

A♭^maj7D♭⁷

C⁷F⁷

B♭^m7E⁷

E♭⁷D♭⁷

C⁹C^7♭9

F¹³F^7♭13

B♭¹³B♭^7♭13

E♭⁹E♭^7♭9

A♭^maj7D♭^maj7

C⁷F⁷

B♭⁷E♭⁷

C⁷F⁷

B♭⁷

E♭^7susE♭⁷

A♭⁶B^maj7

E^maj7A^maj7

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

0Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

0ii–V moves

2Tritone substitutions

16Dominant chains

29Different chords

Most used chords

A♭^maj7×9
E♭^7sus×6
D♭⁷×5
E♭⁷×5
C⁷×4
F⁷×4

Characteristics

ABAC song form

History

"A Sleepin' Bee" is a popular song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Arlen and Truman Capote. It was introduced in the musical House of Flowers (1954) and performed by Diahann Carroll. While House of Flowers was a flop, "A Sleepin' Bee" became a standard of the American songbook. Barbra Streisand referred to it as her favorite song, recorded it several times, and performed it in her national television debut in April 1961 on the "Jack Paar Show". Mel Tormé's performance of the song in Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley was called "definitive" in The Penguin Guide to Jazz.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1956	This Is How I Feel About Jazz Quincy Jones
1959	The Toast of the Nation’s Critics Ernestine Anderson · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1960	Something to Swing About Carmen McRae · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1960	Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley Mel Tormé with the Marty Paich Orchestra
1960	Off Beat June Christy
1961	Tony Bennett Sings for Two Tony Bennett · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1962	Together with Love Eileen Farrell & André Previn
1962	Nancy Wilson / Cannonball Adderley Nancy Wilson / Cannonball Adderley · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1963	The Barbra Streisand Album Barbra Streisand · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1963	Oscar Peterson & Nelson Riddle Oscar Peterson · “A Sleeping Bee”
1964	Trio 64 Bill Evans · “A Sleeping Bee”
1964	Soul Call Kenny Burrell
1964	I Just Dropped By to Say Hello Johnny Hartman · “Sleepin’ Bee”
1968	At the Montreux Jazz Festival Bill Evans · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1974	A Sleeping Bee Art Farmer · “A Sleeping Bee”
1981	Quiet Now Bill Evans · “Sleeping Bee”
1982	1965 Al Jarreau · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1983	The Canadian Concert of Bill Evans Bill Evans · “A Sleeping Bee”
1983	Old Time Feeling Sheila Jordan & Harvie Swartz · “Sleeping Bee”
1987	Jazzhouse Bill Evans · “Sleepin' Bee”
1987	Body and Soul Sheila Jordan
1990	Standard Time, Vol. 3: The Resolution of Romance Wynton Marsalis
1990	Uptown André Previn with Mundell Lowe & Ray Brown · “A Sleepin’ Bee”
1991	Hank Jones with the Meridian String Quartet Hank Jones · “A Sleeping Bee”

Frequently asked questions

What key is A Sleepin' Bee in?

A Sleepin' Bee is usually played in A♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is B♭ major, for E♭ instruments F major.

Who wrote A Sleepin' Bee?

A Sleepin' Bee was written by Harold Arlen (1954).

What is the form of A Sleepin' Bee?

A Sleepin' Bee has 4 sections (ABAC) with 36 bars in total.

How fast is A Sleepin' Bee played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to A Sleepin' Bee?

The opening bars are Abmaj7 Eb7sus | Abmaj7 Eb7sus | Abmaj7 D7 | Dbmaj7 Gb7sus. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.