Standards
African Flower chords & key
“African Flower” is a jazz standard by Duke Ellington. It is usually played in E♭ minor as a latin, and the 40-bar AABC form has 4 sections.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- E♭m7×19
- G♭maj7×4
- A♭m7×3
- G♭m7×3
- B♭m7♭5×2
- B♭m7×2
History
"African Flower" or "Little African Flower" (Petite Fleur Africaine) is a composition by jazz pianist and composer Duke Ellington. He first recorded it for his 1962 LP Money Jungle. Ellington originally named it "La Plus Belle Africaine" when he composed it for the Negro Arts Festival in Dakar. He can be heard playing it at The English Concert in 1970. He recorded it with Max Roach and Charles Mingus as "Le Fleurs Africaine". Writer Peter Lavezzoli calls it "a masterpiece of simplicity and grandeur. Norah Jones recorded it for her 2016 album Day Breaks.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Frequently asked questions
What key is African Flower in?
African Flower is usually played in E♭ minor. For B♭ instruments that is F minor, for E♭ instruments C minor.
Who wrote African Flower?
African Flower was written by Duke Ellington.
What is the form of African Flower?
African Flower has 4 sections (AABC) with 40 bars in total.
How fast is African Flower played?
The usual groove is Latin.
What are the chord changes to African Flower?
The opening bars are Ebm7 | Ebm7 | Ebm7 | Ebm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.