ENDEIT

Standards

Afternoon In Paris chords & key

John Lewis

Key
C major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium swing
Time signature
4/4

“Afternoon In Paris” is a jazz standard by John Lewis. It is usually played in C major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 13 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 13 different chords and moves between the key centres C major, B♭ major and A♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

A
Cmaj7
Cm7F7
B♭maj7
B♭m7E♭7
A♭maj7
Dm7G7♯9
1.
Cmaj7
Dm7G7
2.
Cmaj7
Cmaj7
B
Dm7
G7
Cmaj7/E
A7
Dm7
G7
Cmaj7G♭7
Dm7G7
A
Cmaj7
Cm7F7
B♭maj7
B♭m7E♭7
A♭maj7
Dm7G7♯9
Cmaj7
Dm7G7

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

Harmonic analysis

13Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
14ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
13Different chords

Most used chords

  • Cmaj7×8
  • Dm7×8
  • G7×5
  • Cm7×3
  • F7×3
  • B♭maj7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

C major, B♭ major and A♭ major

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1951 Modern Jazz Trombones Volume Two
Bennie Green, J.J. Johnson with Sonny Stitt · “Afternoon in Paris”
1956 Sonny Stitt Bud Powell J.J. Johnson
Sonny Stitt, Bud Powell & J.J. Johnson · “Afternoon in Paris (take 1)”
1956 Jazzmen: Detroit
Kenny Burrell, Tommy Flanagan, Pepper Adams, Paul Chambers, Kenny Clarke · “Afternoon in Paris”
1957 Afternoon in Paris
John Lewis & Sacha Distel · “Afternoon in Paris”
1959 Bags' Opus
Milt Jackson · “Afternoon in Paris”
1961 The Wonderful World of Jazz
John Lewis · “Afternoon in Paris”
1961 Weaver of Dreams
Kenny Burrell · “Afternoon in Paris”
1964 Now’s the Time!
Sonny Rollins · “Afternoon in Paris”
1971 Afternoon in Paris
Stéphane Grappelli · “Afternoon in Paris”
1976 Recapitulation
Kenny Burrell · “Afternoon in Paris”
1983 My Guitar and All That Jazz
Sacha Distel · “Afternoon in Paris”
1984 I’m All Smiles
Hank Jones + Tommy Flanagan · “Afternoon in Paris”
1984 Meets Roma Jazz Trio
Curtis Fuller · “Afternoon in Paris”
1987 Verona Rag
Andrew Hill · “Afternoon in Paris”
1989 Midnight In Paris
John Lewis
1991 Private Concert
John Lewis
1996 Piano Quartet, Yoshi’s 1994
Anthony Braxton · “Afternoon in Paris”
1998 Benny Golson and the Philadelphians
Benny Golson · “Afternoon in Paris”
1999 Evolution
John Lewis · “Afternoon in Paris”
2007 Solo Live at Gasthof Heidelberg Loppem 2005
Anthony Braxton · “Afternoon in Paris”
2008 Twilight World
Marian McPartland · “Afternoon in Paris”
2009 The Trio “Live” at Charlie O’s
Peter Erskine, Chuck Berghofer & Terry Trotter · “Afternoon in Paris”
2010 19 Standards (Quartet) 2003
Anthony Braxton · “Afternoon in Paris”
2015 Interplay
Kenny Barron / Mark Sherman · “Afternoon in Paris”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
How High The Moon 38% Morgan Lewis G major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
Call Me 29% Tony Hatch G major AABA · 56 Bossa nova
Ornithology 29% Charlie Parker G major ABAC · 32 Up-tempo swing
The End Of A Love Affair 26% Edward Redding F major AABAC · 40 Ballad
Fran Dance 25% Miles Davis B♭ major AABAB · 40 Medium swing
Lennie-Bird 24% Lennie Tristano G major A · 16 Medium-up swing
Early Autumn 23% Burns-Herman C major BBAA · 32 Ballad
I'm An Old Cowhand 23% Johnny Mercer E♭ major A · 18 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Afternoon In Paris in?

Afternoon In Paris is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote Afternoon In Paris?

Afternoon In Paris was written by John Lewis.

What is the form of Afternoon In Paris?

Afternoon In Paris has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Afternoon In Paris played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Afternoon In Paris?

The opening bars are Cmaj7 | Cm7 F7 | Bbmaj7 | Bbm7 Eb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.