Standards · 1940
Broadway chords & key
- Key
- B♭ major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium-up swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1940
“Broadway” is a jazz standard by William-Henri-Woode from 1940. Most bands play it in B♭ major, medium-up swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres B♭ major, E♭ major and D♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 2 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- B♭maj7×7
- E♭7×6
- Cm7×5
- F7×5
- B♭6×4
- E♭maj7×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
B♭ major, E♭ major and D♭ major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"Broadway" is a 1940 jazz standard written by Wilbur H. Bird, Teddy McRae, and Henri Woode. It was popularized and long associated with the Count Basie Orchestra. Other recordings were made by The Gerry Mulligan sextet, The Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, Stanley Turrentine, Art Pepper, Hampton Hawes, Ahmad Jamal, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Richard "Groove" Holmes, Dexter Gordon, Tal Farlow and others. While not included in the original, recent editions of the Real Book now include this song amongst other popular jazz tunes. Vocal versions include those by Dakota Staton (The Late, Late Show 1957), Mel Torme (Mel Tormé Sings Sunday in New York & Other Songs About New York 1963) and Diana Krall (Only Trust Your Heart 1995).
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Samba De Orfeu 48% | C major |
| Crazy Rhythm 39% | F major |
| Bunko 36% | F major |
| Dewey Square 36% | E♭ major |
| Undecided 31% | C major |
| It's Easy To Remember 30% | E♭ major |
| Struttin' With Some Barbecue 29% | F major |
| Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) 28% | B♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Broadway in?
Broadway is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote Broadway?
Broadway was written by William-Henri-Woode (1940).
What is the form of Broadway?
Broadway has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Broadway played?
The usual groove is Medium-up swing.
What are the chord changes to Broadway?
The opening bars are Bbmaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Eb7 | Eb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.