ENDEIT

Standards · 1923

Charleston chords & key

James Johnson · Lyrics: Cecil Mack

Key
B♭ major
Form
ABAC
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1923

“Charleston” is a jazz standard by James Johnson from 1923. Most bands play it in B♭ major, medium-up swing; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 15 different chords.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major

A
B♭
D7
G7
G7
C7
F7
B♭D♭dim7
Cm7F7
B
B♭
D7
G7
Edim7
Dm7
A7
D
F7
A
B♭
D7
G7
G7
C7
F7
B♭D♭dim7
Cm7F7
C
B♭7
B♭7
E♭7
E♭m7
B♭Gm7
Cm7F7
B♭
Cm7F7

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

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
4ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
9Dominant chains
15Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭×7
  • F7×7
  • G7×5
  • Cm7×4
  • D7×3
  • C7×2

Characteristics

  • ABAC song form

History

"The Charleston" is a jazz composition that was written to accompany the Charleston dance. It was composed in 1923, with lyrics by Cecil Mack and music by James P. Johnson, a composer and early leader of the stride piano school of jazz piano. The song was featured in the American black Broadway musical comedy show Runnin' Wild, which had its premiere at the New Colonial Theatre in New York on October 29, 1923. The music of the dockworkers from South Carolina inspired Johnson to compose the music. The dance known as the Charleston came to characterize the times. Lyrics, though rarely sung (an exception is Chubby Checker's 1961 recording), were penned by Cecil Mack, himself one of the most accomplished songwriters of the early 1900s. The song's driving rhythm, basically the first bar of a 3-2 clave, came to have widespread use in jazz comping and musicians still reference it by name.

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

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • CHARLESTON JOHNNY GUARNIERI and His Quintet · Mack · Johnson archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Robbin's Nest 33% Thompson-Jacquet C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Flintstones 26% Hoyt Curtain B♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
I Got Rhythm 26% George Gershwin B♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
Straighten Up And Fly Right 26% Cole-Mills A♭ major AACD · 32 Medium swing
Basin Street Blues 25% Spencer Williams B♭ major AA · 32 Slow swing
Nevertheless 24% Kalmar-Ruby B♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
S' Wonderful 23% George Gershwin E♭ major AABA · 32 Medium-up swing
That's Amore (That's Love) 23% Warren-Brooks B♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Charleston in?

Charleston is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.

Who wrote Charleston?

Charleston was written by James Johnson (1923).

What is the form of Charleston?

Charleston has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Charleston played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to Charleston?

The opening bars are Bb | D7 | G7 | G7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.