Standards · 1940
Cotton Tail chords & key
- Key
- B♭ major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Up-tempo swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1940
“Cotton Tail” is a jazz standard by Duke Ellington from 1940. It is usually played in B♭ major as a up-tempo swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres B♭ major and C minor. The bridge uses the cycle of dominants known from Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” — so-called rhythm changes. In this atlas it appears on 11 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
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
- F7×11
- B♭6×8
- Cm7×7
- Gm7×6
- G7×5
- Dm7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
B♭ major and C minor
Characteristics
- Rhythm changes
- AABA song form
History
"Cotton Tail" is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. It is based on the rhythm changes from George Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm". The first Ellington recording (4 May 1940) is notable for the driving tenor saxophone solo by Ben Webster. Originally an instrumental, "Cotton Tail" later had lyrics written for it by Ellington. Later, more lyrics were written, based on the 1940 recording, by Jon Hendricks, and recorded by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. The 1941 Soundie gives the title as "Hot Chocolate", with "Cotton Tail" below it in parentheses and smaller letters, but this was likely done by the producer, as that title does not seem to appear anywhere else between the original record's release and this production. Slide Hampton's arrangement of "Cotton Tail" on Dee Dee Bridgewater's 1997 album Dear Ella won him the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) in 1998.
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Recorded on these albums
| 1953 | Oscar Peterson Plays Duke Ellington Oscar Peterson · “Cottontail” |
| 1957 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book Ella Fitzgerald |
| 1959 | Oscar Peterson Plays the Duke Ellington Song Book Oscar Peterson · “Cottontail” |
| 1961 | Recording Together for the First Time Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington · “Cottontail” |
| 1966 | Ella at Duke’s Place Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington |
| 1974 | Duke's Big 4 Duke Ellington |
| 1976 | Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session Duke Ellington |
| 2001 | Caravan Duke Ellington · “Cotton Tail (Shuckin! and Stiffin')” |
| 2004 | Jazz Moods - Hot Duke Ellington |
| 2018 | Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn |
| 2018 | Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn |
Transcribed solos on Cotton Tail
| Phil Woods alto saxophone | 242 BPM |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Airmail Special 50% | C major |
| Don't Be That Way 44% | D♭ major |
| Big Nick 41% | G major |
| Scrapple From The Apple 39% | F major |
| Thriving From A Riff 39% | B♭ major |
| I Got Rhythm 38% | B♭ major |
| Little Peace In C For You 36% | C major |
| Put On A Happy Face 35% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Cotton Tail in?
Cotton Tail is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote Cotton Tail?
Cotton Tail was written by Duke Ellington (1940).
What is the form of Cotton Tail?
Cotton Tail has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Cotton Tail played?
The usual groove is Up-tempo swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 242 BPM.
What are the chord changes to Cotton Tail?
The opening bars are Bb6 Gm7 | Cm7 F7 | Dm7 G7 | Cm7 F7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.