Standards
Ill Wind chords & key
“Ill Wind” is a jazz standard by Harold Arlen. It is usually played in B♭ major as a ballad, and the 40-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 23 different chords and moves between the key centres B♭ minor and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 7 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
- G7×9
- B♭6×6
- Dm7×6
- B♭maj7×6
- A♭7×5
- E♭m7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
B♭ minor and B♭ major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1942 | Moanin' Low Lena Horne |
| 1955 | In the Wee Small Hours Frank Sinatra |
| 1957 | Ella and Louis Again, Volume Two Ella and Louis |
| 1959 | All or Nothing at All Billie Holiday · “Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good)” |
| 1959 | Oscar Peterson Plays the Harold Arlen Song Book Oscar Peterson |
| 1961 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Ill Wind (You’re Blowin’ Me No Good)” |
| 2008 | Ella & Louis (and Oscar Too) Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong & The Oscar Peterson Trio |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- Ill Wind Johnny Bothwell and his Orchestra · Koehler · Arlen · 1945 archive.org ↗
Frequently asked questions
What key is Ill Wind in?
Ill Wind is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote Ill Wind?
Ill Wind was written by Harold Arlen.
What is the form of Ill Wind?
Ill Wind has 4 sections (AABA) with 40 bars in total.
How fast is Ill Wind played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Ill Wind?
The opening bars are Bb6 | Am7b5 D7#11 | Dm7 G7 | Ebm7 Ab7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.