ENDEIT

Standards

Penthouse Serenade chords & key

Jason-Burton

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

“Penthouse Serenade” is a jazz standard by Jason-Burton. Most bands play it in F major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 11 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 14 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F major

A
Fmaj7
A♭dim7
Gm7
C7
Gm7C7
Gm7C7
1.
F6A♭dim7
Gm7C7
2.
F6B♭7
F6
B
Gm7G♭dim7
Gm7C7
Fmaj7A7
Dm7
G7Dm7
G7
C7Gm7
C7
A
Fmaj7
A♭dim7
Gm7
C7
Gm7C7
Gm7C7
F6E♭7
F6

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

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
14ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
1Dominant chains
11Different chords

Most used chords

  • Gm7×13
  • C7×13
  • F6×5
  • Fmaj7×4
  • A♭dim7×4
  • Dm7×2

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1957 Jimmy Smith at the Organ: Plays Pretty Just for You
Jimmy Smith
1959 Hometown, My Town
Tony Bennett
1959 Manhattan With Strings
Georgie Auld
1971 Black and Blues
Jimmy McGriff
1989 The Elf
Erroll Garner
1993 It’s You or No One
Sarah Vaughan
1996 Penthouse Serenade
Erroll Garner
1996 Say It Isn't So
Herb Jeffries
1998 Penthouse Serenade
Toots Thielemans
2003 Reflections
Stan Getz
2003 Piano Recital: Teatro la Fenice
Sun Ra · “Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)”
2016 In Some Far Place: Roma '77
Sun Ra
— Dovetail
Lee Konitz
— Mildred Bailey
Mildred Bailey

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • PENTHOUSE SERENADE DAVID ALLYN · Frank Davenport Trio · F. Davenport · A. Hendrickson ·… archive.org ↗
  • Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone) Jason · Burton · Sarah Vaughan · Teddy Wilson Octet · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone) Sarah Vaughan · Teddy Wilson Octet · Jason · Burton · 1948 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
I Wish I Knew 32% Harry Warren G major ABAC · 32 Ballad
The Birth Of The Blues 26% Ray Henderson C major AABA · 32 Slow swing
That's Amore (That's Love) 26% Warren-Brooks B♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing
Young At Heart 26% Johnny Richards B♭ major AA · 32 Ballad
Robbin's Nest 23% Thompson-Jacquet C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
That Ole Devil Called Love 23% Doris Fisher A♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Fascination 22% Fernando-Dante Marchetti C major ABAC · 32 Jazz waltz
What A Difference A Day Made 22% Maria Grever F major AB · 32 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Penthouse Serenade in?

Penthouse Serenade is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.

Who wrote Penthouse Serenade?

Penthouse Serenade was written by Jason-Burton.

What is the form of Penthouse Serenade?

Penthouse Serenade has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Penthouse Serenade played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Penthouse Serenade?

The opening bars are Fmaj7 | Abdim7 | Gm7 | C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.