ENDEIT

Standards · 1942

Perdido chords & key

Juan Tizol · Lyrics: Hans Lengsfelder, Ervin Drake

Key
B♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Latin
Time signature
4/4
Year
1942

“Perdido” is a jazz standard by Juan Tizol from 1942. Most bands play it in B♭ major, latin; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 7 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 13 album tracks and in 2 transcribed solos.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major

A
Cm7
F7
B♭6
Dm7G7
Cm7
F7
1.
B♭6
Dm7G7
2.
B♭6
B♭6
B
D7
D7
G7
G7
C7
C7
F7
F7
A
Cm7
F7
B♭6
Dm7G7
Cm7
F7
B♭6
Dm7G7

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

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
4Minor ii–V–i
11ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
3Dominant chains
7Different chords

Most used chords

  • F7×8
  • B♭6×7
  • G7×7
  • Cm7×6
  • Dm7×5
  • D7×2

Key centres reached by ii–V

B♭ major and C minor

Characteristics

  • Rhythm changes
  • AABA song form

History

"Perdido" is a jazz standard composed by Juan Tizol, a longtime member of Duke Ellington's orchestra. It was first recorded for radio transcription on December 3, 1941, by Duke Ellington. The Duke Ellington Orchestra recorded it again, this time for Victor, on January 21, 1942. In 1944, Ervin Drake and Hans Lengsfelder were hired to write lyrics for the song.

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

Recorded on these albums

1957 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
1982 Fragments
Charlie Parker
1988 Echoes of Harlem
Duke Ellington
2003 The Blues I Love To Sing
Duke Ellington
2005 All My Life
Ella Fitzgerald
2013 Battle Of Swing, Vol. 3
Duke Ellington
2016 Jazz at the Philharmonic: The Ella Fitzgerald Set
Ella Fitzgerald
2017 Blues In Orbit + The Cosmic Scene
Duke Ellington–
2018 Piano Duets: Great Times!
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
2018 Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
2018 Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
2018 Piano Duets: Great Times!
Duke Ellington & Billy Strayhorn
2024 Copenhagen 1958 (bonus: After Hours 1950)
Duke Ellington

Transcribed solos on Perdido

Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone 178 BPM Bb-maj 1950
Rex Stewart cornet 178 BPM Bb-maj 1950

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Perdido Johnny Dodds and the New Orleans Bootblacks archive.org ↗
  • Perdido The Gene Krupa Trio · Charlie Ventura · Teddy Napoleon · Tizol archive.org ↗
  • PERDIDO BEN WEBSTER QUARTET · Ben Webster · Marlowe Morris · John Simmons ·… · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • Perdido Dave Lambert and Buddy Stewart · Red Rodney's Be-Boppers · Tizol ·… · 1946 archive.org ↗
  • Perdido Rolf Ericson's Swingin' Swedes · Rolf Ericson · Arne Domnerus · G… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • Perdido Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra · Johnny Hodges · Harold Baker ·… · 1950 archive.org ↗
  • PERDIDO THE GENE KRUPA TRIO · Charlie Ventura · Teddy Napoleon · Tizol ·… · 1953 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Scrapple From The Apple 43% Charlie Parker F major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
I Wish I Knew 35% Harry Warren G major ABAC · 32 Ballad
Robbin's Nest 35% Thompson-Jacquet C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Little Peace In C For You 32% Michel Petrucciani C major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Straighten Up And Fly Right 31% Cole-Mills A♭ major AACD · 32 Medium swing
Thriving From A Riff 30% Charlie Parker B♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing
You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You 30% Morgan-Stock-Cavanaugh E♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
Anthropology 29% Charlie Parker B♭ major AABA · 32 Up-tempo swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Perdido in?

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

Who wrote Perdido?

Perdido was written by Juan Tizol (1942).

What is the form of Perdido?

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

How fast is Perdido played?

The usual groove is Latin. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 178 BPM and 178 BPM.

What are the chord changes to Perdido?

The opening bars are Cm7 | F7 | Bb6 | Dm7 G7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.