Standards
San Francisco Holiday chords & key
- Key
- E♭ major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“San Francisco Holiday” is a jazz standard by Thelonious Monk. It is usually played in E♭ major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains no major ii–V–I cadences and 6 minor ii–V–i, uses 13 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Cm7♭5×8
- Am7♭5×6
- D7♭9×6
- Gm7♭5×6
- C7♭9×6
- B♭7♯5♯9×6
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1962 | Evidence Steve Lacy |
| 1963 | In Italy Thelonious Monk |
| 1987 | Nights at the Vanguard Tommy Flanagan · “San Francisco Holiday (Worry Later)” |
| 1999 | Standard Time, Volume 4: Marsalis Plays Monk Wynton Marsalis · “Worry Later” |
Frequently asked questions
What key is San Francisco Holiday in?
San Francisco Holiday is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote San Francisco Holiday?
San Francisco Holiday was written by Thelonious Monk.
What is the form of San Francisco Holiday?
San Francisco Holiday has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is San Francisco Holiday played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to San Francisco Holiday?
The opening bars are Am7b5 D7b9 | Gm7b5 C7b9 | Bb7#5#9 | Fm9 Bb13b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.