Standards
What's New chords & key
“What's New” is a jazz standard by Bob Haggard. It is usually played in C major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 9 minor ii–V–i, uses 21 different chords and moves between the key centres C minor, A♭ major, F minor, C major, F major and D♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 11 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm7♭5×8
- G7♭9×7
- C6×6
- B♭m7×3
- E♭7×3
- A♭maj7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
C minor, A♭ major, F minor, C major, F major and D♭ major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1956 | Velvet Mood Billie Holiday |
| 1957 | Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson |
| 1957 | Like Someone in Love Ella Fitzgerald · “What’s New” |
| 1957 | An Evening With Oscar Peterson Oscar Peterson · “What's New?” |
| 1958 | Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely Frank Sinatra, orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle · “What’s New?” |
| 1958 | Lady in Satin Billie Holiday · “What’s New?” |
| 1976 | Feels Good, Feels Right Bing Crosby · “What's New?” |
| 1986 | Bing Crosby Sings Again Bing Crosby · “What’s New” |
| 2018 | Pops Is Tops: The Verve Studio Albums Louis Armstrong · “What's New?” |
| 2026 | Too Marvelous For Words Peggy Lee |
| 2026 | Barcelona Meeting Charlie Mariano & Sal Nistico |
Transcribed solos on What's New
| Milt Jackson vibraphone | 72 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- WHAT'S NEW Jimmy Jones · Bob Haggart · Johnny Burke archive.org ↗
- What's New The Georgie Auld Quintet · Haggart · Burke · 1951 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| You Go To My Head 22% | E♭ major |
| Mimi 21% | G major |
| Smoke Rings 20% | F major |
| What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? 20% | A minor |
Frequently asked questions
What key is What's New in?
What's New is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote What's New?
What's New was written by Bob Haggard.
What is the form of What's New?
What's New has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is What's New played?
The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 72 BPM.
What are the chord changes to What's New?
The opening bars are C6 | Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Dm7b5 G7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.