Advanced Guitar Player

All The Things You Are Music by Jerome Kern

Words by Oscar Hammerstein II

You are the promised kiss of springtime
That makes the lonely winter seem long.
You are the breathless hush of evening
That trembles on the brink of a lovely song.
You are the angel glow that lights a star,
The dearest things I know are what you are.
Some day my happy arms will hold you,
And some day I'll know that moment divine,
When all the things you are, are mine!

All the Things You Are was composed by Jerome Kern, with lyrics written by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was written for a musical with the unpromising title of Very Warm For May (1939), where it was introduced by Hiram Sherman, Frances Mercer, Hollace Shaw and Ralph Stuart.

It was later featured in the film Broadway Rhythm (1944), and was performed during the opening credits and as a recurring theme for the romantic comedy A Letter For Eve (1945). Used most recently, cinematically, in the 2005 film Mrs. Henderson Presents starring Judi Dench.

All The Things You Are ranked in the top five of the Record Buying Guide of Billboard, a pre-retail listing which surveyed primarily the jukebox industry. Recordings by Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw, and Frankie Masters propelled the song during its initial popularity, but for jazzers it's the bebop period that really turned All The Things You Are into a standard.

According to jazz critic Gary Giddins, in his Village Voice article "Jazz Makes Peace with Jerome Kern," Charlie Parkersecured the place of “All the Things You Are” as a jazz standard in 1947 with his knockoff, “Bird of Paradise.” Giddins says,

…from the moment he intoned the dramatic intro, his vamp and Kern’s harmonic plateau were mated forever … his recording showed that a harmonic sequence can so vividly support a melody that the mind’s ear registers the theme even when the musician spins nothing but variations.

Although this tune was frequently recorded in the late 1930s and early 1940s by a number of big bands (most notably Artie Shaw’s band), it’s the 1940 recording by remarkable pianist Art Tatum that stands out, not only for his virtuosity but also for his influence on other musicians, especially Charlie Parker.

Tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins was, along with Tatum and Artie Shaw, among the first jazz musicians to recognize and record many tunes that have become standards. A fixture on New York’s 52nd Street in the 1940s, Hawkins recorded a memorable version of “All the Things You Are” in 1944. That same year pianist Errol Garner, in one of his first recording sessions, cut a double-sided 78 version of the tune.