Jazz Standards Library

Chords & Changes

Sophisticated Lady

Sophisticated Lady — chords and changes, key facts, and listening notes.

Sophisticated Lady was composed by Duke Ellington. The lyrics are credited to Irving Mills and Mitchell Parish. It dates from 1932. It is in Ab major, 32 bars long, and in AABA (8-8-8-8) form.

Chart

Chord chart

Four bars per row · sections labelled

Ab major

Section A1

Bbm7
Gb7F7E7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7G7Gb7F7
Bb7
Bbm7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7F7b9

Section A2

Bbm7
Gb7F7E7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7G7Gb7F7
Bb7
Bbm7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7#11D7b9

Section B1

Gmaj7Em7
Am7D7
G7G#dim7
Am7D7
Gmaj7Em7
Am7D7
G7Cm7
Eb7Cm7b5F7b9

Section A3

Bbm7
Gb7F7E7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7G7Gb7F7
Bb7
Bbm7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7F7b9

Section B2

Gmaj7Bm7
Am7F7D7Eb7
G7G#dim7
Am7G7D7F7
Gmaj7Em7
Am7D7
G7Cm7
Eb7Cm7b5F7b9

Section A4

Bbm7
Gb7F7E7Eb7
Abmaj7
Ab7G7Gb7F7
Bb7
Bbm7Eb7
Abmaj7
Abmaj7

Section I1

Abmaj7

Changes confidence: high. Source: Weimar Jazz Database (Jazzomat Research Project, HfM Weimar), ODbL 1.0. Changes as annotated by the Jazzomat Research Project, licensed under the ODbL 1.0.

Listen

Recordings (from MusicBrainz)

  • Tommy Dorsey & Jimmy Dorsey — Album not listed
    Source: musicbrainz
    1989
  • The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus & Nell Carter — Album not listed
    Source: musicbrainz
    1999
  • Duke Ellington — Album not listed
    Source: musicbrainz
    1999
  • Harry “Sweets” Edison, Buddy DeFranco, Benny Carter, Willie Smith, Stan Getz, Wardell Gray, Arnold Ross, Freddie Green, John Simmons, Buddy Rich — Album not listed
    Source: musicbrainz
    2004
  • Tommy Smith / Brian Kellock — Album not listed
    Source: musicbrainz
    2014
  • Martial Solal — Album not listed
    Source: musicbrainz
    2022

Recording credits and years follow the entries in the dataset. Source: MusicBrainz.

Landmark solos

Solos analysed in the Weimar Jazz Database

  • Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax) — Quadromania Jazz Edition, Coleman Hawkins, Dear Old Southland, CD 3
    Swing · 68 bpm · swing feel
    2005

Solo, record, style, tempo and feel as catalogued by the Jazzomat Research Project (ODbL 1.0). Release year is the year of the catalogued issue, which can be a later reissue.

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