How High the Moon

A jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis.

Published: 19 May 2013 Updated: 09 Feb 2016Visits: 3Code: UL555

Category: JazzInstrument: Any Subjects: Jazz • Repertoire

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How High the Moon

How High the Moon is a jazz standard with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton and music by Morgan Lewis. It was first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show, where it was sung by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock.

How High the Moon — Premium Play-along Track

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Here is a Demo of Desafinado to get an idea of the quality of these custom play-along tracks.

Play-along Demo: Desafinado

DesafinadoPremium Play-along Track with Guitar Melody Played


I, (Curt) originally created these tracks to perform over for gigs and this was a demo for booking gigs.

These Premium Play-along Tracks are available to LearningUkulele.com Site Members and are my personal one-of-kind tracks I (Curt) and Chuck Anderson recorded and arranged.

How High the Moon - Examples with Guitar — Premium Play-along Track

With example of guitar playing the melody.

Premium Play-along Tracks are only available to Premium members and Active/Private Students.

Here is a Demo of Desafinado to get an idea of the quality of these custom play-along tracks.

Play-along Demo: Desafinado

DesafinadoPremium Play-along Track with Guitar Melody Played


I, (Curt) originally created these tracks to perform over for gigs and this was a demo for booking gigs.

These Premium Play-along Tracks are available to LearningUkulele.com Site Members and are my personal one-of-kind tracks I (Curt) and Chuck Anderson recorded and arranged.

How High the Moon is in the Real Book - Volume 1 Sixth Edition book.

How High the Moon…

In "Two for the Show", this was a rare serious moment in an otherwise humorous revue. The song was sung, in a slow fox trot tempo, by a group of evening-dressed people walking along a London street. At the end, they all looked at the sky, and cowered, obviously terrified: quick curtain. It was 1940, and the time of the London blitz: a clear night meant "bomber's moon".

Notable Recordings

The earliest recorded hit version was by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra. It was recorded February 7, 1940 and released by Columbia Records as catalog number 35391, with the flip side "Fable of the Rose". The Les Paul Trio recorded a version released as V-Disc 540B with a spoken introduction which was issued in November, 1945 by the U.S. War Department. In 1948, bandleader Stan Kenton enjoyed some success with his version of the tune. The recording, with a vocal by June Christy, was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 911 (with the flip side "Willow, Weep for Me") and 15117(with the flip side "Interlude"). It reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 9, 1948, its only week on the chart, at #27.

Roadmap

The song uses a descending chord progression in which the tonic of the moment turns minor to become the II of the chord a whole step below it.

Main Song Download(s)

The main downloads for this Song.

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How High the Moon - Premium Play-along Track, Key of G

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

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How High the Moon - Play-along with Guitar

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

Related Lessons

Related Lessons for How High the Moon.

UL42-7

Core Chords - The Big Six - Building a Solid Chord Foundation

Updated: 07 Sep 2021

The Big Six Core Chords is a series of lessons for building your core, essential 4-part chords. These chords commonly called jazz chords, are really just 4-part chords used in a wide range of musical styles. These chords include: Seventh , Major Seventh, Minor Seventh, Half Diminished Seventh or Minor Seven Flat Five, Diminished Seventh, and Augmented Seventh. These six chords form a core set of chords.

Related Lesson Series

Related Lessons Series for How High the Moon.

Types of Chords Available on Ukulele

Updated: 08 Jun 2023

On the ukulele, there are various types of chords that you can explore, including open position chords, movable form chords, 4-part chords (commonly known as jazz chords), and free form chords.

Common Chord Progressions and Remembering Songs

Updated: 08 Jun 2023

Understanding the similarities between chord progressions and songs can greatly enhance your ability to remember and play a wide variety of songs. It's fascinating how much common ground exists among different musical compositions.

Basic Ukulele Chords Charts

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

Not so much a series - but the basic chords ALL ukulele players should know.

Jazz Standard Chord Progressions

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

These are the chord progressions, extracted from my book "Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele" for use with on-line and private students.

Modular Phonetic Rhythm by Chuck Anderson

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

Modular Phonetic Rhythm represents a significant advance in the teaching and application of rhythm. Eliminating many inefficient aspects of rhythm education, Modular Phonetic Rhythm streamlines the traditional educational approach, resulting in a reflexive reaction to rhythm.

Related Songs

Related Songs for How High the Moon.

UL409

I'll Remember April

Updated: 11 Aug 2022

I’ll Remember April was written by Gene de Paul with the lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye. The song was published in 1942. It was once sung by Judy Garland. The song debuted in the 1942 Abbott and Costello comedy Ride 'em Cowboy, sung by Dick Foran.

Related Song Files, Resources and Assets

Related Assets for How High the Moon.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G

Updated: 11 May 2019

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G. Shows natural, sharp and flat notes for the ukulele fingerboard. This tuning can be used on a soprano, concert, tenor and baritone ukuleles.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Open Position Flash Cards for Ukulele C Tuning

Updated: 07 Jan 2022

Standard music notation flash chards for learning the notes in open position for C tuning.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Movable 7th Chords for Ukulele Chord Chart - C Tuning

Updated: 31 Dec 2016

A handy dandy single sheet chart showing the each voicing of the four, seventh chords Big Six seventh chord voicings.

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