Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Donna Lee" is a bebop standard first recorded by the Charlie Parker Quintet in 1947. Although credited to Parker on the original Savoy release, Miles Davis claimed authorship in his autobiography, and the true composer has been debated for decades. The tune is named after bassist Curley Russell's daughter.

Written in A-flat major with a 32-bar ABAC form, "Donna Lee" is a contrafact based on the chord changes of the standard "Indiana (Back Home Again in Indiana)." The melody begins at an unusual point—the third beat of the first bar—and unfolds as a rapid, intricate line built on four-note groups navigating each chord change with chromatic precision. The harmony is densely packed with ii-V-I patterns and chromatic substitutions characteristic of bebop, making the head extraordinarily demanding on any instrument. It stands as one of the quintessential tests of bebop fluency.

The original recording was made on May 8, 1947, for Savoy Records, featuring Miles Davis (tp), Bud Powell (p), Tommy Potter (b), and Max Roach (ds). Another landmark version is Jaco Pastorius's 1976 rendition on his self-titled debut album Jaco Pastorius, where he performs the melody on fretless electric bass with stunning virtuosity, inspiring generations of bass players.