"From This Moment On" is a popular song written by Cole Porter in 1950. Originally composed for the musical Out of This World, it was cut before the Broadway premiere and later featured in MGM's 1953 film Kiss Me Kate, where it gained widespread recognition.
The song follows an AABC form over 32 bars, with the original key in A♭ major. The A sections are centered around the relative minor, lending the opening a darkly romantic quality that is quintessentially Porter. The harmonic movement through the sections is sophisticated, with unexpected shifts between major and minor tonalities creating a sense of drama and tension. The form's AABC structure—less common than AABA—gives improvisers a longer melodic arc to work with, and the tune lends itself to a range of tempos from medium swing to bright up-tempo.
Ella Fitzgerald's rendition on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956) stands as a definitive vocal interpretation. On the instrumental side, Art Pepper's reading on Art Pepper + Eleven – Modern Jazz Classics (1959) demonstrates how effectively the tune translates into a modern jazz context.
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