Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"How High the Moon" is a jazz standard with music by Morgan Lewis and lyrics by Nancy Hamilton, first featured in the 1940 Broadway revue Two for the Show. The earliest hit recording was by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, and the tune quickly became one of the most important vehicles in the jazz repertoire.

The song is a 32-bar form, most commonly played in G major. Its signature feature is a chord progression built on a descending cycle of ii-V-I sequences moving through multiple key centers — G to F to E♭ to D and beyond. This harmonic motion made it irresistible to bebop musicians; Charlie Parker composed his famous contrafact "Ornithology" over these very changes, cementing the tune's place in modern jazz history. It is typically performed at brisk tempos, making it a proving ground for improvisers at jam sessions.

Ella Fitzgerald's electrifying live scat performances over this tune are legendary. The 1951 multi-tracked recording by Les Paul and Mary Ford topped the charts for nine weeks, becoming one of the best-selling records of the era and bridging the gap between jazz and pop.