Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"I Didn't Know About You" was composed by Duke Ellington with lyrics by Bob Russell in 1944. The melody originated as an instrumental piece titled "Sentimental Lady," first recorded by the Ellington Orchestra in 1942 and featuring Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone. Russell later added lyrics, transforming it into the vocal standard known today.

A 32-bar ballad set in D♭ major, the song reflects on how incomplete life was before discovering love. Ellington's characteristically sophisticated harmony pervades the piece, with lush voicings and rich chromatic color that elevate it beyond a typical Tin Pan Alley ballad. Having been born as an instrumental, the melody possesses a horn-like quality — wide intervallic leaps and flowing phrases that are equally expressive in vocal and instrumental settings. The tune is typically performed as a slow, romantic ballad.

The Duke Ellington Orchestra's 1944 recording, featuring vocalist Joya Sherrill, is the original version. Woody Herman's orchestra also recorded it in 1944, and the version by Jo Stafford and the Pied Pipers helped bring the song to a broader popular audience.