Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"After You've Gone" is a popular song from 1918, composed by songwriter and pianist Turner Layton with lyrics by Henry Creamer. The Layton-Creamer team produced a string of Broadway and vaudeville hits — including "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" — but this tune remains their most enduring legacy, having been a jazz standard for over a century.

The chorus follows an ABAC form with an unusual 20-bar structure: four 4-bar phrases plus a 4-bar tag. It is most commonly played in B♭. The harmony is notably active, with chord changes occurring in nearly every measure, giving soloists rich material to work with. Combined with its instantly memorable melody, this harmonic density makes the tune equally effective as a swinging instrumental or a heartfelt vocal number, and a perennial favorite at jam sessions across all styles.

The song was first recorded by Marion Harris in 1918. In jazz, the landmark versions include Bessie Smith's powerful 1927 recording (with Coleman Hawkins) and the Benny Goodman Trio's celebrated 1935 session with Teddy Wilson and Gene Krupa. It has since been covered by countless artists, from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald to Frank Sinatra and beyond.