Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"I Should Care" is a popular standard with music by Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston, published in 1944. The song was introduced in the 1945 MGM film Thrill of a Romance. Both Stordahl and Weston were prominent arrangers and conductors in the big band era.

The tune follows a 32-bar AABA form and is most commonly played in the key of C major. It is an elegant ballad with a deceptively simple melody that conceals sophisticated harmonic movement. The bridge introduces more complex chord changes, providing opportunities for expressive interpretation and harmonic exploration. Typically performed at a slow swing or ballad tempo, the song rewards musicians who bring subtlety and emotional depth to their phrasing.

Frank Sinatra's 1945 recording with an orchestra conducted by Stordahl first popularized the tune. In the jazz world, Thelonious Monk's solo piano version and Bud Powell's trio recording from 1947 are landmark interpretations. The Bill Evans Trio's rendition on How My Heart Sings! (1962), with Chuck Israels on bass and Paul Motian on drums, offers a particularly lyrical and introspective reading.