Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Margie" is a 1920 popular song composed collaboratively by vaudeville performer Con Conrad and ragtime pianist J. Russel Robinson, a member of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Named after singer Eddie Cantor's five-year-old daughter, the tune was introduced by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and quickly became one of the early jazz era's biggest hits.

The song is a 32-bar standard in a bright, bouncy character, commonly played in the keys of F or Bb major. Its melody retains a strong ragtime influence with lively syncopation and a cheerful, singable quality. The harmony is built around traditional jazz progressions with I-VI-II-V turnarounds, making it well suited to collective improvisation at up tempos—a hallmark of Dixieland and traditional jazz performance. The tune's straightforward structure has allowed it to endure as a staple in the traditional jazz repertoire for over a century.

Eddie Cantor's 1921 recording topped the pop charts for five weeks and established the song in the popular consciousness. In jazz, Benny Goodman's and Jimmie Lunceford's swing-era arrangements brought it to new audiences, while Oscar Peterson's piano trio interpretation showcased the tune's adaptability to more modern jazz settings.