Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Bemsha Swing" is a jazz standard co-written by pianist Thelonious Monk (1917–1982) and drummer Denzil Best. Originally copyrighted as "Bimsha Swing," the title derives from "Bimshire," a colloquial nickname for Barbados, Best's ancestral homeland. Monk first recorded the tune on December 18, 1952, for the album Thelonious Monk Trio on Prestige Records.

The composition follows a compact 16-bar AABA form in C major. The four-bar A section blends major and minor elements—the melody walks down a C natural minor scale before resolving with major intervals, creating Monk's characteristic ambiguity between blues and tonality. The B section transposes the A material up a fourth to F major, providing contrast while maintaining the tune's angular, rhythmic drive. Written in 4/4 but often performed with a relaxed two-feel, the piece has a deceptively simple structure that conceals considerable harmonic sophistication, including a surprising final chord that lands on Db major rather than the expected C.

The most celebrated recording appears on Monk's 1956 album Brilliant Corners, featuring Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone and Clark Terry on trumpet. The tune also features prominently on Miles Davis's 1954 Prestige session, released as Miles Davis and the Modern Jazz Giants.