Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Stormy Weather" is a 1933 torch song composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ted Koehler. It was first performed by Ethel Waters at Harlem's Cotton Club, where it reportedly received twelve encores on opening night.

A 32-bar form commonly performed in G or F major, the melody employs descending blue notes that powerfully convey the metaphor of stormy weather as heartbreak. The harmonic framework blends blues feeling with sophisticated ii-V motion and chromatic passing chords, creating a refined yet deeply emotional foundation. While primarily cherished as a vocal showcase, it also works beautifully as an instrumental ballad, offering improvisers rich expressive material within its relatively simple but evocative structure.

Ethel Waters's 1933 recording, inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, is the historic original. Lena Horne's performance in the 1943 film Stormy Weather is equally iconic. Among jazz instrumentals, the Red Garland Trio's version on All Kinds of Weather (1958) is widely beloved.