How High the Moon

How High the Moon is an American jazz standard composed by Morgan Lewis with lyrics by Nancy Hamilton, first published in 1940. The song was introduced by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock in the Broadway revue "Two for the Show", which opened on February 8, 1940. Originally conceived as a romantic ballad, it quickly attracted the attention of jazz musicians. Benny Goodman and His Orchestra, featuring singer Helen Forrest, recorded it on February 7, 1940, one day before the Broadway premiere. Over the following decades, the composition became a favourite of swing and bebop musicians, eventually establishing itself as one of the most important improvisational standards in jazz.

Django Reinhardt recorded How High the Moon several times. His earliest documented recording dates from December 1944, when he performed with the Jazz Club Mystery Hot Band, featuring American musicians including trumpeter Bernie Previn, clarinetist Peanuts Hucko and pianist Mel Powell. A particularly important version followed on March 26, 1947, with the Quintette du Hot Club de France: Django on lead guitar, Stéphane Grappelli on violin, Joseph Reinhardt and Jean "Matelot" Férret on rhythm guitars, and Emmanuel Soudieux on double bass. Django also performed the composition in French radio recordings during 1947 and recorded it again with Grappelli in Rome around January–February 1949.

Musically, How High the Moon is commonly performed as a 32-bar jazz standard in ABAC form, usually in G major. Its most distinctive feature is a sequence of changing tonal centres: G major moves through a ii–V–I progression into F major, which then leads toward E-flat major before the harmony eventually returns to G. The transformation of a major tonic chord into a minor seventh chord creates a smooth transition into a new key. These modulations, combined with chromatic passing chords and dominant resolutions, make the composition especially suitable for improvisation over changing harmony.

For Manouche jazz musicians, How High the Moon is an exceptional study in the relationship between swing rhythm, melodic improvisation and harmonic movement. Django and Grappelli demonstrated how its sophisticated chord changes could be interpreted by a purely acoustic string ensemble. Its structure also became central to bebop: Charlie Parker and trumpeter Benny Harris are credited with "Ornithology", a new melody built on the harmonic framework of How High the Moon. Studying the two compositions together reveals how the same chord progression can support entirely different melodic ideas.

Interesting facts:

• The Broadway production "Two for the Show" opened on February 8, 1940, and ran for 124 performances. How High the Moon was introduced by Alfred Drake and Frances Comstock.
• Benny Goodman's orchestra recorded the song on February 7, 1940, with vocalist Helen Forrest and guitarist Charlie Christian. Released on Columbia 35391, it became one of the earliest successful recordings of the composition.
• Django's December 1944 recording with the Jazz Club Mystery Hot Band reflects a remarkable meeting of French and American jazz musicians during the final months of World War II.
• Charlie Parker and Benny Harris developed "Ornithology" using the chord changes of How High the Moon. Recorded by Parker in 1946, it became one of the defining examples of the bebop contrafact.
• Ella Fitzgerald transformed How High the Moon into one of her signature performance pieces. Her celebrated live interpretation on the 1960 album "Ella in Berlin" includes extended scat improvisation and musical quotations, including references to Ornithology.
• Les Paul and Mary Ford recorded an innovative version in 1951 using layered guitar and vocal parts. It reached number one on the American charts for nine weeks and was selected for the United States National Recording Registry in 2002.
• Although originally written as a relatively slow theatre song, How High the Moon became a popular vehicle for fast jazz improvisation, illustrating how dramatically a composition can evolve through performance.

How High the Moon is a remarkable example of a composition that evolved far beyond its Broadway origins. From Django Reinhardt's acoustic swing and Charlie Parker's bebop explorations to Ella Fitzgerald's vocal improvisations and Les Paul's pioneering recording technology, it connects several major developments in jazz history. Its sophisticated harmony and flexible melodic character continue to make it an essential standard for musicians exploring improvisation, swing and modern jazz.