Russell was a drummer in Benny Carter's band in the early 1940s; he was replaced by Max Roach and, after hearing Roach play, decided to give up drumming. He moved to New York, and was one of a group of musicians who met in the apartment of Gil Evans (these included Miles Davis, Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, Johnny Carisi and sometimes Charlie Parker. In 1947, Russell was commissioned to write a piece for Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra; he wrote Cubano Be/Cubano Bop which was the first fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz.
Russell's big breakthrough came while he was hospitalized for tuberculosis for 16 months in the early 1950s. Russell had asked Miles Davis what his musical goals were, and Davis replied "to learn all of the changes". Since Miles obviously already knew all the chord changes, Russell took this to mean that he wanted a new way to relate to chords. The result was The Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization, first published in 1953, which opened the way for modal jazz such as Kind of Blue. Russell's Lydian Chromatic theory is a major piece of music theory which has had a significant impact on music both within and outside of jazz.
Russell led several influential groups during 1950s, 60s, and 70s, which included Bill Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy, Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, and many others. In his 80s, Russell continued to conduct the Living Time Orchestra. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
You can read more on his web site: http://www.georgerussell.com/gr.html
'Round Midnight
George Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Round midnight, midnight
I do pretty well, till after sundown
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
But it really gets bad
'Round midnight
Memories always start 'round midnight
When my heart is still with you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
When a quarrel we had needs mending
Does it mean that our love is ending
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
You're out of my heart
And I'm out of my mind
Let our hearts take wings'
'Round midnight, midnight
Let the angels sing
For your returning
Till our love is safe and sound
And old midnight comes around
Feelin' sad
Really gets bad
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The lyrics of George Russell's song 'Round Midnight communicate a sense of sadness and longing. The first stanza describes how the singer is able to manage their feelings of sadness until after sundown. However, as night falls, memories of lost love start to surface, and the singer becomes overwhelmed with emotion. The phrase 'Round Midnight refers to the time of day when these memories begin to affect the singer's mood.
The second stanza expands upon the theme of memories by stating that the singer cannot bear to think about the past when their heart is still with their lost love. The reminiscent thoughts evoke feelings of regret and heartache. These emotions are further intensified by the idea that a fight with their beloved may signal the end of their relationship. Therefore, the singer expresses a desire to reconcile with their lost love and return to the safety of love.
Overall, the lyrics of 'Round Midnight express a deep sense of loss and nostalgia. The singer is unable to shake the memories of lost love and longs to reconcile with their beloved. The song's emotional sincerity and relatable themes have made it an enduring classic in the jazz canon.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The song starts to convey its message
'Round midnight, midnight
Around midnight, when the day is almost over and the night begins
I do pretty well, till after sundown
I'm doing okay until the sun sets, then I start feeling down
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
When it's time for dinner, I start feeling unhappy
But it really gets bad
However, my mood gets even worse
'Round midnight
Around the time of midnight, when my sadness is at its peak
Memories always start 'round midnight
My memories of you always come back around midnight
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
I don't have the courage to face those memories
When my heart is still with you
When my heart still belongs to you
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Even midnight is aware of my feelings
When a quarrel we had needs mending
When we need to fix a fight we had
Does it mean that our love is ending
Does it mean that our relationship is coming to an end?
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
I need you, my love, and I've been realizing that more and more lately
You're out of my heart
You're no longer in my heart
And I'm out of my mind
And I am losing my sanity
Let our hearts take wings'
Let our love fly high
'Round midnight, midnight
Around midnight, when my heart needs you the most
Let the angels sing
May the angels sing in celebration of your return
For your returning
For your coming back to me
Till our love is safe and sound
Until our love is secure and protected
And old midnight comes around
When midnight comes again
Feelin' sad
I'll be feeling down
Really gets bad
And it will get even worse
Round, Round, Round Midnight
Around and around, the cycle of sadness continues every midnight
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cootie Williams, Bernard D Hanighen, Theolonious S Monk
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SanJordiBluenotian
Amazing！
エリック・ドルフィーの鋭い音色、独特のテーマやスケールの吹き方、魅力的です。
@domimonk
Époustouflante version ! Merci !
@________4700
A mes oreilles, la plus aboutie des versions de ce standard. Dolphy qui se ballade sur les airs en prenant de grands détours, quelle beauté ! Quelle émotion. Une pure merveille, un bijou, que dis-je de la dentelle !
@damsonwine3
Dolphy at his best. Great Russell track. Wonderful composition.Thank you for posting this.
@SidLaw500
Dolphy with authority, originality!
@reidwhitton6248
Russell and Dolphy, two giants!
@chasming
You've done us all a favour by unearthing Ezz-Thetic.
@eddieburrelli
Wonderful.
@Pedraga
Incredbile. Thanks very much for posting this
@jameswebb4593
Finest rendition ever of Monks famous song.