During its three years of ex… Read Full Bio ↴The Jazztet was an American jazz group.
During its three years of existence (1959 - 1962), The Jazztet--along with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and Horace Silver's quintet--was the definitive hard bop combo. Benny Golson's compositions and arrangements gave the sextet a personal sound and a consistenly fresh repertoire, the rhythm section (despite many changes in personnel) always swung steadily and the soloists were distinctive and inventive. Why then did commercial success completely elude this band?
It was perhaps a forecast of things to come when the Jazztet was booked for its New York debut on November 17, 1959 at the Five Spot, opposite Ornette Coleman's innovative quartet. Ornette received the headlines, controversy and fame, while the Jazztet's relatively conventional music was given faint praise and taken for granted, a victim of the "new is automatically better than old" school of jazz criticism.
Each of the Jazztet's three horn players already had impressive musical resumes at the time of the band's formation and were quite familiar with each other's playing. Art Farmer's soft attractive sound and fluent yet lyrical trumpet style made him in much demand for record dates, including separate sessions led by Curtis Fuller and Benny Golson in 1957. Just prior to the official formation of the Jazztet, Golson and Fuller co-led a quintet that lacked only Art Farmer.
Shortly after the album Meet The Jazztet, the group was reorganized with only Farmer and Golson remaining among the original members. The musical quality (with such substitutes as pianist Cedar Walton and trombonist Grachan Moncur III) remained quite high until they called it quits in 1962. Happily, Art Farmer, Benny Golson and Curtis Fuller stayed at the top of their form through the years and, starting in 1982, have occasionally reunited as the Jazztet.
McCoy Tyner, of course, became an influential giant, while Lex Humphries has remained active, although maintaining a low profile. Unfortunately, Addison Farmer passed away in 1963 from a congenital brain hemorrhage. 30 years later, the Jazztet's music is still fresh and undated, although no longer taken for granted. Meet The Jazztet is their definitive recording.
'Round Midnight
The Jazztet 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 Jazztet's song 'round Midnight is a poignant song that encapsulates the emotions one feels in the late hours of the night. The opening lines "It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight" refer to the fact that as the night wears on, memories and emotions come flooding back. The singer of the song is someone who is generally able to handle their emotions until after sundown, but when supper time rolls around they begin to feel a sense of melancholy. However, as the night gets later, the emotions intensify and become almost unbearable.
The lyrics convey a sense of longing throughout, with the singer's heart still very much with their love, even though they are not together. The line "And ol' midnight knows it, too" shows that the singer is aware that the night only amplifies their feelings, making it all the more difficult to forget their past love. There is a sense of desperation in the lyrics as well, with lines like "Darlin' I need you, lately I find/You're out of my heart/And I'm out of my mind" conveying the sense that the singer is struggling to come to terms with their feelings.
Overall, 'round Midnight is a beautifully crafted song that does an excellent job of capturing the emotions and thoughts that come with late-night reflections.
Line by Line Meaning
It begins to tell
The night starts to reveal its secrets.
'Round midnight, midnight
The time is around midnight or precisely at midnight.
I do pretty well, till after sundown
The singer feels good until the day ends.
Suppertime I'm feelin' sad
The singer feels melancholic during dinner time.
But it really gets bad
The singer's sadness intensifies later on.
'Round midnight
The time is around midnight or precisely at midnight.
Memories always start 'round midnight
The singer's memories always come back at midnight.
Haven't got the heart to stand those memories
The singer can't bear to remember those memories.
When my heart is still with you
The singer's heart still belongs to someone else.
And ol' midnight knows it, too
Midnight is aware of the singer's heartache.
When a quarrel we had needs mending
The singer and their loved one had a fight that needs resolution.
Does it mean that our love is ending
The singer wonders if their relationship is doomed.
Darlin' I need you, lately I find
The singer needs their loved one and realizes it more as time goes by.
You're out of my heart
The singer's loved one is no longer in their heart.
And I'm out of my mind
The singer is going crazy without their loved one.
Let our hearts take wings'
The singer wants their hearts to fly free.
'Round midnight, midnight
The time is around midnight or precisely at midnight.
Let the angels sing
The singer wants to experience something magical.
For your returning
The singer wants their loved one to come back.
Till our love is safe and sound
The singer wants their relationship to be secure.
And old midnight comes around
The singer's memories and heartache come back again at midnight.
Feelin' sad
The singer is feeling melancholic again.
Really gets bad
The singer's sadness intensifies at this point.
Round, Round, Round Midnight
The time is around midnight or precisely at midnight.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COOTIE WILLIAMS, BERNARD D. HANIGHEN, THEOLONIOUS S. MONK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind