"Hi-Fly" (also sometimes spelled "Hi Fly" or "High Fly") is one of the best known compositions by pianist

Randy Weston Randolph Edward "Randy" Weston (April 6, 1926 – September 1, 2018) was an American jazz pianist and composer whose creativity was inspired by his ancestral African connection. Weston's piano style owed much to Duke Ellington and Thelonious ...

, written in the 1950s and inspired by his experience of being 6 feet 8 inches tall, "and how the ground looks different to you than everybody else". Since first being recorded on 1958's '' New Faces at Newport'', "Hi-Fly" appears on several other albums by Weston, including '' Live at the Five Spot'' (1959), '' Niles Littlebig'' (1969), '' Tanjah'' (1973), ''Perspective'' (with Vishnu Wood, 1976), ''Rhythms and Sounds'' (1978), ''Earth Birth'' (1995), ''Zep Tepi'' (2005), and ''The Storyteller'' (2009).

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

wrote lyrics to the song, recorded first in 1959 on the album ''

The Hottest New Group in Jazz ''The Hottest New Group in Jazz'', also known by its full title ''Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross!: "The Hottest New Group in Jazz"'' or alternatively considered self-titled, is the fourth album by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, released in 1960. The titl ...

'' and also appearing on 1961's ''High Flying With Lambert, Hendricks & Ross''. Among others who have recorded vocal covers are

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

(on ''The World Is Falling Down'', 1991), Mel Tormé (on 1962's '' Comin' Home Baby!'' and other albums),

Karin Krog Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian jazz singer. Life and career Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in ...

on ('' Hi-Fly'' with

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

) and Sarah Vaughan ('' In the City of Lights'', 1999).

Selected covers

Now a jazz standard, "Hi-Fly" has been recorded in many versions by other leading musicians,"Hi-Fly"
at SecondHandSongs. including: *

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Edward F. Davis (March 2, 1922 – November 3, 1986), known professionally as Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. It is unclear how he acquired the moniker "Lockjaw" (later shortened in "Jaws"): it is either said that ...

: '' Smokin′'', 1958 *

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan. History The group formed in 1957 and recorded their f ...

: ''

'', 1959 *

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

: '' At the Jazz Corner of the World'', 1959 * Cannonball Adderley Quintet: '' The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco'', featuring

Nat Adderley Nathaniel Carlyle Adderley (November 25, 1931 – January 2, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was the younger brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, whom he supported and played with for many years. Adderley's composition ...

, 1959 * Slide Hampton Octet: '' Sister Salvation'', 1960 *Lambert, Hendricks & Ross: ''High Flying With L, H & R'', 1961 *

The Jazztet The Jazztet was a jazz sextet, co-founded in 1959 by trumpeter Art Farmer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, always featuring the founders along with a trombonist and a piano-bass-drums rhythm section. In its first phase, the Jazztet lasted unt ...

( Art Farmer and Benny Golson): '' Big City Sounds'', 1961 *

Johnny Coles John Coles (July 3, 1926 – December 21, 1997) was an American jazz trumpeter. Early life Coles was born in Trenton, New Jersey on July 3, 1926. He grew up in Philadelphia and was self-taught on trumpet. Later life and career Coles spent his ...

: '' The Warm Sound'', 1961 *

Jaki Byard John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for hi ...

: '' Hi-Fly'', 1962 * Lionel Hampton: ''Many Splendored Vibes'', 1962 *

Al Grey Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Care ...

: ''Snap Your Fingers'', featuring

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

, 1962 * Cannonball Adderley: '' Phenix'', 1975 * Horace Parlan: '' No Blues'', 1975 *

with

: '' Hi-Fly'', 1976 * Eric Dolphy: ''Berlin Concerts'', 1977 *Horace Parlan: '' Hi-Fly'', 1978 *

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

: ''

Gotham City Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his List of Batman supporting characters#Bat-Family, allies and List of Batman fa ...

'', 1981 *

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, sw ...

: ''Goodbye for Bill Evans'', 1981 *

Ted Dunbar Earl Theodore Dunbar (January 17, 1937 – May 29, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. Career Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Dunbar trained as a pharmacist at Texas Southern University, but by the 1970s he only did pharma ...

: ''

Jazz Guitarist Jazz guitarists are guitarists who play jazz using an approach to chords, melodies, and improvised solo lines which is called jazz guitar playing. The guitar has fulfilled the roles of accompanist ( rhythm guitar) and soloist in small and large ...

'', 1982 *

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...

with Mel Tormé: ''

Top Drawer ''Top Drawer'' is a 1983 album by Mel Tormé, accompanied by George Shearing. At the 26th Grammy Awards, Tormé's performance on this album won him the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male. Track listing # "A Shine on Your Shoes ...

'', 1983 * Peter King: '' Hi-Fly'', 1984 *

Monty Alexander Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis ...

: ''Full Steam Ahead'', 1985 * Rio Nido: '' Hi Fly'', 1985 *

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

Double Quartet: '' Bright Moments'', 1985 * Donald Byrd: ''Harlem Blues'', 1988 * Art Taylor: ''Mr. A.T.'', 1992 * Jimmy Smith: '' Damn!'', 1995 * Ron Carter: '' So What'', 1998 *

Ray Bryant Raphael Homer "Ray" Bryant (December 24, 1931 – June 2, 2011) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. Early life Bryant was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1931. His mother was an ordained minister who had tau ...

: ''Ray's Tribute to His Jazz Piano Friends'', 1998 * Sarah Vaughan: '' In the City of Lights'', 1999 * Ahmad Jamal: ''A Quiet Time'', 2009"Hi-Fly by Ahmad Jamal".
/ref> * Tom Brantley: ''Boneyard'', 2009

References

External links

"Randy Weston - "Hi-Fly""
YouTube. {{authority control 1950s jazz standards Songs with lyrics by Jon Hendricks Mel Tormé songs Bebop jazz standards Compositions by Randy Weston 1958 songs