"Jitterbug Waltz" is a 1942 jazz composition by Fats Waller and initially recorded the same year by Fats Waller and His Rhythm. It was also recorded by

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first r ...

Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), known as "Mr. Guitar" and "The Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nashville sound, the country music ...

Vince Guaraldi Vincent Anthony Guaraldi (; né Dellaglio, July 17, 1928 – February 6, 1976) was an American jazz pianist best known for composing music for animated television adaptations of the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. His compositions for this series includ ...

, Butch Thompson, Al Hirt, Eric Dolphy, and David Murray.

Composition and recording

The song is in the key of

E♭ major E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D ...

and in 3/4 time. When Waller composed "Jitterbug Waltz" he was 38 years old and at the high point of his career as a veteran recording artist for RCA Victor, making the occasional movie appearance, broadcasting on radio, and traveling the United States and Europe on a hectic and tiring schedule. It is notable for being one of the first jazz records recorded with a Hammond organ, an instrument that gained popularity in the genre soon after. In the 1985 British television documentary ''Fats Waller - This Joint is Jumpin' '', Waller's son Maurice claims that ''Jitterbug Waltz'' was the first jazz waltz ever written.

References

External links

"Jitterbug Waltz"
at JazzStandards.com * Maurice Waller documentary interview 1942 songs Songs with music by Fats Waller Al Hirt songs Jazz compositions Songs about dancing {{1940s-jazz-composition-stub