“Night and Day” was written by Cole Porter for the 1932 musical Gay Divorce, where Fred Astaire introduced it. It became one of Porter’s biggest hits and a favorite of jazz musicians, recorded by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass and many others.
The tune is often played in C or Eb major. It opens with a striking chord, the bVI dominant or major seventh chord, which moves down by half step toward the V chord and then the tonic, creating a sultry, chromatic sound. The form is long, with a repeated pulsing melody note over shifting harmony. The bridge moves to new key areas through ii-Vs, adding contrast before returning home.
For improvisation, highlight the opening chromatic movement, playing notes that shift by half step as the chords descend. The rest of the tune rewards ii-V language and guide-tone playing. Many jazz versions play the A sections with a Latin feel and the bridge in swing, so practice both. Joe Pass’s solo guitar version is full of harmonic ideas.
Practice by learning the melody, especially the repeated note over moving chords, which teaches you how melody and harmony interact. Then improvise using chord tones and chromatic approach notes.
Using the Night and Day Lead Sheet PDF on gigs: keep a concert-pitch copy and a copy in your instrument’s key, label the intro and ending on the page, and note the tempo and feel the band usually plays. Small notes like these keep you calm when a tune gets called on the spot.
Practice checklist for the Night and Day Lead Sheet PDF: play the melody from memory, play roots through the form, play guide tones, improvise one chorus of chord tones only, and finally record yourself soloing over a play-along. Listening back is the fastest way to spot what to fix next.
Is it hard to play? It’s intermediate. Recordings to study: Fred Astaire’s original, Frank Sinatra’s versions and Joe Pass’s guitar arrangement. Learn more about the composer on Cole Porter’s Wikipedia page, and find more Cole Porter standards on Minedit.