“Tangerine” was composed by Victor Schertzinger with lyrics by Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film The Fleet’s In. Jimmy Dorsey’s band had a big hit with it, and later jazz versions by Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz and Chet Baker made it a standard.
The form is a 32-bar ABAC, usually in F major. The harmony moves through the I, vi, ii and V chords, with secondary dominants and a bright, cheerful feel. It’s often played at medium swing or with a light Latin feel.
Section by section: in the A section, outline the I-vi-ii-V movement with guide tones and simple arpeggios. In the B section, the secondary dominants pull toward the ii chord; target their leading tones. In the C section, build toward the final turnaround with a strong phrase. Dexter Gordon’s version is relaxed and swinging, with his trademark quotes from other songs, a fun approach to try.
Practice at medium tempo. Learn the melody from a vocal recording, then play it in F and Eb.
Transposing tip: Bb instruments read it in G, Eb instruments in D.
Arrangement idea: play the head with a light Latin feel and switch to swing for the solos. A short tag ending repeating the last phrase three times adds a classic finish.
Practice checklist for the Tangerine 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.
Memorizing the Tangerine Lead Sheet PDF: learn the form in sections, not all at once. Play the first eight bars until you can do them with your eyes closed, then add the next section. Within a week or two you won’t need the page at all, which is the real goal of any lead sheet.
Is it hard to play? It’s beginner to intermediate. Recordings to study: Jimmy Dorsey’s hit and Dexter Gordon’s version. Learn more about the lyricist on Johnny Mercer’s Wikipedia page, and find more swing standards on Minedit.