"Lullaby of the Leaves" is a musical composition by composer Bernice Petkere and lyricist Joe Young. A Tin Pan Alley song first performed in 1932, the jazz standard is considered the biggest critical and commercial success of Petkere's composing career. ^{[1] [2]}

The song was a hit for George Olsen and his Music in 1932. ^[3] By January 1933, more than 500,000 copies had been sold in the U.S.—ten times more than the usual hit song of the era. ^[4]

It has since been recorded numerous times in its lyrical version and as an instrumental, including hot jazz sextet version by Benny Goodman in 1951, ^[5] a haunting bop-accented rendition by Anita O'Day in 1952, a cool jazz version by Cal Tjader on vibraphone in 1952, ^[6] a rousing surf rock version by the Ventures in 1961, a lively piano version by Mary Lou Williams in the 1950s, and a widely heard version by Ella Fitzgerald on her 1964 album Hello, Dolly!. ^{[7] [8]} Since 2002, jazz pianist Tamir Hendelman has been performing his unique arrangement of the song, especially as part of the Jeff Hamilton Trio. ^{[9] [10]}

From 2019 to 2020, Italian ice dancers Jasmine Tessari and Francesco Fioretti skated to Beth Hart's rendition of the song in competitions. ^{[11] [12]}

References