LUSH LIFE - Free Jazz Leadsheet

“Lush Life” was written by Billy Strayhorn between 1933 and 1936, and published in 1949. Strayhorn, composing as a teenager, crafted a deeply introspective and harmonically sophisticated song that became one of his most personal statements.

The first public performance occurred at Carnegie Hall in 1948 by Strayhorn with vocalist Kay Davis. Over time, it has been recorded by many iconic jazz artists, including John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nat King Cole. The song’s structure — with a 32-bar verse and a 24-bar chorus — plus its rich, chromatic harmony lend themselves to highly expressive solo and vocal interpretations.