BLACK AND BLUE - Free Jazz Leadsheet

"Black and Blue," also known as "What Did I Do to Be So Black and Blue?", was composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf, published in 1929. It was first performed in the Broadway revue *Hot Chocolates* by Edith Wilson.

Subsequent notable recordings include versions by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, each highlighting the song's emotional depth and blues-inflected phrasing.

The lyrics poignantly address racial identity and social alienation, giving the song a profound narrative weight. Musically, it features a slow, bluesy melody over a 32-bar form, with subtle harmonic shifts that allow expressive interpretation.