DON'T YOU LEAVE ME HERE - Free Jazz Leadsheet

"don't you leave me here" was composed by Jelly Roll Morton in 1925. The song features Morton’s signature New Orleans style, combining blues-inflected melodies with syncopated rhythms and space for improvisation.

The first recording was by Morton’s Red Hot Peppers in Chicago, featuring cornet, clarinet, trombone, and piano in intricate ensemble interplay. Subsequent performances by Dixieland and traditional jazz bands have kept it in the repertoire, highlighting its playful, interactive qualities.

The piece follows a 12-bar blues framework with flexible phrasing, emphasizing call-and-response textures and offering soloists opportunities to engage dynamically with the ensemble.