"Rose Room", also known as "In Sunny Roseland", is a 1917

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive l ...

, music by

Art Hickman Arthur George Hickman (June 13, 1886 – January 16, 1930) was a drummer, pianist, and bandleader of one of the first big bands. Career Hickman founded a sextet in San Francisco in 1913. The band's first job was playing at training camp for the b ...

, lyrics by Harry Williams. It is almost always performed as an instrumental. Composed at a time when the popularity of

ragtime Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that flourished from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott ...

was fading in favor of thirty-two-bar form and twelve-bar blues songs, the song has been called "definitely ahead of its time" by composer

Alec Wilder Alexander Lafayette Chew Wilder (February 16, 1907 – December 24, 1980) was an American composer. Biography Wilder was born in Rochester, New York, United States, to a prominent family; the Wilder Building downtown (at the "Four Corners") b ...

. Indeed, while popular in the late 1910s and early 1920s, the song enjoyed its biggest popularity during the

swing era The swing era (also frequently referred to as the big band era) was the period (1933–1947) when big band swing music was the most popular music in the United States. Though this was its most popular period, the music had actually been aroun ...

.Chris Tyle
Rose Room overview
at ''jazzstandards.com'' - retrieved on 24 May 2009 The song was named after the Rose Room in St. Francis Hotel, where Hickman was playing at the time.Gene Lees: ''Cats of Any Color: Jazz Black and White''. Oxford University Press US, 1995. . p. 204 In 1914, jazz pioneer Bert Kelly was a member of Hickman's band.

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was ba ...

is credited in reviving the popularity of "Rose Room" with his 1932 recording. Ellington later used the song's

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

in his 1939 composition, " In a Mellow Tone". "Rose Room" is also the song with which Charlie Christian impressed

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conce ...

in 1939, jamming it solo after solo for 45 minutes with Goodman's band.

Modern Swing Group Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

, Leader:

John Kongshaug John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

recorded a version in Oslo on December 6, 1954. It was released on the 78 rpm record His Master's Voice A.L. 3489. Bandleader Phil Harris used "Rose Room" as his theme song while performing in San Francisco. He also used "Rose Room" again as a second theme on his NBC radio series, '' The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show''. The Lawrence Welk Orchestra/Show made a rendition with "Peanuts" Hucko on clarinet, in a show paying tribute to roses. The tune plays over the closing credits of "Away with the Fairies" (2012), an episode from the first season of '' Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries''.

Notes

1917 songs 1910s jazz standards Jazz songs Songs with lyrics by Harry Williams (songwriter) {{1910s-jazz-composition-stub

See also

Notes