Red McKenzie (1931) FIRST RECORDING [JUST FRIENDS]

The first recording of the John Klenner/Sam M. Lewis standard "Just Friends", from Red McKenzie and his Orchestra. This rendition features the verse after the initial pass through the form. Recorded October 15, 1931. The JGC History series features specifically curated playlists to help trace the lineage of some of the most influential jazz compositions of all time. Join me on Patreon for Lead Sheets, Play-Alongs, Transcriptions, Lessons and much more: https://www.patreon.com/jazzguitarcomprehensive Some notes about the composition as found on https://www.jazzguitarcomprehensive.com/ Composer: John Klenner Lyricist: Sam M. Lewis Year: 1931 Origin: Introduced by Red McKenzie in 1931. Style: Introduced at a comfortable medium tempo, it commonly played as an up tempo swing. Form: A-B1-A-B2 (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8] Verse: A-B (16 Bars) [8-8] Very rarely included, it can be heard on Red McKenzie's original recording. Russ Columbo's rendition from the following year also features it. Key: Most commonly played in G Major.  Harmony/Overview: The harmony of this composition is fairly straightforward, being made up predominantly of II - V's. The song begins on IVMaj7 and can initially give the impression that this is the tonic, especially when the verse is omitted. In the 3rd bar however it becomes clear that this actually the IV of the key when it changes to minor; temporarily borrowing from the sub-dominant minor. It is common to insert a II - V of bIII in bars 3 and 4 as opposed to simply remaining on IVmi. The melody from the first 4 bars is then transposed down a whole step while the harmony moves from IMaj7 to a II - V of bII which does not resolve. The song then continues in a predictable fashion, with functional harmony and a conventional 32 bar form. Recordings: This song has been recorded over 380 times. It was first recorded by Red McKenzie in 1931, although Russ Columbo's recording from 1932 was largely influential in establishing it as a hit. Charlie Parker recorded it during one of his legendary sessions with strings and he himself stated that this performance was one of his personal favorites from his entire career. It has since been recorded by a wide variety of musicians in many different settings and it continues to be a popular standard. JGC Top Picks: Charlie Parker, 1949 Oscar Peterson, Walking the Line, 1970 Wynton Marsalis, Live at the House of Tribes, 2002 Please consider supporting this channel through a donation, https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jazzguitarc You can also support me on Patreon for much more musical content, https://www.patreon.com/jazzguitarcomprehensive Be sure to subscribe to my main channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHefbnzId7of6XcFJWh8UQ As well as my second channel for Play-Alongs and Loops: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPZJrGlk1zNvczjpbNbyOiA The World's Premier Site for Jazz Guitar Education and Beyond https://www.jazzguitarcomprehensive.com/ DISCLAIMER: This video has been uploaded for educational purposes and is protected under fair-use. This channel will never be monetized and any ads are run solely on behalf of the rightful copyright owner. #RedMcKenzie #JustFriends #JazzHistory

Added 9 Apr 2026