Have You Met Miss Jones?

“Have You Met Miss Jones” is a tune written by Richard Rodgers for the musical comedy “I’d Rather Be Right”.
Lyrics were written by Lorenz Hart. This tune has been recorded and performed by many notable jazz musicians. It’s a common jam session tune and very important to know. This tune is most commonly played in the key of F Major.

The form is AABA, with the A sections being fairly conventional harmony.  The real interest lies in the bridge, or B section of Miss Jones.  It begins in Bb, or the 4th of F.  It is constructed of a series of ii > V7 > I’s that move in major 3rds.  (More chromatic mediant – thank you Beethoven and Brahms!)  It begins in Bb, then down to Gb, then down to D, then back up to Gb.  This all seems harmless enough but this root movement takes a little getting used to.  For me it’s especially tricky when it stops moving downward and comes back up to Gb in the three measures of the bridge.

Here is a classic recording with Chet Baker.

Here is an even more thorough analysis by Scot Gormley.