It Could Happen to You (Herb Ellis)

It Could Happen to You is a popular jazz standard from the Great American Songbook. Written in 1943 by Jimmy Van Heusen, the song was featured in the film And the Angels Sing and quickly became a favorite with jazz musicians.

In this lesson, you’ll learn Herb Ellis’s chord melody arrangement of It Could Happen to You from his debut album Ellis in Wonderland (1956).

On this recording, Herb Ellis is backed by the rhythm section of Oscar Peterson, with Ray Brown on bass, Alvin Stoller on drums, and Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet.

The arrangement is a great example of Ellis’s tasteful and economical chord-melody style.

Herb Ellis strums every chord with a plectrum, giving the part a light swing feel that blends well with the rhythm section.

His guitar tone contains very little bass and focuses mostly on the midrange and treble, allowing the guitar to sit above the band without clashing with the bass line.

 
The first chord in the arrangement (Em7 voicing used as G major) can be a bit challenging for people with smaller hands.

 

As an alternative, you can use this regular G triad or G6/9 voicing, which requires less stretching.

 

JGO+ members can download the PDF, backing track, and other lesson materials on the download page (click here to join JGO+).

 

 

• Johnny Smith – Johnny Smith Plays Jimmy Van Heusen (1955)
• Herb Ellis (the arrangement in this lesson) – Ellis in Wonderland (1956)
• Barney Kessel – The Poll Winners (1957)
• Mundell Lowe – A Grand Night for Swinging (1957)
• Frank Sinatra – Close to You (1957)
• The Miles Davis Quintet – Relaxin’ with The Miles Davis Quintet (1958)
• Chet Baker – It Could Happen to You – Chet Baker Sings (1958)
• Jimmy Smith (with Kenny Burrell) – Softly as a Summer Breeze (1958)
• Julie London – Your Number Please… (1959)
• Sonny Stitt – Stittsville (1960)
• Bill Evans – Some Other Time (The Lost Session From The Black Forest) (1968)
• Jimmy Raney – The Influence (1975)
• John Pizzarelli – My Blue Heaven (1990)
• Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette – Tokyo ’96 (1996)
• Larry Coryell – Cedars of Avalon (2002)
• Diana Krall – From This Moment On (2006)
• Chick Corea Trio – Trilogy (2013)
• John Scofield – John Scofield (2022)

 

It Could Happen to You – Chord Melody Arrangement

 

Form: ABAC (32 bars)
Key: G major (the original key is B major and it’s also often played in Eb major)