Without You is a contemplative ballad from master pianist Renee Rosnes. The use of pedals under the harmony at various points gives a sense of stasis which is emphasized by the lack of typical AABA song form. Unlike songs that rush towards a harmonic goal,
Without You is meditative and ethereal; it is nothing short of beautiful. Our audio excerpt starts halfway through the four-bar instrumental introduction. This recording features Gloria Cooper's rich lower register, but if her key of C minor is too low for you, we also offer a lead sheet in E minor to suit the standard alto range.
Lyric Description: This poetic lyric by Shelley Brown compares a lover to the moon and stars--a source of beautiful light in the night. Without him, the night is just darkness. It is left to the singer to decide whether this is a romantic love song or a despondent description of life after love has ended.
No vocal version: Our no-vocal version has the same instrumentation as Gloria's recording but has a different form. It begins with the four-bar instrumental introduction, but goes through the head just once before ending. This song offers good practice for sustained notes in the lower register and keeping track of time without a drummer.
If another key would be better for you, send the key you'd like to
Don and we'll post the transposition on the website for purchase. If you're not sure which key is best, send us your range and we'll work with you to figure out the best key.
The original instrumental version of this composition is titled
Malaga Moon and was recorded by Renee on her "For The Moment" album in 1990. J.J. Johnson also recorded it, with Renee in the band, on "Tangence" in 1994.
Check out other titles from this
album
