“On Green Dolphin Street” | Listener Picks, April 6

Originally composed by Bronisław Kaper with lyrics by Ned Washington, “On Green Dolphin Street” was written for the 1947 film Green Dolphin Street. The film was based on the 1944 novel Green Dolphin Country by Elizabeth Goudge.

Tune in today as we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with some of this compositions most notable covers!

While critics were not found of either the novel or the film, the latter was widely popular among audiences and won an Academy Award for best special effects.

Though Kaper was known for composing hit film and Broadway scores, “On Green Dolphin Street” did not experience immediate popularity.

“On Green Dolphin Street” became a jazz standard after Miles Davis recorded a version in 1958, which many consider the best early cover of the tune.

The Miles Davis Quintet went on to record the song several times, including versions with John Coltrane and Sonny Stitt.

Over the years multiple artists have recorded “On Green Dolphin Street,” including Tony Bennett, Eddie Harris, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Williams, Herbie Hancock, Paquito D’Rivera and many more.

Author Sebastian Faulks wrote a novel titled On Green Dolphin Street, published in 2003, in which the main character hears Miles Davis playing the title song as she moves to Greenwich Village in the 1960s.

There are more than 980 recorded versions of this song. Tune in today as we celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month with some of this compositions most notable covers!