I've Got A Crush On You: Lead Sheet

This lead sheet anchors your standards repertoire with one of Gershwin's most charming romantic numbers, and the Just Standards Real Book treatment means you get both the original voicing and jazz-inflected chord options printed side by side. Your musicians can work through the tune as written or explore more contemporary harmonic colors without hunting through multiple sources.

Charming, affectionate, and buoyant. The tune has a playful hop to it, with harmonic surprises that reward attentive listening. It sits comfortably in the moment without demanding dramatic interpretation, making it feel accessible even as its harmonic sophistication reveals itself across repeated plays.

Jazz combo players, pop and jazz ensemble musicians, singers working from lead sheets, and any player building fluency with American standards. This works equally well for a student exploring jazz vocabulary for the first time and a working musician preparing repertoire for casual performance.

• Pay attention to the chord substitution options provided in the fakebook. Try the piece both ways in rehearsal so players understand how reharmonization shapes the melody's harmonic context without changing its contour.
• Lock in the melody's phrasing first. Gershwin's lines breathe naturally, so encourage soloists to shape phrases rather than metronomically execute them.
• Use the discography reference in the book to listen to recorded versions before your first rehearsal. Hearing how seasoned jazz musicians approach the tune's changes will immediately clarify your section's approach.

Program this alongside other Gershwin standards in a show tune or American songbook context. It pairs naturally with other jazz ballads or uptempo numbers in a mixed standards set, and its moderate length and straightforward structure make it ideal for set-closing or opening material in a jazz combo performance.

• Reading and interpreting lead sheet chord symbols
• Understanding original versus substituted jazz harmonies
• Recognizing and executing common jazz phrasing and articulation
• Navigating chord changes while maintaining melodic shape
• Listening to recorded versions and extracting performance practice details