“Stella By Starlight” is arguably one of the most popular jazz standards of all time. This tune is a must know for any situation a jazz musician may encounter. This tune was written by Victor Young and was featured in the 1944 film “The Uninvited”. Ned Washington later wrote lyrics to it in 1946. It has been recorded and performed by many of jazz’s greatest and there are a lot of great recording out there to check out. Its been played as a ballad, at medium tempos and even fast tempos. Stella is most commonly played in the key of Bb Major.
If you’d like an in-depth analysis of this tune and learn how to improvise over it, check out How to Improvise Over “Stella By Starlight.”