About three weeks ago, my 5 year old grandson, Nick, asked me why there were some leaves falling from the tress. “Papa, I thought that this was summer,” he said. Always curious as to why and how things work the way they do, Nick thought that no leaves should ever fall before autumn begins. After all, the word autumn is defined as the season when the leaves fall from the trees.When you think about it, you can see why he was confused. Leaves often fall before autumn begins. Not only that, we associate the fall season with the opening of school, the beginning of the academic year and of course starting your fall piano lessons. To add to this paradox, the month of September includes the last day of summer and the first day of fall, usually on the 22^nd.In keeping with all of these rather contradictory customs, today’s featured song Early Autumn seems like a sensible selection. As I’ve often said, I have appreciated the wonderful experiences, knowledge and insight that I have gained from the working relationships that I have had with so many children and adults whom I have taught over the years. In addition to the many life lessons that I have learned by working with these piano students, I have actually been able to develop the best ways to present my personal approach to teaching music theory.Although, I’m usually the one who introduces my piano students to music that inspires them, Early Autumn is a terrific example of a song that came to my attention because of a student. Joan Brack, who had taken piano lessons from me for a long time, knew a Massachusetts artist by the name of Gale Burns. Because of her association with Gale, she had met his brother, Ralph Burns (1922-2001) who was a well-known songwriter, bandleader, composer, conductor, arranger and jazz pianist. It was Ralph Burns’ composition (which he co-wrote with band leader Woody Herman), Early Autumn, which was one of Joan’s favorites.I’m embarrassed to say, that it wasn’t until I began research for this article, that I came to realize that Early Autumn was just the tip of the iceberg in Ralph Burns’ multi-faceted career. In fact, it was during his 15 years as pianist and arranger for the Woody Herman Band that Early Autumn became not only a huge hit, but also was the recording that launched the career of tenor saxophonist Stan Getz.Some of Burns’ other successes include his ground-breaking string arrangements for Ray Charles, including Georgia on My Mind and Come Rain or Come Shine.  A truly versatile musician, Ralph Burns also composed and arranged for Broadway and films. Among these are ones which earned him Academy Awards (Cabaret and All That Jazz), an Emmy (Baryshnikov on Broadway) and a Tony Award (Fosse and Thoroughly Modern Millie).The words for Early Autumn were written by one of the great lyricists who had penned the texts for so many standards including, I’m Old Fashioned, Misty, Autumn Leaves, Emily and The Summer Wind. Johnny Mercer (1909-1976) collaborated with Burns on this 1949 song. It is likely that Mercer was the obvious choice due to his versatility as well as his reputation as one of Hollywood’s foremost lyricists.  Johnny Mercer also worked differently from many of his contemporaries. He often preferred to receive the completed music for the song before he would begin to work on writing the words for it. He would take the music home and listen carefully to its tune many times so he could first absorb it. It was only then, that he would create his well-crafted and always unique lyrics for the song.Early Autumn follows the usual 32 measure structure of many of the standards in the American Popular Songbook. This lyrical ballad follows the customary A-A-B-A (i.e. verse 1 – verse 2 – bridge – verse 3) form. Although The Ultimate Jazz Fake Book (published by Hal Leonard offers the music in the key of Eb Major, The Real Book (now also published by Hal Leonard) presents it in C Major. By the way, the latter version is the one I used for my recording.What’s nice about studying the music for the version in C Major is that you can clearly see how many accidentals (sharps and flats) are actually melody notes. This certainly calls to mind many of the songs written by Antonio Carlos Jobim which I wrote about in my Bossa Nova blog series. Not only does the melody of Early Autumn feature a great deal of chromaticism (movement by half steps), but the chords of the verse descend in a half-step sequence like no other song that I can recall. Ralph Burns manages to start with the Tonic ( I ) chord (C major 7^th) and end with it 8 measures later. It’s amazing to hear and see how this masterful harmonic progression makes perfect sense. If you want some help understanding how the chords work in Early Autumn or need help learning to play one of your favorite standards, autumn may be the perfect time to schedule some piano lessons.All-in-all, it seems to me that the music of Early Autumn clearly emphasizes, enhances and enriches the imagery associated with season when the leaves fall from the trees. Whether the performance features Johnny Mercer’s colorful and narrative lyrics as sung by veterans Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Carol Sloane and Ella Fitzgerald or by one of their younger counterparts like Tierney Sutton or Diana Krall, we can appreciate the mood it expresses.Perhaps the lyrical quality of Early Autumn along with Stan Getz’s definitive version is why saxophonists Joe Lovano, Harry Allen and the Miami Saxophone Quartet were all drawn to record this standard. I find it interesting that George Shearing was the only pianist whose version is included among Rhapsody Music’s tracks. At the same time, guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, his son John Pizzarelli, Barney Kessel and Mark Whitfield have all been inspired to present their interpretations.There was one artist, however, whose contrasting style made a unique contribution to the Rhapsody track list. The rendition by Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers offers listeners the opportunity to hear Early Autumn played tastefully as a Bossa nova. Although I didn’t mention him in my Summer in Central Park blog post, recollections about attending a highly influential Carnegie Hall concert that featured Horace Silver and Dizzy Gillespie, Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers added an array of Latin jazz selections to the already exciting program.As you might have guessed, today’s article marks the beginning of my series of fall season blog posts. I hope you will continue to check back each Tuesday (you can also quickly and easily sign up to receive an email reminder), to hear and read about how the autumn season has inspired composers to create some wonderful pieces for pianists to play. Perhaps you have a favorite fall selection. Please feel free to share the title with your fellow readers by leaving it in the Comments box below.As you know, fall is also a great time to take piano lessons. With the academic year just beginning, now is an excellent time to enroll in piano lessons at either one of the Ed Mascari Piano Studio‘s convenient Natick or Hudson locations. Whether you are a parent or an adult interested in piano lessons for yourself, our patient piano instructors are always delighted to teach you as they help you Learn to Play the Music You Love!