Everything Happens To Me – 2013

Wynton Marsalis

A tasteful rendition of the Matt Dennis ballad

“Everything Happens To Me” was composed by Matt Dennis in 1940 with the obscure Tom Adair writing the classic lyrics.

73 years later, in 2013, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and his quintet with tenor-saxophonist Walter Blanding, pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, and drummer Ali Jackson performed a very restrained and tasteful version of the ballad.

Marsalis takes the first chorus, letting the melody breathe and hinting a little bit at Miles Davis.

After short statements by Nimmer and Blanding, the trumpeter takes the song out, casting a melancholy mood that fits the lyrics.

-Scott Yanow