This is my arrangement of Nina Simone’s version of Walter Donaldson’s 1930 song “Baby Just Cares for me”.

Here’s a backstory and some learning tips below!

I started this arrangement because I became transfixed with the piano solo in the middle - an amazing mixture of classical and jazz. I wondered whether it would be possible to play the solo with the walking bassline. I worked most of it out while on holiday in Greece, so once I’d worked out the solo, I moved onto the verses. They’re very much based on Nina Simone’s delivery of the vocal, which leaves plenty of space for the rest of the arrangement.

Here are some tips for learning this piece:

Listen to many versions of this song. This one is based on Simone’s version, but there’s always room for other interpretations

Learn at least some of the lyrics - this will make you play the melody in a way that makes musical sense.

There is a LOT of syncopation and moving the melody around. The transcription best fits the version I recorded for my YouTube video but I always play it differently. Don’t feel you need to play exactly as written, and for example the tuplets can be ignored.

I’ve also included my chord chart. Knowing the chord sequence and overall structure is paramount. I didn't want to include the chords in the transcription because I worried that it would be too much information. The voicing are relatively straightforward, so the harmony shouldn’t be mysterious but always refer back to the chord chart if in doubt.

The structure of the arrangement is 4x Vamp (I VI IV V) then 3x through the whole progression (verse1, piano solo, verse 2).

Have fun, please send any performances my way!

PS. of course this arrangement owes a lot to the great Tommy Emmanuel’s arrangement of “Blue Moon”