Just a Gigolo — chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
Just a Gigolo by Leonello Casucci & Irving Caesar — key of G (swing), form A. Below is the full chord grid; on Haute Gitanerie you can play along with a scrolling chord ribbon, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and switch on a rhythm backing (la pompe) to practise your solos over the changes.
About
Just a Gigolo began as the 1928 Viennese song Schöner Gigolo by Leonello Casucci, given English lyrics by Irving Caesar in 1929 and later immortalised by Louis Prima in 1956. Its easy swing made it a staple of the gypsy songbook.
The sound — G major, warmed by a B♭dim7 passing chord and an Am–D7 turnaround, with side-slipping dominants adding lift.
Practising it — settle into the G major scale, drill the Am and D7 arpeggios for the ii–V, and use the diminished as a chromatic bridge. A relaxed medium swing — phrase it, don't rush it.
Just a Gigolo chords — the grille
A : | G | G | G/B B♭° | Am D7 | Am | Am | D7 | G | G7 | F7 | E7 | Am | Am Cm | G A7 | Am D7 | G |
Chords used
G · B♭° · Am · D7 · G7 · F7 · E7 · Cm · A7
Play along
Open the interactive grille for Just a Gigolo: loop any section, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and play over a rhythm accompaniment — with a real recorded pompe on featured tunes. In the browser, free.