Ballin' the jack – Free Jazz Lead Sheet
Eb Major – Chris Smith, Jim Burris 1913
Ballin’ the Jack (1913) by Chris Smith and Jim Burris is a ragtime dance jazz standard. View this free online lead sheet in Eb major, including melody and chords for jazz performance.
About this song:
Ballin’ the Jack (1913) by Chris Smith with lyrics by Jim Burris is an early ragtime and dance jazz standard associated with social dance culture of the early 20th century. The song became popular in vaudeville performances and dance halls, reflecting the transition from ragtime to early jazz rhythm styles.
This free online lead sheet presents the melody and chords in Eb major, making it suitable for ragtime jazz ensembles, early swing bands, and instrumental practice. It is useful for studying syncopated rhythm patterns and early jazz phrasing.
About the Composer: Chris Smith, Jim Burris
Chris Smith (1879–1949) was an American songwriter and vaudeville composer who contributed to early popular dance music. Jim Burris was a lyricist associated with early 20th-century popular songwriting. "Ballin’ the Jack" became a widely performed dance tune that helped bridge ragtime, vaudeville, and early jazz ensemble traditions. The song was associated with a popular dance of the same name and became part of early American popular music culture.
Musical Structure and Form
Typically performed in 16-bar dance song form in Eb major, the tune features syncopated rhythmic patterns, upbeat melodic phrases, and repetitive harmonic structure that supports improvisation and dance performance.
