Autumn Nocturne is a 1941 swing ballad written by Josef Myrow with lyrics by Kim Gannon. The original artist is Claude Thornhill and His Orchestra, with the first recording on July 8, 1941 and a 1941 single release for Columbia, not tied to a specific album at the time. The tune is a 32‑bar A‑A‑B‑A jazz standard famed for Thornhill’s lush reed textures and a piano led melody, and the lyric speaks of autumn memories and a lost love. It quickly spawned other notable 1941 arrangements, including Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra (arranged by Nelson Riddle), and a 1970 Capitol release by Billy May and the Swing Era Orchestra that revived Thornhill’s sound. Over the decades it has become a beloved instrumental and vocal standard in the jazz and pop repertoire.
