Here is a tune very few players know. You are unlikely to hear this one called up at a jam session. This Art Blakey tune is worth learning because it it so original and clever in its composition -- plus it is just plain fun.
It is a jazz waltz, but played faster than anybody could waltz to. It almost comes across as a conventional 32-bar ABAB song. But instead it pulls up after 30 bars, and tags an 8-bar modal section on G7sus4. The changes are interesting. Except for the 8-bar tag, the changes are always one chord per measure. And with the tune moving at quarter=170, these chords come quickly and give it a strong pulse. The chords in the A section have a bluesy feel, but what is unusual about this song is a pattern of 3 "normal" chords followed by a surprisingly strong chord in the 4th and 8th bars of the each section. This gives the song a feeling almost like the traditional New Orleans "Big 4" beat. One wonders if the title of the tune was meant to signify 3 sweet chords followed by one sour chord. The changes (in Dm concert) are: A: Dm7 | G7 | Dm7 | Ab7(#11) | Gm7 | C7 | Gm7 | G7(#5) | B: Cm7 | F7(b9) | Fm7 | Bb7(b9) | Ebmaj7 | Abmaj7 | Gm7 | A7(#5) | A: Dm7 | G7 | Dm7 | Ab7(#11) | Gm7 | C7 | Gm7 | G7(#5) | B: Cm7 | F7(b9) | Fm7 | Bb7(b9) | Emaj7 | A7(#5) | Tag: G7sus4 for 8 bars
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Alec Wilder is not as well known as, say Richard Rodgers or Cole Porter, but he wrote some of the best melodies ever. I'll Be Around is a perfect example of a timeless tune that can be done in many styles.
Nothing too complicated here. Simple 32-bar AABA form and remains in the concert C key center throughout. This one is a modern straight-8 pop ballad style. This Todd Dameron cutie is well worth learning. It is only 16 bars, but don't be deceived. It has twists and turns at every measure. When one listens to the song, it seems simple enough, but when you try to play it you may find the changes don't go where you thought they might. That's the mark of a very clever composition.
This is a crooner's favorite, but it can be a good canvas for any instrumentalist as well. The song form is a little unusual. It is an AABA form, but the A sections are 6 bars each, then the last A has a 2-bar tag, haling that line 8 bars, so the total chorus is 28 bars. Sometimes people leave off that tag, making it a 6 + 6 + 8 + 6 = 26-bar chorus.
The changes are all rather ordinary. The A section has that I - vi - ii - V7 pattern we see so often. The B section has 11 - V - I - VI twice in G and then the same thing twice in Ab, which is why we practice our scales in every key. The real selling point of this song is its lyrics, so an instrumentalist should keep those lyrics in mind while soloing: A: Pennies in a stream, Falling leaves of a sycamore, Moonlight in Vermont. A: Icy finger waves, Ski trails on a mountain side, Snowlight in Vermont. B: (key of G): Telegraph cables, they sing down the highway and travel each bend in the road. B: (key of Ab): People who meet, in this romantic setting Are so hypnotized by the lovely... A: Evening summer breeze, Warbling of a meadowlark, Moonlight in Vermont. Tag: You and I and Moonlight in Vermont Here's a tune that everybody should know. Frenesi is played in a variety of styles, often bossa or bolero. This is a cha-cha style. But beware, this is a Cuban cha-cha! The bass is probably not where you expect it. Cubans often move the bass notes ahead by a half beat.
The song itself is not complicated. It is a 32-bar AABA. The main tune is in Ab concert. The bridge is up a major third to C. Here is a clever little tune by Dexter Gordon and Bud Powell. It is a straight-ahead AABA 32-bar form. The A sections mostly alternate between Fmaj7 concert and Gb7. The bridge is a little more involved, but manageable.
The challenge of this tune is the melody line, which you can find in many fake books. The lines are interesting, sometimes obtuse, and you can hear Ellington's influence. "Hey There" is normally played as a ballad. This time, the melody goes at medium balled tempo, but the band is playing an energetic funk groove. This lends itself to a higher energy improvisation.
This is a relatively easy song to improvise on. But there are some complications. One of the most basic things the soloist must do is know the song form !!! This seems like a simple song form, but it isn't. I would call it A-A'-A-B with a tag. The first A section is simple, predictable chords I-iv-ii-V7 and so on like a million doo-wop songs. That is in Eb concert. The next 8 bars (A') are basically the same, but now up a major third into G major concert. No problem if you know your Eb and G scales. And the third group of 8 bars is back to Eb, just like the beginning. That is straightforward. Things start to deviate from the common song forms in that B section starting at bar 25. Bars 25-28 can be thought of as an "interstitial" -- a little phrase that connects two different parts of the song. The final section really starts at at measure 29 (the lyrics are "Or are you not seeing things too clear? Are you too much in love to hear? Is it all going in one ear and out the other?") The music is different in that final section and so are the lyrics. Before that, the singer is trying to give advice to the would-be lover. At bar 29, the singer is giving up hope that his advice will be heeded and basically washes his hands of the matter. You can incorporate these emotions into your solos. Measures 1-28 are hopeful that the lover will listen. Measures 29 to the end are resignation, "C'est la vie". Coltrane's Giant Steps is a "don't try this at home" tune. This is the "black belt" level in jazz improvisation.
What makes this song so difficult? The song has a brilliant architecture that makes it sound almost normal. When you look under the surface, it is anything but normal. You can think of it as two separate tunes. the first part is measures 1-7. Aim for the "landing points" at the Ebmaj7 and Bmaj7 chords in measures 3 and 7 respectively. The second part goes from measures 7 through 15. This is quite similar to the bridge in "Have You Met Miss Jones". We have a series of ii - V - I sequences. Just to make things a little more challenging, Coltrane raised each of these ii-V-I sequences by a major third, which may feel a bit awkward. The landing points (the I chords) are Ebmaj7, Gmaj7, Bmaj7 and Ebmaj7. Eb, G, B, Eb is an augmented chord. Four major-3rds in a row. Those are the giant steps Coltrane was talking about. If you are new to this tune and finding it overwhelming, try improvising ONLY on the yellow "landing point" measures: 3, 7, 9 11, 13, and 15 -- and literally sit out the other measures and just count rests. Those landing points all happen to be Maj7 chords, which helps. |