A slow 3/4 ballad by Thad Jones, I heard a version of Jim Hall playing this in a trio (or quartet) when I was very young and it quickly became a staple of my jazz repertoire. The movement between the tonic (Bbmaj) chord and the sub dominant minor (Ebmi) chord is one of my favourite cadences to improvise over and compose with. This change can also be described (or substituted for) by the following chord sequences: Bbmaj to Ebmi (IV minor) or Cm7(b5), (ii half dim) or Ab9 (bvii dominant) or Gb6 (bvi major) as these chords are all relative. A great form of tension against the tonic chord in a … [Read more...]

My intention with this arrangement was to show how you can voice a melody on top of the chords, best illustrated in the bridge section where the chords move downwards every two beats through the ‘Coltrane matrix’ chord series (descending major third apart key centres of Bb, Gb and D). Also I chose a tempo that allowed the music to ‘swing’ and meant I could dig in to the time feel without compromising the chord melody ideas I’d written, which at faster tempos would feel pushed. Another points of interest in this tune is at bar 3 on the Gmi7 chord, where you could play a static … [Read more...]