JAZZ ARTICLES ON IMPROVISATION
BLUE IN GREEN by Miles Davis and Bill Evans
Bill Evans created a harmonic language that was a scalar (harmony based on scales) understanding of harmony, rather then chordal. The scale represents one harmonic moment. So, instead of the chords, the scale provides the notes that the piano uses while comping (however the piano/guitar player interprets the chords/scales).
He represented it as thinking about different flavours/colours, altered modes, instead of thinking about chords. He executed this in one of his songs, called 'Blues in Green'.
'Blue in Green' is a Jazz ballad, characterised by the slow 4/4 time signature, brushes and harmonic movement, released in 1959, New York. It was written by Miles Davis and Bill Evans.
The modes used in this track are D dorian and Lydian, alongside altered scales (add b9, #9, #5, b6, b7). The scales and modes provide the notes that the piano uses in the comping and that the soloists use. However, the piano player is interpreting the chords, often playing suspended 4th notes one of them being the first chord played in 'Blue in Green'. The harmonic rhythm is quite irregular as the chords change at different times. One example of this is that at first, the chords change every bar, but after B, the chords start changing twice a bar and sometimes even three times.
In Bill Evan's first solo (B on chord sheet), we know the phrasing is deliberately being changed as it is 10 bars whilst the structure is usually based on 4.
While the bass plays the root notes, the piano plays shifting chordal textures and rootless voicings, leaving lots of space in the harmony for the soloists. The piano and the soloist are always playing within the same scale as they have mapped out exactly where the harmony shifts, which is why it will always sound good.
The soloist plays anomalies, which are extra notes put in to create identity/interpretation of the soloist.
Considering we are in D minor, the first chords are VI-V-I, which is a common chord progression in Jazz. In the 8th bar of John's solo, the Bbmaj7 is a tritone substitution for Dm7. A tritone substitution is always b5 (or #4), otherwise named a tritone, up or down the octave from the chord you are trying to replace. The reason why a tritone substitute is so effective is because they carry similar notes:
a Dm7 chord contains the notes; D F A C
a Bbmaj7 chord contains the notes: Bb D F A
As you can see, both chords have an F, D and A, but using tritone substitute can make something common sound much more interesting. In this situation the tritone substitute is used as it the chords are descending chromatically.
There is lots of dissonance in the melody line. It often feels the song can't finish as it keeps throwing us onwards. This song has neither a static, nor dynamic harmony.
ORNITHOLOGY by Charlie Parker and Benny Harris
Bebop is a fast tempo, instrumental style of jazz that emerged in the early 1940's. Professional musicians were tired of playing with amateurs and decided remove the amateur nature of Jazz by playing really fast. It was considered a social movement and very political as there was a great separation between musicians who were supported by white establishments (white people) and the people who weren't (black people).
In bebop we think of harmony being horizontal, it was all about chord progressions and soloing in the scales that would fit over the top. In this song we are in the key of G major, which means you could take any of these chords and play a G major scale of it.
When looking at the different note values, everything is a combination of quavers and crotchets. It had to be quite straight forward as it was all about playing as fast as possible, which would be impossible if the rhythm was too complicated.
Bebop (and Jazz articulation in general) is built around swing and is never really played straight.
For this piece you are not given the exact way to play it as you are meant to interpret it in your own way. The notes within brackets are called ghosts notes, which are notes that you only play very lightly and are displayed as an X rather than an oval shape, which is a form of interpretation.
On the sheet music, up until where it says ALTO (with the double bracket), is called the head of the song. It is 16 bars long, which is, other than in Blue in Green, standard phrasing.
The main chord progression in the head of the song is 251, which is very common in Jazz. A lot of Jazz practice is the 2-5-1 progression going around the circle of 5th's, which is what they do in this song: G-C-F, F-Bb-Eb, A-D-G. In the solo they again play 2-5-'s all the way through. The A played in the third 2-5-1 is half diminished, because at that moment we are in a minor key.
In bar 13 and 14, the relationship between B-, E7, A-, D7 and G is called backsliding. Usually after E7 it would go to A rather than A-, but as they are trying to prolong going back to the home key, they keep changing key. This makes it feel as if the piece is moving more quickly.
This piece is built around simple dynamic harmonies, heading towards major or minor tonal areas.
The triplets are an instrumental lead up to into the solo.
In the solo, looking at the first few notes, you see that they do not clash with the chords. The key accents, F#, D, B and E (all played on the beat) are all in a G chord. When you hit the chord note on the on-beat, you accentuate the chord, which is a good solo technique that he uses. He uses the other notes (the 9th and 4th) as passing notes.
The Eb indicates that he is using a bebop scale, which is the same as a major scale but with a #5, which in this case is the Eb.
This entire piece sounds very complicated because it is played so fast, but when analysing is you realise it is not that complex at all.
STELLA BY STARLIGHT By Derek Bailey
This piece is an absolute classic jazz song, written by Victor Young (1944).
This piece is in the key of Bb major.
The song has a chord progression, but as soon as he hits the improvisation, he completely de-emphasises the harmony. Instead, the improvisation is based on performance, sound, interaction and the tonal qualities of the guitar.
In Blue in Green and Ornithology, the improvisation is completely based on what the harmony is doing, but Derek has moved away from that concept completely.
BLUE IN GREEN
Bill Evans created a harmonic language that was a scalar (harmony based on scales) understanding of harmony, rather then chordal. The scale represents one harmonic moment. So, instead of the chords, the scale provides the notes that the piano uses while comping (however the piano/guitar player interprets the chords/scales).
He represented it as thinking about different flavours/colours, altered modes, instead of thinking about chords. He executed this in one of his songs, called 'Blues in Green'.
'Blue in Green' is a Jazz ballad, characterised by the slow 4/4 time signature, brushes and harmonic movement, released in 1959, New York. It was written by Miles Davis and Bill Evans.
The modes used in this track are D dorian and Lydian, alongside altered scales (add b9, #9, #5, b6, b7). The scales and modes provide the notes that the piano uses in the comping and that the soloists use. However, the piano player is interpreting the chords, often playing suspended 4th notes one of them being the first chord played in 'Blue in Green'. The harmonic rhythm is quite irregular as the chords change at different times. One example of this is that at first, the chords change every bar, but after B, the chords start changing twice a bar and sometimes even three times.
In Bill Evan's first solo (B on chord sheet), we know the phrasing is deliberately being changed as it is 10 bars whilst the structure is usually based on 4.
While the bass plays the root notes, the piano plays shifting chordal textures and rootless voicings, leaving lots of space in the harmony for the soloists. The piano and the soloist are always playing within the same scale as they have mapped out exactly where the harmony shifts, which is why it will always sound good.
The soloist plays anomalies, which are extra notes put in to create identity/interpretation of the soloist.
Considering we are in D minor, the first chords are VI-V-I, which is a common chord progression in Jazz. In the 8th bar of John's solo, the Bbmaj7 is a tritone substitution for Dm7. A tritone substitution is always b5 (or #4), otherwise named a tritone, up or down the octave from the chord you are trying to replace. The reason why a tritone substitute is so effective is because they carry similar notes:
a Dm7 chord contains the notes; D F A C
a Bbmaj7 chord contains the notes: Bb D F A
As you can see, both chords have an F, D and A, but using tritone substitute can make something common sound much more interesting. In this situation the tritone substitute is used as it the chords are descending chromatically.
There is lots of dissonance in the melody line. It often feels the song can't finish as it keeps throwing us onwards. This song has neither a static, nor dynamic harmony.
ORNITHOLOGY by Charlie Parker and Benny Harris
Bebop is a fast tempo, instrumental style of jazz that emerged in the early 1940's. Professional musicians were tired of playing with amateurs and decided remove the amateur nature of Jazz by playing really fast. It was considered a social movement and very political as there was a great separation between musicians who were supported by white establishments (white people) and the people who weren't (black people).
In bebop we think of harmony being horizontal, it was all about chord progressions and soloing in the scales that would fit over the top. In this song we are in the key of G major, which means you could take any of these chords and play a G major scale of it.
When looking at the different note values, everything is a combination of quavers and crotchets. It had to be quite straight forward as it was all about playing as fast as possible, which would be impossible if the rhythm was too complicated.
Bebop (and Jazz articulation in general) is built around swing and is never really played straight.
For this piece you are not given the exact way to play it as you are meant to interpret it in your own way. The notes within brackets are called ghosts notes, which are notes that you only play very lightly and are displayed as an X rather than an oval shape, which is a form of interpretation.
On the sheet music, up until where it says ALTO (with the double bracket), is called the head of the song. It is 16 bars long, which is, other than in Blue in Green, standard phrasing.
The main chord progression in the head of the song is 251, which is very common in Jazz. A lot of Jazz practice is the 2-5-1 progression going around the circle of 5th's, which is what they do in this song: G-C-F, F-Bb-Eb, A-D-G. In the solo they again play 2-5-'s all the way through. The A played in the third 2-5-1 is half diminished, because at that moment we are in a minor key.
In bar 13 and 14, the relationship between B-, E7, A-, D7 and G is called backsliding. Usually after E7 it would go to A rather than A-, but as they are trying to prolong going back to the home key, they keep changing key. This makes it feel as if the piece is moving more quickly.
This piece is built around simple dynamic harmonies, heading towards major or minor tonal areas.
The triplets are an instrumental lead up to into the solo.
In the solo, looking at the first few notes, you see that they do not clash with the chords. The key accents, F#, D, B and E (all played on the beat) are all in a G chord. When you hit the chord note on the on-beat, you accentuate the chord, which is a good solo technique that he uses. He uses the other notes (the 9th and 4th) as passing notes.
The Eb indicates that he is using a bebop scale, which is the same as a major scale but with a #5, which in this case is the Eb.
This entire piece sounds very complicated because it is played so fast, but when analysing is you realise it is not that complex at all.
STELLA BY STARLIGHT By Derek Bailey
This piece is an absolute classic jazz song, written by Victor Young (1944).
This piece is in the key of Bb major.
The song has a chord progression, but as soon as he hits the improvisation, he completely de-emphasises the harmony. Instead, the improvisation is based on performance, sound, interaction and the tonal qualities of the guitar.
In Blue in Green and Ornithology, the improvisation is completely based on what the harmony is doing, but Derek has moved away from that concept completely.
BLUE IN GREEN
ORNITHOLOGY
STELLA BY STARLIGHT
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