All Blues Flashcards
Album
Kind of Blue
Composer
Miles Davis
Modal jazz
Focuses more on creating or improvising melodies based around a mode rather than a chord sequence
Structure
Strophic 12 bar blues Intro Head V1, L, V2 Solo breaks Head Outro
Tonality
Mixolydian on G
With added blue notes
Harmony
12 bar blues
Chord substitutions are used to create interest
Extended chords, or chords with added 7th, 9th
Instruments
Jazz sextet Trumpet Alto sax Tenor sax Piano Bass Drums
Trumpet soloist
Miles Davis
Alto sax
Cannonball Adderley
Tenor sax
John Coltrane
Piano
Bill Evan
Bass
Paul Chambers
Drums
Jimmy Cobb
Texture
Starts with drum kit, bass, piano
Texture builds up with instruments are added
Solo separated by rhythm section link, thinner textures
Overall homophonic
Solos accompanied by rhythm section
Dynamics
Mf generally but dynamics shading throughout
Tempo
Jazz waltz
156 bpm throughout
Melody
Improvisation used in solo section of piece and recorded with no rehearsal but given overall structure, basic chord sequence, main melodic idea, mode to improvise
Head motif played in thirds by saxes
Solos trumpet
Muted in head
Unmuted in solo, short and syncopated
Solos alto sax
Wide range of notes, fast paced, ornamentation, note bends in solo
Tenor sax solo
Fast scales, ornamentation and interesting articulation, fast trills in solo
Piano solo
Tremolo in head
Calm simple followed by varied rhythm of chords in solo melody
Drums techniques
Wire brushes, different areas of ride cymbals and snare drum to produce interesting timbres
Double bass techniques
Pizz
Metre
6/4
Rhythm
Swung quavers, syncopation
Polyrhythms
