Miles Davis "All Blues"

Question 0

What instruments are used?

Answer 0

Trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, drums, piano, double bass

Question 1

What is the structure of this piece?

Answer 1

12 bar blues chord sequence
G7      G7                   G7 G7
C7      C7                   G7 G7
D7#9  Eflat7#9          G7 G7
           /D7#9

Question 2

What instruments play the frontline?

Answer 2

Trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax

Question 3

What instruments play the rhythm section?

Answer 3

Piano, bass and drums

Question 4

What does Miles Davis do differently in the solo section in comparison to the other sections?

Answer 4

He plays a mute trumpet when he is not doing his solo

Question 5

How are the drums played?

Answer 5

With brushes then later with sticks

Question 6

What technique does the piano play at the start?

Answer 6

A tremolo then starts comping

Question 7

What genre/style is this piece?

Answer 7

Modal jazz

A piece called ‘all blues’ from the album ‘kind of blues’

Question 8

Is this piece based on a mode or scale?

Answer 8

Mixolydian mode for improvisations rather than the the scale of G major.

Question 9

What is the key of this piece?

Answer 9

G major

Question 10

What is different about the chords?

Answer 10

The chords are 7th chords and there is a flattened 7th note called the ‘blue note’

Question 11

Describe the texture of the piece through the structure.

Answer 11

Intro: piano tremolo + bass guitar + drums performed with brushes
Alto + tenor sax play riff
Head 1: trumpet enters
Solos: accompanied by piano, drums, bass
(Trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, piano)
Head 2: trumpet melody
Coda: trumpet solo with comping from rest of band

Question 12

What is the time signature of the piece?

Answer 12

6/4

Question 13

What is the tempo describes as?

Answer 13

Jazz waltz because each bar sounds like a pair of bars in 3/4

Question 14

Give two rhythmic devices used in this piece.

Answer 14

Swung quavers - first longer than the second

Lots of syncopation

Question 15

What is the main melody called? And what instrument plays it?

Answer 15

The head and the muted trumpet

Question 16

How many times is the 12 bar blues chord progression played in total?

Answer 16

19

Question 17

What is the basic structure of the piece?

Answer 17

Head
Intro
Head 1
Solos
Head 2 
Coda

Question 18

What does the ‘head’ section include?

Answer 18

4 solo improvisations:
Solo 1: trumpet solo Miles Davis
Solo 2: alto sax Adderley
Solo 3: tenor sax Coltrane 
Solo 4: piano solo Evans