Hancock's Dolphin Dance Changes

[JonnyPac]

Hey all y'all. I just went through the changes in NRB3 and a few online sources. As usual, I needed to make my own chart. Here's my results. Feel free to add to it or revise as you hear fit. I'm certainly open to ideas...

Notes on my uses here:

"SW" = so what stack, the shape with the P4's and the M3 on top

m11/the 4th = same as Maj7/ the 2nd (I write Bbm11/Eb instead of Dbmaj7/Eb, etc) I find this pulls from a more accurate collection of voicings and outlines.

MM/_ = is Melodic Minor with an altered bass note from the same scale. The usual b3 5 7 9 stack is usually the MM voicing used.

HW is the dim scale that the chord was built from. Triadic superimposition happens a lot here, so it's best to know the source.

Ok here we go!

|Ebmaj13 (SW w D on top) | Bbm11/Eb (SW w C on top) |
|Ebmaj13 (SW w D) | Dm7b5 G7ALT |

||: Cm9 |Abmaj9#11 (SW w D) | Cm9 | Am11 D13b9 (HW) |
|Gmaj13 | Abm9 | Fm11 (SW) | Fm11 (SW) |
|Cm9 |Cm9 Bbm9 | Am11 | D13b9 (HW) |
|Gmaj13 (SW w F# on top) | Dm11/G (SW w E on top) |A/G | CMM/G |
|Cm11/F | F13b9 (HW) | Cm11/F | Em9 A13 |
|Eb9#11 (BbMM) | Am11 D13b9 (HW) | Bm9 | E13 (b9?) Dm11 C#m11 |F13 |
|Bm11/E | Am11/E |Bm11/E | Am11/E |
|Bbm11/Eb | Eb7b9 (HW) (and/or Ab MM/Eb) | DbMM/Eb | G7ALT :||

[JohnW400]

Did you check out Ed Byrne's changes at the Free Jazz Institute? i think he got those changes from the source.

[JonnyPac]

Yeah. There is a big AAJ thread on them that got me working on my own set. There are some other versions too that look good.

[JohnW400]

I checked that thread out yesterday. I tend to agree with Jerry Engelbach. and I'm going to have a closer look at Jeff Brent's left hand voicings.

I liked Jerry's Gma7 G13sus A/G Ebma7b5/G . I looked at it and 'saw' this

G F# A B
G F A C
G E A C#
G Eb A D

Pedal tone and chromatic contrary motion

[M-ster]

Originally Posted by JohnW400

G F# A B
G F A C
G E A C#
G Eb A D

Pedal tone and chromatic contrary motion

Nice!

[JohnW400]

Glad you liked it M-ster

[brwnhornet59]

I liked Jonny and John's post. Cool stuff. Also i just signed up on the Free Jazz Institute web site. Thanx man. I love it!!!!!

[Reg]

Hey JP... Dolphin Dance is a standard to me... I play the tune every couple of weeks somewhere. The changes are just a door to start the tune, play the head, they change etc... as you go through the tune, there are quite a few choices as to what harmonic areas to pull from. Do you want a short vid of some samples. I'm from school of not really memorizing changes,(voicings), to tunes... It's cool to have harmonic areas that imply or open the door to somewhat pre-set harmonic grooves, that's pretty much what the changes are for Dolphin Dance, in the Shorter block style of composition of connecting short grooves. Anyway as I was saying usually this style of tune needs to be... played where the tune goes... Reg

[JonnyPac]

I'd really dig a clip, Reg. Sounds great. Thanks!