Revisiting Eddie Harris

[M-ster]

Sometimes it's fun to revisit stuff I learned years ago, and to realize how much I missed or didn't know, etc.

Just recently I ran into Eddie Harris' Freedom Jazz Dance on iTunes. I learned the head from a fake-book, way back when. I always liked all the 4ths in the head. We used to play it over a more modern funk groove.

Anyway, I don't know if I ever studied the original version before. What I'm realizing now is:

1) the head I learned (from the fake book) was incorrect (surprise! ), compared to the original

2) the original version features kind of an ostinato bass and a.piano pattern, but it's a 12-bar blues form. (The intro is very obvious, but during the solos, the bassist doesn't always make the V, so it's hard to tell if he knows where he is in the form.)

3) the head doesn't fit the 12-bar form. Played through twice, it's 10 bars long

4) it's still a pretty dang cool head

[mtierney]

I am also quite a fan of this song.

Do you happen to know the piano vamp chords at the beginning? I'm frustrated that The Real Book only lists that Bb7 chord as the only chord in the piece...

Thanks!

[M-ster]

I will post a PDF, once I get home this evening ...

[mtierney]

Thanks a bunch!

[M-ster]

Try this: FJD PDF

[mtierney]

Thanks so much for the PDF! One question though... How do you figure that it's a 12-bar blues?

[mtierney]

Also, my friend showed my this a while back, I figured you'd like to hear this if you like the song: YouTube - Don Ellis - Freedom Jazz Dance

It's in 7, it's pretty intense.

[M-ster]

Ha! I went through an Ellis phase, around the time of his Soaring album. '70s? Saw him play once. Pretty cool!

FJD - look at the intro and check the bass part. It's a loose interpretation, granted, but it's 12 bars, and the bassist takes the low note of his phrase down to F (V) in bars 9 and 11. During the solos they hint at a 12 bar form, too. (I need to study it more consciously.) But, just listening to it, it really stands out - especially the intro. Play the bass part, if you don't have the recording at hand ...

But, note that I already said that the head is 5 bars twice = only 10 bars, total; and they don't hint at the V chord during the head.

[mtierney]

Alright, I figured it had to do with the bass motion. What's great is that in a setting where one might cover it, since it's such a loose interpretation of a 12-bar you could consider it as modal as The Real Book says it is or you could throw the V chord in basically wherever. Thank you again for your interpretation of the song, I'm glad to have this conversation with a fellow Eddie Harris fan!

[mike walker]

His groove with that stint he did with Sco, is just ridiculous.

[M-ster]

Originally Posted by mtierney

... What's great is that in a setting where one might cover it, since it's such a loose interpretation of a 12-bar you could consider it as modal ...

Yes, really that was part of my overall point. Every time I had ever played this with anyone, it was generally just a Bb7 funk jam with an inaccurate FJD head! (In the interest of full disclosure: there are still a couple of spots that I question in my transcription, where the sax and trumpet split.)

When I double back a few decades later - revelation!

I find the more you learn, the more experience you acquire, the more you "get it." And, happily, I'm still evolving.

[mtierney]

Yeah, really that's a great improvement upon the original form idea. I'm really glad you pointed this out to me I'm going to have to bring this up again in a combo setting, it'll be much more fun.