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Does anyone know where i can find typical smooth jazz chord progressions?
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01-22-2009 07:44 PM
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I may be wrong, but I can't think of a 'typical' smooth jazz progression. The smooth jazz station in my town plays music from pop (like Sting or Sade) to jazzy blues (like Robin Ford or Larry Carlton) to Wes Montgomery style (like Ritenour's tribute to Wes album or Norman Brown) to R&B or Motown (like Smokey Robinson) etc.
That much said, George Bensons recording of Breezin is one of the early smooth jazz tunes...
DMaj7 | Bm7 | Em7 | A7 or a I - vi - ii - V, a very common progression
Larry Carlton's cover of 'SleepWalk' that used to get a lot of play on our smooth jazz station also used that same progression quite a bit.Last edited by fep; 01-22-2009 at 08:52 PM.
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Thanks for your reply, i am familiar with the 1-6-2-5 and 2-5-1..
But i hear alot of smooth jazz that uses other changes i'm sure
Thanks again
ken
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Yeah, that's why it's so difficult to respond. I'm not sure there really is a typical 'smooth jazz' progression.
Originally Posted by guitarplayer007
You could try a real book and find tunes from that that get smooth jazz play:
Mangiones Land of Make Believe
Chick Coreas Spain (Al Jareau's cover)
Canteloupe Island
etcLast edited by fep; 01-22-2009 at 09:10 PM.
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"Smooth" could be anything from Paul Desmond to Steely Dan, Lee Ritenour. How about the Brazilian stuff? That's fairly smooth with interesting changes. Try searching Astrud Gilberto or Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luis Bonfa, maybe Flora Purim.
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I play ..remember..The Young Rascals..."Groovin"""
In a smooth jazz style...it attracts the non jazz followers...
Time spent playing the guitar is wonderful time...pierre
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Check the giants of smooth. Kenny G, David Sanborn, Rit, et al. Some of it is more blues based, but a bunch of it is instrumental pop, not unlike what you would hear in the past top 40 with a vocalist.
Shouldn't be too tough to take any Kenny G tune and figure out what the chords are. Very diatonic and plain vanilla voicings. Would vary though from artist to artist.
Much of it is tunes that were vocal hits that got covered instrumentally. Think of Carlton's Sleepwalk (grammy IIRC), and his cover of the Doobies Minute by Minute. There are also lots of smooth jazz backing tracks out there, might check those. Good luck
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I listen to XM satelite and they have a smooth jazz station. I hear groups like Boney James and Player like Chris Botti, Must be somewhere i can fing typical smooth jazz progressions
Thx
ken
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smooth jazz is more about the rhythm and phrasing then it is the harmony. Many smooth jazz things are similar progressions to anything else in Jazz... I VI ii VI or just 1 chord vamps.
DIfferent vocabulary, different feels. Play Softy as a Morning Sunrise with synths, electric bass and a laid back straight 8ths grove that doesn't make you bite your lip and you can be on your way to smooth jazz iconic status.
And play some octaves
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GP007 you mentioned Chris Botti. I've never heard him but I googled him and read a discography. Looks pretty standard to me. Surely you find charts for When I fall in love, My Romance, Valentine, Embraceable, Look of Love. Try scouring the back pages of this site, then, as Jake said, it's all about the rhythm and phrasing.
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Check Chuck Loeb, to me one of the greatest smooth players.
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smooth jazz...vanilla chords..no alterations..smooth....
for the non jazz listener...yes I play a tune or two in the "smooth" style..
time on the instrument...pierre
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I'd go along with Banksia - break out the thong and go Brazilian. there is some pretty good stuff on you-tube. is a great example of how to play sleepwalk as an alternative. How about this from far out of left - Peter Green's Albatross? It don't get much smoother than that! Again, some great examples on you-tube
Cheers
Fast Eddy
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A way to really bone up on your guitar licks is to use pro audio backing tracks. Find the original recording and if you can transcribe by ear learn what he or she is doing and then practice with your tracks. All the greats did their own version of this when they were first starting out. You can pick up some incredible techniques this way.
It just so happens that I own and operate a website that sells Smooth Jazz Guitar Tracks called Smooth Jazz Backing Tracks.Com I've been in business for many years now.
I've got a fairly extensive collection of smooth guitar track by artists like Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Lee Ritenour, Robben Ford, and more on my Guitarists Page.
I create these myself to use myself so I can vouch for their accuracy. I demand high quality from the tracks I use on stage so I make each one as if I'm going to use it on stage, whether I do or not.
They're a ton of fun and as I said before, you can really increase your skills when you work with a full band sound. I hope you'll check them out and I look forward to learning from you guys as well. If there's any questions you can think of as far as guitar or midi or whatever, please ask.
Martin Funderburk
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guitar player007 - while not a typical smooth jazz tune. Have you thought about Peter Green's Albatross? It's a lovely tune and one that lends itself to a lot of expression. You can check it out on youtube where he and the 'Mac play it live. Plus some very interesting interpretations of this little belter of a number!
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If you haven’t got one or more fake books, eg. The New Real Book, then you should really get one because they’re full of authentic charts. If you want smooth jazz you might want to listen to some of Johnny Smith’s work. Check out the album ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ (the title tune is charted in the C version Warner Bros. fakebook). He uses lush chords combined with intricate melodies and much of it super smooth.
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I'm, in the same boat. Mr. Hanlon is right. unless you're playing standars with a contemprary feel, most of the smooth jazz tunes are over vamps with litte modulation. My group plays contemporary and smooth stuff, and we rarle play standards, so here's a taste of the smooth stuff we play: Sun Goddess by E,W&F, Just a Game, What You Won't Do For Love, I Can't Help It. If there's any modulation, it is in half steps, which is apparently becoming more popular amongst contemporary composers.
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Here's a suggestion.
If you want something Norman Brown-y: try working around up the circle of fifths and chromatically. I've been analyzing his stuff on the side and I've noticed that alot of his music contains your typical smooth jazz I-IV + ii-V-I(9) kind of thing that you hear on alot of other smooth jazz tracks, but I think where differs different is his use of the circle of fifths/fourths and chromatic/tritone subs for things like the IV in the I-IV etc. Try playing a IV-iii-ii-I(play these as major or minor sevenths as indicated). At the point of the I chord, try working in something involving moving up the circle of fifths or chromatically up or down towards the I(9). Mess around with chromatics, fifths and fourths. That's my suggestion.
So try Fma7, Emi7,Dmi7,Cma7 or sub a funky ii-V or tritone or chromatic sub to get to the Cma7. Use things like your 11s and 13s. Those sound way hip when you get them in there.
Keep in mind Norman Brown ain't your average smooth jazzer. What he's doing in these songs is definitely influenced by his jazz roots. I'd definitely say the same of George Benson (no duh, here). So I'd say, if you really want good smooth chops, shed ya jazz chops first.
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I had forgotten about this thread and I had forgotten all about Michael Franks. I saw him referred to as "smooth jazz" on another site,(I always thought of him as just a pop crooner withe best backing players in the world) so here is the progression for "Down in Brazil":
Amaj7 / / / Ama7 / / / Am / / / D7 / / / /
Gma7 / / / Gma7 / / / Gm / / / C7 / / / /
Fma7 / / / Fma7 / / / Fm / / / Bb7/ / /
Ebma7 / / / Ebma7/ / / Ebm / / / Ab7 / / /
Dbma7 / / / Dbma7/ / / Dbm / / / Gb7 / / /
Bma7 / / / Bma7 / / / Bm / / / E7 / / /
I think I remember threst of that Sleeping Gypsy album as well if anyone's interested. (I don't care for smooth jazz myself but I once shared a house with a wine bar guitarist-crooner who got me to work out some Michael Franks albums for him)
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do ya suppose that is a deliberate play on o barquinho? (i didn't think that many downstep modulations was legal... Originally Posted by Banksia
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Yes it would make a good practice exercise. Then you just modulate each successive verse by a half-step, keep changing your inversions and within 5 minutes you've covered the entire fretboard.
Still it's a good one for newbies because you can play the whole thing with half a page of Mickey Baker chords.
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Anyone know any nice smooth jazz chord changes or songs i could load into BAIB.
Thx
Ken
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are you talking specifically about "smooth jazz" or just looking for chord progressions that sound "smooth."a lot of smooth jazz is pretty simple really, two chord vamps and the like...there's some exceptions, of course, but try something like Bb-7 to Eb9 repeating over a funky beat and you'll have an instant smooth jazz jam...other movements like I vi ii V still apply--that's like benson's "breezin'"
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I read this post and this was the first thing that came to my mind Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Another tune is Affirmation. Lucky Southern has theose smooth type changes as well as Btight Size Life and most of the tunes from Pat's Bright Size Life CD. Forrest Flower works well . Killing Me Softly with his Song is a good ballad too.
Most of these are in the Real Book volume 1 fifth edition or in the Sher RB vol1.
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09-21-2009, 02:49 PM #25Jazzarian GuestI think any jazzy progression would suffice, as long is it was devoid of dissonant chords and any "changes" not being abrupt. Simple modulations and chord substitutions and probably 48 bars or less. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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