Songs with a lot of major chords?

[Hep To The Jive]

well the 1st progression is extremely common

That's the point. Common= much easier to memorize. Also, to my ears, it's simply fits the melody better, more organic flow if I may. The 'correct' one, is a bit brain f...k, it's ok, but I have harder time singing the melody while playing it. I realized that's what kept me from memorizing this lovely tune for good for a long time, my ears do not accept this chord change.

I wonder, what are the chances the second one was created out of... 'hey, this sounds great, but the progression is extremely common, let's do something else' thinking.

[christianm77]

That's the point. Common= much easier to memorize. Also, to my ears, it's simply fits the melody better, more organic flow if I may. The 'correct' one, is a bit brain f...k, it's ok, but I have harder time singing the melody while playing it. I realized that's what kept me from memorizing this lovely tune for good for a long time, my ears do not accept this chord change.

I wonder, what are the chances the second one was created out of... 'hey, this sounds great, but the progression is extremely common, let's do something else' thinking.

Well I can't hear it with those other changes. I listened to Four and More obsessively at one point, and whenever I called the tune at a jam, people would play the real book changes and I found it really horrible.

Anyway, I don't think the second one is that weird. You should see some the shit I have to deal with. :-)

Certainly that move Ebm7 Ab7 Fm is not that common a resolution... You'd expect a Db, Eb or maybe a Bb chord there.

But as with Jobim, often just a touch of weirdness in an otherwise conventional tune is the thing that makes it.

[christianm77]

Actually Tenderly has it:

| Eb | Ab7 | Ebm | Ab7 |
| Fm7 | Db7 | Eb | etc

[Hep To The Jive]

Well I can't hear it with those other changes. I listened to Four and More obsessively at one point, and whenever I called the tune at a jam, people would play the real book changes and I found it really horrible.

Anyway, I don't think the second one is that weird. You should see some the shit I have to deal with. :-)

Certainly that move Ebm7 Ab7 Fm is not that common a resolution... You'd expect a Db, Eb or maybe a Bb chord there.

But as with Jobim, often just a touch of weirdness in an otherwise conventional tune is the thing that makes it.

I dunno, I guess we hear music different. I love the wrong one better. The correct one is not really weird, just awkward.

Jobim, yes, wouldn't change a note or a chord in any of his tunes, it's a whole different level of tune writing. Miles on the other hand... But the melodic part in Four is awesome, don't care for the rest.

[grahambop]

Possibly Miles didn’t write Four anyway. Some claim it was composed by Eddie Cleanhead Vinson.

[grahambop]

I’ll Remember April starts with four bars of a major chord.

[cubistguitar]

Sometimes I forget that :

Am7 = Cmaj6
Am7 = Fmaj9 no root

[Sam Sherry]

One metric crapload of Maj7 in Charles Lloyd's landmark, "Forest Flower"

What a tune! What a band! Amazing to think that all four of them are still with us, and still with it, 50+ years later!

[PAG]

I know it's an old thread and maybe it's not even relevant anymore, but I think the original question was about those pieces that are basically built from major7 chords, since most of the jazz standards contain such harmonies. Such as, Kurt Rosenwinkel's piece "Next Step" (solo progression):
ll Cma7 l Ebma7 l Cma7 l Ema7 l
l Cma7 l Ebma7 l Cma7 l Dbma7 ll

[Mick-7]

Some Other Time by Leonard Bernstein is entirely in one major key. The Dominant 7sus and min.7 chords in it are major chords enharmonically, and the only non-diatonic chord in the entire song is a dom. 7th chord in the turnaround.