JGBE Virtual Jam (Round 27) - Grooveyard

[wzpgsr]

Had 5 minutes. Here's one with just bass, in E minor (no sense in calling it Dmajor, its a minor key tune)

Bad sound, had to record with my laptop because iReal is on my phone and iPad was dead.

I'll try another, but might not get it in this week. Fun tune though, ill keep playing it. Not one that was on my radar really.

Downright filthy towards the end.

Love this song. Check out The Trio’s (Billy Bean, Walter Norris, Hal Gaylor) version on the original The Trio album—Billy Bean’s 16th note lines over that little section of descending ii-Vs is about as good as it gets for me. So much bounce.

[grahambop]

I have no idea why the real book chart is in F. I don’t know of a recorded version in that key. Db seems to be the default key, that’s what Wes recorded it in. Just chalk this up to another Real Book aberration.

The only recorded version I have in G minor is by Scott Hamilton. All the others (Carl Perkins (composer) with Harold Land, Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino, Hal Gaylor and Billy Bean) are in Eb minor.

The Hal Leonard real book and the ‘557 Jazz Standards’ have it in Eb minor.

[rpjazzguitar]

This one time, if it sucks, it's the backing track.

[Triple_Jazz]

Generally speaking, it's not where it starts, it's where it ends. Tunes can start anywhere. Tonal centres can change frequently. ATTYA has five but there's no doubt it's in Ab!

I don't know what you mean by 'gets to the F'. Where does it do that?

Im referring to bar 5, theres some modal interchange going on flipping what would be (using the posted chart above) FMj to F7. I’m just saying I see this tune like I see Oye Como Va. Although OCV is centered on Am, it’s clearly using G major/E minor and the chart would have to denote it as such in the key signature. For Grooveyard, if the sig had two flats we’d be playing wrong notes. As Tom pointed out it’s clearly Dorian. I haven’t noticed key signatures for minor keys based off Dorian, I’ve only noticed a minor song key sig established by Natural minor, Autumn Leaves and Alone Together as examples. These are my perceptions, but I am not a music teacher. I agree with the chart identified as F because I would play those notes over the posted changes and be forced to modify when it starts modulating.

[John A.]

Saturday night at the Jersey shore on a porch amid auto traffic, fireworks, and a thunderstorm is, of course, the perfect environment for recording a little acoustic thing. Anyway, the backing track situation is dismal, so I took a crack at it solo. Came out more Lightnin' Hopkins than Wes. Next time I might try it in the style of the other Carl Perkins.

[John A.]

Well, don't get stranded in Turkey or something...

After being stuck in traffic for a couple of hours on the Garden State Parkway, stranded in Turkey is kind 9f appealing.

[rpjazzguitar]

I thought of this tune as being in Gm, because that's where I felt the chords resolved-to. My usual take on minor is that there's a scale with every combination of 6th and 7th, so I just pick them by ear.

Natural Minor G A Bb C D Eb F b6 b7
Dorian Minor G A Bb C D E F 6 b7
Melodic Minor G A Bb C D E F# 6 7
Harmonic Minor G A Bb C D Eb F# b6 7

For "general feeling of tonal center" for soloing, I thought G melodic minor. At least, I thought that after I heard an F# more than an F.

So, my mental key signature - for soloing - had a Bb and an F#. A chord using the notes of Gmelmin and having a G in the bass will feel like a tonic to me.

Aside: This is consistent with a notion I've mentioned before - chord tones in the foreground (of your mind) and tonal center in the background. With melodic minor harmony it's almost the same thing (per Mark Levine's statement that all melodic minor chords are the same chord). Reg pointed out that it's true for voicings but not function, but we're talking about voicings here. (apologies to Reg if I've misunderstood this.)

But, looking at the written melody, makes it look more like the tonic is a Dorian minor written with one flat. Bar 3 is convincing. If it was written with two flats it wouldn't have made any difference to me. In fact, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

[wzpgsr]

Saturday night at the Jersey shore on a porch amid auto traffic, fireworks, and a thunderstorm is, of course, the perfect environment for recording a little acoustic thing. Anyway, the backing track situation is dismal, so I took a crack at it solo. Came out more Lightnin' Hopkins than Wes. Next time I might try it in the style of the other Carl Perkins.

I like that interpretation—unexpected and cool. I was also waiting for rags to fast-rope onto the porch and take a little solo.

[ragman1]

I can't get into this tune in a jazzy way. Sounds like kid's spooky music to me. So... look out, IT'S BEHIND YOU!

[ragman1]

if the sig had two flats we’d be playing wrong notes.

No, same notes but you save on time and effort because you don't need to flat sign all those pesky E's :-)

[Triple_Jazz]

1134820[/URL]]Saturday night at the Jersey shore on a porch amid auto traffic, fireworks, and a thunderstorm is, of course, the perfect environment for recording a little acoustic thing. Anyway, the backing track situation is dismal, so I took a crack at it solo. Came out more Lightnin' Hopkins than Wes. Next time I might try it in the style of the other Carl Perkins.

Awesome feel and arrangement! I’m a Jersey shore guy born and raised 40 years before moving to PA. I love everything about it except the summer traffic.

[John A.]

Awesome feel and arrangement! I’m a Jersey shore guy born and raised 40 years before moving to PA. I love everything about it except the summer traffic.

Thanks. We've been coming to the shore for around 12 years, alternating between a couple of spots. Before that, I had always gone to Long Island beaches, but have come to really like JS.

[John A.]

Interesting versions and discussion. I picked the changes and melody up from the recordings (Benny Green has a great one, and of course Wes). Just by ear and they way it resolves I think of it as just a bunch of Eb min (or in my case, E minor), and not harmonically complicated. I didn't spend much time analyzing it, though.

I actually tried both F#7 and F#M7 (G in my case), and the F#7 definitely sounds better to me. My sloppy way of thinking about it is that 7ths are fluid in jazz, and either flavor is more "legal" than not a good chunk of the time.

Wzpgsr, yours sounds great. Good groove and space. You to TJ.

Ragman, nice to see you doing something slow and moody for change

Jeff, I like that you took at a little brisker than the rest of us and got a groove going.

Rpjazzguitar: doesn't suck. Must be the backing track.

[ragman1]

[wzpgsr]

Couple of parts that I am not hearing on my Billy Bean (The Trio) reference version as notated in my chart:

Over the static chord that, in my chart is Ebsus/Eb, I pretty clearly hear Bb pedal underneath...something. I tend to play it as Bb7#11.

Also, after the descending Vs, my chart lands on E7. I hear this as something like Bb7#11 for two beats and Bdim for two beats, or maybe E7 for two and Fdim for two.

This might be specific to that version of the tune—if anyone is familiar curious to k ow what you’re hearing in those parts.

[Triple_Jazz]

Sha La La La La La La La

[ragman1]

Couple of parts that I am not hearing on my Billy Bean (The Trio) reference version as notated in my chart:

Over the static chord that, in my chart is Ebsus/Eb, I pretty clearly hear Bb pedal underneath...something. I tend to play it as Bb7#11.

Also, after the descending Vs, my chart lands on E7. I hear this as something like Bb7#11 for two beats and Bdim for two beats, or maybe E7 for two and Fdim for two.

This might be specific to that version of the tune—if anyone is familiar curious to k ow what you’re hearing in those parts.

Ebsus and Bb7#11 don't seem right to me, too complicated. Isn't it just a minor or m7 chord with the 5th in the bass? On other charts it's just the Bb note by itself. Or the chords alternate with Bb7.

This looks like the version you're using:



Have you seen this?

[ragman1]

I suppose I ought to do something in Ebm...

[TOMMO]

I'll stick with Gm for the time being. Fine contributions so far - enjoyed them all. I dig this tune and will work on it some more, including learning the head properly.
In the meantime this will have to do:

[Triple_Jazz]

1135060[/URL]]I'll stick with Gm for the time being. Fine contributions so far - enjoyed them all. I dig this tune and will work on it some more, including learning the head properly.
In the meantime this will have to do:

Nice one! I feel like this tune fits your style nicely.

[TOMMO]

Nice one! I feel like this tune fits your style nicely.

Thank you - yes, to me it's quite bluesy and that's my home turf.

[Peterson]

I find these threads quite intimidating so perhaps it’s a good thing the audio didn’t stick when I did a take the other night. I’m on vacation and only brought a NUX MightyPlug. It sounds decent and can record directly to iPhone but sometimes they just don’t pair. Perhaps jamming to iReal and recording is asking too much.

[TOMMO]

I find these threads quite intimidating

No reason for that. Go back to Round 1 of this series and read Jeff's introduction. Anybody dissing somebody's playing here will be arrested and sentenced to listen to Madonna 24/7....

[grahambop]

Great tune, I think I originally heard Wes' version before any others. I opted for Eb minor. Backing is BIAB.

[wzpgsr]

I find these threads quite intimidating so perhaps it’s a good thing the audio didn’t stick when I did a take the other night. I’m on vacation and only brought a NUX MightyPlug. It sounds decent and can record directly to iPhone but sometimes they just don’t pair. Perhaps jamming to iReal and recording is asking too much.

Nice job! You nailed the changes—could hear them without a backing track. I’d consider that accomplishment.