Your favorite chord progressions to improvise over

[princeplanet]

A kind of "sister" thread to my other recent one:

Tunes you like- Cool melodies vs Cool chord progressions...

A thing that most of us like about Jazz tunes is the way chords run into each other, and the possibilities that creates for improvisation.

What are your favourite chord progressions (Standards through to Modern), and why? And do you like them for chord improvs (comping), or for single line playing?

Or are they just cool progressions for a band to blow on, with everyone bouncing off each other?

[ragman1]

Bossa progressions. Nice.

Also modal stuff. Interesting.

[pauln]

I tend to like tunes with long series of chords that take
a lengthy path through increasing tension or resolution.
Stella does both; and jazz blues with long chord paths
of resolution in the turnarounds which I like very much
like this... played both as chords or soloing throughout.

Twelve chord turnaround suitable for a jazz blues in G.
I .. VII .. VI .. V .. I .. VI .. bIII . ii . bVI . V . bii . I ....

I chord
(x) (14) (14) (14) (15) (x)
VII chord
(x) (12) (13) (12) (15) (x)
VI chord
(x) (11) (11) (11) (12) (x)
V chord
(x) (9) (10) (9) (12) (x)
I chord
(x) (8) (9) (9) (8) (x)
VI chord
(x) (7) (6) (7) (8) (x)
bIII chord
(6) (x) (6) (5) (5) (x)
ii chord
(5) (x) (5) (5) (5) (x)
bVI chord
(x) (6) (5) (6) (6) (x)
V chord
(x) (5) (4) (5) (6) (x)
bii chord
(4) (x) (4) (3) (3) (x)
I chord
(x) (2) (3) (2) (3) (x)
or if ending
(3) (x) (2) (2) (3) (x)

[Little Jay]

I like Take The A-train a lot for some unknown reason ;-)

[mr. beaumont]

I love the post bop tunes with modal sections interspersed with quick barrages of knotty chords...

Dolphin Dance is like the most perfect tune ever.

[JazzPadd]

Kind of partial to whole step and half step based progressions, like Killer Joe’s C to Bb or Monk on Well You Needn’t F to Gb, especially with neat bridges. Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most has a bit of that, too.

[wolflen]

Most of the Steely Dan stuff..

kind of strange..to me..no other band has used the unique sounding progressions of the Dan
or their twisted lyric lines..

Pretzel Logic indeed

[AaronMColeman]

I am a hack at jazz...but work hard to get better. I love a good slow ballad. I'm sentimental and ballads tend to have stronger key centers to work within for a hack like me.

[fep]

A Child is Born comes to mind.

[pingu]

A Child is Born comes to mind.

yes that’s lovely

[pingu]

the look of love

[A. Kingstone]

Have You Met Miss Jones

AA - Lotsa home
B - Giant Steps
A - Phew

[princeplanet]

Appreciate your responses, cheers, although I thought there might be a few more. Must be a boring topic ? ...

[Petimar]

Confirmation.

[A. Kingstone]

Appreciate your responses, cheers, although I thought there might be a few more. Must be a boring topic ? ...

I can kill a thread with the best of them.

[Christian Miller]

For some reason I really like out of nowhere

edit: and Stella too
of modern tunes I find myself coming back to Inner Urge a lot. Not sure why

[ragman1]

I seldom separate tunes from their chords. To me, they're a whole. A fairly bland chord progression with a really good tune is everything.

[kris]

The most important for me is II V I...there is no jazz without it.

[Jimmy Smith]

One I'd probably single out would be Doxy. I like how it's bluey, simple and really concise, but has enough going on to create harmonic interest.

Another one I thought of is What is this thing called love. It's like autumn leaves lite. Basically only 3 2-5-1s.

[supersoul]

Lately I've been into tunes that have slinky chromatic modulations built in. Dancing in the Dark, Out of Nowhere, Moonglow

[AllanAllen]

I’m a simple guy, blues is fine. Then anyone can play along with me, and it’s all about playing with other people.

You can bebop over a Chicago box shuffle or Parker Blues, it don’t matter.

[Jimmy blue note]

I've always liked Liebeslied by Kurt Weil. The more I play it, the more it reveals. And how many other tunes do you know that end in a different key than the one it began in?
Here it is played by two pretty decent guitarists. Listen to Mick Goodrick's comping.

[docsteve]

Jimmy… its your resident German speaking… „Leibesleid“ means bodily pain and that‘s exactly what your typo is inflicting… pur-leeease correct.

Thank you.


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[supersoul]

I've always liked Leibesleid by Kurt Weil. The more I play it, the more it reveals. And how many other tunes do you know that end in a different key than the one it began in?
Here it is played by two pretty decent guitarists. Listen to Mick Goodrick's comping.

Thanks! I didn't know this one. I found some music for it and will check it out this afternoon

[Jimmy blue note]

Jimmy… its your resident German speaking… „Leibesleid“ means bodily pain and that‘s exactly what your typo is inflicting… pur-leeease correct.

Thank you.


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