Lesson - improvisation substitutions over ii-V-I, Cm7-F7-Bbmaj7

[jzucker]

Lesson - improvisation substitutions over ii-V-I, Cm7-F7-Bbmaj7


This lesson focuses on a couple different sounds I originally borrowed from Charlie Parker.


Bird famously used Cm7-BMaj7-Bbmaj7 when playing over Cm7-F7-BbMaj7.


He also used Cm7-A7-BbMaj7 when playing over Cm7-F7-BbMaj7.


I took these two chords and expanded their harmonic rhythm and give some demonstrations of how to use them over a standard ii-V-I sequence to give some variety in your playing.


While bird tended to use the A7 or BMaj7 briefly over the F7 chord, I like to use it for an extended period of time, suspending the actualy progression for a period of time for a dissonance and resolution.


If you're wondering how these can work, they work via chromatic displacement. They are essentially side-stepping the root of the sequence by a 1/2 step.


Additionally, the A7 is actually substituting for a Bbdim7 chord which was used everywhere in the swing era leading up to the early days of Bebop. A very common chord sequence in this era was what we think of as being a ii-V-I but was actually performed quite often as a iimin7 #iidim7 iiim7 (Cm7 C#dim7 Dm7) where the C#dim7 is an A7b9 in 1st inversion and the Dm7 is BbMaj7 in 1st inversion.


But don't worry about the theory. The reason it works is that music is sound and if it sounds good, it *IS* good. Let your ears guide you. Theory is an after-the-fact analysis of what musicians composed. Let it help you when it's convenient but don't allow it to handicap you.


Thanks again to all of you for the amazing support during my surgery and recovery.


Love you all.


Jaz

[Rob MacKillop]

Great stuff, Jack. I can see the A7 being a V7 of Dm7, the latter being a sub for BbMaj7. And I can see BMaj7 being an altered tritone for F7. But I was amazed when you played A7 or BMaj7 over the ENTIRE sequence. I wouldn’t have thought of doing that, and I love the effect. Great lesson.

[jzucker]

Thanks Rob. As I think I mentioned in the video (unless it was a different take), I spent years trying to justify how the E natural worked over the F7. It was a perfect example of how theory can get in the way. Bird was just inventing new chord progressions and he realized he could do it on the fly even if the band wasn't playing them. Nobody talks about this but I think coltrane took *THAT* concept of Bird's and just took it to the next level. You ever hear Coltrane's solo on Limehouse blues? He follows a solo by Cannonball that no musician should ever have to follow. And then, amazingly - he hangs in there. One of the things I found fascinating was his use of countdown changes superimposed over limehouse blues. Rhythm section seemed blissfully happy to ignore it.

THIS WAS 1959 - 5 years after Bird died. Pretty amazing piece of history and it demonstrates that if you superimpose whatever you want if it sounds good...

[Rob MacKillop]

Wow, they were all on fire during that take! I was born in 1959, and probably did some crazy wailing then too, LOL. Apologies for the humour, but I resort to it when out of my depth. That said, I’ve played enough chromatic stuff to know that there are ways of making any note fit any chord, but you have to develop the nous to know when and how to do it with deliberation and confidence. These guys seem to be forcing it against an accompaniment that was soon going to have to develop away from familiar territory/tropes, and it is no surprise that Ornette released “The Shape of Jazz to Come” in the same year. That Limehouse Blues recording makes Ornette seem inevitable and necessary.

[jzucker]

Wow, they were all on fire during that take! I was born in 1959, and probably did some crazy wailing then too, LOL. Apologies for the humour, but I resort to it when out of my depth. That said, I’ve played enough chromatic stuff to know that there are ways of making any note fit any chord, but you have to develop the nous to know when and how to do it with deliberation and confidence. These guys seem to be forcing it against an accompaniment that was soon going to have to develop away from familiar territory/tropes, and it is no surprise that Ornette released “The Shape of Jazz to Come” in the same year. That Limehouse Blues recording makes Ornette seem inevitable and necessary.

Agreed! I just find it fascinating that that album was recordered in the 2nd month of 1959 when just 4 years earlier, coltrane was struggling to keep up with bebop changes.

It really shows you how much you can accomplish with hard work and of course genius and musical talent.

I still can't get over him using countdown changes only a scant few years after bird passed away. In some alternate universe, I'd love to know what bird would have thought of what he did?

[garybaldy]

Lesson - improvisation substitutions over ii-V-I, Cm7-F7-Bbmaj7


This lesson focuses on a couple different sounds I originally borrowed from Charlie Parker.


Bird famously used Cm7-BMaj7-Bbmaj7 when playing over Cm7-F7-BbMaj7.


He also used Cm7-A7-BbMaj7 when playing over Cm7-F7-BbMaj7.


I took these two chords and expanded their harmonic rhythm and give some demonstrations of how to use them over a standard ii-V-I sequence to give some variety in your playing.


While bird tended to use the A7 or BMaj7 briefly over the F7 chord, I like to use it for an extended period of time, suspending the actualy progression for a period of time for a dissonance and resolution.


If you're wondering how these can work, they work via chromatic displacement. They are essentially side-stepping the root of the sequence by a 1/2 step.


Additionally, the A7 is actually substituting for a Bbdim7 chord which was used everywhere in the swing era leading up to the early days of Bebop. A very common chord sequence in this era was what we think of as being a ii-V-I but was actually performed quite often as a iimin7 #iidim7 iiim7 (Cm7 C#dim7 Dm7) where the C#dim7 is an A7b9 in 1st inversion and the Dm7 is BbMaj7 in 1st inversion.


But don't worry about the theory. The reason it works is that music is sound and if it sounds good, it *IS* good. Let your ears guide you. Theory is an after-the-fact analysis of what musicians composed. Let it help you when it's convenient but don't allow it to handicap you.


Thanks again to all of you for the amazing support during my surgery and recovery.


Love you all.


Jaz

I love the theory!

[Reg]

Yea... jack, I love hearing ya. Interesting sounds and lots of ways to explain...LOL

I'm old and remember that Limehouse Blues record....and yea I still feel for Wynton having to follow Cannonball and Coltrane. Would have loved to have seen Live... smokin.

Personally I hear your approaches working because.... you have skills. And your great at use of space. How would you apply to something like... bridge of Have you meet Ms Jones or even bridge of bop changes with II V's...

Where I'm going is expanding use of sequential smaller sections of space.... using different sub chord patterns and how one might organize them.

I really liked your post...

"But don't worry about the theory. The reason it works is that music is sound and if it sounds good, it *IS* good. Let your ears guide you. Theory is an after-the-fact analysis of what musicians composed. Let it help you when it's convenient but don't allow it to handicap you."

That's really the... double edged sword that many seem to battle.

Anyway thanks and get some blues in those lines...
I love your post of blues.

Reg

[jzucker]

Thanks Reg. Much respect for ya!

Yea... jack, I love hearing ya. Interesting sounds and lots of ways to explain...LOL

I'm old and remember that Limehouse Blues record....and yea I still feel for Wynton having to follow Cannonball and Coltrane. Would have loved to have seen Live... smokin.

Personally I hear your approaches working because.... you have skills. And your great at use of space. How would you apply to something like... bridge of Have you meet Ms Jones or even bridge of bop changes with II V's...

Where I'm going is expanding use of sequential smaller sections of space.... using different sub chord patterns and how one might organize them.

I really liked your post...

"But don't worry about the theory. The reason it works is that music is sound and if it sounds good, it *IS* good. Let your ears guide you. Theory is an after-the-fact analysis of what musicians composed. Let it help you when it's convenient but don't allow it to handicap you."

That's really the... double edged sword that many seem to battle.

Anyway thanks and get some blues in those lines...
I love your post of blues.

Reg