April 2012 - Ruby My Dear

**wizard3739** · 04-14-2012, 02:39 AM

OK, here we go with "Ruby My Dear" in Eb. The backing track is 3 choruses with an intro and a tag ending. It is a BIAB realtracks jazz ballad style version. Enjoy!

RUBY MY DEAR_Render.mp3 - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage <---backing track

Ruby My Dear.pdf - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage <---PDF Leadsheet

wiz

**fep** · 04-14-2012, 03:58 PM

Let's see if we can agree on the changes

Ruby My Dear.pdf - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage

That looks pretty dang hard to solo over.

**jster** · 04-14-2012, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by fep

Let's see if we can agree on the changes

Ruby My Dear.pdf - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage

That looks pretty dang hard to solo over.

That is what I thought at first too. But I am getting more confident. I have a feeling you will nail this one fep!

As far as the changes go, the chart linked to in the other thread (Ruby, My Dear King-of-chords-Blog) seems like the most detailed, but the other charts have something to offer also. It is probably not worth getting too bothered by the discrepencies in how the melody is notated. There are different versions by Monk and probably each chart reflects something in one or another of the versions. There are places where I swear Monk might be adding a beat. He certainly starts his phrases a beat late, then kinda does a big pause and a syncopated bit to try and catch up. lol. Probably a big literature somewhere on his playing. So yeah, my point is just that if you work on the tune enough, it will eventually sound great. Ruby will reciprocate your love. lol. I'm not even drinking tonight.

**michael_bxl** · 04-14-2012, 05:26 PM

Does someone have a one-sentence analysis for jazz beginners ? Just the key elements of this great tune, in order to improvise and so to have fun

(I don't want you to teach me the whole thing that I won't fully understand, neither to abuse of your teaching skills).

**FatJeff** · 04-14-2012, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by fep

Let's see if we can agree on the changes

Ruby My Dear.pdf - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage

That looks pretty dang hard to solo over.

I don't think it's too bad, actually. It's just a bunch of ii-V-Is in different keys (Eb, F, Ab, or in other words, I, II, & IV). There are lots of tritone subs in the harmony, but that should not affect the soloist. Did you see the analysis in the other thread?

**wizard3739** · 04-15-2012, 01:01 PM

The two PDF files are from two different real books but the one from Leonard Feathers' series is a bit more complex with b9 subs for most the V chords. Kris, the Carmen McRea version is very nice with a couple of changes from the original. This is a great tune and is typical of Monks' approach to jazz.

wiz

**M-ster** · 04-15-2012, 01:22 PM

Okay, I've *been* looking at the various PDFs, and I spent some time studying Monk's '57 recording with John Coltrane (see YouTube). For everyone's reference, here's what's in the Carmen McRae version:

Code:

||: F-7   Bb7(b9)  | Ebmaj7  (F-7 F#-7 G-7 Ab6 A6) | G-7  C7(b9)  | Fmaj7 G-7 Ab-7 A-7  |
                                                                  | 1.                   | 2.
 |  Bb-7  Eb7(b9)  | Abmaj7  (Bb-7 B-7)  C-7  F7   | Bb-7   A7    | B-7     Bb7 (Gb-7) :|| B-7  Bb7  ||
 
 |  Amaj7  F#-7    | B-7           E7              | Amaj7 & A6   | Bb6  G7/B   /   /   |
 
 |  C-    C-maj7   | C-7           D7(#9)          | Eb-7         | Ab7lyd  /  / (Gb-7) ||
 
 |  F-7   Bb7(b9)  | Ebmaj7  (F-7 F#-7 G-7 Ab6 A6) | G-7  C7(b9)  | Fmaj7 G-7 Ab-7 A-7  |
 
 |  Bb-7  Eb7(b9)  | Abmaj7  (Bb-7 B-7)  C-7  F7   | Bb-7  E7lyd  | Gb6/9               ||

Sorry about the scroll bars - I couldn't space it out for you and avoid those, too. Cut & paste into a text editor (Notepad, etc.) for a better look.

I didn't append all the extensions that the pianist is playing - but he's doing lots of tasty stuff. Lots of -7(11) and alterations on the dom 7s.

**M-ster** · 04-15-2012, 01:37 PM

jster - Thanks! I was working from the '57 recording with 'Trane. I actually like the '47 recording better as a source version, and, interestingly, it's closer to McRae's version, too. (McRae's musisians must have examined or known their sources well.)

What stands out to me are the resolutions at the end of the 8 bar sections - particularly the B section and the final A. In the B section (both the '47 and '57 Monk recordings), Monk insists on that Eb(add#9) arpeggio - which I suppose is a reference back to the intro's initial Ebmaj7(#9)(#11) change.

For the final A, the '47 version and McRae's version resolve to Gb, while the '57 version resolves to a B6/9 (unless the bassist clammed it).

And, both Monk's '47 and '57 versions end the piece on Dbmaj7(9) ...

**FatJeff** · 04-15-2012, 01:58 PM

The weirdness I was perceiving was in the 8th bar of the A sections. That E7sus4 in the chart I'm using was throwing me, until I realized that it is the same chord as a Bm9. Once I turn it into Bm9, the harmonic progression at the end of the A section becomes | Bbm7-A7 | Bm7 - Bb7 |, which is just a chromatic decoration (up a half step) of a ii-V7 into Ab. The resolution back to A is deceptive - the ii-Vs imply a resolution to IV (Ab), but instead it returns to I (Eb). But as a resolution to the bridge, it works beautifully as a basic ii-V into A. Genius!

Now I have to try to understand the 4th bar of the bridge (Bb6-G7). The analysis pointed out in the earlier thread had that functioning as bVII-V of Cm. I guess I buy that but it's unusual.

**wizard3739** · 04-17-2012, 02:26 PM

This is my version for this song. Although the analysis is pretty straight forward, I just couldn't come up with a good approach so this is mostly me sticking pretty much to the melody and trusting my ear. I treated it as a ballad because it is easier for me to play that way.

http://www.box.com/s/6ad54815e96ac6f049f9

wiz

**jayx123** · 04-17-2012, 04:30 PM

nice playing Wiz, I love your tone

**jster** · 04-18-2012, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by wizard3739

This is my version for this song. Although the analysis is pretty straight forward, I just couldn't come up with a good approach so this is mostly me sticking pretty much to the melody and trusting my ear. I treated it as a ballad because it is easier for me to play that way.

Ruby, My Dear CMR.mp3 - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage

wiz

Wiz, I really liked the way you came out on this one. Very confident and great tone. Some nice blue notes in there too!

**jster** · 04-18-2012, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by FatJeff

Now I have to try to understand the 4th bar of the bridge (Bb6-G7). The analysis pointed out in the earlier thread had that functioning as bVII-V of Cm. I guess I buy that but it's unusual.

Why do you say it is unusual? I'm not very knowledgeable about what is usual and unusual since I have just started learning how to analyze tunes. But I am reading a great book and there is a long discussion of subdominant minor chords. These are chords that are pulled from parallel modes. The most common ones are:

ivmi6, iimi7(b5), ivmiMa7, ivmi7, bVII7, (ivmi7-bVII7), bVIMa7, and bIIMa7.

Any one can move to the dominant and bVII7 is perhaps the most noteworthy subdominant. So it seems Monk just doing that here.

Changing the subject, on that analysis link, the guy says, "the deceptive targetting of Db @ letter C changing for a III (Fm7 which is part of a II V)." I guess I understand the gist of this, but how do those last few chords at the end of the B section work? The Eb and the F#?

**markf** · 04-18-2012, 05:48 PM

Tone is amazing. a bit of steel guitar sound in it. Nice!

and nice melodic playing.

**wizard3739** · 04-18-2012, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by jster

Wiz, I really liked the way you came out on this one. Very confident and great tone. Some nice blue notes in there too!

Thank you Jster, I appreciate your comments. I really love anything written by Monk but I wasn't real happy with this one (sloppy intro and maybe too many notes) but I will probably do it on our weekend jazz gig. A live audience always helps our approach to any song.

Jay, thanks much for the compliment, this one was hard for me.

wiz

**samrsmiley** · 04-19-2012, 11:05 AM

Wiz-great sound and feel. I like they way you keep to the melody-even if you said it was since you couldn't come up with a concept. Really sticking to the melody is the concept! And it totally works.

**samrsmiley** · 04-19-2012, 11:10 AM

After playing this tune a bunch I think it's relatively simple-maybe not so easy though. The A section is basically 3 keys with ii-Vs (Eb, F, and Ab). The chord walk up is just bass movement to get to the next key. The b9s in the melody I think make those alterations pretty essential to the backing harmony. The ends of the A sections are a little trickier, but I think they stem from tritone subs-the Bbm to A6 change is a ii-V with the tritone sub. Very cool to hear a 6 there instead of the typical dominant chord-but the essentials of the tritone are still there.

Bridge changes are a little suspect, I have to hear some of Monk's versions again.

This tune is great-it's always been one of my fav Monk tunes and there are great versions to check out for sure.

What do you guys think about the bridge?

**M-ster** · 04-19-2012, 12:36 PM

I like that the tune starts in Eb and the bridge starts in A. I figure there's some Monk humor in that. The bridge's final Eb(add#9) thing that Monk does in both the '47 and '57 versions is Monk being Monk, but I don't know that it does anything for me. And, otherwise, the bridge is kind of a throw-away, in my opinion. (It's not as interesting, thematically, as the A sections.)

**jster** · 04-19-2012, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by M-ster

What stands out to me are the resolutions at the end of the 8 bar sections - particularly the B section...

Originally Posted by M-ster

The bridge's final Eb(add#9) thing that Monk does in both the '47 and '57 versions is Monk being Monk, but I don't know that it does anything for me. And, otherwise, the bridge is kind of a throw-away, in my opinion.

**FatJeff** · 04-23-2012, 09:09 AM

I have been lax on posting my version of this tune, and I fear it's going to be a little bit more time before I do so. 2 more weeks left of school and it's the usual end-of-semester deal - cram cram cram! I have been working up a short little CM version, but I want to be able to integrate it in with some improv and I'm still kind of figuring out how to do that with BiAB.

Bottom line: I'll post a version but it might be a couple more weeks.

**oilywrag** · 04-23-2012, 10:58 AM

Hi Jeff, while I know chord melody is really for solo guitar you could use just BiaB drums to keep you going for the 1st chorus/chord melody, then let BiaB come for the rest of the tune. Just turn it all into an mp3 and use like a backing track..

Tom..

**Soco** · 04-24-2012, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by wizard3739

This is my version for this song. Although the analysis is pretty straight forward, I just couldn't come up with a good approach so this is mostly me sticking pretty much to the melody and trusting my ear. I treated it as a ballad because it is easier for me to play that way.

Ruby, My Dear CMR.mp3 - File Shared from Box - Free Online File Storage

wiz

Sounds very nice Wiz.