Why Charlie Christian's A Smo-O-O-Oth One fascinates me endlessly.

**brent.h** · 12-05-2025, 03:07 AM

I love how swinging and memorable the melody is. The solos are nice and short, too. Simple and fun for beginners to learn.

According to this site, A Smooth One is CC's re-imagining of the song 'Love Is Just Around The Corner' (1934). The similarities are quite striking.

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The thing about A Smooth One that's intriguing and keeps drawing me back is the harmony.

Key: F
Form: AABA

A

Bdim, Bb6 | F | Bdim, Bb6 | F
Bdim, Bb6 | F | G7, C7 | F

B

Bb6 | Bdim | F | F7
Bb6 | Bdim | F | C7

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Here's what I noticed when I first learnt the tune:

- The first half of the bridge is a Stomp Progression. It's named after Jelly Roll Morton's 'King Porter Stomp' (1923).

- For three quarters of each A section, the progression is a sort of 'reversed' Stomp Progression. Instead of IV6 to #ivdim to I or I7, you have a #ivdim to IV6 to I. Quite nice.

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After getting more exposure to the pop, blues, and jazz of the 20s and 30s, and listening to a whole bunch of Jonathan Stout's chordal playing (in the style of Allan Reuss), I started hearing this mini-progression, Bdim, Bb6 | F quite differently. To my ears/brain, this is a sequence of

- a 'blues chord'
- a IV6 chord
- a I chord

I know that the first chord in this set is a diminished chord in name, but I don't necessarily hear it as 'diminished'. I don't have the words to express this or know if such a thing exists, but I hear this sound a 'blues chord' within the context of this progression. I find this sequence super cool because it's a kind of V-I movement without even using the V.

The typical way I play this sequence with Freddie Green shells is:

(Bdim) 7-x-6-7-x-x
(Bb6) 6-x-5-7-x-x
(F) 5-x-3-5-x-x

What if I took this set of three chords and played its inversions?

This set sounds nice to me:
(Bdim) 4-x-3-4-x-x
(Bb6) 3-x-3-3-x-x
(F) 1-x-0-3-x-x

This set's movement is less obvious:
(Bdim) 10-x-9-10-x-x
(Bb6) 10-x-8-10-x-x
(F) 8-x-7-7-x-x

This set's movement is kinda strange but cool:
(Bdim) 13-x-12-13-x-x
(Bb6) 13-x-12-12-x-x
(F) 10-x-10-10-x-x

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How about soloing and playing the changes?

Say we have a standard in the key of F. Very generally and broadly speaking, a Barry Harris student might focus on playing in F and G dim (and all the dominant chords derived from G dim).

For me, I see the A sections of A Smooth One as opportunities for me to play in F and F dim. In this progression, Bdim, Bb6 | F, I'd ignore the Bb6 and go directly for F dim into F.

Later on, I learnt from our fellow member Peter Amos this F diminished sound is called a common tone diminished 7th chord and that it is substituted with a VII7 chord, an old old sound that I like a lot. (see this and this) So, over Bdim, Bb6 | F, you can also play E7 into F. It works quite nicely.

I should also note this strange occurence: when playing chords, I hear the diminished chord as a 'blues chord'. When soloing, I hear the diminished chord as a diminished sound.

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TL;DR: tune is great cos

- i hear a 'blues chord'
- i get to practice idim to I or VII7 to I
- simple and easy head

**Christian Miller** · 12-05-2025, 05:24 AM

I like how it ends on Db7.

Everyone plays F afterwards when we play it on the gig. Benny Goodman too avant garde.

You know, much this era of jazz is built from the bass line, not the chords. It’s the way they play rhythm changes back then as well. Take Lester Leaps In for example and listen to how Walter handles the bass line. It’s not the school changes and it’s very much variations on a set bassline, 1-3-4-#4-5

A Smooth One is sort of that backwards

If you know the bass line there’s standard ways of filling in the chords. According to Iverson they didn’t really have chord symbols back then - players filled in chord from the left hand of piano sheet music. So the bass is much more ‘locked in’ in this music.

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**AllanAllen** · 12-05-2025, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Christian Miller

I like how it ends on Db7.

Everyone plays F afterwards when we play it on the gig. Benny Goodman too avant garde.

You know, much this era of jazz is built from the bass line, not the chords. It’s the way they play rhythm changes back then as well. Take Lester Leaps In for example and listen to how Walter handles the bass line. It’s not the school changes and it’s very much variations on a set bassline, 1-3-4-#4-5

A Smooth One is sort of that backwards

If you know the bass line there’s standard ways of filling in the chords. According to Iverson they didn’t really have chord symbols back then - players filled in chord from the left hand of piano sheet music. So the bass is much more ‘locked in’ in this music.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fine, I'll link your video.

**AllanAllen** · 12-05-2025, 12:12 PM

I like to do Bdim Bb6 Am(b13) F

Bdim: 7x676x
Bb6: 6x576x
Amb13: 5x556x
F: 5x356x

Then I get to pedal F on top of everything.

**aquin43** · 12-05-2025, 12:28 PM

It reminds me of "hut sut rawlson on the rillerah"

**brent.h** · 12-05-2025, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by aquin43

It reminds me of "hut sut rawlson on the rillerah"

the bridge section, yes?

**aquin43** · 12-05-2025, 02:15 PM

The bridge definitely. The verse has so few different notes that it will fit as well, certainly over the iReal chords.

The hut sut song also dates from 1941.

**Christian Miller** · 12-05-2025, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by AllanAllen

Fine, I'll link your video.

Nuts I forgot I did that. I was just thinking, ooh that would make a good video.

Nah it's fine, I'll just do the same thing again with a slightly different focus and a new thumbnail. It wouldn't be the first time.