The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1
    joelf Guest
    Paul Simon, for a guy who claims not to read music well or know theory (he did study a year w/Chuck Israels, so...) writes tunes with some freaky---and brilliant progressions. This is one of my favorites.

    Don't have time to analyze it now---off to a gig soon---but, for now, here's a little chart I cooked up---straight 8ths, funk backbeat...
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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2
    joelf Guest
    OK (cracks knuckles), this tune...

    I have to mention the lyric---dripping with sarcasm possibly. (Simon has allowed that he's written 'cruel' songs). Maybe he's saying 'see all I do for you? Is it worth it? Do you appreciate it?' Who knows? But I love that he's above writing cookie cutter love songs.

    I wrote my sheet in E---not sure what the original was. Like Still Crazy... it has at the bridge a freaky modulation: II V minor to the vi chord of C# min (I wrote it as Db min on my above-posted sheet). That's not the modulation! What happens next it miraculous: a swift turn with a II V into F#! Then another bend in the road, to Bbmin, before going home (E---really more like E7).

    The wrap-up ('I do it for your love') at coda, or tag, or whatever---has him ascending melodically for stress (...'your love') on F# G---into the unrelated key of G.

    Bidagee, bidagee---THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!...
    Last edited by joelf; 07-11-2020 at 12:36 AM.

  4. #3
    joelf Guest
    OOPS! Listening to Paul I realized I GOOFED on the 2nd part of the bridge, which correctly goes to Bb min. 1,000 apologies---and please ignore the chart til I fix it...
    Last edited by joelf; 07-11-2020 at 12:32 AM.

  5. #4
    joelf Guest
    Here's proof (I was right about the key, anyway---E...


  6. #5

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    I have a hard time understanding how he comes up with some of his chord changes. I can say the same for Stevie Wonder.

  7. #6
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by fep
    I have a hard time understanding how he comes up with some of his chord changes. I can say the same for Stevie Wonder.
    I have a suspicion that they couldn't explain it.

    And who cares? Long as they do it...
    Last edited by joelf; 07-11-2020 at 02:32 PM.

  8. #7
    joelf Guest
    Here's the corrected, final chart. Sorry about the screw up:
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  9. #8

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    Paul Simon is a titan (albeit a short one). I could listen to Still Crazy looping endlessly, and still not go crazy.

  10. #9
    joelf Guest
    Other Simon standouts (and I haven't heard even close to all of his work): So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright---2nd best song on Bridge Over Troubled Water IMO--a straight-up bossa. He really blossomed after S &G. Still Crazy, also w/a wacky modulation at the bridge. Some of the songs on the B'way flop Capeman are gems. They finally used their heads and presented it as a concert piece---if they'd done that in the 1st place it would've got raves instead of catcalls (read Ben Brantley's NY Times review---wow!). But he had to learn his lesson, and who doesn't? Going back to S & G and that last LP, Song for the Asking is so sweet.

    I don't really buy the gospel stuff as much, though he certainly is sincere. Art Garfunkel made Bridge unashamedly whitebread---and beautiful. Simon's voice somehow falls short---better whispering and with intimacy than shouting. The song in question here in the OP is perfect for his kind of wispy tenor.

    But let the man stretch, that's what artists do...
    Last edited by joelf; 07-27-2020 at 10:22 PM.

  11. #10

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    One of my favorite songs of Paul Simon. Thanks for all the shares !

  12. #11

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    The great Joe Beck played on the 'Still Crazy...' album. Generally regarded as under rated but Mr Simon doesn't seem to have thought so; I love some of his compositions, not only for the quirky harmonic approach.

  13. #12

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    Toots learned it from Bill Evans, THE Bill Evans and played it frequently. Hope you dig this,


  14. #13
    joelf Guest
    Yes, Bill took it somewhere deep...

  15. #14

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    This is a terrific record that really shows the jazz potential in a lot fo Simon's songs.




  16. #15
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by AndyV
    This is a terrific record that really shows the jazz potential in a lot fo Simon's songs.

    Yeah, Frank Lloyd Wright's another great song. It was a bossa on the Bridge Over Troubled Water recording, too. Supposed to be a fond farewell to Art Garfunkel, though I have no clue where the architect metaphor comes in (maybe it's better that way). But, man, does he come up with some melodies and changes!

    Like this last tune from the same LP---so sweet I just had to record it myself:



    And the Voices are way better than I thought---gave it the Sergio Mendes treatment. Good lookin' out, thanks...

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by AndyV
    This is a terrific record that really shows the jazz potential in a lot fo Simon's songs.



    This wacked out scientologist keyboard player I used to do club dates with called odd tunes out of the blue. One time he called "Frank Lloyd Wright", on a gig, and the rest of the band dropped out because they didn't know it, but he and I played it for about five minutes. Very surreal...

    Paul Simon's father was a bass player, and club date leader, and he used to let PS and his buddy Al Kooper, when they were kids, come along on gigs, where they'd turn off their amps on the standards, and then play a rock set.
    S&G were produced by the great John Simon, who was a talented composer,.arranger and jazz pianist. He never used a click track on any of the records he produced in his entire career. Think about that...

  18. #17

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    the great paul desmond has an entire lp of s&g tunes..cleverly enough called bridge over troubled water!! haha

    here's a s&g fave of mine--for emily,whenever i may find her



    great line-up

    Paul Desmond – alto saxophone
    Herbie Hancock – electric piano
    Ron Carter – double bass
    Jerry Jemmott – Fender bass
    Airto Moreira, Bill Lavorgna, João Palma – drums
    Gene Bertoncini, Sam Brown – guitar

    Don Sebesky – arranger & producer

    a&m records 1970

    cheers

    ps-

    sgcim-^"This wacked out scientologist keyboard player I used to do club dates with called odd tunes out of the blue."

    you played with chick? haha

  19. #18
    joelf Guest
    Wow, Sam Brown. Don't get me started on that sad story.

    Unique and soulful player, though---you can't tell from the sideman dates. (I knew and played with him when I was very young)...

  20. #19

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    big sam brown fan..obscure, but on some key recordings...was hoping somebody saw him listed in there...and gene b too!...another nyc legend guitar sessioner...what you know about sam??...enquiring minds want to know!! hah

    cheers

  21. #20
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    big sam brown fan..obscure, but on some key recordings...was hoping somebody saw him listed in there...and gene b too!...another nyc legend guitar sessioner...what you know about sam??...enquiring minds want to know!! hah

    cheers
    He didn't meet with a pleasant end, and that sleeping dog needs to lie.

    I know Gene way better. Played many times at his NY steady, and he was one of three players to write notes for my 1st CD (the 1st one I even considered asking b/c of who he is and what he's about). Greatest guy in the world, and I call him the 'den father' of NY guitar players. Every guitar player that passed through had to come play a few at that Ryan's Daughter gig. He brought his Spanish guitar for himself, and a D'Angelico for the guests---and I mean every week. He picked up that D himself one night, and shocked everyone with stuff way different than what he does with the nylon-stung.

    Gene is 83 now. I hope he's well and safe in all this crap, NYC being an epicenter...

  22. #21
    joelf Guest
    Made some improvements on my lead sheet chart.
    Dig in, if that's your pleasure...


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  23. #22
    joelf Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Djang
    Toots learned it from Bill Evans, THE Bill Evans and played it frequently. Hope you dig this,

    According to BE it was the other way around. Toots had been working a lot with Simon, and brought the lead sheet to their Affinity record date. Evans kept it in his book thereafter...

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by joelf
    According to BE it was the other way around. Toots had been working a lot with Simon, and brought the lead sheet to their Affinity record date. Evans kept it in his book thereafter...
    Nice factiod, and nice to see you around here, Fassmaster.