July 2023 - Stormy Weather

[M-ster]

Our standard for Jul 2023 will be Stormy Weather (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler, 1933).

Background:
Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time))

[ragman1]

Don't screw it up, Kris :-)

[Rob MacKillop]

Another good thread gets off to a bad start. I wonder who's to blame?

It's a beautiful song with a legacy of great recordings. I'll have a look at it.

[ragman1]

Oh, yes, I know :-)

[ragman1]

Not a bad version. Interesting rhythm.

I'm just getting it under my fingers again. I did a singing version years ago but I won't post it. We'll have a new one.

[ragman1]

Well, isn't life strange. I was just recording it and a gale blew up outside. So, as it now has sound effects, I've left it, complete with banging door :-)

[pamosmusic]

New-ish to this one. Might try to post another in a few weeks.

[ragman1]

Also I've done this, just a bit of fun in G.

[ragman1]

If this interests anyone -

When I was doing the other ones I noticed I was being a bit basic on the diminished chords. Which may not be a bad thing, perhaps less is more.

However, I got to thinking and it seems a dim chord following the major chord is very much akin to its dominant, i.e. CM7 - C#o is like CM7 - C7.

So I thought, being a fan of minorisation, that means C7 = Gm7. Which also means, going up in m3rds, Bbm and C#m (all melodic minors). And would that work over the diminished chord?

It does. Here's CM7 - C#o - Dm7 - G7 played with all those subs on the C#o. (If the bar is CM7/C#o it can just be shortened).

[pamosmusic]

Or a pretty common read on that diminished could be A7b9 since it goes to Dm7 next. V of ii.

[ragman1]

I hear it more as a diminished rather than an altered dominant.