March Past

The Oscar Peterson Trio Live at the 5 spot album is the business

Oscar Peterson on keys

Ray Brown on bass

Herb Ellis on guitar

Bobby Durham on Drums

These legends reunite after years of being apart and bring the house down

This album swings so damn hard it hurts

type one or type two ?

There are two kinds of dominant seventh chords in this world ...

Those that resolve down a 5th and those that don't.

You can play more "outside/tension" tones (b9 #9 b5 #5 M7) over a dominant chord that is going to resolve and you need to play the more inside/pretty notes (9th #11th 13th) over a non-resolving/moving dominant.

This is because the V - I resolution makes the overall harmony obvious, so you can play the tones that take you further outside the key over a dominant that resolves.

In her video, Emily Remler says that she likes to keep things simple and think in terms of minor and majors. She doesn't think in terms of Mixolydian when she solos over a dominant chord, instead she just thinks of jazz/melodic minor scale.

Type 2 dominant 7th chords resolve down a 5th.

On a Type 2 dominant chord play the Jazz/Melodic minor a minor 2nd above the root

Type 1 dominant 7th chords don't resolve down a 5th

On a Type 2 dominant 7th chord play the Jazz/Melodic minor a perfect 5th above the root

Why does this work ?

Looking at a type 2 G7

Over a Type 2 we play the minor up a 5th, so over G7 this means D melodic minor

1 3 5 7 1 3 5

G7 - G B D F G B D

D melodic - D E F G A B C#

5 13 7 1 9 3 #4

D melodic has the chord tones plus the pretty tones (9 13 #4)

Now Looking at a type 1 G7

Over a Type 1 we play the minor up a minor 2nd, so over G7 this means Ab melodic minor

Ab melodic - Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G

G7 - G B D F

1 3 5 7 1

G7 - G B D F G

Ab melodic - Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F G

b9 #9 3 b5 #5 7 1

Ab melodic has the important chord tones plus the more outside tones (b9 #9 b5 #5 )

Thanks to Emily Remler for this idea

one potato two potato

To get deeper into the groove I need to start thinking in terms of 16th notes. Coltrane plays 16ths, Pat Martino plays them so I need to be able to play them, or at least hear them.

Since I have always had a potato fascination of sorts it makes sense I should use this particular three syllable word to start counting 16ths, so its one-po-ta-to two-po-ta-to three-po- ta-to four ....-po-ta-to.

Now is the time

Now is the time to start again

In the musical sense that is going to mean revisting all the standards I sort-of know, memorising them all then recording and performing them all

that starts with making a list and then ordering it


Afternoon in Paris
All of Me
All Blues

Autumn Leaves
Blue Bossa
Blue Monk
Blues for Alice
Black Orpheus
Canteloupe Island
Caravan
Freddie Freeloader
Footprints
Four
Girl from Ipanema
How Insensative
In Walked Bud
I remember You
It Don't Mean A Thing
Jelly Roll
Jordu
Maiden Voyage
My Funny Valentine
My Romance
Oleo
Prince of Darkness
Satin Doll
Sirabhorn
Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
So What
Summertime
St Thomas
Take five

Take the A Train
This Masquerade
Valse Hot

Okay now trying to group these

The ones I know pretty much by heart (melody and harmony) and just need some polishing

I remember You

Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
Afternoon in Paris
All of Me
Blue Bossa

How Insensative
St Thomas

Take five

Jelly Roll

Autumn Leaves

Satin Doll

Summertime

These I know well but need some work

All Blues

Black Orpheus

Canteloupe Island

Blue Monk

It Don't Mean A Thing

Take the A Train

Oleo

Valse Hot

Footprints

These I know most of the chords and melody but not by heart

Blues for Alice

Girl from Ipanema

My Funny Valentine

This Masquerade

These I only know the melody or only the chords or neither properly

Maiden Voyage

Four

My Romance

In Walked Bud

Caravan

So What

Freddie Freeloader

Jordu

Sirabhorn

Prince of Darkness