All_Blues

All Blues from the album Kind of BlueA closer lookAll Blues is based around a repeated 12-bar blues sequence with a 4-bar linking riff in between each section. The main melody (the head) and the solos are all played over the 12-bar sequence (the changes). The 12-bar seq2uence is repeated 19 times in total.Changes for All Blues:Head/Solos

Bar 1Bar 2Bar 3Bar 4

G7G7G7G7


C7C7G7G7


D7#9Eb7#9 D7#9G7G7

This chord sequence is slightly different from a standard 12-bar blues sequence. The next table contains a standard 12-bar blues chord sequence in the key of G. Can you see the differences?12-bar blues chord sequence


GCGG


CCGG


D7CGD7

Any of the chords in the 12-bar blues sequence could be either the basic triad or a dominant 7th chord (eg. G7 instead of G). Adding these extra notes to a chord is known as extending the chord. Within Jazz there are a lot of extended chords used.Here is a full analysis of All BluesSectionBar numbersMusical Features

Intro1 - 8 The piece starts with drums played with brushes, the bass playing riff 1 and the piano playing a trill in 3rds (A-G and E-F). The trill immediately causes a little dissonance. The bass riff 1 is played almost throughout the whole piece. The time signature is 6/4 with a tempo of = 156. Although this is rather fast, the bar feels like it is split into 2 slow beats (2 dotted minims), so it feels like a slower laid back tempo of = 52. At bar 5 the alto and tenor saxophones join in with a harmonised riff (riff 2) All of the parts are played quietly with a rather breathy tone in the saxophones.Put in music examples from page 92

HEAD

19 20 Davis plays the main melody for the first time The trumpet is muted and has a vulnerable tone which was a distinctive Davis sound The melody is based on a very simple motif a leap of a major 6th, with the long high note slightly ornamented (adding a mordent). The rest of the melody is made up of stepwise movement Over the C7 chord the saxophone parts are more legato than the slightly chopped up phrasing over the G7 chord The altered chords of D7#9 and Eb7#9 are highlighted by a change in texture and the bell-like piano chords replace the trill for a few seconds

Link21 24 The link section punctuates the whole piece it breaks up what would be 19 straight repetitions of the 12-bar sequence This section is the same as bars 5 8 of the intro

225 36 The same as the first time the head is played but the melody is slightly more developed

Link37 - 40 The piano trill drops out with Evans changing to riff 2. The lack of the trill has a dramatic effect on the texture Cobb introduces the ride cymbal with a few subtle hits before he plays a major role in the solos that follow

SOLOS

Davis41 88 The first solo focuses on the band leader, Miles Davis, with the other 2 frontline instruments dropping out to emphasise the solo. He has removed the mute to allow the tone of his solo to be clearer Davis uses 4 choruses for his solo (4 repeats of the 12-bar sequence). There is no link between the 4 choruses, they are played back to back. The solo is modal Davis improvises over the changes using the G mixolydian mode over the G7 chords and C mixolydian mode over the C7 chords. He uses a diminished scale over the altered chords Evans (piano) comps chords underneath the solo based on riff 2 Cobb keeps time on the ride cymbal with flourishes and highly syncopated snare hits keeping some rhythmic interest throughout

Link89 92 Davis drops out handing the spotlight to Adderley The music is the same as the link before but without the 2 saxophones

Adderley93 140 Adderley also takes 4 choruses for his solo His solo is more angular than Davis solo. There are more leaps and shorter phrases He includes more chromatic notes than Davis His solo is more rhythmic, accenting on the beats He has a thick tone which makes his alto saxophone sound more like a tenor saxophone He puts in quite a few technically difficult bursts of fast notes

Link141 144 Similar to previous link Adderley drops out, handing the spotlight to Coltrane

Coltrane145 192 Coltranes tone is very different to Adderleys. He uses almost no vibrato or adds it near the end of playing a note, compared to Adderleys wide vibrato sound Coltrane also uses 4 choruses for his solo The 1st chorus is kept quite simple, with some ideas exploring the mode. In the 2nd chorus he plays some 3 and 4-note, short ideas which he develops using sequence and rhythmic development The 3rd and 4th choruses combine fast passages with long, sustained phrases. The phrases are different lengths and come in at different places in the bar, giving the solo an impression of being as natural as speech

Link193 196 Coltrane drops out, leaving the spotlight for Evans

Evans197 - 220 Evans continues comping in his left hand but it becomes slightly more intricate Evans takes 2 choruses for his solo In the 1st chorus, his right hand plays a melody, very much like the frontline instruments In the 2nd chorus he combines 2 hands into a chord-based solo with some alternate motion in bars 213 and 215 to add some variation He uses a fairly limited range of notes around the middle of the piano

Link221 224 Evans starts with the chords of riff 2 but drops back into the trill idea after 2 bars The 2 saxophones start to play their harmonised riff again Cobb fades the ride cymbal down

HEAD

3225 - 236 The same as head 1 with slight developments of the melody The trumpet is played with a mute again

Link237 240 The saxophones continue to play throughout the link, along with the piano trill

4241 252 Further minor developments for the melody

Link253 256 The drums back down quite a lot, contributing to an overall drop in volume

Outro257 268/9 A final (19th) repeat of the 12-bar pattern with Davis playing a short solo, mostly on the tonic note of G over riff 2 in the saxophones and the piano trill The song fades out towards the end of the final chorus

Important points to remember Jazz soloists often think in terms of chords and arpeggios when playing solos. It is like they are spreading the chord out horizontally instead of playing it vertically like a piano or a guitar. However in this piece the soloists are using scales and modes a lot more than usual, partly because the chords do not change very quickly. The solos are much more than simple improvisations using a pentatonic scale over a blues sequence the soloists combine riffs that have learned previously with arpeggio ideas, the use of scales and modes and some rhythmic development to create solos with a sense of direction and development. The soloists never play their solos at the same time. When the frontline instruments are playing at the same time, they all have clearly defined parts to play (eg. the saxophones play a harmonised riff while the trumpet play the melody) The links give the music space to breathe the contrast in texture between each section builds up a sense of anticipation for the next section The bass part repeats riff 1 throughout the song. This makes it become part of the texture so that it doesnt take away from the soloists spotlight but it provides a suitable background The piano part provides chordal accompaniment throughout the piece, but Evans maintains interest by constantly changing the voicings of the chords and the rhythm of his accompaniment The drums provide a constantly shifting backing by Cobb improvising a highly syncopated snare drum part, but he also keeps a steady beat throughout on the ride cymbal. He changes the way he hits the cymbal to create changes in dynamics and texture

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All_Blues