The Reharm Room

[SK]

Thank you, Carlo. I never consider myself a solo pianist since I work in trios and quartets most of the time. But it's always fun trying!

 

"Them There Eyes" put a smile on my face. Nice, clever and humorous. I can see it now - the 'Stride Thread'. I learned to play stride before I hardly learned anything else. I'm sure I suck at it big time now though. So don't worry... no mad scientist stride Giant Steps will be forthcoming. Or Lucy In The Sky With Jelly Roll Webern (or Willie 'The Lion' Schoenberg or Fats Hindemith.)

 

 

 

[SK]

Here's an old, extravagant arrangement of "I'll Take Romance" I did for trio. It's an older groove I don't play in anymore, except to revive it here.

 

The vamp out front is a dark variation of the quirky 3rd and 4th bars of the tune - the part of the song that interested me. I play on the vamp here more than the tune itself.

 

Obviously I didn't consider the lyrics at all. And it changes key on the second bar of the melody. Outside of that, it's practically totally normal.

 

http://www.divshare.com/download/4118127-1aa

or:

http://www.megafileupload.com/en/file/55884/-ll-take-romance-aiff.html

[gangsu]

Talk about realtime playing, this is incredible. I'm a day behind already and won't be able to get back to this thread til Monday.

 

Thanks for the note, Marino. It will be fun to sit down with your music and take a listen.

 

Hope everyone keeps it coming!

 

 

[marino]

SK, look at what you've done... I'm busy, ok? Tired too. But because of you, I spent half an hour last night, writing a new reharm of "Beautiful Love". For some reason, it came out with a Latin/Brasilian flavor... I'll post it when I have the time/energy.

 

"I'll take Romance"... extravagant maybe, beautiful for sure I say. I may be wrong, but to my ears, you seem more and more involved in the physical aspect of playing the piano, a kind of intimate relationship.

 

I can see it now - the 'Stride Thread'.

NO thanks... I can play a decent fake stride, but nothing resembling the real thing - unless I study it in advance, which is n't much in the spirit.

 

I learned to play stride before I hardly learned anything else.

Lucky guy.

 

I'm sure I suck at it big time now though.

Don't tell me... I think I'm fluent at stride as much as I am at neuro surgery, more or less.

So don't worry... no mad scientist stride Giant Steps will be forthcoming.

I've heard a few pianist doing Giant Steps in stride. Dave Burrell and Stanley Cowell among them.

 

Or Lucy In The Sky With Jelly Roll Webern (or Willie 'The Lion' Schoenberg or Fats Hindemith.)

I'd love to see Photoshop renditions of there characters!

 

 

 

[SK]

Yeah, just blame it all on me.

 

Hey, I look forward to your latin "Beautiful Love." Doing this, listening to you and Dave, has opened my ears in some different ways, which I try to address some in these reharms. That's the big point of this anyway, to stretch our ears. Hearing vast classical influences in your great playing has reminded me of some of those influences I'd forgotten and needed to draw on more. I see it all just as music, not jazz or classical.

 

I'm strictly an ear player, so once I know a tune, I have to improvise on it. I can't sit and play a song verbatim and feel like I've really played, unless it's some beautiful composition that I admire. I can 'exist' at a piano however, without becoming more physical with it... it depends on the music. Composing is as fulfilling to me as improvising.

 

When I was a little kid, there was a lady at church who played stride piano and loved to show off her technique. So I worked at stride until I could play it faster than her (the way kids are more adept at video games/eye to hand coordination I suppose) and I played for her one day. She said "That's good, Steve" and never spoke to me again. Then I heard an Art Tatum record and was humbled to see how complex it could be.

 

So we have a pact - no strides at all. No interest there since I was a kid. (No stride "Beautiful Love" either.)

[marino]

Got up early, checked the forum, found your post. Very nice story about learning stride as a kid! You may have done it for competition, but to me, you were lucky - no better way to start in jazz! I mean, when I was learning, I stumbled on those Fats Waller transcriptions... they required as much study as, say, a Chopin Waltz. So while I have fun doing a bit of pseudo-stride, improvising in that style is out of question for me. I can do it with Tatum-style tenths (1-7-10, 1-3-7), but it's not the same as rapidly alternating a tenth in the lower register with a 4-note chord in the middle.

Even today, I play a bit of stride and ragtime, and require my students to do so - but I believe that playing real stride requires complete dedication.

 

Also interesting to hear that you consider yourself a 'ear' player (aren't all mature players ear players? ), but for some reason, I hear some classical training in your playing too. Is that the case?

 

I know I'm classical influenced in my playing - I'm quite aware of it, and I enjoy it. I hope it doesn't take away too much of that soulfulness that's so necessary in improvisation. For sure I get involved when I play...

 

 

[SK]

Oh yeah, James Williams. I'd forgotten about him - I never listened to him much. About the original "I'll Take Romance" - it's just a very 'majory' tune, corny and dated.

 

Carlo, absolutely - I agree everyone's an ear player to some degree. In my case, I may rely on it more. Flattering that you detect some classical in my playing, but I didn't take lessons. I absorbed what I could from records and gigs with musicians, and just working at the piano. I copped various pieces by Milhaud, Hindemith, Ives, Bartok, Ravel, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, etc. from records, but mostly from jazz records. I learned to read music from a book.

 

This is good...too bad no one else is putting up anything.

 

Yeah, I wish others would participate, I'd love to hear anything. Kanker, you said you'll post something when you get off the road. Hope so. The more the merrier, everyone has something to offer. Dave Horne, let's hear some of your reharms, please.

[marino]

I'm home for just a few minutes, but I couldn't resist... I played a chorus of the latinesque "Beautiful Love" which I did last night. It's just the theme, plus a little montuno-like riff which serves as intro and coda. Not a whole arrangement, just the melody, to get how it goes. I might play a couple choruses of improvisation later.

 

Beautiful Love

 

Flattering that you detect some classical in my playing, but I didn't take lessons. I absorbed what I could from records and gigs with musicians, and just working at the piano. I copped various pieces by Milhaud, Hindemith, Ives, Bartok, Ravel, Bach, Mozart, Chopin, etc. from records, but mostly from jazz records. I learned to read music from a book.

 

Well, then what you've achieved is even more rewarding. Hats off.

 

I wish others would participate, I'd love to hear anything. Kanker, you said you'll post something when you get off the road. Hope so. The more the merrier, everyone has something to offer. Dave Horne, let's hear some of your reharms, please.

+1

[SK]

I love what you did with that. Nice the way it resolves to D major in a couple spots. The last 6 bars before the montuno are basically the same chords in the version I did.

 

Very nice, Carlo. Just great.

 

For the fun of it, now I want to try a reharm based on your reharm. There's a beauty in trying to make it more majory. Credit to you for pulling that major aspect out of the tune.

[marino]

I love what you did with that. Nice the way it resolves to D major in a couple spots.

Well, it's strange how things just happen sometimes... I started with your version in mind, so I was searching for some dark, intense harmonies... but when I tried the D major, I thought that it would have been possible to give the melody a whole different character. So I started over again, with that Tropical flavor in mind...

 

For the fun of it, now I want to try a reharm based on your reharm. There's a beauty in trying to make it more majory. Credit to you for pulling that major aspect out of the tune.

I'm sure very curious to hear that! I have no leadsheet, though - I just scribbled the changes on a piece of paper. Here they are anyway:

 

| Bbmaj7#11 | C#7alt. F#7b13 | Bm7b5 E7 | Ebmaj7#11 |

| Ab7b5 | Gm7 C7 | Dmaj7 | Gmaj7 |

| Bm7b5 | Bb7 | Bbm7b5 | A7b9 |

first ending:

| F#m7 | Gmaj7#11 | C#m7 | Cmaj7 Fmaj7 |

second ending:

| F#7alt. G7b5 | Ab7(13) A7b9 | Bbmaj7#11 | A7 |

 

The last two bars are, of course, where the montuno is played.

 

Now if I could just find a way to type the half-diminished symbol instead of that [censored] "m7b5"..!!

 

 

[marino]

This is good...too bad no one else is putting up anything.

I think you two guys are scaring everyone away......troublemaker jazz guys!

 

Ooohh... so *we* are responsible, huh?

Jokes aside, I don't think our fellow forumites are easily scared... maybe they just need a little encouragement.

[font:Impact]COME ON GUYS AND GIRLS, POST YOUR VERSIONS OF STANDARD/POPULAR SONGS!![/font]

What you say, I'm shouting?! I didn't realize that...

 

 

BTW Carlo, I printed your Lucy/Bartok....thorny!!! I love it!!

I'm going to give it a whirl when I get some time.

I'll probably just work on a page or two....slowly.

 

Hey, thanks a lot... it's not that difficult technically, only thing to watch is to keep great flexibility in the arm/wrists when those octaves and repeated chords come in toward the end.

 

 

OK..here's a laid back, straight eighth "Beautiful Love".

I probably could get a bit smoother if I had more time...got to get ready for a gig...but you can hear the harmony....I'm still screwing with it a bit.

 

http://www.divshare.com/download/4130899-c0b

 

OK, so it *is* possibile to play it in straight eights while keeping the mood dark and intense... I like it a lot. Thanks!

 

Oh, and divshare seems to behave better now... go figure.

 

 

 

 

[SK]

Well, for my next reharm of Beautiful Love, I'll certainly have a LOT of harmonic ideas to choose from - from you guys. Dave, I like your mysterious version. Mysterious Love. There were several things I liked. One was where you changed up the melody note and chord on the 6th bar from the end (those descending voicings from the E melody note that resolve there.) Pretty rich and hip.

 

Carlo, thanks for those changes. I was playing through yours last night (fortunately I could hear your voicings) and was inspired. I started making headway on a new version but I fell asleep, tired after a trio gig last night. Now that I can read it, it makes it easier.

 

What I'd like to do is distill all these ideas into a more simple piece with the new 'flavor.' No promises I will, but if/when I finish, maybe we can work on what could become a community reharm. "Beautiful New Love" or something.

 

Then we can co-publish it and become rich and famous.

[SK]

BTW, from the thread views, it seems people are reading here. To make it clear to anyone reading, the idea of this thread is NOT for a competition. Everyone wins who participates, because we're only sharing ideas on existing material. It's not about playing ability; it's about ideas, or a single idea.

 

One of the best things that happened to me as a young musician was sitting down with other piano player friends and sharing ideas on the same tunes.

 

Even if you have just one chord you like that's different on a song you do, please share it with everybody. It's a rare chance. You'll get a lot in return with top players like Marino and Dave Ferris to share things back.

[linwood]

Here's a 'lil something , just to contribute. In another thread someone asked what else you could play instead of a m7b5, so I put up a piece of "everyone's favorite"

Blue Freakin' Bossa

 

Nothing crazy, but maybe a useful treatment for someone. I'll try and put something else up with audio sometime, but hey I'm lovin' what you guys are doing here.

[SK]

Thanks Linwood. And looking forward to your audio. Never heard you play anything that didn't sound great.

 

A thought: Players have to learn chords. But they have to get the sounds in their heads too, so when they look at a chord symbol or voicing, they can hear it before they play it.

[SK]

Nice changes on Blue Bossa there, Linwood!

 

Dave - I like your treatment on 'Soul Eyes.' Some DEEP moments in there. Sounds great, man.

 

Way, way OT: One time a guy came up before I started a gig. He said "You in the band?" I said "Yeah." He said, "what kind of music do you guys play?" I said, " Well, it's a jazz trio." Then he asked, "Ya'll got vocals and stuff??"

 

Y'ALL GOT VOCALS AND STUFF?? Just hit me - I should use that for my signature.

[gangsu]

Y'ALL GOT VOCALS AND STUFF??

 

You talkin' to ME?!?

 

I want to contribute, man I can't tell you how these reharms are messing with my brain. Like Them There Eyes a la Glazunov. (trying to focus on auditions here this weekend). Plus the KC comp is sitting here begging for some quality listening time. This thread has some pretty stiff competition.

 

I'm tempted to chase Dave Horne down with some of his more outrageous quotes regarding reharmonization skills. Does he have it coming? DOES HE??!?!?!

 

see you later

[Leberwurst]

Here's a 'lil something , just to contribute. In another thread someone asked what else you could play instead of a m7b5, so I put up a piece of "everyone's favorite"

Blue Freakin' Bossa

 

Nothing crazy, but maybe a useful treatment for someone. I'll try and put something else up with audio sometime, but hey I'm lovin' what you guys are doing here.

 

Printing it right now!!

I've got a version of Black Orpheus that I made following some of the great suggestions out of the "mi7b5"-thread, I'll post that later after digesting your BB, Linwood

[SK]

Sue, love for you to contribute. It's been slow going in here but I think we might pull off an interesting thread. The more the better. So, duh, ya'll got vocals... and stuff? Looking forward to hearing some of your ideas, Sue.

 

Leberwurst, just for the heck of it, one thing you can do on Black Orpheus: on the 'bridge' where it goes to Dm (key of C) play Dmaj/F# (D over F#) G7 C7/E bass Fmaj7 Dm E7 Fmaj7 E7 (a bar each) and back to Am. A pseudo-authentic classical groove.

 

And here's a rough, rush job on Beautiful Love, inspired by Carlo's use of major chords and montuno on this song.

 

I didn't do it the way I had wanted... I wanted to make it simple, but it's just another one with a bunch of chords. I played it sloppy. I also like the montuno in 7 - but I didn't record that.

 

http://www.divshare.com/download/4134461-7ed

 

 

 

 

 

[Leberwurst]

Leberwurst, just for the heck of it, one thing you can do on Black Orpheus: on the 'bridge' where it goes to Dm (key of C) play Dmaj/F# (D over F#) G7 C7/E bass Fmaj7 Dm E7 Fmaj7 E7 (a bar each) and back to Am. A pseudo-authentic classical groove.

 

Thanks! The 'bridge' I had constructed went

Dmi7 / Ab7 / | G7 / / / | Cmaj7 / F#dim / | Fmaj7 / / / |  
Bsometh. / / / | E7 / / / | Ami7 / Cmaj7 /| Bmi7b5 / Bb7 / |     

 

The Bsomething in is a somewhat basie-ish sounding chord consisting of B - F - A - C# ... so I guess it's just a Bmi9b5(omit 3rd)

[SK]

Yeah, the bridge you have there is pretty standard and works well. The one I mentioned is an unexpected simplicity (basically triads with the 3rd in the bass) that sounds strong in a different way.

[Leberwurst]

Yeah, the bridge you have there is pretty standard and works well. The one I mentioned is an unexpected simplicity (basically triads with the 3rd in the bass) that sounds strong in a different way.

 

Problem is, in my reharms unexpected simplicity won't work cause the whole reharm is actually pretty simple

 

I really appreciate your suggestions but I'm afraid it won't work well in the context I already have so far because it is not "deep" enough. So the clarity your bridge brings with it doesn't shine as bright as it could (wasn't that poetic).

 

What I'll definitely keep in mind is the thinking that stands behind your suggestion. I actually tried to do some contrasting in the bridge of "How long has this BGO", where I simply used some D and G triads (I think it was like that) as opposed to the rather heavy bitonality applied in the chorus. Well, at least that's what it is to my ears. I think we have some years of experience between us, SK

 

However I always try to follow what you've been doing (or linwood or Marino or Miles Davis or Wayne Shorter or even Paul Simon) in hope to develop a similar capability of hearing.

 

Well back to work...

 

 

And all those names in a row look pretty cool, too

[SK]

No problem there, Leberwurst. Still, give those chords a try sometime and see what you think. If you don't like them, that's an absolutely excellent reason not to use them. Good luck on your music, and thank you for your explanation.

[Leberwurst]

Still, give those chords a try sometime and see what you think.

 

hm, maybe I voiced them wrong?

[SK]

Possibly.

[Leberwurst]

Possibly.

 

If I'm getting you right I shoulda played rather easy voicings, right? No big alterations, just some schtraight chords? I think I'd be capable doing that

[SK]

Yeah, just basically triads on those chords I mentioned. Bass notes played in octaves down low. Like a D triad (A on top, F#, D in right hand) with F# bass. It's one of those rare places where the simplest chords sound strongest.

 

If you try it and have a question, send me a PM and I'll try to answer when I get back here.

[marino]

I'me *very* glad that on checking the forum again today, Sue, Linwood and Leber are back... more, please, we want more inputs!

 

Linwood, I love your Blue Bossa, especially the A13b9 and the major cadence at the end. If you don't mind, I'll play it for my improvisation students next week.

Also, while it still sounds perfectly legit, it offers a lot of ideas for a terroristic/humoristic version... anyone?

 

Dave, your "Soul Eyes" brought mixed emotions to me. As pure listening, it's a beautiful 'late night reflection' - it reminds me of certain Scriabin preludes. As an interpretation of "Soul Eyes", it hits me as a bit too dark... I've always seen this song as very intimate, but not dark at all... anyway I wouldn't have said anything if it wouldn't have been one of my favorite songs... I mean, I have a very definite 'feel' in my mind, so I'm playing the troublemaker here... never mind.

 

I couldn't download Steve's new version of "Beautiful Love"; my connection has several slow moments lately (I have to yell at the company), and downloading a nearly 40meg file would have taken too long. Tonight maybe (psst Steve, what about mp3ing your audio? )

 

Again, I can't say how much I enjoy this thread.

I'll be back soon with some music.

 

 

 

[marino]

OK, to continue the discussion about lyrics, here's a rendition of "You don't know what love is" which I used to play with an American singer about 20 years ago (sigh).

Since I saw this song as rather dark and pessimistic, I gave it mostly basses that discend chromatically, and an highly chromatic movement of inner voices.

 

Since it was made to be sung, the harmony never go really outside... for this version, I thought to spice it up a bit by adding an intro in another key... the intro ends on E7, then the tune starts in F minor.

 

The performance is *very* sloppy - I'll try to do another, more consistent version if/when I have the time.

 

You don't know what love is

 

Leadsheet coming soon...

I have to run. Bye!

 

 

 

[SK]

marino, nice voicings on "You Don't Know What Love Is." Always loved that song.

 

This is the trio on the "It's You Or No One" track doing the same song. A video for a change, from our basement sessions. But the camcorder tape ran out just as I started my solo.

 

http://www.divshare.com/download/3840635-e7b

 

 

And I reduced the quality down on my latest Beautiful Love to 4MB. So hopefully that should work. Downloading the 'original' on the right of the page will sound better. Only 4MB:

 

http://www.divshare.com/download/4135786-ed9