blue bossa

dominicano224 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 673

One of my favorite standards is blue bossa. And since i have an audition this Saturday i want to perform it. i have been listing to it by ear for a while but i still don't know whether the song has a B or Bb. it sounds good both ways except on the last lick coming down where it feels like a Bb (then Eb). if anyone can provide the music to it or write the notes down (i know the melody, so if you type the notes i will understand) it will be appreciated. Any solo suggestion for this song or recording recomendation or also good. thanks
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cjdjazztpt · Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:02 pm Post subject:

Blue Bossa has all Bb's...no B naturals in the melody.

Here are the changes: (as I recall them)

Dmi6 Gmi7 (C7)
/ / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |

Emi7(b5) A7(b9) Dmi6
/ / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / |

Fmi7 Bb7 EbMaj7
/ / / / | / / / / |/ / / / |/ / / / |

Emi7(b5) A7(b9) Dmi6 (A7)
/ / / / | / / / / | / / / / | / / / / ||

Hope the changes help you out some.....

cjdjazztpt · Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 8:13 pm Post subject:

I couldn't quite get the bar lines and the chords to line up, but if you listen to the tune enough you will get when they change. It's really easy to hear.

My suggestion is to take full advantage of the A7(b9) chord resolving to the D-6. Used the Diminished scale to fully 'milk' the A7.

Also another suggestion I have is to forget your knowledge of theory for a few minutes and SING what scales sound 'right' to you and figure out what you sang and use that for your solo. Lots of times what you sing and what your teachers have taught you to play over certain chords are different..... This is a concept I have learned from Jazz Guitar great Steve Masakowski and it helps you to get the sound that you hear out in your solos.
Good luck on the audition!

crzytptman · Posted: Thu Sep 30, 2004 9:59 pm Post subject:

And, of course, there is a B natural in Dm6 . . .
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cjdjazztpt · Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 6:44 am Post subject:

jazz_trpt · Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 7:32 am Post subject:

Use the B versus Bb to lightly reinforce the key of D- (it's a chord tone, the 13th, so it's very light reinforcement).

Use Bb to reinforce the G-/C7 or F-7/Bb7 (chord tone), as a leading tone to the A7 (or chord tone of E-7b5/A7b9) or chromatic neighbor leading to A in the D- chord.

In simpler terms, if it sounds right, it's right.

crzytptman · Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 11:45 am Post subject:

musiclifeline · Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2004 12:53 pm Post subject:

Original recording is on Joe Henderson's Page One, with Kenny Dorham on tpt. Also has some good soloing ideas.

The note in the melody is Bb. If you're playing this for an audition, you're best off playing the melody correctly. Use a B natural if you like when soloing over a D minor chord, but not in the melody. (The Bb in the melody occurs over G minor... if you play a B natural, it'll hurt.)

One thing... since this is for an audition, you may want to pick a tune that's a little less common and maybe even one that's longer than 16 bars. I can guarantee the judges have heard way too many versions of Blue Bossa. (An example might be The More I See You, or The Days of Wine and Roses.) Just a suggestion, though. I happen to like Blue Bossa too, but because it's so overplayed, it's become the brunt of jokes in jazz circles.

dominicano224 · Heavyweight Member Joined: 24 May 2004 Posts: 673

if blue bossa is too common then what do you reccomend?
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musiclifeline · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 11:13 am Post subject:

Aside from the two I mentioned in my previous post (The More I See You, Days of Wine and Roses), there are a number of standards. If you like bossas, try Black Orpheus (a.k.a. Manha De Carnival).

Brlee2003 · Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2004 9:51 am Post subject:

I was just listening to that tune on Joe Henderson's Page One. I'm doing a transcription of it for my jazz improv class. It's a great tune.