Improvising on the tune Isfahan

Hey guys, working on the tune isfahan at the minute, and whilst I have all the chords + melody down, I am wondering what the most effective method to improvising over it melodically is, right now I'm playing but it just doesnt sound right to me. How do you guys when you play this tune, take it on, how do you going about interpreting it harmonically and interpreting scales, chords patterns etc.. Cheers!
 
I did not remember this one... The first Sequoia demo, after only few days. I also did not realize how impossible is to play in tune with an out of tune piano.

To the OP (in concert key)
This is a Strayhorn tune, so standard harmonic description is a bit stretched.

Bars 1 to 4: Ddmaj going to Eb7, same as "take the a train", but with a secondary dominant (Bb7b5) and a approaching tension note A. Pretty sure that Eb9 implies a #11 (A), even if not in the melody. Very Strayhorn.

Bars 5 to 8: sudden modulation to A, Ab as dominant od Dbmaj. Please note how the similarity in the melodic line with the previous 4bars reigns.

Bars 12 to 14: II V I, II V I, II V (I)

Bars 15 and 16: Strayhorn's chromatic signature, like in "Prelude to a Kiss" or Sophisticated Lady"
Please note the dominant effect od Dmajor on Db major: multiple approach notes from a semitone above, rather than tritone substitution of Ab7.

Pretty much the same on the second half, except that Gb maj.
 
No chance, he makes it up as he goes along.😉

The actual answer to the OP...
In particular in that recording I start with one phrase and adapt it to the harmonic progression.
Once you feel where chords are going or staying, it is pretty straight forward tune. Just remember that some chords (like the 2nd one Bbmin/maj7 ) describe a voicing and not a harmonic function.
 
I did not remember this one... The first Sequoia demo, after only few days. I also did not realize how impossible is to play in tune with an out of tune piano.

To the OP (in concert key)
This is a Strayhorn tune, so standard harmonic description is a bit stretched.

Bars 1 to 4: Ddmaj going to Eb7, same as "take the a train", but with a secondary dominant (Bb7b5) and a approaching tension note A. Pretty sure that Eb9 implies a #11 (A), even if not in the melody. Very Strayhorn.

Bars 5 to 8: sudden modulation to A, Ab as dominant od Dbmaj. Please note how the similarity in the melodic line with the previous 4bars reigns.

Bars 12 to 14: II V I, II V I, II V (I)

Bars 15 and 16: Strayhorn's chromatic signature, like in "Prelude to a Kiss" or Sophisticated Lady"
Please note the dominant effect od Dmajor on Db major: multiple approach notes from a semitone above, rather than tritone substitution of Ab7.

Pretty much the same on the second half, except that Gb maj.


The actual answer to the OP...
In particular in that recording I start with one phrase and adapt it to the harmonic progression.
Once you feel where chords are going or staying, it is pretty straight forward tune. Just remember that some chords (like the 2nd one Bbmin/maj7 ) describe a voicing and not a harmonic function.

Yeah

Pretty much wot Kev said...
 
I love strayhorn tunes but struggle to let go on them. They seem perfect as they are. Sounding deceptively simple while being subtle and clever. If you've got the chords down and can decorate the main theme I'd be satisfied.
 
CtB makes a good point. On Ellington's original, as it's such a beautiful melody, Hodges doesn't need to do much with it to give a superb interpretation.
One thing that occurred to me Micheal is how you approach this one. You mention both improvising over it melodically and interpreting it harmonically. While they are never mutually exclusive, it may be useful to think whether you want to make your improvisation more melodicaly based (linearly if you like) or more an exploration of the chords (verticaly if you like). For myself, I feel that it is such a beautiful descriptive theme, taken at a slow tempo, that it would stand a melodic based interpretation better rather than one that primarily explored the outer reaches of the underlying chords, but that's just my view.
 
Without going too far off topic and as we are talking of the composer, Geoffrey Smith's Jazz at midnight tonight (Saturday) on BBC Radio3 has a focus on Billy Strayhorn. It'll be on their i-player for a week.
Now, there's a coincidence for you. Listening now to Jazz Record Requests, also on BBC Radio 3 (and on their i-player), there is Strayhorn singing and playing Lush Life. Have to say, he struggles with his tuning while singing, but I guess he is easily forgiven in favour of what he wrote.
 
hey guys, thanks for all the great answers on this, you make an interesting and valid point Young Col, on the melodic and harmonic improvisation styles thanks for that. Aldevis, thanks for your great answer to my question, and if you wouldn't mind, I have another question for you, you say the Bbmin/Maj 7 is a voicing and not an actual harmonic function, what exactly do you mean by that? sorry if that is an obvious question, still getting to grasps with the theory.

Micheal
 
Think of the first four bars as in "Take the A train" half step higher.
|Dbmaj7| % | Eb7 | % |
Now create a secondary dominant for Eb7
|Dbmaj7| Bb7(#5) |Eb7| % |

Now start thinking horizontally. Melody in bar 2 has an approach note to Bb half step lower, "A" natural. Probably supposed to be played very flat and lipped up by Hodges. That is just a melodic movement, does not change the dominant function of the bar. To express that tension, the chord got changed to Bb maj 7, but it is still a dominant for bar3 with an added tension.

Probably a similar tension occurs in an inner voice between an F and a passing F# (#5of Bb) to go to G in bar 3.

This was a fairly common writing in classical music. Expressing it with chords like we do, can sometimes be tricky.
 
<snip>
|Dbmaj7| % | Eb7 | % |
Now create a secondary dominant for Eb7
|Dbmaj7| Bb7(#5) |Eb7| % |

<scnhip happens> .
..so I might argue that the the Bbmaj7 in the first half of bar 2 [ that appears in the old "real book" from the late 1960s and ended up in the Aebersold volume 66 book and other fakebooks ]
*isn't* actually in Strayhorn's original harmonic conception.

try this for bars 1..3
| Dbmaj7 | F7b5 Bb7 | Eb9 | % |

you can see bars 2..3 as a 2-5-1 [ or II-V-I ] in Eb , the chord qualities are II7(b5) V7 I7(9) , i.e. two steps on the cycle of dominants. You may also choose to re-root / do-a-tritone-substitution-on the F7b5 and call it a B7b5 (it's the same 4 notes, different name, different root)
giving
| Dbmaj7 | B7b5 Bb7 | Eb9 | % |
note that
| I maj | bVII7 VI7 | II7 | % | is a very common 4 bar sequence in jazz.

-A-

p.s. nice tenor versions by Tommy Smith and Scott Hamilton [inter alia] are out there.....
 
..so I might argue that the the Bbmaj7 in the first half of bar 2 [ that appears in the old "real book" from the late 1960s and ended up in the Aebersold volume 66 book and other fakebooks ]
*isn't* actually in Strayhorn's original harmonic conception.

I would love to see Strayhorn original scores. I think the RB is just simplifying chords
 

Similar threads... or are they? Maybe not but they could be worth reading anyway 😀

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