Theory & Impro Jazz Ballads - Double Time & Do Chord Changes Typically Double Speed ?

[rhysonsax]

I am playing at an improvisation workshop next month and one of the tunes is "Blue in Green", written by Bill Evans and played on Miles Davis' Kind of Blue album.

The tune has a 10 bar form, is usually played in concert D minor (I think) and has "floaty" chords with a very simple melody. The chords we are going to use go like this:

| Gm6 | A7#9 |
| Dm9 Db7 | Cm9 F7 b9 |
| Bbmaj7 | A7 #9 |
| Dm6 | E7#9 |
| Am9 | Dm7 |

I have been listening to various recordings and trying to understand how people approach this tune. The Kind of Blue recording is taken at a very slow tempo and has been transcribed (at concert pitch) and posted on YouTube:

View: https://youtu.be/E-4kZ-_lrJY?si=0FmAver_3JERWGu2


After a four bar introduction Miles plays twice round the form (bars 5 - 24 of the transcription) and then Bill Evans plays a piano solo (bars 25 - 34) which you would probably call double time. Not only do the rhythm section get busier, but the chord changes come twice as fast.

Then Coltrane plays a lovely solo (bars 35 - 44) which sounds a bit similar to "You Don't Know What Love Is" - still the same double time feel.

Then Bill Evans solos again (bars 45 - 49) and the tempo doubles again, so the chords are changing four times as fast as the original tempo. From bar 50 Miles it back in and playing with chords changing at the original tempo.

Then there is a piano-led coda from bar 70 with chord changes coming twice as fast.

Obviously, all of this doubling, doubling again and halving would have been planned and agreed in advance.

But would I be correct in thinking that usually for a jazz ballad if a soloist goes into a double time feel and the rhythm section responds by playing more busily, the chords would continue to change at the original tempo ?

Rhys

 

[mrblackbat]

For most ballads, any change to double time is usually in feel only, and yes as such the duration of chords in terms of time remain the same. It now feels as if they are all twice as long in terms of beats.

Blue In Green has the beautiful parts from Bill Evans (he really wrote the piece and Miles just embellished a melody provided) which are part of that arrangement, but also it gets played without the interludes at the higher tempos.

As an aside, it’s not really helpful to actually think that it’s in D minor, but to take each chord phrase separately.

 

[rhysonsax]

I just found this video where saxophonist Jeff Antoniuk discusses Blue in Green and particularly what is happening with the tempo.

View: https://youtu.be/r_aLRah4Y-4?si=0znyXBvQS26gApmg&t=228


Rhys

 

[mrblackbat]

Alex Terrier has a great lesson series just on this song: https://jazzvideolessons.net/standards-studies/blue-in-green/

 

[Pete Effamy]

But would I be correct in thinking that usually for a jazz ballad if a soloist goes into a double time feel and the rhythm section responds by playing more busily, the chords would continue to change at the original tempo ?

Firstly, the chords aren’t floaty, they’re very functional - just with a passing chord or two.

You can have a double time feel - the feel / beat is double speed, or you can double tempo the whole thing.

 

[rhysonsax]

Firstly, the chords aren’t floaty, they’re very functional - just with a passing chord or two.

You can have a double time feel - the feel / beat is double speed, or you can double tempo the whole thing.

Would Jeff Antoniuk's word "impressionistic" be a better term than "floaty" ? He talks about this from about 2:20 in the video above.

The lesson that @mrblackbat linked to is really helping me to understand the functional harmony aspects.

Rhys

 

[Pete Effamy]

Would Jeff Antoniuk's word "impressionistic" be a better term than "floaty" ? He talks about this from about 2:20 in the video above.

I think that’s more a description of Bill Evans style. The chords are very ii - V / ii - V - I

 

[mrblackbat]

Firstly, the chords aren’t floaty, they’re very functional - just with a passing chord or two.

For a modal tune yeah the harmony is pretty functional. But I think then you can choose to play it modally or play to the function - or dip in and out of each

 

[Pete Thomas]

Firstly, the chords aren’t floaty, they’re very functional - just with a passing chord or two.

They're totally functional by themselves (i.e. without the melody) , whizzing through key centres with mainly quite standard cadences, fifth root movements and apparent tritone sub. Even more so if you equate Gm6 to Em7b5 and Dm6 to Bm7b5.

In the melody though I tend to not be hearing conventional and typical leading notes melodic voice leading) so much, the melody itself doesn't use much of that functionality and includes what was previously unusual 6ths over m7, hence the floaty or impressionistic feel as alluded to.

I was taught in conventional functional harmony - that applied to a lot of popular music and older jazz - that a 6th on a m7 chord was a no-no as it contradicted the the leading connotation of the minor 7 resolution to 3rd of the dominant 7.

 

[rhysonsax]

For a modal tune yeah the harmony is pretty functional. But I think then you can choose to play it modally or play to the function - or dip in and out of each

Interesting stuff and thanks very much for that link to Alex Terrier's page which is great. A couple of things he wrote are very memorable:

• “Blue in Green" is primarily a tonal piece with a clear tonal center in D minor and functional chord progressions. Yet, Bill Evans’ modal-inspired voicings and harmonic treatments add a layer of ambiguity and color that blends tonal and modal elements seamlessly.
• “Blue in Green” is a timeless piece that beautifully bridges tonal and modal jazz. Its unique form, harmonic sophistication, and Bill Evans’ innovative voicings create a deeply expressive soundscape that continues to inspire musicians and listeners alike.
• By understanding the harmonic structure, modal possibilities, and pianistic techniques within the tune, you can unlock new creative pathways in your own playing and appreciation of jazz. Whether you’re interpreting the melody, improvising over the changes, or studying Bill Evans’ piano style, Blue in Green offers a rich and rewarding musical journey.

And the double time and quadruple time sections are making a lot more sense now.

Rhys

 

[mrblackbat]

I was taught in conventional functional harmony - that applied to a lot of popular music and older jazz - that a 6th on a m7 chord was a no-no as it contradicted the the leading connotation of the minor 7 resolution to 3rd of the dominant 7.

Minor 6 chords are often more desirable than minor 7 chords when trying to create a true minor sound. A minor 7 chord is actually just an inversion of the subdominant as a major 6 chord, so really ii-V-I sequences are really IV-V-I.

If the sequence is minor though, then using a minor 6 will give a clear sound that it’s minor and also open the possibility for playing the melodic minor scale without clashing.

 

[Colin the Bear]

@Pete Thomas typo there.
Dm6 = Bm7b5

 

[Pete Thomas]

Minor 6 chords are often more desirable than minor 7 chords when trying to create a true minor sound. A minor 7 chord is actually just an inversion of the subdominant as a major 6 chord, so really ii-V-I sequences are really IV-V-I.

If the sequence is minor though, then using a minor 6 will give a clear sound that it’s minor and also open the possibility for playing the melodic minor scale without clashing.

Yes sure, but I was talking purely about a 6th (or 13th) over at minor 7 in the context of chord IIm7 - V7 - I.

"that a 6th on a m7 chord was a no-no as it contradicted the the leading connotation of the minor 7 resolution to 3rd of the dominant 7."

If we are talking about a minor tonic it can be minor 6, minor /maj7, min triad, or min7 for a more dorian flavor as opposed to strictly minor

 

[mrblackbat]

Yes sure, but I was talking purely about a 6th (or 13th) over at minor 7 in the context of chord IIm7 m- V7 - I.

Understood, and yes that’s where in the context of this song things can be quite interesting. The first chord (Gm7) is definitely NOT a ii chord. I actually would write that chord as Gm6 myself. Likewise the Am7 in bar 9 is definitely not a ii chord.

 

[Pete Thomas]

The first chord (Gm7) is definitely NOT a ii chord

Absolutely no it isn't. To me, after the intro, it sounds like chord IV (min 13th)

 

[Pete Effamy]

Understood, and yes that’s where in the context of this song things can be quite interesting. The first chord (Gm7) is definitely NOT a ii chord. I actually would write that chord as Gm6 myself. Likewise the Am7 in bar 9 is definitely not a ii chord.

In a certain time many of the Real Book-type charts had chords automatically being written as m7, when there might have been m6 and also Major 7 instead of 6 - think Girl from Ipanema written with Maj7’s instead of 6 chords - and it sounds very different even though the chord quality is still major.

 

[Pete Thomas]

chords automatically being written as m7, when there might have been m6

Also chords written as m6 when they would be better as m7b5. e.g. Dm6 instead of Bm7b5. Obviously min6 chords do have their place as mentioned above especially in minor harmony, e.g. as a Im6 or IVm6, or in progressions that embellish a plagal cadence with a passing minor IV6 - IVmin6 - I

 

[PiccoloPirate]

Myles trumpet might be a bit floaty, compared to the others, but he might have been thinking ....