All Blues

All Blues

1. Miles Davis

   • jazz
     • 1959
       • recorded with almost no rehearsals + no score

2. structure

   • based on 12 bar blues
   • 5 sections
   • heads = melodies
   • 1. intro
   • 2. Head 1
   • 3. solos
     • trumpet, alto sax, tenor sax, piano
   • 4. Head 2
   • 5. coda

3. melody

   • simple head melodies
     • rising 6ths
   • 4.piano solo- 2 chorus', calmer, simple melody, parallel chords
   • 1.trumpet solo- 4 chorus', short syncopated motifs
   • 2.alto sax- 4 chorus', quicker notes, wide range, virtuosic
   • 3.tenor sax- 4 chorus', fast scales, quick runs, v. virtuosic

4. harmony + tonality

   • 12 bar blues
   • G major with flattened 7th
     • mixolydian so feels like modal jazz
   • G7, G7, G7, G7, Gm7, Gm7, G7, G7, D7, Eb/D7, Eb/D7, F/G, F/G6

5. rhythm, metre, tempo

   • 6/4
   • syncopation
   • swung quavers
   • jazz waltz as 6/4 sounds like 3/4

6. instrumentation

   • frontline
     • trumpet
       • alto sax
         • tenor sax
           • (piano?)
       • mute for head
   • rhythm
     • piano
       • bass
         • drums
           • wire brushes at start
         • pizz throughout
       • tremolo at start then comping