straight no chaser?

[thephilosopher]

has anyone got any tips on playing this tune? also, i'm not sure if my real book is right with the transcription... what chords have you guys been using?

[BassChuck]

Cool tune. Its a busy melody so keeping the bass line simple is probably the best strategy. The bass player Monk used for a lot of things was (I think) Ed Thigpen, a real master of simplicity.

The tune doesn't really lend itself to melodic harmonization, but it's sometime fun in measure 9-12 (the upward chromatic line) to run a bass line in either octaves, tenths or sevenths. I don't have my Real book handy, but I don't recall the chords being off.... (ah, memory!) Really, the nature of this melody would lend itself to many, many different accompaning chords, it would depend on you interp and style. Do you think Monk would mind someone experimenting with his tune? I think he'd love it.

This world needs more Monk.

[DrewBud]

I've always used the "jazz" blues changes for that tune..at least that was the way I was tought it.

|I | IV | I | I | IV | IV | I | VI | II | V | I VI | II V |

[wtg203]

I've been working on this with my bass teacher, and he was kind of upset with the changes my realbook (bass clef) version gave. The beginning's right (the Bb7 Eb7 parts) but at the end he told me to use rythm changes (VI II V I). He mentioned something about certain songs getting changed slightly in some legal process of the rights to realbook songs getting moved around, explaining these little discrepancies.

[skewh]

Originally Posted by DrewBud

I've always used the "jazz" blues changes for that tune..at least that was the way I was tought it.

|I | IV | I | I | IV | IV | I | VI | II | V | I VI | II V |

That's the progression I use when playing this tune. As far as improvisation goes in this one I tend to use a lot of syncopation and chromatic runs during the changes. Try to get a copy of Milestones and listen to that version, then cop some licks from 'Trane, Cannonball or Miles, then try to improve/change them to your own style. This version is in F.

[Le Basseur]

Originally Posted by BassChuck

The bass player Monk used for a lot of things was (I think) Ed Thigpen, a real master of simplicity.

Nope...Ed Thigpen is (was?) a drummer...great brushes' playing.
You might refer to Larry Gales.

Originally Posted by BassChuck

This world needs more Monk.

+1!
Truth has been spoken!
Regards,

[Jazzin']

Originally Posted by DrewBud

I've always used the "jazz" blues changes for that tune..at least that was the way I was tought it.

|I | IV | I | I | IV | IV | I | VI | II | V | I VI | II V |

Toss in more 251s...

||: I | IV | I | v I | IV | IV | I | iii VI | ii | V | I VI | ii V :||

[geoffkhan]

If you plan on playing more Monk tunes, do yourself a favor and pick up the Thelonious Monk Fake Book. It's more accurate than the tunes you find in the Real Books, since those ones are usually Miles's versions rather than the original Monk versions.