Is there a "Jazz Progression"?

[bassflyer19]

I play mainly blues and rock. I just recently joined a horn band, and I was wondering if there is a recognized progression for jazz like how blues has 1-4-5. I am just curious because I feel that it would help me learn better.
Thanks amigos y amigas

[reedo35]

ii V7 I

[guroove]

There are a bunch. The one mentioned above is one. That can be expanded to I - VI - II - V - I

There was a song called "I Got Rhythm" composed by George Gershwin in the 1930s that has become a standard progression for jazz.

[reedo35]

Right y'ar.
About 80% of "standard" jazz is some kind of variation on this progression.- I VI ii V7 I

[dmusic148]

"Rhythm changes" progression is used on many, many bop tunes.

[251]

Originally Posted by bassflyer19

I play mainly blues and rock. I just recently joined a horn band, and I was wondering if there is a recognized progression for jazz like how blues has 1-4-5. I am just curious because I feel that it would help me learn better.
Thanks amigos y amigas

Most Jazz Standards started out as popular songs, show or dance band tunes played live in clubs & restaurants. The changes are very melodic & anything but standard. Lots of tunes share changes, Cherokee, How High the Moon + many more. To complicate it more, the changes often were substituted to make a new tune with a new melody.

There are strategies for remembering the common features of changes but, they don't come easy to me. I'm 1 of those players who usually has a chart in front of them. I just find it easier to remember the Periodic Table of Elements or 3 decimal Logarithm tables. Well, once upon a time... 8-)

[IdealWay]

I'm kind of just restating what's already been said in different terms, but often times a jazz progression will move through the circle of 5ths/4ths, so familiarizing yourself with it would be a good move. Try to notice ii-V7-I progressions and develop patterns for navigating through them as they are everywhere, sometimes in the tonic key, but also as secondary dominants, which are trickier to spot.

[billoetjen]

SUBSCRIBED!

[SBassman]

Go to

http://www.playjazznow.com/bassist.html

and you'll find super helpful tracks that will show you
some of the common progressions.

[shadow_FIX]

Rhythm changes expanded:

A:
I - vi - ii - V7 - I - vi - ii - V7
I - V7/IV - IV - iv - I - V7 - I

B:
III7 - III7 - VI7 - VI7
II7 - II7 - V7 - V7

Form being ABA. I tried to write it out "universally" but you will usually see this in Bb major. The bridge the way I wrote it hopefully makes sense...so if we were in Bb major, the bridge would be D7, G7, C7, F7, all being dominant chords that never quite "resolve" until the last V7 leading back to I.

This is just the basic version...there are plenty of alterations to the changes that have been done over the years.

[Jazzerbone]

Theres probably three good answers

ii V I - ii min7b5 V7 i in minor keys. Almost every tune uses this progression. When the changes look crazy hard just look and see if it's not ii V7 I's in different keys. i.e. bridge to Have You Met Miss Jones. Sometimes you'll see the progression extended to iii vi (sometimes VI 7) ii V7 I. There's an aebersold book just on this stuff.

Rhythm changes are based off of the song "I've Got Rhythm" John Pizzarelli has a great YouTube of that song. The Flinstones theme is rhythm changes exactly.

12 bar blues major and minor. Some tunes add alot of chords to the normal 12 bar. A famous example of using different chords is Blues for Alice.

[Jazzerbone]

Rhythm form is AABA not ABA. That's a great way to piss off the horn player.

[kayakbass]

Originally Posted by bassflyer19

I play mainly blues and rock. I just recently joined a horn band, and I was wondering if there is a recognized progression for jazz like how blues has 1-4-5. I am just curious because I feel that it would help me learn better.
Thanks amigos y amigas

The only jazz progression I know of is: study hard, practice a lot, study more, practice even harder, find it hard to book paying gigs, grow old bitter and angry.

[sleepytime]

Originally Posted by kayakbass

The only jazz progression I know of is: study hard, practice a lot, study more, practice even harder, find it hard to book paying gigs, grow old bitter and angry.

Sounds like music in general, and it just keeps getting worse. I wonder what percentage of Berklee graduates never make enough in the music biz to pay off their schooling and eat.

Better to just buy DJ gear.

[SBassman]

Yes, there's not justice in the lack of money for those who pursue it, but - ya gotta keep in mind the Journey, instead of the end result. Music can be a great joy in life - even when you don't pay your bills with it.

[MalcolmAmos]

Jazz standards dumbed down to vanilla chords.
http://www.ralphpatt.com/Song.html

Backing tracks on the above.
http://www.ralphpatt.com/Backing.html

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by Jazzerbone

Rhythm form is AABA not ABA. That's a great way to piss off the horn player.

Especially if he takes two rounds and forgets it's A A A in the middle

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by bassflyer19

I play mainly blues and rock. I just recently joined a horn band, and I was wondering if there is a recognized progression for jazz like how blues has 1-4-5. I am just curious because I feel that it would help me learn better.
Thanks amigos y amigas

One of those Jazz progression would be the blues but with altered changes. One example:

| I | IV | I | I |

| IV | IV | I | VI |

| ii | V | I vi | ii V |

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by MalcolmAmos

Jazz standards dumbed down to vanilla chords.
http://www.ralphpatt.com/Song.html

Backing tracks on the above.
http://www.ralphpatt.com/Backing.html

Theres also http://www.realbook.us which lets you transpose the changes into any key you like and play back the backing track in that key.

[togglehead]

Originally Posted by Chris K

Especially if he takes two rounds and forgets it's A A A in the middle

thats alright. If it was a trombone player he wouldnt actually have gotten the gig anyway.