Confused - apparent key sig and chords

Can you post the chart? I listened to it just now, and it goes to some interesting places.

If what you have is a chord chart, don't worry about the key signature and play the changes. C7 is C7 whatever key the tune is in.

 

Just out of curiosity, we’re you given a guitar chart that asks for a capo?

 

Eb major, C minor

 

"3 flats" (Bb,Eb,Ab) is also the key signature of the Relative Minor key of "C Minor".
Let's start the convo....

 

Jazzdogg beat me to it.

 

Just listened to it - Lots of C7#5,#9, (first chord), so the chart-maker may have used 3 flats to indicate some sort of "C......" tonality, Not C Minor, Not Eb Major.
Key Signatures are so 19th century.
Play the Changes/Chords/Harmony, NOT the Key Signature.
IMFO, of course.

 

Play good phrases, don't regurgitate mode exercises.

One of my favorite t-shirts:

Play the music, not the instrument.

 

This is when "knowing The Cycle" (aka circle of fifths) really pays off.

 

Most everybody here at TB is SICK of my Rants regarding accurate names of chords, but here we go....
Calling the first chord (for example), "C7" is not an accurate description of what is actually being played - the first chord is "C7, #9". Calling is "C7" is woefully incomplete, and misleading.
This happens throughout the chart for Vibes, Piano, and Bass.
Yuck.
IMFO, of course.
Good Luck.
Thanks.

 

Also, Too - Just listened to the complete track, and there is a lot of Harmonic DNA to sort through/hear, and understand. Without some (jazz) Theory, it can be mysterious, esp., when the chart is so incomplete.
Get with the Pianist or Vibes player to get some help?
Thanks.

 

The C7 uses a Bb, the #9 is enharmonic to Eb, and the #5 is enharmonic to Ab. There are many notated Bbs, Ebs, and Abs (moving to G in the G7) in the written bass part. Putting the chart in the key of C-minor seems like a pretty reasonable choice overall.

 

This also brings up the valid question from new comers about key signatures and the blues. (which already has a long thread in here somewhere from a few years ago)
C blues..
C minor blues
key signatures are based on 19th c practice...

Anyways..

Your chart seems off... it's missing natural signs on the E in the first 4 m. (Ditto for the piano chart)

Horns and vibes play Concert Eb, but you play E natural. The crunch gives the sound.

Take the piano part, Left hand should be E natural (pencil it in), right hand has Eb. Listen to that crunch. It's good.

Have your pencil ready and bring this up with your combo supervisor next rehearsal.

Make it sound like this, as best you can, and you'll be doing well.

 

The tonality is a rather ambiguous thanks to the liberal use of chromatic notes and colour in the harmony, but overall I would say it is closest to Cm, which does (can) take F as IV and G as V and is relative minor of Eb major, hence 3b. YMMV

 

That chart is badly written from the beginning.
It is a kind of blues, but after the written music it is in C minor, because even in the chord instruments and the lower bass notes there is an Eb. For a C7#9 there should be the major third (E natural) below the minor third (Eb) for the #9, but it shouldn't be missing totally.
So either the chords over the written music are wrong or the written music. And it depends on what of it is wrong how you (and also any soloist and chord instrument) can proceed to play.

Give the chart back to your ensemble leader, tell him that there are some things totally wrong in there and that he should check written notes against the chord symbols. Only proceed with that chart when your leader gets these things sorted out.

I'm very sorry for you that you got such a mess of a chart. You may share that with your piano and vibes player.

After listening to the music, it is obviously a major blues with a lot of #9 in it.
So Don is right. But the arrangement doesn't reflect the chords that should have been notated.
So ignore the chords symbols above the written music, play the chord symbols in the notated part and add a #9 for most or all of the 7-chords (mostly interesting for the chordal instruments which should play the major third too).
For the beginning you can shorten the half note to a dotted quarter, play the minor third at the rest of the time of the half note and replace the third quarter by the major third. That way you have the major third present and if you glide from the minor to the major also a bit of the ambiguity of the blues third. But that should have been notated correctly. Specially in such a beginner arrangement.