fourths

[Howard K]

Are you sure we're not just talking about a half-diminished - very common in Jazz?

Well, here's a thing... I don't know?!

I mean I looked at the notation for the track because I loved the sound of those slurring horns over the turnaround - you know what I mean, you can hear it, yes?

Well the four notes the horns play make up root, m3, b5, M7 - although inverted somehow - I cant remember right now.

I recognise that it's a dim triad with the M7 added, but I dont know why. I basically wanst sure if it was a known jazz chord, or a Mingusism, i.e. a specific part of the composition
This is where looking at things out of context doesnt help... so assuming you're right the M7 leading tone would be used in other places in the track and would make more sense if I;d looked at it a a whole...?

 

[moley]

Originally posted by Howard K
M7#11 - so you could play a lydian over that nicely?

Yup!

moley, while were on the subject, what would you call a chord containing: m3, b5, M7 ???

I'd call it a bastard

i was looking at the transcription of the Mingus number 'boogie stop shuffle', and the horns make up this chord together over the turnaround. I wondered what one would call it?

Well, on its own, all I can think of to call it is something like Xm7b5(maj7) or something.

However, given that it's a horn voicing, and I presume there are other notes on other instruments... who knows!

One way I would expect to see that configuration of notes is as part of, say, a 7b9 voicing. Take that m3, b5, and M7, and put what would be the 9th in the bass, and you've got a 13(b9), which is nice.

For example:

Say you've got C Eb Gb B as the root, m3, b5, M7. Now, put a D in the bass, and you've got D13(b9), which is a nice chord.

 

[Phil Smith]

Originally posted by Howard K

moley, while were on the subject, what would you call a chord containing: m3, b5, M7 ???

i was looking at the transcription of the Mingus number 'boogie stop shuffle', and the horns make up this chord together over the turnaround. I wondered what one would call it?

minMaj7b5

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

I think in this particular tune - it's misleading as there are a lot of chromatic runs and passing notes - Mingus is going for a very Bluesy feel and virtually every bar has notes that aren't diatonic to the current chord/key/scale.