Double Bass Jazzing up My Funny Valentine

[Tom Lane]

How many singers does it take to sing My Funny Valentine? Apparently, ALL of them!

A very old joke that most of you already knew, still, it might have made you smile for a moment.

But! I have serious question about the tune. I'll admit, I love playing it, soloing on it, playing the bassline, listening to others perform it, just please, not too slow or too many choruses; it can really drag.

I want your opinion on a few different ways we could play the first half of the bridge

Yesterday, while I was playing through it, it occured to me that I can't explain why I like the tune so much, it's a pretty simple chord progression, almost modal, but I don't like the first four bars of the bridge. The part where it goes | Eb^ F- | G- F- | Eb^ F- | G- F- | (I expect a competent harmony player to play all of those chords with some sort of extensions but which extensions are up to them)

I started trying to devise different ways of playing those four bars. The first thing that occured to me was to play a different bassline. The next thing was to use the Coltrane Changes on it.

I sat at the piano and discovered that I actually like the original changes when I play them. They don't go anywhere, but that's the point. I think I probably just don't like the voicings iRealPro uses. I also thought the Coltrane Changes and my different bass line worked too and add some interest to the tune. Because, I'm always interested in how my altering the bass line can affect the tune, I played my different bass line with both the original voicings and what I might change the chords to.

So, below, are 3 images. The first is the RB5 version of the chart. The next image is one way I might voice those changes if I were a pianist and those voicings with my different bassline. The last displays a reharm of those measures with my bassline and the Coltrane Changes version. Attached, is an audio file so those who want to can read the voicings and listen along.

So, my question to you is: which progressions you love, hate, or are indifferent to? Do you hate the idea of using the Coltrane Changes there? I think I like it, but it might be just the novelty. I like my alternative bass line because it predicts the 5th bar of the bridge |Eb^ G7 | where I frequently play an |Eb BNatural | already, but I can appreciate how you might hate it, and some of those chords are kinda crunchy.

 

[sebs_washed]

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the Bdim(maj7) resolving to Ebmaj7- I think Bmaj7(#5) would work more smoothly. Totally depends on what you're going for, though. I also think that how well subbing in Coltrane changes works is dependent on how you get out of them. In this case I would probably use that Bmaj7(#5) instead of the Bb7, or you could try starting the cycle on B instead of Eb. That could give you something like this:

Bmaj7 D7 | Gmaj7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7 F#7 | Bmaj7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7

I like how that fits with the melody a little better, but I don't know what your plans are for the melody.

I liked your second reharm, but the success of that one is dependent on the voicings you use. I sat with this one for a minute and here's what I attached what I came up with. I found that it worked better to continue the descending line through the four measures. I think if you sacrificed a little bit of the continuity in the bassline, making that Abmaj7(#9) G7(b9) (which it already pretty much is) and holding it through like this:

Ebmaj7 D-7(b5) | Abmaj7/C G7(b9) | Ebmaj7/G F-9 | Abmaj7/Eb G7(b9)/D | Ebmaj7

could work pretty well tool.

Can you tell I love reharmonization?

Thanks,
Sebastian

 

[Carl Hillman]

How many singers does it take to sing My Funny Valentine? Apparently, ALL of them!

A very old joke that most of you already knew, still, it might have made you smile for a moment.

But! I have serious question about the tune. I'll admit, I love playing it, soloing on it, playing the bassline, listening to others perform it, just please, not too slow or too many choruses; it can really drag.

I want your opinion on a few different ways we could play the first half of the bridge

Yesterday, while I was playing through it, it occured to me that I can't explain why I like the tune so much, it's a pretty simple chord progression, almost modal, but I don't like the first four bars of the bridge. The part where it goes | Eb^ F- | G- F- | Eb^ F- | G- F- | (I expect a competent harmony player to play all of those chords with some sort of extensions but which extensions are up to them)

I started trying to devise different ways of playing those four bars. The first thing that occured to me was to play a different bassline. The next thing was to use the Coltrane Changes on it.

I sat at the piano and discovered that I actually like the original changes when I play them. They don't go anywhere, but that's the point. I think I probably just don't like the voicings iRealPro uses. I also thought the Coltrane Changes and my different bass line worked too and add some interest to the tune. Because, I'm always interested in how my altering the bass line can affect the tune, I played my different bass line with both the original voicings and what I might change the chords to.

So, below, are 3 images. The first is the RB5 version of the chart. The next image is one way I might voice those changes if I were a pianist and those voicings with my different bassline. The last displays a reharm of those measures with my bassline and the Coltrane Changes version. Attached, is an audio file so those who want to can read the voicings and listen along.

So, my question to you is: which progressions you love, hate, or are indifferent to? Do you hate the idea of using the Coltrane Changes there? I think I like it, but it might be just the novelty. I like my alternative bass line because it predicts the 5th bar of the bridge |Eb^ G7 | where I frequently play an |Eb BNatural | already, but I can appreciate how you might hate it, and some of those chords are kinda crunchy.

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Jarrett does this sometimes.

The minor chords make for a nice departure from the usual Eb major diatonia that's there, and they're not too complicated for blowing over.

 

[statsc]

How about just pedaling a Bb over the first 4 bars of the bridge, then Bb to B natural in bar 5 moving smoothly into the Cm in bar 6. Sometimes (often!) less is more!

 

[longfinger]

| Eb^ F- | G- F- | Eb^ F- | G- F- |

Is a tonic prolongation, so Eb^ for all 4 m. is the simplest. Pedal point. Over Eb.

Could also pedal point over a Bb.

Simple way to fill out a tonic prolongation is a |I | V | repeating option
Which could then be expanded into a | I | vi | ii | V |
Or the RB option of | I | ii | iii | ii

And another way to fill out a tonic prolongation is with a | I | IV | repeating motion. Colour the IV as desired (iv).

BTW, why did you put the Ab note on the Gmin7 chord. It really grates. I don't like it, but whatever.
Your 3rd option has those G-Ab in them too. Not to my taste. I can easily imagine a soloist hearing those chords and going "Ugh, there goes my inspiration."

Your 4th option sound good to me, except the repetition of root voiced Bb7. Changing the last one to a Bb7/D or Bb7/F would help the contour of the baseline IMO.

 

[statsc]

How about just pedaling a Bb over the first 4 bars of the bridge, then Bb to B natural in bar 5 moving smoothly into the Cm in bar 6. Sometimes (often!) less is more!

I really like using pedals over certain sections of tunes where appropriate. It instantly changes and broadens the texture, opening things up to a different way of thinking and playing by the other musicians, especially if the rest of the tune contains numerous chord changes, as many jazz tunes do. I find that when I do it, almost immediately the other musicians in the group change what they're doing to fit this expanding space, and it provides a welcome change in texture. No one ever complains!

 

[Michael Glynn]

David Friesen plays it with the first half of the bridge in E and the second half in Eb. Works really smoothly to my ears and adds a lot of interest.

 

[Tom Lane]

All great suggestions, thank you! I particularly like the pedal points. That G7b9 was a mistake. I think I played the Natural 9th at the piano but then forgot about it when I typed it in. I wholeheartedly agree that the Natural 9th sounds better there.

Again, that's for your suggestions and comments!