Double Bass Q regarding a line in Jay Hungerford's book . . .

[Jack Clark]

On page 45 of Jay Hungerford's Walking Jazz Lines for Bass under the heading "Blues (Ray Brown)." Jay presents 36 bars of what are supposedly a Ray Brown style 12 bar blues. (If this is a transcription of a particular Ray Brown recording, he does not attribute it.)

Anyway, Jay's third line of the second chorus is as attached, below. My question is to the E♮that is in the turnaround at measure 24. The chord is Cm7, yet Jay shows an E♮, not an E♭, as the bass note on the second beat.

Do you think Ray really had a natural E there? If so, is this for tension during the turnaround? Or is it simply a half-step approach to the F, regardless of it not being a note that is consistent with the Cm7 chord? Or is this just a misprint, do you think?

 

[moles]

Looks like an approach note to me - he plays the Eb in the beat prior.

 

[Jack Clark]

Looks like an approach note to me - he plays the Eb in the beat prior.

No, I'm asking about measure 24, not measure 21. That being said, I think Ray probably was simply using it as an approach note in measure 24, too—even through the Cm7 lasts only two beats and the first beat was just the root. I wouldn't have been sure it was legit to do that, if I hadn't seen it attributed to RB. . . . Unless it really is just a misprint?

 

[moles]

Ah - apologies...the "21" on the first bar isn't so clear on my little netbook screen.

In the last bar, my instincts say approach note also. This should be understood to come with the usual caveats...I'm a hack, little formal jazz training other than some good books and using my ear...etc...

Interesting that you should be debating whether it's a tension vs. approach note....chromatic approach notes like that have always felt like mini-tensions to me.

 

[Jack Clark]

Yes, I think you're right, moles. The mini-tension is what makes it a good approach note, maybe, in that it previews and anticipates the chord that's coming.

I guess I was interested in the fact that the Cm7 chord RB was leaving called for a flattened 3rd, but the approach note called for a natural third despite the Cm7 chord that was being left. In this case, it appears that RB felt it was more important or appropriate to approach the next chord than to outline the existing chord.

Just something I hadn't thought of before. When I saw that RB was IN a Cm7 chord, I expected him to play the minor 3rd. Instead RB's emphasis was on the chord he was going to, not the one he was leaving. Gives me a new insight as to priorities, maybe. Forward motion?

 

[Jay Hungerford]

On page 45 of Jay Hungerford's Walking Jazz Lines for Bass under the heading "Blues (Ray Brown)." Jay presents 36 bars of what are supposedly a Ray Brown style 12 bar blues. (If this is a transcription of a particular Ray Brown recording, he does not attribute it.)

Anyway, Jay's third line of the second chorus is as attached, below. My question is to the E♮that is in the turnaround at measure 24. The chord is Cm7, yet Jay shows an E♮, not an E♭, as the bass note on the second beat.

Do you think Ray really had a natural E there? If so, is this for tension during the turnaround? Or is it simply a half-step approach to the F, regardless of it not being a note that is consistent with the Cm7 chord? Or is this just a misprint, do you think?

Sorry for the late reply. I questioned that note as well when transcribing Ray Brown's line from the recording. The transcription is from Superbass - Live at Scullers (Blue Monk). At measure 24, the Cm7 is only implied as there are no rhythm instruments. I personally would not have chosen an E natural as a passing tone in a I-vi-ii-V turnaround, but Ray Brown can break any unwritten rule he chooses.
Jay Hungerford - Walking Jazz Lines For Bass. Walking Jazz Lines For Bass

 

[statsc]

Ah - apologies...the "21" on the first bar isn't so clear on my little netbook screen.

In the last bar, my instincts say approach note also. This should be understood to come with the usual caveats...I'm a hack, little formal jazz training other than some good books and using my ear...etc...

Interesting that you should be debating whether it's a tension vs. approach note....chromatic approach notes like that have always felt like mini-tensions to me.

An approach note. Let's move on. Like Ray did.