"What a Man" -- why the Db against C7?

[Dr Dan]

I've been learning a bunch of Stax tunes lately, and right now I'm enjoying Linda Lyndell's "What a Man." (Don't know who played bass -- doesn't sound like Duck Dunn to me, but I could be wrong.)

My question: what's up with that Db towards the end of the bass figure (bar 4) in the verses? (The notes in that lick are C G Bb Db.) It sounds great, and it really stands out, but the transcriptions I find all have the chord as C7. So, why does that Db work there? Is it just a half-step movement to the 5th of the coming G chord? (It starts a turnaround of Db F G.)

It's very cool, but I don't think I ever would have thought of it, so I'd like to understand what makes it work.

 

[AGCurry]

Never having heard that recording before, I just listened to it. If I'm hearing correctly what you're referring to, the Db is on a "weak" beat and so quick that it simply doesn't matter that it's "not in the chord." It's there just to make the line more interesting ... and I guess it worked!

 

[Acidic Pool]

Great song, I did a deep dive into those Stax singles recently too. I seem to recall reading somewhere that they basically improvised the song in the studio, that could have something to do with it.

 

[EarnestTBass]

Maybe, overall, there is an ascending bass line- G B C C# D

The C# (or Db to you) is a chromatic bluesy transition between the C and the D.

 

[byacey]

wouldn't that make it a C7b9?

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Maybe, overall, there is an ascending bass line- G B C C# D

I've listened to that bass riff in Verse.
At a normal tempo, it's not "visible" that C#. If I start slowing down the song, that C# gets, kind of, "visible" to my ears.
(Around 0:20, the bass arpeggiates - C E G Bb before C#)

At 0:45, the bass does not change from G to C on Beat1, while the piano player follows the regular vamp structure.

I've listened to En Voque/SaltNPepa version - they don't use that C# note in the bass.
For their slower tempo rendition, that C# (most probably) was bothering them.

wouldn't that make it a C7b9?

That C# chromatic note in the bass is "situated" between two C7 chords played by the guitar/piano.

I would say, with C7 and C# in the bass - it's C#dim7(maj7) (maybe).

 

[EarnestTBass]

I need to give Pierre Verger credit for transcribing the few measures that I posted above. I cut and pasted 3 measures from a transcription for the entire song.

Mr. Verger runs a site called Freebasspart, where you can find a treasure trove (free to download) of accurate classic funk and R&B bass transcriptions.

Thank you Mr. Verger.

 

[Dr Dan]

WOW!!!
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