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Yo kiddies, I hope you've been practicing your fretless chops 'cuz now we're gonna put 'em to use. In my next few columns I'll focus on harmony analysis, jazz devices that are used over and over in many tunes and some bass tricks that will help you walk your way through the jazz 'hood without getting' your cabeza smashed after the gig by the guy holding the conch shell.

We'll use the tune, "It Could Happen To You", which has a couple of the aforementioned jazz devices and can be found on "Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet"------check it.

The first walkin' trick I'm going to discuss is called "The Move". Before we can get to "The Move" and it's variations we must first analyze the first twelve bars of the tune.

As you can see by the time and key signatures, the tune is in 4/4 or common time, it is in the key of E flat and it starts on the Imaj7 chord. Let's analyze the rest of the tune using Roman numerals, shall we? The second bar has a parenthetic cadence (meaning you don't have to play these chords.) You could continue to play the Imaj7. The parenthetic chords each contain two common tones with the Imaj7, G and Bb, which is why they can be used in this fashion plus they add some hip harmonic movement instead of just playing the Imaj7 for two bars (more on that momentarily).

The bracketed numerals and the slash above the cadence mean that this can be analyzed as the two, five of the two chord, which is F-7. Quite often, when you see a two, five of some other chord (ii-7, iii-7, etc) that chord usually follows the two, five cadence.

OK, OK, enuff with this filling me cabeza with theory!!! What's this MOVE thang?

Well, kiddies, that's why I have to teach you the theory first. So's you know what I'm talkin' 'bout. "The Move" is a little trick that allows you to add interesting movement to an otherwise static chord progression. Remember when I rather complicatedly stated that the first three bars of this tune could be thought of as the Imaj7 for two bars moving to the ii-7 in bar three? That's where you play "The Move". So what is it already, Spanky!?

I'm going to teach you this in the key of F for two reasons. One, it will be easier for you to discern "The Move" via the key of F and two, your first exercise will be to play the first four bars of "It Could Happen To You" in Eb using "The Move". What will this accomplish? You will learn the move in an easy key, F, and then, by moving to another key, you will be one step closer to your next exercise, which is to play the Imaj7 for two bars moving to the ii-7 in all keys.

"The Move" and some variations:

Next time, more on this and other jazz devices. Extra credit if you can tell me what's hapnin' in the next five measures of "It Could Happen To You".

L8r. k-dub, keeper o da funk. I can be reached via email at k-dub@funknotes.com