You should read my posts on Stella and on the minor plagal cadence
in the editted digests. I explain the harmonic movement of this tune
in detail.
Essentially, Ab7 is not really a dominant chord but rather Ebm6/Ab.
(Ebm6/Ab == Ab Eb Gb Bb C = Ab9 )
What is happening here is the movement IV iv I which is classical
music is called a plagal cadence. When the iv is minor then it's
called a minor plagal cadence.
Jazz musicians frequently will use this change of bass note to make things
sound more interesting.
In terms of improvising, there are ramifications whenever these
false dominants are present.
Harmonically it's really an Ebm6 and the chord scale is Eb jazz minor.
That means that for the dominant Ab7, you are essentially locked into
the melodic minor harmony for Ebm6 which gives you tensions 9, #11, 13.
Thus you are not in general free to use altered dominant tones like
b9 or #5 . Eb jazz minor = Eb F Gb Ab Bb C D .
This is the same idea in songs which have movement like:
C Bb7 C . It's really C Fm6/Bb C or just a jazzed up minor plagal
cadence.
This is the same movement used in the beginning of "Just Friends".
For example in F,
Bb | | Bbm7 | Eb7 |
F
Thus we have really Bb, Bbm7, Bbm6/Eb, F
The natual chord scale for the Eb7 is then Bb melodic minor but then
we are again locked into 9,#11,13 for dominant tensions.
reed
>Thanks
>Paul
>
>--
Reed Kotler
reed@justjazz.com
http://www.justjazz.com