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chord changes for Oleo?

9280 Views 15 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  Isle of Jazz
Hi I'm an intermediatte sax player, I guess. I've been playing a couple years in school. On thursday I'm auditioning for the sr. jazz band at my middle school. I have to play a couple lines of Oleo by sonny rollins, arranged by mark taylor. I want to show off how I can improvise, but I don't know the chord changes. it's not like I'll have a rhythm section, but - well, I guess I want some advice on what to improvize on. Thanks!
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Look up http://www.realbook.us/. They have it and you can transpose, mess with tempo, etc... But you need to register 1st.
Isn't Oleo Rhythm Changes? Correct me if I'm wrong.
Isn't Oleo Rhythm Changes? Correct me if I'm wrong.
Yes and no. There's a little part that is a different variation if I am not mistaken. But for the most part it is.
"Rhythm" changes are open to a lot of variation, so that may be what you are thinking about. Yes, Oleo is based on/uses Rhythm changes.

Piraino, there are some good transcription books out there (check out jazzbooks.com) with collections of solos based on Rhythm changes. One of my favorites is "Masters of the Tenor Saxophone play Rhythm Changes: Jazz Tenor Solos" transcribed and edited by Trent Kynaston. The introduction has a very nice, short explanation of what "Rhythm Changes" are and some variations of the changes, in case you don't know.
"Rhythm" changes are open to a lot of variation, so that may be what you are thinking about. Yes, Oleo is based on/uses Rhythm changes.
That's probably correct. Thanks you:D
Seriously, I just looked at 5 different real/fake books and each one had a different variation of rhythm changes. I checked the 2 Aebersold's that I knew had it and there were 2 more unique variations. So that's 7 different books using 7 different sets of changes. I guess there is no general consensus on the "exact" changes of Oleo or virtually any other Rhythm tune for that matter.
Seriously, I just looked at 5 different real/fake books and each one had a different variation of rhythm changes. I checked the 2 Aebersold's that I knew had it and there were 2 more unique variations. So that's 7 different books using 7 different sets of changes. I guess there is no general consensus on the "exact" changes of Oleo or virtually any other Rhythm tune for that matter.
Well...actually there is a more or less standard set of changes for rhythm changes. David Baker explains it well in his "How to Play Bebop" series. I just looked and it's Volume 3. Also, Mark Levine has a great explanation in his "Jazz Theory" book.
huh. ok, I don't think I really get all this... haven't ever heard of rhythm changes and they seemed pretty complicated when I looked them up. I've pretty much just started improvizing this year, and I'm looking for maybe something I could do for 8 bars... well I'll probably just do it in G maj that being the key the song is in. Thanks for all your help, I might use it someday, sorry I was a little green to understand it all right now.
Well...actually there is a more or less standard set of changes for rhythm changes. David Baker explains it well in his "How to Play Bebop" series. I just looked and it's Volume 3. Also, Mark Levine has a great explanation in his "Jazz Theory" book.
I pretty much approach all rhythm tunes the same way except for certain tunes (ie Eternal Triangle bridge).
huh. ok, I don't think I really get all this... haven't ever heard of rhythm changes and they seemed pretty complicated when I looked them up. I've pretty much just started improvizing this year, and I'm looking for maybe something I could do for 8 bars... well I'll probably just do it in G maj that being the key the song is in. Thanks for all your help, I might use it someday, sorry I was a little green to understand it all right now.
There are many ways to improvise over rhythm changes. One simple way is to just improvise in the key of C (for tenor) or G (for alto). Another is to just use the blues scale (again C blues for tenor and G blues for alto). You can do this over the first 16 bars and the last 8 bars of the tune.
Rhythm Changes and their variations are all substitutes of each other. It doesn't matter which changes the sax player plays, it doesn't matter which ones the piano player is comping, and it doesn't matter which one the bass is using. They all have the cadences in the same places and a bridge that goes V/V/V/V, V/V/V, V/V, V. (In the key of Bb that is D7, G7, C7, F7. Slashes notate the word "of," for example "Five of Five," or the dominant of five, which is II7, or in the key of Bb, C7.)
Rhythm Changes and their variations are all substitutes of each other. It doesn't matter which changes the sax player plays, it doesn't matter which ones the piano player is comping, and it doesn't matter which one the bass is using. They all have the cadences in the same places and a bridge that goes V/V/V/V, V/V/V, V/V, V. (In the key of Bb that is D7, G7, C7, F7. Slashes notate the word "of," for example "Five of Five," or the dominant of five, which is II7, or in the key of Bb, C7.)
So, would the III7 chord be called a Secondary Secondary Secondary Dominant or a Quadrary Dominant? :twisted::shock:
It doesn't matter which changes the sax player plays, it doesn't matter which ones the piano player is comping, and it doesn't matter which one the bass is using.
I would have to really, really disagree with that. If a player is really listening to what is going on around him/her, the changes that the piano, sax, or bass player plays are VERY important. If I'm playing rhythm changes, and I start to cycle through dominant chords in the first 4 bars of the "A" section as in: Gb7 B7|E7 A7|D7 G7|C7 F7|... and no one catches that, I know it's going to be a looooong night. OR... if I quote the Ben Webster diminished arpeggio lick from "Cottontail" or the famous Sonny Stitt diminished lick, and I don't hear anyone respond...again, long night.

Likewise, if the the bass player plays, IV7 #IVdim7 all night in the 6th bar of the A section, and I don't bother listening and then I and/or the piano player plays IV7 bVII7 and the chords constantly clash, that can really stink. And the list of stinky things about playing and not listening or caring what each other is playing could go on and on and on...

Playing rhythm changes well, is in my opinion, very tricky. Generalizing or skating with blanket scales over those wonderfully rich chord changes is OK for just a little while, but the members of the audience and/or band with real ears would like to hear some change making -- AND they would like to hear some change making that the entire group is doing together.
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huh. ok, I don't think I really get all this... haven't ever heard of rhythm changes and they seemed pretty complicated when I looked them up. I've pretty much just started improvizing this year, and I'm looking for maybe something I could do for 8 bars... well I'll probably just do it in G maj that being the key the song is in. Thanks for all your help, I might use it someday, sorry I was a little green to understand it all right now.
If you have just started improvising this year, you should not feel bad if improvising over rhythm changes seems difficult at this stage. Other songs from the Charlie Parker play list that you might want to try would include "Billie's Bounce" and "Now's the Time", and perhaps "Yardbird Suite". Some other good songs to try improvising with would be "Freddie the Freeloader" and "All Blues" from the Miles Davis album "Kind of Blue" - these are both based on blues chord progressions.
... I don't think I really get all this... haven't ever heard of rhythm changes and they seemed pretty complicated when I looked them up.
And just in case you don't know this, they are called "Rhythm Changes" because they are derived from the chord structure of Gershwin's "I've Got Rhythm". Get that tune in your head and you'll hear it underpinning the heads and solos of countless jazz tunes.
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