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Comments
I think Eø would be nicer going into D-. Which maybe that's what you do anyway but the chart has E- I usually throw in D- to Db dim for two beats and back to D-, iVi of sorts. Especially in the second A, I might skip the first.
Yeah, Buco, and Gm A7 Dm similar. But I wouldn't write a Gm nor Em nor Em7b5 on the chart, because then people are gonna play it like that every time, and it takes options away. Simpler chart is better.
Listening to the rhythm section in the hot club recording it sounds like they go directly to A7 in bar 5 (also directly to G7 in bar 15?) and I don't really hear the -7 color in the D chord, just a straight Dm 👂
Yeah, Gm works well and probably more common than Eø in the jam circles. I too noticed when I listed to modern top acts, the rhythm section usually just plays Vs, not iiV, so just D7 to G7.
I took a lesson with Fapy and he said the original melody for the very end of the form (last 4 bars) fits with Fmi instead of the common Dmi that is played there.
So the last 8 bars would be | F | Fmi | Emi | A7 | Fmi | G7 | C |. Adds a different color to song, but I suppose the melody notes has changed on that part over the years over that last line " Why not take all of me". I think the old melody would have an Ab in that phrase.
Kinda funny, given all the variations...but for another, when I used to play Freddie Green style back in the day, the chart we used went | F6 | Fm6 | C6 | A7 | Dm | G7 | C6 | (with a Dm-G7 turnaround back to the top) so there's another one for the mix.
I've seen the Em version quite a bit as well but I always thought the C6 to A7 in the chart we used sounded more inline with the vocal melody, at least to my ears.
eta: I also feel like the Em version is popular not just because it's in most charts for All of Me but also because it adds more to the overall "melancholy" feel
eta2: should also add I sometimes still play the last 8 in part using Freddie Green 2 note chords because I'll always love the sound of playing the C/A combo for the F6 to C/Ab for the Fm6 (root C on the low E string for those unfamiliar with Freddie Green chords) - sounds very Green/Pizzarelli/Oscar Moore/etc. even on a Django box when played closer to the neck to get that more bass-driven "choppin' wood" sound like you would from an acoustic archtop
@tbleen that Fapy version is really intriguing, will have to give it a try tonight
Good discussion, I'm enjoying learning about all the possibilities for these chord changes. It's funny how some of these options seem to be regional, where players in a certain town or area do it a certain way. I know I've seen that in Asheville. On a bandstand one night, a respected player may say "hey, when we get to this part of the song, try these chords instead", or something to that effect. If it's hip & folks like it, it seems to take hold with the rest of the players in the area.
A lot of these variations can be applied by the soloist even if the rhythm section isn't mirroring them... especially things like the ii-V to Dm. You'll often hear people imply the Em7 over the two bars of A7.
You can also get hip with it and do things like | Em7 / | Eb7 / | Dm7 / | and avoid an obvious A7 completely. I'll often do that sort of thing on bass if I'm playing behind a soloist trying to build tension.
You'll often hear people imply the Em7 over the two bars of A7.
Considering Em6/A7 share the same diminished arpeggio, this makes even more sense from a GJ standpoint
I've often thought about how it actually sounds better for a soloist hitting the color notes when the band just plays simple triads. Say, outlining a color like Em7 or Gm6 on that bar 5 here when the band is just chugging away on a straight A7.
I reckon it's part of the Quintette's success, and why that hot club sound (which was arguably a narrow period in Django's career) is still so likable and popular. Their changes are incredibly simple, often more simple than the original versions were, and it leaves space for Django to imply "tall" chords and harmony with 7ths, 11s, 13s on top of the band's fundamental.
I don't have a theoretical explanation for this secret sauce, but somehow there is more contrast(?) when the soloist implies a harmony that isn't there from the rhythm section. If the rhythm section does it too, everything just sounds 100% "inside" and the magic is gone. Or worse, the soloist and rhythm section accidentally chose clashing colors, and the result was less than the sum of its parts.
If you've ever played a gig with me you've probably heard me gripe about a similar thing on Django's tiger - the band doesn't play the F7 chord. Django plays the F7, and he's playing "outside". If the band played the F7 he would be inside, and the effect would be lost.