[Dixielandjazz] Chords Again. James P Johnson to Dizzy Gillespie

[Stephen Barbone]

List mates:

Discovered an interesting twist on the Gm6 chord with the E in the root,
(first mentioned by John Farrell) that James P. Johnson wrote in the
12th bar of the chorus to "Charleston". circa 1924. The notes of that
chord, per the original sheet music are:  E, G, Bb, D. Now, note the
following quote from Dizzy Gillespie in 'Downbeat', May 1961. He was
talking about Thelonious Monk and "modern chords".

"I can remember when nobody except us played the chord progression Am7
to D7, to Db. That was one of the chord progressions I showed Monk." And
thern Dizzy continued:

"But Monk was the first to use Em7 with a flatted fifth, or as some call
it an E half-diminished. Monk just called it a Gm6 with an E in the
base."

What are the notes to an Em7b5?  Same as Gm6 with the E in the base.  E,
G, Bb, D.

Gm6 with E as the root?  Isn't that what James P called the Em7b5?  Well
before Monk? And since JPJ was one of Monk's first heroes, it would
follow that Monk picked up on it from him, no?

Why didn't they call it Em7b5? On JPJ's part, perhaps because in
Dixieland or Jazz at the time, there was a rule that you didn't flat
fifths?  What was it Eddie Condon said: "We don't flat our fifths, we
drink them?" ;-)

If the notes to Em7b5 are the same as Gm6 with the E in the base; E, G,
Bb, D, doesn't it follow that in "Charleston", 1924, JPJ was really
flatting the 5th?

I don't claim to be the chord maven, and probably I am missing something
so you chord guys, help me out will you? Otherwise I'll have to think
either that JPJ was among the harmonic grandfathers of bebop, or that
Monk played Dixieland. ;-)

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS. No matter what, it is kind of interesting that both Monk & James P
Johnson described that  particular chord as a Gm6 with an E root, or E
in the base.