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

[Tony Davis]

John Farrell wrote:

>
> In the 12th bar of The Charleston JPJ plays Gm6 (or more correctly Gm6/E),
> an extension of the relative minor of Bb major - the key in which the tune
> was written.
>
> Em7b5 is an extension of the relative minor of G major and bears no
logical
> relationship to Bb major.
>

Deciding how to notate a chord, and particularly when to use (for example)
Em7b5 or Gm6 is a major (no pun intended) headache for me when producing
chord charts.  Does the above provide me with a simple rule that I could
apply thus: "when in doubt use the chord description that is closest to the
tune's main key"?  A pianist playing through one of my charts objected to a
certain chord on the grounds that it was "aharmonic" - is this what he
meant?

Any comments would be appreciated, even if - as seems likely - they serve
only to confuse me further :-)

--
Tony Davis
Trumpet/Cornet
Zenith Hot Stompers/Kaminsky Connection
Aston, Oxfordshire, UK
www.tony-davis.co.uk