[Dixielandjazz] Re: 7 2 4 songs, was numbes game & Steve Allen

[Stephen Barbone]

> "Charles Coleman" <charliew8fim at ncool.net> (polite snip)

> The other scale steps such as 7 - 2 ....are not pleasant.
> Re: Steve Allen's routine where he asked for three (I believe) notes =
> from the audience, then extemperaneously composed a melody.  In this =
> instance, he was free to choose the KEY, (Important) that would fit the =
> notes.   If someone were to just give scale steps, like build a tune on =
> 7 - 2 - 4, maybe that would best be left to some of the post-bop =
> composers.

Right on, but while not pleasant to some, others find it stimulating. While not
exactly 7-2-4, there is a song written that uses the dissonance of that
sequence. Written by a pre-bop composer / pianist. The sequence is the same
except it starts on the 2:

2-4-7-4-2-7-2-4-7-4-2-7 . . . .repeat , repeat etc.

The composer? Thelonious Monk. The tune?  I can't remember it's name for sure at
the moment, but it might be "Ugly Beauty".

Now it has become an ear worm and the only thing that will get it out is my
rehearsal with Tex Wyndham's Red Lions tonight and 20 or so pre 1930 songs with
more conventional melodies.

But you can bet I'll play that sequence somewhere in a tune, during that
rehearsal.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone

PS. From my experiences with Monk, I suspect he wrote the tune because someone
told him it couldn't be done, or wouldn't sound right. He loved to do that sort
of thing.