[Dixielandjazz] Standard Keys

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi Bob et al,

This sounds as though it dates from before Hawk's 1939 version, which 
established Db as the standard key. Before then, I imagine that a lot of 
musicians played it in the published key of C. From what you've written, it 
sounds as if the first 24 bars constitute the verse (4 in C, 8 in F and 12 
in D). I used to have a song copy (in C) with the verse, but it's long gone, 
so I can't check.

The refrain you mention must be the chorus in the original home key of C. 
The first 16 in C check out, as do the next 4 (i.e. the first 4 of the 
bridge) in Db. I'm struggling with the next 4 (i.e.last 4 of the bridge) 
though. They would normally be in B natural (if the home key of the piece is 
C) with chords running as follows:
¦¦ C#m7 / F#7 / ¦¦ D#m7 / Ddim / ¦¦ C#m7 / F#7 / ¦¦ B7 Bb7 A7 / ¦¦. (i.e. 
it's basically a II V I resolution with a detour in bar 2). This would lead 
into the melody's last 8 (in C) starting with a chord of Dm. I'm struggling 
to understand how the melody could work in the last 4 of the bridge if it 
were pitched in E as that should give chords of:
¦¦ F#m7 / B7 / ¦¦ G#m7 / Gdim / ¦¦ F#m7 / B7 / ¦¦ E7 Eb7 D7 / ¦¦

This would logically lead to the first chord of the last 8 being a Gm, which 
would put the last 8 in the key of F. What chords are used in your 
transcription for the last 4 of the bridge? I'm not familiar with Goodman's 
recordings of Body and Soul. Could this be from a trio or quartet recording? 
I'd like to hear what they got up to as it's perfectly possible that 
musicians of the ingenuity of Goodman, Teddy Wilson and Lionel Hampton could 
invent a passage that took the bridge into the harmonically different and 
distant key of E and then resolved it back in to C to start the last 8 on a 
Dmin. I also think that musicians of their calibre would have no trouble 
negotiating the chords of Body and Soul in any key.

Why am I getting so excited by this? I'm a drummer for gawd's sake!
Does anyone have a lead sheet with verse for Body and Soul (in any key)?

Cheers,

Ken Mathieson
www.classicjazzorchestra.org.uk


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Smith" <robert.smith at tele2.no>
To: "Ken Mathieson" <ken at kenmath.free-online.co.uk>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Standard Keys


> Dear Ken,
>
> I have a lead sheet with piano score for "Body And Soul", that is probably 
> a
> transcription of a Benny Goodman version.
> The first four bars are in C followed by eight bars in F. Then come twelve
> bars in D. Next is the refrain in C (16 bars). This is followed by four 
> bars
> in Db, before switching to E for four bars, and then to C for eight bars -
> the refrain is repeated before the final three bars in C.
>
> I imagine this version is designed to scare off any would-be copyists, as 
> it
> must be difficult for other than competent professionals to play this in a
> band, as the wind instruments will have trouble with D and E, and the 
> string
> instruments trouble with Db, but mostly the frequent key changes will
> probably cause the most trouble.
>
> Kind Regards
>
> Bob Smith
>
>


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