[Dixielandjazz] Chord Question in "Louisiana"

[Larry Zaidan]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for responding.  I should have included the fact that I am covering 
the bass line, and often don't have the opportunity to talk it over with the 
guys in advance (doing it on the job).

I guess I'm sort of asking if there is a consensus out there, for a standard 
choice of chord for that measure.

Regards,

Larry Z.



-----Original Message----- 
From: Phil Wilking
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2014 5:56 PM
To: Larry Zaidan
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Chord Question in "Louisiana"

If going through the Bb7 sounds better to you, play it that way unless it 
clashes badly with the melody as your band plays it. This is a once popular 
tune played by a jazz band, not something by Beethoven or J. S. Bach played 
by a symphony orchestra (and even they had many revisions in their 
manuscript scores).

Something else to try is playing the first measure (or part of it) of the 
Eb7 as an Eb9 chord to continue the emphasis of the F tone while changing 
the underlying harmony.

Phil Wilking

-----Original Message-----
>From: Larry Zaidan <zaidanl at coppelia-enterprises.com>
>
>Dear Listers:
>
>Is the chord, 4 bars from the end of the chorus definitely an Eb, or can it 
>be played as a Bb7?
>
>As written: F7/Eb7/Eb7/Ab/Ab, the last 5 bars make intellectual sense, but 
>I find the F7 going to Eb7 too jarring.
>
>I feel that it flows more smoothly, harmonically, as F7/Bb7/Eb7/Ab/Ab for 
>the last 5 bars, in spite of the obvious melodic clues.
>
>Any insight would be appreciated!  (As you can probably guess, I am fairly 
>new to the Trad Jazz scene.)