Similarity of chords to Nightlife intro

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 26 Dec 2022 3:52 am

This must be an old Blues standard. Ive heard this lately again performed by the Allmans:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEOCxYyHxhs
I figured out the chords:
B/// D/// G//// C/// and back to B.
Very similar to Ray Price's Night Life I think.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 26 Dec 2022 4:27 pm

It's very common - I - vi - ii - V with tritone substitutions for the vi and ii

So B, G#m, C#m, F# becomes

B, D, G, F# (with 7ths, 9ths or alterations as required)

Greg Cutshaw · Post by **Greg Cutshaw** » 26 Dec 2022 5:07 pm

The intro to San Antonio Rose is the same set of chords played as major chords. Change those chords to the equivalent m7, dom7, maj7 and aug7 (or something with additional notes and its the same progression.

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 26 Dec 2022 5:32 pm

Those changes are known as the “Lady Bird turnaround” because they are prominent in the Tadd Dameron bebop jazz classic of the same name.

https://youtu.be/r0vhqDCy9eQ

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 26 Dec 2022 6:22 pm

I hear the similar changes as you did. I'm sure it gets used in a lot more music than we know. It's supposed to be from a jazz turn around that dates back in time.

Douglas Schuch · Post by **Douglas Schuch** » 26 Dec 2022 6:39 pm

And as for the song, "Jelly Jelly", it is an old song by Earl Hines and Billy Eckstein:

https://youtu.be/GUGK_okFzzw

Joachim Kettner · Post by **Joachim Kettner** » 27 Dec 2022 3:03 am

Those changes are known as the “Lady Bird turnaround” because they are prominent in the Tadd Dameron bebop jazz classic of the same name.

Sorry Bill, but I don't hear these intervals in Ladybird. Would you put a time signature at where they appear?

Bill Cunningham · Post by **Bill Cunningham** » 27 Dec 2022 4:13 am

Joachim Kettner wrote:
Those changes are known as the “Lady Bird turnaround” because they are prominent in the Tadd Dameron bebop jazz classic of the same name.
Sorry Bill, but I don't hear these intervals in Ladybird. Would you put a time signature at where they appear?

They go by fast in the meter they are playing the head, but listen at 0:18..

Slim Heilpern · Post by **Slim Heilpern** » 27 Dec 2022 6:11 am

In case this helps, here's the Lady Bird lead sheet (fun tune BTW!). It's the last 2 bars...

Mike Neer · Post by **Mike Neer** » 28 Dec 2022 4:59 am

It is a Tadd Dameron turnaround like Bill said. The Night Life chords plain vanilla version would be I-VI-II-V (C-A-D-G) like Ian said.

The art of the turnaround is one of the great little games that jazz musicians play with the harmony. I could probably list quite a few, but one of the fun ones would be to use Coltrane's Giant Steps changes on it, but with a chord on each beat for the first bar and half notes in the second: CMaj7-Eb7-AbMaj7-B7-EMaj7-G7-CMaj7

Or Thelonious Monk would play a descending pattern of dominant chords, one on each quarter note: Ab7-G7-Gb7-F7-E7-Eb7-D7-Db7-C

Gary Spaeth · Post by **Gary Spaeth** » 23 Feb 2023 2:32 pm

nicely explained here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_t4pSDRJEo

D Schubert · Post by **D Schubert** » 23 Feb 2023 2:45 pm

Some of our local jazz guys call it a Coltrane turnaround

Fred Treece · Post by **Fred Treece** » 26 Feb 2023 8:17 am

And here I always thought G/F#/F was such a dumb way to get back to E, as in Spencer Davis “I’m A Man”, but it’s another 6-2-5-1 variant with Tritone chord substitutions at 6 and 5. Is it brilliant? Or cheap?