Transcriptions: Summertime by Christiaan 'Niliov' van Hemert

The following weeks I want to focus yet some more attention on those great Ray Brown arrangements. I encourage all visitors to go out and buy those albums; you won't be disappointed! And by the way: if you find the Ray Brown-trio transcriptions interesting you NEED those albums. Only then I consider the transcription to be complete.

Well, enough rambling, let's get to the transcription. This week I've chosen the song "Summertime" from their latest album: "Summertime" featuring Ulf Wakenius. I've transcribed the chords and piano-voicings. The bass just plays the root so I didn't transcribe that; the guitar plays the melody, which is well known so I let that out too. Here we go:




Yep, I like this, I like this a lot!! Very cleverly arranged, nice progression and a kind of lazy feel which really works for this song.

What follows is a piano-solo. There is however a little surprise. The chord-progression differs: Ray Brown uses a kind of bluesy interlude. I'll just give you the chords:

Bb7 Bdim Cm7 F7 Bb7 Bdim Cm7 F7
Bb7 Bdim F7/C D7 G7 C7 B7
Bb7 Bdim Cm7 F7 Bb7 Bdim Cm7 F7
Bb7 Bdim F7/C D7 Gm7 Gm7/F Em7b5 A7


The guitar solo is comped with the regular changes:

Dm7 Eb7 Dm7 Ab7
Gm7 Fm7 Em7b5 A7
Dm7 Eb7 Dm7 G7
F/C Dm7 Em7b5 A7 Dm7 (Em7b5 A7)


Again follows a piano interlude, a vamp:

Dm7 Eb7 Dm7 Cm7


Listen to the recording for the rhythmic pattern. Geoff Keezer (excellent successor to Benny Green by the way) solos on the vamp and on cue they're back to the theme (see begintheme) followed by the same vamp as above.

Well, there you go: a fantastic arrangement of a very basic and (too) often played song; now indeed sounding very fresh again!


©1998 Christiaan 'Niliov' van Hemert. JRC.  JAZZ RESOURCE CENTER