Matt Dennis, music · Earl Brent, lyrics · Introduced by Dennis in the 1953 film Jennifer
Angel Eyes
Angel Eyes is a 1946 ballad with music by Matt Dennis and lyrics by Earl Brent. Its A sections stay in C minor, while the bridge moves through A♭ and G. Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker and Dave Brubeck all recorded it, and Dennis sang it in Jennifer.
Start with Sinatra's vocal, then follow the song through a piano trio, a tenor and organ quintet, a live club trio, an alto saxophone with piano and with guitar, a modern trio and a trombone and alto quintet. Each step shows another way to play the same 32 bars.
Sinatra sings with a studio orchestra, and the track runs 3:42. Follow the sung line through the AABA form and mark where the bridge begins.
Try this
Play the A-section chords from the chart in any comfortable key, one chord per bar, and hum the tune over them. The recording's key is not documented, so a match by ear is optional.
The take runs 8:47 with tenor saxophone, organ, bass and drums. Count how many times the 32-bar form goes around and where the sound changes from one chorus to the next.
Try this
Count the bars in groups of eight and write a number for each time through the form. If that is easy, mark which choruses start the bridge section.
The track runs 7:23 with alto saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Follow the alto saxophone and the piano in turn and note how each time through the form begins.
Try this
Play the last four bars of the bridge from the chart, C♯m7 to F♯7 and then Dm7 to G7, slowly. Then listen for how the bridge leads back to the final A section.
Paul Desmond featuring Jim Hall · 1964 · Cool jazz
Glad to Be Unhappy
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
Listen for
The track runs 6:18 and has alto saxophone and guitar with bass and drums. Follow the guitar's chords behind the alto line through one A section.
Try this
Play the first four bars of the A section, Cm, Cm, Cm and Dm7♭5 to G7♭9, as slow block chords. If that is easy, play only the root and the third of each chord.
Tommy Flanagan, Ron Carter and Tony Williams · 1983
The Master Trio
A minor
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
Listen for
The track runs 5:50 with piano, bass and drums, and the key is A minor. Follow the bass line under the piano through the first A section.
Try this
The chart is in C minor, so move it down a minor third to A minor before playing along. Transposing is the hard part, so a smaller version is to hold an A minor chord for the first bar and listen to the rest.
C minor → A♭ major → G major → B major → C minorkey centers
A8 bars
A8 bars
B8 bars · bridge
A8 bars
C m
A♭
G
B
C m
C m
Each eight-bar A section stays in C minor. The first bar moves from Cm through D7 to D♭7, bar 2 goes to A♭7, bar 3 uses Am7♭5, and bar 4 runs Dm7♭5 to G7♭9. The second half repeats the opening, then goes through A7alt and A♭7 to G7♭9 and a closing Cm. The bridge opens in A♭ major with B♭m7 to E♭7 and A♭maj7 to F7, repeats B♭m7 to E♭7 and A♭maj7, then moves to G major through Am7, D7 and Gmaj7. C♯m7 to F♯7 touches B major for one bar, and Dm7 to G7 returns to C minor for the last A. These key areas follow the iReal Pro chart and leave out passing chords.