Jazz Changes

Sonny Rollins, music · Recorded for Prestige on June 29, 1954 · Released on the 10-inch LP Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins

Doxy

Doxy is a 16-bar tune by Sonny Rollins, first recorded in 1954 with the Miles Davis quintet. The chords follow Bob Carleton's song Ja-Da and are mostly dominant sevenths. Rollins played it live in 1962, and since then pianists, guitarists, saxophone trios and a singer have recorded it.

▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.

  1. 1 Learn the song Miles Davis
  2. 2 Hear it with organ and vibraphone Oliver Nelson
  3. 3 Hear the composer open it up Sonny Rollins
  4. 4 Hear a second tenor player Dexter Gordon Quartet
  5. 5 Hear the changes without a piano Branford Marsalis
  6. 6 Hear it as a piano trio Keith Jarrett Trio
  7. 7 Hear a voice scat the changes Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling
  8. 8 Hear it on guitar Bobby Broom Trio

How the tune works

B♭ majorusual key
16 barsA · A · B · A form
B♭key centers

Sixteen bars in four parts of four bars: A, A, a middle strain B, and a last A. The first A starts on B♭7 and A♭7, passes G7 and C7, and reaches F7 before it returns to B♭7. The second A runs the same way until bar 7, where C7 lasts the whole bar and F7 takes bar 8. The middle strain moves through Fm7, B♭7, E♭7 and E°7. The last A ends with B♭7, Cm7 and F7 in bar 16, which sets up the next chorus. Some sites list the tune as 32 bars, and the printed part used for this chart has 16. B♭ is the usual key.

The changes in B♭, the usual key: sixteen bars in four lines of four, with most bars on a dominant seventh chord.

Key B♭ major
Abars 1–4
Bar 1: B♭ majorB♭7A♭7
Bar 2: G7
Bar 3: C7F7
Bar 4: B♭7F7♯5
Abars 5–8
Bar 5: B♭7A♭7
Bar 6: G7
Bar 7: C7
Bar 8: F7
Bbars 9–12
Bar 9: Fm7
Bar 10: B♭7
Bar 11: E♭7
Bar 12: E°7
Abars 13–16
Bar 13: B♭7A♭7
Bar 14: G7
Bar 15: C7F7
Bar 16: B♭7Cm7F7

Moved down a whole step from the printed B♭ part, which is written in C for B♭ instruments (C7 B♭7 A7 D7 G7 C7 G7+5 in bars 1 to 4, Gm7 C7 F7 F♯°7 in bars 9 to 12). SaxTeacher UK's concert-key chart agrees on the A strain (B♭7, A♭7, G7, C7, F7, B♭) and lists the middle strain as B♭7, E♭7 and E°7 without the Fm7. The printed part gives two chords in bars 1, 3, 4, 13 and 15, and three in bar 16 (C7 Dm7 G7 in the part). The part has a pickup note and repeat sign that this chart leaves out. Some sites list the form as 32 bars AABA; the part has 16. Compare the chart with the one you play from and with the recording.

Source: Northwestern University jazz camp: Doxy, B♭ part (published chart, Sonny Rollins), checked against SaxTeacher UK's Doxy lead sheet

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

The path starts with the 1954 record, then moves to an organ and vibraphone group, Rollins live in 1962, Dexter Gordon with a piano trio, a saxophone trio, a piano trio, a singer and a guitar trio. Each step changes who leads the tune and what surrounds it.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Miles Davis (with Sonny Rollins) 1954

    Miles Davis with Sonny Rollins

    The original recording

    Listen for
    A quintet of trumpet, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums. Count four-bar groups against the chart on this page and notice where the chords come back to the start.
    Try this
    Play the chart on this page one chord per bar, then play it again with the record. If that is too much, play only the first four bars (B♭7 A♭7, G7, C7 F7, B♭7) each time they come around.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear it with organ and vibraphone Now playing

    Oliver Nelson (with Johnny "Hammond" Smith and Lem Winchester) 1960

    Taking Care of Business

    Organ and vibraphone

    Listen for
    Saxophone, vibraphone and organ with bass and drums. Compare how the dominant chords sound on organ and vibraphone with the piano on the 1954 record.
    Try this
    Hum or play the root of each chord along with the record: B♭, A♭, G, C, F, B♭ for the first four bars. For a bigger step, try the middle four bars too (F, B♭, E♭, E).
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear the composer open it up Now playing

    Sonny Rollins (with Don Cherry) 1962

    Our Man in Jazz

    Live recording · No piano in the group

    Listen for
    Tenor saxophone and cornet with bass and drums, and no piano. The track runs over fifteen minutes, so use the bass and drums to keep track of where each four-bar group starts.
    Try this
    Listen to the first two minutes with the chart open and mark where you lose the form. Then play just the bass note of each chord for as many bars as you can follow.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear a second tenor player Now playing

    Dexter Gordon Quartet 1967

    The Montmartre Collection Vol. 1

    Tenor saxophone lead · Live recording

    Listen for
    Tenor saxophone with piano, bass and drums, recorded in front of an audience. Follow the piano's chords against the chart.
    Try this
    Play the chart on a chord instrument while the record plays, one chord per bar. If you lose the place, rejoin on any bar that starts on B♭7.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear the changes without a piano Now playing

    Branford Marsalis 1988

    Trio Jeepy

    No piano in the group

    Listen for
    A trio of saxophone, bass and drums, with no piano or guitar. See whether you can hear the chords from the saxophone and bass alone.
    Try this
    Play the root of each chord (one bass note per chord) on piano or bass along with the record. With no chord instrument on the record, your roots help you stay in the form.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear it as a piano trio Now playing

    Keith Jarrett Trio 1998

    “Doxy (Live)”, After the Fall

    Piano trio · Live recording

    Listen for
    Piano, bass and drums, recorded in front of an audience. Follow the bass line against the chart and count how many times the changes go around.
    Try this
    Play the chart on piano or guitar with the record, one chord per bar. Try to hear the run of dominant sevenths (B♭7, A♭7, G7, C7, F7) as one chain.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear a voice scat the changes Now playing

    Branford Marsalis Quartet with Kurt Elling 2015

    Upward Spiral

    Scat voice

    Listen for
    Kurt Elling scats over the chords with Branford Marsalis's quartet. Pick a four-bar stretch of his singing and match it to the chart.
    Try this
    Hum the root of each chord for the first four bars (B♭, A♭, G, C, F, B♭) along with the record. A bigger step, for singers who scat: invent a four-bar line over the same chords.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear it on guitar Now playing

    Bobby Broom Trio 2025

    Notes of Thanks

    Guitar trio

    Listen for
    Guitar, bass and drums. The review singles out a solo by bassist Dennis Carroll on this track.
    Try this
    Play the chart on guitar or piano, one chord per bar, with the record. For a smaller version, play only the bass note of each chord and listen for where the bass solo starts.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

More great versions