Jazz Changes

Miles Davis, music · First released on the album Kind of Blue, 1959

Freddie Freeloader

Freddie Freeloader is a twelve-bar blues in B♭ that Miles Davis recorded for Kind of Blue in 1959. Anyone who knows the blues can join in, and A♭7 in the last two bars adds a twist. You hear it on Kind of Blue and in versions by Wes Montgomery, Dexter Gordon and Bill Evans.

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

  1. 1 Learn the song Miles Davis
  2. 2 Hear it as a trio Wes Montgomery Trio
  3. 3 Hear it for a big band Gerald Wilson Orchestra
  4. 4 Hear it with tenor and guitar Dexter Gordon Quartet
  5. 5 Hear the pianist who missed it Bill Evans
  6. 6 Hear a bass-led trio live Ray Brown Trio
  7. 7 Hear four Miles alumni George Coleman, Jimmy Cobb, Mike Stern, Ron Carter

How the tune works

B♭ majorusual key
12 barsA form
B♭key centers

One twelve-bar blues chorus in B♭, played for the melody and again for each soloist. Bars 1 to 4 sit on B♭7, bars 5 and 6 move to E♭7, and bars 7 and 8 come back to B♭7. Bar 9 is F7 and bar 10 is E♭7. Bars 11 and 12 stay on A♭7, where a blues usually returns to B♭7 or plays a turnaround, so the chorus ends a whole step below home. The next chorus then starts again on B♭7.

Read each line as four bars. The twelve bars repeat for the melody and for every solo.

Key B♭ major
Abars 1–12
Bar 1: B♭B♭7
Bar 2: B♭7
Bar 3: B♭7
Bar 4: B♭7
Bar 5: E♭7
Bar 6: E♭7
Bar 7: B♭7
Bar 8: B♭7
Bar 9: F7
Bar 10: E♭7
Bar 11: A♭7
Bar 12: A♭7

Source is the Learn Jazz Standards lead sheet for Freddie Freeloader, written in concert B♭, so no transposition was needed. It is a published lead sheet, not a transcription of the chords on the Kind of Blue take. The sheet writes A♭7 in bar 11 and adds no new symbol in bar 12 of the first ending; only its closing second ending is marked B♭7. Wikipedia describes A♭7 over the last two bars of each chorus, so both bars are written A♭7 here. Players and charts vary the last bar, and some end the final chorus on B♭7.

Source: Learn Jazz Standards: Freddie Freeloader lead sheet (C instruments, concert B♭)

Listen in this order

Play all 7 on YouTube ↗

The path starts with the 1959 original, then follows the tune through a guitar and organ trio, a big band, a tenor and guitar quartet and Bill Evans's piano trio. It ends with a live bass-led trio and a live quartet of former Miles Davis sidemen.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Miles Davis 1959

    Kind of Blue

    B♭ major · Wynton Kelly on piano · A♭7 in bars 11 and 12

    Listen for
    Hear the same twelve bars come round for each soloist. The last two bars of a chorus sit on A♭7, where most blues players expect B♭7.
    Try this
    Play the chart below at a medium tempo, one chord per bar, and count to twelve before you go round again. Spend extra time on bars 11 and 12, where A♭7 replaces the usual B♭7. For a smaller version, play only bars 1 to 8, which use just B♭7 and E♭7.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear it as a trio Now playing

    Wes Montgomery Trio 1963

    “Freddie the Freeloader”, Portrait of Wes

    Guitar and organ trio

    Listen for
    Only three players take part: guitar, organ and drums. Listen to how three players cover the melody, the chords and the time.
    Try this
    Play the chart below as a duo: one of you plays the chords and the other keeps a steady beat on a drum or a table. For a smaller version, play bars 1 to 4 on repeat, then add bars 5 to 8.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear it for a big band Now playing

    Gerald Wilson Orchestra 1965

    Feelin' Kinda Blues

    Big band

    Listen for
    The session lineup has five trumpets, four trombones and five saxophones, plus piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion. Compare that sound with the smaller groups on the earlier steps.
    Try this
    Split the chart's chords across three passes: roots on the first pass, thirds on the second, sevenths on the third. For a smaller version, play only the roots.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear it with tenor and guitar Now playing

    Dexter Gordon Quartet 1975

    Something Different

    Guitar in place of piano

    Listen for
    The lineup is tenor saxophone, guitar, bass and drums, so the guitar is the only chord instrument. At more than eight minutes, the track leaves room for many choruses.
    Try this
    Play the chart's chords on a guitar or keyboard and add a single bass note under each change. For a smaller version, play bars 1 to 4 on repeat, then add bars 5 to 8.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear the pianist who missed it Now playing

    Bill Evans 1977

    You Must Believe in Spring

    Bill Evans plays the tune he missed · Electric piano

    Listen for
    Evans starts on acoustic piano and moves to a Fender Rhodes electric piano for most of the track. After the drum solo he returns to acoustic piano.
    Try this
    Play the chart as a trio would: chords on a keyboard, a bass note under each change and a steady beat from a friend or a metronome. For a smaller version, play bars 9 to 12 on their own, from F7 to A♭7.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear a bass-led trio live Now playing

    Ray Brown Trio 1996

    Live at Scullers

    Bass-led trio

    Listen for
    The track opens with a long introduction of block chords from the piano and a brief bass part from Brown before the drums enter. Hutchinson then plays the drum feel Jimmy Cobb played on Kind of Blue, and Brown walks the bass through the whole performance.
    Try this
    If you play bass or can play single notes, walk the chart's chords with one note per beat, starting on the root of each chord. For a smaller version, play one bass note per bar.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear four Miles alumni Now playing

    George Coleman, Jimmy Cobb, Mike Stern, Ron Carter 2002

    4 Generations of Miles

    Jimmy Cobb returns

    Listen for
    Cobb plays drums here as he did on the 1959 record. A tenor saxophone and an electric guitar share the lead, with bass and drums underneath.
    Try this
    Play the chart with another player: one plays the chords and the other plays bass notes on beats one and three, then swap. For a smaller version, play the chords for bars 1 to 4 only.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

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