Bronisław Kaper, music · Paul Francis Webster, lyrics · First heard in the film A Life of Her Own, 1950
Invitation
Invitation is a minor-key film theme by Bronisław Kaper, with lyrics added by Paul Francis Webster. Players like its dark minor chords and a bridge of ii–V moves that step down a whole tone. John Coltrane's 1958 record helped make it a standard; singers, pianists and big bands have played it since.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Nelson Riddle✓
- 2 Hear the version that made it a standard John Coltrane✓
- 3 Hear a three-horn front line Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers✓
- 4 Hear a samba feel Lucky Thompson✓
- 5 Hear guitar carry the chords Dexter Gordon Quartet✓
- 6 Hear a tenor quartet with no other horn Joe Henderson✓
- 7 Hear it as a piano trio Andrew Hill✓
- 8 Hear it for big band Jaco Pastorius✓
How the tune works
A chorus runs 48 bars in three sections of 16. The first section (bars 1 to 16) stays on Cm7 for four bars, then plays Cm7, F7 and B♭7, which holds for two bars. Bars 9 to 12 move to E♭m7, and bars 13 to 16 play E♭m7, A♭7 and D♭7♯11 for two bars. The bridge (bars 17 to 32) steps down a whole tone through three short ii–V moves: C♯m7 and F♯7 lead to Bm7, Bm7 and E7 lead to Am7, and Am7 and D7 lead to Gm7, each tonic lasting two bars. Bars 29 to 32 play Em7♭5, E♭7, D7alt and G7alt, which lead back to C minor. The last section (bars 33 to 48) repeats bars 1 to 10, then ends on B7♯11 for two bars, F7alt, B♭7alt and E♭m(maj7) for two bars before the form starts over.
One published chord chart, in C minor, set out four bars to a line: A (bars 1–16), B (17–32) and A² (33–48).
Taken from the chord chart on Standard Repertoire, which gives Invitation as 48 bars of 4/4 in C minor, form ABC, marked even eighths. The chart writes the last section as a D.C. al Coda: it goes back to the top, plays bars 1 to 10 and jumps to a six-bar ending. Here that is written out as the third strain. The chart marks the half-diminished chord as ø7, spelled Em7♭5 here, writes altered dominants as 7alt, and writes E♭ minor with a major seventh as E♭-Δ7, spelled E♭m(maj7) here. Bars 18, 22 and 26 each hold two chords, written F♯7 and F♯7alt, E7 and E7alt, and D7 and D7alt. The key labels are this page's own reading of the chart. The Jazz Guitar Comprehensive page describes the same shape: three 16-bar sections, a bridge of descending ii–V–I moves in whole steps, and a last four bars often used as a tag. Other charts may differ in the details, so compare this one with the chart you play from and with the recording you follow. Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗The path starts with a sung version, then follows the tune through hard bop, a samba, a tenor quartet with guitar, a piano trio and Jaco Pastorius's big band. Each step gives you one thing to hear and one thing to try.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Nelson Riddle 1961
Love
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- Listen for
- Clooney sings the song over Nelson Riddle's arrangement in 2:50. Count in 16-bar sections as you listen, since the chart has three.
- Try this
- Play the chart's first eight bars: Cm7 for four bars, then Cm7, F7, B♭7 and B♭7. Hum or play the melody over them. Smaller version: play one chord per bar.
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Step 2 · Hear the version that made it a standard Now playing
John Coltrane 1958
Standard Coltrane
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- Listen for
- At 10:21 this is the longest take on the path. Follow Coltrane's tenor through the 48-bar form and count the 16-bar sections to keep your place.
- Try this
- Play the chart's bridge, bars 17 to 28: C♯m7 and F♯7, then Bm7 for two bars; Bm7 and E7, then Am7 for two bars; Am7 and D7, then Gm7 for two bars. Each pair of chords steps down a whole tone from the one before. Smaller version: play only bars 17 to 20.
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Step 3 · Hear a three-horn front line Now playing
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers 1961
Art Blakey and His Jazz Messengers
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- Listen for
- Trumpet, trombone and tenor sax play in front of Bobby Timmons's piano, Jymie Merritt's bass and Blakey's drums. Compare this fuller sound with Coltrane's tenor-led take.
- Try this
- Play the chart's bars 9 to 16: E♭m7 for four bars, then E♭m7, A♭7 and D♭7♯11 for two bars. Smaller version: play E♭m7 for four bars, then A♭7, then D♭7.
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Step 4 · Hear a samba feel Now playing
Lucky Thompson 1964
Lucky Strikes
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- Listen for
- Hank Jones, Richard Davis and Connie Kay keep a samba feel under Thompson's saxophone. Compare it with the swing on Coltrane's take.
- Try this
- Play the chart's bars 5 to 8 along with the record: Cm7, F7, B♭7 and B♭7. If the record sits in another key, use the page's key buttons. Smaller version: play one chord per bar.
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Step 5 · Hear guitar carry the chords Now playing
Dexter Gordon Quartet 1975
Something Different
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- Listen for
- Philip Catherine's guitar is the only chord instrument in the lineup. Listen to how he and bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen cover the changes under Gordon's tenor.
- Try this
- On guitar or piano, play bars 1 to 8 from the chart: Cm7 for four bars, then Cm7, F7, B♭7 and B♭7. Strum or comp one chord per bar at a slow tempo. Smaller version: play the root of each chord.
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Step 6 · Hear a tenor quartet with no other horn Now playing
Joe Henderson 1968
Tetragon
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- Listen for
- Henderson plays with piano, bass and drums and no other horn. At 6:17 the take is much shorter than Coltrane's, so follow the 48-bar form closely.
- Try this
- Play the chart's bars 25 to 32: Am7 and D7, then Gm7 for two bars; then Em7♭5, E♭7, D7 and G7. The chart writes D7alt and G7alt, and plain D7 and G7 work to start. Soloing over these changes is a bigger step, so start by playing the chords with the record.
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Step 7 · Hear it as a piano trio Now playing
Andrew Hill 1974
Invitation
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- Listen for
- With no horn, the melody and the chords both come from Hill's piano, with White's bass and Lewis's drums beside him. At 8:40 the take is long, so count the 16-bar sections to keep your place.
- Try this
- Play the whole 48-bar chart one chord per bar at a slow tempo, with the left hand on roots. Smaller version: play only the first section, bars 1 to 16.
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Step 8 · Hear it for big band Now playing
Jaco Pastorius 1982
Invitation
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- Listen for
- Jaco leads a big band from the electric bass, and the credits list trumpets, trombone, tuba, French horn, saxophones, clarinets, steel drums and percussion. Listen for the steel drums, which no other version on the path has.
- Try this
- Play the chart's ending, bars 43 to 48: B7♯11 for two bars, F7alt, B♭7alt, then E♭m(maj7) for two bars. Smaller version: play B7, F7 and B♭7, then E♭m7.
More great versions
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Milt Jackson Sextet 1962
Invitation
Milt Jackson led a sextet at Plaza Sound Studios in 1962, and Riverside released Invitation as the title track of the album in 1963.
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Joe Henderson Quintet 1970
In Pursuit of Blackness
Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw played Invitation live at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach in September 1970.
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Bill Evans and Eddie Gomez 1974
Intuition
Bill Evans and Eddie Gomez opened their duo album Intuition with Invitation, recorded in Berkeley in November 1974.
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Roy Hargrove 2005
Nothing Serious
Roy Hargrove recorded Invitation in 2005 with a sextet that includes trombonist Slide Hampton.
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George Garzone, Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua and Darek Oles 2019
“Invitation (Night #2)”, 3 Nights in L.A.
George Garzone and Peter Erskine's quartet recorded Invitation live at Sam First in Los Angeles during three nights in January 2019.