Jazz Changes

Nat Adderley, music · Oscar Brown Jr., lyrics · First recorded on Work Song (Riverside, 1960)

Work Song

Work Song is a 16-bar minor blues by Nat Adderley, later given a lyric by Oscar Brown Jr. Players like its short form in F minor and its funky blues feel. You will hear it on records by Cannonball Adderley, Les McCann, Kenny Burrell and Nina Simone.

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

  1. 1 Learn the song Nat Adderley
  2. 2 Hear Cannonball's band play it Cannonball Adderley Quintet
  3. 3 Hear it live and stretched out Cannonball Adderley Sextet
  4. 4 Hear it with vibes and piano Oscar Peterson Trio with Milt Jackson
  5. 5 Hear a piano-led quartet Les McCann Ltd.
  6. 6 Hear it on guitar Kenny Burrell Trio
  7. 7 Hear it sung live Cannonball Adderley Quintet with Ernie Andrews
  8. 8 Hear a 21st-century studio version Gregory Porter

How the tune works

F minorusual key
16 barsA form
F mkey centers

Work Song is a minor blues of 16 bars in F minor. Bars 1 to 6 stay on Fm7, and bars 7 and 8 move to G7 and C7, which lead back to F minor. Bars 9 to 12 return to Fm7. Bar 13 brings F7 and bar 14 B♭7. Bar 15 holds two chords that end on C7, and bar 16 lands on Fm7. Charts differ on the first chord of bar 15 and on whether bar 7 is G7 or C7. Some charts, such as a Jamey Aebersold play-along, write F7 where most write Fm7.

The changes under Cannonball Adderley's alto solo on Work Song (1960), transcribed in the Weimar Jazz Database. Most charts match; some write C7 in bar 7 or D♭7 C7 in bar 15.

Key F minor
Abars 1–16
Bar 1: Fm7
Bar 2: Fm7
Bar 3: Fm7
Bar 4: Fm7
Bar 5: Fm7
Bar 6: Fm7
Bar 7: G7
Bar 8: C7
Bar 9: Fm7
Bar 10: Fm7
Bar 11: Fm7
Bar 12: Fm7
Bar 13: F7
Bar 14: B♭7
Bar 15: G7C7
Bar 16: Fm7

Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.

Source: Weimar Jazz Database: Cannonball Adderley, Work Song

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

Eight versions: Nat Adderley's own record, three with Cannonball Adderley's band, a vibes-and-piano date, a piano quartet with guitar, a guitar trio and a 2011 vocal album. Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyric and Nina Simone's recording are in the extras.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Nat Adderley 1960

    Work Song

    The first recording

    Listen for
    Sam Jones plays cello on this track and Percy Heath plays bass. Wes Montgomery's guitar solo starts around 1:38.
    Try this
    Play the chart on this page one chord per bar, slowly, then with the record. Smaller version: play only the root of each chord, one note per bar.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear Cannonball's band play it Now playing

    Cannonball Adderley Quintet 1960

    Them Dirty Blues

    Cornet and alto sax front line

    Listen for
    Nat Adderley on cornet and Cannonball Adderley on alto sax share the front line. Barry Harris plays piano here, where Bobby Timmons played on Nat's record.
    Try this
    Play Fm7 as a whole-bar chord for bars 1 to 6 with the record, then follow the chart for bars 7 and 8. Smaller version: play only bars 1 to 8 and then listen to the rest.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear it live and stretched out Now playing

    Cannonball Adderley Sextet 1962

    Cannonball in Europe!

    Live recording · Cornet and alto sax front line

    Listen for
    At 8:25 the 16-bar form goes around many times. Yusef Lateef joins Nat and Cannonball Adderley, and Joe Zawinul plays piano.
    Try this
    Count the 16-bar choruses with the record and call out the first bar of each one. Smaller version: count only the first four choruses.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear it with vibes and piano Now playing

    Oscar Peterson Trio with Milt Jackson 1961

    Very Tall

    Vibraphone

    Listen for
    A vibraphone takes the place of the horns: Milt Jackson on vibes, with Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums.
    Try this
    Play the chart's chords as block chords, one per bar, along with the first two minutes of the record. Smaller version: play only the root of each chord.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear a piano-led quartet Now playing

    Les McCann Ltd. 1963

    Soul Hits

    Listen for
    Piano and guitar are both in the band, so listen for how Les McCann and Joe Pass share the chords. The track runs 4:12.
    Try this
    Play the chart's chords on guitar or piano against the record and match the length of each chord to what you hear. Smaller version: play only bars 1 to 6, which stay on Fm7 in the chart.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear it on guitar Now playing

    Kenny Burrell Trio 1978

    Kenny Burrell Live at the Village Vanguard

    Guitar-led version · Live recording

    Listen for
    There is no piano or horn in this trio, so Burrell's guitar carries the chords while Larry Gales plays bass and Sherman Ferguson plays drums.
    Try this
    Play the chart on guitar or piano with two-note shapes (root and third) for each chord. Smaller version: play only the root of each chord.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear it sung live Now playing

    Cannonball Adderley Quintet with Ernie Andrews 1964

    Live Session!

    Sung version · Live recording

    Listen for
    Ernie Andrews takes the lead voice while Nat Adderley, Cannonball Adderley, Joe Zawinul, Sam Jones and Louis Hayes play behind him. The track runs 4:48.
    Try this
    Play the chart's chords in short hits behind the record so the voice stays clear. Smaller version: play one chord every two bars.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear a 21st-century studio version Now playing

    Gregory Porter 2011

    Be Good

    Sung version

    Listen for
    Yosuke Sato on alto, Tivon Pennicott on tenor and Keyon Harrold on trumpet play horn parts arranged by Kamau Kenyatta. The track runs 6:34.
    Try this
    Play the chart at a slow tempo, then play along with the first two minutes of the record. Smaller version: play only the root of each chord, one note per bar.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

More great versions