Jazz Changes

Joseph Kosma, music · Jacques Prévert, French lyrics · Johnny Mercer, English lyrics · 1945

Autumn Leaves

A French song from 1945, "Les feuilles mortes", that became the first standard many jazz students learn. Its chords are built mostly from ii–V–I progressions, first in a major key and then in its relative minor. Learn it and you have the moves behind hundreds of other tunes.

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

  1. 1 Learn the song Nat King Cole
  2. 2 Hear the landmark arrangement Cannonball Adderley
  3. 3 Hear where the arrangement came from Ahmad Jamal Trio
  4. 4 Hear trio interplay Bill Evans Trio
  5. 5 Hear two cool-school voices in a studio setting Chet Baker
  6. 6 Hear a trio stretch the form Keith Jarrett Trio
  7. 7 Hear it on organ and guitar Jimmy Smith Trio
  8. 8 Hear a recent live trio Chick Corea Akoustic Band

How the tune works

G minorusual key
32 barsA · A · B · C form
B♭ · G m · E♭keys it moves between

Each block is a key, and each thin line is one bar. Most phrases are ii–V–I progressions: four bars landing in B♭ major, then four landing in its relative minor, G minor. The B section swaps the order, and the last section chains extra ii–Vs through E♭ before ending in G minor.

The changes as most fake books give them, in G minor. Many players start in E minor instead. Almost every bar is part of a ii–V–I.

Key G minor
Abars 1–8
Bar 1: B♭ majorCm7
Bar 2: F7
Bar 3: B♭maj7
Bar 4: E♭maj7
Bar 5: G minorAm7♭5
Bar 6: D7
Bar 7: Gm6
Bar 8: Gm6
A²bars 9–16
Bar 9: B♭ majorCm7
Bar 10: F7
Bar 11: B♭maj7
Bar 12: E♭maj7
Bar 13: G minorAm7♭5
Bar 14: D7
Bar 15: Gm6
Bar 16: Gm6
Bbars 17–24
Bar 17: G minorAm7♭5
Bar 18: D7
Bar 19: Gm6
Bar 20: Gm6
Bar 21: B♭ majorCm7
Bar 22: F7
Bar 23: B♭maj7
Bar 24: E♭maj7
Cbars 25–32
Bar 25: G minorAm7♭5
Bar 26: D7
Bar 27: Gm7C7
Bar 28: Fm7B♭7
Bar 29: E♭E♭maj7
Bar 30: Am7♭5D7
Bar 31: home: G minorGm6
Bar 32: Gm6

Common fake-book changes; recordings vary, especially in the last eight bars.

Source: Jazz Circle: Autumn Leaves, chord changes and harmonic analysis (bar-numbered changes in G minor)

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

You hear the song first, then the arrangement that made it a jazz standard, then trios, a two-horn studio date, an organ trio and a recent live set. Each step gives you one thing to listen for and one thing to try.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Nat King Cole (Nelson Riddle and his orchestra) 1955

    Nat King Cole Sings for Two in Love

    Listen for
    Count the four eight-bar sections as they go by: two that match, a third that reverses the order of the two keys, and a last one that adds a short detour. A singer makes each phrase easy to hear.
    Try this
    Hum along for one chorus. Then play only the root of each chord as it changes (some bars have two), and say each chord name out loud as you play it.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear the landmark arrangement Now playing

    Cannonball Adderley (with Miles Davis) 1958

    Somethin' Else

    Listen for
    Notice how long the band takes before the melody arrives. Then follow how Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley and Hank Jones each solo over the same changes.
    Try this
    Sing along with one solo for a full chorus. Then play the third of each chord from the chart under it.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear where the arrangement came from Now playing

    Ahmad Jamal Trio 1955

    The Ahmad Jamal Trio

    Listen for
    Listen for the space. With no drums, the guitar and bass keep the pulse, and Jamal leaves room between his piano phrases.
    Try this
    Play the first eight bars with only two events per bar: a bass note on beat 1 and a chord on beat 3. Leave the rest of each bar silent.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear trio interplay Now playing

    Bill Evans Trio 1959

    Portrait in Jazz

    Listen for
    Follow Scott LaFaro's bass line for one chorus. Notice where it answers the piano and where it moves with it.
    Try this
    Play the chart with a backing track or a partner. After each four-bar phrase of the melody, leave one beat open and let the bass fill it.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear two cool-school voices in a studio setting Now playing

    Chet Baker (with Paul Desmond) 1974

    She Was Too Good to Me

    Listen for
    Hear trumpet and alto saxophone share the melody and the solos. Compare their soft, close sound with the groups earlier on the path.
    Try this
    Play the melody softly and play fewer notes than you want to. Leave a gap at the end of each phrase, the way a singer breathes.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear a trio stretch the form Now playing

    Keith Jarrett Trio 1986

    Still Live

    Listen for
    Count the choruses in each solo. The 32-bar form keeps coming round, and the bass and drums stay with it through every one.
    Try this
    Play four choruses over the chart without stopping, and let each chorus add one idea to the one before.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear it on organ and guitar Now playing

    Jimmy Smith Trio 1956

    A New Sound... A New Star... Jimmy Smith at the Organ, Volume 3

    Listen for
    The trio has no bass player. Smith plays the bass line on the organ, and the guitar and drums fit around him.
    Try this
    Play the chart with your left hand walking the bass on the roots and fifths of each chord and your right hand playing the melody.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear a recent live trio Now playing

    Chick Corea Akoustic Band 2001

    Rendezvous in New York

    Listen for
    Compare this trio with the Evans and Jarrett trios. Pick one chorus and listen to what the bass and drums do in each bar.
    Try this
    Record yourself playing four choruses: the melody, then chord tones only, then two choruses of your own lines. Listen back and mark where the chords stay clear.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

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