“Autumn Leaves” is a popular song and jazz standard composed by Joseph Kosma in 1945 with original lyrics by Jacques Prévert in French (original French title: “Les Feuilles mortes“). Additionally, it was later translated by Johnny Mercer into English.
It’s a tale of two torch songs. To begin with, the original poem was a dark lament of lost love and regret. The translated version, “Autumn Leaves,” touched on the same theme, but in a gentler, more wistful way. Moreover, this song is structured as AABC, and its harmonic progression is based on a major and a minor II V I in the cycle of fifths. This progression can also be found in many other standards (such as All the things you are, Bluesette, Blues For Alice, Afternoon in Paris, There will never be another you, etc).
In this lesson, we listen to the original version, while also exploring the famous recording by Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis on the album Somethin’ Else.
In the PDF document, you’ll not only discover my transcription of Sam Jones‘ bass line but also have access to exercises designed to help you practice voice leading with the triads and the tetrads.
'Autumn Leaves' Video lessons:
Lyrics:
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18 comments on “Autumn Leaves”
Hi Diana! I corrected the link, sorry about that, thank you for letting me know!
So, in memorizing ii-V- I patterns that I am borrowing and wanting to internalize and put into 12 keys- is it better to transpose using the numbers for each note in the run (notes over the ii and the V7 in this case) all based on the I (so, for example, if the ii-V-I is in the key of C, all of the notes used over the ii and the V would be numbered as if they are in the key of C with C as being numbered as the “1” etc) or is it better to use numbers using each root as being the “1” (so the root of the D minor would be numbered mentally as the “1” in that measure, the root of the V would be numbered mentally “1” in that measure and the root of the I chord would be numbered mentally as the “1” in that measure. (What is the best and most useful way, then of numbering for transposing licks going over several chords like this? Is each root best thought of as the number “1” for each chord or should the entire lick ( a ii-V-I in C in this case) be thought of as all being numbered with C as 1 over the Dmin and G7 as well of course as the C (I)– so the root of the D minor would be thought of as “2” for transposition purposes etc and the G would be numbered as “5” etc when numbering for transposition?) I hope this makes sense. I have seen both ways used!
Thanks for the info Alex!
I am working to learn bass lines on II-V-I in every key by memory (no chart in front). Right now I can play them smoothly around the cycle only in 2. For some reasons I had trouble thinking ahead to what chord was the next II-7. It seems easy, but it was not for me. When I try it in 4, I still cannot do it. So I have decided to insert an intermediate step which implies to split the measure half in two and half in four (I would post an image here, but I don’t know how to do it). I also find helpful to write down in only one key a line for every example and learn by memory each one, working on a single day on just one since I have interiorized the sequence so well that I know I have it. Hope this can help others in their learning process.
Hi Matteo, that’s great! Thank you for sharing your experience, I’m sure it will help other musicians. Feel free to email me the photo, I’ll be glad to have a look 🙂
Hi Alex, this is great. But how have you gone from the Autumn Leaves chords on the PDFs – mostly 2 chords to a bar – to the chords you’re using as the example for this triads improvising exercise? Thanks
Thanks Alex. Appreciate your response.
Another one Miles Davis inspiration https://youtu.be/-j2YWdiaBa4
Thanks Pierre, I added it to the playlist!
Merci Alex , cette application des triades à la composition de phrases musicales est une étape importante vers l’improvisation .
content que ces exercices te soient utiles Stephane! N’hésite pas à poster un lien pour que je puisse t’écouter et te faire un retour 🙂
This is great Alex. Thanks for the reply and “next steps”. Very helpful!
Hey James! So glad this is helpful 🙂 In your case I know it’s definitely not the intellectual part of it that is challenging. Accept the limitations of the triads (down the road you will transcend these limitations!), focus on being rhythmically solid and creative. Transcribe the rhythm of a couple of phrases you like, or copy the rhythm of a melody, write a rhythmic phrase, and improvise with these imposed rhythms, that’s another idea. Also the Rhythm Mastery could be good for you, again nothing intellectually challenging, but this course is about the physical plan: a series of rhythmic exercises to clap with your hands and tap with your feet:
A nonromanticisme version
thanks Pierre! great version indeed, fantastic duo of pianist Martial Solal and bassist Niels Henning Orsted-Pedersen 🙂
Thank you, Alex for uploading the ireal pro tracks, too. I uploaded them both on pc and smart phone and it worked.
Great! Enjoy practicing!