All Blues from the album Kind of Blue

A closer look
All Blues is based around a repeated 12-bar blues
sequence with a 4-bar linking riff in between each
section. The main melody (the head) and the solos are
all played over the 12-bar sequence (the changes).
The 12-bar seq2uence is repeated 19 times in total.
Changes for All Blues:Head/Solos
Bar 1
Bar 2
Bar 3
G7
G7
G7
Bar 5
Bar 6
Bar 7
C7
C7
G7
Bar 9
Bar 10
Bar 11
D7#9
Eb7#9
G7
D7#9

Bar 4
G7
Bar 8
G7
Bar 12
G7

This chord sequence is slightly different from a

standard 12-bar blues sequence. The next table
contains a standard 12-bar blues chord sequence in the
key of G. Can you see the differences?
12-bar blues chord sequence
Bar 1
Bar 2
G
C
Bar 5
Bar 6
C
C
Bar 9
Bar 10
D7
C

Bar 3
G
Bar 7
G
Bar 11
G

Bar 4
G
Bar 8
G
Bar 12
D7

Any of the chords in the 12-bar blues sequence could

be either the basic triad or a dominant 7th chord (eg. G7
instead of G). Adding these extra notes to a chord is

known as extending the chord. Within Jazz there are a

lot of extended chords used.
Here is a full analysis of All Blues
Section
Intro

Bar
numbers
1-8

Musical Features
The piece starts with drums
played with brushes, the
bass playing riff 1 and the
piano playing a trill in 3rds
(A-G and E-F). The trill
immediately causes a little
dissonance. The bass riff 1
is played almost throughout
the whole piece.
The time signature is 6/4
with a tempo of
= 156.
Although this is rather fast,
the bar feels like it is split
into 2 slow beats (2 dotted
minims), so it feels like a
slower laid back tempo of
= 52.
At bar 5 the alto and tenor
saxophones join in with a
harmonised riff (riff 2)
All of the parts are played
quietly with a rather
breathy tone in the
saxophones.
Put in music examples from

H 1
E
A
D

Link

9 20

21 24

page 92
Davis plays the main
melody for the first time
The trumpet is muted and
has a vulnerable tone
which was a distinctive
Davis sound
The melody is based on a
very simple motif a leap
of a major 6th, with the long
high note slightly
ornamented (adding a
mordent). The rest of the
melody is made up of
stepwise movement
Over the C7 chord the
saxophone parts are more
legato than the slightly
chopped up phrasing over
the G7 chord
The altered chords of D7#9
and Eb7#9 are highlighted
by a change in texture and
the bell-like piano chords
replace the trill for a few
seconds
The link section punctuates
the whole piece it breaks
up what would be 19
straight repetitions of the
12-bar sequence
This section is the same as

25 36

Link

37 - 40

S Davis
O
L
O
S

41 88

bars 5 8 of the intro

The same as the first time
the head is played but the
melody is slightly more
developed
The piano trill drops out
with Evans changing to riff
2. The lack of the trill has a
dramatic effect on the
texture
Cobb introduces the ride
cymbal with a few subtle
hits before he plays a major
role in the solos that follow
The first solo focuses on the
band leader, Miles Davis,
with the other 2 frontline
instruments dropping out to
emphasise the solo. He has
removed the mute to allow
the tone of his solo to be
clearer
Davis uses 4 choruses for
his solo (4 repeats of the
12-bar sequence). There is
no link between the 4
choruses, they are played
back to back.
The solo is modal Davis
improvises over the
changes using the G
mixolydian mode over the

Link

89 92

Adderl 93 140
ey

G7 chords and C mixolydian

mode over the C7 chords.
He uses a diminished
scale over the altered
chords
Evans (piano) comps
chords underneath the solo
based on riff 2
Cobb keeps time on the ride
cymbal with flourishes and
highly syncopated snare
hits keeping some rhythmic
interest throughout
Davis drops out handing the
spotlight to Adderley
The music is the same as
the link before but without
the 2 saxophones
Adderley also takes 4
choruses for his solo
His solo is more angular
than Davis solo. There are
more leaps and shorter
phrases
He includes more chromatic
notes than Davis
His solo is more rhythmic,
accenting on the beats
He has a thick tone which
makes his alto saxophone
sound more like a tenor
saxophone

Link

141 144

Coltra
ne

145 192

He puts in quite a few

technically difficult bursts of
fast notes
Similar to previous link
Adderley drops out,
handing the spotlight to
Coltrane
Coltranes tone is very
different to Adderleys. He
uses almost no vibrato or
adds it near the end of
playing a note, compared to
Adderleys wide vibrato
sound
Coltrane also uses 4
choruses for his solo
The 1st chorus is kept quite
simple, with some ideas
exploring the mode.
In the 2nd chorus he plays
some 3 and 4-note, short
ideas which he develops
using sequence and
rhythmic development
The 3rd and 4th choruses
combine fast passages with
long, sustained phrases.
The phrases are different
lengths and come in at
different places in the bar,
giving the solo an
impression of being as

Link

193 196

Evans

197 - 220

Link

221 224

H 3
E

225 - 236

natural as speech
Coltrane drops out, leaving
the spotlight for Evans
Evans continues comping in
his left hand but it becomes
slightly more intricate
Evans takes 2 choruses for
his solo
In the 1st chorus, his right
hand plays a melody, very
much like the frontline
instruments
In the 2nd chorus he
combines 2 hands into a
chord-based solo with some
alternate motion in bars
213 and 215 to add some
variation
He uses a fairly limited
range of notes around the
middle of the piano
Evans starts with the
chords of riff 2 but drops
back into the trill idea after
2 bars
The 2 saxophones start to
play their harmonised riff
again
Cobb fades the ride cymbal
down
The same as head 1 with
slight developments of the

A
D

Link

237 240

241 252

Link

253 256

257
268/9

Outro

melody
The trumpet is played with
a mute again
The saxophones continue to
play throughout the link,
along with the piano trill
Further minor
developments for the
melody
The drums back down quite
a lot, contributing to an
overall drop in volume
A final (19th) repeat of the
12-bar pattern with Davis
playing a short solo, mostly
on the tonic note of G over
riff 2 in the saxophones and
the piano trill
The song fades out towards
the end of the final chorus

Important points to remember

Jazz soloists often think in terms of chords and
arpeggios when playing solos. It is like they are
spreading the chord out horizontally instead of
playing it vertically like a piano or a guitar.
However in this piece the soloists are using scales
and modes a lot more than usual, partly because
the chords do not change very quickly.
The solos are much more than simple
improvisations using a pentatonic scale over a
blues sequence the soloists combine riffs that

have learned previously with arpeggio ideas, the

use of scales and modes and some rhythmic
development to create solos with a sense of
direction and development.
The soloists never play their solos at the same
time. When the frontline instruments are playing at
the same time, they all have clearly defined parts
to play (eg. the saxophones play a harmonised riff
while the trumpet play the melody)
The links give the music space to breathe the
contrast in texture between each section builds up
a sense of anticipation for the next section
The bass part repeats riff 1 throughout the song.
This makes it become part of the texture so that it
doesnt take away from the soloists spotlight but it
provides a suitable background
The piano part provides chordal accompaniment
throughout the piece, but Evans maintains interest
by constantly changing the voicings of the chords
and the rhythm of his accompaniment
The drums provide a constantly shifting backing by
Cobb improvising a highly syncopated snare drum
part, but he also keeps a steady beat throughout
on the ride cymbal. He changes the way he hits the
cymbal to create changes in dynamics and texture