Taking something old and making it new is an integral part this music. And when it comes to the standard repertoire, this idea pops up in the form of contrafacts: new melodies written over existing song forms and chord progressions.
This is a practice that has been happening from the beginning as a creative way to apply new ideas to familiar music.
Existing material, often popular songs and show tunes, were interpreted by a set of fresh eyes and ears, bringing new harmonic techniques, melodic approaches, and musical vision.
As someone learning this music, contrafacts are a great way to get inside the mind of iconic players to see how they thought about common song forms, melodic phrasing, and the ins and outs of rhythm and harmony…
There are countless “contrafacts” that have been recorded and performed, but today we’ll focus on five contrafacts in particular written over some frequently played jazz standards.
Why is melody important?
Why should you spend all this time learning the melodies to standards or the “new” melodies that are written over them?
In short, melody is what we are all striving for as improvisers. Cultivating the ability to improvise personal musical statements with intent, that are true to the moment and musicians around us…
Melody is also the vehicle that elevates us past the chords and theory in the learning stage, to actually making music when it’s time to improvise. And one of the best ways to develop a melodic approach is to learn the
Every time you learn a new tune, especially by ear, it is added to your internal musical library. The goal isn’t a memorization feat or a focus on soloing, it’s a long-term study and absorption of melodic ideas.
A conscious study of these tunes in the practice room is what will fuel the “subconscious” part of yourself when you are improvising.
And the more tunes you know, the more material and possibilities you’ll have to draw from in your own playing…
Five Jazz Contrafacts to know
Below we’ll look at different melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic approaches to six common jazz standards that you’ve probably played before:
- Indiana
- I’ll Remember April
- The Blues
- Star Eyes
- You Stepped Out of a Dream
These new melodies composed by five iconic players will give you clues, tactics, and melodic possibilities that you can transfer to your own musical approach.
Let’s jump in…
1) Ice Freezes red
Original tune: Indiana
While Charlie Parker’s Donna Lee might be the more well-known contrafact of the classic tune Indiana, Fats Navarro’s Ice Freezes Red gives us a different melodic approach…
Rather than the linear or “soloistic” flow through the form that you hear in Bird’s melody, this tune takes a more thematic approach, starting with two melodic motifs.
In the opening phrase over the I, II7, V7, and I chords you find this simple theme:
And this is followed by a second motif starting on the IV chord:
You hear a simpler harmonic and thematic approach to the arrival points in the progression, utilizing cycle movement (I, II7, V7, I7) and mirroring the structure of the original melody:
Like many bebop heads, this tune also includes small solo breaks in the melody for the players to improvise. These phrases can give valuable insight into their approach to the progression, as is the case with this Fats line in the last 8 bars:
Check out this lesson on for more bebop tunes written over standard forms: The Ultimate Guide to Bebop Tunes: 30 Essential Songs
2) Salute to the Band box
Original tune: I’ll Remember April
Gene de Paul’s composition I’ll Remember April is familiar to many musicians, and this Gigi Gryce melody and arrangement presents another approach to the progression:
There are a few details that make this melody unique. The original progression of I’ll Remember April opens with extended measures of the major I chord and its parallel minor:
Creating melodic interest or a sense of continuous forward motion in these spots can be a challenge for the soloist.
Gryce implies more harmonic and melodic motion in this spot. To start, instead of four measures of a static G major sound, Gryce moves to a C7 chord in the 3rd and 4th bars:
And over the next four bars, on the G minor sound, he creates half-step movement, highlighting the 5th, the b13, the 6th (13), and back to the b13.
The bridge of the tune features a ii-V-I up a minor 3rd from the home key (Bb major), a ii-V-I in the tonic, and a ii-V-I down another minor 3rd (E major):
The melody here also highlights the V7 alterations on F7, an effective and musical way to incorporate these sounds into a phrase:
3) Mrs. Parker of K.C.
Original tune: 12 bar Blues
A blues head is not generally considered a “contrafact” per se, but this Eric Dolphy melody will give you new perspective on the melodic possibilities over the blues form…
The melody starts with pick-ups and continues on up-beats with phrasing over the barlines…
And it’s not until the IV chord in the 5th bar that you encounter downbeats.
Dolphy’s tune is a great study in phrasing, rhythm, and a fresh approach to the blues, and absorbing this rhythmic phrasing will open up new possibilities in your playing.
For more melodic approaches to the Blues, check out this lesson: 10 Charlie Parker Blues Heads Everyone Should Know
4) Capuchin Swing
Original tune: Star Eyes
Charlie Parker cemented Star Eyes into the standard repertoire with his iconic renditions in the early fifties, and on this 1960 record, Jackie McLean uses the tune as the basis for his composition Capuchin Swing:
This is a prime example of taking a completely different melodic approach to an established standard, while also retaining the harmonic movement.
The bridge, featuring bars of space, melodic motion in 4ths, and enclosure, ends with a short melodic idea by McLean:
For more on Star Eyes, check out this lesson that features a Miles Davis solo: Miles Davis: The Power of the Triad
5) Chick’s Tune
Original tune: You Stepped Out of a Dream
On Blue Mitchell’s 1964 album The Thing To Do, a twenty-three year old Chick Corea contributed a notable composition, aptly titled Chick’s Tune.
It’s based on the song form of the standard You Stepped Out of a Dream…
While the original melody relies on extended notes over each sound, Corea offers a much more active approach to the form…
Notice how he establishes melodic ideas with 4ths and 5ths, connects the first two chords, and alters the V7 sound in the ii-V with sequence up a half-step:
And in the next 8 bars of tune, check out how he alters the harmony. Using a series of pedal tones, he starts with similar content to the original ii-V-I to F major, then shifts to material in Ab to Db, drawing from the short ii-V (Eb- Ab7) in the original:
For more on You Stepped Out of a Dream, check out this lesson: Inside Mulgrew Miller’s Solo: You Stepped Out of a Dream (PRO)
5 New Approaches to standards
Each of these contrafacts has something to offer for musicians of all levels…
Start by learning the original tune or song form first. The jazz standard repertoire is built upon core tunes/forms and common progressions – to truly master them, you have to go back and absorb the originals.
These five tunes from are a great next step on your musical journey, expanding on the fundamentals and adding musical tools to your own creative approach.
