We’re doing this song at the Berkeley Jazz Workshop:

There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy and sad of eye
But very wise was he

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return”

It’s a minor key tune. Here are the changes:

F#- | C#+7 | F#- | C#+7
F#- C#+7/F | F#-/E B7/D# | Dmaj7 | Dmaj7
G#m7b5 | C#7(b13) | F#- | F#-
Ebm7b5 | Dmaj7 | C#7(b9) | C#7(b9)

F#- | C#+7 | F#- | C#+7
F#- C#+7/F | F#-/E B7/D# | Dmaj7 | Dmaj7
Ebm7b5 | Dmaj7 | Cmaj7#4 | Gmaj7
G#7(b9) | C#7(b9) | F#- | F#-

I need to check with Clark, but I think I can play a whole tone scale on the C#+7 chord (although the whole tone scale over this chord is dissonant to my ears, I can’t find a nice line of notes to play).

The G#m7b5 to C#7(b13) to F#- is a minor ii-V-I cadence. Have to figure out what that entails as far as playing.

Update: So I read up on minor ii-V-I cadences. It’s a little complicated to me, maybe because it’s so new. The minor ii-V-I cadence is for the most part based on the Aeolian mode of major keys. In the case of:

G#m7b5 to C#7(b13) to F#-

the F#- key is based on the F#- Aeolian mode. In other words, you play the same notes as in the A major Ionian mode.

The G#m7b5 is the Locrian mode (the same notes as F#- Aeolian).

The C#7(b13) is the harmonic minor mode, which means you play a natural 7th (make the 7th of F#- Aeolian natural). In this case the E becomes E# (or F). Also makes sense if you’re going to play the C#7 with a b13.

Also the F# minor melodic scale can be played over the F#- chord. It sounds nice.

Well, at least that’s what I remember from my reading of minor key cadences last night. I have the feeling I’m going to have to review it again and revise this.

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