109778977

Christopher Hennessy
Paul O' Donnell
Jazz Harmonisation and Improvisation

For this assignment I chose to write my improvisation on the piece 'Autumn Leaves' by Joseph
Kosma (1945).
In the recording, I first lay down a cool jazz accompaniment using a very basic keyboard drum part.
I added a second track of the piano accompaniment and finally lay over the top the head using a
flute solo.
The improvisation itself begins half a bar before the first Cm7 chord, this is to replicate the
anacrusis which Kosma uses in the original. The opening half bar ascends through six notes (in
triplets) beginning on the G of the original and it is in the Aeolian mode giving way mid-phrase to a
leap of a major third (on the bar line), it changes direction to echo the falling leaves. The fifth of the
Dorian scale being the first note of a falling fifth in steps. Stopping and holding the C (bar 36)
strengthens the F7 (it being the fifth of that chord and the root of the Cm7), I then repeat the
previous pattern on the Mixolydian scale. The falling fifth this time is in the BbM7 (Ionian) and
ends on the root of that chord suspended again to form the fifth of the EbM7. Again on bar 38 I
repeat the pattern, this time in the Lydian mode and having the falling pattern shorter (bar 39) so
that I can end on the seventh of the D7, which I then hold throughout the bar to create a sense of
space and tranquillity. Bar 41 sees a series of triplets in the Aeolian mode in a pattern reminiscent of
how leaves might behave in an Autumn breeze, I begin the pattern on the suspended C (from the
previous bar). It at first ascends to pick up the fifth of the chord of G before falling with every
fourth note ascending one step in the Aeolian scale, the pattern ending with the penultimate note
being the third of the D7 chord and thus the raised seventh that might be expected in a minor key.
The pattern ends on the first G in bar 42. This opening section is then repeated almost identically an
octave higher, the link being a jump and repetition of the first three notes of the improvisation and
the ending not going to the F# but rather staying on the A and extra third of a beat in order to allow
the F# to be used in bar 50 without it becoming repetitious.
Bar 50 ends with the three notes from the original song, to hint again at the tune. Bar 51 restates the
chord of Am (b5) without the fifth as it allowed me to place the G (the seventh) falling again to the

F# and reinforce the D7 chord and the Phrygian mode. Bar 53 sees the original tune again appearing
with a repeat of the arpeggio style chord of the Gm (Aeolian), I added a 9th to facilitate the falling
effect. Bars 55/6 have a series of triplets on the notes Eb and C, both these notes are in common
with both the chord Cm7 and the F7 which span the two bars in question and allowed a simple and
effective way of adding tension to this section. Bars 57/8 have a similar pattern, again because the
notes (D and Bb) are shared in the same commonality as the previous two chords (third and root,
followed by 7th and 5th).
Bar 59 releases us from this tension with the Am7(b5) being arpeggiated in a broken descent
repeated twice (with a slight variation on the rhythm). Bar 60 has the repeated A (the fifth of the D7
and then rests for the remainder of the bar. The purpose of this is that the accompaniment is fuller in
bars 61/2 (compared to the rest of the piece which has only one chord per bar) and I felt that to add
too much in the improvisation would detract from this. 61 starts with the fifth of Gm followed by
the E (which is vital in expressing the C7 as opposed to the Cm7 which had been prominent
throughout the rest of the piece). This E then falls to an Eb (the seventh of Fm7) and finally the D
(third of BbM7 and seventh of EbM7) thus setting up the ending nicely. Bar 63 has a repeat of the
descending arpeggio heard earlier but this time on the EbM7. Bar 64 has a nice little pattern on the
Am7 (b5). It goes root, fifth, root and 7th, 5th, 7th in a falling pattern the top notes show a passing G
(the seventh of Am7 (b5)) between the A and onto the F# (the third of the D7) before finally adding
one last little twist using the note A (ninth seen earlier in the Gm) being held for two beats and
resolving to the G (the Aeolian mode in which the piece is written).