[HAM] BLINDFOLD TEST Number 6- The Answers

[OF]

Well, the fire's lit and it's time for another bedtime story from Old Uncle 
Scott.

The tune was Brother Jack McDuff, playing his original composition, 
"Walkin' The Dog." Live in Seattle, 1982, along with close to 40 other 
tunes he let me record that week and on another visit. All of the material 
is stupendous, or at worst, very good. I used to have much of it up on my 
site, but most of it's been gone for quite a while now. I may put some up 
again soon. He hauled his own broken-down B-3 around in a van with an 
apartment built into the back of it and an equipment bay behind that. We 
sat back there and smoked bowls. Yup. Send somebody to arrest us. The more 
he smoked the better he played. (Do not try this at home, kids.) He caught 
me one morning playing his organ (I worked there). He was rapping with his 
rings on the glass to get in. That's when the lessons began. He didn't say 
a lot but he demo'd a lot and had me play for him, where he would stop me 
and suggest better ways, always using humor. He was unbelievably kind, and 
supportive. He could play a lot more changes than he usually let on. The 
evidence is on the tapes.

The mystery chord would be known in school as a fourth-stack. In the key of 
'C,' the notes from the bottom up were F, Bb, Eb, and Ab. Sometimes the 
bottom 'F' was left off. The effect was tremendous partly because of the 
way he would trail it off by glissing the top note (or sometimes the top 2 
or 3 notes) all the way up to high 'C.' It had kind of a human-voice 
effect, like a woman saying "HUHHH???" or "YEAH?"

Here are the chords for the TWO different bridges. I don't know if anyone 
here will try this, but if even one person does it will be worth posting, 
for the record. Did anyone notice the tune has TWO different bridges? 
McDuff thought differently than everybody else. These chords require a hand 
span of a tenth, sorry. Try it; it is very satisfying to hear yourself play it.

The first bridge begins at 1:48, and it goes D7#9, spelled (D bass) F#, C, 
F, A, up to the same in Eb a half-step up, then D7#9b5, spelled (D bass) 
F#, C, F,  G#, then down to the same thing in Db (Db bass) F, B, Eb, G, and 
then back home to C9, or actually, the C fourth-stack. (Jams in C9.)

Second bridge, channel, or whatever it's called, starts at 3:17.
The first chord is Gm11 with a C bass. C (bass), Bb, F, A, C. Some 
academics may want to call it a C13sus4th. I don't care! It is what it is. 
Next chord, I don't know what to call it, but simply raise the 'C' on top 
to 'C# and drop the 'F' to 'E." OK Alan, it's a C13b9. And now comes the 
"tri-tone substitution" trick. Keep that chord in your right hand if it 
hasn't cramped-up yet, but change the bass to F#! Wo, now it's turned into 
an, an, let's see, F#7#9. Man, I told you 'Duff knew what he was doin'. Now 
the whole kit and kaboodle goes down chromatically by half-steps to wind up 
in the key of Eb, where they stay and jam for eight bars! Sounds just like 
the head in 'C' but it's Eb7#9 instead.

He's gotta get outta this and back to the key of 'C," so here's how that's 
done, if anybody's still reading:
Play A13 as a passing chord, (A bass) G, C#, F#, then directly down to the 
same thing in 'Ab,' (Ab bass), Gb, C, F, then hold the right-hand chord but 
change the bass to 'D' (tri-tone sub making a D7#9), then up to pop on the 
same thing in Eb (Eb bass) G, Db, Gb. Break immediately for one bar ONLY 
while playing the 'C' bass line, then hit the C fourth-stack. Whew!

It's ridiculous to write all this down but few people really read music 
anymore, and this performance is not on records, I think maybe. I have 
regularly played this arrangement for many years (it's not that difficult 
with a little practice) and it never fails to bring the house down.

One more important detail, the bass line. It begins as C G A G Bb G Db, 
(C). I'll leave the rhythm to your own ears. For some reason, after 2:05, 
the Db disappears and turns into a G, and never returns. All versions I've 
heard do that. It is easier that way, and maybe not as tuff, as in McTuff. 
Chalk it up to a couple of bowls.