Ray Noble, music and lyrics · First of five movements in his Indian Suite
Cherokee
Cherokee is a 64-bar AABA tune by Ray Noble, first of five movements in his Indian Suite. The bridge passes through B, A and G major, so teachers use it to drill ii–V cadences. Records by Charlie Barnet, Count Basie, Clifford Brown and Bud Powell play it, and Parker's Ko-Ko uses its changes.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Hear the swing-era hit Charlie Barnet✓
- 2 Hear the composer's version Ray Noble✓
- 3 Hear the contrafact Charlie Parker’s Reboppers✓
- 4 Hear the hard-bop quintet Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet✓
- 5 Hear it as a piano trio Bud Powell Trio✓
- 6 Hear a swing band's two-part version Count Basie✓
- 7 Hear the chart's source Wynton Marsalis✓
- 8 Hear a modern take Kamasi Washington✓
How the tune works
Sixty-four bars in four sections of sixteen, A A B A, in B♭ major. Each A section opens with two bars of B♭maj7, then Fm7 and B♭7 lead to two bars of E♭maj7 and two bars of A♭7. Bar 9 is B♭maj7, bar 10 stays on B♭maj7 or moves to Gm7 depending on the reading, and bars 11 and 12 play C7. The first A closes with a turnaround, Cm7 B° Cm7 F7, and the second and last A close with Cm7 F7 and two bars of B♭6. The bridge is a chain of ii–V cadences, one chord per bar: C♯m7 F♯7 into two bars of B major, Bm7 E7 into two bars of A major, and Am7 D7 into two bars of G major. Gm7 C7 Cm7 F7 then bring the form back to B♭ for the last A.
The changes under Wynton Marsalis's trumpet solo on Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. 1 (1986), transcribed in the Weimar Jazz Database. Published sheets hold B♭maj7 through bar 10 of each A, where the transcription has Gm7.
Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.
Listen in this order
Play all 8 on YouTube ↗The path starts with Charlie Barnet's 1939 hit and Ray Noble's own 1938 record, then follows the changes through Parker's Ko-Ko, Clifford Brown, Bud Powell and Count Basie. It ends with Wynton Marsalis's 1986 quartet, the source of the chart, and Kamasi Washington's version from the 2011 sessions for The Epic.
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Step 1 · Hear the swing-era hit Now playing
Charlie Barnet and His Orchestra 1939
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- The credits list five saxophones, three trumpets and three trombones over guitar, piano, bass and drums. Try to pick out the three horn sections as they play.
- Try this
- Play the 16-bar first A section from the chart at the piano or guitar before the record starts, one chord per bar. Smaller version: play only the root of each chord, one per bar.
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Step 2 · Hear the composer's version Now playing
Ray Noble and His Orchestra 1938
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- Listen for
- The credits list three violins, four reed players, three trumpets, two trombones, guitar and drums. Listen for the violins next to the reeds and brass.
- Try this
- Play the bridge from the chart, one chord per bar: C♯m7 F♯7 Bmaj7 Bmaj7, Bm7 E7 Amaj7 Amaj7, Am7 D7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7. Smaller version: play only the roots, C♯ F♯ B B, then B E A A, then A D G G.
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Step 3 · Hear the contrafact Now playing
Charlie Parker’s Reboppers 1945
“Ko-Ko”
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- Listen for
- The Weimar Jazz Database transcribes Parker's alto solo as 77 seconds near 299 beats per minute, with the Cherokee bridge in its chord list. Listen for Max Roach on drums and Curly Russell on bass underneath.
- Try this
- Play the 16-bar bridge from the chart slowly, one chord per bar, then listen for the same chords under Parker's solo. Smaller version: play only the roots of the first eight bars, C♯ F♯ B B, then B E A A. The record runs near 299 beats per minute, so play the bridge at your own tempo first.
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Step 4 · Hear the hard-bop quintet Now playing
Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet 1955
“Cherokee (Indian Love Song)”, Study in Brown
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- Listen for
- Five players: Clifford Brown on trumpet, Harold Land on tenor saxophone, Richie Powell on piano, George Morrow on bass and Max Roach on drums. Try to follow each one in turn.
- Try this
- Count the 64-bar form against the record, with the bridge starting at bar 33. Smaller version: listen only for the bridge, where the chords pass through B, A and G major.
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Step 5 · Hear it as a piano trio Now playing
Bud Powell Trio 1949
The Jazz Scene
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- Listen for
- Three players only: Bud Powell on piano, Ray Brown on bass and Max Roach on drums. Listen for what each one does in the 3 minutes 42 seconds.
- Try this
- At the piano, play the 16-bar first A section with the left hand on the root and the right hand on the third and seventh of each chord. Smaller version: play only the roots.
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Step 6 · Hear a swing band's two-part version Now playing
Count Basie and His Orchestra 1939
“Cherokee (Parts 1 & 2)”
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- Listen for
- The tune runs in two parts, 3:12 and 3:05 on The Complete Decca Recordings. Listen for the rhythm section of Count Basie on piano, Freddie Green on guitar, Walter Page on bass and Jo Jones on drums.
- Try this
- Count the 64-bar chorus with the record and tap the downbeat of each 16-bar section. Smaller version: tap every four bars.
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Step 7 · Hear the chart's source Now playing
Wynton Marsalis 1986
Marsalis Standard Time, Vol. 1
Couldn't play this one here. Try the links below.
- Listen for
- The Weimar Jazz Database transcribes Marsalis's trumpet solo as two choruses of about 93 seconds near 338 beats per minute. Listen for Marcus Roberts on piano, Robert Leslie Hurst III on bass and Jeff Watts on drums.
- Try this
- Follow the chart with your eyes while the record plays and say each chord as it arrives. Playing along needs a very fast tempo, so the smaller version is to point at the start of each 16-bar section: bars 1, 17, 33 and 49.
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Step 8 · Hear a modern take Now playing
Kamasi Washington 2011
The Epic
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- Listen for
- Listen for the vocal part by Patrice Quinn next to Kamasi Washington's tenor saxophone and Ryan Porter's trombone.
- Try this
- Listen once without the chart. Then listen again and note the first place the opening section comes back. Smaller version: tap a steady pulse and count how many minutes pass before the opening section returns.
More great versions
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Bud Powell Trio 1953
Jazz at Massey Hall, Vol. 2
Bud Powell, Charles Mingus and Max Roach played Cherokee at Massey Hall in Toronto on May 15, 1953.
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Art Tatum 1954
The Art Tatum Solo Masterpieces, Vol. 6
Art Tatum recorded Cherokee as a solo piano piece in 1954, produced by Norman Granz.
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Clifford Brown and Max Roach Septet 1955
“Cherokee (live)”, Live at the Bee Hive
Clifford Brown and Max Roach led a septet at the Bee Hive Club in Chicago on November 7, 1955, with Sonny Rollins on tenor saxophone.
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Sarah Vaughan 1955
In the Land of Hi-Fi
Sarah Vaughan sang Cherokee with Ernie Wilkins' orchestra on her 1955 album In the Land of Hi-Fi, recorded October 25 to 27, 1955.
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Ahmad Jamal Trio 1958
“Cherokee (live)”, At the Pershing, Vol. 2
Ahmad Jamal's trio played Cherokee live at the Pershing Hotel in Chicago in January 1958.
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Joe Pass 1973
Virtuoso
Joe Pass played Cherokee on solo guitar for his album Virtuoso, recorded on August 28, 1973, in Los Angeles.
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Christian McBride Trio 2014
“Cherokee (live)”, Live at the Village Vanguard
Christian McBride's trio played Cherokee at the Village Vanguard for the live album Live at the Village Vanguard, released by Mack Avenue in 2015.